Celtics Sign Dalano Banton To 10-Day Contract
2:52 pm: Banton has officially signed a 10-day contract with the Celtics, the team announced today in a press release. Tonje has also inked a 10-day deal, as we outlined in a separate story.
8:52 am: The Celtics, who must make two additions to their 15-man roster on Thursday, will fill one of their openings by signing free agent guard Dalano Banton to a 10-day contract, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Banton, 26, was a second-round pick in 2021 and has since appeared in 218 regular season games for the Raptors, Celtics, Trail Blazers, and Clippers. He was a rotation regular last season in Portland, where he averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game across 67 outings (seven starts).
However, Banton was unable to land a spot on a regular season roster last fall and has spent most of 2025/26 playing for the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ G League affiliate. He just recently caught on with the Clippers, but his 10-day deal with L.A. expired earlier this week, freeing him up to return to Boston, where he played for a half-season in ’23/24.
The Celtics have been carrying 12 players on their standard roster since making a series of trades at the February 5 deadline. Teams are permitted to dip below the usual minimum of 14 players on standard contracts, but only for up to two weeks at a time (and 28 total days during a season), so Boston must get back to the 14-man minimum today.
The margins for the Celtics to remain below the luxury tax line for the rest of the season are razor-thin, so the expectation is that the team will sign a pair of players to 10-day deals on Thursday, then spend another 14 days at 12 players once those contracts expire.
Two-way rookies Max Shulga and John Tonje are expected to be part of the club’s plan sooner or later, since their rookie-minimum deals would be more team-friendly for tax/apron purposes than a veteran’s minimum deal.
Contract Details: Gardner, Highsmith, Houstan, Jones, Two-Ways
Heat swingman Myron Gardner will receive a minimum salary ($395,029) for the rest of the 2025/26 season after being promoted from his two-way contract. However, Miami had to use a portion of its non-taxpayer mid-level exception in order to complete his deal, since it includes two additional years beyond this season.
Gardner’s second year features a partial guarantee of $500K, and he’ll receive his full minimum salary of $2,150,917 for 2026/27 if he remains under contract through January 7 next year, Hoops Rumors has learned. The third year of the deal is fully non-guaranteed, but the Miami wing would receive his full $2,525,901 salary if he isn’t waived on or before July 15, 2027.
Here are a few more details on the contracts recently completed around the NBA:
- Haywood Highsmith‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Suns includes a $1MM partial guarantee for 2026/27, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). It also features language protecting the team in the event that the veteran wing re-injures his surgically repaired right knee, Hoops Rumors has learned.
- As expected, both Caleb Houstan of the Hawks and Spencer Jones of the Nuggets were unilaterally converted from their two-way contracts to rest-of-season, minimum-salary contracts rather than negotiating new deals. Houstan will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, while Jones will be eligible for restricted free agency.
- The two-way contracts recently signed by Tyrese Martin (Sixers), Trevor Keels (Heat), and Jeenathan Williams (Warriors) are each for one year, while Riley Minix‘s new two-way deal with the Cavaliers will cover two seasons, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Walker, Shamet, Knicks, Raptors
After missing the Sixers‘ last two games prior to the All-Star break due to right knee soreness, center Joel Embiid will remain inactive vs. Atlanta on Thursday, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While “right knee injury management” is still one of the designations for Embiid on Philadelphia’s injury report, he also experienced some right shin soreness during the All-Star break, according to the team.
Embiid will be reevaluated ahead of the Sixers’ back-to-back set in New Orleans and Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday, so it’s possible he won’t be facing an extended absence. Still, the fact that the big man is out again following a promising stretch in which he appeared in 18 of Philadelphia’s 22 games is a reminder that his health remains a question mark hanging over the club as the second half tips off, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic.
For what it’s worth, head coach Nick Nurse didn’t sound overly concerned when he discussed Embiid’s health after the former MVP took part in Wednesday’s practice.
“He was out there and he looked pretty good,” Nurse said before the 76ers ruled Embiid out for Thursday’s game. “He’s got a meeting shortly with the doctors, and I think we’ll know a little bit more about where he is. But, he was out there a little bit today, and he looked pretty good.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Jabari Walker‘s new two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Sixers is partially guaranteed for $250K in 2026/27, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Walker was officially promoted from his two-way deal to Philadelphia’s 15-man roster earlier today.
- Has Landry Shamet been the NBA’s best minimum-salary signing this season? James L. Edwards III of The Athletic suggests that players like Celtics center Neemias Queta and Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili are also in that conversation, but presents the case for the Knicks guard, who has averaged a career-high 9.6 points per game while making 42.2% of his three-pointers.
