Jazz Sign, Waive Dane Goodwin
SEPTEMBER 25: The Jazz have waived Goodwin, the club announced in a press release. The move opens up a spot on Utah’s preseason roster and lines Goodwin up to play for the Salt Lake City Stars this fall.
SEPTEMBER 23: The Jazz have signed guard Dane Goodwin, according to a team press release. Terms were not released but it’s likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal.
Goodwin spent last season with the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League, appearing in 26 regular season games (14 starts), averaging 7.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 22.3 minutes per contest. Goodwin, who made 43.8% of his three-points for Stockton, also played on the Kings’ Summer League squad in July.
The Salt Lake City Stars recently acquired his G League rights from the Stockton Kings, lining him up to be a returning rights player for Utah’s NBAGL team.
Goodwin went undrafted out of Notre Dame last year. He played five seasons with the Fighting Irish, appearing in 158 games (94 starts) and averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 30.5 minutes per outing.
Assuming Goodwin is on an Exhibit 10 deal, he will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Jazz’s G League affiliate.
Timberwolves Sign Guard Trevor Keels
SEPTEMBER 25: The Timberwolves have officially signed Keels, the team confirmed in a press release. The Wolves also formally confirmed three other recent signings.
SEPTEMBER 24: The Timberwolves have agreed to a contract with Trevor Keels, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
The 21-year-old guard played three games for the Knicks in 2022/23. Keels, who was the 42nd overall pick of the 2022 draft out of Duke, was waived by New York after his rookie campaign.
Keels participated in Minnesota’s training camp last season but he was waived before the opener. He spent the season with Minnesota’s G League club, the Iowa Wolves, where he averaged 13.5 points and 3.7 assists per game.
Terms of the contract have not been disclosed but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 contract. Assuming that’s what Keels signs, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spend at least 60 days with Iowa again.
Knicks Notes: Sims, Hypothetical Trades, Bridges
With Mitchell Robinson sidelined for the start of the regular season, Jericho Sims will likely be in the Knicks’ rotation unless they make a trade. Sims is taking steps to earn Tom Thibodeau‘s trust and another NBA contract, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
Sims has been at the Knicks training facility since mid-August under the tutelage of assistant coach Mark Bryant, who specializes in developing frontcourt talent, Bondy writes.
Sims, who will be a free agent after the season, had a healthy and productive offseason after rehabbing the last two summers from surgeries to his thumb and shoulder. The 2021 second-round pick appeared in 45 games, including 11 starts, last season.
We have more on the Knicks:
- After naming Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart as a potential trade target to fortify the middle. James Edwards III of The Athletic explores three hypothetical trades the Knicks could make, including one that sees the Knicks acquire Stewart and two future second-round picks from Detroit for Robinson, Miles McBride, and the 2025 first-round pick the Pistons already owe them. Edwards also considers what potential trade packages for Utah’s Walker Kessler and Charlotte’s Nick Richards might look like.
- Mikal Bridges is surprised he’s been part of two blockbuster deals in the last two years. “I would’ve thought I was the last person to be traded all the time,” Bridges told Spencer Davies of RG.org. “It kinda started when I was in Phoenix. I thought I probably never was gonna leave Phoenix. Being the type of player I am, I feel like I’m kinda in a glue role usually a team would trade for or would trade to give up [a lot]. But once that starts, once you get traded once, now it’s like it’s gonna be continuous. But hopefully, things go great [in New York] and I don’t gotta keep moving teams.”
- What does the Knicks’ roster look like heading into camp? Get the details here.
Pacers GM Hoping To Retain Turner Beyond This Season
The Pacers are hoping to re-sign starting center Myles Turner next offseason, general manager Chad Buchanan told the media on Tuesday.
“We’re big believers in Myles,” Buchanan said. “We want him to be here.”
Turner, who will make $19,928,500 this season, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Complicating matters for Indiana is that Turner will not become extension-eligible before free agency.
As Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star points out, when Turner signed a two-year contract extension in January 2023, he and the Pacers also renegotiated of the final year of his previous contract. Typically, players become extension-eligible on the two-year anniversary of their previous signing, but renegotiating a contract pushes that timeline to three years.
The Pacers will have a small window after the NBA Finals to negotiate with Turner before other teams can come calling, thanks to a new rule allowing teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents between the end of the Finals and June 30.
Turner is an impact player at both ends of the floor. He averaged 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game last season. He has led the league in blocks twice and is also a respectable three-point shooter (35.4% for his career).
“His development fit with (coach Rick Carlisle’s) system,” Buchanan said. “He fit with our point guards. Fit with Pascal. You see how he seamlessly fits into the way we play.”
Re-signing Turner may not be a simple process, as Indiana has long-term salary cap concerns. Tyrese Haliburton and Siakam are on maximum-salary contracts, while forward Obi Toppin and guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell each signed long-term deals worth eight figures annually this offseason.
The Pacers will likely have to exceed the luxury tax threshold in 2025/26 to pay Turner market value and retain their core group.
Kawhi Leonard Underwent Knee Procedure This Offseason
Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard underwent a procedure on his right knee in the offseason, Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic report (Twitter link).
It’s a troubling development as the Clippers head into training camp. Leonard will be limited in training camp, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank isn’t sure if Leonard will be ready to play by the season opener. But Frank also indicated during a press conference on Tuesday that he expects Leonard to have a “great year” and that his star forward feels he’s trending in the right direction (Twitter links here).
