Jamaree Bouyea

Spurs Notes: Branham, Paul, Vassell, Cissoko, G League

It remains to be seen whether there will be a regular role for him once the Spurs‘ roster is fully healthy, but Malaki Branham continues to take advantage of an early-season opportunity and is making a case for consistent playing time, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

After providing the Spurs with 14 solid minutes on Saturday, Branham had his best game of the season in Monday’s five-point loss to Houston, scoring 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting in just under 17 minutes of action. His plus-22.6 net rating through three contests is easily the best mark of any San Antonio rotation player — the team’s overall rating is minus-6.0.

“He’s been a pro,” head coach Gregg Popovich said of the third-year guard. “He’s done what he needed to do at practice and shootarounds. He came in and was ready to go. A class act.”

Here’s more on the Spurs:

  • In an entertaining feature story for The Athletic, Fred Katz takes an in-depth look at Chris Paul‘s history of mentorship, speaking to former teammates like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cameron Johnson, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Payne about what they learned from the future Hall of Famer and exploring how the Spurs will benefit from his presence. “There has been a mentorship dynamic with everybody because Chris is Chris,” Popovich said. “His experience and his intelligence, as we know, is off the charts. … He talks to everybody on the court: big, little. (He’s) just been fantastic in that regard.”
  • The Spurs are sending Devin Vassell and Sidy Cissoko to Austin to participate in training camp with their G League team, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is in the final stages of his rehabilitation following offseason foot surgery, while Cissoko hasn’t seen any game action yet this season for San Antonio and could use the reps.
  • Speaking of the Austin Spurs, they officially announced their training camp roster on Tuesday (via Twitter). Malachi Flynn, Jamaree Bouyea, and Jameer Nelson Jr. (the son of former NBA point guard Jameer Nelson) are among the notable names on the 14-man squad.

Spurs Waive Malachi Flynn, Brandon Boston

The Spurs have set their opening-night roster, waiving Malachi Flynn and Brandon Boston to reach the limit, the team announced in a press release. Also let go was Jamaree Bouyea, who signed with the team on Friday.

Flynn, a 26-year-old point guard, was traded twice last season, spending time with Toronto, New York and Detroit. He posted a 50-point game in April, but otherwise had an unremarkable season, averaging 5.5 PPG in 69 combined games with the three teams.

Boston, a 22-year-old swingman, played the past three seasons with the Clippers. He only appeared in 32 games last season, averaging 5.2 PPG in 10.8 minutes per night.

All three players were in camp on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, so the Spurs won’t have any future financial obligations to them. They will be eligible to earn bonuses worth $77.5K apiece if they spend at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate in Austin.

There are 18 players on San Antonio’s roster, with 15 holding standard contracts plus three two-way deals.

Spurs Sign Jamaree Bouyea To Exhibit 10 Deal

Jamaree Bouyea is back under contract with the Spurs on an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Bouyea signed a two-year, two-year contract with San Antonio back in March and appeared in three NBA game down the stretch of the 2023/24 season. He spent most of ’23/24 in the G League, averaging 16.4 points, 7.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.5 minutes per contest across 38 total outings for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Austin Spurs.

The Spurs kept Bouyea around on his two-way deal for much of the offseason, having him play a significant role on their Summer League team in July, but eventually waived him about a month ago, prior to training camp. His new Exhibit 10 deal and an Austin Spurs trade to acquire his returning rights from the Skyforce signal that the 6’2″ guard remains in San Antonio’s plans for the coming season.

In all likelihood, Bouyea will be waived before opening night and will report back to the Austin Spurs, where he’ll be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with San Antonio’s NBAGL team.

The Spurs now have a full 21-man preseason roster, with cuts to come in the coming days in order to get down to the regular season limit by Monday.

Spurs Waive Jamaree Bouyea

1:50pm: The Spurs have officially waived Bouyea, per a press release from the team.


10:40am: The Spurs will open up a two-way roster spot by waiving Jamaree Bouyea, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 25-year-old guard signed a two-year contract with the team in March and appeared in three games. He spent most of last season in the G League, averaging 17.1 points, 7.3 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per game with Austin and Sioux Falls.

Bouyea’s NBA career began in 2022 when he signed with Miami after going undrafted following five collegiate seasons at San Francisco. He appeared in five total games with the Heat and Wizards during the 2022/23 season.

Bouyea inked a two-way contract with Miami last summer, but was waived before the start of the season. He joined the Trail Blazers on a two-way deal in November, but was released 10 days later.

The move provides the Spurs with a little bit of roster flexibility heading into training camp. David Duke and Harrison Ingram hold the team’s other two-way slots.

Spurs Notes: Castle, Collins, Bouyea, Cissoko

Stephon Castle‘s Summer League experience was cut short by a sprained wrist, but the Spurs had already seen enough of the No. 4 pick to know he’s a good fit for the organization, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The poise and defensive intensity Castle displayed at UConn looks like it will translate into the NBA, and coach Gregg Popovich indicated that he seems ready for a rotation role.

“It gives me a lot of confidence,” Castle said. “Pop is a legendary coach, so to hear that from him means so much more. He has a lot of belief in my abilities, and he’s expressed that pretty early on when I got drafted. It’s going to be a fun season. I’m ready to learn a lot from him.”

The Spurs appear ready to trust Castle with play-making duties, Iko adds, which was a question heading into the draft. Castle said he considers himself a point guard, but that wasn’t his usual role in college. He registered 12 assists in three Summer League games, and Iko notes that he showed an ability to create shots for himself as well as his teammates.

“I think I’ve been handling it pretty well,” Castle said. “I’m pretty comfortable in pick-and-rolls, and my teammates and coaches have a lot of belief and confidence in me. That instills confidence in myself when I’m going out there trying to make reads.”

There’s more on the Spurs:

  • Zach Collins hopes he’s moved past the shooting problems that plagued him early last season, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Even though his shooting numbers improved after the All-Star break, it was still a rough season for Collins, who was limited to 32% from beyond the arc after connecting at a career-high 37.4% the year before. Collins also provided an update on his right shoulder after undergoing surgery to fix a torn labrum after the season ended. He has been working out with some of his teammates in Las Vegas and expects to be ready for the start of training camp. “Everything has healed up, so everything is on pace,” Collins said. “I am checking in with my doctor every month or so, and he seems happy with everything.”
  • Jamaree Bouyea hit two clutch shots in the final 41 seconds of Tuesday’s win over New Orleans, Orsborn states in the same story. The 25-year-old point guard is hoping to make an impact in the second season of a two-year, two-way deal he signed in March. “I just attack every day, taking every opportunity I get and making the most of it,” said Bouyea, who has spent time with three other teams in the last two seasons. “I can’t worry too much about decisions about my future, so I just give it my all every day, whether it’s a practice or a game.”
  • Sidy Cissoko has been a defensive standout this summer, shutting down first-round picks Zaccharie Risacher and Yves Missi, Orsborn adds. “(Defense) has been his focus throughout,” Summer League coach Ken Trevino said after the New Orleans game. “We don’t want him to score 20 points. … His job is to defend and rebound. And did he do that tonight? My goodness. Crazy.”

Contract Details: Lawson, K. Brown, Forrest, Barlow, Bouyea, More

The Mavericks used a portion of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to give A.J. Lawson a $1MM rest-of-season salary and a four-year contract when they promoted him to their standard roster, Hoops Rumors has learned.

While Lawson’s 2023/24 salary of $1MM – which is well above his prorated minimum – is guaranteed, he’s not necessarily assured of any money beyond this season. His minimum salaries for the following three years are fully non-guaranteed. If he plays out the full contract, the Mavericks wing would earn approximately $7.91MM.

Here are more details on recently signed contracts around the NBA:

  • The three-year contract that Kendall Brown signed with the Pacers features a starting salary of $1.1MM, which came out of the team’s room exception. This season is the first year that the room exception can be used to sign players for up to three years instead of just two, and Indiana took advantage of that flexibility to give Brown non-guaranteed minimum salaries in 2024/25 and ’25/26, with a team option on that final year. He’ll receive a partial guarantee of $250K if he makes the Pacers’ regular season roster in the fall.
  • The new contracts for Hawks guard Trent Forrest and Spurs forward Dominick Barlow are just rest-of-season, minimum-salary deals, which suggests that those two players just got standard conversions from their two-way contracts rather than negotiating new terms. Forrest will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, while Barlow will be eligible for restricted free agency.
  • As expected, both Shake Milton (Knicks) and Mike Muscala (Thunder) signed rest-of-season, minimum-salary contracts with their new clubs.
  • Like fellow San Antonio newcomer RaiQuan Gray, Jamaree Bouyea signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Spurs, so his new contract runs through the 2024/25 season.
  • The two-way deals recently signed by Jeff Dowtin (Sixers), Jacob Gilyard (Nets), Jacob Toppin (Knicks), Ish Wainright (Suns), Quenton Jackson (Pacers), Harry Giles (Lakers), and Dylan Windler (Hawks) are all one-year (rest-of-season) contracts, so those players will be eligible to become restricted free agents this summer.

Spurs Promote Barlow, Sign Bouyea To Two-Way Deal

MARCH 2: The Spurs have officially promoted Barlow to the standard roster and signed Bouyea to a two-way contract, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.


MARCH 1: The Spurs are converting Dominick Barlow‘s two-way deal into a standard contract, agent Todd Ramasar tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

San Antonio will fill Barlow’s former two-way spot by signing free agent guard Jamaree Bouyea, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Barlow went undrafted out of the Overtime Elite league in 2022 and caught on with the Spurs that summer, signing a two-way contract. The 20-year-old forward/center re-signed with San Antonio last offseason, inking another two-way deal.

