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Two Jazz Signings Among NBA’s Latest Minor Moves

September 28th, 2024 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of recently reported Jazz signings are now official, according to the NBA transaction log at RealGM.com. Utah has officially signed guard Isaiah Wong and wing Taevion Kinsey, whose Exhibit 10 agreements with the team were revealed within the last week.

RealGM actually lists both players as having signed with Sacramento, but that appears to be an input error — their deals were said to be with Utah, and Wong and Kinsey are both listed on the Jazz’s roster on the team’s official website.

Another Exhibit 10 signing was officially completed on Friday, with the Hawks announcing in a press release that they’ve added Daeqwon Plowden to their training camp roster. Plowden had been on a two-way deal with the Warriors but was recently waived in order to make room for rookie Quinten Post.

Here are a few more of the minor roster moves from around the league that were overshadowed on Friday by the news of the biggest trade of the 2024 offseason:

  • According to the official transaction log at NBA.com, the Trail Blazers have waived Estonian wing Henri Drell, who had been on an Exhibit 10 contract. Drell will likely end up playing for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate.
  • The Spurs have cut guard Jameer Nelson Jr., the son of former NBA guard Jameer Nelson, per NBA.com. As we wrote when Nelson signed with San Antonio earlier this week, he seems destined to become an affiliate player for the Austin Spurs in the NBAGL.
  • The Clippers have waived guard Elijah Harkless, according to NBA.com. Harkless spent the 2023/24 season playing for the Clippers’ G League affiliate and will likely return to the team – now known as the San Diego Clippers – this fall.
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Spurs Notes: Vassell, Collins, Bassey, Wemby, Champagnie, Viera

September 27th, 2024 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran wing Devin Vassell won’t be available when San Antonio’s season tips off next month, the team announced today in a press release. According to the Spurs, Vassell is still recovering from surgery to address a stress reaction of the third metatarsal head in his right foot.

Vassell is taking part in non-contact basketball activities and his status will be updated on November 1, per the club. That means he’ll be sidelined for at least the Spurs’ five games in October and perhaps beyond that.

Vassell was the Spurs second-leading scorer last season behind Victor Wembanyama. The 24-year-old averaged 19.5 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game across 68 outings. His 47.2% field goal percentage was a career high.

Here’s more out of San Antonio:

  • Although the news on Vassell isn’t ideal, the Spurs issued more positive injury updates on big men Zach Collins (labrum surgery) and Charles Bassey (ACL surgery). Collins has been cleared for all basketball activities, while Bassey is in the midst of a “progressive ramp up to live play.” Both players are expected to be available for the start of the regular season, according to the team.
  • Doug Haller of The Athletic spoke to several former NBA stars and head coaches about what to expect from Wembanyama in his second season and just how good the reigning Rookie of the Year has the potential to be. “Chris Paul is going to make him a lot better,” Hall of Famer Gary Payton said. “He’s going to get him in the right places and get him the ball at the right time, and then once (Wembanyama) gets stronger and a little bit more seasoning, it’s going to be hard to stop him.”
  • Following the offseason addition of Harrison Barnes, third-year forward Julian Champagnie almost certainly won’t match the 59 starts he made last season. However, he says he’s perfectly fine with coming off the bench and is more focused on continuing to develop his game and doing whatever he can to help the team, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News details in a subscriber-only story. “I’m into growth,” Champagnie said. “You’ve got to be better than you were last year. One percent better every day is still progress. … I know what they’re asking of me. I know what they’re shooting for. I have a good overview on where we are now and where we want to be in the next four or five years. I want to be part of it, so I’m going to do everything they ask of me to the best of my ability. And let the chips fall where they fall.”
  • Spurs minority shareholder Paul Viera has increased his stake in the franchise from 5% to 11%, according to Michael Ozanian and Jessica Golden of CNBC, who say that Viera’s latest purchase came “at a steep discount in a deal that values the team at $2.5 billion.” The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the transaction, the Spurs announced in a press release. Viera bought out a stake that had been controlled by the food service company Aramark, per CNBC.
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And-Ones: G League Trade, Brissett, Future Power Rankings, Lowe

September 27th, 2024 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns‘ and Pacers‘ G League affiliates have completed a trade involving a former No. 3 overall NBA draft pick, per a press release from the Valley Suns. Phoenix’s new affiliate acquired the returning rights to guard David Stockton from the Indiana Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to forward Garrison Brooks and former lottery pick Jahlil Okafor.

Brooks and Okafor were among the Suns’ picks in June’s expansion draft, but it’s unclear if either one intends to play in the G League at all in 2024/25 — they both competed overseas last season.

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

  • Free agent swingman Oshae Brissett is believed to be drawing interest from a EuroLeague team, according to a report from Sportske.net. As Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays, the Serbian outlet says that the Belgrade-based club Crvena Zvezda has its eye on Brissett as a potential target. The five-year NBA veteran, who won a title last season with the Celtics, has been on the lookout for a new home since he turned down his player option with Boston in June.
  • ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link) have published the latest installment of their annual “future power rankings,” which are based on each team’s projected on-court success for the next three seasons. The Thunder top this year’s version of the list, while the Celtics drop from No. 1 to No. 2 despite their 2024 championship, since their salary cap situation may get untenable in the near future. The Knicks (third) Sixers (fourth), Mavericks (fifth), Rockets (seventh), Timberwolves (eighth), and Spurs (10th) each rose five or more spots to claim a place in ESPN’s top 10.
  • Howard Beck of The Ringer sorts the NBA’s 30 teams into six separate tiers based on how clear their plans are going forward. The Nets and Wizards, in full-on rebuilds, are among the teams in the “ever-clear” top tier along with championship hopefuls like the Mavericks and Sixers, while clubs with less obvious goals, like the Hawks, Bulls, and Raptors, find themselves in the lowest “fun-house mirror” tier.
  • ESPN has laid off senior writer Zach Lowe, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Lowe is the second noteworthy NBA reporter to depart the network in recent weeks, joining Adrian Wojnarowski, who unexpectedly announced his retirement from the news industry last week.
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Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Southwest Division

September 25th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.

This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.

We’re wrapping up our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Southwest Division. Let’s dive in…

Dallas Mavericks

Although Morris’ salary isn’t guaranteed, I’d expect him to fill the 15th spot on the Mavericks‘ opening night roster. His non-guaranteed contract should give them some additional flexibility during the season — for instance, they could waive him ahead of the January 7 league-wide guarantee date, re-sign him to a couple 10-day contracts, then bring him back on a rest-of-season deal after February 6 once they know they won’t need that 15th roster spot for a trade acquisition.

With one two-way slot still available, the Mavs could hold a camp competition for that opening. In addition to their three Exhibit 10 players, Lawson would also be two-way-eligible, though he’d have to be waived and re-signed rather than directly converted.

Houston Rockets

After buying out AJ Griffin, the Rockets have an open spot on their projected 15-man standard regular season roster. They’re well below the luxury tax line, so they’d have no issue carrying a 15th man on a minimum-salary contract (or even something more lucrative than that, if they so choose). Still, with so many players on the roster who have a case for rotation minutes, Houston may not be in a rush to fill that spot by adding someone who won’t play.

Even though the Rockets’ three two-way slots are currently occupied, I’d expect Hinton and/or Samuels to receive consideration for a two-way deal if they impress in camp. Houston also has room on their roster to bring two more players to camp.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies opened up a pair of standard roster spots within the last month by waiving Mamadi Diakite and Derrick Rose. Because they stretched Diakite’s partial guarantee and got Rose to agree to give up his full salary, they’re nearly $6MM below the luxury tax line, giving them more than enough breathing room to carry a full 15-man roster into the season if they want to.

I’d expect Memphis to peruse the free agent market for a 14th man, but it’s worth noting that Pippen – who played a rotation role for much of last season – is a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster sooner or later. If that happens before the season, there would be an opening for one of the Grizzlies’ Exhibit 10 signees to have his contract converted to a two-way deal.

Like Houston, Memphis has enough room on its 21-man preseason roster to bring two more players to camp.

New Orleans Pelicans

Alvarado is a lock to make the roster, and the Pelicans – who never pay the tax – are already hovering a little above the luxury tax line, so I’d bet on them leaving their 15th roster spot open to start the season in order to save some money.

The only wild card there could be if the team makes a preseason trade. I wouldn’t necessarily count on that, but New Orleans remains on the lookout for a starting-caliber center and Brandon Ingram‘s future with the team is still in question.

After signing and waiving Galen Robinson Jr. on Tuesday, the Pelicans have an open spot on their 21-man roster to finalize Payton’s deal, though they may rotate other players in and out of that spot before camp begins next week for G League/Exhibit 10 bonus purposes.