Leonard was sidelined at the end of the 2023/24 season due to right knee inflammation. He missed the last eight games of the regular season and first game of the playoffs due to the ailment. The 33-year-old returned for Game 2 and Game 3 vs. Dallas, then sat out the final three contests of the Clippers’ first-round loss.
Leonard was on Team USA’s roster but was replaced shortly before the Paris Olympics due to health concerns.
Leonard averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 34.3 minutes per game last season. He started 68 regular season games, the most he’s appeared in since he started 74 games for San Antonio in the 2016/17 season. He signed a three-year max extension with the Clippers in January.
Heat Sign Nassir Little To Non-Guaranteed Contract
SEPTEMBER 24: The Heat have officially signed Little, the team announced today in a press release.
According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), Little’s one-year contract is fully non-guaranteed.
SEPTEMBER 23: Nassir Little has agreed to a one-year contract with the Heat, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets.
The free agent forward had worked out for a number of other teams, including the Celtics, Warriors and Kings.
The Heat already have 14 players on fully guaranteed deals, plus others on training camp or non-guaranteed contracts. They have major luxury tax considerations and would surpass the second tax apron threshold by carrying a 15th man, so it remains to be seen what kind of contract Miami offered. It’s likely to be a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed deal.
Little, 24, has been a free agent since Phoenix waived him late last month. The combo forward appeared in 45 games for the Suns last season, making two starts and posting 3.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per night. The former No. 25 overall pick spent his first four NBA seasons in Portland before coming to Phoenix in a three-team trade last September.
Hornets’ Soriano, Pelicans’ Robinson, Two Cavs Among Tuesday’s Cuts
The Hornets have waived Joel Soriano, according to the NBA.com official transaction log. Soriano was on an Exhibit 10 contract, which he signed earlier this month.
A 6’10” center, Soriano went undrafted in June after finishing his college career at St. John’s. The big man averaged a double-double (14.5 points, 10.7 rebounds) in 66 games during his final two college seasons while also chipping in 1.6 blocks and 1.4 assists in 29.3 minutes per contest.
Soriano could receive a bonus worth up to $77.5K after he clears waivers, then spends at least 60 days with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s G League affiliate.
Here are a few more of the latest cuts from around the league:
- After announcing earlier today that they’ve signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Pelicans have already waived Galen Robinson Jr., per NBA.com’s transaction log. The Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate, holds Robinson’s returning rights, so the quick sign-and-waive transaction was simply designed to get him an Exhibit 10 bonus (worth up to $77.5K) on top of his standard G League salary if he spends at least 60 days with the Squadron this season.
- Shortly after signing them to Exhibit 10 contracts, the Cavaliers have waived Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Gabe Osabuohien, according to the transaction log at NBA.com. The cuts had been expected, since today’s reporting indicated that Cleveland had agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with six players but only had room to bring four of them to training camp. Tomlin and Osabuohien figure to open the season with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Pistons Announce Coaching Staff Under Bickerstaff
The Pistons have officially announced new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s staff via a press release.
Luke Walton, Sidney Lowe, Fred Vinson, Vitaly Potapenko, Kevin Burleson, Jerome Allen and Josh Estes have been named as assistants.
Walton’s decision to join Bickerstaff was reported in mid-July. The former Kings and Lakers head coach comes to Detroit after spending the last two seasons in Cleveland on Bickerstaff’s staff. Lowe’s decision to join Bickerstaff was also revealed in July. This will be his third stint in Detroit, where he served as an assistant during the 2005/06 season and again from 2018 to 2021.
Vinson was hired in June prior to the Pistons’ decision to fire Monty Williams with five years remaining on his contract. Vinson spent 14 years with the Pelicans organization and is highly regarded for his expertise as a shooting instructor.
Potapenko spent the last six years with Memphis, while Burleson had been the head coach of the Rockets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the last two seasons. Allen was a candidate for the head coaching job after Williams’ dismissal and spent two seasons on Dwane Casey‘s staff in Detroit. He served as a pro personnel scout for the Celtics last season.
Estes spent the last four seasons as a coaching analyst and analytics coordinator in Cleveland under Bickerstaff.
Suns Sign Tyrese Samuel To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Suns have signed Tyrese Samuel to an Exhibit 10 contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.
Phoenix’s intention to sign Samuel was reported shortly after he went undrafted out of Florida. He saw action in four Las Vegas Summer League contests with the Suns.
Samuel, a 6’10” All-SEC big man, spent his first four collegiate seasons at Seton Hall before transferring to the Gators in 2023/24. He scored 13.9 points per game on 56.4% field goal shooting and 56.2% foul shooting. He also averaged 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest.
Samuel will be eligible for a bonus up to $77.5K if he’s waived and the spends at least 60 days with the Valley Suns, Phoenix’s G League club.
Cavs Adding Four Players To Fortify Camp Roster
The Cavaliers have agreed to training camp deals with Pete Nance, Jules Bernard, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Gabe Osabuohien, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Cleveland had 17 players, including two-way contracts, on its roster. If the Cavs don’t make any additional moves after finalizing these newly reported deals, they’ll have a full 21-man roster entering training camp.
Nance is a familiar name to Cavs fans. He finished last season on a two-way contract with Cleveland and also played on the Cavs’ Summer League team. The 24-year-old forward appeared in eight Cavs games last season.
Bernard, a 24-year-old guard, played 19 games for the Wizards last season on a two-way contract. The Cleveland Charge, the team’s NBA G League squad, recently acquired his returning rights.
Tomlin is an undrafted rookie forward out of Memphis. Osabuohien, another forward, has spent the last two seasons with the Charge.