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Heat Waive Achiuwa, Three Others; Convert Young To Two-Way Deal

October 18th, 2025 at 12:45pm CST by Rory Maher

October 18: Miami has officially announced the four cuts detailed below, along with Young’s conversion to a two-way deal.

October 17: The Heat have waived big man Precious Achiuwa ahead of the regular season, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Miami has also released Ethan Thompson, Dain Dainja, and Bez Mbeng, Chiang adds.

All four players were signed to non-guaranteed contracts for training camp, so the Heat won’t carry any money on their books by cutting them loose.

A 6’8″ forward/center, Achiuwa has spent the past five years in the NBA after being selected 20th overall by Miami in the 2020 draft. The 26-year-old has appeared in 320 regular season games with the Heat, Raptors and Knicks over that span, with career averages of 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per contest.

It’s unclear where Achiuwa will land next after he was unable to find a new team for most of the offseason — he didn’t sign with the Heat until late September.

Thompson, Dainja and Mbeng were on Exhibit 10 deals with Miami are now eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 as long as they spend at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

By process of elimination, it appears that guard Jahmir Young will fill the Heat’s third and final two-way spot, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. The Heat can simply convert Young’s Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way pact and intend to do so, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

A 6’1″ point guard who went undrafted out of Maryland in 2024, Young opened his first professional season with the Grand Rapids Gold, before signing a two-way deal with Chicago in February and finishing the year with the Bulls.

Although he logged just 30 total minutes in six games at the NBA level, but starred in the NBAGL, averaging 21.7 points, 7.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game in 43 total outings for the Nuggets’ and Bulls’ affiliates. The 24-year-old was named to the G League’s All-Rookie team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Lakers Cut Four Players Ahead Of Regular Season

October 18th, 2025 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers have placed Augustas Marciulionis, RJ Davis, Jeenathan Williams, and Anton Watson on waivers, the team announced today in a press release. All four were in camp with the team on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts.

A two-time WCC Player of the Year, Marciulionis averaged 14.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game in 35 outings last season for Saint Mary’s before going undrafted in June. The 6’4″ Lithuanian guard didn’t play at all for the Lakers during the preseason.

Davis, a six-foot guard who earned ACC Player of the Year honors for the 2023/24 season, averaged 17.2 points and 3.6 assists per game for North Carolina as a super-senior in ’24/25 before joining the Lakers as an undrafted free agent. He had a strong preseason, averaging 10.0 points in 14.3 minutes per game and making 66.7% of his field goal attempts.

Williams, who is more commonly known as Nate rather than Jeenathan, spent last season with the Rockets, first on a two-way deal and eventually on a standard contract. He got into 20 games, averaging 3.3 PPG and 0.7 RPG in 7.4 MPG, then was waived by Houston over the summer.

Watson also has some NBA experience, having appeared in nine games as a rookie last season for New York. The former Gonzaga forward, who was drafted 54th overall in 2024, spent most of the season on a two-way deal with the Celtics but was cut in March and was claimed by the Knicks.

Williams and Watson both played minor roles for the Lakers during the preseason.

All four players now appear on track to join the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate. They’ll earn bonuses worth $85,300 apiece if they spend at least 60 days with South Bay.

Los Angeles’ roster, meanwhile, now seems set for the regular season — it features 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. The Lakers don’t currently have room for a 15th standard contract due to the proximity of their team salary to a first-apron hard cap.

Magic Waive Four Players

October 18th, 2025 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic have cut four players as they prepare their roster for the regular season, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Guards Reece Beekman, Lester Quinones, and Javonte Smart were placed on waivers, along with forward Phillip Wheeler. They were four of the five Orlando players in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts — the fifth, center Colin Castleton, is having his deal converted into a two-way contract.

The Magic put out a press release (Twitter link) confirming all four cuts, as well as Castleton’s two-way conversion.

Beekman, Quinones, Smart, and Wheeler all have NBA experience, with Beekman and Quinones both appearing in double-digit games last season and finishing the year on an NBA roster.

Beekman made 36 total appearances for Golden State and Brooklyn, while Quinones played 13 times for Philadelphia and New Orleans. Smart and Wheeler didn’t finish the 2024/25 campaign under contract with a team, but Smart has made 18 regular season outings, while Wheeler saw the court in five games while on a 10-day deal with the Sixers last season.

However, unless they can find a new NBA home within the next couple days, all four players appear likely to open the 2025/26 season in the G League with the Osceola Magic, Orlando’s affiliate. Each of the four will receive a full $85,300 bonus if he spends at least 60 days with Osceola this season.

Orlando’s roster should now be set for the regular season — the team has 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Nembhard, Robinson-Earl, Coaching Staff

October 18th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

Cooper Flagg, the top pick in the draft, started at point guard in the Mavericks’ last two preseason games. Will head coach Jason Kidd keep him there? It’s uncertain, but Kidd liked what he saw, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.

“There’s a lot of good, positive stories here, and so we have some time to make a decision,” Kidd said. “But I think [Flagg] has done an incredible job of handling the situation of running the team. The other thing that I think is going unnoticed is that his teammates enjoy him running the team.”

Flagg averaged 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game across those two starts. The 6’8” forward struggled to defend the Lakers’ Gabe Vincent, who knocked down five three-pointers in the first five minutes on Wednesday.

“No matter if you’re 6-4, 6-2 or 6-8, when you’re in a pick-and-roll in this league against guys who know how to run the pick-and-roll, it’s hard,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “It becomes a two-man game, and we’ll get better at that. But [with] his competitiveness, he’s going to figure it out sooner than later, and the more he’s in these situations, I think the long run he’s going to benefit.”

Here’s more on the Mavs:

The summer addition of Ryan Nembhard on a two-way deal was met with little fanfare, but he could be part of the early-season rotation due to his strong preseason play, Afseth writes. Nembhard racked up 20 assists, compared to two turnovers, in 64 minutes. “He is steady,” Kidd said. “[He] understands how to play the game. Ryan is a point guard who sets the table. In the games that we have put him in a different rotation spot, he has had success finding guys. Even when we talk about misses, we’re getting great looks with him running the show. He is steady, gets us organized, and our pace does not drop off when he is at the point guard.”
The team waived Jeremiah Robinson-Earl on Thursday but not before he made a strong impression on Kidd. “When you talk about him being a pro — he should be on an NBA roster,” Kidd told Afseth. “When you look at what he does, he’s consistent. He comes to work every day and does his job. He can shoot it, he can pass it, he can defend. It’s really sad that he’s not on an NBA roster for whatever reason.”
The assistant coaching staff this season includes two former head coaches, Frank Vogel and Jay Triano, plus highly-respected Popeye Jones, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News notes. They were all added during the offseason, with Vogel sporting the reputation of being a defensive mastermind and Triano considered an offensive savant. “We feel that we have a championship staff that can compete at a high level to help our younger players become the stars that we all think they can become,” Kidd said. In an interview with The Athletic’s Dan Woike, Vogel recalls leading the Lakers to a championship in the Florida “bubble” during the COVID-19 season.

Hornets Sign, Waive Eric Dixon

October 18th, 2025 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

October 18: Ahead of the roster cutdown deadline, the Hornets have waived Dixon, they announced today (via Twitter).

October 8: The Hornets have filled the open spot on their 21-man preseason roster by signing rookie forward Eric Dixon, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Among this year’s draft-eligible players who went unselected in June, Dixon was the top prospect on ESPN’s big board, having been ranked 44th overall prior to the draft. The 6’8″ lefty led all Division I players in scoring in 2024/25, putting up 23.3 points per game on .451/.407/.813 shooting splits in 35 appearances for Villanova (34.8 MPG). He also chipped in 5.1 rebounds per contest en route to third-team All-American honors.

Dixon reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the Lakers after going undrafted, but when he officially joined the team a month later, it was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal. Health concerns were believed to be a factor there — Dixon wasn’t able to participate in Summer League due to a foot injury, and his contract with the Lakers included injury language related to his foot.

Still, after he was waived by the Lakers last month, it seemed like the plan would be for Dixon to join the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate. Whether that plan fell through or he got an offer from Charlotte that he liked more, the 24-year-old now seems more likely to end up with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League team, as an affiliate player.

Assuming Dixon got an Exhibit 10 contract from Charlotte, he could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his base G League salary if he’s waived by the Hornets and then spends at least 60 days with the Swarm. An Exhibit 10 deal could also be converted to a two-way contract prior to the start of the regular season, though all three of the Hornets’ two-way slots are currently filled.

Pacers Waive Gabe McGlothan, Jalen Slawson

October 18th, 2025 at 11:53am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have waived forwards Gabe McGlothan and Jalen Slawson, according to a team press release. In subsequent moves, Indiana signed guard Kyle Guy and forward Ray Spalding to Exhibit 10 contracts, with an eye toward having them join the Noblesville Boom.

