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Bulls Waive Javon Freeman-Liberty

October 8th, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls have waived guard Javon Freeman-Liberty, the team announced today (via Twitter). The move reduces Chicago’s roster count to 19 players.

Freeman-Liberty went pro earlier this year after declaring for the draft following his senior year at DePaul, forgoing his additional year of college eligibility. In 2021/22, he averaged 21.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 3.2 APG on .430/.368/.739 shooting in 24 games (34.9 MPG) for the Blue Demons.

Freeman-Liberty played for the Bulls’ Summer League team in Las Vegas, then appeared in the team’s second preseason game on Friday, scoring eight points in just six minutes of action.

Because Freeman-Liberty had been on an Exhibit 10 contract, he’ll be eligible for a $50K bonus if he signs a G League contract and spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate.

Lakers Waive Bacon, McCoy; Sign Harrison, Figueroa

October 8th, 2022 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have completed a series of roster moves, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived camp invitees Dwayne Bacon and Javante McCoy and filled those newly-opened spots by signing guards Shaquille Harrison and L.J. Figueroa.

McCoy had an Exhibit 10 clause in his contract and could end up joining the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate. However, Bacon’s deal wasn’t an Exhibit 10, so he’ll likely seek out a new opportunity.

The details of Harrison’s and Figueroa’s contracts haven’t been reported, but they’re almost certainly non-guaranteed camp deals as well. Since South Bay previously acquired Figueroa’s returning rights from the Santa Cruz Warriors, he’s likely ticketed for the G League. It’s unclear what the team’s plans are for Harrison, who has appeared in 175 career NBA games, but saw action in just two last season while on a pair of 10-day contracts with Brooklyn.

The Lakers have the maximum allowable 20 players under contract, including 12 on guaranteed deals and two on two-ways. Of the six other players with non-guaranteed salaries, Austin Reaves and Wenyen Gabriel are viewed as the frontrunners to make the regular season roster.

Mac McClung To Sign With Sixers

October 8th, 2022 at 11:51am CST by Dana Gauruder

Mac McClung is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Sixers, Rich Hofmann of The Athletic tweets.

It’s expected that McClung will eventually be waived and then join the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League team.

McClung was waived earlier this week by the Warriors and became a free agent after clearing waivers.

McClung was an undrafted rookie in 2021. He signed a couple of 10-day hardship contracts with the Bulls in December and January, but only appeared in one NBA game for just three minutes. He also played one game for the Lakers at the end of his rookie season on a two-way deal, but wasn’t extended a qualifying offer.

The 23-year-old guard spent the majority of last season in the G League with the Lakers’ affiliate, South Bay, where he was named NBAGL Rookie of the Year.

Thunder Sign Rookie Jaden Shackelford

October 8th, 2022 at 11:33am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Thunder have signed guard Jaden Shackelford, the team’s PR department tweets.

The deal has been a long time coming — it was reported just after the draft that Oklahoma City would ink the 6’3” guard to an Exhibit 10 contract.

Shackleford saw action in four games with the Thunder summer league team. He went undrafted after playing three seasons with Alabama. In 33 games (32 starts) with the Crimson Tide last season, he averaged 16.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 34.1 minutes per game.

Oklahoma City has made a number of similar moves in recent days. A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate. That’s what will likely occur with Shackelford.

Thunder Sign, Waive Jahmi’us Ramsey

October 8th, 2022 at 11:21am CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 8: Ramsey has been waived, the Thunder announced. He’s likely to join the Oklahoma City Blue once he clears waivers.

OCTOBER 7: The Thunder have waived forward Robert Woodard II and signed guard Jahmi’us Ramsey, the team announced (Twitter links).

Woodard, who was just signed on Tuesday, was the 40th pick of the 2020 draft. He spent the majority of his first two seasons on a standard deal with the Kings, but had a very modest role, playing just 87 total minutes across 25 NBA games. The 23-year-old was waived by Sacramento in February and signed a two-way contract with the Spurs in March, but they opted not to bring him back.

Ramsey’s situation is very similar to Woodard’s, having spent the bulk of his first two pro seasons on a standard contract with the Kings after being selected with the 43rd pick in 2020. Like Woodard, he had a limited role, appearing in 32 total games for a total of 228 minutes, and was waived in February.

Both Woodard and Ramsey made appearances for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, after being waived by the Kings in 2021/22. Ramsey averaged 17.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.0 APG and 1.0 SPG on .429/.364/.783 shooting in 11 games (27.7 MPG) for the Blue.

While the terms of the contracts weren’t disclosed, it seems likely that both players received Exhibit 10 deals and are headed back to the Blue again in ’22/23. Assuming their contracts included Exhibit 10 language and Ramsey is also waived before the regular season starts, Woodard and Ramsey would be eligible for bonuses worth up to $50K if they spent at least 60 days with the Blue.

Blazers Waive Devontae Cacok, Wes Iwundu, Brandon Williams

October 7th, 2022 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have opened up three spots on their 20-man preseason roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived forward Devontae Cacok, swingman Wes Iwundu, and guard Brandon Williams.

Cacok and Iwundu had been on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, while Williams was on a two-way deal. Portland now has 17 players under contract — 14 on standard guaranteed deals and three on Exhibit 10 pacts. That means both of the Blazers’ two-way slots are now up for grabs.

Cacok, who will celebrate his 26th birthday on Saturday, has appeared in 36 total NBA games, including 15 for the Spurs last season. His contract included Exhibit 10 language, but since Portland doesn’t have a G League team, Cacok won’t have the option of reporting to the Blazers’ affiliate and earning a $50K bonus.

Iwundu, who had been vying for a spot on the Blazers’ 15-man roster, has played in 226 total NBA games, though he only appeared in three last season while on a 10-day contract with Atlanta.

Williams, whose two-year, two-way contract began last February, averaged 12.9 PPG, 3.9 APG, and 3.1 RPG in 24 games (26.7 MPG) for Portland down the stretch. He shot just 37.2% from the field, including 29.2% on threes.

All three players will clear waivers on Sunday, assuming they go unclaimed.

Trail Blazers Exercise 2023/24 Option For Keon Johnson

October 6th, 2022 at 2:55pm CST by Rory Maher

2:55pm: The Blazers have officially picked up Johnson’s option, per the team.

2:12pm: The Trail Blazers are exercising their third-year team option on guard Keon Johnson, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Johnson’s $2,808,720 salary for the 2023/24 season will now be guaranteed.

The No. 21 overall pick of last year’s draft after one season at Tennessee, Johnson was technically drafted by the Knicks, who traded his rights to the Clippers for No. 25 overall pick Quentin Grimes and a 2024 second-rounder (via Detroit). Johnson was later sent to Portland in February as part of the deal that saw Robert Covington and Norman Powell head to Los Angeles.

An explosive athlete who broke the combine records for both the standing vertical (41.5 inches) and max vertical leap last year (48 inches), Johnson didn’t see much playing time as a rookie for the Clippers, appearing in just 15 games for a total of 135 minutes. However, he got more playing time for the Blazers who went in full-blown tank mode after injuries to Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic decimated the roster, averaging 9.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.0 SPG in 22 games (25.5 MPG).

Many talent evaluators thought Johnson would be a top-10 pick last year but he wound up falling mostly due to concerns about his shooting and overall skill level. He struggled mightily with his shot in ’21/22, posting an overall slash line of .353/.340/.804 (.453 true shooting percentage).

With Lillard and Simons back healthy, and the additions of Josh Hart (trade deadline), Gary Payton II (free agent) and Shaedon Sharpe (No. 7 overall pick in June), Johnson might struggle to crack Portland’s rotation in year two.

Hornets Sign Xavier Sneed To Exhibit 10 Contract

October 6th, 2022 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are signing veteran free agent forward Xavier Sneed to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

Sneed, 24, went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2020 and has since played a regular role for the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate. His solid play in the NBAGL earned him a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies last December and a two-way deal with Utah in February. Sneed appeared in nine games with the two teams last season at the NBA level, logging just 39 total minutes.

While Sneed’s two-way contract with the Jazz included a second season, Utah opted to waive him last month. Based on his new agreement with the Hornets, it seems likely that Sneed will head back to Greensboro as a returning rights player this season — his Exhibit 10 deal will put him in line for a bonus worth up to $50K on top of his G League salary if he spends at least 60 days with the Swarm.

As we noted earlier today, the Hornets have waived camp invitee Isaiah Whaley, so they have an open spot on their 20-man preseason roster for Sneed.

Hornets Waive Isaiah Whaley

October 6th, 2022 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have waived rookie forward Isaiah Whaley, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The move opens up a spot on Charlotte’s 20-man preseason roster.

Whaley signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Hornets this offseason after going undrafted out of UConn. In five seasons with the Huskies, he appeared in a total of 138 games for the Huskies, including 32 in 2021/22, when he averaged 7.7 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 28.5 MPG as a full-time starter.

Although Whaley wasn’t a major offensive threat at UConn, he earned a reputation as a talented defender. He averaged 2.4 blocks per contest across his final two college seasons, and was the co-winner of the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021.

Whaley will likely be headed for the Greensboro Swarm – Charlotte’s G League team – as an affiliate player after being waived by the Hornets. He’ll earn a $50K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Swarm.

Jalen Crutcher, Jaylen Sims, and Anthony Duruji remain on the Hornets’ roster on Exhibit 10 deals. They could be in the mix for the team’s open two-way slot.

Rockets To Exercise 2023/24 Options On Four Players

October 5th, 2022 at 7:12pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets plan to exercise their third-year team options on all four of their 2021 first-round draft picks, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). The four players, whose salaries are set to be guaranteed for 2023/24, are Jalen Green ($9,891,480), Alperen Sengun ($3,536,280), Usman Garuba ($2,588,400) and Josh Christopher ($2,485,200).

As Feigen writes, it’s normally a formality that teams pick up the rookie scale options after first-rounders have played one season, but exercising Garuba’s after an injury-played campaign limited him to 24 appearances in ’21/22 was a little less certain. However, the No. 23 overall pick of 2021 had a strong offseason and training camp and showcased solid play at EuroBasket, helping Spain win the gold medal, Feigen notes.

Green, the No. 2 overall pick last year, averaged 17.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 2.6 APG on .426/.343/.797 shooting in 67 games (31.9 MPG). The 20-year-old had a slow start in ’21/22 but an excellent second half, averaging 22.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 3.2 APG on .476/.387/.756 shooting in 24 games (34.6 MPG) after the All-Star break. He was named to the All-Rookie First Team.

Sengun, who is set to become a full-time starter in ’22/23, had a productive rookie season on a per-minute basis but struggled with fouls, which is typical for young big men. The Turkish center averaged 9.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .474/.258/.711 shooting in 72 games (13 starts, 20.7 MPG). He was the No. 16 overall selection.

Christopher, the No. 24 overall pick of last year’s draft, also had a solid rookie campaign, averaging 7.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 2.0 APG on .448/.296/.735 shooting in 74 games (18.0 MPG). The combo guard is looking to improve as a decision-maker entering year two.