Spurs Waive Javante McCoy
The Spurs have waived guard Javante McCoy less than a week after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, per NBA.com’s official transaction log.
McCoy, 25, spent his rookie season in 2022/23 with the South Bay Lakers in the G League after going undrafted out of Boston University. He came off the bench in 26 regular season NBAGL games, averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 25.8 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .524/.370/.767.
McCoy played for San Antonio’s Summer League team in Sacramento and Las Vegas this July, appearing in six total games for the club.
The Austin Spurs recently acquired McCoy’s G League rights in a trade with South Bay. That move – along with the fact that he was waived so soon after being signed – signals that San Antonio intends to have him report to its NBAGL affiliate this fall. Assuming he spends at least 60 days with Austin, McCoy will earn a bonus worth $75K on top of his G League salary.
The Spurs now have 20 players under contract, leaving one open spot on their 21-man offseason roster.
Clippers Sign Xavier Moon To Exhibit 10 Deal
The Clippers have officially signed free agent wing Xavier Moon to an Exhibit 10 contract, Hoops Rumors has learned. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides had reached an agreement.
Moon, who played in a handful of non-NBA leagues from 2017-21 after going undrafted out of Morehead State, has spent parts of the last two years with the Clippers, finishing the 2022/23 season on a two-way contract with the club. He has appeared in 14 total games for Los Angeles, averaging 4.6 points and 2.1 assists in 11.2 minutes per night.
Moon played for the Ontario Clippers – L.A.’s G League affiliate – for most of last season, putting up 20.1 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 3.9 RPG with a shooting line of .523/.389/.824 in 48 total regular season and Showcase Cup games (31.0 MPG). The performance earned him a spot on the All-NBAGL Third Team.
Moon added another accolade to his résumé in July when he was named to the All-Summer League Second Team following a strong showing in Las Vegas for the Clippers.
L.A. has one two-way slot open and Scott hears from agent Andre Buck that Moon is expected to be given an opportunity to compete for that spot. An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted into a two-way deal before the regular season begins.
If Moon doesn’t claim that two-way opening and is waived, he’d be eligible for a $75K bonus by spending at least 60 days with the Ontario Clippers.
Thunder’s Pokusevski Sprains Ankle, Will Be Reevaluated In Six Weeks
Thunder forward/center Aleksej Pokusevski is expected to miss training camp, the preseason, and the start of the regular season after spraining his right ankle during a workout on Tuesday.
According to an announcement from the team, Pokusevski will be reevaluated in approximately six weeks. That means he likely won’t suit up for Oklahoma City before November.
It’s a tough break for the 21-year-old, who is entering an important year. He’s eligible to sign a rookie scale extension up until the day before the regular season begins and would be on an expiring contract if he doesn’t get a new deal prior to opening night. In that scenario, the Thunder would have the ability to make him a restricted free agent in 2024.
The No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Pokusevski has flashed tantalizing upside in his first three NBA seasons and posted a career-best .365 3PT% last season. However, he has been snake-bitten by injuries as of late. He was limited to just 34 games (25 starts) in 2022/23 due largely to a leg fracture that sidelined him for about three months, then broke his arm during a workout in the spring.
With Chet Holmgren poised to enter the rotation this fall and Pokusevksi off to a late start due to his ankle injury, it’s unclear what the Serbian’s role might look like once he gets healthy.
Damian Lillard Notes: Heat, Pelicans, Raptors
The Trail Blazers have remained reluctant to engage in serious talks with the Heat about Damian Lillard, a source tells Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on Tuesday that the two sides haven’t really had trade conversations since July, since Portland’s best hope of getting Miami to increase its offer is to find another team willing to make a serious play for the point guard.
“(The Heat) want Damian Lillard,” Wojnarowski said, per Jackson and Chiang. “They just want him for as little as they’re going to have to give up. They’re essentially daring Portland to go out into the marketplace, which Portland is doing, and see if they can find better. … The goal isn’t to just get Damian Lillard. It’s to get Damian Lillard for as little as you have to give up to be able to still have the ability to put a team around Jimmy Butler, Lillard, Bam Adebayo in Miami.”
While the Heat are reluctant to bid against themselves, other interested teams are wary of giving up significant assets for a player whose preference is to end up in Miami.
“I think there are teams that will trade for him,” Wojnarowski said. “But it’s a little bit of a negotiating crutch where you tell Portland, ‘Hey, I’m not offering you everything we might because we’re taking risk here.’ He has said he only wants to play in Miami. That kind of dulls the offers a little bit.”
Here’s more on Lillard:
- Discussing the Lillard situation in the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Zach Lowe said that some executives around the league have speculated that the Pelicans, who have a handful of extra draft assets, could be a suitor for the Blazers star. However, his colleague Andrew Lopez is skeptical. “It wouldn’t surprise me if they were involved, but as a third or fourth team,” Lopez said of New Orleans. “That would be, I think, the extent that they would try to get involved in a Damian Lillard trade.”
