[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]
That leaves 10 clubs that have one or more roster spots, or whose 14th and/or 15th roster spots are occupied by players on 10-day contracts that will expire before the end of the month.
If recent history is any indication, it’s a safe bet that all 10 teams will, sooner or later, sign a player – or players – to rest-of-season or multiyear contracts in order to fill out their 15-man rosters. There were no open 15-man roster spots available by the final day of the 2022/23 regular season. The same is true of the ’21/22 season.
Even if a team has no intention of using a 15th man down the stretch or in the postseason, using that final roster spot to sign a prospect to a multiyear contract that includes no guaranteed money beyond this season is good business, increasing that club’s roster flexibility heading into the offseason.
Here are the teams likely to fill their open roster spots in the coming weeks:
Teams with 14 players on full-season contracts:
(Note: An asterisk denotes a player on a 10-day contract.)
The Raptors currently have a player on a 10-day contract (Jahmi’us Ramsey) occupying their 15th roster spot. The Cavaliers and Suns will soon follow suit, with Marcus Morris and Isaiah Thomas, respectively.
It’s possible that all three teams will ultimately turn to another player for a rest-of-season contract, but Ramsey is the only player to get two 10-day deals from Toronto this season, and Morris and Thomas are the types of veterans that contending teams often add to their roster down the stretch. A Saturday report indicated that Thomas is likely to stick with Phoenix beyond his upcoming 10-day contract.
I’d still view two-way player Neemias Queta as the most likely player to fill the Celtics‘ final roster spot, but that could change if Boston has to deal with some injuries in the backcourt or on the wing and wants to add some depth there. Pelicans sharpshooter Matt Ryan is another player on a two-way deal who’s a candidate to be promoted.
The Pistons and Warriors don’t have any obvious candidates for a promotion on two-way contracts, so both clubs may end up turning to the G League or free agency to add a 15th man.
Teams with 13 players on full-season contracts:
(Note: An asterisk denotes a player on a 10-day contract.)
While the seven teams listed above are good bets to sign one player before the end of the season, these three teams will likely sign two.
T.J. Warren, who immediately stepped into a rotation role after signing his first 10-day contract and is currently on his second 10-day deal, is an obvious candidate to fill one of the Timberwolves‘ two openings. It’s unclear which direction Minnesota go with its other spot.
I had expected Taj Gibson to eventually find his way back to New York, but he has signed for the rest of the season with the Pistons, so the Knicks will go in another direction with their final two roster spots.
DaQuan Jeffries and Mamadi Diakite are currently on 10-day deals and could receive consideration for rest-of-season contracts. For what it’s worth, like fellow Tom Thibodeau favorite Gibson, Ryan Arcidiacono won’t claim one of these openings, since he’s ineligible to re-sign with the Knicks this season.
If the Sixers like what they see from Kai Jones during his 10-day contract, it wouldn’t surprise me to see if they can lock him up to a multiyear deal. If not, they may look elsewhere for frontcourt help, since adding one more center to their roster makes sense with Joel Embiid‘s health still a question mark. The 15th man could be a wing — Philadelphia is ineligible to re-sign Danuel House, but could bring back Danny Green if there’s interest in a reunion.
]]>“I would love to just be one of the Warriors for life – and just never change,” Kuminga said, indicating that he’d like to follow in the footsteps of teammates Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, as well as his all-time favorite player, Kobe Bryant.
“When I look at those three people – Steph and Klay and Draymond – and I look at their pictures in the practice facility every day, I’m like, ‘This is where I want to be.’ I want to be right there.” Kuminga said, according to Poole. “I want to play here my whole life.
“You don’t choose and control where you want to be, but that’s the goal. That’s where I want to be. I want my name hanging next to those guys one day. And, you know, anywhere you get drafted, you always have love for the places you get drafted. And, obviously, I got drafted here. The people are great. They always take care of me. They’re always helping me grow as a person.
“… Obviously, my favorite player (Bryant) was a Laker for life,” he added. “So, obviously, I would love to be a Warrior for life.”
It’s a fascinating turnaround from earlier in the year for Kuminga, whose future with the Warriors appeared to be in doubt when that report about his frustration with his role surfaced in early January. He and Kerr subsequently had a one-on-one meeting to talk things out, and the 21-year-old has played a bigger role in the months since then.
In his past 28 games, Kuminga has averaged 20.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 30.3 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .551/.393/.793. Looking back on where things stood before his recent breakout, the 2021 lottery pick explained during his Dubs Talk appearance that he never wanted to leave the Warriors but that he believed he had earned a chance to play more consistent minutes.
“I did not lose faith of being here; it’s not what I said,” Kuminga said. “It was just definitely to a point where I felt like I need to be (on the court). I felt like I could help. I felt like there was just so much left on the table where I felt like me and the young guys could go out there and help Steph, Klay and Draymond.
“… It was just me trying to go out there and just find a way to play. Find a way to be on the floor. Find a way to help every young guy get their chance. And as you see every young guy getting a chance, including me, we are doing the things that we were supposed to be doing. We’re not going to help every day. We’re not going to win every day. But as you gain that experience, you’re going out there and just helping as much as we can.”
Besides Kuminga, rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis have seen regular playing time for the Warriors this season, while fellow ’21 lottery pick Moses Moody is also averaging a career high in minutes per game.
Kuminga is in the third season of his four-year rookie contract, so he’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension in July. Two or three months ago, it was unclear whether Golden State would pursue a new deal with the young forward this offseason, but it seems relatively safe to assume now that the team will make a strong effort to lock him up long-term.
If he and the Warriors don’t agree to an extension by the start of the 2024/25 season, Kuminga will be eligible for restricted free agency during the summer of 2025.
]]>However, Leonard traveled with the Clippers to Chicago and is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, tweets Youngmisuk, so it doesn’t appear the issue is significant.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
Mitchell has been dealing with a left knee bone bruise that required a PRP injection to promote healing. He would have been in strong contention for an All-NBA team, but he missed his 18th game of the 2023/24 season on Monday, and is no longer eligible for postseason awards.
Led by a strong performance from Darius Garland and excellent team three point shooting (20-45, 44.4%), the Cavs were victorious in Mitchell’s return, defeating New Orleans by 21 points.
Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:
Curry, who injured his ankle last Thursday vs. Chicago, was unavailable for a pair of games vs. the Spurs on Saturday and Monday and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s matchup with the Mavericks. According to Golden State, he’s expected to join the team in Los Angeles for practice on Friday and will be reevaluated again following that practice.
After Wednesday’s contest in Dallas, Golden State will be in action on Saturday vs. the Lakers, and it sounds as if Curry might be able to return for that game, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. If that’s the case, it would be great news for the Warriors, who are battling for play-in positioning and currently trail L.A. by one game for the No. 9 seed in the West.
Curry hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks, making just 37.0% of his shots from the field, including 32.8% of his threes, over his past 10 games. However, his season-long numbers remain strong — he has averaged 26.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in 32.8 minutes per game across 59 starts, with a .449/.407/.920 shooting line.
The 15-year veteran, who will turn 36 this Thursday, needs to play in six more games to be eligible for end-of-season awards, including All-NBA. If he doesn’t return on Saturday in Los Angeles, his next opportunity to play would be in the Bay Area next Monday as the Warriors open a three-game home stand by hosting the Knicks.
]]>“Coach’s message after the game was that this was good for us to face this as a group,” Isaac said. “We didn’t get off to our best start, our best footing and that kind of set us behind for the rest of the game. Over the course of the game, we learned what playoff basketball is like. I’ve experienced it before and not everybody has. We know how to move going forward.”
Beede points out that Isaac is a major reason why the Magic are in the thick of the playoff race after finishing 13th in the East last year. He’s part of the team’s four best defensive five-man lineups and he has been able to stay on the court, appearing in 43 games so far, which is the second-highest total of his seven-year career.
“It means I’m healthy,” Isaac said. “I look forward to continuing to play meaningful minutes in big games and keep moving forward. I’m not worried about injuries or looking back, or anything.”
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
The injury occurred late in Thursday’s contest when Curry rolled the ankle while cutting to the basket. He limped to the locker room to have it checked out and didn’t return to the game.
A report on Friday indicated that Curry is expected to miss seven-to-10 days, but that could be adjusted depending on the results of Tuesday’s examination.
Curry has appeared in 59 of Golden State’s first 62 games and doesn’t appear to be in any danger of missing the 65-game limit to be considered for All-NBA honors and other postseason awards. He’s been putting up typically outstanding numbers, averaging 26.9 points per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 40.7% from three-point range.
The Warriors are locked in a tight race to avoid the play-in tournament and need every win they can get to track down sixth-place Phoenix. Chris Paul is expected to take over the starting point guard duties until Curry can return.
]]>If that timeline is accurate, Curry would likely miss at least three games, and possibly a fourth next Saturday vs. the Lakers. We won’t know that for sure until we see how the 35-year-old heals over the coming days, but Curry has already been ruled out for Saturday’s contest vs. San Antonio, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) report that Curry will miss at least one game and possibly more, but there’s optimism that his absence won’t be a lengthy one.
The Warriors are expected to issue a formal update on Saturday, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
7:04am: Warriors star Stephen Curry exited the team’s Thursday loss to the Bulls late in the fourth quarter after rolling his right ankle and didn’t return to the game, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
The injury occurred as Curry was cutting to the basket and receiving a pass (Twitter video link via NBC Sports Bay Area). After attempting to walk it off, he eventually limped to the locker room.
Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Steve Kerr didn’t have much of an update on Golden State’s leading scorer, offering only that he saw Curry with his right foot in a bucket of ice after the game. However, as Andrews and Slater observe, Curry’s teammates were talking as if they’re preparing for him to miss a little time.
“He had his ankle wrap on,” Klay Thompson said, per Slater. “Icing his ankle. I know we’re going to miss him … if he does have time off. We’ve been in this position before where he has had time off and we have to do it collectively. I know he’ll be ready to go when he does come back.”
Draymond Green said Curry’s spirits were “high” after the game but that he might undergo an MRI on the injured ankle. Green also discussed the possibility of Chris Paul entering the starting five in Curry’s place, expressing confidence that the team would be OK despite the potential lineup change.
“We know he is more than capable. He’s Chris Paul,” Green said, according to Andrews. “It’s been incredible having C here, but then you have Steph going down — no one is Steph Curry in the NBA. But knowing you are going into the game with a guy who can win you game after game after game, it definitely gives you confidence going in knowing that you are more than capable to win games.”
Curry, who has dealt with some ankle sprains in the past, had been enjoying one of his healthiest seasons in years heading into Thursday’s contest. He missed two games in November due to a minor knee issue and sat out one end of a back-to-back set in January but has appeared in 59 of the Warriors’ 62 games.
Even if Curry has to miss some time, there’s no indication at this point that the ankle injury is serious enough to jeopardize his ability to play in at least 65 games and qualify for an All-NBA spot. However, his diagnosis may affect Golden State’s push for a higher playoff seed.
The Warriors currently hold the No. 9 spot in the West at 33-29. They’re just percentage points ahead of the 34-30 Lakers and trail the eighth-place Mavericks by 1.5 games.
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