While the transaction has not officially posted, Thomas is expected to sign a 10-day contract with the Suns. The 35-year-old guard recently joined the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League in hopes of landing another NBA opportunity. He showed he still has his scoring touch, averaging 32.5 points in four games while shooting 45% from three-point range.
]]>[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.
]]>The 35-year-old guard recently joined the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League in hopes of landing another NBA opportunity. He showed he still has his scoring touch, averaging 32.5 points in four games while shooting 45% from three-point range.
Thomas will provide another veteran scorer with playoff experience for a Phoenix team that’s locked in a tight race to avoid the play-in tournament. The Suns entered tonight percentage points behind Sacramento for the sixth spot and one game ahead of eighth-place Dallas.
The 11-year veteran has been out of the NBA since the 2021/22 season, when he made brief appearances with the Lakers and Mavericks before ending the year with the Hornets.
Thomas was an All-Star with Boston in 2015/16 and ’16/17 before suffering a right hip injury that derailed his career. He bounced around the league after that, and most of his recent stops have been on 10-day contracts.
Phoenix plays in Milwaukee at noon Central time on Sunday and has a three-day break before its next game, so it’s unclear whether or not Thomas will sign his new deal right away. If his contract begins when the team returns home on Wednesday, he would be eligible for six games over the following 10 days. A second 10-day deal would take him close to the end of the season, but the Suns would have to give him a standard contract to make him eligible for the playoffs.
Phoenix has a roster opening, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary to make room for Thomas, who will earn $183,704 over the course of his 10 days with the team. The Suns will take on a cap hit of $116,075.
]]>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:
“They’ve got a great ability to pierce single coverage or drop coverage in pick-and-roll and when they start bringing two to the basketball, they’re all willing passers,” Suns head coach Frank Vogel said.
“That’s D-Lo man, just play-making, constantly thinking the game,” head coach Darvin Ham said, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. “He kept his word when I told him to take over the game. I told him in the first half, stay aggressive. I need you to be aggressive all night. And he did that.”
Russell is averaging 18.1 points and 6.2 assists per game this season while knocking down a career-best 42.4% of his 6.7 three-point attempts per contest.
“On the floor, I’ve always felt like I was capable of doing things, [and] getting hot makes it a little more exciting,” Russell said. “Off the floor, obviously you all know what I’ve been through. Public humiliation has done nothing but mold me into the killer that you all see today. I never lack confidence. I never fear confrontation. I want all the smoke. … I just feel confident in what I bring to the basketball game, so whatever room I walk in, I’m confident.”
The Lakers re-signed Russell last offseason and he holds an $18.7MM player option for next season. While the Lakers reportedly explored trading Russell at the deadline, reports suggested the guard was more valuable to them than other teams. Given that he’s averaging 21.6 points after the deadline, it’ll be interesting to monitor how other teams value him in the offseason.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
Wainright went on to say that he received calls from several former coaches and teammates after he was waived by the Trail Blazers in January, providing encouragement and assuring him that he’d get another shot in the NBA. Booker was among those who reached out, with Suns head coach Frank Vogel and team owner Mat Ishbia also remaining in touch.
The 29-year-old forward had been working out in Phoenix since being let go by Portland and is thrilled to be back on the Suns’ roster.
“This whole time we stayed in contact, ’cause I know what they want to build here and I wanted to be a part of it,” Wainright said (Twitter links via Bourguet).
Vogel told reporters that the Suns are excited to have Wainright back, referring to him as a talented player and a “really good culture guy” with a strong work ethic, adding that he benefits from already knowing the team’s system (Twitter video link).
Here’s more on the Suns:
However, speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Suns owner Mat Ishbia said the team will attempt to re-sign key unrestricted free agents Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale this summer.
“We’re trying to win a championship and we’re going to try this year and we’re going to figure out how to do it next year and signing free agents is what it’s going to take,” Ishbia said. “Having someone’s Bird rights gives you an advantage to be able to keep those players even if you’re in the luxury tax. We’re not frivolous with money and just spending money to spend money. What we’re trying to do is win a championship and build the best team possible.
“… Grayson and Royce are two great guys. Royce is new to the organization, has done an amazing job, everything you can think of, and Grayson has been here all year and has been a phenomenal part of the team and the organization. We hope and expect to have both of those guys back, along with keeping this core team together because we love our team and we’re going to compete at the highest level and hopefully in the playoffs very soon, we can see them all play together.”
The Suns have one of the NBA’s highest payrolls this season, with a team salary above the second luxury tax apron. The league’s latest projection calls for a $141MM cap for the 2024/25 campaign, with a second apron of approximately $189.5MM.
Operating above the second apron will limit a team’s flexibility significantly going forward. A club with a team salary in that range won’t be able to offer free agents more than the minimum salary or take back more salary than it sends out in a trade. Second-apron teams also won’t be permitted to aggregate player salaries or send out cash in trades.
Still, as outlined above, barring cost-cutting moves, the Suns project to be above the second apron next season even without re-signing Allen or O’Neale. If they let either player walk, the Suns would have no real means to replace them beyond minimum-salary signings, so re-signing the duo is in the club’s best interest. It’s just a matter of how much money Ishbia is willing to spend on the roster — his comments on Thursday, including a joke about not knowing what the second apron is, suggest he’s not looking to pinch pennies.
