Nets Waive Chris Chiozza, RaiQuan Gray
The Nets pared down to the 15-man regular season roster limit by waiving guard Chris Chiozza and forward RaiQuan Gray, according to a team press release.
Chiozza was signed an Exhibit 10 contract last month and could return to the Nets’ G League team in Long Island if he isn’t claimed. The same goes for Gray, who was also on an Exhibit 10 deal. Both players are eligible for a $50K bonus if they spend at least 60 days with the Long Island club.
Chiozza appeared in two preseason games. He has 91 regular season NBA games under his belt, including 40 with the Nets from 2019-21. He saw action in 10 playoff games with Brooklyn during that span. He has also played for the Warriors, Wizards and Rockets with career averages of 3.3 PPG and 2.4 APG in 11.4 MPG.
Gray saw action in one preseason game. The No. 59 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Florida State, Gray signed a G League contract last fall and spent his first professional season with the Long Island Nets. In 26 regular season NBAGL games (22.8 MPG), the 6’8″ forward averaged 6.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG on .441/.240/.821 shooting.
Brooklyn could potentially tweak its roster before opening night if it so desires, but the team is currently carrying 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.
Atlantic Notes: Brogdon, Boucher, Porter Jr., Curry, Irving, Smart
The Raptors and Celtics both expressed an interest in trading for Malcolm Brogdon this summer but he told the Pacers he’d prefer Boston, Brogdon said during a SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com relays.
“We knew there was Boston, we knew Toronto we knew (the Wizards),” Brogdon said of his trade options. “(The Wizards) fell off after the draft since they were thinking about trading that 10th pick for me. Toronto and Boston popped up. We had a choice to pursue — there wasn’t an offer on the table yet from either of them but the Pacers came to me and said we could pursue either of them and which one would I rather pursue?”
It’s unclear what sort of offer the Raptors might’ve made for Brogdon, since they don’t have obvious salary-matching pieces they’d want to part with. However, it was ultimately a moot point, since the guard encouraged the Pacers to pursue a deal with Boston.
“I thought this team was farther along,” Brogdon said of the Celtics. “They have a superstar in Jayson Tatum and probably another superstar in Jaylen Brown as well. I thought it would be a great fit for me because I wanted to win right now.”
Brogdon is projected as Boston’s sixth man entering the regular season.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors big man Chris Boucher will be out “a couple of weeks” due to a hamstring injury, according to coach Nick Nurse, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets. Forward Otto Porter Jr. hasn’t been on the court in recent weeks due to a similar injury and will likely miss some time.
- Seth Curry, who had left ankle surgery in May, apparently won’t be ready for the season opener. Nets coach Steve Nash said Curry still has some hurdles to clear but has been getting some individual work in, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets.
- Nets guard Kyrie Irving admits he has some regrets about the way last season played out, he told Friedell in a Q&A session. “I think we all think about times we could have made better decisions, and times we wish we could have done things differently and I feel the same way at times throughout my life. … I legitimately just want to play the long game and not put too much pressure on myself or the people that I’m around,” he said.
- Celtics guard Marcus Smart suffered a minor groin injury when he slipped on a wet spot in the preseason finale against Toronto on Friday, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. “I feel like I’m all right. But the adrenaline is still going right now,” Smart said. “Hopefully, in the morning I feel all right.”
Los Angeles Notes: Westbrook, Schröder, Wall, Clippers
Russell Westbrook‘s availability for the Lakers season opener appears to be in jeopardy. Westbrook left the team’s preseason game against Sacramento with a left hamstring injury, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after the game that Westbrook told him he’d be OK, according to ESPN. Westbrook came off the bench for the preseason finale, a move that Ham described as a “realignment.”
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- The Lakers “essentially” paused Westbrook trade discussions at the start of training camp, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (Twitter link). They’re expected to start engaging potential suitors again during the season, once teams start to get a clearer sense of what their rosters and rotations look like and how they stack up against the rest of the league.
- Dennis Schröder is being evaluated for a right finger injury and didn’t travel with the team to Sacramento, according to Shams Charania on The Rally (Twitter link). The Lakers have some concerns that it could be a long-term injury, Charania adds. Schröder returned to the Lakers for a second stint on a one-year, $2,641,682 free agent contract.
- John Wall has not only boosted the Clippers’ backcourt but also the locker room, according to Marcus Morris. The veteran forward believes the Clippers’ camaraderie has improved due to Wall’s presence and his aggressive, talkative nature, a contrast to many of his new teammates, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
- Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker says that most fans are “violently opposed” to the idea of changing the team’s name, Law Murray of The Athletic writes. “It means something to them,” Zucker said. “That this is a team that has direction, that has endured, that has been through a lot and has found its way forward and has a very, very clear North Star at this point. And there are people who have attached themselves to that idea and that notion, and it’s important to them, and they don’t want to see that disappear.”
Hawks Claim Jared Rhoden
The Hawks have claimed guard Jared Rhoden, according to the NBA transactions log. Rhoden was waived earlier this week by the Trail Blazers.
It’s unlikely Rhoden will wind up on Atlanta’s 15-man opening night roster. By claiming him, the Hawks can make him an affiliate player with the College Park Skyhawks, since he was on an Exhibit 10 deal. Portland doesn’t have a G League affiliate.
He can become an affiliate player with Atlanta’s franchise if he’s waived and then joins the Skyhawks.
Rhoden, who went undrafted out of Seton Hall in June, played for Sacramento’s Summer League teams in July before signing a training camp contract with Portland.
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Nets Sign UNLV’s Donovan Williams To Exhibit 10 Deal
OCTOBER 12: The Nets have officially signed Williams, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
JUNE 24: Donovan Williams has agreed to a contract with the Nets, Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com tweets. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors reports (Twitter link).
The 6’6” wing averaged 12.7 PPG and 3.3 RPG as a junior at UNLV last season, knocking down 43.6% of his 3-point attempts. Williams played his first two college seasons with Texas.
An Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract that counts toward a team’s 20-man offseason roster limit, but doesn’t count against the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster.
A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus of up to $50K if he’s waived and then joins his team’s G League affiliate.
Micah Potter Signs Two-Way Contract With Jazz
OCTOBER 12: Potter has officially signed his two-way contract with the Jazz, who waived Jeenathan Williams to open up a spot on the 20-man preseason roster, the team announced today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 20: The Jazz will sign center Micah Potter to a two-way deal, Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic report (via Twitter).
Utah had a two-way slot open and won’t need to make a corresponding roster move. Johnny Juzang holds the other two-way contract.
The Pistons waived Potter last week just days after officially signing him. He seemed likely to begin the season with the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ NBAGL team, since the Motor City Cruise previously acquired his returning rights from the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s affiliate.
However, Potter obviously found a better opportunity.
Potter, 24, initially signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Miami last fall after going undrafted out of Wisconsin. He was released before the regular season began and spent most of his rookie year with the Skyforce, averaging 17.2 PPG and 9.8 RPG on .539/.445/.731 shooting in 33 NBAGL games (28.8 MPG).
Potter’s strong performance at the G League level earned him a brief look at the NBA level. The Pistons signed him to a 10-day contract in December. He appeared in three regular season contests, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 31 total minutes.
Nets Sign, Waive Noah Kirkwood
OCTOBER 12: The Nets have waived Kirkwood, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
OCTOBER 8: The Nets signed rookie swingman Noah Kirkwood, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic tweets.
While terms weren’t disclosed, Kirkwood’s contract is almost assuredly an Exhibit 10 deal and he’ll wind up with the Long Island Nets after getting waived. He’ll be eligible for a $50K bonus if he stays 60 days with the G League club.
The 22-year-old out of Harvard appeared in four summer league games with Brooklyn. He went undrafted this year after giving up his last year of eligibility.
He averaged 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 32.8 minutes per game during his final season with Harvard in 26 starts.
Injury Notes: Bagley, Bogdanovic, Mobley, Curry, Gallinari
The Pistons will find out the extent of Marvin Bagley III‘s right knee injury when he undergoes an MRI on Wednesday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Bagley suffered a non-contact injury when he slipped during the opening quarter of the Pistons’ preseason game against the Thunder on Tuesday. He had to be helped off the court. Detroit re-signed Bagley on a three-year, $37MM contract this summer.
Another Pistons forward, Bojan Bogdanovic, acquired from the Jazz last month, is nursing a calf strain, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.
We have more injury-related info:
- Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley is making good progress in his recovery from a right ankle sprain and could appear in a preseason game, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Mobley underwent a lengthy workout after Tuesday’s practice. “We’re hopeful. We haven’t ruled it out,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It’s always about tomorrow and how it responded the day before. But we have not ruled him out from playing in a preseason game.”
- Nets guard Seth Curry will not play in the remaining two preseason games and his status for opening night is questionable, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Curry is still working his way back from left ankle surgery in May.
- The Celtics’ Danilo Gallinari, who is expected to miss the season due to a torn left ACL, started walking a few days ago and is receiving physical therapy on his knee, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.
Raptors Notes: Starting Lineup, VanVleet, Last Roster Spot, Barnes
When the Raptors face opponents with bigger frontcourts, they may switch up their lineup, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and OG Anunoby will start most nights but it “doesn’t mean you always have to start your five best,” according to head coach Nick Nurse said.
“Do we really want Scottie, Pascal or OG guarding a really good, big five to start the game?” Nurse said. “I don’t think we do, so we’re going to have to make some adjustments to that, or it’s just going to be three minutes and we’re sending in a guy.”
We have more on the Raptors:
- Fred VanVleet believes there’s good chemistry in the locker room, Michael Grange of SportsNet.ca writes. “I think you have to give credit to management and coaching staff. They have their hands full in terms of putting together a locker room that works before we even step on the court,” said VanVleet. “I think we have done a good job of building that back up. It feels more like a Raptors team now.”
- Nurse may weigh potential offensive contributions a little more heavily when it comes to deciding which player gets the 15th spot on the roster, Grange tweets. Justin Champagnie, D.J. Wilson, Josh Jackson and Gabe Brown are the candidates.
- Barnes has been a little slow getting up to speed and there’s a good reason for that — the reigning Rookie of the Year was held out of training for the last three weeks prior to camp with a mild ankle sprain, Grange tweets. Nurse commented on that subject. “He’s playing a little bit of catch-up and it’s noticeable,” Nurse said, as relayed via a Lewenberg tweet. “I don’t think he’s shown a whole lot in the preseason… I think he’s just behind a little bit, conditioning-wise, feel-wise. We need to keep plugging away and get him feeling (like himself).”