Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trail Blazers Notes: Henderson, Ayton, Camara, Simons

October 18th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Trail Blazers have put together a support staff designed to help Scoot Henderson get the most out of his unique talents, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

Head coach Chauncey Billups was an NBA point guard for 17 seasons and succeeded at the highest level, earning five All-Star appearances and being named NBA Finals MVP in 2004. His coaching staff includes Scott Brooks, who played point guard for 10 years and helped to develop Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, and Pooh Jeter, Henderson’s former G League Ignite teammate. Portland also traded for Malcolm Brogdon, who quickly became a mentor to the 19-year-old rookie.

“Support is everything, especially from the coaching staff,” Henderson said. “That is huge, knowing they have your back. Everyone in the Portland organization, the coaching staff, everybody behind the scenes, they are pitching a lot into the players. The doctors and medical staff are pitching in a certain way you may not think they would. But I’m watching, observing. … I’m going to take the pressure all on me. But knowing that I have the confidence from the coaching staff, I’m going to respect them a lot more.”

Spears notes that Billups can empathize with Henderson because that level of support wasn’t in place for him when he entered the NBA as the No. 3 overall pick in 1997. He was traded midway through his first season and was on his fifth team by the time he developed into a star in Detroit.

“One of the main things I told (Henderson) was, ‘I’m going to be for you what I needed at this age,’” Billups said. “I needed somebody that knew what I should be doing. I needed somebody that could help me learn the game. I didn’t have that. Somebody that was going to be patient with me, knowing that there’s going to be some nasty, ugly games. Someone that was going to be patient, that understood it. I didn’t have that.”

There’s more from Portland:

Deandre Ayton is hoping for a larger role in the offense after being acquired from Phoenix, and Billups seems willing to grant him the opportunity, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I’m going to give him the responsibility to do more,” Billups said, “but it’s all going to be based on his commitment level and what he wants to do.”
Toumani Camara, who was also part of the Suns trade, has been among the surprises of camp, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports (Twitter link). The rookie power forward, who got a chance to start Monday, is averaging 6.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in four preseason games. “He’s been such a pleasant surprise for all of us,” Billups said. “He’s just my type of guy, man. He just competes on every play, he’s tough, he’s aggressive. … He has confidence out there. I just love everything about Toumani, man.”
Anfernee Simons told Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report that his goals for this season include making the All-Star team and getting rid of his “bad defender” label (Twitter link).

And-Ones: All-Star Game, Porter, Breakout Candidates, More

October 18th, 2023 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league is weighing the idea of reverting to the East vs. West format for its All-Star Game, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Since the 2017/18 season, 12 players from each conference have been named All-Stars, but in order to set the two rosters, the top vote-getters in each conference have drafted teams from pools of eight starters and 14 reserves.

“We’re looking at some potential changes in format in Indianapolis this year,” Silver said, referring to the 2024 All-Star Game. “Maybe a return to something more traditional in terms of how the teams are presented. We went to sort of this captain and draft notion, but clearly historically it was East vs. West. So that’s maybe something we are looking at.”

Back in June, Silver didn’t close the door on the possibility of introducing an All-Star format that would pit U.S. players vs. international players. However, he downplayed the likelihood of that change on Wednesday, noting that the international player pool isn’t currently as deep as the U.S. one, which could result in skewed rosters.

According to Bontemps, Silver also reiterated during his First Take appearance, following up on the league’s recent statements on load management, that he views the idea of shortening the regular season as non-starter.

“None of us believe that,” Silver said. “None of the data supports that. As I was saying, back to this issue about load management, we don’t see more injuries later on in the season. Guys aren’t more likely to be injured after they’ve played 40 games as opposed to the first week of the season. I mean, unfortunately, injuries happen.”

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick has disputed Manhattan prosecutors’ characterization of Kevin Porter Jr.‘s alleged assault, telling Priscilla DeGregory and Emily Crane of The New York Post that Porter “never balled his fists up and hit me” and “definitely didn’t punch me in the face numerous times.” A second-degree assault charge against Porter was dropped this week after it was determined that Gondrezick’s vertebra fracture was a congenital defect and not caused by the former Rocket, who still faces third-degree assault and second-degree strangulation charges after being traded and waived on Tuesday. “It happened very fast, not to the degree of what was reported,” Gondrezick said of the incident. “And it was an argument that occurred in the room for not even 10 seconds.”
The Athletic’s NBA writers named a breakout candidate for all 30 NBA teams, with their picks ranging from popular choices such as Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton to less obvious selections like Celtics wing Sam Hauser.
Jonathan Givony and Jeff Borzello of ESPN (Insider link) identify the top international freshman in the NCAA this season, starting with center Aday Mara and forward Berke Buyuktuncel of UCLA.
In an entertaining article for FOX Sports, Melissa Rohlin reveals that a Clippers employee – who happens to be a Lakers fan – was the original source of the erroneous offseason rumors linking Lakers guard Austin Reaves to Taylor Swift.

Rockets Eye Alec Burks, Talen Horton-Tucker

October 17th, 2023 at 5:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets cut ties with Kevin Porter Jr. by agreeing to trade the troubled guard and two future second-round picks to the Thunder for injured guard Victor Oladipo and big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

However, the Rockets may not be through making deals before next week’s regular season opener, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports. They may look to move Oladipo, combined with other second-round picks, to upgrade their roster.

Houston has held trade discussions with the Pistons regarding veteran guard Alec Burks, who has an expiring $10,489,600 contract. Fischer notes that his contract nearly matches Oladipo’s $9.5MM expiring salary.

It’s not clear if the Pistons would be interested a trade for Oladipo, who is recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, and some type of sweetener.

The Pistons have other options at guard beyond franchise player Cade Cunningham. New head coach Monty Williams is mulling whether to start lottery pick Ausar Thompson and bring Jaden Ivey off the bench. Detroit also traded for Monte Morris and Joe Harris this offseason, with rookie Marcus Sasser and Killian Hayes also battling for playing time.

Houston has also contacted the Jazz regarding Talen Horton-Tucker. Tucker has an $11.02MM expiring contract and his role with Utah is uncertain, due to the strong play of Kris Dunn and rookie Keyonte George.

The Rockets have some interest in Malcolm Brogdon as well, although the Trail Blazers and Rockets have not held significant discussions. Portland has indicated that it wants to hold onto Brogdon, who was acquired from Boston in the Jrue Holiday deal. Houston also wouldn’t be able to aggregate Oladipo’s salary with another player for two months after finalizing its trade with Oklahoma City. Brogdon is earning $22.5MM.

Fischer also delivered some other interesting tidbits in his story:

Prior to the Thunder’s trade with the Rockets, veteran forward Davis Bertāns‘ name was passing through the rumor mill. The Thunder had a roster logjam prior to the deal and still needs to clear another spot, but Bertans is safe. Not only could his perimeter shooting help the Thunder, his $16MM salary for 2024/25 is only guaranteed for $5MM. That could make him a valuable trade piece approaching February’s trade deadline.
The Rockets held conversations with several other teams regarding Porter that would have required them to throw in more second-rounders to get him off their roster. Oklahoma City had planned to waive Oladipo if it couldn’t find a trade for him.
Few rival executives anticipate that the Pacers’ Buddy Hield will be traded prior to the season. The Pacers had looked at potential deals involving Hield after contract extension talks stalled, but it sounds like there’s no traction toward a move.

Northwest Notes: Jokic, Collins, Milton, Division Preview

October 14th, 2023 at 8:18am CST by Tristan Tucker

After winning the 2023 NBA Championship, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic made headlines throughout the summer by expressing his desire to go back home and then later partying in his hometown of Sombor, Serbia. ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk took a look back at “the summer of Jokic” and explored the center’s approach to the offseason.

Nuggets team president and governor Josh Kroenke didn’t text Jokic like normal this summer, Youngmisuk writes, instead allowing the two-time MVP to refresh.

“We all kind of left him alone,” Kroenke said. “For him to get away from basketball, be with his family and reconnect with who he is fundamentally is only going to be a benefit for the Nuggets and for basketball because he comes back fresh.”

Jokic claimed he only touched a basketball “a couple of times” this summer, but did stick to a routine he’s used through the past three years, which resulted in two MVPs and a championship, Youngmisuk details. Head coach Michael Malone noted the time of seemed to benefit Jokic mentally and when teammate Aaron Gordon came to visit during the summer, he was impressed by the depth of Jokic’s routine, according to Youngmisuk.

“He’s the best player in the world,” Gordon said. “He works out like a monster. … His regimen, his diet and how detail-oriented he is with his body, is second to none.”

Youngmisuk notes Jokic has been more vocal in practices and team settings, displaying a new type of confidence as he and the team aim for a second straight title.

“He’s only 28,” Gordon said. “So he’s going to get even smarter at manipulating the defense [and] offense. … I don’t see anybody stopping him. They still haven’t found the answer for him yet.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz traded for forward John Collins this offseason after he had a productive six seasons with Atlanta, averaging 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds. However, both Collins and Utah’s coaching staff understand getting the 6’9″ forward acclimated in a new system might take some time, Sarah Todd of the Deseret News writes. “I have to adapt to a bunch of things that I wasn’t used to doing in Atlanta, and that’s part of the game, and I’m embracing it because it’s a new chapter for me and it also allows my game to grow,” Collins said.
Eight players in the Timberwolves‘ likely rotation for their first regular season game on October 25 were on the team at the end of last season, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune writes. However, Wolves head coach Chris Finch said he’d like to ideally play a nine-player rotation, and Hine believes free-agent addition Shake Milton is likely to be that ninth player. Minnesota signed Milton to a two-year, $10MM deal after the guard averaged 9.3 points and 2.7 assists across his first five NBA seasons in Philadelphia.
The Northwest Division hosts the defending champion Nuggets, but also one of the few rebuilding teams in the league in the Trail Blazers. Tony Jones, Jason Quick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic preview the division which features rising stars like the Jazz‘s Walker Kessler and the Timberwolves‘ Anthony Edwards. The trio is bullish on the Thunder‘s Chet Holmgren, with Jones saying Oklahoma City getting him back from injury is the best offseason “addition” in the division. Meanwhile, Quick and Robbins believe Denver losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green are the moves with the biggest potential to backfire. I recommend checking out the article in full, if you’re an Athletic subscriber, to get a solid picture for the division next season.

Trail Blazers Pick Up Shaedon Sharpe’s 2024/25 Option

October 10th, 2023 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have exercised their third-year team option on guard Shaedon Sharpe for the 2024/25 season, the team announced in a press release.

The move doesn’t affect Sharpe’s contract status for the coming season — his $6.3MM salary for 2023/24 was already guaranteed. The option pick-up ensures that his $6.6MM salary for the ’24/25 season is now locked in as well.

Sharpe, the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, is coming off a promising rookie season in which he averaged 9.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game and posted a .472/.360/.714 shooting line across 80 appearances (15 starts).

The 20-year-old expected to take on a bigger role in his second NBA season following the trade of Damian Lillard. Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and this year’s No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson are viewed as Portland’s backcourt of the future, with Sharpe potentially sliding up to the three at times if the team wants to play the trio together.

The Blazers’ next contract decision on Sharpe will come a year from now — they’ll have until October 31, 2024 to decide whether to exercise his $8.4MM option for 2025/26. Assuming that option is picked up, Sharpe will become extension-eligible for the first time in the summer of 2025.

The rookie scale team option decisions for 2024/25, due by October 31, can be found right here.

Blazers Sign George Conditt, Waive Two Players

October 10th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

2:23pm: In a press release officially confirming the signing of Conditt and the release of Smith, the Trail Blazers announced that they’ve also waived guard Antoine Davis. Like Smith, Davis is a good bet to end up with the Rip City Remix in the G League.

7:42am: Ahead of their preseason opener, the Trail Blazers have made a minor change to their roster, waiving guard Malachi Smith and signing forward/center George Conditt IV, per RealGM’s transaction log. Portland still has a full 21-man preseason roster after completing the pair of moves.

