NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots
Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters. The Grizzlies have been granted an extra roster spot after moving Ja Morant to the suspended list, so let’s call it 541.
Of those 541 potential roster spots, 527 are currently occupied, leaving just 14 open roster spots around the NBA. Four of those open roster spots belong to two teams, while 10 other clubs have one opening apiece.
[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]
Here’s the full breakdown:
Two open standard roster spots
- Golden State Warriors
- Los Angeles Clippers
As we’ve previously discussed, teams can only carry two open spots on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time, so the Warriors and Clippers will each have to add a 14th man soon.
That deadline is coming up very soon for the Warriors, who have had two open roster spots since the start of the season on October 24. The Clippers, who just dipped to 13 players following their two trades on Thursday, will have a little more time to decide on their next roster move.
I wouldn’t expect either team to be in any rush to add a 15th man, since both clubs are well above the luxury tax line.
One open standard roster spot
- Boston Celtics
- Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Detroit Pistons
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Miami Heat
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Portland Trail Blazers
Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Lakers, Heat, and Pelicans are all over the tax line, while the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves don’t have much breathing room below it. Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but they’ll be in no rush to do so yet.
The Pistons are well below the tax, however, while the Trail Blazers have more than enough flexibility to sign a 15th man without getting too close to tax territory. Both teams should be on the lookout for players who would make good candidates to fill those openings.
One open two-way roster spot
- Phoenix Suns
It’s no coincidence that Phoenix, the only NBA team without a G League affiliate of its own, is also the only club carrying just a pair of two-way players instead of three.
With no NBAGL team where they can send players for developmental purposes, the Suns will be less motivated to carry a full complement of two-way players, since it’s unlikely they’ll need three of them to regularly contribute at the NBA level unless their standard roster is beset by injuries.
Poll: Will The Grizzlies Make The Playoffs?
The 2023/24 NBA campaign tipped off on October 24, making this the 12th day of the 177-day regular season. It’s early, in other words, so teams falling short of their expectations during the season’s first couple weeks shouldn’t be reaching for the panic button quite yet.
Still, the Western Conference is expected to be extremely competitive this season — when we ran our over/under polls on teams’ win totals in the weeks leading up to opening night, the benchmark for 11 of the 15 teams in the West was 44.5 or more victories. Only six Western teams will qualify for the playoffs outright and only four more will make the play-in tournament, which means one of those 11 clubs with high expectations for 2023/24 will be left on the outside looking in, not even a play-in team.
The margin for error in the West is thin, which doesn’t bode well for the Grizzlies, the NBA’s lone remaining winless team.
We knew Memphis might be in some trouble entering the season, with a few key players expected to be unavailable for a significant portion of the year. All-Star guard Ja Morant is serving a 25-game suspension, starting center Steven Adams is out for the season with a knee injury, and key frontcourt reserve Brandon Clarke is still on his way back from a torn Achilles.
Still, we didn’t expect the Grizzlies to begin the season 0-6, with losses to potential lottery-bound teams like Washington, Utah, and Portland. Again, it’s early, but Memphis is digging an early-season hole that might be tricky to climb out of.
In addition to being without Morant, the Grizzlies can no longer rely on steady backup point guard Tyus Jones, who was traded in the offseason, and newcomers Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose have been shaky so far. Jones has been the NBA’s perennial leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, but without him and Morant, the Grizzlies rank 26th in that category in the early going and have had trouble generating much offense at all — the club’s 102.9 offensive rating ranks dead last in the NBA.
Adams obviously isn’t the scorer or play-maker that Morant is, but his absence in the frontcourt has been just as deeply felt as Morant’s in the backcourt. Before Adams went down with his knee injury last season, the Grizzlies ranked second in the league in rebounding percentage and offensive rebounding percentage, with Adams leading that effort. However, they were 25th and 22nd in those categories the rest of last season, and are in the bottom half of the league’s rebounders again this fall.
