Heat GM Andy Elisburg Opens Up About Health Scare
When the Heat selected Kasparas Jakucionis with the 20th overall pick in the 2025 draft, it was anything but business as usual for general manager Andy Elisburg, writes Ira Winderman for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Elisburg made the call with the team’s official selection, as he has for years. However, this time, he was doing it from what Winderman describes as a high-tech wheelchair, due to an infection that had sapped him of his ability to do much of anything over the previous months.
“When I was done giving the pick, I was able to reach over and hang up the phone,” Elisburg says. “And the people in the back, all the therapists, and all the doctors were so excited, ‘He’s using his core! He’s using his core!’ Because, for me, I hadn’t had the ability.”
Winderman writes that the infection began late in the 2024/25 season. Elisburg had started feeling more exhausted than usual, but it wasn’t until he woke up one day following the season’s end with a left leg that wouldn’t work that he began to really worry.
“I was a whole lot sicker than I realized I was,” he said. “That’s where they discovered I had an infection throughout my body — in my knee, in my back. My kidney numbers, my liver numbers, everything was up and elevated. There were people who were not quite sure I was going to come out of that.”
With his kidneys at near dialysis levels, a partial amputation of Elisburg’s foot was required, as well as a handful of other surgeries over the following days, some of which strained his ability to keep his focus on his recovery, instead of the team.
“One of my procedures was happening the day of the lottery and got delayed and kept being delayed. And so it wound up happening during the lottery,” he said. “So I get out of the operating room, I get to the recovery room that I’m awake, alert enough to bring my friends in to see me, and my first question is, ‘So who won the lottery?’”
The surgeries were followed by grueling rehab sessions, which he is still undergoing, and which have recently yielded the ability to take steps through the use of parallel bars. Through it all, though, Elisburg has never lost his keen eye and hunger to solve whatever pressing needs the team might have.
“It was hard for me to sit in a hospital bed and sleep or watch TV. And after a while, I said, ‘I’ve got to get something going.’ I started making some phone calls, started talking about the draft and trades and things of that nature,” said Elisburg. “When I would talk to (Heat president) Pat (Riley) and (CEO) Nick (Arison), I’d say, ‘Hey, I’ve got some information.’ Initially, it was, ‘You worry about you.’ I was like, ‘I need to do this. I need something to get my mind going.’ And it went to now we started to have regularly scheduled meetings.”
Elisburg is now back in his office, trying to get back into the full swing of the job. He says he’s doing around 80% of his usual September workload. While the team leadership has constantly stressed the need to take care of himself first and foremost, the longtime Heat GM is just grateful that he’s on the road to recovery and can still do what he does best professionally.
“I’m looking forward to the season and lucky that I do something that I have such a passion for and still am able to do it,” he said.
Timberwolves Sign Jules Bernard, Zyon Pullin
The Timberwolves have signed Jules Bernard and Zyon Pullin, the team announced today. The terms of the deals were not reported, but they are expected to be non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts.
Bernard, a 6’7″ guard out of UCLA, played 19 games for the Wizards during the 2023/24 season after going undrafted in 2022. He averaged 3.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game for Washington. Last year, he played for the Cleveland Charge in the G League and averaged 19.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per contest.
Pullin, an undrafted guard from the 2024 class, played a total of three minutes in three games for the Grizzlies last season, but had a successful season in the G League, averaging 20.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 5.5 RPG for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Memphis Hustle.
Pullin signed a two-way contract with the Grizzlies and finished the season with the team, but was waived in July to make room for PJ Hall to sign a two-way deal.
If Bernard and Pullin are waived before the season starts, these deals will allow them to earn a bonus of up to $85,300, provided they sign G League contracts and stay with the Iowa Wolves for at least 60 days.
The two signings are accompanied by the previously reported training camp deal for Alize Johnson, which is also now official.
Clippers Sign Telfort, Poulakidas To Exhibit 10s
September 27: The Clippers’ training camp deals with Telford and Poulakidas are now official, according to Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot (Twitter link).
June 27: The Clippers have agreed to a deal with Butler guard Jahmyl Telfort, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports (Twitter link).
Law Murray of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that Telfort, along with Yale shooting guard John Poulakidas, will be on the Clippers’ Summer League roster, with both undrafted rookies likely to sign Exhibit 10 contracts.
After testing the waters during the 2024 draft process, the 6’7″ Telfort returned to school as a super-senior and averaged 16 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting a college career-high 36.1% on three-point attempts. He reportedly had a strong Portsmouth Invitational Tournament as part of his pre-draft process.
Poulakidas is a 6’5″ senior who shot over 40% from three on 604 attempts throughout his college career. He averaged 19.4 points per game for the Bulldogs this season.
Kings Sign Jameer Nelson Jr., Jaylin Williams
The Kings have signed guard Jameer Nelson Jr. and forward Jaylin Williams to Exhibit 10 training camp deals, reports Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot (via Twitter).
Nelson, the son of former NBA guard Jameer Nelson, played five years in college, his final year for TCU, where he averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game before going undrafted in 2024. Last year, he played for the Austin Spurs, with whom he averaged 11.3 PPG and 2.3 APG, then joined the Calgary Surge of the Canadian Elite Basketball League, putting up 20.1 PPG and 4.2 APG for the Albertan squad.
Williams, a 25-year-old forward out of Auburn (ie. not the Thunder big man out of Arkansas), played for the Grand Rapids Gold last year, averaging 8.6 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 19.0 MPG. He played three games for the Mavericks’ 2025/26 Summer League team, averaging 3.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per contest.
If they’re waived before the season, Nelson and Williams will each be eligible to receive a bonus of up to $83,500, provided they spend at least 60 days with Sacramento’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.
Stockton acquired Nelson’s returning player rights from Austin in a NBAGL trade earlier this week, as James Ham of The Kings Beat relays (via Twitter).
Timberwolves Waive Nate Santos
The Timberwolves have waived forward Nate Santos, according to the NBA.com’s transaction log.
Santos signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the team two days ago. The 6’7″ forward played with the Magic during Summer League after going undrafted in June. He averaged 1.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game over the course of four outings.
Santos previously played two seasons at Dayton after starting his career at Pittsburgh. In his senior year, he averaged 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while knocking down 41.8% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Santos will now be eligible to receive a bonus up to $83,500 if he spends at least 60 days with the Timberwolves’ G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves.
Cavaliers Sign-And-Waive Warith Alatishe, Jaxson Robinson
The Cavaliers have waived Jaxson Robinson and executed a sign-and-waive agreement with Warith Alatishe, according to the NBA’s transaction log.
Robinson signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs in early July after going undrafted in the 2025 draft. The five-year collegiate player, who finished his career at Kentucky, made four appearances for Cleveland during Summer League, averaging 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game in Las Vegas.
Alatishe, a 6’7″ forward who played his final two college seasons at Oregon State before going undrafted in 2023, split last season between the Cleveland Charge and the Texas Legends, where he held G League averages of 8.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 21.5 minutes per game.
Robinson and Alatishe figure to report to the Charge this fall and will be eligible for Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $85,300 – on top of their base salaries – if they spend at least 60 days with the team.
Bulls Waive Caleb Grill
The Bulls have waived Caleb Grill, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
Grill signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Chicago in July after going undrafted in June. The 6’3″ guard played four games with the Bulls’ Summer League team, averaging 8.0 points and 1.3 steals in 15.0 minutes per contest while making 44.4% of his field goal attempts, including 36.4% of his three-pointers. He scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting during his final game in Las Vegas.
The 25-year-old previously played six seasons in college, the final two with Missouri. He averaged 13.3 PPG and 3.5 RPG and made 39.6% of his threes during his final year in 2024/25.
Grill is now eligible to join the Bulls’ G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, and earn a bonus up to $85,300 if he stays with the team for at least 60 days.
Details On Blazers Sale Lawsuit
Reporting earlier this week indicated that RAJ Sports, which had made an unsuccessful bid to buy the Blazers, had filed a lawsuit against the Cherng family after they joined Tom Dundon‘s new ownership group, citing a breach in an exclusivity agreement.
The lawsuit centers on the relationship between the Cherng family, founders of the Panda Express restaurant chain, and the Bhathal family, which owns RAJ Sports and holds stakes in the Portland Thorns and the newly established WNBA team, the Portland Fire.
According to new details in the lawsuit, reported by Sean Highkin for the Rose Garden Report (subscriber link), the Bhathals allege that the Cherngs – described in the complaint as “longstanding Bhathal family friends” – entered into a “confidentiality and exclusivity agreement” with them once the Bhathals began preparing to make a bid on the Blazers, and were eager to be a part of the Bhathals’ potential ownership group.
The language of the agreement contained the following clause:
“You agree that, for a period of (1) year from the Effective Date, you shall not, directly or indirectly, without [RAJ Sports’] prior written consent: (a) pursue or enter into any agreement, arrangement, understanding, acquisition, investment transaction, merger, or other combination transaction with or involving [the Trail Blazers franchise], any portion of the [the Trail Blazers franchise’s] assets, or any direct or indirect equity interests in the [Trail Blazers franchise], (b) contact, solicit, or attempt to contact or solicit a Transaction with existing or future holders of equity interests in the Teams without [RAJ Sports’] consent, or (c) otherwise circumvent, bypass, interfere with, compete with, or attempt to circumvent, bypass, interfere with or compete with [RAJ Sports] . . . in connection with the Transaction or any similar or related transaction involving the [Trail Blazers franchise], any portion of the [Trail Blazers franchise’s] assets, or any direct or indirect equity interests in the [Trail Blazers franchise].”
Even after it was announced in mid-August that the Allen estate had entered into a tentative agreement with the Dundons, the Bhathal group continued to build its case for winning the bid, believing it could still make a superior offer.
“Those efforts included working feverishly to finalize equity commitments with [RAJ Sports]’s co-investors, including [the Cherng family],” the lawsuit states.
The claim states that in late August, despite previous communication between the lawyers of the Cherngs and Bhathals that everything was proceeding accordingly, the Cherngs’ lawyers reported that they would be “ceasing discussions with your client regarding the transaction.” The suit also claims that Alex Bhathal called Andrew Cherng to directly ask him if he was joining the Dundon ownership group, which Cherng denied.
Weeks later, on September 12, the formal sale of the team to the Dundon group was complete, and the Cherng Family was listed as an investor.
Highkin notes that the lawsuit is aimed only at the Cherng Family, not the Blazers themselves, nor the Dundon group. RAJ Sports has requested a temporary restraining order that would prevent the Cherngs from moving forward as investors in the team, a request that will be heard by a judge in a few weeks.
The next step is a hearing on a temporary injunction against the Cherngs formalizing their investment with the Dundon group. If either were to be granted, the Dundons would either have to wait out the results of the trial process – which Highkin writes could take the entire year – or find a new investor to replace the Cherng family.
If neither is granted, the Cherngs can move forward with their investment, though with litigation underway, it would mark a risk for the Cherngs, who could be forced to pay damages if the judge rules in favor of the Bhathals. Highkin writes that it appears unlikely that, in such a scenario, a judge could undo the finalized sale outright.
Pacers Waive Samson Johnson
The Pacers have waived Samson Johnson, according to the NBA.com’s transaction log.
Johnson signed his Exhibit 10 contract with Indiana on September 23, though the deal had reportedly been agreed to near the end of June.
The 6’10” forward played four years for UConn, winning two national championships in 2023 and 2024. In his senior year, he averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 19.4 minutes per game.
Johnson went undrafted earlier this year, then played in two games for the Pacers’ Summer League team, scoring six points and collecting two blocks in 16 total minutes.
This move lets the Pacers to keep Johnson in their system, and will allow him to earn a bonus of up to $85,300 if he stays with Indiana’s G League affiliate, the Noblesville Bloom, for 60 days or more.
Lakers Waive Jarron Cumberland, Sign Tevian Jones
The Lakers have waived Jarron Cumberland to make room to sign Tevian Jones, reports Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Cumberland signed his Exhibit 10 deal with the Lakers on Thursday after Los Angeles waived forward Arthur Kaluma to make room on the roster for him. The terms of Jones’ deal weren’t reported, but it will almost certainly also be an Exhibit 10 as well.
Jones, a 6’7″ guard, went undrafted in 2023 after five years of college, two with Illinois and the final three with Southern Utah. He averaged 17.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in his senior season.
The 25-year-old played for the Grand Rapids Gold in 2024/25, averaging 15.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in the G League regular season, with a shooting line of .415/.346/.732.
Jones was previously signed and waived by the Pelicans in 2023. If he’s cut prior to the start of this season, he will be eligible to join the Lakers’ G League team, the South Bay Lakers, who acquired his returning rights in a trade earlier this month. Jones would earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he sticks with the team for 60 days or more — Cumberland and Kaluma will be eligible for the same deal.