- Later in the same podcast, Lowe said that non-Heat teams with interest in Lillard are concerned that they could be used as a “way station” between Portland and Miami if they acquire Dame and things don’t get off to a good start. In other words, that club could soon find itself in the same situation as the Blazers are now, with Lillard wanting out and once again pushing for a trade to the Heat.
- On Tuesday’s episode of the Locked On NBA podcast, Matt Moore of Action Network said that a handful of Eastern Conference teams, including the Raptors, have “kicked the tires” on the possibility of acquiring Lillard (Twitter video link). As Moore explains, that doesn’t necessarily mean those clubs have been negotiating with the Blazers — it has been more about touching base with Lillard’s camp to gauge just how opposed he is to landing somewhere besides Miami.
Nets Sign Jordan Hall, Keifer Sykes
The Nets have signed a pair of free agent guards, the team announced today, adding Jordan Hall and Keifer Sykes to their 21-man offseason roster. Brooklyn now has 20 players under contract, leaving one roster spot open.
Hall, 21, signed a two-way contract with the Spurs last summer after going undrafted out of St. Joseph’s. He was waived during the first week of the regular season, then was brought back on a non-guaranteed contract about a week later before being cut again at the end of November.
Although Hall appeared in nine games for San Antonio, he spent most of his rookie season in the G League, averaging 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 29.5 minutes per game across 38 appearances for the Austin Spurs. He posted a shooting line of .357/.363/.750.
Sykes, 29, played in 32 games for the Pacers in 2021/22 but has spent the majority of his professional career since 2015 playing in international leagues or in the G League. In 33 regular season and Showcase Cup contests last season for the Motor City Cruise, he averaged 15.0 points, 7.8 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per night, on .422/.279/.842 shooting.
As Brian Lewis of The New York Post tweets, Hall and Sykes will likely end up with the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate. Long Island acquired the returning rights to both players in NBAGL trades in recent weeks.
Assuming they both signed Exhibit 10 contracts, Hall and Sykes will be eligible to receive bonuses worth up to $75K if they’re waived by Brooklyn and then spend at least 60 days with Long Island.
New York Notes: Dolan, Knicks, Rose, Simmons, Nets
Ahead of the opening of James Dolan‘s new Las Vegas arena, the Sphere, Katherine Rosman of The New York Times has published an in-depth feature on the Knicks owner which digs into his adversarial relationship with certain portions of the fanbase.
As he explains within the story, Dolan would support ejecting a fan at Madison Square Garden who was simply holding up a sign urging him to sell the team, but wouldn’t eject the same fan if he were aiming his criticism at the team itself. His logic is that the former is “directed at, on a personal basis, the guy who’s in charge — me,” whereas criticism of the team is aimed at a group.
“If you held up a sign that says, you know, ‘Play better, this team sucks,’ you can do that. That’s part of being a fan,” Dolan said.
Interestingly, in discussing why he decided to spend big money to build the Sphere – a lavish entertainment venue – Dolan said that he initially considered expanding his sports portfolio by buying a franchise in another sport, perhaps baseball or soccer. However, while the Knicks and the NHL’s Rangers are “near and dear” to his heart, he referred to the economics of major league sports as “kind of sleepy,” adding, “I don’t really like owning teams.”
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York-based franchises:
- Making a rare public comment within Rosman’s New York Times feature, Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose said that Dolan is invested in the front office’s decisions but doesn’t meddle in those decisions himself. “He places a lot of faith and trust in our basketball operations,” Rose said.
- Speaking to Tina Cervasio of FOX5, Nets guard Ben Simmons said he feels a responsibility to regain his All-Star form now that he’s feeling fully healthy following back surgery. “I owe it to everybody, the fans and everybody, to get back to where I need to be,” Simmons said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “That’s what I did this summer to get back.” The former No. 1 overall pick previously expressed confidence about his chances of having a bounce-back season.
- After opening training camp in Brooklyn from October 3-6, the Nets will move to the UNLV campus for Oct. 7-8, the team announced on Tuesday (story via NetsDaily). Wrapping up training camp in Las Vegas will allow the Nets to avoid traveling for their first preseason game, which will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on Oct. 9 vs. the Lakers.
Poll: Eastern Conference Outlook For 2023/24
During the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Kevin Pelton briefly discussed the Eastern Conference pecking order, noting that there doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals in 2024.
Pelton says he would pick the Celtics at this point, while Lowe agrees that he’d probably lean toward Boston by “default,” despite the fact that he’s unsure how losing Marcus Smart and Grant Williams and adding Kristaps Porzingis will impact the team. The Celtics’ new identity without a longtime leader like Smart is certainly something to monitor heading into the season, but several of the East’s other would-be contenders will have significant questions of their own to answer.
The Bucks, for instance, are coming off a first-round playoff exit and may feel added pressure following Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s comments about his long-term future; the Heat lost two key rotation players in Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, and they’ve been unable to complete a trade for Damian Lillard; the Sixers have yet to resolve James Harden‘s trade request.
Milwaukee, Boston, and Philadelphia were the East’s best teams during the regular season in 2022/23, while Miami had an incredible playoff run to win the conference. On paper, those four teams might be the frontrunners in the East again, but that hierarchy could easily be upended, Lowe notes.
“Maybe in two months this will just be nonsense,” Lowe said. “(Maybe) James Harden will be back and playing well, and the Celtics will look awesome. (Maybe) Milwaukee will be totally fine and who cares what Giannis said two months ago, they’ll be 23-4. It just feels a little more unstable than it did last year.
“… Like, if we woke up in the conference finals and New York or Cleveland or Team X was one of the two teams in it… I’m not sure I’m going to pick that, but right now I wouldn’t be surprised.”
The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag currently list the Celtics, Bucks, Heat, and Sixers, in that order, as the best bets to come out of the East. Those four teams are followed by the Cavaliers (+1100) and the Knicks (+1800), with the rest of the East’s clubs, including the Hawks (+3300), Raptors (+4000), and Nets (+5000) viewed as extreme long shots.
We want to know what you think. If you had to make your pick today, which team would you choose to come out of the East? Which of the potential concerns for the conference’s top teams do you view as legitimate and which ones are overblown?
Make your pick in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Who is your early pick to win the East?
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Boston Celtics 42% (343)
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Milwaukee Bucks 26% (209)
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Another team 7% (61)
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Miami Heat 7% (59)
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Cleveland Cavaliers 6% (51)
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Philadelphia 76ers 6% (47)
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New York Knicks 5% (44)
Total votes: 814
Central Notes: Altman, B. Brown, Pacers, Cunningham
The attorney for Koby Altman submitted a plea of not guilty on his behalf on Tuesday after the Cavaliers president of basketball operations was charged with committing a marked lanes violation and operating a vehicle while impaired, per TMZ Sports.
Police video obtained by TMZ and News 5 Cleveland (YouTube link) showed Altman appearing to struggle to complete a series of field sobriety tests after being pulled over in Cleveland on Friday night. The Cavaliers executive told officers that he was “exhausted” after returning from a trip overseas and was driving home after a long dinner.
The Cavaliers, who initially issued a brief statement announcing that they were gathering information on the incident, have put out a follow-up statement, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter links).
“We hold our team members to a high standard of conduct and expect leaders at every level of our organization to represent the Cavaliers with integrity, professionalism and accountability,” the Cavs said. “We will continue to closely monitor the facts and circumstances of this matter and await resolution of the legal process.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- In a discussion about the best offseason move made by a Central Division team, Josh Robbins and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic both pick the Pacers‘ signing of Bruce Brown, while their colleague Darnell Mayberry chooses the Pistons‘ hiring of Monty Williams as their new head coach.
- Within the same story, Edwards, Robbins, and Mayberry identify Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Pacers forward Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker as some of the top breakout candidates in the Central.
- The majority of the Pacers‘ players were in attendance for Summer League in Las Vegas, signaling the team’s growing chemistry and a culture that’s on the right trajectory, contends Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (subscription required).
Pelicans’ Griffin: Player Health Has Been Offseason Focus
The Pelicans were vying for the top seed in the Western Conference during the first half of the 2022/23 campaign before injuries to forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram derailed their season, which ended in a play-in tournament loss.
New Orleans didn’t make major changes to its roster this offseason, but head of basketball operations David Griffin said on Tuesday that the team didn’t want to just sit back and hope for better health luck going forward. Instead, the Pelicans proactively explored new strategies to try to keep their players off the injured list.
“What we tried to do this offseason was not sit there and say, ‘Wow, if we could just be healthy, we could be really good,'” Griffin said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “Because hope is not a plan. But Mrs. (Gayle) Benson (the Pelicans’ team owner) gave us the financial bandwidth to address this in different ways. We came at it from the medical side. We did some very different things there.”
As Clark has previously reported, New Orleans’ sports and performance team will no longer be led by Aaron Nelson, who was let go this summer. The Pelicans have yet to formally announce the changes made to that team. However, according to Clark, Griffin said on Tuesday that the club has hired a physical therapist and that several players have stayed in town during the offseason to focus on entering the season in the best possible condition.
“I can tell you Zion Williamson has been in our gym more than he has in his entire career in the offseason,” Griffin said. “He has been in New Orleans virtually all offseason, which is different.”