The good news for the Grizzlies is that their stars – Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson – have looked great, and there’s no reason not to expect the same from Morant when he returns in December. But Memphis isn’t getting much from its role players, and the team needs to at least tread water until Morant is back in order to stay in the playoff hunt.
We want to know what you think. After winning over 50 games in each of the past two regular season, are the Grizzlies just off to a slow start this season? Will they turn things around and end up having a strong year? Or is this slow start a harbinger of things to come? Will the Grizzlies end up being the odd man out of the postseason from that group of 11 Western teams with playoff expectations?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section to weigh in with your thoughts on the Grizzlies.
Will the Grizzlies make the playoffs?
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No, they'll finish outside the West's top 10 48% (341)
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Yes, they'll be one of eight Western teams in the playoffs (outright or via the play-in) 27% (192)
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No, they'll be eliminated in the play-in tournament 25% (181)
Total votes: 714
2023/24 In-Season NBA Trades
As we did with 2023’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2022/23, we’ll be keeping track of all the NBA trades completed this season, updating this article with each transaction. This post can be found anytime throughout the season on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”
Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been dealt multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. Trades listed in italics have been agreed upon but are not yet official. For more details on each trade, click the date above it.
For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.
Here’s the full list of the trades completed during the 2023/24 NBA season:
- Kings acquire Robin Lopez and cash.
- Bucks acquire the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis.
- Thunder acquire Gordon Hayward.
- Hornets acquire Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic, Tre Mann, the Rockets’ 2024 second-round pick, the Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick, and cash ($1.5MM).
- Trail Blazers acquire Dalano Banton and cash ($3MM).
- Celtics acquire either the Trail Blazers’ or Pelicans’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; top-55 protected).
- Celtics acquire Jaden Springer.
- Sixers acquire either the Bulls’ or the Pelicans’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
- Clippers acquire the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate.
- Nuggets acquire cash ($2,686,253).
- Timberwolves acquire Monte Morris.
- Pistons acquire Shake Milton, Troy Brown, and the Timberwolves’ 2030 second-round pick.
- Bucks acquire Patrick Beverley.
- Sixers acquire Cameron Payne and the Bucks’ 2027 second-round pick.
- Suns acquire Royce O’Neale and David Roddy.
- Nets acquire Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin, either the Pistons’, Bucks,’ or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Suns), the Grizzlies’ 2028 second-round pick (from Suns), the Grizzlies’ 2029 second-round pick (from Suns), and the draft rights to Vanja Marinkovic (from Grizzlies).
- Grizzlies acquire Yuta Watanabe, Chimezie Metu, and the right to swap their own 2026 first-round pick for either the Suns’, Magic’s, or Wizards’ 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Mavericks acquire Daniel Gafford.
- Wizards acquire Richaun Holmes and either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is second-least favorable).
- Mavericks acquire P.J. Washington, the Celtics’ 2024 second-round pick, and either the Hornets’ or Clippers’ 2028 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Hornets acquire Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and the Mavericks’ 2027 first-round pick (top-two protected).
- Sixers acquire Buddy Hield.
- Pacers acquire Doug McDermott, Furkan Korkmaz, the Raptors’ 2024 second-round pick, the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick, and cash ($1.18MM; from Sixers).
- Spurs acquire Marcus Morris, the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick, and cash (from Sixers).
- Note: The 2024 second-rounder technically has “most favorable” language, but there’s essentially no chance it won’t be Toronto’s pick.
- Pacers acquire Cory Joseph, the Hornets’ 2025 second-round pick (top-55 protected) and cash ($5.8MM)
- Warriors acquire the least favorable of the Pacers’ 2024 second-round picks.
- Note: In all likelihood, the 2024 pick will be the least favorable of the Bucks’ and Cavaliers’ second-rounders.
- Knicks acquire Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
- Pistons acquire Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Quentin Grimes, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Knicks’ 2028 second-round pick, the Knicks’ 2029 second-round pick, and cash ($3MM).
- Raptors acquire Spencer Dinwiddie.
- Nets acquire Dennis Schröder and Thaddeus Young.
