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Eight Teams Who Could Emulate Hornets As Trade Facilitators

October 4th, 2024 at 9:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The new rules in place this season for NBA teams operating above either tax apron dictate that those clubs are prohibited - in most cases - from taking back more salary than they send out in a trade.

That restriction will make it difficult for two teams operating above the apron to make a trade with one another, but the Knicks and Timberwolves provided a blueprint with this week's Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster for one way it can happen -- find a third team to take on some extra salary.

In the Towns trade, the Hornets acquired approximately $6.8MM in salary from the Knicks without trading away any themselves, which allowed both Minnesota and New York to send out more salary than they took back in the deal. Charlotte received three second-round picks - two from the Knicks and one from the Wolves - for their troubles.

That's not the only way for two apron teams to trade with one another, but it's the most straightforward path, particularly in bigger deals like the Towns one. With that in mind, it's worth considering which teams around the NBA are the best candidates to be the next Hornets, acting as facilitators in deals involving two clubs facing apron-related restrictions.

There are essentially three characteristics that make a team an ideal candidate to be a third-party facilitator in this sort of trade:

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Spurs Notes: Sochan, Barnes, Collins, Wembanyama

October 2nd, 2024 at 7:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jeremy Sochan is happy that last season’s point guard experiment is over, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. With limited choices to handle the lead guard spot last fall, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich assigned those duties to Sochan, even though the 6’8″ power forward had never tried the position before.

“Playing my normal position is going to be great,” Sochan said at media day. “I’m not going to be thinking as much. It’s going to come more natural.”

The unexpected change not only bogged down the Spurs’ offense, it took some of the fun out of the game for Sochan, who was coming off an appearance on the All-Rookie team. He expressed frustration with the change and often looked lost on the court. He was moved back to power forward in December, but Orsborn states that the psychological damage from being out of position lingered throughout the season.

San Antonio signed Chris Paul during the summer, so there’s no chance that Sochan will be running the offense again. Orsborn observed that he seemed much more relaxed as he showed up at media day with a bright pink hairstyle.

“You don’t want a player like that to be in their own head too much,” teammate Tre Jones said. “It kind of takes them out of their game and their natural abilities.”

There’s more on the Spurs:

  • Popovich has been trying to acquire Harrison Barnes ever since they were together on Team USA in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. Popovich finally got his chance this summer as part of the three-team trade that sent DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento. “He’s a leader, a great teammate,” Popovich said. “He just goes on to the next play, whether it was a turnover or he makes a three. He’s not impressed or depressed. He just goes out and plays.”
  • Zach Collins tore the labrum in his right shoulder during the final game of last season, but he was ready for the first day of training camp, Orsborn states in a separate story. “It was perfect timing because I had such a long summer to get right,” Collins said. “The shoulder has felt great for a while now. The worst part about being injured is missing games, sitting on the sidelines and not being out there with the guys. Luckily, none of that is going to happen.”
  • Victor Wembanyama reported to camp five pounds heavier and a little more muscular than he was when last season ended, Orsborn adds in another piece. Wembanyama had an active offseason, working out for two months in San Antonio before joining the French Olympic team.“Weight will come with strength,” he said. “It’s just a result of the good work we have done all summer. I am really satisfied with the summer we just had here.”
  • Julian Champagnie and Malaki Branham appear to be the most likely candidates to take Devin Vassell‘s spot in the starting lineup while he recovers from foot surgery, according to Orsborn. Champagnie started 59 games last season, while Branham made 29 starts.
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Spurs Notes: Paul, Wembanyama, Vassell, Wesley

October 1st, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

Chris Paul has spent the first 19 years of his NBA career playing for many of the Spurs‘ top rivals in the Western Conference, prompting head coach Gregg Popovich to joke on Monday that he has “despised Chris for many years” and Paul to respond with a smile that the feeling is mutual, writes Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.

However, there’s also plenty of mutual admiration between one of the NBA’s all-time great point guards and one of the league’s most accomplished head coaches. While Paul told reporters that he’s looking forward to learning from Popovich, the Spurs’ coach lauded the veteran guard’s basketball IQ and downplayed the idea that he’ll have much to teach CP3.

“I said, ‘Be Chris Paul.’ I probably won’t coach him a lick,” Popovich said, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “I’ll just try to infuse what our strategy is, how we play, what we’re looking to do. Give him information but he’s gonna play and be Chris Paul.”

After starting all 1,214 of his regular season NBA games prior to last season, Paul came off the bench in 40 of his 58 appearances for the Warriors and averaged a career-low 26.4 minutes per game. As Iko writes, it sounds like San Antonio envisions a bigger role for the 39-year-old, which was one reason why he chose to sign with the Spurs as a free agent after being waived by Golden State.

“The opportunity to play. That was a big part of it,” Paul said. “I think for me, especially since signing in San Antonio, a couple things I’ve been focused on have been making sure I’m ready to play. Totally different role than I was in last season.”

Here’s more on the Spurs:

  • Reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama didn’t get to experience much playoff intensity during his first NBA season as the Spurs posted a 22-60 record, so he appreciated the opportunity to compete in the Olympics with the French national team over the summer, as Michael C. Wright of ESPN writes. “It was maybe the most intense sports experience in my life,” said Wembanyama, who came away with a silver medal. “I felt really lucky to have the chance to live those experiences. I felt proud as well. During all elimination games, for 40 minutes we were locked in thinking about one thing: the next play. As a team, it builds something to have this level of concentration, all of us towards the same goal. The emotion is just too much to contain. You have to scream or cry a little bit. It’s too much to contain.”
  • Besides competing in the Olympics, Wembanyama spent his offseason focused on gaining core strength and improving his fundamentals, according to Wright, who notes that the big man worked on his dribble moves with three-time Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford. “The game is slowing down for him,” teammate Devin Vassell said of Wembanyama. “He’s seeing everything, the reads, what shots he wants to get to, finishing. Every step of his game is growing. (With) the numbers he was putting up last year, the runs he was going on, for him to be (still) improving, it’s going to be scary for the league this year. I can tell you that.”
  • Vassell, who is still recovering from foot surgery that will sideline him for the start of the season, told reporters on Monday that he feels good about the progress he’s made, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell explained that he had hoped to let the injury heal naturally, but it kept “nagging” him and he eventually went under the knife in late June. “I feel more healthy than I’ve been in a long time,” Vassell said, adding that he believes the Spurs can be a playoff team in 2024/25.
  • While Blake Wesley‘s stats through two seasons with the Spurs are underwhelming (4.6 PPG, 2.7 APG, .398/.299/.639 shooting), the 21-year-old wing has shown real promise as a defender and earned praise from veteran forward Harrison Barnes on Monday for his play during recent scrimmages. “I thought he’s done an unbelievable job of just picking up guys defensively full court, getting active, getting steals,” Barnes said, per Orsborn. “He’s had a great two weeks.” San Antonio has until October 31 to decide whether to exercise Wesley’s $4.73MM team option for 2025/26.
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Bulls Notes: Giddey, Williams, Ball, LaVine

September 30th, 2024 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

New Bulls guard Josh Giddey told reporters on Monday that the ankle injury he suffered at the end of Australia’s run in the Paris Olympics was more serious than initially believed and that he spent the rest of the offseason recovering from it, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links).

According to Giddey, who said he was diagnosed with a ruptured ATFL (anterior talo-fibular ligament), he and the Bulls have been conservative with his rehab timeline, but he’s close to being ready to suit up. In fact, if there were a playoff game on the schedule tomorrow, Giddey could suit up, he said. The fourth-year guard expects to be “fine” for opening night.

Here’s more on the Bulls:

  • Despite an ominous report last week about his recovery from February foot surgery, Bulls forward Patrick Williams has been playing 5-on-5 ball and is “ready to go” for training camp, Bulls head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said today. According to Johnson (Twitter link), the soreness Williams experienced in the offseason that was reference in last week’s report wasn’t related to his foot surgery.
  • Karnisovas said the goal for the Bulls this year won’t be to try to hang onto the top-10 first-round pick they owe the Spurs, but to define the identity and playing style of the new group, per Johnson (Twitter links). The veteran executive added that the current roster isn’t necessarily a “finished product” and that the front office is focused on building a team that’s “faster and more versatile.”
  • Lonzo Ball remains optimistic about where he’s at in his recovery from multiple knee surgeries and still hopes to play on opening night, though he acknowledged on Monday that back-to-backs are off the table for him this season and he’ll be on a minutes restriction. “I pretty much have a brand new knee,” the point guard said (Twitter links via Johnson).
  • Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times wrote this week that rebuilding Zach LaVine‘s trade value and finding him a new home remains the No. 1 goal for the Bulls’ front office. However, speaking on Monday to reporters, LaVine offered a lengthy opening statement about his commitment to the Bulls, suggesting that he and the club have moved past any negativity from the past, tweets Johnson. Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic passes along video of LaVine’s comments, via Twitter.
  • While Cowley believes LaVine’s future is the most significant storyline worth following in Chicago this season, he identifies a few more “secondary” storylines to watch, in a separate article for the Sun-Times.
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All Eyes On Victor Wembanyama Heading Into Camp

September 30th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill
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NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: San Antonio Spurs

September 29th, 2024 at 8:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the San Antonio Spurs.

