Southwest Notes: Castle, Eisley, Thompson, Rockets Preseason, China
Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Stephon Castle, will make his preseason debut on Monday, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News reports.
Castle missed the Spurs‘ first three preseason contests with a right knee contusion. He suffered the injury during the team’s Oct. 4 Silver & Black scrimmage after banging knees with Victor Wembanyama.
With De’Aaron Fox expected to be sidelined at the beginning of the regular season, Castle is projected to be the Spurs’ opening-night starter at point guard.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavericks have hired Howard Eisley as a scout, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Eisley was an assistant for Michigan under previous head coach Juwan Howard. He has also been an assistant coach with the Knicks, Wizards and Clippers.
- Klay Thompson was assigned to guard Hornets point man LaMelo Ball during a preseason game, but Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd indicated the team can’t expect the 35-year-old wing to take on those matchups on a regular basis. “Melo’s a little different because he can score and pass,” Kidd said, per Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal. “But we thought looking at that (Saturday) was something we needed to see. Making it tough on Melo isn’t easy — he’s gonna have the ball 90% of the time. But I thought Klay did a good job. He can still compete at that level at this stage of his career. We’re not going to ask him to do it every night, but (Saturday) he showed he can compete.”
- The Rockets wrap up their preseason schedule with games on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Playing time and rotations in the next two games will be more reflective of what they want to implement in the regular season, according to Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle. Starters will have their minutes increased to the mid-20s and 30-range, and the team will utilize more sophisticated schemes.
- The Mavericks and Rockets will play a preseason game in China next year, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Mavs governor Patrick Dumont confirmed via the South China Morning Post that Dallas will participate in next season’s NBA China Games. “Yes, the Mavericks and the Rockets, here in Macau next year. Are you ready?” Dumont said.
Bulls Waive Mouhamadou Gueye
The Bulls have waived Mouhamadou Gueye, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link).
Gueye has 11 games of NBA experience, all with the Raptors in 2023/24. Gueye, who went undrafted out of Pitt in 2022, joined the Raptors on a 10-day deal in February 2024 and a two-way contract that March. He averaged 2.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 10.9 minutes per contest during those NBA appearances.
Gueye was on the Wizards’ camp roster last season, then was waived before opening night. He averaged 10 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game over 34 contests for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League club.
Having signed an Exhibit 10 deal in early September, Gueye will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he joins the Windy City Bulls and spends at least 60 days with that team, Chicago’s G League affiliate.
Grizzlies Add Charlie Brown Jr., Waive Tyler Burton
The Grizzlies have signed guard Charlie Brown Jr. and waived forward Tyler Burton, according to a team press release.
Memphis’ intent to sign Brown was reported last month.
Brown was sent to Charlotte last October as part of the three-team trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. The 28-year-old was waived before the start of the season and played for the Raptors 905 in the G League, where he averaged 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 21 regular season contests and tied a league record with nine steals in a game.
Brown has appeared in 49 NBA games with five teams since going undrafted out of St. Joseph’s in 2019. However, his only NBA action since 2022 came during an eight-game stint with the Knicks on a two-way contract in 2023/24.
Assuming Brown signed an Exhibit 10 contract — the Grizzlies already have 15 players on guaranteed deals — he’ll be able to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with the G League’s Memphis Hustle.
Burton was signed to a camp deal in early September. He spent last season with the Hustle, appearing in eight games and averaging 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12 minutes per night. He played three years at Richmond and two years at Villanova before going undrafted in 2024.
He’ll likely return to the Hustle with the possibility of collecting his Exhibit 10 bonus. He’s considered a returning-rights player.
Thunder Sign Payton Sandfort, Waive Viktor Lakhin
The Thunder have added wing Payton Sandfort to their camp roster, the team announced. In a corresponding move, they have waived Viktor Lakhin, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.
An undrafted rookie out of Iowa, Sandfort appeared in 33 games (all starts) for the Hawkeyes last season and averaged 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 31.9 minutes per game. Sandfort appeared in 134 games with Iowa over a four-year span and started regularly the past two seasons.
It was reported shortly after the draft that Sandfort would sign an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City — that has finally come to fruition.
It’s likely Sandfort will be waived and then join the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League team. He would be in line for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he stays with that club for at least 60 days.
Lakhin was signed on Sunday to a camp deal.
Lakhin, who ranked third on ESPN’s list of 2025 prospects among players who weren’t drafted, played three college seasons at Cincinnati prior to transferring to Clemson for his senior year. In 34 games for the Tigers in 2024/25, the Russian big man averaged 11.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.5 blocks in 23.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .507/.375/.696.
However, Lahkin sustained a torn tendon in his left foot in May. The 6’11” forward/center will also likely wind up with the Blue.
Taran Armstrong Signs With Dubai Basketball
October 10: Dubai Basketball has officially announced its deal with Armstrong. According to the team, the contract is for one year, with an option on year two.
October 8: Australian point guard Taran Armstrong, who signed a two-way contract with the Warriors late last season, has agreed to a contract with Dubai Basketball in the EuroLeague, ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reports.
It’s a two-year deal that includes an NBA exit clause for the 2026 offseason, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.
Armstrong didn’t appear in a Warriors game after signing a two-way contract in late February. He played 11 games for their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, and averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 28.5 minutes per contest.
Golden State issued Armstrong a two-way qualifying offer in June and it was still on the table as of October 1, the deadline for him to accept it. Since Armstrong signed with a non-NBA team, the Warriors have the ability to continue issuing him qualifying offers in future seasons to retain his restricted free agent rights, as they’ve done with Nico Mannion in recent years.
The Serbian club KK Partizan was also reportedly interested in signing Armstrong. The 23-year-old, who played for the Warriors’ Summer League team, joins a Dubai Basketball team that made its debut in the EuroLeague in late September with an 89-76 win over Partizan.
Armstrong played for the Cairns Taipans in Australia’s National Basketball League before joining the Warriors. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for that club.
Dubai Basketball’s roster also includes former NBA players Davis Bertans, Dwayne Bacon and Justin Anderson.
And-Ones: Westbrook, Durant, WNBA Coaches, Caboclo, Fournier, More
Russell Westbrook remains an unsigned free agent and Rockets forward Kevin Durant wouldn’t mind a reunion with his former teammate, he said on the “Up & Adams” show (video link).
“Russ is a legend. He deserves to be in the NBA right now,” Durant said. “I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his terms. That would be dope.”
If Westbrook is signed in the short term, it won’t be with the Rockets. They’re hard-capped and can’t sign a veteran right now, even if it’s a minimum contract.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- There are five current openings for WNBA head coaches. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) hears that several of those teams are considering NBA assistant coaches with G League head coaching experience for those positions. Fischer notes that Nate Tibbets had that type of background and is the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, who are currently in the WNBA Finals. Former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase guided Golden State’s WNBA franchise to a winning record in the team’s inaugural season, earning Coach of the Year honors.
- Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Bruno Caboclo will miss several months of action after undergoing back surgery, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports. The NBA veteran big man joined the Reds ahead of last season and appeared in 23 games, including three starts, averaging 7.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Caboclo, 30, appeared in 105 NBA games, mostly recently a six-game stint with Houston during the 2020/21 season.
- Longtime NBA forward Evan Fournier would like to finish his career with Olympiacos, he said in a recent TV interview as relayed by Askounis. “I feel very good here and I want to finish my career here,” he said, “I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but for me that’s the goal.” Fournier signed a three-year extension in July. Fournier appeared in 704 regular season games throughout his NBA career, making 504 starts and averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.7 minutes per night.
- ESPN’s Kevin Pelton has unveiled his win total projections for each NBA team, from the Thunder (59.2) at the top to the Wizards (14.2) at the bottom.
Pacers Sign Cameron Payne, Waive Delon Wright
The Pacers have signed veteran point guard Cameron Payne and waived Delon Wright, the team announced in a press release.
Payne, who appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks last season, was one of the top free agents still on the market. Payne was signed to a training camp contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Payne averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night last season with .401/.363/.907 shooting numbers. He scored 14 points off the bench and was a plus-23 overall in the opener of the Knicks’ first-round series against Detroit. However, his shooting numbers declined throughout the playoffs, and he was removed from the rotation during the Eastern Conference Finals.
The New York Post reported last month the Knicks were not interested in re-signing him.
Payne was selected by Oklahoma City with the 14th pick in the 2015 draft. He was traded to Chicago at the 2017 deadline and later spent time with Cleveland, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Philadelphia before signing with New York. He has appeared in 477 regular season games.
Ironically, Payne and Wright were teammates with the Knicks. Wright began last season with the Bucks before being traded to the Knicks ahead of the deadline. He averaged 3.1 points per game across 40 appearances with both teams and was a bit more productive in New York, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 assists per night and making six playoff appearances. Wright has appeared in 548 regular season contests for 10 different NBA teams in a career that also began in 2015.
Wright was signed to an Exhibit 9 contract late last month. Exhibit 9 deals are standard, non-guaranteed contracts that protect an NBA team in the event that a player suffers a significant injury in training camp.
He played four minutes in the team’s preseason opener on Tuesday but was forced to exit after a head-to-head collision.
Pelicans Sign, Waive D.J. Carton, Trhae Mitchell
7:00 pm: The Pelicans have waived both Carton and Mitchell, per NBA.com’s official transaction log, putting them on track to join the Squadron.
9:17 am: The Pelicans have signed D.J. Carton and Trhae Mitchell to Exhibit 10 contracts, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.
New Orleans had two openings on its training camp roster after waiving a pair of players earlier in the week.
Carton, who was on Portland’s Summer League roster in July, opened last season with the Raptors on a two-way contract, but was waived in December.
Across parts of two seasons with the Raptors, Carton appeared in eight NBA games, logging just 69 total minutes. The 6’3″ guard has compiled 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals with a .267/.143/.833 shooting line during his limited NBA minutes.
Carton appeared in 22 G League contests with the Raptors 905 and the San Diego Clippers last season, averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per game.
Mitchell was on New Orleans’ camp roster last season. He appeared in 50 games for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, after being waived by the NBA club and averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.8 minutes per contest.
Both players will likely be waived and join the Squadron. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.
Pistons Sign, Waive Feron Hunt
October 8: Hunt has been waived, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. His next stop figures to be the G League with the Cruise.
October 7: The Pistons have added Feron Hunt on a training camp contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Detroit had an opening on its camp roster.
The SMU product appeared in two games with the Knicks as a rookie in 2021/22. Otherwise, Hunt has mainly spent his pro career in the G League with a stop in Montenegro along the way.
Last season, Hunt appeared in 32 regular season games with the Cleveland Charge, posting averages of 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 35.2 minutes per contest. Overall, he played 48 games for the Charge, averaging 15.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.1 BPG.
Hunt, a 6’8” forward, also played for the G League United squad in the Intercontinental Cup last month.
It’s safe to assume Hunt will be waived with the intent of joining Detroit’s G League club, the Motor City Cruise. Assuming he signed an Exhibit 10 deal, which is likely, Hunt will be eligible for a bonus up to $85,300 if he stays with the Cruise for at least 60 days.
Lakers Notes: Vincent, Ayton, LaRavia, Smart
The Lakers didn’t have their “big three” available for their second preseason contest, a 111-103 loss to Golden State. It was an improvement from their 22-point loss to Phoenix. With Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves sitting out, Gabe Vincent led the way with 16 points and five assists.
“We came with more intention,” Vincent said, per Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Los Angeles Times. “We were more focused. Obviously it’s different with those three not playing. They’re a huge part of our team and everything that we do. But next man up.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- They were outscored by 25 points by Golden State with Deandre Ayton on the court but it’s going to take time for the Lakers to incorporate his skills, Law Murray of The Athletic writes. Murray notes Ayton is going to be very dependent on his play-makers to get him shots, unlike Anthony Davis. He’s not going to get a lot of touches to create shots for others or spread the floor with outside shooting, but it’s not time to panic about Ayton’s ability to help the team, Murray adds.
- Jake LaRavia contributed 10 points and three assists against the Warriors and said he’s “already pretty comfortable with the role that I have” with his new team, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. LaRavia left the Kings and signed a two-year deal with the Lakers at the start of free agency.
- Marcus Smart participated in the live play portions of practice on Tuesday, per coach JJ Redick, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register tweets. Smart has been limited in camp due to Achilles tendinopathy. “He looked great. He was moving great,” forward Jarred Vanderbilt said, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “But like I said, his main power is that he’s vocal. So being able to help the guys. Communicate, that’s a big part of defense also. Being physical is one of them, but also being vocal, being able to communicate. I think he does both at a very high level. So, he can definitely help us on that end of the floor.” Smart signed with the Lakers after getting bought out by Washington.