- Mavericks acquire either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is second-least favorable).
- Thunder acquire the right to swap first-round picks with the Mavericks in 2028.
- Raptors acquire Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji.
- Jazz acquire Otto Porter, Kira Lewis, and either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Pistons acquire Danuel House, the Knicks’ 2024 second-round pick, and cash ($1,634,922).
- Sixers acquire the Pistons’ 2028 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Pistons acquire Simone Fontecchio.
- Jazz acquire Kevin Knox, either the Wizards’ or the Grizzlies’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable), the draft rights to Gabriele Procida, and cash ($766,095).
- Celtics acquire Xavier Tillman.
- Grizzlies acquire Lamar Stevens, the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick, and the Mavericks’ 2030 second-round pick.
- Rockets acquire Steven Adams.
- Grizzlies acquire Victor Oladipo, the Thunder’s 2024 second-round pick, either the Nets’ 2024 second-round pick (55-58 protected) or the Warriors’ 2024 second-round pick (56-58 protected) (whichever is most favorable), and either the Rockets’ 2025 second-round pick or the Thunder’s 2025 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
- Heat acquire Terry Rozier.
- Hornets acquire Kyle Lowry and the Heat’s 2027 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- Pacers acquire Pascal Siakam.
- Raptors acquire Bruce Brown; Kira Lewis; Jordan Nwora; the Pacers’ 2024 first-round pick (top-three protected); either the Thunder’s, Clippers’, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Jazz’s (top-10 protected) 2024 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable); and the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected).
- Pacers acquire Kira Lewis and either the Pelicans’ or Bulls’ 2024 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Pelicans acquire cash ($110K).
- Pistons acquire Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala.
- Wizards acquire Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.
- Note: The 2025 second-round pick will be the least favorable of the following two picks:
- The Pistons’ second-rounder
- The more favorable of the Wizards’ and Warriors’ 2025 second-rounders.
- Note: The 2026 second-round pick will be the least favorable of the following two picks:
- The more favorable of the Timberwolves’ and Knicks’ second-rounders.
- The more favorable of the Pelicans’ and Trail Blazers’ picks.
- Note: The 2025 second-round pick will be the least favorable of the following two picks:
- Knicks acquire OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn.
- Raptors acquire RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and the Pistons’ 2024 second-round pick.
- Kings acquire Filip Petrusev and cash ($1,218,747).
- Clippers acquire the draft rights to Luka Mitrovic.
- Clippers acquire James Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev.
- Sixers acquire Marcus Morris; Nicolas Batum; Robert Covington; Kenyon Martin Jr.; the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick (unprotected); either the Rockets’ (top-four protected), Clippers’, or Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Thunder); the right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick for the Clippers’ 2029 first-round pick (top-three protected); a 2024 second-round pick (details below); the Clippers’ 2029 second-round pick; and cash ($2MM; from Clippers).
- Note: The 2024 second-round pick acquired by the Sixers will be either the Raptors’, Pacers’, Jazz’s, or Cavaliers’ pick (whichever is most favorable). If either the Jazz’s or Cavaliers’ pick is the most favorable, Philadelphia would instead receive the second-most favorable of the four.
- Thunder acquire the right to swap either their own 2027 first-round pick or the Nuggets’ 2027 first-round pick (top-five protected) for the Clippers’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected) and cash ($1.1MM; from Clippers).
And-Ones: Buzelis, Jenkins, Draft-Rights Players, More
Matas Buzelis, a projected top-three pick in the 2024 NBA draft, tells Sam Yip of HoopsHype that there wasn’t a specific former player for the G League Ignite that influenced him to take that path before becoming draft-eligible — he simply thought it would be the best way for him to prepare for the NBA.
“I picked Ignite because at the end of the day you want to be a professional basketball player – that’s everyone’s goal,” Buzelis said. “So, why take a different route like college where you’re not playing NBA rules? You get to play NBA threes, shot clocks, everything. So it’s pretty much like a cheat code, I’d say.”
