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Spurs Waive Joshua Primo

October 28th, 2022 at 9:30pm CST by Rory Maher

9:30pm: “I know that you all are surprised by today’s announcement,” Primo said in a statement to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). “I’ve been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time.”

6:32pm: In an absolutely stunning move, the Spurs announced that they have waived second-year guard Joshua Primo, the No. 12 overall pick of last year’s draft (Twitter link via Andscape’s Marc J. Spears).

“It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua,” said Spurs Sports & Entertainment CEO RC Buford.

“The Spurs organization, including front office executives, coaching staff and players, will have no additional comments to share at this time.”

When asked about releasing Primo prior to Friday’s game against the Bulls, head coach Gregg Popovich declined to elaborate, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).

Primo, 19, averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 50 games (16 starts, 19.3 minutes) as a rookie last season, but struggled with efficiency, posting a .374/.307/.746 shooting slash line. He was the youngest player drafted last year and won’t turn 20 years old until December.

Through four games this season (23.3 minutes), Primo is averaging 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists on .346/.250/.778 shooting.

The Spurs exercised their 2023/24 team option on Primo a couple weeks ago, so he will earn a guaranteed $4.1MM this season and $4.3MM in ’23/24. Unless he’s claimed on waivers, San Antonio will be on the hook for both of those figures over the next two seasons.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, a rival team could claim Primo using cap room or an exception, but obviously would have to be pretty confident about what transpired given he was so abruptly cut. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the Spurs had been “excited” about Primo’s development and future.

“Joshua has an uncanny maturity about him, kind of a steady demeanor,” Popovich said in January. “He is not awed by the NBA or anything like that. He makes good decisions. He definitely knows how to play. It’s just a matter of getting stronger and aware that these are men and they are coming after your head, so to speak. He just has to get used to that physicality and all that sort of thing.”

Many NBA executives are scrambling to get to the bottom of what might have prompted the Spurs to waive last year’s lottery pick, especially after already guaranteeing his salary for next season.

“He’s a talent,” one executive texted Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). “Everyone is trying to find out what the hell happened.”

Prior to releasing him, the Spurs had listed Primo as out due to left glute soreness for Friday’s contest, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays (via Twitter).

Primo, a native of Ontario, Canada, spent one year at Alabama prior to turning pro.

Pelicans Pick Up Options For Kira Lewis, Trey Murphy

October 27th, 2022 at 5:17pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Pelicans have announced in a press release that they have picked up their 2023/24 rookie scale contract options on third-year guard Kira Lewis Jr. and second-year swingman Trey Murphy III.

Lewis, a 6’1″ point guard out of Alabama, was drafted with the No. 13 pick in 2020 by the Pelicans. He continues to recover from a torn ACL and sprained MCL, which he suffered in December 2021. In his 24 games last season prior to the injury, Lewis posted averages of 5.9 PPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.6 RPG across 14.2 MPG as a bench player. As far as his rehabilitation goes, Lewis has progressed to 3-on-3 scrimmages with his teammates.

Lewis’ 2023/24 option is worth $5,722,116. He’ll now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2023 offseason.

The 6’9″ Murphy was selected with the No. 17 pick out of Virginia in 2021. Thus far this season, the 22-year-old has taken a significant leap from his rookie output in 2021/22. Murphy’s minutes have more than doubled, from 13.9 MPG to 30.0 MPG. His other counting stats have taken major jumps, too. In four games this season, during which he has mostly operated as a reserve behind star forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, Murphy is averaging 15.5 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, and 1.0 SPG.

Murphy’s $3,359,280 salary for 2023/24 is now fully guaranteed. The Pelicans will have to make a decision on his fourth-year option for ’24/25 next fall.

New Orleans is young and deep this season, and has gotten off to a terrific 3-1 start against some tough competition. Murphy at least has emerged as a big part of head coach Willie Green‘s rotation.

