Sixers Sign Lester Quinones To Two-Way Deal
SEPTEMBER 26, 3:15pm: Quinones has officially signed his two-way deal, the Sixers announced in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 25, 11:41am: Jones has been waived to make room on the roster for Quinones, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
SEPTEMBER 25, 8:46am: The Sixers and free agent guard Lester Quinones have agreed to a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Quinones, who will turn 24 in November, spent last season with the Warriors. He began the year on a two-way deal and then was promoted to Golden State’s standard roster in February. The 6’5″ guard appeared in a total of 37 NBA games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 10.6 minutes per contest and posting a shooting line of .397/.364/.690.
Quinones spent more time in the NBA than in the G League last season, but has been an effective contributor for the Santa Cruz Warriors over the past two years, averaging 21.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 3.9 APG on .448/.362/.772 shooting in 65 total Showcase Cup and regular season games for Golden State’s NBAGL affiliate.
The Warriors opted not to tender Quinones a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported in early July that the former Memphis Tiger was on the Sixers’ radar.
Philadelphia doesn’t currently have an open two-way slot, so either Justin Edwards, David Jones, or Jeff Dowtin will have to be waived in order to make room on the roster for Quinones.
Derrick Rose Announces Retirement
Former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose has announced his retirement as a basketball player.
Rose confirmed the decision in a post on Instagram and, according to Malika Andrews and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, by taking out full-page ads in local newspapers of the six NBA cities he played in: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.
“Knowing that I gave my all to the game, I feel confident in my decision,” Rose told ESPN. “Basketball was just the beginning for me. Now, it’s important that I give my all to my family — they deserve that.”
Rose added in a statement to Shams Charania of The Athletic: “The next chapter is about chasing my dreams and sharing my growth. I believe true success comes from becoming who you were created to be, and I want to show the world who I am beyond basketball.”
Rose, who will turn 36 next Friday, was selected first overall in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Bulls. He earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2009 and was named an All-Star in each of his next three seasons, winning the MVP award in 2011. Over the course of that season, his third in the NBA at age 22, he averaged 25.0 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game across 81 starts, leading the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record.
The fact that Rose won the MVP award while still on his rookie scale contract resulted in an NBA rule being unofficially named after him. As we’ve outlined in a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, the “Derrick Rose rule” allows players coming off their rookie deals to sign maximum-salary contracts worth up to 30% of the salary cap instead of the typical 25% if they’ve earned a major award such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA.
However, Rose’s career hit a snag following his first four seasons in Chicago, as he missed the entire 2012/13 season due to an ACL tear and only played in 10 games in ’13/14 as he continued to recover from that injury.
The 6’3″ guard ultimately made it back to the court on a more regular basis in ’14/15, but he only appeared in more than 51 games in a season twice in his final 10 NBA seasons as he continued to be affected by health issues that sapped him of the speed and explosiveness he displayed in his first few years.
Rose was still an effective role player when healthy, earning Sixth Man of the Year votes in 2019, 2020, and 2021 for the Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, but his injury woes prevented him from fully delivering on the potential to be a longtime NBA star that he showed early in his career.
Rose will call it a career with averages of 17.4 PPG, 5.2 APG, and 3.2 RPG in 723 career regular season games (30.5 MPG). He also made 52 postseason appearances and put up 21.9 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG in those outings. He made the Eastern Conference Finals with the Bulls during his MVP year in 2011, though he never played in the NBA Finals. In addition to suiting up for the Bulls, Timberwolves, Pistons, and Knicks, he spent time with the Cavaliers and Grizzlies.
Rose had been under contract with Memphis for the 2024/25 season, but requested his release and gave up his full $3.3MM guaranteed salary for the year as part of that agreement.
As K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network tweets, there are no immediate plans for Rose to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Bulls, but the organization will almost certainly honor its former star at some point this season.