Free agent signings

  • Chris Paul: One year, $10,460,000. Includes an additional $1,568,999 in unlikely incentives. Signed using cap room.
  • Charles Bassey: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Sandro Mamukelashvili: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Brandon Boston Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Malachi Flynn: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Nathan Mensah: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Riley Minix: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Jameer Nelson Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Nelson was subsequently waived.

Trades

  • Acquired the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick and the right to swap 2030 first-round picks with the Timberwolves (top-one protected) in exchange for the draft rights to Rob Dillingham (No. 8 pick).
  • Acquired the draft rights to Juan Nunez (No. 36 pick) and cash in exchange for the draft rights to Johnny Furphy (No. 35 pick).
  • Acquired cash from the Hornets in exchange for Devonte’ Graham and the Pelicans’ 2025 second-round pick.
  • Acquired Harrison Barnes and the right to swap 2031 first-round picks with the Kings in a three-team trade in exchange for RaiQuan Gray (two-way; to Bulls).

Draft picks

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other moves

Salary cap situation

  • Went below the cap to use room.
  • Now operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
  • Carrying approximately $145MM in salary.
  • No hard cap.
  • Full room exception ($8MM) available.

The offseason so far

After earning All-NBA votes and finishing as the runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award as a 20-year-old rookie, Victor Wembanyama is on a trajectory to become one of the league’s very best players sooner rather than later. However, the Spurs made it clear with their offseason moves that they won’t rush the process of building a contending team around him.

Rather than going all-in on win-now pieces or taking an extreme long-term view by surrounding Wembanyama with several more young prospects, San Antonio split the difference. The team entered June’s draft armed with a pair of picks in the top eight, but only kept the first of the two, using it to select guard Stephon Castle fourth overall and then sending the No. 8 pick to Minnesota in exchange for two far-off draft assets — an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a top-one protected pick swap in 2030.

It’s a risky move, given the wide range of outcomes for those two assets. It’s entirely possible that the ’31 pick ends up in the 20s and the ’30 swap doesn’t get used at all.

But the logic behind the move makes sense. The 2024 draft class wasn’t particularly loaded, so that No. 8 pick was unlikely to produce a star; the Wolves – given their cap situation – are a team whose long-term sustainability is worth betting against; and the Spurs don’t necessarily need to bet on those picks to land in the top halves of the 2030 and 2031 drafts, since they could use them as trade chips well before that in order to add players who will complement Wembanyama as he enters his prime.

Adding two rookies to a young roster also might not have the been the best approach for optimizing Wembanyama’s development, which was certainly a consideration for the Spurs this offseason. That’s a key reason why the team used essentially all of its available cap room to bring in a pair of veterans: Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes.

Paul, who was waived by the Warriors so they could avoid guaranteeing his $30MM salary for 2024/25, ended up signing with San Antonio for about a third of that amount. The future Hall of Famer could have chosen to join one of any number of teams closer to title contention, but the opportunity to play for head coach Gregg Popovich and alongside a young phenom like Wembanyama made the Spurs an appealing option.

Wembanyama spent much of his rookie year playing next to “point guards” like Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham before veteran Tre Jones was eventually reinserted into the starting lineup. Sochan and Branham are promising young players, but they’re not point guards, as last year’s experimentation confirmed. Wembanyama was most effective offensively with Jones on the court, and should benefit tremendously from having either Jones or Paul running the offense in his second year.

Barnes won’t necessarily have the same sort of direct impact on Wembanyama’s on-court production, but the forward is a solid defender who should help make the big man’s life a little easier on that end of the floor. Wembanyama should also reap the benefits of Barnes’ and Paul’s knowledge and experience — the two veterans have a combined 31 NBA seasons and three Olympic gold medals under their belts, and Barnes has won a championship.

Outside of bringing back reserve free agent centers Charles Bassey and Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Spurs didn’t make any other moves of note this summer, but they’re well stocked with future draft picks that will put them in position to continue adding talent to this core, either by drafting players or using those picks as trade pieces.

Up next

With 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and no players eligible for contract extensions, the Spurs are unlikely to have a particularly active October.

They’re only carrying a pair of players on two-way deals right now, so they have a decision to make on who will fill the third slot. Brandon Boston, Nathan Mensah, and Riley Minix are on the roster on Exhibit 10 contracts and could be candidates to have those deals converted to two-ways. Boston is probably the best candidate of the bunch if San Antonio wants a player capable of competing for minutes — he has appeared in 105 regular season games over the past three seasons for the Clippers.

The Spurs could also look outside the organization to fill that slot, either with a current free agent or with a player on another team’s roster who gets waived before the season begins.

It’s also worth noting that the Spurs are one of the few teams with a ton of flexibility below the luxury tax line, so they’re a good candidate to help accommodate a trade between two cap-strapped clubs, like the Hornets are doing in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster.

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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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