PJ Dozier

PJ Dozier Expected To Sign With Anadolu Efes

Veteran free agent PJ Dozier is expected to join the Turkish club Anadolu Efes for the rest of the season, according to multiple international reports.

George Zakkas of SDNA (Twitter link) first revealed that Dozier and Anadolu Efes were in advanced talks, with Mihalis Stefanou of Eurohoops and Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com subsequently confirming an agreement between the 28-year-old wing and the EuroLeague team.

Dozier has spent most of the 2024/25 season with the Timberwolves, but played sparingly in Minnesota and was waived in late December before his full-season salary became guaranteed. Across nine garbage-time appearances for the Wolves, Dozier totaled seven points, five rebounds, and five assists in 35 minutes of action.

Dozier has appeared in a total of 130 NBA regular season games since 2018, having spent time with the Thunder, Celtics, Nuggets, and Kings before landing in Minnesota. The former South Carolina standout is also no stranger to EuroLeague competition, having played for Partizan Belgrade in 2023/24.

Assuming the reported deal is officially finalized, Dozier will join an Anadolu Efes squad that features several other former NBA players, including Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois, Jordan Nwora, Elijah Bryant, and Stanley Johnson. The club is currently tied for the eighth-best record among 18 EuroLeague teams at 10-9.

PJ Dozier Waived By Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have waived PJ Dozier, the team announced in a press release.

Dozier signed a one-year contract with Minnesota in July that initially carried a partial guarantee of $1MM on his $2.6MM salary. All contracts throughout the league will become guaranteed after January 7, so the Wolves opted to part with Dozier rather than paying him for the rest of the season.

Minnesota will incur a $1,051,255 cap hit and will save about $5MM on its luxury tax bill, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old swingman saw minimal playing time with the Wolves, appearing in nine games and averaging just 3.9 minutes per night. He collected seven total points, five rebounds and five assists.

Dozier was attempting an NBA comeback after playing for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia last season. He was given the opportunity by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who ran the Nuggets during Dozier’s three seasons in Denver.

Dozier has played in 130 games over seven NBA seasons, spending time with Oklahoma City, Boston, Denver and Sacramento before coming to Minnesota. He has been mainly a reserve throughout his career and has compiled averages of 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 15.4 minutes per game.

The Wolves had a full 15-man roster, so they’re not facing any time limit to replace Dozier. They could decide to promote one of their two-way players, Jaylen Clark, Jesse Edwards or Daishen Nix, they could look for a minimum-salary free agent or they could keep the roster spot open to reduce their tax bill.

Northwest Notes: Bates-Diop, Banton, Clingan, Murray, Westbrook

As our roster count page shows, the Timberwolves are the only one of the NBA’s 30 teams whose roster is not ready for the regular season after a busy day of transactions. Minnesota is still carrying 16 players on standard contracts, whereas the other 29 clubs have 15 or fewer players on standard deals.

The Wolves don’t need to finalize their opening night roster until Monday evening, but an absence at practice on Saturday provided a pretty strong hint about which direction they’re leaning, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who tweets that forward Keita Bates-Diop wasn’t in attendance and appears to be the odd man out.

Nothing’s official yet, but Bates-Diop was a throw-in for salary-matching purposes in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, so it makes sense that he’s not in Minnesota’s plans. Removing him from the roster would allow the club to hang onto PJ Dozier, whose salary is partially guaranteed.

