Northwest Notes: Porter, Edwards, Wolves, Jazz
The Nuggets ranked last in the NBA a year ago with 31.2 three-point attempts per game and lost one of their most reliable outside marksmen this offseason when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope departed for Orlando in free agency. While head coach Michael Malone has downplayed Denver’s need to fire away from beyond the arc, forward Michael Porter Jr. knows the team will be relying on him more than ever this season to help spread the floor, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
“I think we’ve got a lot of players that, they like to get to the mid-range, they like to get to the rim,” Porter said. “So we know in this day in age, teams score a lot of points when they get some three up. So I don’t have my partner in crime, KCP. He was kind of a volume shooter last year. So we don’t have any really volume three-point shooters.
“I think Jamal (Murray), he’ll shoot some threes, but he likes to get to the middy. Joker (Nikola Jokic) should probably take a couple more per game. But I know it’s gonna be up to me and Julian (Strawther) to really be the volume 3-point shooters.”
Porter attempted 6.8 three-pointers per game last season and knocked down 39.7% of those tries. His career high is 7.3 attempts per night and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he exceeds that figure in 2024/25.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- In an interview for an ESPN Cover Story feature (Twitter video link), Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards expressed a belief that he could make the jump from the NBA to the NFL. “I told my buddies, if I win a ring in the next three to four years, I’m going to play football,” he said. While Edwards’ confidence is admirable, this claim definitely falls into the category of “we’ll believe it when we see it.”
- Within his deep dive into the Timberwolves‘ roster, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic says the trade for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle helped ease any concerns the team had about its point guard depth behind Mike Conley. “(DiVincenzo)’s been outstanding with the ball in his hands as a play-maker,” head coach Chris Finch said. “We know Julius can also create, we know Nickeil (Alexander-Walker). We’ve seen even a little more increased play-making from Jaden (McDaniels), not in a classic point guard role, but I feel like we are very comfortable with what we will do going forward at the point guard spot.”
- Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune poses four questions that will help determine how the Jazz‘s season plays out, including what the front office plans to do with its non-core veterans and how good the team’s young players can be. As Larsen notes, Utah intends to prioritize the development of youngsters like Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, and Kyle Filipowski in 2024/25 — their performances will go a long way toward determining whether they have a place in the club’s long-term plans.
Pelicans Waive Malcolm Hill
The Pelicans have made a minor move ahead of Monday’s regular season roster deadline, announcing in a press release that they’ve placed swingman Malcolm Hill on waivers.
Hill had been on a two-way contract, so his release doesn’t affect New Orleans’ standard roster, which still features 14 players. The team has now opened up one its three two-way slots, however, with Jamal Cain and Trey Jemison occupying the others.
Hill, who will turn 29 on Saturday, has bounced around the basketball world since going undrafted out of Illinois in 2017, suiting up for teams in the Philippines, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Israel from 2017-21 before spending the last few years stateside.
While Hill has appeared in a total of 24 regular season games for the Hawks and Bulls since 2021, he has spent a significant portion of the past three years with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G League affiliate. Last season, the 6’6″ wing appeared in 46 games for the Squadron, averaging 21.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.5 steals in 34.4 minutes per contest while posting an excellent shooting line of .476/.417/.899.
Although Hill finished the season on a two-year, two-way contract that he signed with New Orleans in February, he didn’t see any action at the NBA level with the Pelicans.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Pels have their eye on a specific player to fill their new two-way opening in the coming days, but there’s also nothing stopping them from holding that slot open to start the season.
Central Notes: Middleton, Winslow, Cavs, Bulls, Ivey
Bucks forward Khris Middleton isn’t expected to be active for the team’s regular season opener against Philadelphia on Wednesday, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. Middleton spent the offseason recovering from surgical procedures on both ankles and the team is taking a cautious approach to his return this fall, Charania explains.
Although Middleton recently expressed a desire to play in 70-plus games in 2024/25, it doesn’t come as a major surprise that he’s not quite ready for the start of the regular season. He didn’t appear in any preseason contests and head coach Doc Rivers said on Saturday that the three-time All-Star would need to play 5-on-5 before Wednesday in order to suit up for opening night (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).
The Bucks haven’t issued any sort of official update on Middleton, but it sounds like he’ll probably be considered day-to-day going forward, with a chance to make his season debut before the end of the month. That’s just my speculation based on comments from Rivers and recent reporting though, so we’ll keep an eye out for more news on the 33-year-old’s status.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, acquired the returning rights to Justise Winslow and Darryl Morsell from the Raptors 905 in exchange for the rights to Wenyen Gabriel, Marques Bolden, and Deonte Burton, plus the No. 15 pick in this year’s G League draft, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links). As Murphy notes, several of those players are currently competing overseas, but Milwaukee signed Winslow to an Exhibit 10 contract during the preseason — securing his rights means he’ll now be eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Herd.
- The Cavaliers were much better when Max Strus was on the court last season than when he wasn’t, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who considers in a subscriber-only story how the club will get by without one of its top floor-spacers for the next six weeks while Strus recovers from an ankle injury. Fedor views Dean Wade as the favorite to replace Strus in the starting five, since he’s a solid defender and a strong three-point shooter. Caris LeVert‘s ball-dominant game is a better fit in the second unit, Fedor suggests, while Isaac Okoro is another candidate to play with the starters.
- Lonzo Ball, Matas Buzelis, and Julian Phillips are a few of the Bulls players whose preseason performances provided reasons for optimism entering the season, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes in his latest stock report. On the other hand, offseason additions Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith and newly re-signed forward Patrick Williams have had up-and-down Octobers so far, as Mayberry details.
- Jaden Ivey saw his role reduced under Monty Williams last season, but the Pistons guard is once again an offensive focal point under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, says Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Ivey was the Pistons’ leading scorer during the preseason and earned praise from Bickerstaff for his efforts. “He works his tail off and then he’s playing with confidence,” Detroit’s coach said earlier this month. “When you work as hard as he works and puts as much time in, and then you play with that confidence and belief, the work is going to pay off.”
Pistons Sign Cole Swider To Two-Way Contract
As expected, the Pistons have filled one of their open two-way slots by signing forward Cole Swider to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Reporting on Saturday indicated that Detroit planned to sign Swider and Alondes Williams to two-way deals after they were waived by the Pacers and Clippers, respectively. Swider cleared waivers on Sunday, while Williams will do so later today, assuming he goes unclaimed.
Swider, 25, played his college ball at Villanova and Syracuse before going undrafted in 2022. He spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the Lakers and the 2023/24 campaign on a two-way deal with the Heat, appearing in 25 total NBA regular season games during that time.
Although the 6’8″ forward didn’t see much NBA action in his first two professional seasons, he excelled in the G League. In 21 outings last season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, he averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on .485/.471/.846 shooting, knocking down an impressive 4.7 three-pointers per contest.
Swider was in camp with the Pacers this fall on a non-guaranteed deal and appeared to have a shot to make the team’s regular season roster. However, Indiana – without much breathing room below the luxury tax line – opted to keep its 15th roster spot open to begin the season, which freed up Swider to join the Pistons.
Swider and Williams will join Daniss Jenkins as Detroit’s two-way players to open the 2024/25 season.
Southwest Notes: VanVleet, Murray, Pelicans, Gortman
After signing a maximum-salary contract with the Rockets last summer, Fred VanVleet averaged 17.4 points per game – his lowest scoring mark since 2018/19 – while handing out a career-high 8.1 assists per contest. In his second season in Houston, the team wouldn’t mind seeing VanVleet turn some of those assists into points, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
As Feigen observes, the Rockets should have more ball-handling options this season, with rookie Reed Sheppard capable of handling those duties and second-year guard Amen Thompson growing into that role. That will allow the club to have VanVleet operate off the ball a little more often, opening up catch-and-shoot opportunities. He made 38.7% of his three-point tries last season.
“As we’ve seen with Fred in the past, he can play off ball. That’s one of his strengths,” head coach Ime Udoka said. “To play with (DeMar) DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, (Pascal) Siakam, all these guys that really handle it quite a bit, he’s been the recipient. I think he’s been more so in practices and preseason games of getting some off-ball shots. That speaks to the comfort of other guys to handle it, make plays. … He can take plays off, be off the ball some, and be the recipient of some assists instead of making them.”
Udoka expressed confidence in Sheppard and Thompson as options to initiate the offense and also pointed to Jalen Green as someone who can bring the ball up the court. Besides letting VanVleet play off the ball more, those other ball-handlers should also put the Rockets in position to reduce the veteran point guard’s minutes after he averaged 36.8 MPG last season.
“Not a specific number, but way less than that, obviously,” Udoka said when asked about a target for VanVleet’s minutes. “That was the second-highest of his career. But he’s a guy that played heavy minutes in Toronto in the past. He took that on himself last year to really help us grow in those areas. It was another coach on the floor. But we’d like to drop that, for sure.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray is looking forward to reclaiming what he considers his “real position” this season in New Orleans after spending two seasons playing alongside Trae Young with the Hawks, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “In Atlanta, I was in the corner and on the wings, and I made the best of it,” Murray said. “Here, they are allowing me to play my real position. Playing point guard. Keeping everything organized. And making dudes better. And doing what I do best.”
- The Pelicans intend to operate without a traditional center on the court for significant chunks of games this season. Head coach Willie Green believes the strategy can work, since those units should provide more versatility on both ends of the court despite giving up some rim protection and rebounding, but he stressed it will require a commitment from the players in those small-ball lineups. “When those units are on the floor, they have to have an understanding that they have to be tougher,” Green said (story via Clark at NOLA.com). “They have to play harder. We have to compete at a higher level. We have to rebound at a higher level in order for those types of groups to work.” Daniel Theis, who has spent most of his career as a backup, and rookie Yves Missi are New Orleans’ top two traditional centers, but forward Herbert Jones may open the season as the team’s de facto five.
- Camp invitee Jazian Gortman impressed the Mavericks this fall not just with his play on the court but with his work ethic off it, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link), who notes that the guard spent plenty of time watching film before games and getting extra reps after practices. Gortman, who believes his decision-making and his three-point shot have both improved since Summer League, was promoted to a two-way contract on Friday. “He impressed not just me but the organization as a whole,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “Everyone who watched camp felt he was impressive, and we knew he was someone we needed to take a closer look at.”
Contract, Roster Deadlines Loom For NBA Teams
We’re one day away from the start of the NBA’s 2024/25 regular season, making Monday the last day of the 2024 offseason. Today serves as the deadline for a number of contract- and roster-related decisions around the league. Here are the most important ones:
Rookie Scale Extensions
A total of 24 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions.
Four of those players – Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner – have already signed new deals, and a fifth (Moses Moody) has agreed to an extension that will be officially completed today.
That leaves the following 19 players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions on Monday:
- Santi Aldama (Grizzlies)
- Chris Duarte (Bulls)
- Josh Giddey (Bulls)
- Jalen Green (Rockets)
- Quentin Grimes (Mavericks)
- Bones Hyland (Clippers)
- Isaiah Jackson (Pacers)
- Jalen Johnson (Hawks)
- Corey Kispert (Wizards)
- Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors)
- Tre Mann (Hornets)
- Davion Mitchell (Raptors)
- Trey Murphy (Pelicans)
- Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
- Day’Ron Sharpe (Nets)
- Jaden Springer (Celtics)
- Jalen Suggs (Magic)
- Cam Thomas (Nets)
- Ziaire Williams (Nets)
The majority of these guys won’t sign new deals until the 2025 offseason, when they’re eligible for restricted free agency. But it would be a surprise if at least a couple more players from this list don’t finalize rookie scale extensions today.
Giddey, Green, Johnson, Kuminga, Murphy, Sengun, and Suggs are among the notable names in this group, but finding a price point that works for them and their respective teams may be a challenge. Some of the role players on this list who are willing to settle for more modest deals might also agree to terms today — Grimes is said to be a prime candidate for a new deal, for instance.
The deadline for rookie scale extensions is at 5:00 pm Central time.
Certain Veteran Contract Extensions
A veteran player who signed his current contract at least two years ago (or three years ago if it was a five-year deal) is eligible to sign an extension. That means many veterans around the NBA are eligible to sign contract extensions today, but that number will significantly drop as of tomorrow.
Once the regular season begins, only veterans in the final year of their contracts can sign extensions — a player who has multiple years remaining is no longer extension-eligible until the following offseason.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension]
Let’s use the Hawks as an example. Trae Young, Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr., and Garrison Mathews are all eligible for veteran extensions right now, but Capela, Nance, and Mathews are on expiring deals, whereas Young is not. That means Capela, Nance, and Mathews will be able to sign extensions anytime between now and June 30, 2025, but Young’s eligibility window will close after Monday and won’t reopen until next July.
An extension-eligible veteran who has a player option for 2025/26 could still sign a new deal later in the ’24/25 league year, but he’d have to eliminate that option to do so. Picking up the option would make him ineligible to complete an extension between Tuesday and the start of the ’25/26 league year, since it would turn his contract into a multiyear deal, not an expiring one.
With the help of information from Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link), here are the 24 players who have a Monday deadline to sign a veteran extension if they want to lock in a new deal before next July:
- Deandre Ayton (Trail Blazers)
- Mikal Bridges (Knicks)
- Luka Doncic (Mavericks)
- Kevin Durant (Suns)
- De’Aaron Fox (Kings)
- Daniel Gafford (Mavericks)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Kevin Huerter (Kings)
- Maxi Kleber (Mavericks)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Cody Martin (Hornets)
- CJ McCollum (Pelicans)
- Jusuf Nurkic (Suns)
- Michael Porter Jr. (Nuggets)
- Norman Powell (Clippers)
- Duncan Robinson (Heat)
- Mitchell Robinson (Knicks)
- Terry Rozier (Heat)
- Collin Sexton (Jazz)
- Anfernee Simons (Trail Blazers)
- Marcus Smart (Grizzlies)
- Dean Wade (Cavaliers)
- Robert Williams (Trail Blazers)
- Trae Young (Hawks)
A few of these players who are prime candidates for extensions aren’t expected to sign this year because they would qualify for more years and more money if they wait until next offseason.
That group includes Bridges, who continues to face extend-and-trade limitations due to his recent move to the Knicks, and Fox, who would become eligible for a super-max (Designated Veteran) extension if he makes an All-NBA team in 2025. It also includes Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander, who have already met the performance criteria for super-max deals but won’t have enough years of service to sign them until after the 2024/25 season.
The deadline for veteran extensions for players on non-expiring contracts is at 10:59 pm CT tonight.
Regular Season Rosters
Nearly every NBA team finalized its roster cuts on Saturday for financial reasons, as we explained over the weekend. However, today is the official deadline to reduce offseason rosters to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts (plus three on two-way contracts).
While there will could very well be some additional roster shuffling today as teams tweak their back-end roster spots or fill two-way openings, only one team – the Timberwolves – absolutely has to make a move, as we detailed on Sunday. Minnesota’s transaction appears likely to involve Keita Bates-Diop, though that’s not set in stone yet.
That roster move is due by 4:00 pm CT.
The final day of the offseason is also the last day for teams to convert Exhibit 10 contracts into two-way deals, but there are no candidates left after Kai Jones, Quincy Olivari, Liam Robbins, Yuki Kawamura, Mac McClung, Jamison Battle, Riley Minix, Tyrese Martin, E.J. Liddell, and Jazian Gortman were all converted on either Friday or Saturday.
The only player still on an Exhibit 10 deal is Bulls guard Talen Horton-Tucker, and he has too many years of NBA service to qualify for a two-way. The expectation is that Horton-Tucker will make Chicago’s standard opening night roster, meaning his Exhibit 10 contract will turn into a one-year, non-guaranteed deal and will begin counting against the salary cap.
Finally, Monday is the last day for a free agent to be signed-and-traded during the 2024/25 league year. However, there have been no indications that any sign-and-trades are in the works.
Checking In On Roster Situations Around The NBA
As expected, the majority of the NBA teams made their roster cuts on Saturday and didn’t wait until Monday’s deadline to set their regular season rosters.
Completing those moves on Saturday will ensure the players on non-guaranteed contracts clear waivers on Monday, before the regular season begins. If a team had waited until Monday to waive a player on a non-guaranteed deal, he wouldn’t clear waivers until Wednesday, and the team would be on the hook for two days’ worth of his salary.
After Saturday’s flurry of roster moves, here’s where things stand around the NBA…
Teams whose rosters are within the regular season limits
Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 29 have rosters that comply with the league’s regular season roster limits, which state that clubs can’t carry more than 15 players on standard contracts or three on two-way contracts.
The following 14 teams are right at the limit, carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Brooklyn Nets
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
Just because these rosters look ready for the regular season doesn’t mean they’re fully locked in. It wouldn’t be be a surprise if one or more of these teams makes a minor tweak before Monday’s regular season roster deadline. That could be as simple as swapping out one two-way player for another.
The following 11 teams are carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:
- Boston Celtics
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Golden State Warriors
- Houston Rockets
- Indiana Pacers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
Several of these teams are in luxury tax territory or have minimal flexibility below the tax line, so they’ll open the season with an open roster spot to either keep their projected tax bill in check or maintain some financial flexibility. That’s not the case for all of them though. The Rockets are well clear of the tax, for instance, and could comfortably make a roster addition if they want to.
Four more teams are within the regular season limits. Those teams are as follows:
- Charlotte Hornets: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
- Detroit Pistons: 14 players on standard contracts and one on a two-way deal.
- New York Knicks: 12 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
- Orlando Magic: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
The Hornets, Pistons, and Magic will likely fill their open two-way slots sooner rather than later. In fact, Detroit already has its eye on a pair of players – Alondes Williams and Cole Swider – for its openings. There are no cap savings generated by keeping a two-way slot open, so I’d bet on Charlotte and Orlando adding one more two-way player in the coming days.
The Pistons also have an open spot on their 15-man roster and it’s perhaps no coincidence that they’re also the only team in the NBA with cap room still available. Carrying a 15th man, even one on a non-guaranteed contract, would slowly eat into that cap room, which is a scenario they probably want to avoid in order to maximize their ability to accommodate salary-dump trades during the season.
The Knicks are facing one of the NBA’s most restrictive hard cap situations, with just $3.58MM in wiggle room below that second-apron threshold, which they can’t surpass at any point during the 2024/25 season. They can’t even carry two more minimum-salary veterans, so the expectation is that they’ll sign a veteran to a minimum deal and promote a two-way rookie to the standard roster — Ariel Hukporti is the top candidate, and would count against the cap for the rookie minimum ($1,157,153) instead of the veteran minimum ($2,087,519), allowing the Knicks to remain below the hard cap.
The Knicks are permitted to carry just 12 players on standard contracts for up to 14 days at a time and for up to 28 total days during the regular season. It looks like they’ll probably use those first 14 days during the season’s first two weeks, meaning they won’t have to add 13th and 14th men until the first week of November.
Teams that still have moves to make before Monday’s deadline
Only one NBA team has yet to make the necessary cuts to get within the regular season roster limits:
Minnesota Timberwolves: 16 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
As a result of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, the Timberwolves are carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts and one (PJ Dozier) on a partially guaranteed deal. Dozier is assured of receiving at least $1MM of his minimum-salary contract, which counts on Minnesota’s books for about $2.09MM.
It sounds as if the Wolves would like to keep Dozier, which will likely make veteran forward Keita Bates-Diop the odd man out. Bates-Diop was a throw-in the Towns trade and wasn’t at practice on Saturday.
If they waive Bates-Diop, Minnesota will be on the hook for his full $2,654,644 guaranteed salary, along with the accompanying tax penalties, so the front office may continue to explore the trade market to try to find a taker for him (or a separate deal) in order to avoid that scenario. The Wolves will have to get down to 15 players on standard contracts and finalize their regular season roster by 4:00 pm Central time on Monday.
Reported Exhibit 10 signings that never materialized
A couple weeks ago, we checked in on the reported Exhibit 10 deals that had yet to be finalized, noting that most of them would still become official before opening night.
As expected, that was indeed the case. Of the 11 players we highlighted, nine ultimately signed Exhibit 10 contracts as reported and were subsequently waived. A tenth player, Boo Buie, didn’t complete his anticipated deal with the Suns, but inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks instead.
That leaves just one reported Exhibit 10 agreement that wasn’t completed — former Missouri guard Sean East II never ended up signing with the Lakers.
East and the Lakers could still technically finalize that deal on Sunday or Monday, but that doesn’t seem likely, since the team would take on a cap charge by signing and waiving East this late in the offseason. With just $45K in breathing room below the second tax apron, the Lakers are unlikely to be so cavalier about making even a small addition to their team salary.
Hoops Rumors’ roster resources
We consistently maintain and update a number of lists and trackers that are designed to help you keep tabs on NBA rosters. They’re all up to date following Saturday’s cuts.
Those resources, which can be found on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site or on the “Features” page within our mobile menu, include the following:
- 2024/25 NBA Roster Counts
- 2024/25 Non-Guaranteed Contracts By Team
- 2024/25 Two-Way Contract Tracker
- 2024 NBA Free Agent Tracker: This tracker will no longer be updated once the regular season begins, but includes every offseason free agent signing, including all the players who were signed-and-waived in recent days.
- 2025 NBA Free Agents By Position/Type
- 2025 NBA Free Agents By Team
Northwest Notes: Bates-Diop, Banton, Clingan, Murray, Westbrook
As our roster count page shows, the Timberwolves are the only one of the NBA’s 30 teams whose roster is not ready for the regular season after a busy day of transactions. Minnesota is still carrying 16 players on standard contracts, whereas the other 29 clubs have 15 or fewer players on standard deals.
The Wolves don’t need to finalize their opening night roster until Monday evening, but an absence at practice on Saturday provided a pretty strong hint about which direction they’re leaning, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who tweets that forward Keita Bates-Diop wasn’t in attendance and appears to be the odd man out.
Nothing’s official yet, but Bates-Diop was a throw-in for salary-matching purposes in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster, so it makes sense that he’s not in Minnesota’s plans. Removing him from the roster would allow the club to hang onto PJ Dozier, whose salary is partially guaranteed.
Still, since Bates-Diop’s $2,654,644 salary for 2024/25 is fully guaranteed, the Wolves are likely reluctant to simply waive him and eat that money, especially given how far over the luxury tax line they are. They may continue trying up until Monday’s deadline to find a taker for Bates-Diop on the trade market — they’d probably have to attach a second-round pick to make a deal.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton is expected to make the team’s opening night roster, tweets Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. Barring a last-minute surprise, Banton will see his partial guarantee increase from $217,533 to $1,098,485 as a result of starting the season with the team. The other half of his $2,196,970 salary would become guaranteed if he remains under contract beyond January 7.
- Trail Blazers lottery pick Donovan Clingan had a big night in his first start of the preseason on Friday, Highkin writes for his Rose Garden Report Substack. The rookie center, who isn’t expected to play big minutes in a crowded Blazers frontcourt, racked up 14 points, four blocks, and an eye-popping 20 rebounds (10 offensive) in just 24 minutes of action, with Portland outscoring Utah by 30 points during that time. Head coach Chauncey Billups said Clingan is still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, but praised the big man’s rebounding and rim protection. “Those two things, he’ll be pretty elite at,” Billups said. “He’ll only get better.”
- Jamal Murray‘s performance in Thursday’s preseason finale likely calmed some nerves in Denver, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. After dealing with some knee pain and shooting just 32% from the floor through three preseason appearances, the Nuggets guard poured in 25 points in 29 minutes in Thursday’s victory, showing that he’s ready for the regular season after a tough 2024 postseason and Olympic Games.
- In a column for The Denver Post, Sean Keeler examines what Denver is hoping to get this season from free agent addition Russell Westbrook, suggesting that the former MVP can be an important “agitator” for the Nuggets and help them play with more of an edge.
Grizzlies Cut Four Camp Invitees
As expected, after promoting Yuki Kawamura to a two-way contract, the Grizzlies waived their four other players on Exhibit 10 contracts, Miye Oni, Maozinha Pereira, Armando Bacot, and Miles Norris, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.
Oni, Pereira, Bacot, and Norris were all in the mix for Memphis’ open two-way contract slot after Scotty Pippen Jr. was elevated to the standard roster, but once Kawamura got the nod, hitting waivers was the likeliest outcome for all four players.
Oni, the 58th overall pick in the 2019 draft, appeared in 80 NBA games across two-and-a-half seasons with the Jazz before being traded to the Thunder, who waived him. The former Yale star signed a 10-day contract with the Pelicans in February 2022, but didn’t play a game for the team and hasn’t been in the NBA since then. He spent the 2022/23 season with the London Lions in the British Basketball League and ’23/24 with the Osceola Magic in the G League.
Pereira, a 24-year-old forward from Brazil, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies last season and and appeared in seven games for the club, averaging 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest with a .514/.385/.700 shooting line. He spent most of the season with the Mexico City Capitanes in the NBAGL.
Bacot is coming off a decorated five-year college career at North Carolina, where he became the men’s basketball program’s top rebounder for both a single season (511 in 2021/22) and a career (1,715). He averaged 13.9 PPG and 10.1 RPG over the course of 169 college games for the Tar Heels and earned All-ACC honors four times, including First Team nods in 2022 and 2023.
Norris, 24, signed a two-way contract with Atlanta last summer after going undrafted out of California-Santa Barbara. He was waived in December and joined the Hawks’ G League team in College Park, where he averaged 11.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG in 45 games (29.2 MPG). Norris also played for Atlanta in the Las Vegas Summer League the past two years.
The Grizzlies’ G League team – the Memphis Hustle – traded for the returning rights to Oni, Pereira, and Norris during the offseason and can make Bacot an “affiliate player,” so all four players will likely end up with the Hustle. If they spend at least 60 days with Memphis’ NBAGL affiliate, they’ll earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth $77.5K apiece.
The Grizzlies’ roster now appears set for the regular season, with 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
Minor Moves: Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, Bucks
The Thunder have waived forward Malevy Leons, the team announced today. Leons went undrafted in June out of Bradley and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City in September. His next stop will likely be with the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Blue, Leons will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K.
Meanwhile, the Thunder’s roster is now regular season compliant. They’re carrying 13 players on standard guaranteed salaries, a pair on non-guaranteed deals, and three on two-way pacts.
Here are a few more minor transactions completed on Saturday around the NBA:
- The Raptors signed and subsequently waived forward Kevin Obanor, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter links). After going undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2023, Obanor spent his rookie season with the Raptors 905. Today’s sign-and-waive transaction suggests he’ll be returning to the 905 this fall — Toronto already held his returning rights, but today’s moves will allow the 25-year-old to cash in on an Exhibit 10 bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the 905.
- The Celtics signed Jordan Schakel to an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac, and waived him on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. As with Obanor, the moves were simply designed to get Schakel a bonus for returning to the Maine Celtics, the team he played for last season. Boston also signed and waived Schakel in September, so it’s unclear why the club did so again a month later.
- The Lakers have cut former Belmont standout Grayson Murphy after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract this week, the team announced on Saturday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). The 25-year-old point guard spent the past two seasons competing in Germany, but appears ticketed for the South Bay Lakers to open the 2024/25 season.
- The Bucks waived center Jalen Lewis after having signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract on Friday, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Lewis, who spent multiple years in the Overtime Elite program, will likely begin the season with the Wiscon Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate.