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Nets Waive Grant Nelson, Hunter Cattoor

October 18th, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Forward Grant Nelson and guard Hunter Cattoor, who had been on Exhibit 10 contracts with the Nets, have been waived, the team announced today (Twitter link via Keith Smith of Spotrac).

The moves had been expected, since Nelson and Cattoor are considered likely to end up with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate. They each be eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with Long Island.

Nelson, a 6’11” power forward, went undrafted in June. The 23-year-old played his first three college seasons at North Dakota State before transferring to Alabama for his final two years. He averaged 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a super-senior in 2024/25

Cattoor played five college seasons for Virginia Tech prior to going undrafted in 2024. The 24-year-old guard spent last season with BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque in France’s top basketball league, averaging 8.5 points while shooting 37.2% from long distance in 25 games.

Even after today’s cuts, Brooklyn’s roster isn’t quite ready for the regular season. The team is still carrying 16 players on standard contracts, including 14 on guaranteed deals. Someone will need to be traded or waived by Monday in order to set the opening night roster. The Nets are operating right around the NBA’s minimum salary floor and will want to make sure they end up above that threshold before the season begins so that they don’t forward their end-of-season luxury tax payment.

The Nets also still have a two-way slot open, but none of their current 16 players are eligible to be converted to that opening without passing through waivers first.

Knicks Waive Garrison Mathews, Alex Len, Matt Ryan

October 18th, 2025 at 4:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

As expected, veteran guard Garrison Mathews was cut by the Knicks, the team announced (via Twitter). New York has also waived Alex Len and Matt Ryan.

Mathews signed a non-guaranteed contract last month, as did Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet, with the understanding that the team was only able to keep one of them due to financial limitations. Brogdon announced his retirement on Wednesday, so Shamet appears to have earned the roster spot.

A report on Friday stated that Mathews has been impressive since training camp opened, but the Knicks didn’t have the ability to fit two veteran salaries on their roster without trading someone away. Shamet played for New York last season and was considered the front-runner to make the team.

The report also states that Mathews is likely to draw interest from teams that need outside shooting help now that he’s on waivers. He has been with three teams in his six NBA seasons and shot 39% from three-point range with Atlanta last season.

Len and Ryan both signed with the Knicks in mid-September, with Len getting an Exhibit 9 contract and Ryan receiving an Exhibit 10 deal. Both were considered long shots to make the team, but Ryan may wind up with New York’s G League affiliate.

It looks like the last available roster spot will go to rookie small forward Mohamed Diawara, who was selected with the 51st pick in this year’s draft. That had been expected due to the Knicks’ cap limitations — Diawara’s rookie minimum salary will allow the team to remain below their hard cap.

With Shamet and Diawara filling the 13th and 14th spots on New York’s roster, the team will have to wait until early April to add a 15th man, unless it makes a cost-cutting trade before then.

Wolves’ Juzang Gets Two-Way Deal; Newton Among Cuts

October 18th, 2025 at 4:14pm CST by Luke Adams

4:14 pm: As expected, the Timberwolves confirmed in a press release that they’ve waived Newton, Johnson, Pullin, and Bernard. The team put out a separate announcement confirming Juzang’s conversion to a two-way deal.

3:34 pm: The Timberwolves are converting Johnny Juzang from his Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal on the heels of his strong preseason, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Juzang, who signed with Minnesota in September after being waived by Utah in June, put up 13.8 points in just 17.6 minutes per game in five preseason appearances for the team. His shooting line was a scorching .500/.483/.833, and he also grabbed 4.2 rebounds per contest.

The Timberwolves didn’t have a two-way spot open for Juzang, so the club has to make a cut. Tristen Newton is the odd man out and will be waived, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link).

Newton, the 49th pick in the 2024 draft, accepted his two-way qualifying offer in September after spending his rookie year on a two-way deal. A 6’5″ guard, Newton was much quieter during the preseason than Juzang, averaging 5.2 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game while shooting 38.9% from the floor.

Newton isn’t the only Timberwolf being cut ahead of the season. Veteran forward Alize Johnson is also being placed on waivers, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Camp invitees Zyon Pullin and Jules Bernard, who are also on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, seem likely to be waived too, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet.

Sixers Cut MarJon Beauchamp, Four Other Players

October 18th, 2025 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have made a series of roster cuts as they ready their roster for the regular season. According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), forwards MarJon Beauchamp, Malcolm Hill, and Saint Thomas have been waived, as has guard Kennedy Chandler.

Philadelphia also signed and waived former Memphis Tigers forward DeAndre Williams, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports.

Beauchamp is the most notable name of the bunch — the 25-year-old was the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft and has appeared in 135 regular season games over the past three seasons, mostly with Milwaukee.

All five players had signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the 76ers are expected to join the Delaware Blue Coats for the start of the G League season, per Neubeck. They’ll be eligible to earn bonuses on top of their standard NBAGL salaries as long as they spend at least 60 days with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate.

While those bonuses can be worth a maximum of $85,300, which is what Beauchamp and Hill would receive, not all of these players would earn quite that much by spending two-plus months with the Blue Coats. Chandler and Thomas agreed to bonuses worth $42,650, half of the maximum amount, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Having made those cuts, Philadelphia is now carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. The team’s roster looks set for opening night.

Amir Coffey To Make Bucks’ Regular Season Roster

October 18th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Rory Maher

Amir Coffey has survived a roster crunch in Milwaukee, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran wing will make the Bucks‘ regular season roster.

A 6’7″ guard/forward, Coffey had spent his entire NBA career with the Clippers prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. In 72 games last season, the 28-year-old averaged 9.7 points on .471/.409/.891 shooting in 24.3 minutes per contest.

Coffey appeared in four preseason games with Milwaukee this fall, averaging 3.3 PPG in 11.4 MPG.

Coffey, who is entering his seventh season, signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal with the Bucks in August — that contract will be converted to a standard non-guaranteed deal.

The news means that the Bucks will likely be waiving either Andre Jackson Jr. or Tyler Smith ahead of the 2025/26 regular season. Both players are owed guaranteed money — Jackson has an $800K partial guarantee, while Smith is owed approximately $1.96MM — so the team technically doesn’t have to release either player for a couple days. Monday is the deadline for teams to set their regular season rosters.

The 36th overall pick of the 2023 draft, former UConn wing Jackson averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game across 67 appearances last season, including 43 starts. Smith, the No. 33 overall pick of last year’s draft, appeared in 23 NBA games as a rookie last season, averaging just 5.3 minutes per night.

For what it’s worth, Jackson appeared in all four of Milwaukee’s preseason games in 2025, while Smith appeared in two.

Pacers Waive Cameron Payne, Two Others

October 18th, 2025 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

3:36 pm: The Pacers have officially waived Payne, the team confirmed in a press release. Recent signees Kyle Guy and Ray Spalding, who are ticketed for the Noblesville Boom in the G League, have also been cut, per the Pacers.

According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), the team is still weighing its options at the back of the roster, including whether to keep all of its centers or potentially add another point guard.

2:47 pm: Cameron Payne won’t make the Pacers‘ regular season roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), who reports that the team plans to waive the veteran point guard.

After initially targeting Monte Morris this fall for a training camp deal, Indiana pivoted to Delon Wright, who was injured during the preseason, prompting the club to sign Payne last week as a replacement.

A 10-year NBA veteran who has earned regular playing time in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York in recent years, Payne had a potential path to a roster spot on a Pacers team that will be without star Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles tear) for the entire 2025/26 season and is also currently missing T.J. McConnell (hamstring).

However, Payne didn’t stand out over the course of three preseason games, shooting just 28.6% from the field and registering nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (seven). After getting a start in his first preseason outing as a Pacer, the 31-year-old came off the bench in the last two and was behind rookie guard (and preseason standout) Taelon Peter in the rotation on Friday.

Payne was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, so waiving him won’t leave any dead money on the Pacers’ cap. Indiana is now in position to keep center Tony Bradley, who is on a standard non-guaranteed contract, assuming the team plans to carry a full 15-man standard roster into opening night.

Rockets Waive Carey, Council, Hunter, Matthews

October 18th, 2025 at 3:33pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets announced on Saturday that they have waived four players on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

The four players — all of whom could be headed to the G League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers — are Vernon Carey Jr., Ricky Council IV, Tyrese Hunter and Cameron Matthews.

Hunter, a 6’0″ guard, and Matthews, a 6’7″ forward, went undrafted earlier this year out of Memphis and Mississippi State, respectively.

As a senior last season, Hunter averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 32 games (34.0 MPG), posting a shooting line of .415/.401/.774. Matthews, meanwhile, averaged 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 29.4 minutes per game across 34 appearances as a fifth-year senior.

Council holds recent NBA experience, having spent the past two years with the 76ers, who waived him in late July. The 24-year-old wing was expected to land with the Nets, but that deal fell through, and he wound up signing a training camp deal with Houston on Friday.

Carey, a former second-round pick, holds three years of NBA experience. However, he has been out of the league for the past two seasons, most recently suiting up for Karşıyaka Basket in Turkey during the 2023/24 campaign.

Houston’s roster appears to be set for the regular season, with 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and all three two-way spots filled. Barring a cost-cutting trade, the Rockets can’t add a 15th standard player until later in the season due to their financial situation — they’re hard-capped at the first apron and only about $1.25MM below that threshold.

Kings Notes: Westbrook, Sabonis, Carter, Murray

October 18th, 2025 at 3:12pm CST by Rory Maher

The Kings signaled throughout the offseason that they wanted to create an opening in their backcourt before signing a veteran point guard, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

However, as Fischer details, Sacramento’s front office was seemingly underwhelmed with the team’s point guard depth during training camp and preseason, and decided to sign Russell Westbrook without making another roster move. Westbrook’s minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed.

According to Fischer, head coach Doug Christie is a fan of Westbrook’s toughness and all-out playing style. The nine-time All-Star was also praised by new GM Scott Perry when the signing was announced on Thursday.

The Kings will formally introduce Westbrook as a member of the team at a press conference on Sunday, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Here are a few more notes and rumors on the Kings:

Star center Domantas Sabonis has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in one week, the team announced today (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). The injury means Sabonis will miss — at minimum — Sacramento’s first two regular season games. The Lithuanian big man suffered the hamstring injury on Wednesday.
Despite being a lottery pick (No. 13 overall) a year ago, second-year guard Devin Carter seems likely to be moved at some point in the future, according to Fischer, who points out that the former Providence star was involved in trade rumors through the summer and was drafted by the previous front office regime. Carter, whose rookie season was delayed after he underwent shoulder surgery last summer, struggled in four preseason games this fall, averaging 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 15.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .375/.100/.500. The Kings picked up his third-year option a few days ago, locking in Carter’s $5.16MM salary for ’26/27.
Several rival teams were surprised that Sacramento made such a lucrative long-term commitment to Keegan Murray, Fischer adds. The Kings formally signed Murray on Thursday to a five-year rookie scale extension that is reportedly worth $140MM. According to Fischer, many players — both free agents and extension candidates — have been struggling to land contracts north of $25MM per year; Murray’s new deal, which begins in 2026/27, will pay him $28MM annually. The 25-year-old forward will likely be out until at least mid-November after undergoing thumb surgery earlier this week.

Grizzlies Waive Nate Hinton, DeJon Jarreau, Braxton Key

October 18th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Grizzlies have set their regular season roster by waiving swingman Nate Hinton, guard DeJon Jarreau, and forward Braxton Key, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Hinton and Jarreau both signed with Memphis within the past couple days, whereas Key was with the team for all of training camp and the preseason. Key appeared in just one of the Grizzlies’ preseason games, contributing eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

All three players were on Exhibit 10 contracts and seem likely to end up with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League team. Assuming they spend at least 60 days with the Hustle, Hinton, Jarreau, and Key will receive bonuses worth up to $85,300 on top of their standard G League salaries.

The Grizzlies had been carrying a full 21-man preseason roster. This series of cuts moves that number to 18.

With 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, Memphis will have a full roster to open the season and will need to lean on its depth early. The club is already dealing with a series of injuries — the latest blow was to the backcourt, where Scotty Pippen Jr. will reportedly be sidelined into the new year after undergoing toe surgery.

Mavs Sign, Waive Three Players

October 18th, 2025 at 2:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:49 pm: The Mavericks have waived Cross, Sharp, and Smith, according to the team (Twitter link), lining up the trio to join the Legends.

9:45 am: The Mavericks have signed forward Matt Cross, center Jamarion Sharp and guard Zhaire Smith, the team’s PR department tweets.

Cross finished his college career at SMU last season after playing at Massachusetts (2022-24), Louisville (2021-22) and Miami (FL) (2020-21). In his only season with the Mustangs, Cross averaged 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals through 34 games (31 starts). He went undrafted in June.

The 7’5” Sharp appeared in 29 games –including 18 starts — with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate, last season. He averaged 6.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks in 21.6 minutes per contest. This past summer he played for the Mavericks’ Summer League team for the second straight year, averaging, 2.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.8 BPG in 16.1 MPG. His agreement with the Mavs was reported last month.

Smith appeared in 14 games (12 starts) for the Texas Legends last season, averaging 20.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Smith began the 2024/25 season with the Cleveland Charge, with hom he averaged 6.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 1.1 APG through 13 games (four starts).

Smith played two seasons with the Sixers after being drafted in the first round in 2018. Smith’s career got derailed early on due to a broken foot, followed by a life-threatening allergic reaction to sesame that left him forced to use a feeding tube.

It’s likely all three signed Exhibit 10 contracts and will wind up playing for the Legends. They can receive bonuses worth up to $85.300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.