Smith, who went undrafted out of Gonzaga in June after being named the WCC’s Sixth Man of the Year, quickly reached an agreement with the Blazers and then officially signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the team last week ahead of the start of training camp.

Following a brief stint with the Blazers, Smith appears likely to report to the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Remix, he’ll earn an Exhibit 10 bonus, which can be worth up to $75K.

As for Conditt, his Exhibit 10 agreement with the Blazers was reported a month ago. The big man, who went undrafted out of Iowa State in 2022, played for teams in Puerto Rico and Greece in his first professional season.

Conditt subsequently suited up for Puerto Rico in this year’s World Cup. He averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 30.6 minutes per night (five games) for the Puerto Rican team in the tournament.

Conditt appears likely to follow Smith’s trajectory and land with the Remix, but his non-guaranteed deal could also be converted into a two-way contract or a standard contract if he impresses during the preseason.

And-Ones: Fredette, Dischinger, 2024 Draft, More

October 10th, 2023 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Jimmer Fredette, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 draft, launched 8.5 three-pointers per game as a college senior at BYU in 2010/11 and made 39.6% of them. However, while he hit 37.2% of his threes at the NBA level, he never emerged as a consistent rotation player and was out of the league by 2016, with the exception of a brief cameo during the 2018/19 season.

Speaking to Sam Yip of HoopsHype, Fredette observed that his game is more suited to the NBA now than it was when he went pro in 2011. The veteran sharpshooter, who eventually emerged as a star in China for the Shanghai Sharks, admits that he sometimes thinks about what his career would’ve looked like if he were coming out of college now.

“Of course you think about it, right? Like, I mean there’s no way that you don’t think about it,” Fredette said. “Obviously, it does fit my game better now than it did before. It’s more positionless basketball. When I came out it was like, ‘Is he a one or is he a two? What’s the deal? Who’s he gonna guard?’ Now it’s like, ‘If you can play, you can play and if you can shoot, you’re an asset.’

“… So I was definitely probably a little bit ahead of my time as far as that’s concerned. But it is what it is and right now I’m in a good spot and using my talents and been able to do it all over the place.”

As Yip notes, Fredette – who is now 34 years old – is currently focused on 3-on-3 basketball and hopes to win a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The Trail Blazers have put out a statement mourning the passing of former NBA wing Terry Dischinger, a three-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year who played in the league from 1962-73 in Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, and Portland. The former Purdue star was 82 years old.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has published a new 2024 mock draft, moving French big man Alexandre Sarr up to No. 2 and referring to him as “the hottest name early in the 2024 draft cycle,” based on his performances against the G League Ignite last month. While ESPN’s most recent mock draft had USC’s Isaiah Collier at No. 2 and Duke’s Tyrese Proctor at No. 14, Wasserman has Collier and Proctor at No. 6 and No. 5, respectively.
Which new and old NBA on-court rules will be points of emphasis for referees this season? Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune takes a closer look, noting that the league has introduced new in-game penalties for flopping and wants its officials to actually call defensive three-second violations in fourth quarters and clutch situations.
Rob Mahoney of The Ringer identifies five teams that he believes will define the 2023/24 NBA season, starting with the defending champion Nuggets. Mahoney also discusses the Bucks, Heat, Thunder, and Grizzlies.
HoopsHype has shared an excerpt from Alex Squadron’s book ‘Life in the G,’ which follows players in the G League as they push for a promotion to the NBA.

NBA GMs Like Celtics’ Offseason Moves, Title Chances

October 10th, 2023 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics and Bucks made the best overall moves this offseason, according to the NBA’s general managers. In his annual survey of the league’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 23% picked Boston as having the best summer, while another 23% picked Milwaukee. The Trail Blazers (17%) and Lakers (13%) were among the other clubs who received multiple votes.

Of course, the Celtics’ and Bucks’ pre-camp trades for Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard, respectively, were huge factors in the positive perception of their offseasons. Of Schuhmann’s GM respondents, 47% said the Lillard acquisition was the most impactful move of the offseason, while Boston’s addition of Holiday placed second at 13% (the Celtics’ trade for Kristaps Porzingis tied for fourth, at 7%).

