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Update On Open NBA Roster Spots

February 28th, 2018 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this month, we identified the NBA teams with open roster spots. Since then, clubs have completed a flurry of 10-day signings, and a couple players have even received rest-of-season deals.

However, there are still plenty of teams around the league with openings on their respective rosters, which could come in handy with Thursday’s de facto buyout deadline around the corner. Once March 1 comes and goes, teams will have a better idea of which players will or won’t have postseason eligibility the rest of the way, creating a clearer picture for how to fill those open roster spots.

In the space below, we’ll take a closer look at teams with an open roster spot, breaking them down into three categories. Each of the clubs in the first group actually has a full 15-man roster right now, but in each instance, one of those 15 players is only a 10-day contract. With those contracts set to expire soon, it’d be very easy and inexpensive for these teams to create an opening if they need to.

Teams with full 15-man rosters who are carrying at least one player on a 10-day contract (10-day player noted in parentheses):

The next list of teams includes the clubs with one open spot on their roster and no players on 10-day contracts. These clubs each have 14 players on standard, full-season NBA deals, leaving one spot open for either a 10-day player or a rest-of-season signing.

Teams with one open roster spot:

  • Charlotte Hornets
  • Chicago Bulls
  • Los Angeles Clippers
  • Los Angeles Lakers
    • Note: The Lakers will create a second opening when they officially waive Corey Brewer.
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Sacramento Kings
  • Toronto Raptors

Finally, the last group of teams features four clubs that have been grouped together before. These four teams saw their roster counts slip to 13 players around the time of the trade deadline, and each had to add a player to get back up to the NBA-mandated minimum of 14. To reach that minimum, each team signed a player to a 10-day contract. That means these four franchises still only have 12 or 13 players on full-season contracts, with at least one player on a 10-day deal.

Teams with one open roster spot, plus at least one player on a 10-day contract:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Portland Trail Blazers
    • Note: 13 full-season contracts, plus Brandon Rush on 10-day contract.
  • Washington Wizards
    • Note: 13 full-season contracts, plus Ramon Sessions on 10-day contract.

For roster-count details on all 30 teams, be sure to check out our roster count page, which we updated daily throughout the 2017/18 season.

Note: Roster info current as of Wednesday, February 28 at 12:00pm CT.

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Brandon Knight's Return May Change Suns Draft Plans

February 27th, 2018 at 6:58pm CST by marksuleymanov
  • After a strong season with the Suns in 2016/17, injuries have hampered Tyler Ulis this season. Despite his optimism, he seems to be falling out of the team’s rotation, Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports writes. “That’s something I can’t control so I don’t think about stuff like that,” Ulis said. “I’ve been doing this all my life. There’s not many people my size in the NBA so obviously I have the game to make it here and I have the game to stick.”
  • Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports answers several questions surrounding the Suns’ draft plans and oft-injured guard Brandon Knight. A source tells Bordow that getting a healthy Knight back from reconstructive knee surgery would be comparable to adding a first-round pick. Knight has been a solid player for Phoenix, averaging nearly 20.0 PPG in his last healthy season, so getting him back to 100% could affect the team’s draft plans.
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Neck Injury Sidelines Tyson Chandler

February 26th, 2018 at 9:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns center Tyson Chandler is unsure when he’ll be able to play again because of a neck injury, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic reports. Chandler has missed five of the last six games due to swelling in a neck joint. That swelling has caused his neck to spasm and even lock up, Chandler told Bordow. “Coming back from the All-Star break I was looking forward to playing really well down the stretch,” Chandler said. “So it’s disappointing coming back having to deal with this.” The Suns miss Chandler’s leadership when he’s out, Bordow writes in a separate piece, noting the Suns are 5-25 when either he or Devin Booker doesn’t play.

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Suns Auditioning Payton; House Reaches NBA Limit

February 25th, 2018 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill
  • The Suns have the rest of the season to determine if they want to team Elfrid Payton with Devin Booker as their backcourt of the future, relays Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Payton has solidified the point guard position since coming to Phoenix in a trade at the deadline, but the front office has to decide if Payton’s abilities are the best complement for Booker and if he is worth the estimated $10MM annually it will cost to keep him when he hits restricted free agency this summer. The Suns will also consider whether they want to draft a new point guard or keep Payton and use their pick on a center.
  • Shooting guard Danuel House has reached the 45-day NBA limit under his two-way contract, Bordow tweets. House has returned to the Suns‘ Northern Arizona affiliate and can’t come back to Phoenix until the G League season is over unless his contract is converted to a regular NBA deal.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/25/18

February 25th, 2018 at 9:09pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.

  • The Magic recalled forward Jonathan Isaac from their Lakeland affiliate, according to Orlando’s PR Twitter. Isaac, who missed almost three months with an ankle injury, saw his first game action this weekend for the G League squad and is now rejoining the NBA team.
  • The Suns assigned Davon Reed to the Northern Arizona Suns, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports. In seven games with the G League squad, Reed has averaged 11.6 PPG and 5.0 RPG.
  • The Warriors assigned Damian Jones to their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team announced in a press release. Jones has appeared in 36 games with Santa Cruz, averaging 15.1 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.1 APG and 2.17 BPG.
  • The Thunder have recalled center Dakari Johnson for their G League squad, the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Jones has posted 15.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 2.9 APG in seven games.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/23/18

February 23rd, 2018 at 5:22pm CST by marksuleymanov

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.