Barlow has appeared in 51 games with the Spurs over the past two seasons, averaging 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per contest. San Antonio had an open spot on its standard roster, which means no subsequent roster move is necessary to promote Barlow.

Bouyea, 24, has appeared in 11 NBA games with the Heat, Wizards and Trail Blazers over the past two seasons, averaging 2.3 points in 11.6 minutes. While he struggled in his limited run with Portland in 2023/24, the former San Francisco star has been on fire in the G League of late, averaging 29.3 points, 11.3 assists, 9 rebounds and 2.3 steals over his last three games, per Charania.

Bouyea, who went undrafted in 2022, has spent most of his first two professional seasons with Miami’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Heat Expected To Waive R.J. Hampton

The Heat are expected to cut R.J. Hampton, opening up one of their two-way contract slots, reports Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Hampton, who turned 23 on Wednesday, has battled some injuries this season and has only seen action in 17 total games in the NBA and the G League. In eight appearances for the Heat, he has recorded 10 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in 76 total minutes of actions, making just 4-of-14 shots (1-of-8 three-pointers).

The former first-round pick has been a little more effective for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, averaging 11.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 4.7 APG with a .429/.273/.609 shooting line in nine regular season and Showcase Cup contests (28.0 MPG).

As Chiang notes, the plan will be to fill Hampton’s two-way slot with another developmental prospect.

Skyforce guard Alondes Williams looks like one contender for that opening, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald observes (via Twitter). Williams is averaging 20.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 5.2 RPG on 49.9% shooting in 32 games (37.0 MPG) for Sioux Falls. Skyforce guard Jamaree Bouyea is another candidate to watch, tweets Chiang.

Hampton will receive his full two-way salary from the Heat and will become an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team, if and when he clears waivers. Once he’s officially cut, Miami will have two open spots on its 18-man roster — one standard and one two-way.

Heat Notes: Jovic, Adebayo, Smith, Bouyea

Heat forward Nikola Jovic was assigned to the G League for nearly a week, but will be back with the NBA club on Saturday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. According to Chiang, Jovic saw plenty of time at the five during his stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and believes that he may have a clearer path to playing time if he can get accustomed to playing center.

“I think it’s going to be the fastest way to get on the court because we have a lot of fours,” Jovic said. “It’s something that everybody can see. At five right now, we have Bam (Adebayo) and Kevin Love is coming off the bench as like a stretch five. So I think and I think the coaches also think the fastest way for me to get back on the court will be just playing at the five.”

While Adebayo typically gets the brunt of the playing time in the middle, he has been ruled out for Saturday’s game in Brooklyn – the second in a back-to-back set – due to a left hip injury (Twitter link via the team). Adebayo’s absence could result in an immediate opportunity for Jovic to get some minutes. Still, head coach Erik Spoelstra indicated he won’t be viewing the 20-year-old Serbian only as a center.

“I want to get him minutes at both positions,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “… And when he plays five for us, it looks a little bit different than it does down there (in the G League). He’s got a lot more bigger wings and there’s a dimension that can really help Jimmy (Butler) that’s intriguing to us. So he has to gobble up all those different experiences and it will change game to game.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), the Heat confirmed on Friday that Dru Smith will eventually require surgery on his ACL injury, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. Erik Spoelstra also reiterated his dissatisfaction with the sideline area of the court in Cleveland where Smith fell and suffered the injury. “Maybe this is something that can be addressed with the league moving forward,” he said (Twitter link via Winderman). “I doubt anything will change with the floor. It is a hazard in our mind and probably in a lot of other teams’ minds, too.”
  • After being cut by Portland and clearing waivers, guard Jamaree Bouyea is rejoining the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate, tweets Winderman. Bouyea opened the season with the Skyforce before spending 10 days on a two-way contract with the Trail Blazers.
  • Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a closer look at the Heat’s roster, suggesting that if the team makes a trade before the deadline, the priority should be to try to bring some long-term stability to the point guard position.

Trail Blazers Waive Jamaree Bouyea

2:36pm: The move is official, the Blazers announced in a press release.


1:41pm: The Trail Blazers intend to waive Jamaree Bouyea from his two-way contract today, a league source tells Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link).

Bouyea, 24, signed with Portland earlier this month after the team promoted Skylar Mays to its standard 15-man roster, opening up a two-way slot. He had a busy 10 days as a Trail Blazer, appearing in six games with the NBA club and a pair of contests with the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate.

Bouyea struggled in his limited role with the Blazers, scoring just 10 points on 5-of-21 shooting (0-of-8 three-pointers) in 57 minutes of action. He also had as many turnovers (eight) as assists. While Bouyea was more effective with the Remix, averaging 15.5 PPG, he made just 1-of-8 threes in his two NBAGL contests and was a minus-19 in 64 total minutes.

The Trail Blazers got veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon back from a five-game injury absence on Tuesday and No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson is on track to return soon as well, lessening the need for extra bodies in the backcourt. After waiving Bouyea, Portland may use its open two-way slot to bring in a player at another position.