It’s worth noting that both Allen and O’Neale are eligible to sign extensions prior to free agency, though that might not be a viable option for O’Neale, who would be limited to a two-year, $20.45MM deal as a result of the NBA’s extend-and-trade rules. As of March 27, the Suns would be able to offer Allen up to $75MM over four years.
Allen has made eight shots from beyond the arc in each of Phoenix’s last two games to bump his league-leading three-point percentage to 47.5%. O’Neale, meanwhile, has helped improve the Suns’ defense since being acquired at last month’s trade deadline. The club, which had a 115.0 defensive rating prior to the forward’s arrival, has a 109.9 mark since he made his debut.
]]>FEBRUARY 26: All-Star Weekend appears to be headed to Phoenix in 2027, multiple sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
It’s a huge achievement for new owner Mat Ishbia, who took control of the Suns a little more than a year ago. Ishbia’s Phoenix Mercury will host the WNBA All-Star Game this year.
With a roster featuring Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, the team could be well represented in the 2027 game. Durant has been an All-Star 16 times in his career, while Booker is a four-time All-Star and Beal has been selected three times.
After taking place in Indianapolis this year, the next three All-Star Weekends will be hosted by Pacific Division teams, Charania notes (Twitter link). San Francisco will host next year’s festivities, followed by Los Angeles in 2026.
It will be the fourth All-Star Game in Phoenix and the first since 2009. The city also served as host in 1975 and 1995.
]]>“We’re most definitely different,” Kevin Durant said. “Adding (Bradley) Beal and Grayson (Allen) and Nurk makes us a different team than last year. But having more experience as a unit helps a lot as well. Last year, we were thrown together pretty quickly, and we were playing against a well-oiled machine. We have nothing but respect for Denver. They challenge us in ways that other teams don’t, so it was good to fight through everything tonight.”
Although Phoenix can’t expect Nurkic to shut down his former teammate, Jones points out that he presents problems for Jokic that few other Western centers do. Nurkic is strong enough to match up with Jokic in the low post without the need for a double team, which limits open opportunities for Denver’s shooters.
There’s more on the Suns:
However, even though those 17 players filled standard roster spots around the NBA and no team currently has an open two-way slot, there are still several openings on 15-man rosters across the league.
[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]
Here’s a rundown of the teams that still have at least one standard roster spot available, along with some brief observations on how they might fill those openings:
Teams with two open roster spots
Teams are permitted to dip below 14 players on standard contracts for up to 14 days at a time. Currently, there are three teams taking advantage of that rule: the Timberwolves, Knicks, and Sixers.
There’s no real urgency for any of these clubs to sign a player in the short term — Philadelphia doesn’t have to re-add a 14th man until March 15, while New York’s and Minnesota’s deadlines are March 16 and 17, respectively.
Still, I’m not sure any of the three will wait that long to make a move. The Sixers and Knicks have a crowded injury list and could use some additional depth, while the Timberwolves have already reportedly reached an agreement on a 10-day deal with T.J. Warren — it just hasn’t been officially finalized yet.
[Note: Warren officially signed with the Wolves shortly after the publication of this story.]
Philadelphia could still use another frontcourt body with Joel Embiid on the shelf. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Taj Gibson eventually makes his way back to the Knicks, though he’s under contract with Detroit for the next 10 days. Marcus Morris was linked to Minnesota last month, though it remains unclear whether a union for the two sides remains in play.
Teams with one open roster spot
There’s no timeline for any of these teams to fill their 15th open roster spot. I’d expect the Pistons and Jazz to be a little more proactive about making a move though, since they’re both well below the luxury tax line and could potentially benefit from taking a look at some young players on 10-day deals for developmental purposes down the stretch.
The Celtics, Warriors, and Suns are all well above the tax threshold and aren’t in desperate need for depth pieces at the moment, so they’ll probably be patient when it comes to adding a 15th man.
Neemias Queta (Celtics) and Saben Lee (Suns) are candidates to be promoted from two-way contracts near the end of the season. The Warriors already elevated their most obvious candidate for a promotion (Lester Quinones), so it’s unclear what they may have in mind for their final roster move. Given how deep they are, it’s unlikely anyone the Dubs add would play at all in the postseason.
Teams whose 15th man is on a 10-day contract
The Cavaliers will open up a roster spot on Thursday when Sharife Cooper‘s 10-day contract expires. The Wizards (R.J. Hampton) and Pelicans (Izaiah Brockington) will follow suit next Wednesday, with the Raptors (Jahmi’us Ramsey) opening up their 15th roster spot next Thursday.
Each of those four players would be eligible for a second 10-day deal with his respective team. However, all four clubs seem to be rotating players in and out of that slot, so it’s possible that the Cavs, Pelicans, Raptors, and Wizards all finish the season with a different 15th man.
Toronto and Washington won’t make the playoffs and will likely eventually settle on a prospect who can be signed to a team-friendly multiyear contract. The Cavs and Pelicans could ultimately go the same route, though they’ll want to fully scour the buyout market in case there’s a veteran who could help in the postseason.
]]>