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Wizards To Add Alondes Williams To Camp Roster

August 19th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent guard Alondes Williams has reached an agreement with the Wizards, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.

Considering the Wizards already have 15 players under guaranteed contracts, it’s safe to assume Williams is receiving a training camp deal. The addition of Williams would push the Wizards’ roster count to 19 players, two shy of the offseason limit.

Williams has nine games of NBA experience — he made his debut with the Nets in 2022/23, saw action in seven games with the Heat the following season, then appeared in one game with the Pistons last season.

Detroit signed Williams to a two-way deal in October but waived him in early January. Williams was a member of the Magic’s Summer League squad in July.

Last season, Williams appeared in 45 G League games with the Sioux Falls SkyForce and Motor City Cruise. He averaged 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 32.9 minutes per contest.

If Williams received an Exhibit 10 contract and gets waived before opening night, he could join the Capital City Go-Go, who acquired his returning rights in a trade earlier this month. Spending at least 60 days with the Go-Go- would make him eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300.

Hawks Sign Caleb Houstan To One-Year Deal

August 19th, 2025 at 3:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

August 19: Over a month after their agreement was first reported, the Hawks have officially signed Houstan, the team announced today in a press release.

July 17: The Hawks and Caleb Houstan have agreed to a one-year contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (Twitter link).

Houstan spent the first three years of his NBA career with the Magic. He appeared in 168 games during that span, including 23 starts, after being selected early in the second round of the 2022 draft.

Last season, Houstan appeared in 58 games (six starts) with Orlando and averaged 4.1 points in 13.6 minutes per game while making 40 percent of his 3-point tries.

Houstan became a free agent when Orlando declines its $2.1MM option on his contract for next season. Terms for his contract with Atlanta have not been revealed, but it’s likely a minimum deal.

Still just 22 years old, Houstan struggled to get steady second-unit minutes with the Magic. At 6’8”, he provides good size at the wing spots and he’ll now try to earn minutes with another Southeast Division squad.

That will be a tall task, considering the Hawks have Dyson Daniels at off guard and Jalen Johnson at small forward with free agent pickups Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard slated to get steady minutes off the bench. He’ll also have to battle Vit Krejci (43.7 percent from three last season) for playing time.

Oscar Tshiebwe Re-Signs With Jazz On Two-Way Deal

August 19th, 2025 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Former Kentucky standout Oscar Tshiebwe is back under contract with the Jazz, having re-signed with the team on a two-way deal, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.

Utah made Tshiebwe a restricted free agent in June by issuing him a two-way qualifying offer. It’s possible he simply accepted that offer, which is the equivalent of a one-year, two-way contract with a partial guarantee worth $85,300.

After going undrafted in 2023, Tshiebwe spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Pacers and his second year in the NBA on a two-way deal with the Jazz. The 6’8″ forward/center has only made 22 total appearances at the NBA level across those two seasons, but has shown his rebounding prowess in limited action, averaging 7.6 points and 8.7 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per game across 14 outings for Utah in 2024/25.

Tshiebwe, who grabbed double-digit rebounds in eight of the 10 games he played for the Jazz in past March and April, has put up monster numbers in the G League — he earned a spot on the All-NBAGL first team and placed second in MVP voting this spring after averaging 16.1 points, a league-leading 18.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per contest in 42 games for the Salt Lake City Stars.

Tshiebwe racked up at least 20 boards in seven of the last nine games of his G League season in March. In one matchup with the Iowa Wolves during that stretch, he grabbed 30 rebounds, including 14 on the offensive glass.

It remains to be seen whether Tshiebwe will be utilized more frequently by Jazz head coach Will Hardy in 2025/26, but he’ll be eligible to appear in up to 50 NBA regular season games on his two-way deal, which will pay him $636,435 if it becomes fully guaranteed.

Tshiebwe and Elijah Harkless now occupy two of the Jazz’s three two-way slots, with second-round pick John Tonje viewed as the frontrunner to fill the final opening.

Rockets Decline To Match Hawks’ Offer Sheet For N’Faly Dante

August 18th, 2025 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

3:09 pm: The Hawks have officially announced in a press release that they’ve signed Dante.

2:08 pm: Big man N’Faly Dante will join the Hawks, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the Rockets aren’t matching the two-year, $4.5MM offer sheet Dante signed with Atlanta.

Dante appeared in just four NBA regular season games last season after going undrafted out of Oregon. However, he was a mainstay for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G League while on a two-way contract with Houston, averaging 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game across 42 outings at the G League level.

Dante, who will turn 24 in October, earned a two-way qualifying offer from Houston in June, but the Rockets have since filled all of their two-way slots by signing Kevon Harris, Isaiah Crawford, and JD Davison, which was perhaps an indication that they weren’t counting on having Dante back.

The Hawks’ two-year offer sheet to Dante appears to just be worth the minimum salary, but even that modest price was too steep for the Rockets, who are operating just $1.26MM below a first-apron hard cap and can’t add a 15th man on a veteran’s minimum deal without shedding salary. Given the team’s cap situation, Scotto’s report that Houston isn’t matching the Hawks’ offer doesn’t come as a real surprise.