- James Dolan, the CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports – the parent company of the Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers – stated on Wednesday that the company is considering splitting up the two franchises into separate publicly traded companies, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. A source tells Taylor Herzlich of The New York Post that the possibility of separating the two teams isn’t related to a desire to sell either franchise or to take the companies private.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca considers five factors that could determine the Raptors‘ fate for the rest of the season, starting with the health of center Jakob Poeltl, who has been bothered by back issues all year. The trade sending out Ochai Agbaji earlier this month also means there should be more opportunities available for Toronto’s young wings in the coming weeks, Grange notes.
Suns Notes: Highsmith, Green, Booker, Brooks, Anthony
Although Haywood Highsmith‘s agent said earlier this month that his client was fully recovered from an offseason knee surgery and appeared on the verge of making his season debut, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) hears that the Suns‘ newest swingman is still a few weeks away from playing in an NBA game.
Phoenix isn’t necessarily expecting a lot from Highsmith this season, according to Gambadoro, who suggests the team is taking a longer-term view on the 29-year-old after he signed a two-year contract that isn’t fully guaranteed in 2026/27.
As Gambadoro and his radio co-host Dave Burns said earlier this week (Twitter video link), the Suns may also consider Highsmith something of an insurance policy in the event that the team trades a wing like Royce O’Neale or Grayson Allen during the offseason. In that scenario, Phoenix would have an established veteran like Highsmith who could step into a larger role next season on a team-friendly deal.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Health issues, including a nagging hamstring injury, limited Jalen Green to seven games in his first season a Sun, but he’s not on the team’s injury report as the second half begins, notes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “He’s in a good spot right now,” general manager Brian Gregory said of Green. “You know, injuries, unfortunately, are part of this league, and he’s done an unbelievable job. His spirit on a daily basis in terms of attacking the rehab, attacking the recovery, attacking the workouts has been spot on from day one.”
- Due to Green’s inconsistent availability, the Suns haven’t been able to take an extended look at the backcourt duo of Green and Devin Booker this season, but Gregory says he’s confident that the pairing can work long-term, as Rankin relays (via Twitter). “(Green’s) explosiveness, his ability to get to the basket, his feel for the game, I think those two guys together are going to form one of the best backcourts – if not the best – in the NBA as we move forward,” Gregory said. “Especially down the road as they get to play more and get a better feel for each other. But (Green) brings a lot of stuff that at times that we’re lacking. So I think his fit is going to be really, really good.”
- Dillon Brooks will sit out the Suns’ game in San Antonio on Thursday after being hit with an automatic one-game suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls this season. Brooks would continue to receive one-game suspensions for every two techs he receives the rest of the way, but Gregory is optimistic that won’t happen. “He knows his technical situation,” the Suns’ GM said, per Rankin. “We’ve had plenty of sit-downs and talks. He also knows how important he is for us to be on the court. So, I think with that, I think he understands exactly where he’s at.”
- Veteran guard Cole Anthony, a trade deadline acquisition in a financially motivated deal, is still on the Suns’ roster, but he’s listed as “not with team” and there’s still an expectation that he’ll be waived sooner or later, says Rankin.
Nuggets Convert Spencer Jones To Standard Contract
February 19: Jones’ conversion to the Nuggets’ standard roster is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
February 18: The Nuggets will convert Spencer Jones‘ two-way contract to a standard deal covering the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Jones’ promotion to the 15-man roster had been expected long before he reached his limit of 50 active games earlier this month. With nearly all of Denver’s top players missing time due to injuries this season, Jones has emerged as an important part of the rotation, starting 34 games and averaging 23.6 minutes per night.
The second-year small forward has posted relatively modest numbers, including 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. However, he has been efficient on his limited shot attempts – 50.5% from the floor and 41.4% on three-pointers – and has provided solid, versatile defense on the wing for a team with championship aspirations.
Jones suffered a concussion on February 4 and missed the last three games before the All-Star break, which is one reason why he wasn’t promoted to Denver’s standard roster a little earlier. The Nuggets also likely would’ve preferred to work out a multiyear deal with the 24-year-old.
However, as Bobby Marks of ESPN points out (via Twitter), Denver had limited flexibility below the luxury tax line to offer Jones the sort of first-year salary that would make him comfortable adding a team-friendly second year to his new deal. The Nuggets were operating just $1.8MM below the tax.
As a point of comparison, the Sixers had to give two-way standout Dominick Barlow $3.4MM two weeks ago in order to include a second-year team option on his new contract.
Instead, it appears Denver will unilaterally convert Jones’ deal to a rest-of-season, minimum-salary contract, which will make him eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end. As Charania notes (via Twitter), if Jones makes seven more starts, he’ll meet the “starter criteria” for RFAs-to-be, making him eligible for a $5.9MM qualifying offer. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on whether the team lets him reach that 41-start threshold, since it would make his free agency a little more complicated for the cap-strapped Nuggets.
Denver has two openings on its 15-man roster, so it will still have one spot available after Jones is promoted, as well as a newly opened two-way slot.