Both Boston and Milwaukee are viewed by the league’s general managers as good bets to compete for the title in 2024. The Celtics were selected by 33% of Schuhmann’s respondents as the team that will win the championship the season, while the Bucks got 23% of the vote share. No other Eastern club received a vote, with the Nuggets (33%), Suns (7%), and Clippers (3%) representing the only other teams that were chosen as potential champs.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

As much as the NBA’s general managers like Boston’s roster, it was the Grizzlies‘ acquisition of Marcus Smart from Boston that was voted as the most underrated player addition of the summer (17%), narrowly edging out the Mavericks‘ sign-and-trade for Grant Williams (14%).
The NBA’s GMs are high on the Thunder. Oklahoma City was the runaway winner as the team with the league’s most promising young core (73%) and also earned the most votes for which club will be most improved in 2023/24 (30%).
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama got plenty of love from the league’s GMs. He was the top choice for Rookie of the Year (50%) and was the overwhelming pick for which rookie will be the best player in five years (90%). He also placed second among the players Schuhmann’s respondents would most want to start a franchise with today, with his 23% vote share trailing only Nikola Jokic‘s 33%.
NBA GMs expect Ime Udoka of the Rockets to be the head coach that has the biggest impact on his new team (57%), followed by Monty Williams of the Pistons (17%).
Jordi Fernandez of the Kings, viewed as a future NBA head coach, comfortably won the vote on the league’s best assistant (31%).
The NBA’s GMs consider Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (23%), Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (20%), and Magic forward Franz Wagner (13%) the top candidates for a breakout year.
Which rookie was the biggest steal in the 2023 draft? Rockets wing Cam Whitmore (43%) was the top choice, with Jazz guard Keyonte George, Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson, and Heat forward Jaime Jaquez each receiving 10% of the vote.

Heat Notes: Herro, Lillard, Richardson, Dragic, Roster Spots

October 9th, 2023 at 11:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Damian Lillard spent the summer trying to get traded, but Heat guard Tyler Herro, who likely would have been part of any deal that brought Lillard to Miami, was happy to stay where he is, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.

Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin reportedly didn’t want Herro, which made it difficult for the teams to reach a deal without a third franchise involved. Although Herro doesn’t hold any resentment toward Cronin for his decision, he’s happy with the way things worked out.

“I didn’t want to go to Portland, so I’m glad Portland didn’t want me,” Herro said. “I just don’t want to be in Portland. So it’s not personal with Portland, at all. I’m just happy to be on the court. I haven’t played since April. I broke my hand and I haven’t played since then, so I’m ready to play.”

Teammates have been raving about Herro’s performance in camp as he returned from the injury that forced him to miss virtually all of last season’s playoffs. Herro doesn’t believe the perception of his importance to the Heat should change because the team reached the NBA Finals without him.

“I got hurt and obviously we went on a run,” he said. “So I don’t know if that changed people’s perspectives on the way that I play or my value. Nothing has changed. I haven’t gotten any worse. I’ve only gotten better, older, more experienced. And our team didn’t get better without me, we just started shooting better and making shots. We didn’t make shots all year. And I’m the best shooter on the team. So I don’t think with me sitting out affected our shooting percentage. I just think we started making shots.”

There’s more from Miami:

Lillard discussed his request to be dealt to the Heat during a weekend interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio (Twitter link). “I don’t think it was a secret that Miami is where I wanted to go when I asked for a trade,” he said. “When this conversation started, it was like ‘We’re not going to be able to build this team out. We’ll help you get to where you want to go.’ And that was where I wanted to go.”
Josh Richardson appears to be the backup point guard heading into the preseason opener, Winderman states in a mailbag column. In response to a reader’s question about signing Goran Dragic, Winderman said he doubts that the team would want two 37-year-old point guards on the roster, but he adds that the organization’s view of Dragic might change if Kyle Lowry gets traded. Winderman also mentions John Wall if the Heat are in the market for veteran help.
Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald takes at closer look at the Exhibit 10 players competing for a roster spot: Justin Champagnie, Cheick Diallo, Drew Peterson, Cole Swider and Alondes Williams.

Four NBA Teams Carrying Fewer Than 14 Standard Contracts

October 7th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

While NBA teams aren’t required to maintain a full 15-man standard roster during the regular season, they do have to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts. During the regular season, a club isn’t permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for more than two weeks at a time — or more than 28 total days.

We have a pretty good idea of which 14 or 15 players will be on most teams’ standard rosters to begin the season, but there are four clubs currently carrying fewer than 14 players on standard contracts.

For clarity’s sake, a “standard” contract isn’t necessarily a fully guaranteed contract. It’s simply a full-season deal that isn’t a two-way contract and doesn’t include Exhibit 9 or Exhibit 10 language. Four teams are carrying just 13 of those contracts.

In order for these four teams to set their rosters for the regular season, they’ll either have to keep at least one player on a training camp (Exhibit 9/10) contract or will have to add at least one new player via trade or free agency.

Here are the four teams to watch:

Boston Celtics

In addition to their 10 players with fully guaranteed salaries, the Celtics have Luke Kornet, Svi Mykhailiuk, and Dalano Banton on standard deals. Kornet projects to be a rotation player, and Mykhailiuk and Banton have partial guarantees, so all three players seem like good bets to make the 15-man roster.

Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens are also in camp with the Celtics on Exhibit 9 contracts, and one of those two guys appears likely to become Boston’s 14th man. It’s also possible both Gabriel and Stevens make the team to start the season — neither player’s salary would become fully guaranteed until January, so the Celtics would have some time to assess the duo while essentially paying them by the day.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts and – like the Celtics – have a pair of veterans in camp on Exhibit 9 contracts. Veteran forward Rudy Gay and wing Rodney McGruder look to be vying to become Golden State’s 14th man.

If neither veteran impresses the Warriors, there are other ways the team could fill out its roster. For instance, a two-way player like Lester Quinones or Usman Garuba could be promoted to a standard contract and an Exhibit 10 player such as Donovan Williams, Kendric Davis, or Javan Johnson could fill that two-way slot. I’d expect one of Gay or McGruder to make the cut though.

This is another scenario where both veterans could technically make the roster if Golden State is comfortable carrying a full 15-man squad. However, it’s worth noting that both the Celtics and Warriors are well above the luxury tax line and may prefer to save some money rather than having a 15th man to start the season.

Miami Heat

After not trading for Damian Lillard or Jrue Holiday, the Heat looked like a good candidate to add one more veteran free agent, perhaps a point guard. After all, Miami only has 12 players with fully guaranteed salaries, plus big man Orlando Robinson, who has a small partial guarantee and will likely make the team.

However, the Heat – who have a reputation for finding diamonds in the rough – reportedly want to give themselves every opportunity to write their next UDFA success story. So for now, they’re content to evaluate their five young players on Exhibit 10 contracts and three on two-way deals to see if any one of them is an obvious candidate for a promotion to the standard regular season roster.

If no one from that group emerges as Miami’s 14th man, the club could still add a free agent before the season begins. It’s worth mentioning, given the team’s lack of depth at the position, that former Heat point guards Kendrick Nunn and Goran Dragic are still seeking new contracts.

Portland Trail Blazers

With the dust settled following a pair of blockbuster pre-camp trades, the Trail Blazers now have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Moses Brown on a partially guaranteed deal.

Unlike the other three teams on this list, Portland isn’t a taxpayer, so there’s no reason the team shouldn’t be looking to carry a full 15-man roster to open the regular season. So perhaps there’s a path for two camp invitees to make the team.

Kevin Knox is the biggest name in that group, though he only has an Exhibit 10 deal. Big man Duop Reath is also worth watching, as he’s the only camp invitee whose contract doesn’t have an Exhibit 10 clause. That means he’s less likely to be ticketed for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate, if he gets waived.

The Blazers’ open roster spots also give them the flexibility to take on an extra player or two if they make one more preseason trade, perhaps involving Malcolm Brogdon. If no trade materializes by opening night, I’d expect the club to maintain that roster flexibility by not signing any more free agents to guaranteed contracts.