Teams must make a determination on their eligible players’ rookie scale contract options by this coming Monday, October 31. A full list of players whose teams have exercised their rookie scale contract options is viewable here.

Hornets Exercise Options On Ball, Bouknight, Jones

October 27th, 2022 at 4:44pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Hornets have picked up their 2023/24 rookie scale team options on third-year All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball, as well as second-year players James Bouknight and Kai Jones, reports Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Boone notes that the decision was widely expected. While Ball, the No. 3 draft pick in 2020, has already emerged as the focal point of Charlotte’s offense, 6’5″ shooting guard Bouknight has worked his way into the team’s rotation under returning head coach Steve Clifford, thanks in part to injuries incurred by Terry Rozier and Cody Martin. The 6’11” Jones, a power forward/center, is the team’s third-string five behind Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards.

Ball, 21, has yet to play for the 2-2 Hornets this season as he continues to work his way back from an ankle injury. The 6’7″ guard posted averages of 20.1 PPG, 7.6 APG, 6.7 RPG, and 1.6 BPG across 75 games last year, and was named an All-Star injury replacement by the league. In 2021/22, Ball posted .429/.389/.872 shooting splits. His 2023/24 option is worth approximately $10.9MM.

Across four games thus far in his sophomore season, Bouknight is averaging 5.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.5 APG in 15.5 MPG. The No. 11 pick in 2021 out of Connecticut has been coming off the bench for Charlotte. His stint with the Hornets thus far has not been without its off-the-court issues. Just prior to the start of the 2022/23 season, Bouknight was arrested for a DWI, making him the third Charlotte player overall to be arrested during the 2022 offseason. His $4.57MM salary for 2023/24 is now locked in.

Jones, the No. 19 pick out of Texas in last year’s draft, has seen spot minutes in two contests this season, averaging just 3.0 MPG. Richards, the No. 42 pick out of Kentucky in 2020, has had a robust start to his third NBA season. His minutes averages have leapt up from 7.3 in 2021/22 to 21.8, and he is averaging 13.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG for the Hornets, effectively squeezing Jones out of the team’s rotation for now. He’ll still earn a guaranteed $3.05MM in ’23/24.

All NBA clubs have until this coming Monday, October 31, to exercise their team options on players’ rookie scale deals. All of those decisions are listed here.

Knicks Pick Up Options On Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes

October 26th, 2022 at 12:39pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Knicks have exercised their team options for 2023/24 on guard Immanuel Quickley and wing Quentin Grimes, the team announced today (via Twitter). The Knicks also confirmed that they’ve picked up Obi Toppin‘s ’23/24 option, as was previously reported.

Quickley, 23, was the 25th overall pick in the 2020 draft. He has been a go-to reserve for New York since entering the league, averaging 11.4 PPG as a rookie and 11.3 PPG last season. He has struggled with his shot (.320 FG%, .200 3PT%) through three games in 2022/23, but is filling up the box score with 5.0 APG and 5.3 RPG.

Grimes had a promising rookie season in 2021/22 after being drafted at No. 25 overall in 2021, shooting 38.1% on three-pointers and showing some real defensive upside. He was expected to vie for the starting shooting guard spot this season, but has been hampered by a left foot issue and has yet to make his regular season debut.

Quickley will earn a guaranteed $4,171,548 salary in 2023/24. Grimes’ salary for that season is now a guaranteed $2,385,720.

Quickley will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2023 and for restricted free agency in 2024, while Grimes still has one more option (for ’24/25) on his rookie contract — the Knicks will have until next October 31 to make a decision on that option.

All of this year’s rookie scale option decisions can be found right here.

Knicks Exercise 2023/24 Option On Obi Toppin

October 26th, 2022 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have picked up their team option on forward Obi Toppin for the 2023/24 season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Toppin’s fourth-year option will pay him a guaranteed salary of $6,803,012.

Toppin, the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, hasn’t played a significant role so far for the Knicks, averaging just 11.0 minutes per game in 62 appearances as a rookie and 17.1 MPG in 72 games last season. However, he has been increasingly productive in his limited minutes. He’s averaging 9.3 PPG and 3.7 RPG on 57.1% shooting through three games (16.0 MPG) in 2022/23.

Toppin will earn approximately $5.35MM this season before making $6.8MM in the final year of his rookie contract in 2023/24. He’ll be up for a rookie scale extension during the 2023 offseason and would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2024 if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.

The Knicks have two more rookie scale option decisions to make besides Toppin’s before next Monday’s deadline, though both seem fairly simple. We can presumably count on the team picking up Immanuel Quickley‘s fourth-year option ($4.17MM) and Quentin Grimes‘ third-year option ($2.39MM) for ’23/24.

Spurs Sign Charles Bassey To Two-Way Deal

October 24th, 2022 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

1:18pm: The Spurs have officially signed Bassey to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release. San Antonio waived Hall to open up a spot for the new addition.

12:26pm: The Spurs have agreed to sign free agent big man Charles Bassey to a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 53rd overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Western Kentucky, Bassey appeared in 23 games for the Sixers as a rookie, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per contest. He thrived when assigned to the G League, averaging 18.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG in 17 regular season games (28.6 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats.

Bassey, who played two years of high school basketball in San Antonio, had been under contract in Philadelphia for two more seasons, but his partial guarantee for 2022/23 was only worth about $75K. That made him one of the odd men out when the Sixers had a roster crunch — he was waived at the end of the preseason and become a free agent earlier this month.

In order to sign Bassey to a two-way deal, the Spurs will have to waive one of their current two-way players, Dominick Barlow or Jordan Hall. Both rookies signed with San Antonio this summer after going undrafted in June, with Hall receiving a two-year contract. He’ll likely be the player cut to make room for Bassey, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.

As our two-way contract tracker shows, 59 of the 60 league-wide two-way slots are currently occupied. The Timberwolves are the only team with an opening.

Trail Blazers Sign John Butler To Two-Way Deal

October 20th, 2022 at 3:47pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

OCTOBER 20: The Blazers have officially signed Butler to his two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.

OCTOBER 17: The Trail Blazers intend to add free agent power forward/center John Butler on a two-way deal, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 7’1″ big man went undrafted this year after spending one NCAA season with Florida State. Butler played with the Pelicans in the Summer League and during the preseason, before being waived by New Orleans last week.

During his lone collegiate season, the 19-year-old posted averages of 5.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 0.7 APG across 31 games, including 24 starts. He shot a promising 43.9% from long range on 2.6 attempts a night, though he also converted a lowly 44% of his looks at the charity stripe.

Butler’s impending deal with the Trail Blazers will actually be his second two-way contract this month. He initially saw his training camp contract with the Pelicans converted into a two-way deal before he was cut.

Butler joins another seven-footer, big man Olivier Sarr, in filling Portland’s pair of two-way contract openings heading into the season.

Timberwolves Waive Eric Paschall

October 19th, 2022 at 4:37pm CST by Rory Maher

The Timberwolves have waived forward Eric Paschall, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team confirmed the news in a press release.

Pachall was on a two-way deal with the Wolves, so they now have a two-way opening after releasing him. Minnesota also recently converted center Luka Garza to a two-way deal from an Exhibit 10 contract, waiving guard A.J. Lawson to make room for him.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Wolves were “very excited” to land Paschall on a two-way deal, but it sounds like he may have been cut due to “lingering Achilles issues.” He only appeared in one preseason game for the Wolves for 13 minutes, scoring one point.

The No. 41 pick in the 2019 draft, Paschall began his NBA career with the Warriors and had an impressive rookie season in Golden State in 2019/20, averaging 14.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 60 games (27.6 MPG). His role declined in his second season and he was traded in the 2021 offseason to Utah, where his minutes dipped further.

In 58 appearances last season for the Jazz, the 25-year-old averaged 5.8 PPG and 1.8 RPG on .485/.370/.767 shooting in 12.7 MPG. He was eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer from Utah and became unrestricted.

It took about a month for Paschall to find a new team in free agency, and he said he contemplated retirement before ultimately accepting the two-way deal with Minnesota.

“It was just a lot, you know what I’m saying?” Paschall said. “I feel like mentally I wasn’t in the greatest place. Just tired. I was like, ‘I might just stop playing basketball.’ … You see the other players getting picked up, you’re not getting a call. You’re calling your agent every day. So I was at a point where I was like I might walk away.”

It’s unclear what the future holds for the three-year veteran, but he’ll clear waivers on Friday if he goes unclaimed.

Mavericks Sign Facundo Campazzo

October 19th, 2022 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 19: Campazzo’s one-year deal with Dallas is non-guaranteed, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). The guard will earn $10,552 per day as long as he remains under contract.

OCTOBER 18: The Mavericks have officially signed free agent guard Facundo Campazzo, the team announced today (via Twitter). Dallas had an open spot on its 15-man regular season roster, so no corresponding move was required to make room on the roster for the new addition.

After initially reporting the Mavs’ interest in Campazzo, Marc Stein said last Thursday that the two sides were in advanced discussions on a one-year deal. Multiple subsequent reports indicated that the veteran point guard would sign with the team, and he reportedly arrived in Dallas over the weekend to take his physical and put pen to paper.

Campazzo spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets after establishing himself as one of the best point guards in the EuroLeague. He averaged 5.6 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game in 130 appearances (20.1 MPG) across his two seasons in Denver, knocking down just 37.2% of his shots from the floor.

The Mavericks entered training camp hoping that one of their in-house options would emerge as a reliable third ball-handling option behind Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie, but ultimately decided to add an experienced veteran to fill that role to open the season.

Campazzo’s friendship with Doncic likely helped him stand out from the other free agent point guards the Mavs could have targeted — the duo played for Real Madrid from 2015-18.

Campazzo reportedly received a one-year deal and it’s a safe bet that it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum ($1,836,090). However, it’s unclear whether or not it’ll be guaranteed. Dallas’ other 14 players on standard contracts all have guaranteed salaries, so if Campazzo’s deal is non-guaranteed, it would give the club some flexibility with that 15th roster spot.

Raptors Pick Up 2023/24 Options On Barnes, Flynn, Achiuwa

October 19th, 2022 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

11:52am: The Raptors have officially announced that they’ve exercised their 2023/24 options on Barnes, Flynn, and Achiuwa, locking in approximately $16.26MM in total salary for the trio in ’23/24.

11:42am: The Raptors have exercised their team option on guard Malachi Flynn for the 2023/24 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), and are doing the same for their ’23/24 option on big man Precious Achiuwa, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.

The 29th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Flynn has appeared in 91 games during his first two seasons as a Raptor, averaging 6.0 PPG and 2.3 APG in 16.1 MPG during that time, with a shooting line of .380/.326/.750. He’s currently recovering from a left cheekbone fracture and will wear a face mask to open the season.

As Murphy notes, Flynn’s fourth-year option wasn’t a lock to be exercised, since he has yet to establish himself as a regular rotation player in Toronto. However, the Raptors’ decision to guarantee his $3,873,025 salary for 2023/24 suggests they still believe he can become one.

Achiuwa, meanwhile, enjoyed a mini-breakout season after being acquired from Miami in last summer’s Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade. He averaged 9.1 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 73 games (23.6 MPG) for the Raptors in 2021/22, making 35.9% of his three-pointers.

Achiuwa was also Toronto’s most-used reserve in the team’s playoff series vs. Philadelphia, averaging 27.8 minutes per contest despite coming off the bench in five of six games. His fourth-year option for 2023/24 is worth $4,379,527.

The Raptors also hold a third-year option on Scottie Barnes, which will pay the reigning Rookie of the Year $8,008,680 in 2023/24. That option is a lock to be exercised before the October 31 deadline, but it’s not technically official yet, tweets Murphy.