Buzelis singled out former NBA shooting guard John Jenkins, currently a member of the Ignite, as the teammate that has stood out the most to him early in his G League stint. According to Buzelis, Jenkins taught him to take care of his body by establishing a training routine, which is something he “didn’t really have” before this year.
“He was in the NBA before for like three NBA teams,” Buzelis said. “He’s like 32 years old and still killing. Taking care of his body and everything. So I take example from him that I can play a long time.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Within an interesting story about the rise of multi-team NBA trades in recent years, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports provides an interesting tidbit on the guidelines governing trades of players’ draft rights. According to Fischer, in order for a draft-rights player to be traded, he must have been selected in one of the nine most recent drafts. In multi-team deals, the player must have been selected in one of last five drafts — or nine, if he earned a spot on the most recent All-EuroLeague team. Luka Mitrovic, the player whose draft rights were traded from the Kings to the Clippers in a deal this week, was picked nine drafts ago.
- The second tax apron introduced in the NBA’s newest Collective Bargaining Agreement will make roster-building much more challenging for high-salary teams beginning in 2024. However, as Danny Leroux of The Athletic details, many current taxpayers are taking advantage of the transition rules in place during the 2023/24 season to make big moves that won’t be possible starting next offseason.
- Italian team Olimpia Milano has been in the market for backcourt help, with head coach Ettore Messina acknowledging that Kendrick Nunn and Carlik Jones were among the players with NBA experience on the team’s radar, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Nunn ended up in Greece while Jones is continuing his career in China, so Milan will have to continue weighing its free agent options.
Injury Notes: Kyrie, Thunder, Mann, Lyles
After missing the last two games due to a sprained left foot, Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has been upgraded to available for Friday’s game vs. the Nuggets, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Mavericks are the only undefeated team left in the Western Conference, but will face a tough matchup in their first in-season tournament game tonight as they visit the defending champions in the altitude of Denver, so they’ll be happy to have Irving back in their lineup.
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- There’s good and bad news on the injury front for the Thunder. Center Jaylin Williams will be available for the first time this season on Friday after having been sidelined with a right hamstring strain. However, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is among the team’s unavailable players vs. Golden State due to a left knee sprain (Twitter links via Rylan Stiles of Locked on Thunder).
- Clippers guard/forward Terance Mann, who has yet to play this season due to what the team is calling a sprained left ankle, said in a YouTube video that he “overstretched” a muscle or “maybe tore it a little” (hat tip to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times). Mann added that there’s no timeline for his return and he’s still focused on trying to reduce the swelling in the ankle.
- The Kings have ruled out forward Trey Lyles for at least two more games, the team announced today (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). Lyles, hampered by a left calf strain, has yet to suit up for Sacramento this season.
2023/24 NBA Two-Way Contract Conversions
At Hoops Rumors, we track virtually every kind of transaction, including free agent signings, trades, contract extensions, and many more. One form of roster move that has become increasingly common in recent years is the two-way conversion, involving a player either being converted from an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, or from a two-way deal to the standard roster.
We’re going to track all of the two-way conversions (either to or from the standard roster) in 2023/24 in the space below.
Let’s dive in…
Exhibit 10 contracts to two-way contracts:
When a player signs a contract during the offseason that includes Exhibit 10 language, he gives his new team the ability to unilaterally convert his deal into a two-way contract. The deadline to convert such a deal is the day before the season begins — this year that was Monday, October 23.
A player who signs a training camp contract that doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language could still sign a two-way deal with his club as long as his camp contract doesn’t include a guarantee exceeding $75K. However, he’d have to clear waivers before inking that new two-way contract.