Hawks Convert Caleb Houstan To Standard Contract
February 19: The Hawks have officially converted Houstan to a standard deal after waiving Djurisic, the team confirmed today in a press release.
February 18: The Hawks are converting Caleb Houstan‘s two-way contract to a standard, rest-of-season deal, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
A 2022 second-round pick who spent his first three NBA seasons in Orlando, Houstan signed an non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with Atlanta and then had it converted to a two-way deal at the end of the preseason. Of the eight players whose Exhibit 10 deals were converted to two-ways before the season, Houstan will be the first one to be promoted back to a standard contract.
Houstan, 23, averaged 14.4 minutes per game in 168 outings for Orlando and made 37.2% of his three-point tries. However, he has played a very limited role for the Hawks, logging just 49 total minutes in 10 appearances.
Presumably, Atlanta envisions a more significant role at the NBA level for Houstan in the final two months of the season. The 6’8″ forward has spent most of the season in the G League, averaging 15.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 32.9 minutes per contest across 30 appearances. He has knocked down 37.5% of 9.1 three-point attempts per game for the College Park Skyhawks.
The Hawks have a full 15-man roster, so they’ll need to waive someone in order to open up a spot for Houstan. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the odd man out will be Nikola Djurisic, a 2024 second-round pick who signed his first NBA contract during the 2025 offseason but has yet to make his NBA debut.
Although Djurisic signed a three-year contract, only the first year was guaranteed, so Atlanta won’t carry any dead money on its books beyond this season as a result of waiving him.
And-Ones: Toppin, All-Star Saturday, Bailey, Storylines
JT Toppin, the standout junior forward at Texas Tech, has suffered an ACL tear in his right knee, the school announced in a press release. The injury, which occurred during Tuesday’s loss to Arizona State, will end Toppin’s season and jeopardize his availability for 2026/27 as well, given the typical recovery timeline for a torn ACL.
It’s a brutal blow for Toppin, who was a consensus second-team All-American last season and was in the conversation for NCAA Player of the Year in 2025/26. He had averaged 21.8 points, an NCAA-best 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.4 steals in 34.8 minutes per game through his first 25 outings this season.
Toppin was projected to be a second-round pick in the 2026 draft in the latest mocks published by ESPN and Bleacher Report, but the Red Raiders star may be in no hurry to go pro this spring as he embarks on an extended rehabilitation period.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The NBA and NBC, the league’s new broadcasting partner for All-Star weekend, were happy with the changes made to Sunday’s event, according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. However, the network is expected to pitch ideas to the league to spice up Saturday’s festivities, as NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood confirms. “On the NBC side, we’re thinking if there’s another element that could be added that would make Saturday even more of a showcase for the players,” Flood said. According to McCarthy, one option expected to be discussed is adding a fourth event such as a 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 tournament.
- Former second-round pick Amari Bailey, who is looking to become the first player to return to the NCAA after playing in NBA games, apparently hasn’t been discouraged by a recent court ruling against Charles Bediako. Bailey recently made a visit to Grand Canyon and is expected to visit additional schools in the coming weeks, according to Joe Tipton of On3 (Twitter link), who hears from the guard’s NIL representatives that over a dozen schools have expressed interest in him.
- Panels of NBA reporters at ESPN and The Athletic preview some of the most compelling storylines to follow in the second half of the 2025/26 season, including which teams will emerge as the biggest threats to stop the Thunder from repeating as champions and the most compelling award races. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo look ahead to the 2026 offseason and predict which NBA subplots will dominate headlines this summer.
- Zach Harper of The Athletic checks in on this season’s frontrunners for All-NBA recognition and says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham, and Jaylen Brown would make up his first team right now.
Kessler Edwards Signs With Hapoel Tel Aviv
February 19: Edwards has signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv for the rest of the season, the team announced today (via Twitter).
February 18: Free agent forward Kessler Edwards is nearing an agreement with the Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv, confirms Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. The outlet ONE first reported that the two sides were progressing toward a deal.
Edwards, who made his NBA debut in 2021 after being drafted 44th overall out of Pepperdine, has appeared in a total of 178 regular season games for the Nets, Kings, and Mavericks. He became a regular contributor for an injury-plagued Dallas team last season, averaging 4.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game across 40 outings (18 starts), with a shooting line of .496/.407/.923.
However, Edwards – no longer eligible for a two-way deal – was unable to secure an NBA contract this season and has spent the year with the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League. In 30 contests for Denver’s NBAGL affiliate, the 25-year-old has averaged 14.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 33.6 MPG while shooting .502/.403/.781.
Hapoel Tel Aviv has been in the market for help at forward ahead of the EuroLeague’s player registration deadline. The team was linked to Nigel Hayes-Davis before he agreed to a deal with Panathinaikos and also had an eye on Dario Saric, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Both players were recently waived by NBA teams.
Hapoel Tel Aviv has a 16-11 record in EuroLeague play this season and is battling to hang onto its playoff spot. The team is currently sixth in the EuroLeague standings, but four clubs are just a half-game back at 16-12. In domestic league play, Hapoel Tel Aviv is 15-2 and is battling Maccabi Tel Aviv (15-1) for the Israeli League’s top seed.
Southeast Notes: Herro, Kuminga, Wagner, Ball
Heat guard Tyler Herro has been sidelined since January 15 due to what the team referred to as a rib injury. According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Herro suffered a buckle rib fracture affecting three ribs during a January 10 game in Indiana. He was able to play for three more games after that, receiving Toradol shots to treat his pain, but an MRI revealed the extent of the injury, prompting the club to shut him down for several weeks.
Herro’s time on the inactive list appears to be nearing an end, however. He’s expected to practice on Thursday and return to game action at some point in the coming days, assuming he doesn’t experience any setbacks, Chiang writes.
Injuries have been an issue all season long for Herro, who has been limited to just 11 outings. He has looked like his usual self when he’s been available, averaging 21.9 points in 31.7 minutes per game, with a .497/.358/.902 shooting line.
As Chiang observes, the former All-Star should provide a boost for an offense that has struggled following a strong start to the season. Miami ranks just 22nd in the NBA in offensive rating since December 5, with Herro appearing in just six games during that stretch.
We have more from around the Southeast:
- Recently acquired Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga isn’t yet ready to suit up for his new team — Atlanta announced on Wednesday (via Twitter) that Kuminga will be reevaluated in one week as he continues to rehabilitate a left knee bone bruise. Still, Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required) is intrigued by what the former seventh overall pick could bring to the team once he’s healthy, suggesting that the transition-oriented style favored by Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker could be a good match for Kuminga’s skill set.
- Magic forward Paolo Banchero said on Wednesday that it’s “unfortunate” teammate Franz Wagner is facing another extended absence due to a troublesome ankle issue, but he stressed that he doesn’t want Wagner coming back “before he’s ready.” As Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel writes (subscription required), head coach Jamahl Mosley echoed that message. “It’s so important — his ability to get it all the way right where he’s not trying to be in, then out, and then the soreness continues to get to him,” Mosley said. “Just making sure it’s right … It’s the long haul for him. It’s the long part of his career that we’re looking at more than anything.”
- Hornets star LaMelo Ball was involved in a car accident in uptown Charlotte on Wednesday afternoon, but he wasn’t injured, according to a report from Joe Marusak, Alex Zietlow, and Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Witnesses described Ball’s camouflage Hummer crashing into a silver sedan in the middle of an intersection and said he eventually exited his car and was escorted into another car.
Southwest Notes: Durant, Plumlee, Sochan, Jackson
In his first media session since the All-Star game, Rockets star Kevin Durant immediately faced questions about rumors that went viral on social media over the weekend. Durant, who was accused of using a burner Twitter account to disparage current and former teammates in group chats, dismissed the speculation without explicitly denying that the account belonged to him, per Sam Amick and William Guillory of The Athletic and Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
“I know you gotta ask these questions, but I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense,” Durant said. “I’m just here to focus on the season, keep it pushing. But I get you all have to (ask).”
The account speculated to be Durant’s, which used the handle @GetHigher77, took shots at Suns guard Devin Booker, former Suns head coach Frank Vogel, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr of the Warriors, and Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. of the Rockets, among others.
Asked if he’d spoken to his teammates about the rumors, Durant replied, “My teammates know what it is. We’ve been locked in the whole season. Enjoyed our break. Had a great practice today, looking forward to the road trip.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Although he officially signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs on Tuesday, it’s unclear when Mason Plumlee will be able to suit up for his new team. According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Mitch Johnson said that Plumlee – who underwent groin surgery at the end of December – won’t be active for the team’s games in Austin on Thursday or Saturday.
- Asked on Wednesday at his introductory press conference as a Knick what went wrong for him in San Antonio, former No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan suggested he got “no real opportunity” with the Spurs under Johnson, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). “It is what it is. It’s a deep team,” he said. “Maybe I didn’t see eye-to-eye with Coach. I’m just blessed to be somewhere to grow.”
- Chiding from teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. prompted Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II to adopt a more aggressive attitude on the court, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes in a subscriber-only story. In his third NBA season, Jackson has become a more efficient scorer and a reliable presence on defense, but it took a push from Pippen and other veterans to get him there. “I would see him in practice and he would be one of the most athletic guys in the gym, then he would get in the game and wouldn’t even dunk or he would only dunk on fast breaks,” Pippen said. “I’m excited every time I see him dunk and play physical because now guys are starting to get out of the way, or he’s dunking on them.”
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.