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Wizards Waive Jaylen Nowell, Sign Erik Stevenson

October 10th, 2024 at 5:23pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Wizards are cycling through Exhibit 10 players, cutting Jaylen Nowell from the training camp roster to make room for Erik Stevenson, according to Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link).

Washington originally agreed to terms with Nowell in August alongside Kira Lewis and Leaky Black before officially adding them to their roster in September. All three were set up to compete for a spot on Washington’s roster, but with the Wizards already facing a roster crunch with 16 players on standard deals, it was an uphill battle for Nowell (or Lewis) to make it on a standard contract. Of those three signees, Black is the only one eligible for a two-way contract since he has just one year of NBA service. The Wizards have one two-way slot open.

Nowell now has the option to play for the team’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. If he spends at least 60 days with the club, he’ll earn a bonus worth $77.5K. Nowell is a five-year NBA veteran, appearing in 197 games (four starts) and averaging 8.9 points across appearances with the Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Pistons.

The 6’4″ Stevenson went undrafted in 2023 out of West Virginia. He was cycled onto the Spurs’ roster on an Exhibit 10 contract last offseason, appearing in 48 games with both the Austin Spurs and then Texas Legends in the G League. He averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his G League appearances last year.

Theoretically, Stevenson will be in competition for Washington’s open two-way slot. It seems more likely, given the timing of the signing, that he’ll end up being waived and spending the 2024/25 season in the G League to develop.

Mavericks Ink A.J. Lawson To Two-Way Contract

October 10th, 2024 at 4:56pm CST by Tristan Tucker

4:56 pm: Lawson’s new two-way deal with the Mavericks is now official, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

3:31 pm: The Mavericks are bringing back wing A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

Dallas originally waived Lawson on Tuesday from a standard contract. He was signed to a two-year, two-way contract in 2022 by the Mavericks and was converted to a standard deal in March of this year. With the team facing a roster crunch after bringing back Markieff Morris, Lawson’s non-guaranteed contract was waived. Because he only has two years of NBA service, he was eligible to sign back to a two-way deal.

Lawson averaged 18.4 points in Summer League for Dallas and appeared in 42 games with the team last year. Having also spent time with the Timberwolves, he holds a career average of 3.4 PPG across 57 total outings. He averaged 20.7 PPG and 7.0 RPG last year in the G League.

The Mavericks have a two-way slot open, with only Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards claiming those spots for now. That means no other move will be required to bring Lawson back in.

Pelicans Waive Matt Ryan, Adonis Arms

October 10th, 2024 at 4:54pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Pelicans have waived both guards Matt Ryan and Adonis Arms, according to the NBA’s official transaction log (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).

Both players were on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, so the Pelicans won’t carry any dead money as a result of waiving them.

The decision to waive Ryan is a notable one. The three-point marksman was an instrumental reserve for New Orleans at times last season, averaging 5.4 points per game while shooting 45.1% from deep. He was originally on a two-way contract with the Timberwolves ahead of the 2023/24 season, but was waived last October and was claimed by the Pelicans.

Ryan parlayed his strong play into a standard contract in April. However, he was waived from that standard deal in August after the team signed Javonte Green. The Pelicans, who are operating slightly above the luxury tax line, brought Ryan back on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract but presumably want to start the season with just 14 players on standard deals in order to avoid going deeper into the tax.

Keith Langlois of Pistons.com speculates Detroit could be a landing spot for Ryan if he winds back up on an NBA roster this season (Twitter link). New Pistons head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon was the general manager in New Orleans when the team claimed Ryan last fall. The Pistons are also first in waiver order if they choose to put in a claim for him and they have an open spot on their 15-man roster while being comfortably below the salary cap.

Because Ryan was signed to an Exhibit 9 deal that didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, he’s not eligible for a bonus if he were to join the Pelicans’ G League affiliate Birmingham Squadron. Ryan holds career averages of 4.4 points on 41.1% shooting from three in 63 career appearances with the Pels, Wolves, Lakers and Celtics.

As for Arms, the Pelicans signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal at the beginning of the month. The plan is presumably for him to suit up for the Squadron, where he will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days in Birmingham.

Arms went undrafted last season after attending Texas Tech. He played for the Memphis Hustle last season, averaging 16.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He was impressive in Summer League this season, averaging 20.7 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Kings.

Nuggets Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Braun, Strawther, Watson

October 10th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have picked up the 2025/26 rookie scale team options for Christian Braun, Julian Strawther and Peyton Watson, the team announced (via Twitter).

The front office’s decisions on their contracts come as no surprise, since the trio will all play prominent roles in Denver this season. Braun and Strawther are battling for the starting job vacated by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while Watson is one of the team’s top reserves.

Braun’s fourth-year option is worth $4,921,797, while Strawther’s third-year option is worth $2,674,148. The fourth-year option on Watson’s contract is pegged at $4,356,476.

Those were the only option decisions Denver needed to make before the Oct. 31 deadline.

Braun and Watson will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next offseason. The Nuggets will have until the end of October 2025 to make a decision on Strawther’s fourth-year option for 2026/27.

Clippers Waive RayJ Dennis, Re-Sign Elijah Harkless

October 9th, 2024 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

3:25pm: The Clippers wasted little time in filling their open roster spot, announcing that they’ve re-signed free agent guard Elijah Harkless, who was on an Exhibit 10 contract earlier this summer but was waived before camp began.

Harkless played for the Clips’ G League affiliate last season and will likely report back to the team this fall, but it looks like he’ll get a chance to spend some time with the NBA club and perhaps play in a preseason game before he heads to San Diego.

3:12pm: Camp invitee RayJ Dennis has been placed on waivers by the Clippers, the team announced today. The move leaves L.A. with 20 players under contract, one shy of the preseason limit.

Dennis signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Clippers last month after going undrafted out of Baylor in June. A fifth-year super-senior with the Bears in 2023/24, the 6’2″ point guard averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game across 35 contests (all starts). His shooting line was .479/.328/.731.

Dennis went scoreless in 11 of minutes of action in the Clippers’ first preseason game on Saturday, then was the only one of 17 active players not to see the floor at all in the team’s second preseason contest on Tuesday.

Barring something unexpected, Dennis’ next stop will probably with the San Diego Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with San Diego, the rookie will receive an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K on top of his standard NBAGL salary.

Knicks Waive Damion Baugh, Alex O’Connell

October 9th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

After cutting Boo Buie earlier today in order to sign Moses Brown to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Knicks have parted with two more players, announcing (via Twitter) that Damion Baugh and Alex O’Connell have been placed on waivers.

New York initially signed Baugh and O’Connell to Exhibit 10 deals a week ago. They spent training camp with the Knicks, though neither saw any action in the team’s preseason opener on Sunday.

The plan is likely for both players to report to the Westchester Knicks, where they’ll receive bonuses worth $77.5K apiece if they spend at least 60 days with New York’s G League affiliate.

Westchester acquired O’Connell’s returning rights in a trade with the Stockton Kings last month and will need to do the same with Baugh’s rights, which are still controlled by the South Bay Lakers.

New York now has 19 players under contract, including 12 on guaranteed deals and three on two-ways. It’s possible the club will continue to use those openings at the back end of its roster to shuffle players in and out for G League purposes in the next week-and-a-half. The Knicks must set their regular season roster by October 21.

Hornets Waive Duane Washington

October 9th, 2024 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

One week after acquiring him via sign-and-trade in the three-team Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, the Hornets have waived guard Duane Washington, the club announced today in a press release.

The move had been expected, since Washington was only included in the Towns trade for salary-matching purposes — if he hadn’t been part of the deal, New York would have had to add another player from its active roster to the deal to make it a legal trade. Even though he never actually appeared in a game for them, the Knicks were able to sign-and-trade Washington because he finished last season on a two-way contract with the club.

Prior to being signed-and-traded from New York to Charlotte, Washington had been playing for KK Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia. The Knicks had to pay Partizan a buyout (believed to be worth $850K) to free him up for the Towns deal. The expectation is that the 24-year-old will now rejoin the Serbian club on a new contract.

Washington’s $2,162,607 salary for 2024/25 was fully guaranteed and will remain on the Hornets’ books for the rest of the season. However, Charlotte acquired more than enough cash from New York in the Towns trade ($7.2MM) to cover the salaries for Washington and the two others players sent to the Hornets (DaQuan Jeffries and Charlie Brown).

The second and third years of Washington’s contract were non-guaranteed, so they’ll come off Charlotte’s cap now that he has been placed on waivers.

As a result of the transaction, the Hornets are now carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Taj Gibson on a minimum-salary contract that’s partially guaranteed for about $1.08MM. In all likelihood, Charlotte will end up waiving at least one of Jeffries or Brown prior to opening night in order to make room for Gibson on the team’s 15-man regular season roster.

Celtics Sign Jay Scrubb, Waive Tristan Enaruna

October 9th, 2024 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have made a change at the back end of their 21-man preseason roster, signing free agent guard Jay Scrubb and waiving forward Tristan Enaruna, according to the official transaction logs at RealGM and NBA.com.

Bobby Manning of CLNS, who first reported during the offseason that Boston was expected to sign Scrubb to an Exhibit 10 contract once he had fully recovered from his ACL injury, confirms (via Twitter) that the 24-year-old did in fact receive an Exhibit 10 deal.

A second-round pick in 2020, Scrubb appeared in 24 games for the Clippers and Magic across his first three NBA seasons. He signed a two-way contract with the Celtics last July, but tore his right ACL during a practice during the preseason and was waived before the regular season began. The 6’5″ shooting guard announced on Instagram on Tuesday that he has been “fully cleared,” approximately a year after sustaining that knee injury.

Scrubb remains eligible for a two-way contract, so his Exhibit 10 deal could be converted before opening night. However, it’s more likely that he’ll be waived and will report to the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate. Maine acquired Scrubb’s returning rights from the South Bay Lakers last month.

If Scrubb is waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Celtics’ NBAGL team, he’ll earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K.

Nuggets Sign Richardson, Funk, Bediako To Exhibit 10 Deals

October 8th, 2024 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nuggets have signed Will Richardson, Andrew Funk and Charles Bediako, according to a team press release. All three players signed Exhibit 10 deals, according to the Denver Gazette’s Vinny Benedetto (Twitter link).

The Nuggets made room for the trio by waiving Gabe McGlothan, Jaylin Williams, and Jahmir Young.

Richardson went undrafted in 2023 before signing with the Grand Rapids Gold last season. The former Oregon guard averaged 7.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 17.8 minutes per contest for Denver’s G League affiliate.

Funk also went undrafted last year before joining the Nuggets during training camp. Funk, who played college ball at Bucknell and Penn State, also appeared in four of the Nuggets’ Summer League games in 2023. He eventually signed a two-way contract with the Bulls in February, but was waived in July.

The seven-foot Bediako played two college season at Alabama. Bediako, who was also undrafted in 2023, has appeared in Summer League games for both the Spurs and the Magic. Denver’s intent to sign Bediako was previously reported.

It’s likely all three will be waived. They’ll each be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they join the Gold and remain with the G League club for at least 60 days.

Jazz Cut Max Abmas, Taevion Kinsey, Isaiah Wong

October 8th, 2024 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have trimmed their preseason roster from 21 players to 18, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived camp invitees Max Abmas, Taevion Kinsey, and Isaiah Wong.

Abmas, Kinsey, and Wong joined Utah in September on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts. They remained on the roster through training camp and a pair of preseason games, but none of them saw any action in either of those contests.

In all likelihood, the trio is now headed for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate. Hoops Rumors can confirm all three players received maximum Exhibit 10 bonuses, so as long as they spend at least 60 days with the Stars, they’ll earn $77.5K apiece on top of their standard G League salaries.

Utah is now carrying 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals. The team will likely enter the regular season with those 18 players, but could continue to shuffle others in and out of the final three spots on its 21-man preseason roster for G League rights/bonus purposes during the next couple weeks.