E.J. Liddell

Bulls Convert E.J. Liddell To Two-Way Deal

October 19th, 2024 at 10:52am CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 19: Liddell’s conversion to a two-way contract is now official, the Bulls announced in a press release.

OCTOBER 18: The Bulls are converting E.J. Liddell‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Chicago currently has an open two-way spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary to promote Liddell.

An Illinois native who starred in college at Ohio State, Liddell was selected with the 41st pick of the 2022 draft. Unfortunately, he missed his entire first season with the Pelicans after tearing his ACL in Summer League, but the team kept him on a two-way deal for the 2022/23 campaign.

Liddell, a 6’7″ forward, was promoted to a multiyear standard deal in July 2023. He spent most of last season in the G League, only making eight NBA appearances for 23 total minutes with New Orleans in ’23/24.

Liddell was traded twice during the offseason, first to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray deal, then to Phoenix in a salary dump by the Suns (former first-rounder David Roddy was sent to Atlanta). Phoenix subsequently waived Liddell, making him a free agent until he signed a training camp deal with Chicago.

Since the Bulls didn’t release anyone, they still have 18 players under contract, which is the regular season limit.

As we previously relayed, it seems like the team plans to keep Talen Horton-Tucker into the regular season after waiving Onuralp Bitim and Kenneth Lofton, though that could change before Monday’s final cut-down deadline. Horton-Tucker, who has been a standout in preseason, was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal but is ineligible for a two-way contract due to having five years of NBA experience.

Checking In On Early 2024/25 Roster Battles

September 14th, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Tristan Tucker

Each year, a handful of teams prefer to bring in players to battle it out for the last remaining spots on a given roster. Let’s take a look at a few training camp battles that are already brewing ahead of October.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been busy in recent weeks, filling out their training camp roster with proven talent. The Bulls have 15 players on standard contracts, but Onuralp Bitim‘s deal is non-guaranteed. In addition, Chicago has two open two-way slots. The Bulls have four players — Talen Horton-Tucker, Kenneth Lofton Jr., E.J. Liddell and Marcus Domask — signed to training camp deals.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted to two-way contracts at any time. Horton-Tucker is the only player of that batch who is ineligible for a two-way contract, since he is at five years of NBA service. That gives the Bulls a handful of options for their opening night roster.

In essence, Bitim and Horton-Tucker seem to be battling it out for the Bulls’ 15th roster spot, while Lofton, Liddell and Domask all appear to be candidates for the team’s open two-way slots. Of course, if the Bulls opt to move on from Bitim on a standard deal, they could attempt to re-sign him to a two-way deal. They could also just carry 14 players on the standard roster to begin the year.

New York Knicks

As we detailed Saturday morning, Landry Shamet and Chuma Okeke appear to be battling for the Knicks’ 15th roster spot. Of course, there’s no guarantee that either player will make the roster, but each has a decent case to make the team.

Shamet is a proven three-point shooter while Okeke is a versatile forward who is a previous 16th overall pick. The Knicks will likely assess in training camp what their biggest need is and keep the player who best fits that niche heading into the year.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have a handful of players on non-guaranteed or partially contracts heading into the season. However, previous reporting seems to indicate that the team’s final roster spot will come down to either Kendall Brown or Cole Swider.

Brown is an athletic forward who was the 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has spent the last two seasons with the Pacers but has also appeared in just 21 total games. Meanwhile, the Pacers signed Swider to a training camp contract this offseason that doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language. Swider is a known three-point shooter who spent last season with the Heat and helped Miami to a summer league championship this offseason.

James Wiseman and James Johnson each have partially guaranteed salaries with the Pacers.

The others

Other teams across the league are poised to either carry just 14 players on standard deals to begin the year or already have their 15-man rosters determined. However, some of those teams have unsettled two-way roster slots.

The Heat have their standard roster filled out, but summer standout Isaiah Stevens is on an Exhibit 10 deal. It seems like Stevens will battle Dru Smith — who currently holds a two-way deal — outright for that spot.

The Hornets have Moussa Diabate and KJ Simpson on two-way deals but have another spot open. Keyontae Johnson could be an option for that spot. Charlotte also has a potential opening on the 15-man roster, with four players signed to Exhibit 10 deals and another agreed to.

The Wizards also have an open two-way slot. Washington signed Leaky Black, Kira Lewis and Jaylen Nowell to Exhibit 10 contracts, but only Black is eligible for a two-way deal. The Wizards also have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, with Jared Butler and his non-guaranteed deal possibly on the outside looking in unless they make a trade.

The Clippers have RayJ Dennis, Kai Jones and Elijah Harkless signed to Exhibit 10 deals. The team also has an agreement with Kevon Harris for another such spot. With only Jordan Miller and Trentyn Flowers on two-way contracts, all of Dennis, Jones, Harkless and Harris are eligible for the team’s third.

Bulls Sign E.J. Liddell To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 7th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

4:00pm: The signing is official, according to RealGM’s transaction log. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, Hoops Rumors can confirm.

11:30am: The Bulls have agreed to a contract with forward E.J. Liddell, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). While the details of the contract aren’t yet known, it’s probably safe to assume it’s an Exhibit 10 deal, with Chicago having also signed Talen Horton-Tucker and Kenneth Lofton Jr. to such contracts in recent weeks.

Liddell, the No. 41 pick in the 2022 draft, spent two years with the Pelicans. He missed what would have been his rookie season in 2022/23 with a knee injury before playing eight games with New Orleans last season.

This offseason, Liddell was moved to the Hawks as part of the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans. He was then re-routed to the Suns before being waived.

In 29 G League games last season, Liddell averaged 17.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 50.8% from the floor and 27.0% from deep. The Ohio State product averaged 14.1 points across 92 career collegiate games as well.

If Liddell’s contract is an Exhibit 10 deal, he’ll be competing for one of the Bulls’ last remaining roster spots. As noted above, Chicago has Horton-Tucker and Lofton alongside Marcus Domask on training camp contracts. Chicago has 15 players on standard contracts but Onuralp Bitim‘s contract is non-guaranteed. The Bulls also have one two-way spot open.

It looks as though the Bulls are fielding an open competition heading into training camp. Bitim will battle to hold his 15th spot on the roster while the Exhibit 10 players compete for either that spot or the Bulls’ open two-way. It’s important to note that Liddell, Lofton and Domask are eligible for two-way deals while Horton-Tucker is not.

Deadline Looms For Teams To Stretch 2024/25 Salaries

August 28th, 2024 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Thursday, August 29 is the last day that an NBA team will be able to waive a player who has a fully or partially guaranteed salary for 2024/25 and stretch that player’s ’24/25 salary across multiple seasons.

The stretch provision deadline has historically been August 31, and while that’s technically still the case, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement tweaked the wording of the rule. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), in order to apply the stretch provision to a player’s current-season salary, a team must now ensure the player clears waivers on or before August 31 rather than simply requesting waivers on him by August 31.

The adjusted wording is similar to the CBA language related to the league-wide salary guarantee date in January. In that case, a team must place a player on waivers on or before January 7 in order to have him clear waivers ahead of the league-wide Jan. 10 guarantee date. In the case of the stretch provision rule, a player whose salary is being stretched now must be waived by August 29 at 4:00 pm Central time to ensure he has cleared waivers prior to September 1.

A player who clears waivers between September 1 and the end of the 2024/25 season can still have his cap hit(s) for 2025/26 and future seasons stretched across multiple years, assuming he’s owed guaranteed money beyond this season. But his ’24/25 cap charge would remain unchanged in that scenario, unless he reaches a buyout agreement with his team.

The stretch provision allows teams to gain some short-term relief at the cost of reduced long-term flexibility. It’s used most frequently by teams in the luxury tax who want to lower their projected tax bill (or duck out of tax territory entirely) or by teams who want to create a little extra cap room to accommodate a specific roster move.

Teams haven’t employed the stretch provision all that frequently in recent years, but three players waived this week will have their guaranteed money stretched across multiple seasons. The Suns are stretching the $21.75MM owed to Nassir Little for the next three years, as well as the $2,120,693 owed to E.J. Liddell for 2024/25, while the Grizzlies are stretching Mamadi Diakite‘s $1,392,150 partial guarantee for ’24/25.

Since the stretch provision allows a team to spread the player’s remaining salary across twice the remaining years on his contract, plus one additional year, the new cap hits for those players will be as follows:

Little (Suns): $3,107,143 for seven seasons (through 2030/31)
Liddell (Suns): $706,898 for three seasons (through 2026/27)
Diakite (Grizzlies): $464,050 for three seasons (through 2026/27)

The Suns’ moves reduce their projected tax bill, while the Grizzlies’ move creates a little additional breathing room below the tax line.

We likely won’t see a flurry of cuts today and tomorrow in order to take advantage of this rule, but the deadline is still worth keeping in mind for the possibilities it will take off the table. Any player on a guaranteed expiring contract who is waived after August 29 will have his remaining salary count entirely against his team’s ’24/25 books.

Suns Waive Nassir Little, E.J. Liddell

August 27th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Tristan Tucker

AUGUST 27: The cuts are official, according to PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet (Twitter link). Both players will become unrestricted free agents if they clear waivers later this week.

With just one year of service, Liddell is eligible for a two-way contract with any team besides the Suns. Little, with five seasons of experience, is not two-way eligible.

AUGUST 21: The Suns are waiving forwards Nassir Little and E.J. Liddell, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Both players will become unrestricted free agents.

Liddell being waived doesn’t come as much of a surprise. He looked like the odd man out for the projected 15-man regular season roster after the Suns acquired him a few weeks ago in a salary dump of David Roddy.

The former Ohio State forward missed his rookie season due to an ACL tear, but played in eight games with New Orleans last season. He was sent from the Pelicans to the Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade this offseason before being rerouted to Phoenix.

Liddell is still just 23 and had a tremendously impressive junior season in college before his injury (19.4 PPG, 2.6 BPG, .374 3PT%) and he played well in the G League last year, averaging 17.3 points per game). The No. 41 overall pick from the 2022 draft is a candidate to catch on elsewhere.

Little being waived is more surprising, since he’s owed $21.75MM over the next three years and seemed like a candidate to be traded for salary-matching purposes down the line. However, the Suns will instead use the stretch provision in removing him from the roster.

There were rumblings in July that Phoenix cutting Little was a possibility. As Charania writes, the Suns moved forward with that plan in order to open up a roster spot and to create more flexibility for signings or trades.

A former first-round pick, Little wasn’t a huge part of Phoenix’s roster last season, averaging 3.4 points in 45 appearances. He was acquired from the Trail Blazers in last September’s three-team Damian Lillard trade after spending the first four years of his career in Portland. In 237 career games, Little holds averages of 5.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. The 25th pick in the 2019 draft, Little is still just 24 and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him earn another guaranteed contract down the line.

In addition to creating more roster flexibility, the Suns are now better positioned to give Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro an opportunity to earn immediate minutes, according to Charania, who notes that the team is high on both rookies (Twitter link). Phoenix landed Dunn 28th overall and Ighodaro at No. 40 in June’s draft.

With Little and Liddell waived, the Suns have 14 players on standard contracts and three players on two-way deals, so their opening day roster looks to be mostly set.

The Suns had until Aug. 31 to waive Little and stretch his contract through 2030/31 while reducing his $6.75MM cap hit this season. Under the stretch provision, his remaining salary will be paid over twice the number of seasons remaining on his contract, plus one year. Because he had three years left on his contract, Little’s remaining $21.75MM will be paid out equally over the next seven seasons (through ’30/31), for an annual hit of about $3.1MM.

While reducing their team salary by $3.65MM might not seem worth it at face value, given the long-term impact, the Suns are drastically reducing their tax burden by moving Little. They’re over $36MM over the second tax apron, so the tax savings on that $3.65MM will be significant. Based on their current payroll, stretching Little’s salary will save the Suns approximately $40MM in tax penalties across the next two seasons, tweets John Hollinger of The Athletic.

Suns Trade David Roddy To Hawks For E.J. Liddell

July 29th, 2024 at 11:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 29: The trade is now official, according to a press release from the Suns. As we detailed in separate stories, Phoenix isn’t expected to retain Liddell into the regular season, since the team has 16 players on guaranteed contracts after signing Tyus Jones.

JULY 26: The Suns and Hawks have agreed to a minor trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Phoenix is sending forward David Roddy to Atlanta in exchange for forward E.J. Liddell.

It’s a cost-saving move for Phoenix, which is above the second tax apron and cannot take in more salary than it ships out in a trade.

Liddell has a $2.1MM contract and a $2.3MM team option for 2025/26. Roddy has a $2.8MM salary and a $4.8MM team option for 2025/26. Atlanta has until October 31st to exercise its ’25/26 option on Roddy, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link).

Roddy was shipped from Memphis to Phoenix in a three-team deal at last season’s trade deadline. The 23rd overall pick of the 2022 draft will be entering his third season. He started 13 of 48 games for the banged-up Grizzlies last season, averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 23.7 minutes per contest. He saw less action in a Suns uniform, appearing in 17 games off the bench and averaging just 3.7 minutes in those outings.

It remains to be seen how Roddy slots in to the Hawks’ plans, since they have a number of options at both forward spots. It stands to reason they value him over Liddell, since they’ll add some salary in this transaction. Indeed, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter link) reports via a source that the Hawks view Roddy as a better roster fit than Liddell.

Liddell, a 2022 second-rounder out of Ohio State, has only been under contract with Atlanta since July 6. He was thrown into the Dejounte Murray blockbuster with New Orleans for salary-matching purposesl

Liddell had his rookie season delayed by a devastating right knee injury in July 2022. Last season, he appeared in just eight games off the bench for New Orleans. He played 26 games for the Birmingham Squadron in the G League, averaging 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest.

Suns Unlikely To Retain E.J. Liddell, Eyeing Tyus Jones

July 27th, 2024 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ trade of David Roddy for E.J. Liddell is a financially motivated deal, as Roddy wasn’t on track to be on the team’s regular season roster and Liddell likely won’t make the cut either, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.

According to Gambadoro (Twitter link), whether Liddell’s $2.12MM is stretched across three seasons or applied solely to the 2024/25 cap, the expectation is that the forward will be waived at some point after he’s officially acquired by Phoenix. That would open up a spot on the team’s projected 15-man regular season roster.

Having already signed Monte Morris earlier in the offseason, the Suns remain on the lookout for point guard help and have their eye on the top option on the market. Gambadoro (Twitter link) hears there’s a “real chance” that the club could land Tyus Jones, adding that a deal could materialize quickly if the veteran free agent decides he’s willing to accept a minimum-salary contract, which is all Phoenix can offer.

As Gambadoro explains, Jones could get more money from at least a couple other interested teams, but joining the Suns would give him the chance to play a significant rotation role for a club with championship aspirations.

Jones’ landing spot has been a popular subject of speculation for a couple weeks, as he’s easily the highest-ranked unrestricted free agent on our top-50 list who remains unsigned. The 28-year-old is coming off a season in which he established new career highs in field goal percentage (48.9%), three-point percentage (41.4%), points per game (12.0), and assists per game (7.3) for the Wizards.

Most of the teams with money left to spend and a roster spot available aren’t projected to be contenders, so Jones may have to decide between accepting a more lucrative offer from a likely lottery team or settling for a minimum-salary deal from the Suns or another would-be contender. If he signs for the minimum, I’d expect him to get a second-year player option so that he’d have the ability to try his luck on the open market again in 2025.

Phoenix’s three stars – Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal – are all relatively ball-dominant, but none of them are true point guards, so the Suns entered the offseason looking for a veteran capable of organizing the offense. They landed Morris relatively early in free agency, but continued to be linked to other point guards, including Kyle Lowry, who ended up back in Philadelphia. Adding both Jones and Morris on minimum-salary deals would be a big win for the organization if it comes to fruition.

Hawks Trade Dejounte Murray To Pelicans

July 6th, 2024 at 6:37pm CST by Tristan Tucker

JULY 6: The trade sending Murray to the Pelicans is now official, according to press releases from both teams.

“Dejounte is among the best two-way guards in the NBA and adds another dimension to our team, and we could not be more excited to welcome him and his family to New Orleans,” Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin said within New Orleans’ announcement.

Cody Zeller was signed-and-traded to Atlanta as part of the deal for salary-matching purposes. His exact contract details have yet to be reported, but ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) says the veteran center will earn in excess of $3MM in 2024/25. The contract must be for at least three years, though only the first season needs to be guaranteed.

Zeller’s inclusion means Murray can earn his full $12MM trade bonus.

The 2027 pick going to Atlanta, which will be the least favorable of the Bucks’ and Pelicans’ first-rounders, is top-four protected.

JUNE 28: The Hawks are trading guard Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

In exchange for Murray, the Pelicans are sending forward Larry Nance Jr., 2022 No. 8 overall pick Dyson Daniels, and two first-round picks to Atlanta, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter links). Forward E.J. Liddell will also head to the Hawks in the deal, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the picks the Pelicans are sending the Hawks in the deal are the Lakers’ 2025 first-round selection and a 2027 first-rounder, which will be the least favorable of the Bucks’ and Pelicans’ picks.

The Hawks originally acquired Murray from the Spurs in 2022 to pair him with star guard Trae Young. Atlanta sacrificed several draft assets – including its own unprotected 2025 and 2027 first-round picks and an unprotected 2026 first-round swap – to give Young a running mate in the backcourt, but the duo never really thrived as hoped.

While Murray was individually solid — averaging 21.5 points per game across 152 appearances with Atlanta over two seasons — the Hawks floundered as a team. Atlanta went 77-87 in Murray’s two years with the team and made the playoffs just once, losing in the first round to Boston in 2023. The Hawks were eliminated in the first play-in game this spring.

With the Hawks struggling at the midpoint of the 2023/24 season, Murray’s name began to come up in trade conversations ahead of the deadline. The Lakers were among the potential destinations mentioned most frequently, but the Hawks opted to not move him at that time.

For the Pelicans, this trade signals they’re looking to continue to climb the Western Conference standings after making the playoffs this season. Murray will provide added offense for a team that went 2-14 in close games last season, and Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link) says New Orleans believes he and CJ McCollum can coexist. McCollum thrived in an off-ball role last season, Clark notes.

As Wojnarowski reports (Twitter link), the Pelicans are still trying to come to terms on a middle ground with Brandon Ingram on a contract extension. Ingram’s name has frequently come up in trade rumors this offseason, with the expectation being that he’ll end up on the trade block if he and New Orleans don’t agree to an extension. Multiple reports have indicated that the Pelicans don’t intend to offer the forward another maximum-salary deal as he enters the final year of his current max contract.

Once this deal for Murray is completed, the Pelicans will find themselves just $4.7MM under the luxury tax line for 11 players, tweets cap expert Yossi Gozlan. They’ve never paid the luxury tax before and will need frontcourt depth, with just Zion Williamson, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and rookie Yves Missi as options for those spots, so it’s safe to assume more moves are coming, including possibly something involving Ingram.

As for the Hawks, trading Murray is a clear signal they’re willing to hear offers on most of their players. Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported this morning that everyone on the roster except for Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher are on the table. That list of trade candidates – which features veterans like Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter – could also include Young, though there was an expectation that Atlanta would likely just trade one of him or Murray — not necessarily both.

Young, like Murray, has been brought up in trade rumors since the start of the offseason and it sounds like the Hawks have at least entertained offers for their three-time All-Star. We’ll likely get more clarity on both Ingram and Young’s situations with the Pelicans and Hawks in the coming days.

Assuming New Orleans and Atlanta complete this deal as reported, with no pieces added and no other teams involved, the Pelicans will be hard-capped at the $178.7MM first apron for the 2024/25, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, since they’re taking back more salary than they’re sending out.

The Pelicans and Hawks will also have to take into account Murray’s trade bonus, which had been the largest in the NBA — it’s worth over $12MM, tweets Marks. It will be spread out across three seasons, starting in 2024/25, increasing the guard’s cap hits by approximately $4MM per season. So instead of counting for $25.27MM toward the cap in 2024/25, he’ll have a cap hit of $29.27MM. The trade bonus bump isn’t applied to his player option year in 2027/28.

While the Pelicans must take on Murray’s larger cap hits, the Hawks will be responsible for paying the bonus, Marks notes. There’s also a possibility that Murray will agree to waive some or all of his trade bonus, which would make salary-matching simpler. If he gets his full bonus, the Pelicans will likely need to add more salary for matching purposes.

After sending AJ Griffin to Houston, the Hawks will save some more money in this deal as they acquire Nance’s expiring $11.21MM deal, Daniels’ rookie scale contract ($6.06MM in 2024/25), and Liddell’s minimum-salary pact ($2.12MM). According to Marks (Twitter link), the team’s salary now projects to be about $5.5MM below the luxury tax line with 14 players under contract.

Atlanta will hold team options on both Daniels and Liddell for the 2025/26 season.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Holmgren, Liddell, Borrego, Irving

October 9th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs and Thunder will match up in Oklahoma City on Monday night. It will mark the first meeting between this year’s top pick, Victor Wembanyama, and 2022’s No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News notes. It could be the beginning of a rivalry between two highly-touted bigs.

Both players are looking forward to getting it started.

“There’s an eagerness and an excitement for sure,” Holmgren said.

“Chet Holmgren, he’s a really good player,” Wembanyama said. “He is part of the great players of this generation, I would say.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

E.J. Liddell had his rookie season delayed by a devastating right knee injury in July 2022. The Pelicans forward, who was on a two-way deal last season, received a three-year contract after a strong Summer League showing this July. He’s eager to show what he can do in regular season action. “I’m like a freshman again,” Liddell told Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “It’s my rookie year. Having fun right now. Wherever that leads me, it leads me.”
Former Hornets coach James Borrego is in charge of the Pelicans‘ offense this season. Head coach Willie Green, one of Borrego’s former players in Orlando, anticipates Borrego’s schemes will upgrade the attack, Clark writes in a separate story. “I don’t think it’s going to be a big overhaul,” Green said. “It’s just a matter of tweaks and adjustments that we feel can make us a better team. We want to play fast offensively. It’s no secret. I said it last year. We want to put teams on their heels. We want to get out and run.”
Kyrie Irving is dealing with left groin soreness and he’ll sit out the Mavericks’ exhibition game against Real Madrid in Spain on Tuesday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets.

Southwest Notes: Wembanyama, Kyrie, Bane, Rockets, Liddell

July 11th, 2023 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Victor Wembanyama‘s Summer League experience is over after just two games, the Spurs confirmed on Monday (story via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press). Wembanyama had an up-and-down debut on Friday, making just 2-of-13 shots from the floor, but showed on Sunday why he’s considered the best prospect to enter the NBA in years, racking up 27 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks in 27 minutes of action vs. Portland.

As Reynolds writes, shutting down Wembanyama at this point will give the Spurs an opportunity to evaluate other young players during the club’s remaining games in Vegas. It will also give the No. 1 overall pick a much-needed break — his season in France didn’t end until June, and he has had a demanding schedule of media obligations since arriving stateside last month.

“In the past month, I think basketball wasn’t even 50% of my schedule,” Wembanyama said on Sunday. “I can’t stand it. I know it’s a special moment in my life, but I’m glad it’s over. Honestly. I just want to hoop. I just want to work out, lift because this is my life. Obviously, every first pick is going to go through this. And it just makes me better for the future.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Kyrie Irving‘s new three-year, $120MM+ contract with the Mavericks features a 15% trade kicker, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). There’s also a 15% trade kicker in Desmond Bane‘s five-year, $197MM+ extension with the Grizzlies, Hoops Rumors has learned.
New Houston forward Dillon Brooks sees similarities between his new team and his old one, suggesting that the Rockets are where the Grizzlies were a few years ago, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscriber link). “I feel like it’s almost the exact same team,” Brooks said. “Three, four years ago, we had almost the same type of players. Jalen Green (is) like Ja Morant. Jabari (Smith) is like Jaren (Jackson Jr.). Young guys that can expand their game to be among the best or the best in the league. I feel like those two guys are almost the same type of deal.”
After missing his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear, E.J. Liddell was thrilled to get a promotion from his two-way deal to the Pelicans‘ standard roster, as he tells William Guillory of The Athletic. “They told me how happy they were about my approach during the recovery process, and that meant everything to me,” said Liddell, whom New Orleans signed using a small slice of the mid-level exception. “I’m just going to keep embracing this opportunity. Keep showing up and doing what I’ve got to do everyday. I’ve just got to keep being me, and it’s great to know they appreciate me for being me. It means the world.”

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