Sources tell Fedor that the first workout took place on Tuesday, with another scheduled for Wednesday. Big men Mamadi Diakite and Ray Spalding are a couple of the other free agents who are participating, Fedor adds.

Following the blockbuster trade for Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland has 16 players under contract — 14 on standard deals and a pair on two-way contracts. That leaves four openings on the team’s 20-man training camp roster and one possible open spot on the projected regular season roster. As Fedor notes, the Cavaliers are still about $2.5MM below the luxury tax line, so they could comfortably carry a 15th man on a minimum-salary deal if they so choose.

While there’s no guarantee that any of the players working out for the Cavs will receive training camp invites, Fedor points out that Denzel Valentine earned a roster spot a year ago after impressing the team during a September workout.

Brooks, Martin, Diakite, and Spalding all have multiple seasons of NBA experience under their belts, and all but Spalding saw action during the 2021/22 season. Brooks averaged 5.3 points per game in 54 appearances for the Rockets and Raptors; Martin posted 5.7 PPG in 30 contests for the Pacers and Celtics; and Diakite put up 4.3 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 13 games for the Thunder.

Spalding suffered an Achilles injury in his second game with the team on Monday, when he logged 10 minutes against Washington.

The Rockets signed Spalding to a two-way contract on Friday.

Spalding, the 56th overall pick in the 2018 draft, spent time with the Mavericks and Suns as a rookie in 2018/19, then joined the Hawks for training camp in 2019 before being waived and claimed by Houston. After being cut again, he later signed a two-way contract with the Hornets.

He got off to a strong start with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBAGL bubble last week, averaging 18.5 PPG and 13.0 RPG in his first two games (27.5 MPG).

3:03pm: The Rockets will waive Thomas to make room for Spalding, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle confirms.

2:30pm: The Rockets are signing free agent power forward Ray Spalding to a two-way contract, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Spalding, the 56th overall pick in the 2018 draft, spent time with the Mavericks and Suns as a rookie in 2018/19, then joined the Hawks for training camp in 2019 before being waived and claimed by Houston. After being cut again, he later signed a two-way contract with the Hornets.

Between stints with NBA teams, the 23-year-old has played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s G League affiliate. He was off to a strong start in the NBAGL bubble this week, averaging 18.5 PPG and 13.0 RPG in his first two games (27.5 MPG).

The Rockets are currently carrying Mason Jones and Brodric Thomas on two-way deals, so one of those players will have to be cut in order to make room for Spalding. Jones has been a more regular part of Houston’s rotation so far this season, appearing in 15 games, so Thomas – who has played in just four games – may be the odd man out.

The full list of players on two-way contracts can be found right here.

We have more from the Western Conference:

• The Warriors might take a longer look at Damion Lee with Kelly Oubre Jr. off to a slow start, Ethan Strauss of The Athletic writes. Lee’s skills mesh more seamlessly with Stephen Curry, so Golden State could even try Lee in a starting role. He had a pair of double-digit scoring outings last week and has shot the ball well from deep (44.7%) with a low turnover rate. Oubre has shot an icy 19.7% on his 3-point tries but the Warriors dipped deeper into the luxury tax by acquiring him, so they’ll likely exercise plenty of patience and hope he returns to last season’s form.
• Michael Porter Jr.‘s starting spot is safe, Nuggets coach Michael Malone said on Monday, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Porter hasn’t played since December 29 after being placed on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list. “Bottom line is, he’s the starting small forward at 6’10”, averaging close to 20 points a game and seven rebounds,” Malone said. “Not only are you whole, but you have a really talented player who’s a big part of your current team and also your future.”
• NBA veterans Josh Huestis and Ray Spalding are among the players on the Rockets’ G League roster, according to a tweet from the Rio Grande Vipers. Huestis played in Germany last season after appearing in 76 career games with the Thunder, including 69 during the 2017/18 season. Spalding was waived by the Hornets in November. He played 13 games with the Suns in 2018/19.

The former Louisville power forward played 14 games for the Mavericks and Suns during his inaugural 2018/19 NBA season. He was drafted by the Sixers before being dealt to Dallas on draft night. He spent 2019/20 in the G League, averaging 13.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.4 BPG, and 1.3 SPG across 36 G League games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ G League affiliate, and Charlotte’s affiliate club, the Greensboro Swarm.

The Hornets selected three second-round picks this season who could be candidates for that open two-way slot. 6’3″ shooting guard Grant Riller, taken with the No. 56 pick out of Charleston, seems to be the most likely option.