Here are the players who had their Exhibit 10 contracts converted into two-way deals in 2023/24:
- Charles Bediako (Spurs) (story)
- Marques Bolden (Bucks) (story)
- Charlie Brown Jr. (Knicks) (story)
- Greg Brown (Mavericks) (story)
- Dexter Dennis (Mavericks) (story)
- Jordan Ford (Kings) (story)
- Justin Minaya (Trail Blazers) (story)
- Daishen Nix (Timberwolves) (story)
- Trevelin Queen (Magic) (story)
- Javonte Smart (Sixers) (story)
- Cole Swider (Heat) (story)
- Jacob Toppin (Knicks) (story)
- Stanley Umude (Pistons) (story)
- Jeenathan Williams (Rockets) (story)
The majority of these players were invited to training camp on Exhibit 10 contracts and ultimately earned two-way slots based on their performances in camp and the preseason.
No additional names will be added to this list for the rest of the 2023/24 season, since players can’t be converted to two-way deals after the regular season begins.
Two-way contracts to standard contracts:
A player who is on a two-way contract can have his deal unilaterally converted a one-year, minimum-salary contract by his team (or a two-year, minimum-salary contract if the player’s two-way deal covers two years, but this is rare).
Generally though, the team’s preference is to negotiate a longer-term contract with the player in order to avoid having him reach free agency at season’s end.
When converting a player from a two-way contract to the standard roster, the team can use cap room or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to negotiate a deal of up to four years; the room exception for a deal up to three years; or the taxpayer mid-level exception, bi-annual exception, or minimum salary exception for a two-year deal.
The player must agree to any deal that is worth more than the minimum or exceeds the number of years left on his two-way pact.
Here are the players who have been converted from two-way deals to standard contracts so far in 2023/24, along with the terms of their new contracts, in chronological order:
- E.J. Liddell (Pelicans): Three years, minimum salary (story). First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Dru Smith (Heat): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year partially guaranteed ($425K). Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Dylan Windler (Knicks): One year, minimum salary (story). Non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Skylar Mays (Trail Blazers): One year, minimum salary (story). Partially guaranteed ($850K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Joshua Primo (Clippers): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed ($1MM). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Vince Williams (Grizzlies): Four years, $9,144,340 (story). First three years guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- GG Jackson (Grizzlies): Four years, $8,511,167 (story). First three years guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Keon Ellis (Kings): Three years, $5,105,710 (story). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Third-year team option. Signed using room exception.
- Lindy Waters III (Thunder): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Craig Porter Jr. (Cavaliers): Four years, $8,019,739 (story). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed ($1MM). Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Duop Reath (Trail Blazers): Three years, $6,221,677 (story). First two years guaranteed. Third-year non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Pelicans): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Lester Quinones (Warriors): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
- Stanley Umude (Pistons): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Onuralp Bitim (Bulls): Three years, $4,613,534 (story). First year guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Trent Forrest (Hawks): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
- Eugene Omoruyi (Wizards): Two years, $3,096,970 (story). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Jalen Wilson (Nets): Three years, $4,963,534 (story). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed ($75K). Third-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Javon Freeman-Liberty (Raptors): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year guaranteed. Second year partially guaranteed ($100K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Dominick Barlow (Spurs): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
- A.J. Lawson (Mavericks): Four years, $7,912,032 (story). First year guaranteed. Second, third, and fourth years non-guaranteed. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Kendall Brown (Pacers): Three years, $5,522,280 (story). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Third-year team option. Signed using room exception.
- Luka Garza (Timberwolves): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
- Jeff Dowtin (Sixers): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Jared Butler (Wizards): Three years, $5,828,471 (story). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Third-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Neemias Queta (Celtics): Two years, minimum salary (story). First year guaranteed. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Ricky Council (Sixers): Four years, $7,384,092 (story). First year guaranteed. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Matt Ryan (Pelicans): Three years, $6,078,471 (story). First year guaranteed. Second year non-guaranteed. Third-year team option. Signed using mid-level exception.
- Usman Garuba (Warriors): One year, minimum salary (story). Fully guaranteed. Signed using minimum salary exception (straight conversion).
Players on two-way contracts can be converted to standard deals until the last day of the regular season, so this list won’t be considered complete until mid-April.
