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Several Two-Way Players Nearing NBA Game Limit

February 1st, 2025 at 5:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA players on two-way contracts operate under different regulations than the rest of the league. One of the most important differences is they are limited in the number of games that they’re permitted to be on the active roster.

For two-way players who’ve been with their current teams since the start of the season, that number is 50. Each time they’re listed as active counts toward that total, whether they play or not. Players who sign two-way deals during the season have their limit of games pro-rated.

Those numbers are becoming important since we’ve passed the halfway point of the season, and Keith Smith of Spotrac sent out a tweet earlier today identifying a few players who are getting close to reaching their limits.

Once a player hits his allotted number of games, he’s not eligible to appear in the NBA as a two-way player for the rest of the season. He can remain on the team and play in the G League, but he must be signed to a standard contract to see any more NBA action.

Here are the names Smith noted and the number of games they have remaining:

Jacob Toppin, Knicks (2) – New York has used up nearly all of Toppin’s active time, even though he has only gotten into 15 games and averages 3.1 minutes per night. The small forward seems likely to finish the season in the G League.
Tyrese Martin, Nets (5) – Martin has become part of the rotation in Brooklyn, averaging 21.3 minutes in the 31 games that he played. The shooting guard is a little old for a prospect at 25, but he seems like a strong candidate to land a regular roster spot so the Nets can evaluate him for the rest of the season.
Jordan Miller, Clippers (5) – The small forward isn’t part of the rotation in L.A. and may not be in the team’s playoff plans. He has logged just one minute in three of his last four appearances, and the Clippers don’t appear concerned about preserving the number of games he has remaining.
Jared Butler, Wizards (8) – Washington has nothing left to play for, so it makes sense to take a long look at the 24-year-old combo guard. This is Butler’s fourth NBA season and his second with the Wizards, so this is a good time to determine whether he’ll be part of their future.
Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (9) – Boston was among the two-way players most likely to earn a promotion even before the season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. Boston has played in all 41 games in which he’s been listed as active, making 10 starts and averaging 10.7 PPG in 23.9 minutes per night.

Here are a few more players getting close to their game limits:

Kai Jones, Clippers (11) – Jones has made 27 appearances as a backup center, but he’s only averaging 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per night. The addition of Drew Eubanks in today’s trade with Utah gives L.A. another veteran big man and lessens the need to keep Jones on the roster.
Moussa Diabate, Hornets (11) – Part of the reasoning for the Nick Richards trade was Diabate’s emergence as a dependable center off the bench. He’s been playing big minutes over the past week and seems like he’ll definitely be on a standard contract soon.
Ryan Rollins, Bucks (12) – Rollins is a marginal member of Milwaukee’s rotation, making five starts in his 30 appearances and playing 11.9 minutes per night. His fate could depend on what the Bucks are able to do before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Jeff Peterson: Hornets Will Continue To ‘Listen To Everything’

January 16th, 2025 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

After finalizing a deal to send Nick Richards to the Suns on Wednesday, Hornets president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson suggested in a Zoom call with reporters that the team isn’t done exploring its options on the trade market, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

“We’ve received calls on multiple of our players,” Peterson said. “Nick Richards, we received multiple calls on him. We have good players. I think some of the injuries from a synergy standpoint have made it really tough to jell and see what this group can do.

“But, yeah, I think at this point, look, we are going to listen to everything. We are not going to do anything to compromise the future, but we are going to do what’s best for the organization that we see going forward in order to be sustainable going forward.”

Richards had been a productive contributor for the Hornets in recent years and was on a team-friendly contract, with a $5MM salary this season and a $5MM cap hit for 2025/26. However, as Boone details, Charlotte was comfortable sacrificing some depth in the middle due to the fact that starting center Mark Williams is healthy and looking like his old self, while two-way big man Moussa Diabate has emerged as a regular part of the rotation.

“We feel good about it,” Peterson said. “(Head coach) Charles (Lee) and me are lockstep in what a deal like this means for the roster.”

As Peterson explained, his goal is to build a “sustainable” contender and to avoid “taking shortcuts,” which is why he remains focused on stockpiling assets that will benefit the team in the long run.

“I have zero interest in making the playoffs for one year, and then being out for the next four or five, and then in for two and out again after that,” he said. “So, we want to again build something that has sustainability to it. So, at the same time, we’ve got to continue to take advantage of deals like this that’s adding picks to our treasure chest, if you will, or whatever it may be for us to have that optionality.”