Spalding was drafted with the No. 56 pick out of Louisville in 2018, and logged time with the Mavericks and Suns during the 2018/19 season. In the 2019 offseason, the 6’10”, 210-pound power forward signed limited agreements with the Hawks and Rockets, but did not make their fall rosters. He played with Houston’s G League squad, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, before latching on with the Hornets.

Spalding holds career averages of 3.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 10.6 MPG, plus a 53.2% conversion percentage from the floor. The 23-year-old most recently averaged 17.5 PPG and 12.7 RPG in his 16 games with the Hornets’ G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

The Hornets’ two-way agreement with Spalding includes a second year for 2020/21, so he’ll be back with the team next season if he’s not traded or waived.

“We’ve done it some,” coach Rick Carlisle said while adding, “The bind you get in is with rebounding and that was obvious in the second half. We were really up against it on the boards. … But in terms of the lineup and everything else, there’s a lot of things we’ve got to keep on the table.”

We have more on the Mavericks:

• The Mavs’ front office has made contact with free agent center Joakim Noah, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. However, the team has concerns about Noah’s health and is also looking at overseas and G League options, MacMahon adds. Noah, 34, appeared in 34 games with the Grizzlies last season. Dallas would have to open up a roster spot to bring in a free agent.
• Washington’s Ian Mahinmi, Minnesota’s Gorgui Dieng and Golden State’s Willie Cauley-Stein and Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson are some of the trade options the team could pursue in the wake of Powell’s injury, Sefko writes in a separate piece.  Rookie Isaiah Roby and Justin Jackson could also pick up some of those minutes, Sefko adds, and the Mavs might pursue another G League option, Ray Spalding, of the Greensboro Swarm, who was on Dallas’ roster for part of last season.
• Even before Powell’s injury, the team was perusing the trade market for players with size who can score 15 points a game, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link). “They have assets. They have a trade exception, they have Courtney Lee, who’s a contract that can be traded. Watch out for them,” Windhorst said.
• The Mavs have two trade exceptions available to utilize prior to February’s deadline, including one worth over $11.8MM. Check out the list of all trade exceptions here.

6:21pm: The Hornets will sign Ray Spalding to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 23-year-old forward was in training camp with the Rockets and joined their G League affiliate after being waived just before the start of the season. He was averaging 15.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in 20 games with Rio Grande Valley.

Spalding got 14 games of NBA experience last year as a rookie. Thirteen of those were with Mavericks and the other one came after joining the Suns on a 10-day contract last February.

By signing today, Spalding will be eligible to spend up to 24 days in the NBA between now and the end of the G League regular season in March.

The Hornets opened a two-way slot by waiving Robert Franks earlier today, which marks the deadline for issuing two-way contracts this season.

Spalding was recently claimed off waivers by Houston, while Maker – the brother of Pistons big man Thon Maker – signed with the team on Friday. Ponds, an undrafted rookie out of St. John’s, spent a little more time with the franchise, appearing in five games for the Rockets’ Summer League team and three games for the club this preseason.

All three players had non-guaranteed contracts, so the Rockets’ cap won’t be affected by today’s moves.

Houston now has 16 players under contract, including one (Chris Clemons) on a two-way deal. Four of the 15 Rockets players on standard contracts don’t have fully guaranteed contracts, but all four of those players – Ryan Anderson, Gary Clark, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Ben McLemore – are ineligible for two-way contracts due to their partial guarantees or years of NBA experience. So if Houston intends to fill its second two-way slot, the team will have to look elsewhere.

Spalding, 22, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Atlanta in July after having his 2019/20 team option turned down by the Suns in June. The No. 56 overall pick in the 2018 draft, he appeared in 14 total NBA games for the Mavericks and Suns in his rookie season, averaging 3.9 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 10.6 minutes per contest.

The Rockets are currently carrying just 11 players with fully guaranteed salaries and both of their two-way contract slots are open, so there’s a potential path for Spalding to stick with the team into the regular season.

Currently, Isaiah Hartenstein, Gary Clark, Ryan Anderson, and Ben McLemore, all of whom have partial guarantees, are the favorites to fill out the 15-man roster. Shamorie Ponds, Chris Clemons, and Jaron Blossomgame are among those vying for the two-way slots.

Spalding, a 22-year-old power forward, signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Atlanta in July after having his 2019/20 team option turned down by the Suns in June. The No. 56 overall pick in the 2018 draft, the former Louisville standout appeared in 14 total NBA games for the Mavericks and Suns in his rookie season, averaging 3.9 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 10.6 minutes per contest.

With Spalding no longer on the roster, the Hawks have 19 players under contract, leaving an opening in case they want to sign another player before the season begins.