Williamson has spoken this summer about dedicating more time and effort to his conditioning and maintaining healthy eating habits. Griffin’s comments on Tuesday suggested that he noticed a change in the commitment level of the former No. 1 overall pick.
“For us, we have certainly learned over the years what we think works and doesn’t work. But a huge part of that is incumbent on him. A huge part of that is, ‘Is he willing to do what it takes to be successful?’” Griffin said. “I think oftentimes, the people you put around a player are judged for their lack of effectiveness when in reality not everyone is giving the same amount. He has reached a point where he recognizes that and is embracing doing his part.”
As Clark observes, Williamson and Ingram have played just 93 games together since they became teammates in 2019, including only 12 last season. Significantly increasing that number in 2023/24 may be the key to contention for the Pelicans.
“We know we have a group that is talented enough,” Griffin said. “We have a group that has the ability. That has the bones of being a good team. What we also know is we haven’t found a way to put it all together. I think what we need to do is continue to work towards that. And if we get to a point where we’re not going to be able to move forward with the group we have, I feel like we are really blessed from an ownership standpoint. There won’t be an impediment to making us better.”
Pre-Camp Roster Snapshot: Pacific 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 right now, so these articles won’t be updated in the coming weeks as more signings, trades, and cuts are made. You can follow our roster counts page to keep tabs on teams’ open spots as opening night nears.
We’re continuing our pre-camp Roster Snapshot series today with the Pacific Division. Let’s dive in…
Golden State Warriors
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- Players on two-way contracts: 1
- Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 5
- Usman Garuba (two-way), Javan Johnson (training camp), Jayce Johnson (training camp), Jerome Robinson (training camp), Donovan Williams (training camp)
The Warriors will likely open the season with 14 players on standard contracts rather than 15 in order to maintain roster flexibility and avoid a higher tax bill. That 14th man may end up being a veteran free agent — Golden State has been working out a number of them and is meeting this week with Dwight Howard.
Until Golden State signs a 14th non-two-way player, the team won’t be able to begin signing its training camp invitees to Exhibit 9 contracts. That’s likely the reason why so many of the Dubs’ reported camp deals haven’t yet been finalized. Once they’re officially under contract, those players could be in the mix for the team’s final two-way slot.
Los Angeles Clippers
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 15
- Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 1
- Players on two-way contracts: 2
- Players who have reportedly reached contract agreements: 1
- Xavier Castaneda (training camp)
The Clippers’ roster could still undergo a partial overhaul if talks for Sixers guard James Harden are rekindled and result in a trade agreement, but nothing seems imminent – or even close – at this point.
If they don’t make a move for Harden, the Clippers’ biggest roster decision this fall might be whether or not to keep Preston around — his salary would become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract through October 1, so L.A. will probably have to make that call before the preseason begins.
If Preston is cut and no trades are made, the Clippers can focus on filling out their 21-man roster with camp invitees and figuring out who will fill the third two-way slot.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Players on Exhibit 10 contracts: 3
- Players on two-way contracts: 3
Like the Warriors, the Lakers appear likely to enter the season with an open spot on their 15-man roster for the sake of flexibility. If that’s the plan, they’re pretty much good to go, with 14 players on standard contracts and all three two-way spots filled.
Phoenix Suns
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 13
- Players on non-guaranteed standard contracts: 2
- Jordan Goodwin ($964K partial guarantee), Ish Wainright
- Players on two-way contracts: 2
The fact that the Suns are only carrying 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries means they’re in position to make changes if need be. But Goodwin’s almost certainly not going anywhere — following the trade of Cameron Payne, he’s in line for a significant role at point guard.
Penciling Goodwin onto the opening night roster gives Phoenix 14 players and means the only real decision is whether or not to hang onto Wainright, whose salary is entirely non-guaranteed. Team owner Mat Ishbia has shown no desire to pinch pennies since assuming control earlier this year, so I’d expect Wainright to be on the roster to start the season.
The Suns also have a two-way opening, but they’re the only team without a G League affiliate, so they’re not as incentivized to fill that spot as other clubs would be.
Sacramento Kings
- Players on guaranteed standard contracts: 14
- Players on two-way contracts: 3
It looked like centers Nerlens Noel and Neemias Queta might be battling for the 15th and final spot on Sacramento’s standard roster. However, after the Kings signed McGee, they waived both Noel and Queta in order to give them an opportunity to catch on with new teams for training camp (Queta has since agreed to sign with Boston).
Unlike many of their division rivals, the Kings aren’t in the tax and could comfortably afford to fill that 15th spot with a minimum-salary player if they want to. I expect that to happen eventually, but it’s unclear whether or not they’ll do it for the start of the regular season.
If there’s no rush to add a 15th man, the Kings’ preseason roster business would consist primarily of bringing in camp invitees and lining up G League bonuses.