Wizards Convert Jordan Goodwin To Two-Way Deal, Waive Four Players
3:45pm: The Wizards have, as expected, waived Sword, Dotson, and Jackson, the team confirmed in a press release.
The Wizards also announced that they signed and waived center Jaime Echenique today. He’s a safe bet to return to the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate, which is where he spent most of last season.
The team’s roster is now set for the regular season, with 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-ways.
2:03pm: The Wizards have converted Jordan Goodwin‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
Goodwin, who will turn 24 next Sunday, spent his rookie season in the Wizards’ organization after going undrafted out of Saint Louis in 2021. For most of the year, he was a member of the Capital City Go-Go, averaging 16.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.0 SPG with a .412/.302/.792 shooting line in 31 NBAGL games (32.4 MPG).
Goodwin also got a chance to make his NBA debut when he was signed to a 10-day hardship contract in December. He appeared in two games for Washington during that time.
The Wizards had been carrying four players on Exhibit 10 contracts. Goodwin’s conversion to a two-way deal likely means that Craig Sword, Devon Dotson, and Quenton Jackson will be waived. That would leave the team with 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, plus Goodwin and Jordan Schakel on two-ways.
Grizzlies Waive Killian Tillie, Pick Up Options On Three Players
The Grizzlies have officially completed a series of roster moves, setting their roster for the 2022/23 regular season and picking up multiple rookie scale options for ’23/24.
Most notably, Memphis has waived big man Killian Tillie, whose expiring $1,901,625 salary is fully guaranteed. Tillie has spent the last two seasons with the Grizzlies, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.7 RPG in 36 games (12.8 MPG) in 2021/22.
The Grizzlies had 16 players with fully or partially guaranteed contracts, so one of them had to be cut to get to the 15-man regular season limit. Tillie, who will still receive his full salary, was the odd man out, as the club opted to keep Danny Green while he recovers from an ACL tear.
Memphis also waived Dakota Mathias, who was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract earlier in the week for G League purposes. Mathias is expected to report to the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ NBAGL affiliate.
The Grizzlies also announced today that they’ve exercised their 2023/24 team options on Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, and Santi Aldama. All three players will now have guaranteed salaries for ’23/24, with Bane earning $3,845,083, Williams earning $4,810,200, and Aldama making $2,194,200.
The moves had been expected, since Bane, Williams, and Aldama all appear set to play regular rotation roles for Memphis this coming season.
Lakers Cut Shaq Harrison, Jay Huff, Nate Pierre-Louis
The Lakers have waived guard Shaquille Harrison, center Jay Huff, and guard Nate Pierre-Louis, the team announced today in a press release.
The cuts had been expected after word broke that sharpshooter Matt Ryan secured a spot on the Lakers’ 15-man regular season roster. The team is carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Ryan, Austin Reaves, and Wenyen Gabriel on non-guaranteed deals.
Harrison, Huff, and Pierre-Louis were all with the Lakers on non-guaranteed training camp contracts that included Exhibit 10 language. All three are candidates to join the South Bay Lakers, L.A.’s G League affiliate, assuming they clear waivers.
While it’s possible that a last-minute move is coming, the Lakers’ roster is now set for the regular season, with 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.
Jazz Waive Cody Zeller, Jared Butler
3:14pm: In addition to waiving Zeller, the Jazz are also cutting Jared Butler, according to Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team has issued a press release confirming that Zeller and Butler have been waived, reducing the roster count to 15 players on standard contracts.
The decision to waive Butler comes as a bit of a surprise, since the team was very high on the former Baylor guard after drafting him 40th overall a year ago.
Butler appeared in 42 games as a rookie, averaging 3.8 PPG and 1.5 APG on .404/.318/.688 shooting. Utah will be on the hook for his guaranteed $1,563,518 salary unless he’s claimed on waivers on Monday.
2:42pm: Cody Zeller won’t make Utah’s regular season roster, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Jazz are waiving the veteran center.
Zeller fell victim to the roster crunch in Utah in part due to the nature of his contract. His minimum salary for 2022/23 is fully non-guaranteed, so the team won’t be on the hook for any dead money after cutting him.
The fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft, Zeller spent his first eight NBA seasons in Charlotte, then played for Portland in 2021/22. He played a limited role for the Blazers last season, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG in a career-low 13.1 minutes off the bench in 27 games before a right patellar avulsion fracture ended his season.
Having waived Saben Lee, Stanley Johnson, and Zeller, the Jazz will have one more roster move to make to get down to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts. The club still has 16 players with guaranteed salaries. Udoka Azubuike, Leandro Bolmaro, and Rudy Gay are among the candidates to be the odd man out.