Of Atlanta’s 19 players, two are on two-way contracts and 14 have fully guaranteed salaries, leaving a potential opening on the regular season roster if the team intends to carry a full 15-man squad. Armoni Brooks, Marcus Derrickson, and Tahjere McCall are the non-guaranteed camp invitees still under contract.

Carter doesn’t want to just ride the bench if he plays a 22nd season, which would be an NBA record. However, lottery picks De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish and free agent signee Jabari Parker will all see significant action, which would cut into Carter’s minutes. Carter is taking a wait-and-see approach.

“Just waiting for the right opportunity, and nothing has changed as far as that goal, and that dream of mine is to still play,” Carter said. “It’s just a patient thing. I get it. I’m older. Teams are going younger. Hopefully, within the coming days, we’ll have something figured out.”

We have more on the Hawks:

• The Hawks plan to keep one roster spot open entering next season in order to facilitate trades, Kirschner reports in the same piece. They plan to use their approximate $5MM in remaining cap space to help make a trade before February’s deadline to collect future draft picks.
• Parker used his abbreviated stay with the Bulls as a learning experience, as he told Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. Parker signed with the Bulls last offseason on a two-year, $40MM deal that included a team option. He lost his rotation spot and was traded to the Wizards, who declined the option this summer. He then signed a two-year, $13MM contract with the Hawks. “It was really good because now I can relate to every kind of player,” Parker said of playing for Chicago. “When I talk to kids, I can talk to them about everything – from being the best player on a team to being the player who isn’t even playing. I’m just grateful for that experience. It allowed me to see things differently.”
• Forward Ray Spalding said the Hawks sought him out after the Suns declined to sign him after summer league play, as he told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Phoenix set up different contracts with different players. My agent thought maybe it would be time to look elsewhere,” Spalding said. “So we did that and the Hawks reached out. He really liked what the Hawks said about me and offered me so I felt like this would be a safe place to start.” Spalding signed an Exhibit 10 contract.

JULY 25: The Hawks will bring in free agent forward Ray Spalding, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link). It will be a partially guaranteed arrangement.

Additional details on the pact are not yet known, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 deal. Atlanta currently has 14 players under contract.

Spalding was selected late in the second round of the 2018 draft by the Mavericks and split his time last season between Dallas and Phoenix, having been waived by the Mavs in January.

The power forward appeared in 29 contests in the G League with the Texas Legends last year, posting averages of 15.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He finished the season with the Suns, but had his team option for 2019/20 turned down by Phoenix, which made him an unrestricted free agent.

Given how quickly most of the top players came off the market, Holiday represents one of the more intriguing options available, given his ability to knock down three-pointers (1.8 3PG on 35.4% shooting over the last three years) and defend on the perimeter.

According to Scotto, the Grizzlies are open to the idea of accommodating a sign-and-trade deal involving Holiday, so a team with interest in him could potentially acquire him using a trade exception if it doesn’t want to cut into its mid-level.

Here’s more on a few NBA free agents:

• Wizards interim head of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard briefly spoke with free agent big man DeMarcus Cousins in Las Vegas, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link). A previous report indicated there was virtually no chance of Cousins signing with Washington, and Buckner cautions that the conversation was described as small talk, but she still refers to it as an “interesting development.”
• The Lakers are in the mix for free agent point guard Trey Burke, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). Los Angeles still has plenty of roster spots to fill, so it’s not clear how high Burke is on the team’s wish list.
• Veteran NBA big man Darrell Arthur, who sat out last season after being waived by Phoenix in October, is considering a comeback and is open to continuing his career overseas, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
• ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Marc J. Spears, and Ohm Youngmisuk spoke to coaches, scouts, and executives at the Utah and California Summer Leagues to get their thoughts on free agency so far. Among the highlights: McMahon writes that a number of rival executives and scouts believe the Rockets dodged a bullet by not landing Jimmy Butler.
• The Suns have formally renounced their free agent rights to several players, including Dragan Bender, Jamal Crawford, Jimmer Fredette, and Ray Spalding, per RealGM’s transactions log.

A former Louisville standout, Spalding was drafted by the Sixers with the 56th overall selection last June and traded to Dallas on draft night. However, the Mavericks waived him in January to open up a roster spot to complete the Kristaps Porzingis trade.

Spalding subsequently caught on with the Suns, signing a 10-day contract and then a multiyear deal. He appeared in 13 games for Phoenix down the stretch, averaging 4.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 11.3 minutes per contest.

Spalding is eligible to receive a qualifying offer from the Suns, but there has been no indication that the team has issued a QO. Without that offer, the 22-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent.