Rockets Sign Tristen Newton To Two-Way Contract
January 4: Newton has been signed and Smith has been waived, the Rockets announced in a press release. The moves were officially finalized on Saturday.
January 3: Tristen Newton is joining the Rockets on a two-way contract, a league source tells Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Tyler Smith will be waived to create an opening.
Newton, a 24-year-old shooting guard, signed a two-way deal with Minnesota in September, but was waived prior to the start of the season. He has been playing for the Iowa Wolves in the G League, where he’s averaging 26.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49.4% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.
Newton was selected by Indiana with the 49th pick in the 2024 draft, and he appeared in five games on a two-way contract before being released early last January. Minnesota claimed him off waivers, and he saw action in three more NBA games.
Newton will be eligible to appear in up to 29 games with Houston if his new contract is finalized by the end of the day. His two-way salary will become fully guaranteed as long as he remains on the roster through Wednesday.
Smith, a 21-year-old power forward, hasn’t made any NBA appearances since signing his two-way deal with the Rockets on December 2. He was the 33rd pick in the 2024 draft and got into 23 games with Milwaukee last season.
Grizzlies Re-Sign Christian Koloko
12:20 pm: Koloko’s second 10-day deal is official, according to the Grizzlies (Twitter link). The contract will run through January 11, covering Memphis’ next six games.
11:56 am: The Grizzlies have been granted another hardship exception and will use it to bring back center Christian Koloko on a second 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Memphis initially added Koloko via a hardship deal on December 22. The big man appeared in five games for Memphis during his first 10 days with the team, averaging 18.6 minutes per night and making one start on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia.
Although Koloko only scored 10 points in those five outings, he contributed in other ways, grabbing 19 rebounds and registering six steals and six blocks. Memphis had a +15.2 net rating during his 93 total minutes on the court.
A hardship exception allows a banged-up team to add an extra player beyond the 15 on its standard roster. A team qualifies if it has four players who have missed three or more consecutive games due to injuries or illnesses and are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.
Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Zach Edey, John Konchar, and Brandon Clarke are all in the midst of extended absences for the Grizzlies. While they’re all due to be reevaluated at some point in January, the fact that Memphis has been granted another hardship exception by the league suggests that at least four of them aren’t especially close to returning.
After Koloko’s second 10-day contract expires, the Grizzlies will have to either sign him to a rest-of-season contract or let him go, since players can’t sign three 10-day deals with the same team. As our tracker shows, Koloko is the first Memphis signee to get a second 10-day contract this season — Charles Bassey and Kobe Bufkin each just got one.
Koloko will earn $136,717 over the course of his second 10-day deal, while the Grizzlies carry a cap hit of $131,970.
Hawks Sign RayJ Dennis To Two-Way Deal
8:00 pm: The signing is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
9:02 am: Just four days after being cut by the Clippers, free agent point guard RayJ Dennis has reached an agreement on a two-way deal with the Hawks, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Atlanta will be Dennis’ third team of the season. The former Baylor standout opened the fall with the Pacers on a two-way contract that carried over from 2024/25, but was waived on November 30. He signed a new two-way deal with the Clippers on December 4 and spent most of the month with L.A. before being let go on Saturday to make room for TyTy Washington Jr.
A second-year pro, Dennis has appeared in 25 total NBA games for the Pacers and Clippers, but hasn’t seen much playing time. He holds averages of 3.8 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per contest.
While his NBA output has been modest, Dennis keeps earning new contracts due in large part to his play in the G League. In seven outings this fall for the Noblesville Boom and San Diego Clippers, the 6’1″ guard averaged 20.9 points, 5.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 33.1 minutes per game.
News of Dennis’ agreement with Atlanta comes on the heels of the team waiving forward Eli Ndiaye following a season-ending shoulder injury. Dennis will join center Malik Williams and forward Caleb Houstan as the Hawks’ two-way players.
If Dennis officially finalizes his new deal before the end of the day, he’ll be eligible to be active in up to 30 NBA games for his new team. His two-way salary would become fully guaranteed as long as he sticks with the Hawks through next Wednesday (January 7).
Hawks Waive Eli Ndiaye
The Hawks have requested waivers on forward Eli Ndiaye, the team announced today in a press release.
A rookie free agent who had been playing for Real Madrid, Ndiaye signed a two-way contract with the Hawks in early July, less than a week after going undrafted. Viewed as a developmental prospect for the franchise, the 21-year-old didn’t suit up at all for Atlanta in 2025/26, having instead spent the first half of the season with the College Park Skyhawks in the G League.
In nine games (seven starts) with the Skyhawks, Ndiaye averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals in 26.2 minutes per game.
Unfortunately, in a G League contest on December 9, Ndiaye suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder, which will require season-ending surgery. The 6’8″ forward will reportedly undergo that procedure in early January.
Ndiaye is Atlanta’s second two-way player to sustain a season-ending injury this year. Forward Jacob Toppin underwent right shoulder surgery earlier in December and was also waived by the Hawks, who signed center Malik Williams as replacement.
The club now has another open two-way slot alongside Williams and forward Caleb Houstan and reportedly plans to fill it with free agent guard RayJ Dennis.
Mo Bamba Signs With Raptors
DECEMBER 29: The signing is official, the Raptors announced (via Twitter). .
DECEMBER 28: Free agent center Mo Bamba is signing a one-year deal with the Raptors, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
This move comes on the precipice of Toronto getting an update on the health status of starting center Jakob Poeltl, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter links), who reports that Bamba’s deal will be non-guaranteed.
Keith Smith of Spotrac notes (via Twitter) that this move puts Toronto’s team salary $475K over the first apron and about $2.1M over the tax line, but adds that he doesn’t expect the Raptors to operate in the tax by the end of the season, making them a clear candidate for further moves.
With Poeltl in and out of the rotation due to injury, the Raptors have relied on Sandro Mamukelashvili for frontcourt depth, but Bamba gives them a different look due to his length and shot-blocking ability.
Bamba started his career with the Magic, playing four-and-a-half seasons in Orlando after being drafted sixth overall in 2018. He holds career averages of 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds over his seven-year career. The 27-year-old big man played 14 games for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League this season, averaging 16.5 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks.
The NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date is January 7 — players on non-guaranteed contracts must be waived on or before that date if their teams want to avoid locking in their full-season salaries. The Raptors could essentially treat Bamba’s non-guaranteed deal like a 10-day contract, waiving him by Jan. 7, then bringing him back on two actual 10-day contracts before making a decision on whether to retain him for the rest of the season.
TyTy Washington Jr. Signs Two-Way Deal With Clippers
December 28: Washington’s two-way deal with the Clippers is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log, while Dennis has been cut, according to RealGM’s transaction log.
December 27: The Clippers will sign point guard TyTy Washington Jr. to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The team will waive two-way point guard RayJ Dennis to create an opening, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Washington, 24, inked a training camp deal with the team this summer, but was waived before the start of the season. He has been playing with L.A.’s G League affiliate in San Diego, where he’s averaging 17.9 points, 5.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and 41.1% from three-point range.
Washington was selected with the 29th pick in the 2022 draft, but he hasn’t been able to find a consistent NBA home. After spending his rookie season with Houston, he was traded to Atlanta in the summer of 2023 and then shipped to Oklahoma City four days later. He was waived by OKC, then signed a two-way contract with Milwaukee in August of 2023 and a two-way deal with Phoenix in August of 2024.
Washington has appeared in 58 total games with the Rockets, Bucks and Suns and has spent time in the G League in each of the last four seasons.
Dennis, 24, signed a two-way contract with the Clippers on December 4, four days after being waived by Indiana. He made just one four-minute appearance for L.A. Dennis joined the Pacers on a two-way deal in January and got into 24 total games.
Nets Sign Chaney Johnson To Two-Way Contract
The Nets have signed free agent Chaney Johnson to a two-way contract, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link).
A 6’7″ small forward, Johnson was a key reserve for an Auburn team that reached the Final Four last season, averaging 9.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 0.9 BPG in 38 games (23.5 MPG) as a senior in 2024/25. He went undrafted in June and spent training camp and part of the preseason with the Cavaliers prior to being released from his Exhibit 10 deal.
Johnson, 23, has been playing in the G League with the Cleveland Charge to open the 2025/26 campaign. Through 16 games (25.5 MPG) with the Cavs’ affiliate team, the Alabama native has averaged 12.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.4 SPG and 1.1 BPG on .604/.400/.731 shooting.
Brooklyn had the only two-way opening in the NBA, so no corresponding move was necessary to add Johnson.
Pacers Release James Wiseman
The Pacers have cut center James Wiseman in addition to officially signing of Micah Potter and waiving Garrison Mathews, the team announced in a press release.
After playing one game for the team in late October, Wiseman rejoined the Pacers on December 20, signing a 10-day contract via a hardship exception. ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter) that Wiseman’s 10-day contract was terminated, which requires no waiver process but allows the big man to earn the full amount from the contract.
Wiseman suited up in three contests for Indiana after signing with them last week, averaging 13.0 minutes per game and scoring nine total points.
The former No. 2 overall pick in 2020 signed with the Pacers last season but only played five minutes before tearing his Achilles and missing the rest of the season. Still just 24 years old, he holds career averages of 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in 18.8 minutes per night.
Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter) that the Pacers are not getting another hardship exception at the moment. The banged-up team has made seven hardship signings already this season but may no longer be eligible if Aaron Nesmith (knee) and Ben Sheppard (calf) are getting close to returning from their respective injuries.
Pacers Sign Micah Potter, Waive Garrison Mathews
11:57 am: The Pacers have officially signed Potter and waived Mathews, the team confirmed in a press release. As we relayed in another story, Wiseman was also released from his 10-day contract.
10:06 am: Free agent big man Micah Potter will sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers, according to Tony East of Forbes (Twitter link). Garrison Mathews will be waived to create a roster opening, sources tell East.
Indiana needs Potter, a 6’9″ power forward/center because Isaiah Jackson is sidelined with a concussion and Tony Bradley is limited due to a thumb fracture, East adds. James Wiseman is nearing the end of the 10-day hardship contract he signed last Saturday.
Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star confirms the moves (via Twitter) and states that the Pacers won’t be granted another hardship exception at this time. A league source tells Dopirak that Potter’s contract will cover the rest of the season and will include a team option for next year (Twitter link).
Potter, 27, began his career with Detroit during the 2021/22 season and spent the past three years in Utah on a two-way contract. He has appeared in 64 total games with career averages of 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per night.
Potter signed a training camp deal with San Antonio in August, but was waived before the start of the season. He’s currently with the team’s Austin affiliate in the G League, averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 13 games.
Mathews came to Indiana in November on a pair of 10-day hardship deals and was given a standard contract after they expired. That deal was non-guaranteed, so the Pacers won’t be on the hook for any more money once Mathews is officially released.
The 29-year-old shooting specialist appeared in 15 games during his time with Indiana, scoring 5.2 points in 13.1 minutes per night while shooting 40.4% from the field and 37% from three-point range.
Sixers Sign MarJon Beauchamp To Two-Way Contract
DECEMBER 26: Beauchamp’s signing is official, the Sixers announced (via Twitter). Sallis, meanwhile, was waived on Wednesday, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
DECEMBER 24: The Sixers are signing former first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp to a two-way contract, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the team is waiving rookie guard Hunter Sallis to open up a two-way slot.
Beauchamp, 25, was the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He played for the Bucks, Clippers, and Knicks from 2022-25, appearing in 135 total regular season games and averaging 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per night.
Following brief stints with the Trail Blazers and Sixers during the preseason, Beauchamp joined Philadelphia’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He has averaged 20.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game with a .500/.452/.933 shooting line in seven appearances for Delaware during the Tip-Off Tournament and Winter Showcase.
Beauchamp also represented the U.S. national team in a pair of qualifying games for the 2027 FIBA World Cup a few weeks ago. The 6’7″ forward made a strong case for NBA consideration with his play vs. Nicaragua, setting a Team USA record by scoring 50 total points in those two qualifiers — he made 18-of-26 shots from the floor (69.2%), including 9-of-14 three-pointers (64.3%).
“Yeah, he’s gonna be in the NBA at some point, whether it’s tomorrow or later this year,” Stephen Silas, the head coach of the U.S. qualifying team, said at the time.
The 76ers will take advantage of Beauchamp’s final season of two-way eligibility by bringing him aboard alongside Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, two forwards who have been effective rotation players for Philadelphia so far this season.
It’s worth keeping an eye on the Sixers’ usage of their two-way players in the coming weeks. While a player on a full-season two-way contract like Barlow or Walker is permitted to be active for up to 50 total games, a team carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts is only allowed to use 90 total active games for its two-way players. Philadelphia, which has had a 14-man standard roster all season, has already used 58 two-way games so far: 28 for Walker, 18 for Barlow, and 12 for Sallis.
In other words, if the Sixers continue having two or three of their two-way players on their active roster for each game, they’ll need to add a 15th man at some point next month in order to ensure they’re no longer subject to that 90-game limit.
Beauchamp’s personal active-game limit for the Sixers will be a prorated portion of the usual 50. Assuming he officially signs on Wednesday, he’ll be able to suit up for the NBA team for up to 32 contests.