Spurs Add Osayi Osifo To Camp Roster
The Spurs have signed free agent forward Osayi Osifo on a training camp deal, Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot tweets. That gives San Antonio the maximum of 21 players on its camp roster.
Osifo, a native of South Africa, went undrafted out of Jacksonville in 2023. The 6’9” forward was on the Spurs’ Summer League roster in July after spending last season with the G League’s Austin Spurs. In 39 games at that level last season, he averaged 6.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 21.6 minutes per game.
Assuming Osifo received an Exhibit 10 contract, he’ll be eligible for a bonus of up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then rejoins the Austin Spurs for at least 60 days.
Kawhi Leonard Received Endorsement Payment After Minority Owner Invested In Aspiration
The Clippers‘ lone minority owner made a nearly $2MM investment in Aspiration while the company was in dire straits. The San Francisco-based environmental firm then made a $1.75MM quarterly payment to Kawhi Leonard on the same day the company laid off 20 percent of its workforce, Pablo Torre reports on his latest “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast as relayed by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.
It’s the latest development regarding the potential salary cap circumvention by the Clippers. Last week, Torre broke the story that Leonard signed a $28MM endorsement deal with the company, then performed no work after Aspiration received a $50MM investment from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. A subsequent report indicated that Aspiration agreed to pay Leonard an additional $20MM in company stock.
The NBA has hired a law firm to investigate the matter, and commissioner Adam Silver said on Wednesday that the burden of proof is on the league to find any wrongdoing by the Clippers.
Under the terms of the endorsement deal, Leonard was to be paid $1.75MM on a quarterly basis for four years. In December 2022, Clippers minority owner and vice chairman Dennis J. Wong made an investment of almost $2MM in Aspiration despite the fact that its independent auditor, KPMG, had resigned, and the company was already facing lawsuits worth millions for missed payments.
Aspiration missed a payment to Leonard in the fall before paying him in December, following Wong’s wire transfer to the firm, according to documents obtained by Torre. Payments to Leonard were marked as “critical.”
Leonard’s uncle and business manager Dennis Robertson had repeatedly contacted the company about the missed payment.
“There’s a huge freeze because there’s no money to be spent. So from the finance team’s perspective, we feel like we’re on the other end of collections calls. People are constantly coming in asking for their money. Between those months when all of this is missing – so September, October, November, and leading up to December, the actual certainty of the company even existing is up for grabs,” a former Aspiration employee told Torre. “At that point, are we gonna get paid as employees? Why does Uncle Dennis keep calling us? We have such bigger concerns that we’re thinking about, which is our own salaries. Are we gonna have to go through layoffs? Where is the money gonna come from? But lo and behold. Uncle Dennis gets paid.”
The Clippers issued a statement to Torre, which read, “The details of our relationship with Aspiration are under NBA investigation, but it is clear the company was a house of cards that defrauded Steve and many others. We look forward to sharing the facts with the league and providing them with all the information they need.”
Rockets Notes: Eason, Durant, Playing Time, Owens, Sengun
Many people around the league believe the Rockets will work out a long-term extension with Tari Eason before finalizing a new deal with Kevin Durant, according to William Guillory of The Athletic.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently reported that Durant and the Rockets are expected to reach an extension agreement at some point.
Eason has an expiring contract — the Rockets exercised a $5.68MM club option on the final year of his rookie deal for 2025/26. The fourth-year forward averaged a career-high 12.0 points and 1.7 steals per game while making 57 appearances last season.
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- In the same story, Guillory opines about a pleasant dilemma: Does Houston have too many good players? Guillory believes coach Ime Udoka will have a difficult time figuring out how to divvy up minutes among so many players capable of heavy minutes on a good team.
- Mark Owens, a Houston-area boxing trainer, has become a vital asset to the Rockets — the team’s director of performance, Willie Cruz, describes Owens as “an extension of our strength coaches.” Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle (subscription required) profiles how Owens, who served a federal prison term, turned his life around and helped the Rockets become one of the more physical teams in the league.
- Former Sixers forward Furkan Korkmaz is playing alongside Rockets center Alperen Sengun for Turkey in the EuroBasket tournament. Korkmaz called Sengun, not Joel Embiid, the best center he’s played with in his career. “He’s a special kid and every day he’s trying to give his maximum,” he said in a video posted by Eurohoops Turkey.
Raptors Sign, Waive Quincy Guerrier
The Raptors signed Quincy Guerrier to an Exhibit 10 contract, then waived him, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet reports (Twitter links).
Guerrier went undrafted out of Illinois in 2024. He also played for Syracuse and Oregon during his college career.
He signed with Toronto last year and the club promptly waived him. The 6’7” forward then joined the team’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He appeared in 40 games with them last season, averaging 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per contest.
Guerrier, 26, is a Canadian native. He participated in the Canadian Elite Basketball League with the Montreal Alliance this summer.
He’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he rejoins the Raptors 905 and spends at least 60 days with them.
Pacers Add Jalen Slawson On Training Camp Deal
The Pacers have signed forward Jalen Slawson to an Exhibit 10 deal, the team announced in a press release. Indiana’s G League affiliate acquired Slawson’s returning rights from the Birmingham Squadron last month.
Slawson was a late second-round selection for the Kings in 2023. He appeared in 12 games off the bench for Sacramento as a rookie on a two-way deal.
After not being extended a qualifying offer last summer, Slawson became an unrestricted free agent and signed a camp deal with the Magic last September. He was waived prior to opening night and 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.
Under the terms of an Exhibit 10 contract, Slawson will earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Noblesville Boom, Indiana’s G League affiliate.
The addition of Slawson increased Indiana’s training camp roster count to 19, two below the maximum.
Mouhamadou Gueye Joins Bulls On Camp Deal
The Bulls have added Mouhamadou Gueye on an Exhibit 10 contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.
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, Gueye will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived by Chicago and spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls.
The addition of Gueye gives Chicago 21 players on its camp roster, the maximum allowed.
Greece Reaches EuroBasket Semis Behind Giannis’ 29 Points
Behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece reached the EuroBasket semifinals for the first time in 16 years, downing Lithuania, 87-76, in Riga, Latvia on Tuesday.
The Bucks superstar poured in 29 points to carry his team into a semifinal matchup with Turkey. Greece stalled in the quarterfinals during four of the last five EuroBasket tourneys, but broke though with a strong second-half effort.
Greece led 44-38 at the halftime break. Lithuania scored the first three points of the second half before Greece increased the cushion back to 51-41. It was 58-43 midway through the third quarter. Lithuania never got closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Giannis converted 9-of-15 shots and 11-of-16 free throws while scoring 29 points. He also added six rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block. Vasileios Toliopoulos hit three 3-pointers while scoring 17 points and Kostas Sloukas added 11 points and four assists.
Greece moved to within just two wins of their third EuroBasket crown. They took gold in 1987 and 2005.
“My players did a great job playing with a big heart in front of so many thousands of people from Lithuania in a very nice atmosphere,” head coach Vasileios Spanoulis said, per FIBA.
Nuggets big man Jonas Valanciunas led Lithuania with 24 points and 15 rebounds.
“Tonight was a battle. Both teams battled until the end. They were stronger,” Valanciunas said. “They were better than us. I was just happy we fought until the end, no matter what. It was a good fight.”
Suns Sign, Waive Jaden Shackelford
The Suns signed Jaden Shackelford to an Exhibit 10 contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Phoenix then placed him on waivers, according to the NBA transactions log.
It’s a bit of déjà vu for Shackelford, who also joined Phoenix on a training camp deal last season. He was waived in late September and wound up on the Valley Suns, Phoenix’s G League affiliate. He averaged 18.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 50 games in 30.9 minutes per game.
The 6’3” guard was a member of the Warriors’ Summer League team this July.
After going undrafted out of Alabama, Shackelford spent two seasons in the G League as a member of the Thunder’s NBAGL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
Shackelford will be eligible for a bonus up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Valley Suns again.
EuroLeague Standout Roman Sorkin Drawing Interest From NBA Teams
Maccabi Tel Aviv big man Roman Sorkin, who excelled in the EuroBasket tournament for Israel’s national team, has garnered interest from the Trail Blazers, Knicks and Heat, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.
Sorkin was one of the top bigs in the EuroLeague last season, averaging 12.9 points and 4.1 rebounds, and he opened even more eyes in the tournament. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in six games, including a double-double against Slovenia.
Sorkin is no stranger to the U.S., having played four seasons for Oregon from 2014-18. He has played in Israel throughout his professional career.
Whether Sorkin will be able to leave Maccabi is another issue. He reportedly signed a five-year extension with the club last year, which puts him under contract through 2029, according to BasketNews.com. Sorkin would need to have some sort of out clause or buyout agreement to pursue an NBA opportunity.
Portland has 15 players under guaranteed contracts, so it would have to waive or trade one of those players to open up a roster spot.
The Heat only have 12 players with fully guaranteed contracts, but have two players with partial guarantees and can’t sign a 15th man while remaining below the luxury tax line.
The Knicks have 12 players on standard contracts, but only have room for one veteran’s minimum contract and another on a rookie minimum deal due to salary cap restrictions. Sorkin wouldn’t be a candidate for the Knicks’ rookie minimum roster slot. Since they don’t hold his draft rights, his salary would count as the veteran’s minimum for tax/apron purposes even if his cap hit was the rookie minimum, due to tax variance.
Western Notes: Reid, Suns, LeBron, Grizzlies
Tragedy has struck Timberwolves big man Naz Reid and his family. His sister, Toraya Reid, was shot and killed Saturday in New Jersey, Eva Herscowitz of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. A New Jersey prosecutor charged Shaquille Green, whom the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said was in a relationship with Toraya Reid, with her murder.
Reid’s former teammate, Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns, was devastated by the news.
“Heartbroken. No words can ever take away the pain for my brother,” Towns tweeted. “Holding everyone close in prayer today.”
- The Suns have some things to sort out during training camp under their new coaching staff, including who should run the point and which player should grab the fifth starting spot. The Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin breaks down the issues that could arise in a Devin Booker–Jalen Green backcourt, neither of whom is a true point man. The fifth starting spot is up for grabs with top candidates Ryan Dunn and Royce O’Neale bringing different skill sets to the table.
- Lakers star LeBron James hasn’t become any more enthusiastic about the idea of taking on a coaching career after his playing days are over. “I was inspired by the game. I love the game. But I don’t have coaching in my future,” James said in a video clip posted by CGTN Sports Scene. James made an even more emphatic statement on that subject in an episode of the Mind The Game podcast earlier this year (Twitter video link).
- The Grizzlies can be “sneaky dangerous” this season, according to Michael Wallace of GrindCityMedia.com. Their star players need to avoid extended injuries and the dynamic between Ja Morant and center Zach Edey must continue to grow, particularly in the pick-and-roll game. There are also evaluations of other Southwest Division teams within Wallace’s preview.