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Lakers, Pistons Among Teams With Roster Moves Still To Make

October 21st, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams have until 5:00pm eastern time today to set their rosters for the 2019/20 regular season. Clubs can continue to make roster moves after that deadline, but when the clock strikes five, no team will be permitted to have more than 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Roster Counts]

Currently, there are seven teams that haven’t yet reached that regular-season limit. One of those seven teams, the Rockets, will reportedly convert Chris Clemons‘ standard contract to a two-way deal today, making official a move that was reported last Thursday.

Two other clubs will make similar moves — the Raptors and Wizards are each carrying 16 players on standard contracts but have open two-way contract slots. Toronto is expected to convert Oshae Brissett to a two-way deal, while Washington will likely do the same for Chris Chiozza.

That leaves just four teams with actual cuts to make. Here’s a breakdown of those four clubs:

Detroit Pistons (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Pistons have 14 players with fully guaranteed salaries and intend to retain Christian Wood, who is on a non-guaranteed contract. That means they’ll have to either waive Joe Johnson – their other non-guaranteed player – or find a trade that allows them to create room on the regular-season roster for Johnson.
Los Angeles Lakers (17 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): In addition to their 14 players with guaranteed salaries, the Lakers are also carrying Dwight Howard, Devontae Cacok, and Demetrius Jackson. I’d be shocked if anyone but Howard claims the 15th roster spot, but we’ll see what the team’s plans are for Cacok and Jackson. Theoretically, each of them could be converted to a two-way contract, but current two-way players Zach Norvell Jr. and/or Kostas Antetokounmpo would have to be waived in that scenario.
Minnesota Timberwolves (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Timberwolves have 15 players with guaranteed salaries, leaving Tyrone Wallace and his non-guaranteed contract as the most likely odd man out. If Minnesota decides to keep Wallace, it would need to trade or release a player with a guaranteed deal.
Utah Jazz (16 standard contracts, 2 two-way contracts): The Jazz have four players without fully guaranteed salaries, but two of those players – Royce O’Neale and Georges Niang – are presumably locks to stick around. Utah’s decision figures to come down to Stanton Kidd vs. William Howard. Kidd $250K partial guarantee is more substantial than Howard’s $50K, which may help give him the upper hand.

It’s possible that a few more teams will make roster changes today, but the league’s other 23 clubs are currently at or below the regular-season maximum.

Raptors Notes: Siakam, Anunoby, Bench

October 20th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by clarkcrum

Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes how the Raptors locking up Pascal Siakam to a long-term extension may be a byproduct of how the Spurs ended up losing Kawhi Leonard, the player that helped the Raptors win the franchise’s first ever championship last season.

Like Leonard when he was in San Antonio, Siakam was destined for a maximum contract after the Raptors won last season’s title. Like San Antonio had then, Toronto has plenty of cap space this upcoming summer.

Unlike the Spurs, the Raptors didn’t wait to lock up Siakam. As Koreen writes, they want him around and they want him happy. The long-term benefits outweigh the short term repercussion of less cap space.

There’s more this afternoon from Toronto:

Per Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, forward OG Anunoby, in a rare podium session, says that he lost 15 pounds following the rupture of his appendix just as last season’s magical postseason run got underway.
Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet provides some more details on the incentives in the rookie-scale contract extension signed by Siakam, writing that the 25-year-old forward will receive a starting salary worth up to 30% of the cap (not the typical 25%) if he earns First or Second Team All-NBA or is named the MVP this season. That would make Siakam’s four-year extension worth as much as a projected $155.9MM instead of $129.9MM.
Head coach Nick Nurse still appears to be rather displeased with some of his newly-signed bench players, reports William Lou of Yahoo Sports Canada. Nurse lauded Stanley Johnson for his defense and effort and Matt Thomas for his offense, but seemed less than enthusiastic about the other side of the ball for both players.

Raptors Sign, Waive Tyler Ennis

October 20th, 2019 at 9:42am CST by Arthur Hill

Point guard Tyler Ennis, who has spent time with four NBA teams, signed with the Raptors Saturday and was immediately waived, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. The moves were designed to make Ennis an affiliate player for the organization’s G League team, Raptors 905 (Twitter link).

Ennis, who played in Turkey last year, is still recovering from a fractured right tibia that wiped out almost his entire season. The Raptors have liked Ennis, who was born in Canada, for several years and believe he could eventually provide depth in the backcourt.

Ennis was selected by the Suns with the 18th pick in the 2014 draft, but only appeared in eight games before being traded to the Bucks. He also had brief stops with the Rockets and Lakers before being waived in June of 2018.

Raptors Waive Cameron Payne, Devin Robinson

October 19th, 2019 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have cut a pair of training camp invitees, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic, who tweets that the team has placed point guard Cameron Payne and small forward Devin Robinson on waivers.