McGlothan, who was signed to a camp deal last month, was on the Nuggets’ training camp roster in 2024 but was waived before opening night. He spent the season with the Grand Rapids Gold of the G League, averaging 8.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 42 games. McGlothan went undrafted after playing four collegiate seasons at Grand Canyon and was on Dallas’ Summer League roster this July.

Slawson, who joined the Pacers on a camp contract in early July, spent last season with the Osceola Magic in the G League. He appeared in 50 games at that level, averaging 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30.1 minutes per contest. The 25-year-old was on the Sixers’ Summer League squad in July.

Indiana’s intent to sign Guy was previously reported. The Boom acquired Spalding’s returning rights from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (the Rockets’ affiliate) in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick earlier this month.

McGlothan and Slawson will likely wind up with the Boom. All four players could earn bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with Indiana’s affiliate for at least 60 days.

Mavs Convert Moussa Cisse To Two-Way Deal

October 18th, 2025 at 11:50am CST by Dana Gauruder

11:50 am: The Mavericks have officially converted Cisse to a two-way contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he finishes the season on that deal.

10:27 am: The Mavericks are converting Moussa Cisse‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Cisse was signed in early July after going undrafted and obviously made a strong enough impression to earn a promotion.

The 6’11” Cisse will add a shot-blocking presence for the Mavericks, though he’ll likely spend a lot of time in the G League this season. The big man appeared in three preseason games and rejected seven shot attempts in 34 minutes.

Cisse started and ended his college career at Memphis, sandwiching stints with Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. The Guinean center blocked 1.7 shots per game in 150 career college contests despite averaging fewer than 20 minutes per game.

The addition of Cisse will round out the team’s two-way slots. Guards Ryan Nembhard and Miles Kelly possess the other two-way deals.

Warriors Waive Seth Curry, LJ Cryer

October 18th, 2025 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have made a pair of cuts, announcing in a press release that they’ve placed guards Seth Curry and LJ Cryer on waivers (Twitter link).

The decision to waive Curry, who was in camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, had been expected. While Golden State reportedly wants to have Stephen Curry‘s brother on its roster, the team is hard-capped at the second tax apron and isn’t currently in position to carry a 15th man.

The younger Curry is expected to return to the team at some point within the first couple months of the season, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. The Warriors could bring the 12-year veteran back by mid-November but could opt to wait a little longer than that in order to give themselves a little additional flexibility below their hard cap for the rest of the season.

Cryer, meanwhile, had a solid preseason with Golden State, averaging 5.0 points, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game across five outings. It seemed as if the undrafted rookie out of Houston might be making a case for a two-way deal, but today’s move suggests the plan is likely for him to join the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, assuming he clears waivers.

Cryer would earn a bonus worth $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with Santa Cruz.

The Warriors now have 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Bulls’ Zach Collins Undergoes Wrist Surgery, Out At Least One Month

October 18th, 2025 at 11:39am CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls big man Zach Collins underwent surgery on Friday to repair a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist, the team announced (Twitter link). He’ll be reevaluated in four weeks.

Collins, 27, was projected to be Nikola Vucevic‘s primary backup at center, so Chicago’s frontcourt depth will be significantly impacted by his injury during the early going.

Collins was included in the three-team blockbuster trade last February among the Bulls, Spurs and Kings. That was the deal in which Zach LaVine wound up in Sacramento and De’Aaron Fox headed to San Antonio.

He appeared in 28 games, including eight starts, after the deal and averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.7 minutes per game. Collins has appeared in 378 regular season games over the course of a career that began in Portland during the 2017/18 season.

Collins has an $18.1MM expiring contract, which figures to make him a trade candidate this season.

Pelicans Waive Christian Shumate

October 18th, 2025 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Camp invitee Christian Shumate has been waived by the Pelicans, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Shumate went undrafted this June after spending his final four college seasons at McNeese State. While the 6’6″ forward made just 26.9% of his three-pointers and 51.2% on free throws over the course of his college career, he was an All-Southland selection in each of his four years with the Cowboys and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025.

In 35 games as a senior last season, Shumate averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 27.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .623/.309/.423. He helped the Cowboys reach the NCAA tournament for the second straight year — they upset Clemson in the first round before falling to Purdue.

Shumate made three appearances during the preseason for the Pelicans, averaging 4.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 6.1 MPG. His next step will likely be the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate. He’ll earn a $50K bonus on top of his base G League salary if he spends at least 60 days with the Squadron.

The Pelicans now have 18 players under contract — 14 on guaranteed deals, Jaden Springer on an Exhibit 9 agreement, and three on two-way contracts.