  • The Lakers recalled rookie center Thomas Bryant from the South Bay Lakers, according to the G League team’s Twitter feed. Thomas has averaged 19.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 28 games with South Bay.
  • The Magic reassigned forward Jonathan Isaac to their Lakeland affiliate, according to Orlando’s PR Twitter. Isaac,  who missed almost three months with an ankle injury, is expected to see his first game action this weekend for the G League squad.
  • The Spurs assigned rookie guard Derrick White to the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. He has averaged 15.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.6 APG in 13 games with Austin.
  • The Suns assigned Davon Reed to the Northern Arizona Suns, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports. In seven games with the G League squad, Reed has averaged 10.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
  • The Cavaliers assigned guard Marcus Thornton to the G League’s Canton Charge, according to a team press release. Thornton has averaged 18.8 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 37 games with Canton.
  • The Thunder have assigned center Dakari Johnson to the G League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue, per a team press release. Johnson has appeared in five games with the Blue, averaging 24.2 PPG and 10.4 RPG.
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Suns Notes: Tanking, Triano, Len, Harrison

February 21st, 2018 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns GM Ryan McDonough promises there won’t be a repeat of the “strategic resting” that saw Eric Bledsoe and Tyson Chandler held out of the lineup late last season, relays Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix reached the All-Star break tied with the Hawks for the top spot in our Reverse Standings, but McDonough said the team won’t make any changes to try to improve its odds for the No. 1 pick.

“We’re planning on doing what we have been doing, that’s playing our young players. For us, that’s not a change,” he said. “… We want to continue to have them improve and get minutes and try to win as many games as we can.”

Interim coach Jay Triano echoed those sentiments and recalled that Bledsoe was angry about being forced to sit out the final 15 games last season, which played a part in his request to be traded. “I think we learned from last year with guys sitting out,” Triano said. “I don’t think that was real productive for us.”

There’s more tonight out of Phoenix:

  • Triano, who has served as interim coach since Earl Watson was fired in October, would like to be considered for the full-time job after the season ends, Bordow adds in the same story. “Listen, I love coaching, I love it here, I love the relationship I’m starting to develop with these players, so I’d like to keep it going and be a part of their development because I see a lot of positives,” Triano said. … “So there’s no reason I would not want to be [the coach].”
  • Fifth-year center Alex Len no longer seems to be in the Suns’ plans for the future, Bordow notes in a separate story. The plan for the final 23 games of the season is to start Chandler at center with Dragan Bender as the primary backup as Marquese Chriss gets another shot at the starting lineup. Len will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after agreeing to the Suns’ qualifying offer last year. He is averaging 8.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in 49 games, but the organization doesn’t seem to think his future will be in Phoenix.
  • Shaquille Harrison is thrilled to make his NBA debut after spending two seasons with the Suns’ G League affiliate in Northern Arizona, relays Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports. “I’m just trying to seize the opportunity,” said Harrison, whose 10-day deal became official today. “I’m very grateful to be here. It’s a great organization, that’s why I stuck with them the past year-and-a-half, two years. I’m loving it and enjoying the process.”
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Suns Sign Shaquille Harrison To 10-Day Deal

February 21st, 2018 at 12:23pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 21: The Suns have officially signed Harrison to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. As expected, Gray has been waived.

FEBRUARY 20: The Suns will make a change to their roster this week, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who tweets that the team is signing guard Shaquille Harrison to a 10-day contract. Phoenix will waive Josh Gray to create a roster spot, per Gambadoro.

Harrison, 24, went undrafted out of Tulsa in 2016 and caught on with the Suns for training camp later that year. He was cut before the regular season began, but landed with Phoenix’s G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns.

Harrison has spent the last two years with Northern Arizona, averaging 11.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.9 SPG in 36 G League games this season.

Gray had been on a 10-day contract of his own with the Suns — actually, it was technically a 12-day contract. Even though he signed that deal on February 12, Gray was on track to remain under contract through Friday, since 10-day pacts must cover at least three NBA games. Assuming he’s waived before his deal expires, Gray will still be paid for the full 12 days.

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Suns, Mavs Among Potential Aaron Gordon Suitors

February 21st, 2018 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns and Mavericks are among the teams viewed as potential offseason suitors for Magic power forward Aaron Gordon, league sources tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Gordon will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer.

As Deveney outlines, the Suns should have cap space this offseason and are in need of “more proven” players, making the former Arizona Wildcat an intriguing target. As for the Mavs, they should also have cap space for 2018/19, and they’ve been eager to find a rising star to team up with Dennis Smith Jr. and Harrison Barnes, Deveney writes.

Gordon, 22, has enjoyed a breakout season for the Magic in 2017/18, though injuries have limited him to just 39 contests. In those 39 games, the former fourth overall pick has averaged an impressive 18.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.2 APG.

Because Gordon will be coming off his rookie contract, the Magic will be able to make him a restricted free agent by tendering him a qualifying offer. That will give Orlando the right of first refusal, meaning that even if a team like the Suns or Mavs puts a lucrative offer sheet on the table for Gordon, the Magic would have the opportunity to match it.

While we don’t know for sure that the Magic’s front office intends to match any offer for Gordon, parting ways with the fourth-year forward would leave the club without many young building blocks outside of Jonathan Isaac. As such, I’d be surprised if Orlando simply lets Gordon walk in free agency.

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