San Antonio Spurs

Barring a preseason trade, the Spurs‘ projected standard roster looks set with their current 15 players on guaranteed contracts.

It’s unclear whether there will be an open competition for the final two-way contract or if San Antonio has someone specific in mind for it. Boston would be a good candidate — he has over 100 games of NBA regular season experience on his résumé and has one more year of two-way eligibility left. Flynn, on the other hand, is ineligible for a two-way deal.

I’d expect the Spurs to cut Minix or Nelson at some point in the coming days to make room for Mensah, though it’s possible his Exhibit 10 deal won’t be completed until later in October.

Previously:

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Spurs Sign Jameer Nelson Jr.

September 24th, 2024 at 7:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs have signed free agent guard Jameer Nelson Jr., according to Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot, who cites the team’s official roster page.

While the terms of the agreement aren’t known, it’s likely a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract. An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a two-way deal prior to the regular season (the Spurs have one open slot) or can make a player eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate (in this case, the Austin Spurs).

The son of longtime NBA point guard Jameer Nelson, Jameer Jr. spent his first two college seasons at George Washington, followed by two years at Delaware and a single season at TCU in 2023/24. As a super-senior for the Horned Frogs, he averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 25.0 minutes per game across 34 appearances (22 starts), with a shooting line of .434/.306/.738.

After going undrafted in June, Nelson caught on with the Spurs for Summer League play, appearing in eight total games with the team in the California Classic and Las Vegas leagues. He struggled with his shot (.277/.267/.600) in a limited role (11.2 MPG), but it appears the Spurs still envision him having a spot on their G League team.

San Antonio now has a full 21-man roster, though more moves are expected in the coming days and weeks.

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G League Notes: Swirsky, Gueye, Dotson, Johnson, Smith

September 22nd, 2024 at 7:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

T.C. Swirsky has been named head coach of the Memphis Hustle, the NBA G League affiliate of the Grizzlies, the Hustle announced (via Twitter). Swirsky was an assistant with the team last season.

Danielle Boiago, Nick Covington, Jack Hostetler and Rob Sanicola have been named assistant coaches, while former Hustle head coach Jason March has been promoted to Taylor Jenkins‘ Grizzlies staff.

We have more G League news:

  • The Raptors 905 have traded the rights to Mouhamadou Gueye to the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards’ affiliate, for the rights to Devon Dotson and a first-round pick in the 2025 G League draft, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets. Gueye appeared in 11 Raptors games last season. He was waived by Toronto in June. Dotson didn’t appear at all in the NBA last season but saw action in six Wizards games in 2022/23.
  • The Valley Suns have received the returning player rights to guard Kaleb Johnson from the Austin Spurs in exchange for the returning player rights to Justin Smith, according to Phoenix’s affiliate (Twitter link). Johnson appeared in 24 regular-season games with the Austin Spurs last season.
  • The Hawks’ G League affiliate has a new head coach. Get the details here.
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Southwest Notes: Jones, DeRozan, Rose, Pippen Jr., Thompson

September 17th, 2024 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tre Jones has started 113 games for the Spurs at the point over the past two seasons. He’ll likely be relegated to the second unit this season with the free agent addition of Chris Paul. Jones isn’t upset about losing his starting job to a future Hall of Famer, as he told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

“It was extreme excitement right away,” Jones said of the Spurs signing Paul. “To be able to learn from a generational point guard like that, it’s something I’ll never take for granted.”

Jones looks at the upcoming season as a learning experience.

“He’s a guy who thinks the game at such a high level,” he said. “He’s been on some of the best teams and been around some of the greatest to play the game. He’s gone to the Finals. He’s been in huge moments in the playoffs. Just being able to pick his brain and learn from him all year – I’m going to take full advantage of that.”

It’s a crucial season for Jones — he’s entering his walk year and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • The Spurs showed some interest in bringing free agent wing DeMar DeRozan back to San Antonio, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports. At the same time, the Spurs made it clear they would be willing to help him get to the team of his choice by helping facilitate a three-team trade. And that’s exactly what happened, as DeRozan was dealt by the Bulls in a sign-and-trade transaction to the Kings in a three-team swap. Harrison Barnes was sent to San Antonio as part of that trade.
  • The backup point guard spot is the biggest question hovering over the Grizzlies, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Derrick Rose and Scotty Pippen Jr. are the top candidates for the job, but Rose has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and only appeared in 24 games last season. Pippen played well in the second half of the season but didn’t play much with the team’s biggest stars due to the team’s injury issues. If neither of them emerges, Memphis may have to lean on non-traditional options like Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane to back up Ja Morant at the point, Cole writes.
  • Amen Thompson‘s versatility makes it difficult to pinpoint what position he’s best suited to play, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes. When Thompson was at his most impactful last season, he defended point guards, but offensively was more of a rim-running center, according to Feigen. However, Rockets coach Ime Udoka said he plans to have Thompson back up Fred VanVleet at the point this season.
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And-Ones: Fitts, Gilyard, NBA Schedule, Flagg, Swarm Staff

September 16th, 2024 at 8:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

In an NBA G League swap, the Memphis Hustle acquired a 2025 first-round pick and the returning player rights to forward Malik Fitts from the Cleveland Charge, the Grizzlies’ G League team tweets.  The Charge, the Cavaliers’ affiliate, received the returning player rights to guard Jacob Gilyard.

Fitts has appeared in 18 NBA games, most recently in eight contests with Boston during the 2021/22 campaign when he was signed to two 10-day contracts. Gilyard appeared in a combined 41 NBA games with the Grizzlies and Nets last season. He was on a two-way deal with Brooklyn after Memphis waived him.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • It’s impossible to keep all the NBA teams happy and give them their desired dates on an 82-game schedule. Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic spoke to an unnamed source who detailed the issues confronting the schedule makers. “You’ve got 30 different teams each with their own perspective on what they would like to see and within each of the 30 teams, you’ve got multiple perspectives from what makes the most sense,” the source said. “The league is then responsible for taking all of the different perspectives and try to make something that’s going to please everyone, which inherently is an impossible task.”
  • How would projected 2025 top pick Cooper Flagg impact a team in rebuild mode? Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report dives into that topic, exploring how the Duke freshman big man would fit in with the Nets, Hornets, Pistons, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards.
  • Nathan Peavy, David Noel III and Alex Ruoff have been announced as assistant coaches on DJ Bakker‘s staff with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets‘ affiliate, the G League team announced in a press release. Peavy joins the Swarm after serving last season as the head coach of the Cangrejeros de Santurce in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league, Puerto Rico’s top professional division. Noel spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach for the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ affiliate. Ruoff was on West Virginia’s coaching staff the last two seasons.
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Spurs Waive Jamaree Bouyea

September 15th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Lakers Frontrunners To Sign Christian Koloko

September 13th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are the frontrunners to sign free agent big man Christian Koloko, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Charania, Koloko is also drawing interest from the Clippers, the Spurs, and his former team, the Raptors.

Koloko, who is still finalizing his decision on where he’ll sign, is on the comeback trail after missing all of the 2023/24 season due to a blood clot issue.

Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported in July that the seven-footer had received medical clearance to resume playing, while agent Calvin Andrews of Klutch Sports said last month that his client had a “major breakthrough” with his blood clot issue, which was addressed via corrective surgery.

Koloko held a workout for potential suitors during the Las Vegas Summer League in July and has been able to participate in five-on-five, full-contact drills this offseason as he attempts to get back to 100% health. Chris Johnson, a trainer who has worked with a number of NBA players, posted a YouTube video in August of Koloko taking part in a scrimmage alongside Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Johnson, Jordan Clarkson, Delon Wright, and several other active NBAers.

Although Koloko is still awaiting formal clearance from the NBA’s Fitness-to-Play panel, it sounds like he continues to trend in the right direction. And according to Charania, the 24-year-old is technically eligible to sign with a team before being cleared by that panel.

The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Koloko appeared in 58 games (19 starts) for the Raptors as a rookie, averaging 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 13.8 minutes per contest. He was the Pac 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in his final college season at Arizona in 2021/22

The Lakers will be without center Christian Wood this fall after the big man underwent knee surgery this week that is expected to sideline him for at least eight weeks, so they could use more depth in their frontcourt. However, Los Angeles is currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed standard contracts and is narrowly operating below the second tax apron.

It’s unclear if the Lakers’ plan would be to sign Koloko to a standard deal or perhaps to bring him on a two-way contract. Inking him to a two-way pact would require waiving one of Armel Traore, Blake Hinson, or Colin Castleton, who currently occupy L.A.’s two-way slots.

The Clippers and Spurs also have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, while the Raptors have 14 players on guaranteed deals, plus Bruno Fernando on a non-guaranteed salary. The Clippers have a two-way slot open; San Antonio and Toronto don’t, for now.

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