Still, since Bates-Diop’s $2,654,644 salary for 2024/25 is fully guaranteed, the Wolves are likely reluctant to simply waive him and eat that money, especially given how far over the luxury tax line they are. They may continue trying up until Monday’s deadline to find a taker for Bates-Diop on the trade market — they’d probably have to attach a second-round pick to make a deal.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton is expected to make the team’s opening night roster, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Barring a last-minute surprise, Banton will see his partial guarantee increase from $217,533 to $1,098,485 as a result of starting the season with the team. The other half of his $2,196,970 salary would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond January 7.
  • Trail Blazers lottery pick Donovan Clingan had a big night in his first start of the preseason on Friday, Highkin writes for his Rose Garden Report Substack. The rookie center, who isn’t expected to play big minutes in a crowded Blazers frontcourt, racked up 14 points, four blocks, and an eye-popping 20 rebounds (10 offensive) in just 24 minutes of action, with Portland outscoring Utah by 30 points during that time. Head coach Chauncey Billups said Clingan is still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, but praised the big man’s rebounding and rim protection. “Those two things, he’ll be pretty elite at,” Billups said. “He’ll only get better.”
  • Jamal Murray‘s performance in Thursday’s preseason finale likely calmed some nerves in Denver, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. After dealing with some knee pain and shooting just 32% from the floor through three preseason appearances, the Nuggets guard poured in 25 points in 29 minutes in Thursday’s victory, showing that he’s ready for the regular season after a tough 2024 postseason and Olympic Games.
  • In a column for The Denver Post, Sean Keeler examines what Denver is hoping to get this season from free agent addition Russell Westbrook, suggesting that the former MVP can be an important “agitator” for the Nuggets and help them play with more of an edge.

Wizards, Bucks, Wolves Among Teams Exploring Roster-Trimming Trades

With teams finalizing rosters ahead of Monday’s cut-down deadline, there could be a flurry of activity from teams exploring avenues to keep players on crowded rosters. According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link), several luxury tax teams are exploring moving off salary in an effort to keep other players they like.

While the Wizards aren’t a luxury tax team, they’re one of the many teams looking to make a move before Monday’s roster deadline. As NBA insider Jake Fischer reports (Threads link), the Wizards want to keep Jared Butler around on the 15-man roster. Butler is on a non-guaranteed contract, which made him a release candidate, but he played well in the preseason, averaging 6.8 points and 4.2 assists in 14.3 minutes per game across five outings.

That could lead the Wizards to explore trading or even cutting former No. 10 overall pick Johnny Davis, according to Fischer. The Wizards aren’t expected to exercise Davis’ fourth-year option and while he hit a clutch shot in Friday’s preseason finale, he struggled this preseason and through his two NBA years with shooting efficiency.

However, outright cutting Davis would mean not being able to use his $5.3MM salary to help facilitate trades later down the road. It’s possible Washington agrees to a bigger trade before the beginning of the regular season or considers waiving another player.

As we outlined earlier today, it’s important to note that while most teams will make cuts Saturday, that’s not really an issue for the Wizards. The main wave of cuts today are mostly going to be non-guaranteed contracts and since teams like the Wizards cutting guaranteed salary would be eating dead money anyway, they have until Monday’s deadline to come to a decision.

We have more trade rumors from around the league:

  • The Bucks have informed rival teams of early interest in trading third-year wing MarJon Beauchamp, according to Fischer (Threads link). Beauchamp was the 24th overall pick in 2022 by the Bucks, so their willingness to move him is noteworthy. Across his first two seasons in the league, he’s averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 rebounds. While Fischer suggests the Bucks could be looking to acquire a defensive-minded wing, Smith notes via Twitter that Milwaukee has also expressed interest in re-signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo — moving Beauchamp without taking a player back would open up that opportunity. Antetokounmpo is expected to miss the season while recovering from an Achilles tear, so signing him would be for his locker room presence, which Smith says is “prized” by both the franchise and his brother Giannis.
  • The Timberwolves have looked into trade options for recently acquired forward Keita Bates-Diop, according to Fischer (Threads link). Bates-Diop was rerouted a couple of times this summer, going from the Nets to the Knicks in the Mikal Bridges trade before landing with Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster. Bates-Diop is set to make just under $2.7MM this season and with the Wolves already about $17MM over the second tax apron, they’d prefer to move off his salary rather than eating it. Moving Bates-Diop is also about finding a way to keep PJ Dozier on the roster. The Wolves have 15 players on guaranteed salaries, plus Dozier on a partially guaranteed deal. Dozier is a favorite of president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.
  • Celtics guard Lonnie Walker IV‘s Exhibit 10 status is noteworthy, as he was seen as a bargain signing by the reigning champions at the time, but they have tight finances as a team well over the second apron. Still, Walker’s impressive preseason puts Boston in an interesting position, and Fischer indicates the Celtics have considered keeping him around. If they retained Walker through the season and made no other changes, Boston would have to make approximately $9MM in projected tax payments on top of Walker’s minimum-salary contract due to their position against the second apron. However, that amount isn’t calculated until the end of the season, so the Celtics may explore trading Jaden Springer as late as February’s trade deadline so they can keep Walker, Fischer reports.
    [UPDATE: The Celtics are waiving Walker.]
  • The Pistons may be the primary contact for any team looking to make salary- or roster-trimming trades, Smith notes (Twitter link). The Pistons have an open roster spot and $10.2MM in cap space, putting them in position to accommodate players like Davis, Beauchamp, Bates-Diop or Springer if their teams were willing to attach draft capital.