Here’s more on the Hornets on the heels of their first in-season deal of 2024/25:

Josh Okogie may not end up being part of the Hornet’ long-term plans, but Peterson’s comments on Wednesday indicated that the club isn’t necessarily looking to flip him right away. As Boone relays, Charlotte’s head of basketball operations referred to Okogie as the kind of player “we want to bring into this organization,” lauding his character and competitiveness. “He’s having a career year shooting the basketball this year,” Peterson added. “It speaks to his work ethic and amount of time he puts into the gym. So he’s physical, he’s a great defender. We are just excited to get him into the organization.”
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Suns and Hornets explored a bigger deal involving Richards and Jusuf Nurkic before agreeing to their Richards/Okogie swap. According to Scotto, Phoenix coveted Hornets swingman Cody Martin, but Charlotte wasn’t willing to take on Nurkic’s sizable contract, which includes a $19MM+ guaranteed salary in 2025/26.
Scotto says the Hornets will continue to prioritize adding draft capital in the coming weeks while positioning themselves for a high pick in the 2025 draft. Scotto identifies Martin, point guard Vasilije Micic, and possibly Okogie as some trade candidates to watch.

Southeast Notes: Williams, Wizards, Brogdon, Risacher

January 13th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Mark Williams has firmly reestablished himself as the Hornets‘ starting center after returning from injuries that kept him out of action for nearly a full calendar year, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Williams was dominant in Sunday’s loss at Phoenix, posting 24 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and a block. Most of that damage came in the first half when he had 22 points and 13 rebounds, joining Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama as the only players this season to reach those numbers by intermission.

“I just wanted to come out, be aggressive obviously,” Williams said. “The first game (against Phoenix), we won by playing with pace. So, I just wanted to go out there, and start with those things and it showed for itself.”

Boone adds that two-way big man Moussa Diabate was impressive while Williams and Nick Richards were sidelined with injuries, so Charlotte could make a move at the position before the February 6 trade deadline. A league source told Boone that the Suns have interest in acquiring Richards, confirming reports from over the weekend. Boone notes that Richards had 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks against Phoenix when the teams met last week, which likely helped his trade value.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Wizards coach Brian Keefe spoke for less than a minute after Sunday’s 41-point loss to Oklahoma City, per Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Keefe, who only took one question from reporters, was upset that his players didn’t respond to the challenge of facing one of the NBA’s best teams. “We deserve to be criticized by [Keefe],” Corey Kispert said. “… This one is definitely on us as players. Credit to him. He takes a lot of criticism and deflects a lot of praise. And oftentimes that’s not fair because we play and he doesn’t, and it’s our job to be way, way better than we were tonight.”
A foot issue that has caused Malcolm Brogdon to miss four straight games could turn into an extended absence, Shankar adds. For Friday and Sunday, the Wizards changed Brogdon’s designation on the injury report from “right foot pain” to “a plantar fascia contusion on his right foot.” Injuries have limited the veteran guard to 18 games this season. He missed the preseason and the first 11 games due to thumb surgery, then sat out four games in December with an injured hamstring.
Along with learning how to play in the NBA, Zaccharie Risacher had to adjust to a new culture when the Hawks selected him with the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, notes Lauren Williams of the Journal-Constitution. This season is the first extended time Risacher has spent outside of his native France. “I feel like I’m learning every day, and my English has started to get better,” he said. “Just being able to speak with everybody around here, it can be at the facility, within the organization, but also in real life with like people outside in my building, when I go to restaurants or whatever, I speak English all the time. So it really helped me to get better.”

Several Two-Way Players Nearing NBA Game Limit

January 1st, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA players on two-way contracts operate under different regulations than the rest of the league. One of the most important differences is they are limited in the number of games that they’re permitted to be on the active roster.

For two-way players who’ve been with their current teams since the start of the season, that number is 50. Each time they’re listed as active counts toward that total, whether they play or not. Players who sign two-way deals during the season have their limit of games pro-rated.

Those numbers are becoming important since we’ve passed the halfway point of the season, and Keith Smith of Spotrac sent out a tweet earlier today identifying a few players who are getting close to reaching their limits.

Once a player hits his allotted number of games, he’s not eligible to appear in the NBA as a two-way player for the rest of the season. He can remain on the team and play in the G League, but he must be signed to a standard contract to see any more NBA action.

Here are the names Smith noted and the number of games they have remaining:

Jacob Toppin, Knicks (2) – New York has used up nearly all of Toppin’s active time, even though he has only gotten into 15 games and averages 3.1 minutes per night. The small forward seems likely to finish the season in the G League.
Tyrese Martin, Nets (5) – Martin has become part of the rotation in Brooklyn, averaging 21.3 minutes in the 31 games that he played. The shooting guard is a little old for a prospect at 25, but he seems like a strong candidate to land a regular roster spot so the Nets can evaluate him for the rest of the season.
Jordan Miller, Clippers (5) – The small forward isn’t part of the rotation in L.A. and may not be in the team’s playoff plans. He has logged just one minute in three of his last four appearances, and the Clippers don’t appear concerned about preserving the number of games he has remaining.
Jared Butler, Wizards (8) – Washington has nothing left to play for, so it makes sense to take a long look at the 24-year-old combo guard. This is Butler’s fourth NBA season and his second with the Wizards, so this is a good time to determine whether he’ll be part of their future.
Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (9) – Boston was among the two-way players most likely to earn a promotion even before the season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. Boston has played in all 41 games in which he’s been listed as active, making 10 starts and averaging 10.7 PPG in 23.9 minutes per night.

Here are a few more players getting close to their game limits:

Kai Jones, Clippers (11) – Jones has made 27 appearances as a backup center, but he’s only averaging 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per night. The addition of Drew Eubanks in today’s trade with Utah gives L.A. another veteran big man and lessens the need to keep Jones on the roster.
Moussa Diabate, Hornets (11) – Part of the reasoning for the Nick Richards trade was Diabate’s emergence as a dependable center off the bench. He’s been playing big minutes over the past week and seems like he’ll definitely be on a standard contract soon.
Ryan Rollins, Bucks (12) – Rollins is a marginal member of Milwaukee’s rotation, making five starts in his 30 appearances and playing 11.9 minutes per night. His fate could depend on what the Bucks are able to do before Thursday’s trade deadline.

And-Ones: China, 2025 Draft, Doncic, Trade Deadline, Trends

December 6th, 2024 at 11:31am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Nets and Suns will play two preseason games in Macao next October, which marks the first time the NBA is playing in China since 2019, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (Twitter link). The NBA later formally announced the decision (Twitter link).

“Bringing preseason games to Macao will showcase the excitement of the NBA to fans in one of the world’s emerging hubs for sports,” NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in the statement. “The Nets and Suns feature an exciting mix of established and rising stars, and we look forward to engaging fans, aspiring players and the local community in Macao through these games and a variety of interactive events, youth development programs and social impact initiatives.”

The partnership is the result of a years-long effort to repair the relationship between the two sides after commissioner Adam Silver and the league didn’t reprimand then-Rockets general manager Daryl Morey after he tweeted support for protests in Hong Kong in 2019, Charania and Brian Windhorst write.

NBA games were then temporarily removed from broadcasts in China and sponsorships were lost. The relationship has been mended largely in part to NBA China’s CEO Michael Ma, according to Charania and Windhorst.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Duke’s Cooper Flagg is still the top-ranked prospect on Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, but Rutgers’ Dylan Harper is beginning to put pressure on him for that top spot. The 18-year-old Harper scored 36 points against Notre Dame and 37 against Alabama. Despite Harper’s strong play, executives have a hard time seeing Flagg being unseated from the pole position, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link). BYU’s Egor Demin and Rutgers’ Ace Bailey are among other players who will push to hear their names called No. 1 overall.
While Luka Doncic is obviously primarily focused on the Mavericks‘ current season, he’s still excited that Slovenia qualified for EuroBasket 2025 and is looking forward to the chance to suit up for them, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal reports. Slovenia is also up to potentially host EuroBasket in 2029. “That would be a dream come true, playing in front of fans in a big tournament at the EuroBasket,” Doncic said.
The NBA trade deadline could see reduced action as compared to other recent seasons, due in part to the restrictive CBA but also fewer bad contracts across the league, Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to RealGM). “Teams are a little bit smarter and I just think the intelligence into the game and the way teams are operated and the gameplay is taking some of the stuff fans kind of like — at least some of the older school fans,” Windhorst said.
Hornets two-way player Moussa Diabate has played well amid Charlotte’s frontcourt injuries, which is one recent trend worth monitoring, according to The Athletic’s Fred Katz. Diabate is averaging just 3.1 points per game, but has grabbed 7.8 rebounds (3.6 of which are offensive boards) per night. The Lakers playing better when LeBron James is off the court and Atlanta owning L.A.’s first-round pick are other trends worth keeping tabs on as the season progresses, Katz notes.

Southeast Notes: Suggs, Brogdon, Coulibaly, Williams, Salaun, Diabate

November 25th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic guard Jalen Suggs won’t play in Monday’s game against Charlotte due to a left hamstring strain, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets. Suggs has started all of Orlando’s previous 18 games, averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Suggs signed a five-year, $105.5MM extension last month.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Malcolm Brogdon has provided a calming influence on the Wizards since returning from a thumb injury, Varun Shankar of the Washington Post writes. Brogdon has scored 33 points with six assists over the last two games. “When things go awry or things are feeling sticky … Malcolm is a surefire way for us to get back in the groove of what we’re trying to do,” teammate Corey Kispert said. Brogdon will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly says he’s improved defensively in his second season by “not respecting” his opponents as much and “getting more physical with them,” he told Wizards reporter Bijan Todd (Twitter link). Coulibaly has racked up eight steals and three blocks over the past four games.
With Grant Williams suffering a season-ending knee injury, Hornets coach Charles Lee will have to try to replace Williams’ production in the short term with Tidjane Salaün and two-way player Moussa Diabate, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer points out. That’s because Mark Williams and Nick Richards are still on the mend from injuries. Williams hasn’t played for nearly a year and Richards is recovering from a rib injury.