Once they officially add Dante to their roster, the Hawks will have 14 players on standard contracts, with Caleb Houstan reportedly expected to join the team as well. Dante will provide depth in a frontcourt that also includes incumbent center Onyeka Okongwu, offseason addition Kristaps Porzingis, rookie Asa Newell, and third-year big man Mouhamed Gueye.

Dante is the first two-way restricted free agent to sign a qualifying offer since Tyrone Wallace did so in 2018. Wallace was a Clippers RFA who signed an offer sheet with the Pelicans and had it matched by L.A.

The Hawks, meanwhile, will become the first team to sign a restricted free agent to an offer sheet that goes unmatched since they did it themselves with Kings RFA Bogdan Bogdanovic in 2020.

Magic To Sign Lester Quinones To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 18th, 2025 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have agreed to a deal with free agent guard Lester Quinones, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). It will be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract, a league source tells Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Quinones has appeared in 54 total NBA regular season games in three years since going undrafted out of Memphis in 2022. His best season came in 2023/24, when he averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per night with a .364 3PT% in 37 outings for Golden State.

The 6’4″ guard began last season on a two-way contract with the Sixers, was waived in December, then finished the year with the Pelicans after signing a two-way deal in early March. That contract covered two seasons, but New Orleans waived Quinones last month.

Quinones only made 13 NBA appearances in 2024/25, but saw action in 41 total G League games for the Birmingham Squadron and Delaware Blue Coats. He put up impressive averages of 21.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest, though he struggled a bit with his shooting efficiency (.431/.331/.713) and turnovers (3.7 per game).

According to Scotto, Quinones will have an opportunity to compete for a roster spot or a two-way deal in Orlando. The latter is more likely than the former, given that the Magic are bumping right up against a first-apron hard cap and don’t have enough room to carry a 15th man into the season at the moment.

An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a two-way deal up until October 20. The Magic have one open two-way slot alongside Orlando Robinson and Jamal Cain. If Quinones is waived before the season, he could potentially join the Osceola Magic and earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300, but Orlando’s NBAGL affiliate would need to acquire his returning rights.

Timberwolves Officially Waive Jesse Edwards

August 18th, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Timberwolves have waived two-way center Jesse Edwards, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

The expected move was first reported at the start of August, and it became a formality when Edwards signed a one-year contract with Melbourne United of Australia’s National Basketball League last week. It’s now official and Minnesota has a two-way opening available, with Rocco Zikarsky and Enrique Freeman holding the team’s other two-way slots.

The 25-year-old big man, who played collegiately at Syracuse and West Virginia, signed with the Timberwolves in July of 2024 after going undrafted. He saw brief action in two NBA games, but he was a rotation player for the G League Iowa Wolves, averaging 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 25.1 minutes in 34 total contests.

In late June, Edwards accepted a two-way qualifying offer, which came with a partial guarantee of $85,300. That money won’t count against Minnesota’s salary cap.

There has been no official word yet on Tristen Newton, who is reportedly accepting his own two-way qualifying offer to return to the team and fill the final two-way opening. The 24-year-old shooting guard appeared in eight total games last season with Indiana and Minnesota.

Heat Sign Dru Smith To Three-Year Contract

August 16th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

10:00pm: Smith has officially re-signed with Miami, per a team press release.

5:49pm: Restricted free agent guard Dru Smith will remain with the Heat on a three-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The deal has a total value of $7.9MM, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), which suggests it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum ($7,898,151). A source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the first year of the deal is fully guaranteed, while the final two seasons carry conditional guarantees (Twitter link).

Miami opened a roster spot to sign Smith by trading Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday. Unloading Highsmith’s $5.6MM salary enabled the Heat to add Smith and stay under the cap, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old guard appeared to be on his way to a standard contract with a strong start to last season, but he suffered an Achilles tear in December. Even though he remained inactive, the team kept him on a two-way contract for the rest of the season.

Heat officials are optimistic that Smith will be fully recovered from the injury in time for the October 22 season opener or shortly afterward, Jackson adds in a full story on the signing.

Appearing in 14 games last season, Smith averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 19.1 minutes per night with .508/.533/.750 shooting numbers. His improvement as a three-point shooter led to his expanded role, and Jackson points out that he logged double-digit minutes in eight straight games before the injury and played the entire fourth quarter in five of his last seven games.

Smith began his career with Miami in 2022 on a two-way contract, then went to Brooklyn later that season on a two-way deal after being waived. He returned to the Heat in the summer of 2023 and was converted to a standard contract before the start of the season. However, that campaign was cut short by his first untimely injury, as he suffered a third-degree ACL sprain in November.

Miami extended a qualifying offer to Smith in June, but league rules prevented him from signing another two-way contract with the team.

A report earlier today suggested that the Heat had interest in adding size to their roster, with an eye on free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones. Jones reportedly made a good impression during workouts in Miami this week.

Jackson believes Smith’s signing will put an end to any pursuit of Lyles or Jones. The Heat don’t have much depth in the frontcourt, but Jackson states that the need might be addressed with a trade rather than another free agent signing.

The Heat are back to 14 players with standard contracts and won’t be able to add a 15th player until later in the season without moving back into tax territory.

Jackson notes that Smith, newly re-signed Davion Mitchell and first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis are all natural point guards. However, they could all come off the bench if coach Erik Spoelstra decides to use Tyler Herro and Norman Powell as his starting backcourt.

Hawks Signing N’Faly Dante To Two-Year Offer Sheet

August 16th, 2025 at 11:40am CST by Rory Maher

The Hawks are signing restricted free agent center N’Faly Dante to a two-year, $4.5MM offer sheet, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The Rockets — Dante’s incumbent team — will have two days to match the offer sheet. However, Houston doesn’t currently have enough room under its first-apron hard cap to match the contract Dante agreed to with Atlanta, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter), the Rockets already have three players signed to two-way contracts, so evidently they were prepared for Dante’s departure.

A native of Mali who went undrafted in 2024 after a standout college career at Oregon, Dante signed a two-way deal with Houston last summer. The 23-year-old only made four NBA appearances for the second-seeded Rockets as a rookie, with three occurring during the final three contests of the regular season. The 6’11” big man averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game.

While his NBA contributions were limited, Dante had an excellent season for Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 15.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 2.2 BPG while shooting 74.3% from the field in 42 games (26.8 MPG).

As our Luke Adams recently outlined, two-way restricted free agents rarely sign offer sheets with other teams. But clearly the Hawks like Dante, who will provide frontcourt depth behind Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis — assuming the Rockets don’t make additional moves to position themselves to match.

Dante’s deal will likely be for the veteran’s minimum, which would be worth $4,459,584 across two years.

Celtics To Sign Ron Harper Jr.

August 16th, 2025 at 11:12am CST by Rory Maher

The Celtics are signing free agent wing Ron Harper Jr., reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Scotto doesn’t provide any details on Harper’s agreement with Boston, but it seems likely to be a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 10 language.

Harper, 25, went undrafted out of Rutgers in 2022. Although he has only appeared in 11 NBA games, he technically holds three years of experience, having spent parts of each of the past three seasons on two-way contracts with Toronto and Detroit. Harper was waived by the Pistons in July.

This is the second straight offseason in which Harper will sign with the Celtics. He didn’t make Boston’s standard roster for the 2024/25 campaign, having been waived last October.

A 6’6″ forward, Harper spent the majority of last season in the NBA G League, averaging 16.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.9 SPG in 37 total appearances with the Motor City Cruise and Maine Celtics (29.6 MPG). He shot 38.6% from three-point range on high volume (8.2 attempts per game).

Assuming he’s released before ’25/26 begins, Harper would be in line to receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Maine Celtics. Exhibit 10 contract can also be converted into two-way deals, though Boston does not currently have a two-way opening.

Once Harper’s deal is official, the Celtics will have 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason limit.

Heat Trade Haywood Highsmith To Nets

August 15th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat and Nets have agreed to a trade that sends wing Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn along with a 2032 second-round pick in exchange for a protected 2026 second-rounder, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

The Nets have officially confirmed the deal, announcing that they’ve acquired Miami’s unprotected 2032 second-round selection and Highsmith in exchange for their own top-55 protected 2026 second-rounder.

It’s a financially motivated deal for the Heat, who will move under the luxury tax line as a result of the move. Miami entered the day operating about $1.6MM above the tax threshold with 14 players under contract.

Sending Highsmith’s expiring $5.6MM contract to Brooklyn will give the Heat nearly $4MM in breathing room below the tax, with at least one standard roster spot to fill before the season begins — the club will likely keep its 15th roster spot open to start the season to avoid going back above the tax line.

The Heat were always considered likely to duck the tax this season in order to reset their repeater clock.

When I identified Miami earlier this month as a good bet to make a cost-cutting move, I mentioned Highsmith as a potential trade candidate and speculated that he should have a little value based on his play as a three-and-D wing last season. The 28-year-old made 74 appearances (42 starts) for the Heat, averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game and posting a .458/.382/.721 shooting line.

However, word broke last Friday that Highsmith had sustained a torn meniscus during an offseason workout and underwent surgery to address the injury. The recovery process is expected to sidelined him for at least eight-to-10 weeks, jeopardizing his availability for the start of the season and reducing his value as a trade chip, which is why the Heat had to give up a second-round pick to move him.

Miami will create a trade exception worth Highsmith’s outgoing salary ($5,616,000), which the club will have one year to use.

As for the Nets, they continue to use their cap room to stockpile draft assets, having acquired a pair of first-round picks in separate deals for Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann earlier this summer. It’s unclear whether or not Highsmith will be part of their plans for the 2025/26 season, given that there may be a roster crunch in Brooklyn, but taking on his contract puts only a small dent into their remaining cap space.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Brooklyn still has $22MM in room after accounting for Cam Thomas‘ $12.1MM cap hold, though that figure doesn’t include reported two-year, $12MM deals with Day’Ron Sharpe or Ziaire Williams, which aren’t yet official. One of those signings could be completed using the room exception, but at least one will have to use the Nets’ cap space.