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Pistons Waive Paul Reed

December 14th, 2024 at 5:54pm CST by Rory Maher

5:54pm: Reed has officially been waived, the Pistons announced in a press release.

2:05pm: The Pistons intend to waive forward/center Paul Reed, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Detroit is releasing Reed with an eye on maximizing its roster and financial flexibility ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Reed has an unusual contract structure, as his $7.7MM salary for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed, as is his $8.1MM cap hit for ’25/26. Every other player in the NBA whose contract is non-guaranteed this season is either on a minimum-salary deal or very close to it.

The timing of the move almost feels like a precursor to something else. The Pistons didn’t have to make a decision on Reed until Jan. 7, but chose to waive him three-plus weeks early.

Assuming Reed clears waivers, Detroit will carry a $2.48MM dead-money cap hit for having him on the roster the first two months of the season, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The Pistons will soon have approximately $15.5MM in cap space and be about $1.42MM below the minimum salary floor, which they’re required to reach by the end of Sunday, Marks adds (via Twitter).

According to Marks (Twitter link), as of Sunday, the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum is $1.44MM, so Detroit can safely reach the floor by signing a different player tomorrow. Of course, a trade remains a possibility as well.

The Pistons have been carrying an open roster spot to begin the 2024/25 season in order to maintain roster and financial flexibility. Cutting Reed means they’ll have two standard openings, but at least one will be filled in short order.

Reed, 25, was the 58th overall pick of the 2020 draft out of DePaul. He spent his first four seasons with the 76ers, who waived him in July to create enough cap room to sign all of their external free agents. The Pistons claimed him a couple days later.

While Reed was a rotation regular with Philadelphia last season, averaging 7.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 0.8 SPG and 1.0 BPG in 82 games (19.4 MPG), he has only appeared in 12 of Detroit’s 26 contests to open ’24/25, averaging 4.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 10.4 MPG. He’s been the third-string center behind Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, who shifted back to the middle after spending much of last season at power forward.

The Sixers have an open roster spot and are reportedly looking for frontcourt help, so a reunion with Reed could be possible. However, he’d have to clear waivers first and be willing to sign a minimum-salary deal, which is all Philadelphia can offer.

Raptors Sign A.J. Lawson To Two-Way Contract

December 11th, 2024 at 3:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 11: The Raptors have officially announced Lawson’s two-way contract with the team.

DECEMBER 10: The Raptors have agreed to a two-way deal with free agent shooting guard A.J. Lawson, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Lawson had an eventful training camp with the Mavericks. Dallas waived the 24-year-old Canadian and his non-guaranteed standard contract, then brought him back on a two-way deal after he cleared waivers. The Mavericks cut Lawson once again before the regular season and he subsequently joined the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League.

Lawson appeared in a total of 56 NBA games for the Mavericks during his two seasons with the team, including 42 in 2023/24. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.4 minutes per contest and posted a shooting line of .457/.307/.548 at the NBA level.

Lawson has averaged 24.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game for the Long Island Nets this season.

Toronto opened up a two-way slot on Tuesday by waiving D.J. Carton, who is currently recovering from an ankle injury. Several Raptors regulars are dealing with injuries, including Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Bruce Brown. The 6’6” Lawson will add depth to the wing positions.

Raptors Waive D.J. Carton

December 10th, 2024 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have waived guard D.J. Carton, the team announced today in a press release. Carton had been on a two-way contract with Toronto.

An undrafted free agent out of Marquette in 2021, Carton began his professional career by playing in the G League and didn’t get a shot with an NBA team during the regular season until this past February, when the Raptors signed him to a 10-day contract. Toronto brought him back on a two-year, two-way deal after that initial contract expired.

Across parts of two seasons with the Raptors, Carton has appeared in eight NBA games, logging just 69 total minutes. The 6’3″ guard has compiled 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals with a .267/.143/.833 shooting line during his limited NBA minutes while continuing to play a significant role in the G League when healthy.

Carton averaged 16.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, and 4.7 RPG in three outings for the Raptors 905 this fall, but has battled foot and ankle issues since joining the club, notes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links).

According to Murphy, the Timberwolves control Carton’s G League rights, so if he opts to return to the NBAGL after clearing waivers, the Iowa Wolves would get the first shot at him.

Toronto is now one of just two NBA teams with an open two-way slot — Orlando is the other, as our tracker shows.

Pacers Waive Moses Brown

December 9th, 2024 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

3:09pm: The Pacers have officially waived Brown, the team announced in a press release.

2:12pm: The Pacers are waiving big man Moses Brown, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A well-traveled center who has appeared in 159 total regular season games for seven different teams since making his NBA debut in 2019, Brown signed with Indiana last month after the team had two of its top three centers – James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson – go down with season-ending Achilles tears.

Brown saw a little playing time in the Pacers’ depleted frontcourt, but averaged just 5.1 minutes per contest across nine total appearances, contributing 3.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. After playing in each of his first eight games with Indiana, the 25-year-old was on the court for just 25 seconds last Wednesday, then was a DNP-CD on Friday and Sunday.

The Pacers don’t have a ton of breathing room below the luxury tax line, so if Brown isn’t going to play, there’s little reason to keep him on the roster. Assuming he clears waivers, Indiana will be on the hook for only a small prorated portion of his non-guaranteed minimum salary contract — that cap charge will be $306,660 if he’s officially released today.

The move will open up a spot on the Pacers’ 15-man roster. It’s unclear whether the front office intends to bring in a new 15th man soon or whether the club will keep that spot open for the foreseeable future in order to maximize its roster and financial flexibility.

Pelicans Waive Elfrid Payton

December 3rd, 2024 at 4:20pm CST by Luke Adams

4:20pm: The Pelicans have officially waived Payton, the team announced in a press release.

4:00pm: The Pelicans are waiving veteran guard Elfrid Payton, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Payton, who had been out of the NBA since the 2021/22 season, caught on with the Pelicans last month on a non-guaranteed contract and was one of the feel-good stories of the fall.

The Louisiana native, who played in Puerto Rico and the G League while trying to make his NBA comeback, immediately jumped into the starting lineup for his hometown team and posted a 14-point, 21-assist, seven-rebound line in his third game back.

However, the Pelicans have been getting healthier, with both Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum recently returning to the team’s backcourt, which resulted in a reduced role for Payton. He logged just six minutes in Monday’s loss to Atlanta.

New Orleans should be getting a couple more players back this week, with Shams Charania of ESPN reporting on The Pat McAfee Show (YouTube link) that Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones appear on track to play Thursday.

The Pelicans are operating slightly over the luxury tax line and have no desire to be a taxpayer this season, so there’s certainly a financial reason involved in the decision to waive Payton. Leaving that 15th roster spot open for the time being would reduce New Orleans’ projected tax bill and make it easier for the team to duck out of tax territory with a trade later in the season.

Payton’s 14 days on the Pelicans’ roster and two days on waivers will result in a cap charge of $274,809 for New Orleans, assuming he clears waivers. As Bobby Marks tweets, the team will be about $1.4MM above the tax line and $3.8MM below the first apron after jettisoning Payton.

Sixers Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Deal, Waive Quinones

December 3rd, 2024 at 9:19am CST by Dana Gauruder

DECEMBER 3: The Sixers have officially signed Nance and waived Quinones, the team announced today in a press release.

DECEMBER 2: The Sixers have agreed to a two-way contract with Pete Nance, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps tweets.

Nance is the younger brother of veteran NBA forward Larry Nance Jr. Pete has played eight games this season in the G League’s Showcase Cup for the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ affiliate. He’s averaging 18.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per contest.

The 6’10” Nance also played in the NBAGL for most of last season. He made eight NBA appearances with the Cavs but averaged just 3.4 minutes in those games.

Nance participated in camp with the Cavs this fall, but was waived in October. He signed a two-way contract with Cleveland in February but wasn’t offered another one. He went undrafted in 2023.

With centers Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond sidelined by injuries and — in Embiid’s case — personal reasons, the Sixers were seeking another frontcourt option in the short run.

As our two-way contract tracker shows, Philadelphia has three players currently signed to two-ways and will have to drop one of them to make room for Nance. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the odd man out will be guard Lester Quinones.

Quinones, who has appeared in four games with the Sixers this season, signed a two-way contract in September after playing for Golden State last season.

Hornets Sign Isaiah Wong To Two-Way Contract, Waive Jared Rhoden

December 2nd, 2024 at 12:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

DECEMBER 2: Wong has officially signed his two-way contract with the Hornets, the team announced today in a press release. He agreed to a two-year deal that will cover the 2025/26 season as well as the rest of ’24/25, Hoops Rumors has learned.

NOVEMBER 30: Isaiah Wong will join the Hornets on a two-way contract, agent Darrell Comer of Tandem tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Two-way guard Jared Rhoden has been waived to make room on the roster, the team announced in a press release.

Wong, a 23-year-old shooting guard, is currently with the Salt Lake City Stars and ranks seventh in the G League scoring race at 24.1 points per game. He was in training camp with Utah on an Exhibit 10 contract, but was waived before the start of the season.