Hornets’ Nick Richards Out Indefinitely With Rib Fracture

November 5th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets starting center Nick Richards will be sidelined for multiple weeks due to a right first rib cartilage fracture, the team announced in a press release.

An MRI revealed the extent of the injury. He suffered it during an on-court collision in the first half against the Celtics on Friday.

Richards will be evaluated on an every other week basis to monitor progress toward a return to basketball activities. The team will provide its next update on his status following its November 17 road trip.

Richards was averaging career highs in points (11.0), rebounds (10.0) and blocks (2.4) through five starts this season. He appeared in 67 games, including 51 starts, last season despite battling ankle and foot injuries. He averaged 9.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per night.

Richards in the second year of a three-year, $15MM contract.

The injury severely depletes Charlotte up front. There’s still no timetable for center Mark Williams, who is recovering from a strained tendon in his left foot.

Moussa Diabate‘s role will expand and the Hornets will also be forced to used smaller lineups with forwards Grant Williams and Taj Gibson manning the middle. Diabate, a 2022 second-round pick, is on a two-way contract.

Charlotte is off to a 2-5 start and will carry a three-game losing streak into its home game against Detroit on Wednesday.

Hornets Notes: Simpson, Diabate, Green, Salaun

September 21st, 2024 at 6:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets will have a few roster questions to work out in training camp, but it appears two-way players KJ Simpson and Moussa Diabate are already destined to start the season in the G League. General manager Jeff Peterson addressed that topic at a recent press conference to announce the hiring of DJ Bakker as head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, according to Schuyler Callihan of Sports Illustrated.

“With KJ and Moussa specifically, safe assumption they’ll spend some time with Greensboro, and they’re excited about it,” Peterson said. “Every player that we bring into this organization, they just want to play, they want to compete, they want to get better. They want to maximize themselves and they know that at any time, this may be the best vehicle for them to do that. Really excited about their option to come to Greensboro and play and get better.”

Simpson, a 22-year-old point guard who played collegiately at Colorado, was taken with the 42nd pick in this year’s draft. Diabate, a 22-year-old center/power forward, has appeared in 33 games with the Clippers over the past two seasons. Charlotte’s other two-way slot remains open heading into camp.

There’s more on the Hornets:

Offseason addition Josh Green will likely be the choice to start alongside LaMelo Ball in the backcourt, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes in a mailbag column. Boone notes that Green, who was sent from Dallas to Charlotte in a six-team trade in July, brings flexibility to the lineup and can match up defensively with the opponent’s best guard, helping Ball stay out of foul trouble.
Tidjane Salaun was impressive during his brief Summer League appearance, but the 18-year-old will probably need time to develop into a rotation player, Boone states in the same piece. He suggests Salaun may see minutes initially as a defensive specialist before working his way into the rotation.
New head coach Charles Lee will have several decisions to make in camp, Boone adds. Along with Green, Tre Mann, Brandon Miller and Vasilije Micic are all competing for time in the backcourt, and the team doesn’t have a traditional power forward to back up Miles Bridges. That role will likely go to Grant Williams if other options don’t develop during the preseason.

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.

Hornets Sign Moussa Diabate To Two-Way Contract

July 31st, 2024 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 31: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 29: The Hornets and free agent big man Moussa Diabate have agreed to terms on a two-way contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Diabate, 22, was the 43rd overall pick of the 2022 draft out of Michigan. The 6’10” French center has spent his first two professional seasons on two-way contracts with the Clippers, appearing in 33 total NBA games during that time.

Diabate’s contributions at the NBA level have been modest — he has averaged just 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game for Los Angeles. However, he has been a regular starter for the Ontario Clippers in the G League during those two seasons. In 2023/24, he averaged 15.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 1.9 BPG in 19 Showcase Cup and regular season NBAGL games (30.0 MPG).

The Clippers opted not to tender Diabate a qualifying offer in June, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, clearing the way for him to sign freely with any NBA team.

Diabate will fill the third two-way slot in Charlotte. The Hornets are currently carrying Leaky Black and 2024 second-round pick KJ Simpson on two-way deals.