Kings Sign, Waive Dexter Dennis
5:17pm: The Kings have now waived Dennis, according to the NBA’s transaction log.
2:04pm: The Kings have signed free agent swingman Dexter Dennis, according to RealGM’s official NBA transaction log. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
Dennis, 25, went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2023 and caught on with the Mavericks for training camp, earning a two-way contract at the end of the preseason. However, he appeared in just four NBA games for Dallas before being waived in December.
Dennis played in a total of 44 Showcase Cup and regular season games in the G League as a rookie, including 29 for the Texas Legends and 15 for the Cleveland Charge, who traded for him in February. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 29.3 minutes per game with a shooting line of .430/.350/.778.
Dennis is also considered a strong defender, having won the AAC Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022 at Wichita State.
The Charge traded Dennis’ G League returning rights to the Stockton Kings earlier this month, so in all likelihood, he’ll be waived before the NBA season begins and will subsequently report to Sacramento’s G League affiliate, where his Exhibit 10 contract will make him eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Stockton.
The Kings still have one open spot on their 21-man preseason roster and have reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with both Skal Labissiere and Justin Powell, so more back-of-the-roster transactions are likely coming in Sacramento.
And-Ones: WBD Lawsuit, Top Storylines, G League Trade, More
The legal battle between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery took another step forward in recent days. Responding to the NBA’s motion to dismiss their lawsuit, TBS and WBD filed a 33-page memorandum last Friday attempting to convince New York Judge Joel M. Cohen to deny that motion, per Michael McCann of Sportico.
The parent company of TNT Sports, filed a lawsuit against the NBA in July, alleging that the league was in breach of contract after it refused to recognize TNT’s right to match Amazon’s new broadcast deal with the NBA.
The latest filing from TBS/WBD insists that the league acted in bad faith to “circumvent” the network’s matching rights by including certain terms in its deal with Amazon that it knew TBS/WBD couldn’t specifically match. For instance, one clause in the NBA/Amazon agreement requires NBA games to be aired on a platform that also broadcasts NFL games. Amazon has a deal with the NFL, whereas TBS/WBD does not.
If the case continues to advance through the legal system, court records suggest a trial would be held sometime in April 2025, according to McCann.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Paul George‘s impact in Philadelphia and the Knicks’ potential hole at center are among the key storylines to monitor in the Eastern Conference this season, in the view of Fred Katz and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Katz and Amick also took a look at the top storylines to watch in the West, including whether Victor Wembanyama is ready to take the leap to superstardom, Ja Morant‘s potential redemption tour, and which second-tier team could move into the top group of contenders.
- The South Bay Lakers, College Park Skyhawks (Hawks), and Texas Legends (Mavericks) have completed a three-team trade, with South Bay acquiring the returning rights to forward Chris Silva and center Jake Stephens in the deal, per a press release. The Skyhawks received Joirdon Nicholas‘ rights, while the Legends received multiple G League draft picks from the Lakers’ affiliate.
- Responding to a pair of U.S. senators who criticized the NBA for partnering with Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame, deputy commissioner Mark Tatum wrote in a letter that the league has followed “the lead of the U.S. government as to where it’s appropriate to engage in business around the world,” according to Mark Fainaru-Wada of ESPN. “If American policies were to change regarding business activities in and relating to Rwanda or any other BAL (Basketball Africa League) market, our actions would of course change accordingly,” Tatum said, adding that the NBA has promoted multiple social impact initiatives in Rwanda.
- Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks guard Damian Lillard, and Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman are among the individuals across the NBA who are facing the most pressure entering the 2024/25 season, according to Michael Pina of The Ringer, whose top five is rounded out by Knicks forward Julius Randle and Heat wing Jimmy Butler.
Pelicans Sign Jalen Crutcher To Exhibit 10 Deal
Free agent guard Jalen Crutcher has signed a contract with the Pelicans, according to RealGM’s official log of NBA transactions. It’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
Since going undrafted out of Dayton in 2021, Crutcher has spent three seasons in the G League, including two with the Greensboro Swarm and one with New Orleans’ affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron.
In 49 total games for the Squadron last season, Crutcher averaged 17.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 35.4 minutes per game and shot the ball well, with a 40.5% mark from beyond the three-point line and 86.3% from the free throw stripe. His strong play in Birmingham earned him a 10-day contract with the Pelicans in February — he appeared in just one game for the team, making his NBA debut on Feb. 27.
A player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract can have it converted to a two-way deal before the regular season or can qualify for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Given that the Pelicans don’t have a two-way opening and the Squadron already hold Crutcher’s NBAGL returning rights, the latter scenario appears more likely for the 25-year-old.
Raptors Sign, Waive Kennedy Chandler
2:58pm: As expected, the Raptors have waived Chandler, according to Murphy (Twitter link).
12:33pm: The Raptors have signed former second-round pick Kennedy Chandler to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.
A 6’0″ point guard, Chandler was selected 38th overall out of Tennessee in the 2022 draft and played for the Grizzlies as a rookie. However, he had a disappointing first season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.6 assists in 7.8 minutes per game across 36 outings while shooting just 42.2% from the floor (including 13.3% on three-pointers) and 46.2% from the free throw line.
Memphis waived Chandler in April 2023 even though he still had two fully guaranteed years left on his contract.
Chandler spent the 2023/24 season with the Long Island Nets in the G League, appearing in 49 total Showcase Cup and regular season contests for Brooklyn’s affiliate. He averaged 13.9 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 3.3 RPG with a shooting line of .477/.361/.758.
The Raptors have been signing and quickly waiving free agents in recent days in order to put them in line for Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days this season with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBAGL team. That may be the plan for Chandler too, though the 905 will have to acquire his returning rights from Long Island to make that happen.
Toronto, at least for now, once again has a full 21-man preseason roster.
Southwest Notes: Monroe, Pelicans, T. Allen, Klay, Mavs
Longtime NBA center Greg Monroe is joining the Pelicans‘ coaching staff in a player development role, according to Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.
The seventh overall pick in the 2010 draft, Monroe averaged 13.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest in 646 regular season games across 10 NBA seasons with the Pistons, Bucks, Suns, Celtics, Raptors, Sixers, Timberwolves, Wizards, and Jazz. He last played in the league during the 2021/22 season, when he spent time with four different teams from December to April. The 34-year-old has also competed in Germany, Russia, China, and Puerto Rico.
As Clark observes, Monroe is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana who attended high school in the New Orleans area and won Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball Award in 2007 and 2008 before playing college ball at Georgetown. Monroe told The Times-Picayune in 2023 that he was living in Metairie – which is where the Pelicans’ practice facility is located – when he wasn’t playing overseas.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Word broke back in May that the Grizzlies would retire Tony Allen‘s No. 9 jersey during the 2024/25 season. Now there’s an official date for the ceremony. According to a press release from the team, Allen’s No. 9 will be retired on Saturday, March 15 after the Grizzlies’ game against Miami. The former defensive standout will be the third player in team history to have his jersey hung in the rafters, joining Zach Randolph (No. 50) and Marc Gasol (No. 33).
- Appearing on The TK Show with Tim Kawakami (Spotify link), Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he believes Klay Thompson will benefit from a fresh start with the Mavericks, as Grant Afseth of The Dallas Hoops Journal relays. “We all wanted him to stay. I wanted Klay to be a Warrior for life, it felt like the right thing. (But) you never really know what the right thing is for someone else, only that person knows,” Kerr said. “And I think by the end of the year, I think Klay knew for his own sake that he wanted to leave. … I’m happy for him, I think this will be a great move. He’s going to play for a great team, two high-level creators, he should get a lot of open shots. I think sometimes a career change, a late-career change can refresh and recharge you.”
- Although the addition of Thompson might increase the Mavericks‘ ceiling in 2024/25, repeating as Western Conference champions won’t be an easy feat, according to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com, who looks at some of the challenges standing in the way of another trip to the NBA Finals for Dallas.
Rockets Notes: Fertitta, Adams, Griffin, Sengun, Green
The Rockets endured a miserable stretch from 2020-23, when they won just 59 total games across three seasons, but they bounced back to .500 in 2023/24 and appear to be on the upswing. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, team owner Tilman Fertitta expressed optimism about what the future holds, though he knows that more patience will be required, as Jonathan Feigen relays in a subscriber-only Houston Chronicle story.
“Last night I was (viewing) our roster,” Fertitta said. “Our 14th player, whoever that is, would be in the continuous rotation of any team out there. There is no deeper team in the NBA than us. But we’re still very young. As we watch all the greats that played the game, you’re not great until your third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh year. I don’t think Michael Jordan won his first championship until his seventh year.”
Fertitta made his comments at the opening of the Rockets’ new practice facility alongside several current and former Houston players, including two-time Finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, who won a pair of titles with the franchise in the mid-1990s. Asked by the Rockets’ owner how long it took him to win his first NBA championship, Olajuwon acknowledged that it happened in year 10.
“We don’t want to wait that long,” Fertitta said. “We plan on winning more than one or two. The point is we’re very young. There’s high expectations. But to be great, we have to get a little older. We’re expecting a great year.”
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- According to Feigen, Fertitta admitted that bottoming out and going through a multiyear rebuild wasn’t easy for him and that he frequently considered the idea of accelerating that process. However, his son Patrick and general manager Rafael Stone convinced him to stick with the plan. “Patrick and Raf came to me and said, ‘We can go to NBA purgatory, which is seed seven, eight or nine with no shot of even getting to the second round, or we can do this the right way,'” Fertitta said. “You look at the seven (drafted) guys we have from the last three years, it’s unbelievable, mixed in with some great veterans. We decided to do something that’s going to pay off for the next 12 years.”
- Every Rockets player worked out or scrimmaged at the team’s new practice facility either last week or this week (or both), per Feigen, who notes that that group includes center Steven Adams. After missing all of 2023/24 due to knee surgery, Adams has been cleared to fully participate in scrimmages and looked “outstanding” in last week’s games, a source tells The Houston Chronicle.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) clarifies that AJ Griffin gave up all but $250K of his salary for 2024/25 in his buyout agreement with the Rockets, reducing his $3,889,920 cap hit by more than $3.6MM. Feigen had previously mentioned that $250K figure, but didn’t specify whether Griffin surrendered that amount or surrendered all but that amount — we now know it’s the latter. Those savings will create additional spending flexibility for the Rockets, who are now operating below the luxury tax line by over $10MM.
- Although Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green both displayed star potential during the 2023/24 season, they rarely excelled at the same time, with Green’s best stretch of the season coming in the second half when Sengun was injured. In a separate story for The Houston Chronicle, Feigen explores why the two former first-round picks may not have been at their best together and what it would take for that to change in 2024/25.
Kings Signing Justin Powell To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Kings have reached an agreement with free agent shooting guard Justin Powell on an Exhibit 10 contract, agent George S. Langberg tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Powell, who went undrafted out of Washington State in 2023, signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavaliers last September and was with the team for training camp and the preseason before being waived and joining the Cleveland Charge as a G League affiliate player.
In 44 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the Charge as a rookie, Powell averaged 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 23.9 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .421/.368/.824.
Powell, 23, had his G League returning rights traded from the Charge to the Stockton Kings in a three-team deal earlier this month, so assuming he’s waived by Sacramento and then spends at least 60 days with Stockton, he’ll be eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his NBAGL salary.
The Kings currently have 19 players on their 21-man preseason roster, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary in order to make room for Powell.
Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Southwest Division
Hoops Rumors is in the process of taking a closer look at each NBA team’s current roster situation, evaluating which clubs still have some moves to make and which ones seem most prepared for training camp to begin.
This series is meant to provide a snapshot of each team’s roster at this time, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and/or cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.
We’re wrapping up our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Southwest Division. Let’s dive in…
Dallas Mavericks
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 2
- Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 3
- Players on two-way contracts: 2
Although Morris’ salary isn’t guaranteed, I’d expect him to fill the 15th spot on the Mavericks‘ opening night roster. His non-guaranteed contract should give them some additional flexibility during the season — for instance, they could waive him ahead of the January 7 league-wide guarantee date, re-sign him to a couple 10-day contracts, then bring him back on a rest-of-season deal after February 6 once they know they won’t need that 15th roster spot for a trade acquisition.
With one two-way slot still available, the Mavs could hold a camp competition for that opening. In addition to their three Exhibit 10 players, Lawson would also be two-way-eligible, though he’d have to be waived and re-signed rather than directly converted.
Houston Rockets
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 2
- Players on two-way contracts: 3
After buying out AJ Griffin, the Rockets have an open spot on their projected 15-man standard regular season roster. They’re well below the luxury tax line, so they’d have no issue carrying a 15th man on a minimum-salary contract (or even something more lucrative than that, if they so choose). Still, with so many players on the roster who have a case for rotation minutes, Houston may not be in a rush to fill that spot by adding someone who won’t play.
Even though the Rockets’ three two-way slots are currently occupied, I’d expect Hinton and/or Samuels to receive consideration for a two-way deal if they impress in camp. Houston also has room on their roster to bring two more players to camp.
Memphis Grizzlies
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 4
- Players on two-way contracts: 2
The Grizzlies opened up a pair of standard roster spots within the last month by waiving Mamadi Diakite and Derrick Rose. Because they stretched Diakite’s partial guarantee and got Rose to agree to give up his full salary, they’re nearly $6MM below the luxury tax line, giving them more than enough breathing room to carry a full 15-man roster into the season if they want to.
I’d expect Memphis to peruse the free agent market for a 14th man, but it’s worth noting that Pippen – who played a rotation role for much of last season – is a strong candidate to be promoted from his two-way contract to the standard roster sooner or later. If that happens before the season, there would be an opening for one of the Grizzlies’ Exhibit 10 signees to have his contract converted to a two-way deal.
Like Houston, Memphis has enough room on its 21-man preseason roster to bring two more players to camp.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 3
- Players on two-way contracts: 3
- Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 1
- Elfrid Payton (Exhibit 10?)
Alvarado is a lock to make the roster, and the Pelicans – who never pay the tax – are already hovering a little above the luxury tax line, so I’d bet on them leaving their 15th roster spot open to start the season in order to save some money.
The only wild card there could be if the team makes a preseason trade. I wouldn’t necessarily count on that, but New Orleans remains on the lookout for a starting-caliber center and Brandon Ingram‘s future with the team is still in question.
After signing and waiving Galen Robinson Jr. on Tuesday, the Pelicans have an open spot on their 21-man roster to finalize Payton’s deal, though they may rotate other players in and out of that spot before camp begins next week for G League/Exhibit 10 bonus purposes.
San Antonio Spurs
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 15
- Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 4
- Players on two-way contracts: 2
- Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 2
- Nathan Mensah (Exhibit 10)
Barring a preseason trade, the Spurs‘ projected standard roster looks set with their current 15 players on guaranteed contracts.
It’s unclear whether there will be an open competition for the final two-way contract or if San Antonio has someone specific in mind for it. Boston would be a good candidate — he has over 100 games of NBA regular season experience on his résumé and has one more year of two-way eligibility left. Flynn, on the other hand, is ineligible for a two-way deal.
I’d expect the Spurs to cut Minix or Nelson at some point in the coming days to make room for Mensah, though it’s possible his Exhibit 10 deal won’t be completed until later in October.
Previously: