And-Ones: Howard, Rookies, Stanley, Europe
Officially announced last weekend as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2025 class, longtime NBA star Dwight Howard has decided to play one more season of professional basketball in the BIG3, as first reported by Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
The BIG3 – the 3-on-3 league created by Ice Cube – officially issued a press release on Wednesday confirming that Howard has signed on to play for the Los Angeles Riot this summer.
Howard will team up with former NBA guard Jordan Crawford and former USC standout Elijah Stewart under head coach Nick Young. While Howard played for the Wizards like Crawford and the Lakers like Young, he didn’t overlap with either player during their stints in Washington and Los Angeles.
“I’m excited to join Ice Cube and the BIG3 – especially right after being inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame,” Howard said in a statement. “Words can’t describe how grateful I am for these opportunities. I can’t wait to join the L.A. Riot and try to bring another championship to the city of LA. But, the ultimate goal I have is to help the league go global.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In the final 2024/25 installment of his rookie rankings, Jeremy Woo of ESPN.com (Insider link) places Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher atop his list, writing that the French forward is delivering on his top-pick status. Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Grizzlies center Zach Edey, Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, and Bulls forward Matas Buzelis round out the top five in Woo’s rankings, in that order.
- Former Pacers and Pistons guard Cassius Stanley has signed with ESSM Le Portel for the rest of the season, the French club announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando). Stanley, who was in the NBA from 2020-22, was playing in the G League for the Valley Suns this season.
- In the wake of EuroLeague shareholders meeting this week to discuss the future of the league and the NBA’s potential foray into European basketball, the EuroLeague Players Association issued a statement calling for “united efforts” to grow the game on the continent, as BasketNews.com relays. “Despite significant progress, it must be acknowledged that there is still much work to be done to unravel the true potential of European club basketball,” the statement reads, in part. “That potential is lost when the relevant leagues, clubs and governing bodies do not work harmoniously, but seemingly against each other, without consideration for the perspective of players and fans who are the lifeblood of any competition.”
Final Check-In On Open NBA Roster Spots
With just four days left in the NBA’s regular season, there are still a few teams around the league with open 15-man roster spots, and there’s little downside to filling those openings before the regular season ends.
For playoff teams, adding one more player would create a little extra depth in the event of postseason injuries or garbage-time minutes. For non-playoff teams, it makes sense to try to convince a young player to accept a multiyear deal that includes little or no guaranteed money beyond this season, since it gives those teams another option for next year’s roster.
Even clubs over the luxury tax line or right up against it shouldn’t have a problem paying one more player a prorated minimum salary for the last day or two of the season — the prorated minimum for a veteran on a rest-of-season deal is just $11,997 per day, which is a drop in the bucket for NBA franchises.
With all that in mind, it’s safe to assume that some – if not all – of the teams with open roster spots should fill them by Sunday. Here are those teams:
- Boston Celtics
- Dallas Mavericks
- Golden State Warriors
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Toronto Raptors (2)
The Mavericks‘ plans for their open 15-man roster spot have already been reported. They intend to promote two-way player Brandon Williams to a standard contract and likely would’ve done it much sooner if they’d had enough room under their hard cap to do so.
The Pelicans technically have 16 players on standard contracts as of today, but two of those players – Elfrid Payton and Kylor Kelley – are on 10-day contracts that will expire this weekend. I’d expect New Orleans to look to sign Payton, Kelley or someone else to a multiyear contract that gives the club some roster flexibility beyond this season.
The Raptors opened up a pair of roster spots on Thursday by waiving Orlando Robinson and Cole Swider, both of whom were on rest-of-season contracts. Their reported plan is to fill those two spots in the coming days with players on multiyear deals — Robinson and/or Swider may even return, though Colin Castleton is reportedly also on Toronto’s radar, and a promotion of two-way player A.J. Lawson is a possibility too.
The other two teams here – the Celtics and Warriors – are either assured of a playoff spot (in Boston’s case) or are well positioned to make it (in Golden State’s case). But that doesn’t necessarily mean each of those teams will sign a win-now veteran as a 15th man. They already have enough depth on their respective rosters that they may prefer to add a younger prospect – perhaps a two-way player or someone from the G League – on a multiyear deal.
While there are only five teams with open spots on their 15-man rosters, that doesn’t necessarily mean those five clubs are the only candidates to make roster moves in the next few days.
Teams without an open roster spot could waive one of their current 15 players in order to make room for a new addition or a promoted two-way player. They’ll likely have to make that decision very soon though — 4:00 pm Central time on Thursday is the deadline to waive a player on an expiring contract in order to ensure he clears waivers before the final day of the regular season, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.
The Cavaliers (Chuma Okeke), Kings (Terence Davis), and Knicks (P.J. Tucker) are among the teams who had been carrying an open 15-man roster spot but who have filled that opening this month.
Finally, it’s worth noting that there are a handful of clubs with two-way contract slots available, but the deadline for two-way signings passed in early March, so those roster spots will remain open.
Raptors Waive Orlando Robinson, Cole Swider
The Raptors have completed a pair of roster moves, announcing in a press release that they’ve waived center Orlando Robinson and forward Cole Swider.
Robinson, who began the season with the Kings, was waived by Sacramento in January and has since been on a series of deals with Toronto, including a pair of 10-day contracts, a two-way pact, and a standard rest-of-season contract.
In 35 appearances (eight starts) for the Raptors, the big man averaged 8.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 20.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .447/.340/.794.
Swider joined the Raptors more recently after spending time with Detroit on a two-way deal earlier in the season. He signed a 10-day contract with Toronto in March, then a rest-of-season contract last Saturday.
The former Syracuse standout averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per night across eight outings for the Raptors, making 35.7% of his three-point attempts.
Neither Robinson nor Swider was under team control beyond this season, so the expectation is that the Raptors will use their two newly opened roster spots to sign players to multiyear deals, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). Those deals will likely feature little to no guaranteed money beyond this season, but will give Toronto a chance to take a longer look at the players in the summer.
Robinson and Swider are among the candidates to return on new contracts if and when they clear waivers. According to Murphy, it’s also possible the Raptors will promote A.J. Lawson from his two-way deal and/or bring back Colin Castleton, whose 10-day contract with the Sixers expires on Saturday.
Injury Notes: Ivey, Ingram, Wells, T. Jones
Jaden Ivey continues to progress in his recovery from the broken left fibula he suffered on New Year’s Day, according to the Pistons, who announced on Thursday (via Twitter) that the third-year guard has been cleared for basketball activities.
Ivey is entering the initial phase of his reconditioning program and will continue to progress in his on-court work, the team stated, adding that he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks.
While Ivey obviously won’t make it back during the regular season, it’s worth noting that the Pistons have yet to formally rule him out for the postseason. Detroit has clinched a playoff spot and will be in the midst of the conference quarterfinals in two weeks.
Of course, there’s still no guarantee that Ivey will be able to return and contribute in the playoffs, but the longer the Pistons can stay alive, the better the odds are that he’ll have a chance to play again this spring.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has been shut down for the rest of the 2024/25 season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his injured left ankle this week, head coach Darko Rajakovic told reporters on Wednesday (story via Ian Harrison of The Associated Press). Ingram, acquired from New Orleans at the trade deadline, has yet to make his Raptors debut, having been out with his ankle injury since early December. “It’s what he needs,” Rajakovic said of the injection, adding that Ingram is expected to be good to go for training camp in the fall. “He’s been recovering really well.”
- After being discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells was in attendance at the team’s shootaround on Thursday, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. Wells, who fractured his wrist and sustained a facial laceration as a result of the hard fall he took in Tuesday’s game, won’t be able to return to action anytime soon, but was “in decent spirits” on Thursday, according to Grizzlies wing Vince Williams.
- Bulls point guard Tre Jones, who sprained his left foot last month, still doesn’t appear close to returning to action. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Jones was still wearing a walking boot as of Wednesday night. While the team hasn’t provided an official update recently, it seems increasingly unlikely that the veteran guard will have a chance to return this season unless the Bulls advance beyond the play-in tournament.
Josh Kroenke Serving As Nuggets’ Interim President Of Basketball Ops
Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke will serve as the team’s interim president of basketball operations for the rest of this season following Tuesday’s dismissal of general manager Calvin Booth, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
According to Haynes, Kroenke will be assisted in that role by vice president of basketball operations Ben Tenzer and assistant general manager Tommy Balcetis.
A “thorough” search for a new head of basketball operations is expected to take place once Denver’s season ends, Haynes adds.
Assuming the Nuggets name a new GM/president this spring fairly early in their offeason, Kroenke likely won’t make many basketball decisions in his new, temporary role. Denver has 15 players on standard contracts and none of the team’s three two-way players look like strong candidates for a promotion in the season’s final days, so the team likely won’t be making any roster moves until the summer.
It’s unclear whether Tenzer and/or Balcetis will be serious candidates to become the Nuggets’ new head of basketball operations or whether the club will target an executive from outside of the organization. It will also be interesting to see what the timeline of that search looks like, since it would make sense for Booth’s replacement to have a hand in the hiring of a new head coach.
After firing Booth and head coach Michael Malone, Kroenke figures to be heavily involved in both the GM and coaching searches.
Cavaliers Sign Chuma Okeke
April 5: Okeke’s deal with the Cavaliers is now official, per a team press release.
April 3: The Cavaliers and Chuma Okeke have reached a contract agreement, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the 6’7″ forward will fill the open spot on Cleveland’s 15-man roster.
Okeke, the 16th overall pick in the 2019 draft, spent a year recovering from a torn ACL before signing his rookie scale contract with Orlando in 2020. He appeared in 189 regular season games over the course of four seasons with the Magic, averaging 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 20.3 minutes per night.
After becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2024, Okeke has spent most of the current season with the Westchester Knicks in the G League. In 45 total outings for Westchester, he has put up 16.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 36.5 minutes per game.
The 26-year-old also appeared in seven NBA games while on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Sixers in February and March.
Known as a talented perimeter defender, Okeke didn’t display much upside on the offensive end during his time in Orlando, shooting 38.3% from the floor and 31.8% on three-pointers. He has taken some positive steps forward as a shooter this season, however, hitting 36.2% of his outside shots in the G League and 45.5% in a very small sample at the NBA level.
The Cavaliers have been carrying 14 players on standard contracts since Nae’Qwan Tomlin‘s 10-day deal expired about a month ago, so they won’t need to cut anyone to open up a roster spot for Okeke.
Okeke’s deal will include a second-year team option, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Assuming it’s worth the veteran’s minimum, Okeke would earn $12,860 per day for the rest of this season (through April 13) — his exact earnings and the Cavs’ exact cap hit would depend on when the team officially completes the signing.
Grizzlies Notes: Defense, Jackson, Iisalo, Aldama, Morant
The Grizzlies‘ offense has been under the spotlight since Taylor Jenkins‘ ouster last week due to the massive changes the coaching staff made to its system coming into the season and the steps the team has taken recently to undo some of those changes. However, the Grizzlies’ play on the defensive side of the ball has been a bigger issue during the club’s recent slide, William Guillory of The Athletic wrote this week after the Warriors put up 134 points against Memphis in a Tuesday win.
The Grizzlies performed better defensively in Thursday’s win over Miami, but a unit that had the NBA’s seventh-best defensive rating prior to the All-Star break has still ranked just 20th in the league since then.
Although Defensive Player of the Year candidate Jaren Jackson Jr. missed five games during that stretch due to an ankle sprain, the team’s decline in effectiveness on that end of the court can’t be chalked up to being without its top rim protector for a little over a week. Jackson has posted a 115.2 defensive rating during his time on the court since the All-Star break, compared to a 106.4 pre-All-Star mark.
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Who exactly is new Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo? In another story for The Athletic, Guillory profiles Jenkins’ replacement, noting that the Finnish assistant was a relative unknown to most NBA fans before his promotion last week. “He’s a really smart guy. No bulls–t,” Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane said. “It’s all about winning and how you get there. Nothing else really matters. He’s not a man of many words if you ain’t talking about basketball.”
- The Grizzlies and Santi Aldama didn’t agree to a rookie scale extension prior to the 2024/25 season, but locking up the forward in restricted free agency this summer is reportedly a priority for the front office. Speaking to Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Aldama said he wasn’t bothered by putting off contract talks until the 2025 offseason. “Yeah, figure it out later,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to be somewhere where we’re winning and where we’re fighting for the right stuff. I think here, we got a great thing going. We have a great relationship here, so I would love for it to keep that way. I’m just focusing on taking it day by day, getting better day by day. And that stuff will take care of itself.”
- In case you missed it, Grizzlies star Ja Morant was fined $75K earlier today for making finger-gun gestures during Thursday’s game in Miami. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal explains why the NBA hit Morant with a fine for that gesture even though there are several players around the league who perform similar celebrations.
Previewing 2025/26 Player Option Decisions
A total of 20 NBA veterans hold player options on their contracts for the 2025/26 season, as our free agent list shows.
Those 20 players range from superstars like LeBron James to reserves like Eric Gordon. The value of their respective options reflects that wide gap -- James would earn nearly $53MM if he opts in for next season, while Gordon would earn just shy of $3.5MM.
Still, despite the huge difference between those two players' potential '25/26 salaries, Gordon may be the one of the two more likely to pick up his option and lock in that guaranteed money for next season. Each player facing an option decision will weigh several factors, including his 2024/25 performance, his role, his age, and what sort of offers might be available to him on the open market if he opts out.
Most players holding options won't have to finalize a decision until the league-wide deadline of June 29, but it's not uncommon for certain options to be exercised in April, shortly after a player's season wraps up. So we're looking ahead today at all 20 of those decisions to try to get a sense of which direction they might go.
Let's dive in...
Pistons Clinch First Playoff Berth Since 2019
With their win in Toronto on Friday, the Pistons have officially clinched a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference, securing their first playoff berth since the 2018/19 season (Twitter link).
It’s the latest achievement in what has been a remarkable turnaround for the Pistons, who posted the worst record in the NBA – and the worst mark in franchise history – a year ago when they went 14-68. Detroit has more than tripled that win total this season, sitting at 43-34 with five games still to play.
The Pistons’ bounce-back season has been driven by an All-NBA caliber performance from former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, though he wasn’t in action in Friday’s playoff clincher, having missed his sixth consecutive game due to a left calf contusion.
Instead, it was rising third-year center Jalen Duren (21 points, 18 rebounds, six assists, four blocks), Sixth Man of the Year contender Malik Beasley (21 points), and veteran role player Tim Hardaway Jr. (23 points) who played key roles in the 117-105 win over the Raptors.
Veteran forward Tobias Harris and second-year wing Ausar Thompson are among the other most important contributors in Detroit, along with veteran guard Dennis Schröder, who has taken on a role similar to the one Jaden Ivey played before breaking his leg in January.
While the Pistons have now secured their spot in the postseason, their exact seed in the Eastern Conference is still to be determined.
Friday’s victory moves them a half-game ahead of the 42-34 Bucks for the No. 5 spot, which would likely line them up for a first-round date with the No. 4 Pacers. Sliding to No. 6 would probably result in a matchup with the Knicks in round one, though neither New York nor Indiana is officially locked into its seed yet.
As Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press notes, the Timberwolves are now assured of receiving the Pistons’ 2025 first-round pick, which had been top-13 protected.
Dwight Howard Elected To Hall Of Fame
Former NBA center Dwight Howard has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and will be part of the class of 2025, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The first overall pick in the 2004 draft, Howard immediately became the starting center for the Magic and spent the next eight seasons in Orlando, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the team and finishing in the top five in MVP voting in four consecutive seasons from 2008-11. The Magic made the playoffs in six straight years during Howard’s tenure, appearing in the NBA Finals in 2009.
From 2012-22, Howard bounced around the NBA, spending time with the Lakers, Rockets, Hawks, Hornets, Wizards, and Sixers. He had three separate stints with the Lakers during that decade and won his first and only championship with the team in 2020.
Howard earned a total of eight All-Star nods and appeared on eight All-NBA teams, including five First Teams, over the course of his 18-year NBA career. In addition to winning DPOY three times, he made an All-Defensive team five teams, including claiming a spot on the First Team for four years in a row from 2009-12.
Howard led the league in rebounding five times and currently ranks 10th on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list. He was also the league leader in blocked shots twice and ranks 13th all-time in that category.
The big man didn’t play college basketball but fortified his Hall of Fame résumé by winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Beijing in 2008.
The Hall of Fame will officially announce its full class of 2025 on Saturday at the NCAA Final Four. According to reporting from Charania, Howard and another former NBA star, Carmelo Anthony, will be among the first-ballot selections in that group.