Wong was selected by Indiana with the 55th pick in the 2023 draft. He only appeared in one NBA game as a rookie, but averaged 14.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 30 regular season games with the G League’s Indiana Mad Ants.

The Hornets are in need of healthy players after being hampered by injuries since the season began. LaMelo Ball, who will miss at least two weeks with a strained left calf, is the latest addition to an injury list that already includes Miles Bridges, Mark Williams, Grant Williams, Tre Mann and DaQuan Jeffries.

KJ Simpson and Moussa Diabate occupy Charlotte’s other two-way spots.

Kings Sign Jae Crowder

November 27th, 2024 at 3:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NOVEMBER 27: The Kings have officially signed Crowder, the team announced today in a press release.

Assuming Crowder signed for one year and the veteran’s minimum, which is highly likely, his deal would pay him $2,620,232 for the full season, with Sacramento taking on a cap hit of $1,655,619.

NOVEMBER 26: The Kings are close to signing veteran forward Jae Crowder, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets.

Sacramento worked out Crowder back in September. Crowder spent a season-and-a-half with the Bucks beginning in February 2023 and averaged 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 50 games last season while making 25 starts.

Crowder has appeared in over 800 regular season games since making his NBA debut in 2012. The 34-year-old has averaged 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 25.0 minutes per contest across 12 seasons, posting a shooting line of .419/.348/.777. In his prime years, he played a key three-and-D role on contending teams in Boston, Cleveland, Utah, Miami, and Phoenix.

The Kings have an open roster spot and are $3.7MM below the luxury tax line, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter).

The news regarding Crowder coincides with an injury update from the club. Trey Lyles has a Grade 1 right calf strain after undergoing an MRI, James Ham of The Kings Beat relays (Twitter link). He’ll be reevaluated in three-to-four weeks.

Lyles has appeared in 18 games this season, including two starts. He’s averaging 5.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game.

Sacramento has lost its last four games, dropping to 8-10 on the season.

Jazz Sign David Jones To Two-Way Contract

November 22nd, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 22: Jones’ two-way deal with the Jazz is now official, the team announced today in a press release. As previously reported, the team waived Preston to open up a two-way slot for Jones.

NOVEMBER 20: The Jazz and free agent wing David Jones have agreed to a two-way contract, agents Deirunas Visockas and Guillermo Bermejo tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Jones had a highly productive junior campaign for Memphis in 2023/24, averaging 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game on .459/.380/.797 shooting in 32 contests (32.3 MPG). A native of the Dominican Republic, Jones had previous collegiate stops at DePaul and St. John’s before transferring to the Tigers.

Shortly after going undrafted in June, Jones agreed to an two-way deal with the Sixers and played for Philadelphia’s Summer League teams in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, averaging 9.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.6 SPG in seven games (18.2 MPG). However, he was waived by the 76ers in September, just ahead of training camp, when the team needed to open up a two-way slot for Lester Quinones.

Jones began his first professional season playing for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League this fall. He averaged 21.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.5 APG on .475/.316/.789 shooting in his first four NBAGL outings.

Utah doesn’t currently have a two-way slot available, so the club will have to waive one of its current two-way players (Jason Preston, Micah Potter, or Oscar Tshiebwe) in order to make room for Jones.

Jazz To Waive Jason Preston

November 20th, 2024 at 4:49pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Jazz will waive two-way player Jason Preston, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Utah had to make a move to open up a two-way roster spot after it was reported earlier today that the team would ink free agent rookie swingman David Jones to a two-way deal. Scotto notes that Preston has been sidelined due to a calf strain.

A 6’4″ point guard, Preston was initially selected with the No. 33 pick in 2021 out of Ohio University and began his NBA career with the Clippers. He missed his entire rookie season with a right foot injury and was cut ahead of the 2023/24 season after appearing in 14 NBA games in ’22/23.

Preston began last season with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League squad, then caught on with the Jazz in January on a two-way deal. He spent the rest of the season shuttling between the NBA roster and the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBAGL affiliate.

Across 21 career NBA contests with the Clippers and Jazz, Preston has averaged 2.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.

In 52 G League regular season games with the Ontario Clippers, Hustle and Stars, Preston holds averages of 16.5 PPG, 8.6 APG, 7.7 RPG, and 1.2 SPG on .490/.406/.862 shooting. He recorded 10 triple-doubles with the Hustle and Stars last year, Scotto notes.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link), it is anticipated that Preston will remain in Salt Lake City during his rehab from the calf strain. Utah is said to like Preston and has interest in potentially bringing him back in some capacity when he recuperates.