Tim Connelly Talks Wolves’ Aspirations, Gobert, Roster, More

The Timberwolves took off in 2023/24 as their young pieces showed tremendous growth and their core took a step forward together. In an interview with Darren Wolfson of KSTP, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said he’s proud of what the team accomplished last season.

We don’t want to be [in] a zero-sum game,” Connelly said. “It’s not one winner and everybody else is losers. We had goals — we didn’t reach the ultimate goal, which is to bring a championship to Minnesota. But our team played well. We had some playoff success that has been a long, long time coming and hopefully it’s something we can build upon.

Connelly spoke extensively on the state of the Wolves’ roster and a few select players. I heavily recommend watching the interview in full, but here are some of the highlights:

On where the Timberwolves stack up in the Western Conference:

The West is so brutal, it [depends on] a shot here, a shot there, who’s healthy. So much is [based on] matchups and health. We just want to continue to be at the big table. As long as we internally grow and keep holding ourselves to the highest standards, we’re pretty excited about the season.

On conflicting accounts that surfaced during the Olympics regarding Rudy Gobert‘s health:

I think Rudy’s good. He had a finger injury but I think he’s good to go.

On whether the team wants to extend Gobert:

We’d like Rudy to be here for a long time. We love his agent, he’s been a friend for a long time and is one of the best guys in the league. And certainly our goal with most of these guys is to keep them here as long as they want to be here. … Ideally, I think continuity is going to be one of the better strengths we have going into the season and we really like our core group.

On how much rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. will play:

We don’t want to put too much on any young guy’s shoulders, but we’re gonna put a lot on their shoulders. Obviously, they’re going to have to prove they’ve earned those minutes. But where we are, we’ve become a pretty expensive team, so we’re going to have to find some spots for these young guys. We know it’s not always going to be pretty, but most importantly they buy into [Wolves head coach Chris Finch] … We’re not expecting perfection, we’re just expecting a commitment to do things the way we do them.

On the team’s work ethic this offseason:

Our gym’s been fantastic, we’ve had 11, 12 guys here all summer. This week, we told the guys to get out of town. It’s really exciting when you don’t have to beg guys to come back to the city. And I think everybody kind of got a taste for it last year and hopefully we can build upon it.

On who will fill the backup point guard position:

It’s up to [Finch]. Certainly, we think [our] guys are capable. [PJ Dozier] played full-time point last year in Europe. We drafted [Dillingham] to give him a real opportunity to earn minutes early on and we’re pretty confident he can do that. Again, nothing’s given. I think the depth and the competitive nature of our depth is what helped us get through some tough times the last couple of years.

On the possibility of filling their open 15th roster spot:

We could. There’s some flexibility there. We want to be cognizant of where we are relative to the tax. We also want to be cognizant of where we are health-wise going into the season. Of course we’ve talked about it, if the right player is there, we would fill it. But at the moment, we’re gonna sit tight and see what September looks like. I think there will be another deal-making window too where maybe a guy shakes out that we didn’t think would be available.

Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Westbrook, Hendricks, Dozier

Asked on ESPN’s broadcast on Tuesday about what holes still need to be filled on the Nuggets‘ roster, head coach Michael Malone pointed to the backup point guard spot, saying that Denver could use “somebody to play behind Jamal Murray,” according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). Malone added that general manager Calvin Booth is “all over it.”

The point guard who has been linked most frequently to the Nuggets this offseason is former MVP Russell Westbrook — he and Denver reportedly have mutual interest, and the Clippers are looking to move the 35-year-old. However, it’s unclear if the Nuggets and Clippers will be able to work out a trade that makes sense for both sides, so Westbrook is considered more likely to join Denver as a free agent.

Westbrook would be a logical fit in Denver if the team can find a way to add him, says Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Jones outlines, Westbrook’s ability to put pressure on defenses off the dribble is something the Nuggets didn’t have enough of last season. The team could also benefit from his passing, his on-court “swagger,” and his ability to play significant rotation minutes, which would allow Malone to lean less heavily on his starters, Jones adds.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

  • Nikola Jokic shouldn’t be happy with the Nuggets‘ offseason so far, according to Sean Keeler of The Denver Post, who argues in an opinion column that the front office has made several missteps in the past year or two and that many of Denver’s conference rivals have improved their rosters while the Nuggets have arguably gotten worse.
  • Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune is concerned about Taylor Hendricks‘ underwhelming Summer League performance, including a three-point, five-rebound showing on Monday that saw the Jazz forward go 0-of-6 from the floor and fail to make a defensive impact. Hendricks is still just 20 years old, so there’s plenty of time for last year’s No. 9 overall pick to show improvement, but he’ll have to make major strides to warrant a rotation role next season, Larsen contends.
  • PJ Dozier‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Timberwolves is partially guaranteed for $1MM, reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (Twitter link). Dozier will be assured of his full salary (approximately $2.6MM) if he remains under contract through the league-wide guarantee date of January 7.

PJ Dozier Signs With Timberwolves

JULY 15: The signing is official, according to a team press release. The minimum-salary contract is worth $2.6MM and is partially guaranteed, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets.


JULY 3: The Timberwolves have reached an agreement with free agent guard PJ Dozier, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reports (Twitter link). The contract will be for one year, per Krawczysnki, and figures to be worth the minimum, given Minnesota’s cap limitations.

Dozier is a six-year NBA veteran who holds career averages of 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has spent the majority of his career in Denver, playing 97 of his 121 career games for the team and overlapping with former Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, who now runs the Wolves’ front office.

Dozier played well as a reserve for the Nuggets in 2020/21, averaging 7.7 PPG in 21.8 MPG across 50 games. However, he suffered a torn ACL the following season and was subsequently traded and waived. He last played for Sacramento in ’22/23, but only appeared in 16 games before heading to play with Partizan Belgrade, where he averaged 9.2 PPG last season.

Dozier was actually with the Wolves for training camp in 2022, but ultimately didn’t make the team. Before signing his 10-day contracts with Sacramento in ’22/23, he spent the majority of the year playing for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate.

After tearing his ACL, Dozier’s camp kept in touch with Connelly, who remains high on the 27-year-old guard, Krawczynski reports (Twitter link).

According to The Star Tribune’s Chris Hine, Dozier’s deal is for a 15-man roster spot (Twitter link). After reportedly coming to an agreement with sharpshooter Joe Ingles earlier Wednesday, the Timberwolves are up to 14 standard contracts.

International Notes: EuroLeague, Exum, Reath, Cauley-Stein, Zizic

Kemba Walker is among several former NBA players struggling to make the adjustment to the EuroLeague, writes Dimitris Minaretzis of Eurohoops. After signing with AS Monaco this summer, the 33-year-old guard is averaging just 4.4 points and 1.1 assists per game as he fights for playing time in a crowded backcourt. Knee injuries plagued Walker throughout the end of his NBA career, and they appear to still be limiting his effectiveness in Europe.

Elsewhere, Minaretzis notes that FC Barcelona’s Jabari Parker is averaging 9.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while KK Partizan has PJ Dozier at 9.2 points and 3.2 assists per night and Frank Kaminsky at 8.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

The only players who are standing out after being on NBA rosters last season are Serge Ibaka, who’s averaging 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for Bayern Munich, and Kendrick Nunn, who is at 11.6 points and 2.5 assists per night with Panathinaikos. Ibaka has previous EuroLeague experience, having played in Spain before being drafted in 2008.

There’s more international news to pass along:

  • After making a surprising impact with their NBA clubs, Dante Exum and Duop Reath are in contention for starting spots with the Australian Olympic team, according to Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Exum, who recently moved into the Mavericks‘ starting lineup because of his strong play, is averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists over his last 10 games, and Uluc notes that he’s given Dallas a secondary ball-handler while serving as a strong complement to Luka Doncic. Reath has become a productive weapon for the Trail Blazers after earning a two-way deal in camp. He provides an outside shooting threat and has reached double figures in scoring in seven of Portland’s last 10 games. Reath posted a career-high 25 points against Sacramento this week and may have surpassed Jock Landale as the Boomers’ best option at center.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein‘s first venture in Europe has ended after 20 games, per Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Pallacanestro Varese announced that it has parted ways with the 30-year-old center, who averaged 9.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for the Italian team.
  • Croatian center Ante Zizic has signed with Virtus Bologna, the team announced in a press release. Zizic, 26, was a first-round pick in 2017 and played 113 total games with Cleveland from 2017 to 2020. He captured a Turkish championship and the President’s Cup last season with Anadolu Efes.

PJ Dozier Signing With Partizan In Serbia

Former Kings wing PJ Dozier is signing with KK Partizan in Serbia, according to Eurohoops. It’s a one-year deal for Dozier, who is heading out of the U.S. for the first time in his professional career.

Dozier spent part of last season with Sacramento, first inking a pair of 10-day deals with the team and then signing for the rest of the season. The 6’6″ wing played a modest role for the team, averaging 1.4 points in 4.9 minutes per game across 16 appearances. The Kings waived Dozier on July 8.

Before landing in Sacramento, Dozier had stops with the Thunder, Celtics and Nuggets. He went undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft out of South Carolina. Dozier played on two-way contracts with the Thunder and Celtics, appearing in just eight games from 2017 to 2019, his first two seasons in the league. He broke onto the scene with the Nuggets, where he spent the majority of his career. Dozier signed with the Nuggets for the 2019/20 season and impressed enough to stick around onto the ’20/21 roster.

In ’20/21, Dozier averaged 7.7 points for the Nuggets in 50 appearances in six starts. He was on track for another productive season in ’21/22 but his campaign was cut short due to a torn ACL. Later in the season, the Nuggets traded Dozier to the Celtics, where he was re-routed to the Magic and then waived. Dozier caught on with the Timberwolves for training camp last season and his stint with their G League team, the Iowa Wolves, impressed the Kings into signing him.

Now, Dozier takes over for a Partizan club that lost Dante Exum, who signed with the Mavericks earlier this offseason.

This deal has seemingly been in the works for several days. Before being confirmed by Eurohoops today, a report from Sportal.rs suggested Dozier and Partizan were close to an agreement, and Eurohoops cited an earlier report from Mozzart Sport.

Kings Waive PJ Dozier

The Kings have waived guard PJ Dozier, the team announced today in a press release.

The move doesn’t come as a real surprise, given that Dozier played a limited role for Sacramento last season and would have had his $2.41MM salary for 2023/24 become guaranteed if he remained under contract beyond Monday, July 10. By cutting him today, the club won’t be on the hook for any of that money.

Dozier, 26, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Kings in January before reaching a rest-of-season deal with the team in February. He appeared in 16 games, averaging 1.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in just 4.9 minutes per night.

With Dozier off the roster, the Kings now have 13 players on standard contracts (once Sasha Vezenkov and Alex Len officially sign) and a pair on two-way deals, so they’re presumably not done making moves.