Pacers’ Daniel Theis “Not Happy” With Lack Of Minutes
Through the first four games of the 2023/24 season, 14 of the 15 players on the Pacers‘ standard roster have appeared in at least two games and logged at least 18 total minutes. The only exception is center Daniel Theis, who has been a DNP-CD in all four contests.
Speaking to Brian Robb of MassLive on Wednesday, Theis admitted that he’s not thrilled by having a nonexistent role in Indiana so far this fall.
“Obviously after a great summer, I’m not happy with the situation I’m in right now,” Theis said. “I want to play and take all the good stuff from the summer into the season but it’s a long season. We are going to see what’s going on and what’s happening.”
Theis’ comments about his summer are references to the fact that he played a key role for the German national team en route to a gold medal in the World Cup. After being limited to just seven NBA appearances last season due to a knee injury, he averaged 10.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 21.8 minutes per game in Germany’s eight World Cup contests.
Theis had been hoping to carry over that success into the NBA season, but the Pacers have a crowded frontcourt behind starting center Myles Turner, with Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith also in the mix for minutes. Both players have been ahead of Theis on the depth chart in the early going.
“There’s communication but it’s also coach’s decision,” Theis told Robb. “I just stay ready, do my thing and whatever happens, happens.”
While Theis gave no indication that he’s seeking a trade or buyout at this point, his contract makes him a candidate for such a move. The 31-year-old is earning approximately $9.1MM in 2023/24 and has a $9.5MM team option for ’24/25, which will almost certainly be declined, so he’s essentially on an expiring deal.
Whether it happens in Indiana or somewhere else, Theis is clearly hoping to earn a bigger role at some point this season.
“I want to play and want to be part of the team, which is the most important thing,” he said.
Western Notes: Kerr, Vincent, Reaves, Kidd, Holmgren
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr suggested on a press call with international media on Thursday that he’d consider the idea of taking a sabbatical from the NBA if the longtime core players of his championship teams – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green – were no longer the roster, according to Leonard Solms of ESPN.
“With the core group of Steph, Klay and Draymond, we’ve been together now almost a decade. If they were not here, I could see [myself] maybe taking a sabbatical,” Kerr said. “It might be refreshing and recharging to do so in some ways, but I love these guys and this team so much and we have this window and I’m not going anywhere for the time being. I want to be with them and continue to coach them [for] the next few years.”
Wary of burnout for both himself and his team, Kerr indicated that he plans to manage the workloads of the Warriors’ top players carefully this season in order to avoid fatigue and to keep them fresh. That could provide an opportunity for young players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody to play more significant roles on a more regular basis.
“I think the players will enjoy it, and I know the coaches are excited about it,” Kerr said. “We’re not going to treat it like the NBA Finals — I’m not going to play Steph Curry for 45 minutes because we have to think of the long-term health of our team — but we definitely want to win, and we’re going to be very competitive.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Lakers guard Gabe Vincent has been diagnosed with left knee effusion and will miss at least two weeks of action before being reevaluated, the team announced on Thursday night (Twitter link via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times). With Vincent unavailable, more minutes should open up for reserve guard Max Christie behind starters D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.
- In Vincent’s absence, the Lakers will also need more from Reaves, who got off to a slow start this season following a big summer that saw him sign a four-year, $54MM contract and represent Team USA in the World Cup. The club is optimistic that a solid game against the Clippers on Wednesday will be a jumping-off point for Reaves, writes Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times.
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is battling a non-COVID illness and didn’t travel with the team to Denver for Friday’s game, sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Assistant coach Sean Sweeney will be Dallas’ acting head coach for the team’s first in-season tournament game, Stein adds.
- Following a lost rookie season, Thunder center Chet Holmgren is healthy again, and the way he’s playing on both ends of the court has clarified the team’s playing style, according to Zach Kram of The Ringer, who says the big man is also capable of accelerating Oklahoma City’s contention timeline.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Harden, Morris, Covington, Green, Harris
Responding to James Harden‘s claim that the Sixers had him “on a leash” last season, Joel Embiid said on Thursday that he didn’t get the sense his former teammate was unhappy with his role, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Embiid also questioned the idea that the 76ers’ game plan held Harden back in any way.
“In my opinion, we gave him the ball every single possession, because he’s really good. He’s an amazing player,” Embiid said. “Obviously being that great of a passer, we gave him the ball. If you watch the game we gave him the ball every single possession to go out there and do his thing. From there he had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself.
“I thought he did a pretty good job of just getting us into the offense and just passing the ball, getting guys open. That’s the reason why he won the assists title last year. I think maybe that might have been a discussion between coaches and him, but from our point of view I think we allowed him to have the ball every single possession.”
Speaking to reporters after the Sixers’ win over Toronto, Embiid added that he was happy the situation got resolved and that Harden got what he wanted, joking that he hopes the Sixers get to beat the Clippers in the NBA Finals next spring.
Asked about what move the 76ers might make next to strengthen their roster and make them a legitimate title contender, Embiid deferred to the front office, stressing that he has no complaints about the current roster.
“That’s not my job,” Embiid said, per Bontemps. “My only job is to try to win. I just want to make that clear. I just want to be in the best position to win. I’m always going to believe in myself anyways. It doesn’t matter who I play with. I love the guys that we have. We’re going to go and fight every single night like we’ve been doing, and we’re always going have a chance to win.”
Here’s more out of Philadelphia:
- Veteran forward Marcus Morris, who had fallen out of the rotation in Los Angeles, is thrilled to be joining his hometown team in Philadelphia and said he didn’t feel like himself on the West Coast, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Me coming here is like everything for me,” Morris said.
- A Sixer from 2014-18 during the “Process” years, Robert Covington expressed excitement about returning to Philadelphia and beginning a second stint with the club, according to Pompey. “This is where I put my name on the map,” Covington said. “It feels great to be back. I’ve been in this building (the Sixers’ practice facility) when it first opened. Seeing the amount of hours spent into the development here, it’s just amazing to be back.”
- Danny Green was “disappointed by how the final days of his tenure” with the Sixers played out, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). However, Haynes says the two sides still have an affinity for one another and haven’t ruled out the possibility of the veteran swingman returning to the team. Green’s contract originally called for him to receive a $500K partial guarantee if he made the opening night roster, but he agreed to reduce that figure to $200K and then was waived before November 10, when his guarantee would have increased to $500K.
- As good as Tyrese Maxey has been in the early going this season, Pompey believes forward Tobias Harris has actually been the biggest beneficiary of Harden’s absence so far. Through four games, Harris is shooting 63.8% from the floor and is averaging 20.5 points per game, which would be a career high.
Coaches To Receive Bonuses For In-Season Tournament Results
Like NBA players, the league’s coaches will benefit financially from advancing in the league’s new in-season tournament, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Wojnarowski, the head coach of the team that wins the in-season tournament will be awarded a $500K bonus, which is equivalent to the amount that each of the players on the winning team will earn.
Head coaches, like players, will also earn bonuses if they’re a tournament quarterfinalist ($50K), semifinalist ($100K), or runner-up ($200K), per Wojnarowski.
The assistant coaches on the final eight teams will share a prize pool that will be worth 75% of the head coach’s bonus, Wojnarowski adds. If I’m understanding Woj’s wording correctly, that means the assistants on the in-season tournament champion would divvy up $375K in bonus money.
The in-season tournament prize money for players was collectively bargained between the NBA and NBPA as part of the league’s newest CBA, but bonuses for coaches weren’t part of that agreement. According to Wojnarowski, a coaching leadership group met with commissioner Adam Silver in September to discuss the possibility of adding financial incentives for coaches, and the two sides ultimately agreed on this bonus structure.
Friday is the first day of group play for the first in-season tournament in NBA history. As the event’s schedule shows, 14 teams will compete in round robin games today, with Knicks vs. Bucks, Mavericks vs. Nuggets, and Warriors vs. Thunder among the marquee matchups.