Payne, who was competing to be Toronto’s third point guard, had a partial guarantee of $150K, so the Raptors will be on the hook for that money, which will count against their cap. Robinson, who appeared to be in the running for a two-way contract, had a non-guaranteed deal.

After waiving Matt Morgan on Friday, the Raptors are now carrying 17 players, including 12 on fully guaranteed contracts. Dewan Hernandez and Chris Boucher appear likely to earn regular-season roster spots, leaving Malcolm Miller and Isaiah Taylor battling for the 15th spot, Murphy tweets. Oshae Brissett‘s contract will likely be converted into a two-way deal.

As Murphy notes (via Twitter), the Raptors’ preference may be to retain Miller, cutting Taylor and then re-signing him to fill the other two-way contract slot after he clears waivers. However, it’s not clear if Taylor would be on board with that plan — or if he’d go unclaimed on waivers.

The Raptors don’t have to make their final decisions today since Miller and Taylor both have partial guarantees. Keeping both players until Monday’s roster deadline won’t result in any extra dead money on the club’s cap.

Raptors Waive Matt Morgan

October 18th, 2019 at 10:19pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after signing him, the Raptors have released rookie guard Matt Morgan, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic.

Morgan, who went undrafted out of Cornell in the spring, played for Toronto’s Summer League team and impressed the organization with his shooting skills, according to Murphy. He averaged 22.2 PPG in 31 games (32.3 MPG) as a senior last year and shot 43.1% from beyond the arc.

As Murphy notes, Morgan’s one-day stint on the Raptors’ roster was designed to get him an Exhibit 10 bonus after he joins the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. That bonus will be worth $50K if he sticks with the NBAGL squad for at least 60 days.

No Structural Damage To McCaw's Knee

October 18th, 2019 at 9:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors swingman Patrick McCaw had an MRI on his left knee which revealed no structural damage, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. McCaw suffered the injury during a preseason game last weekend. The Raptors re-signed McCaw to a two-year deal in July.

Wolves Reportedly Inquired On Kyle Lowry

October 18th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Before Kyle Lowry signed an extension with Toronto, the Timberwolves looked into his availability, tweets Darren Wolfson of SKOR North. There has been no indication that the Raptors were considering moving their All-Star point guard, so it may have been as simple as an inquiry that went nowhere. Still, as Wolfson points out, it shows that new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas will kick the tires on every potentially available impact player — even those that don’t necessarily fit Minnesota’s timeline.

Lowry, Webster Discuss Lowry's New Deal

October 18th, 2019 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After signing an extension with the Raptors this week, Kyle Lowry said that both sides “worked extremely hard to get it done” and that he’s glad to remain in the place he wanted to be. GM Bobby Webster, meanwhile, said working out a new deal with Lowry before opening night was always the goal. “You don’t want to go into seasons with anything hanging over the team,” Webster said. “We knew it was something that was really important to him and it was really important to us“ (Twitter links via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca).

Raptors Sign Matt Morgan

October 17th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have added Matt Morgan to their training camp roster, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. The rookie guard out of Cornell will receive an Exhibit 10 contract and will likely be ticketed for a spot with the team’s G League affiliate, Murphy adds.

Morgan played for Toronto’s Summer League entry and impressed the organization with his shooting skills, according to Murphy. He averaged 22.2 PPG for the Big Red last season and shot 43% from beyond the arc.

The Raptors had a roster spot open after waiving Sagaba Konate yesterday. They are now back up to the 20-man limit as Saturday’s cutdown date looms.

Nick Nurse Calls Out Raptors’ New Additions

October 16th, 2019 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the departures of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to Los Angeles, the Raptors signed free agents Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson, hoping the veteran forwards would provide the team with above-average defense — even if they don’t score like Leonard and Green.

However, asked today if the presence of Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson is helping to solidify Toronto’s defense this fall, head coach Nick Nurse didn’t hold back in disputing that notion, as Eric Koreen of The Athletic and Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relay.

“Nope. Nope. Nope. Those guys have not understood, a.) how hard we play, b.), our schemes, that defense is a priority for them, etc.,” Nurse said. “We’ve got some work to do with all that crew.

“I tell them there (are) a couple spots, come Tuesday night, there (are) a couple spots that are open if somebody wants them. ‘I keep telling you, show me you’re going to play defense. Show me you’re going to play hard. Show me you understand our coverages. Show me. And then, whatever you do at the other end, you’re going to get opportunities just because of who you’re on the floor with.'”

As Lewenberg notes (via Twitter), the eight players who are viewed as locks to open the regular season in the Raptors’ rotation were all on last year’s roster. Since Toronto will likely play a 10-man rotation, that leaves a couple spots up for grabs.

Returning youngsters like Malcolm Miller and Chris Boucher may be candidates for those spots if Nurse doesn’t trust Hollis-Jefferson and Johnson, as Lewenberg points out (Twitter link). We’ll see how the veterans respond to Nurse’s criticism in Toronto’s final game of the preseason on Friday vs. Brooklyn.