Lakers’ Ryan, Celtics’ Jackson, Knicks’ Arcidiacono Earn Roster Spots
Lakers sharpshooter Matt Ryan will survive today’s cuts and is on track to be part of the team’s opening night roster next week, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Ryan is one of a handful of players on non-guaranteed training camp contracts confirmed to be making their teams’ respective rosters. Celtics forward Justin Jackson will survive the cut in Boston, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link), while Knicks guard Ryan Arcidiacono will do the same in New York, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Ryan perhaps solidified his spot on the Lakers’ regular season roster with his performance in last Sunday’s preseason game, when he poured in hit six three-pointers and poured in 20 points. He’s one of three L.A. players on non-guaranteed contracts who is seemingly on track to make the regular season roster, along with Austin Reaves and Wenyen Gabriel.
It’s a similar situation in Boston, where Jackson appears poised to join Noah Vonleh and Luke Kornet as Celtics whose deals are mostly or fully non-guaranteed. Jackson seemingly beat out Jake Layman for the 15th spot on the roster.
As for Arcidiacono, this will be the second straight season he has began on a non-guaranteed contract with New York. The Knicks have 13 players on fully guaranteed deals, so they’ll be able to keep one more player in addition to Arcidiacono, assuming they carry a full 15-man roster. Svi Mykhailiuk looks like the favorite to be that player.
Hornets Waive LiAngelo Ball, Three Others
The Hornets have trimmed their roster down to 16 players in advance of the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Crutcher, Xavier Sneed, and Ty-Shon Alexander.
The older brother of Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, LiAngelo has played for Charlotte’s Summer League team and signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the organization before each of the last two seasons. He spent 2021/22 with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League affiliate. In 28 games for the Swarm, he averaged 4.6 PPG and 1.1 RPG on .395/.357/.667 shooting in 13.2 minutes per contest.
Crutcher and Sneed also played for Greensboro last season and will likely return to the Swarm in 2022/23 after joining the Hornets on Exhibit 10 contracts.
Alexander, who appeared in 15 games for the Suns in 2020/21 and spent last season in Italy, just signed with the Hornets earlier today, as the team announced in a separate press release. He appears ticketed for the Swarm too.
Charlotte now has 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts, Dennis Smith Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal, and Theo Maledon and Bryce McGowens on two-ways.
Sixers Sign, Waive Sekou Doumbouya
The Sixers announced today that they’ve signed and waived free agent forward Sekou Doumbouya, according to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The team also cut Aminu Mohammed, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal earlier this week.
Doumbouya, 21, was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft and spent the first two years of his NBA career in Detroit. However, he struggled to score efficiently during his time with the Pistons, averaging 5.6 PPG and 2.8 RPG on .384/.254/.691 shooting in 94 games (17.3 MPG).
Doumbouya was traded to Brooklyn and then flipped to Houston during the 2021 offseason. After being waived by the Rockets, he signed a pair of two-way deals with the Lakers last season, but appeared in just two NBA games with the club.
Signing and waiving Doumbouya and Mohammed ensures that Philadelphia has the G League rights to both players, so it won’t be a surprise to see them suit up for the Delaware Blue Coats this season.
The Sixers are down to 14 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals, with Michael Foster Jr. still on an Exhibit 10 contract. Foster will likely be waived before opening night.
Hornets Sign Theo Maledon To Two-Way Contract
OCTOBER 15: The Hornets have officially signed Maleon to his two-way deal, the team confirmed today in a press release. Charlotte created room on its roster by waiving Jaylen Sims and Anthony Duruji on Friday.
OCTOBER 14: Theo Maledon, who cleared waivers on Thursday after being cut by Houston on Tuesday, won’t have to wait long to get back on an NBA roster. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Maledon is signing a two-way contract with the Hornets.
Maledon, the 34th overall pick of the 2020 draft, appeared in 116 regular season games (56 starts, 23.3 MPG) with the Thunder over the past two seasons before being traded to the Rockets last month. He averaged 8.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 2.9 APG on .371/.322/.766 shooting across those two years.
While Maledon struggled to score efficiently in Oklahoma City, he has good size for a point guard (6’4″) and is still just 21 years old, so it seemed likely that another NBA team would take a flier on him. The Frenchman reportedly wanted to remain stateside rather than returning to Europe to continue his career.
There could be an immediate path to playing time for Maledon in Charlotte, where starting point guard LaMelo Ball is recovering from a Grade 2 ankle sprain. Terry Rozier is expected to be the Hornets’ primary ball-handler while Ball is on the shelf, but the team doesn’t have a ton of depth at the position — Dennis Smith Jr., who is in training camp on a non-guaranteed deal, will likely be the backup.
The Hornets are currently only carrying one two-way player, Bryce McGowens, so the other two-way slot is open. However, the club has a full 20-man roster and will have to waive one of its camp invitees to make room for Maledon.
Magic Waive Devin Cannady, Jay Scrubb, Simi Shittu
The Magic have waived guards Devin Cannady and Jay Scrubb, along with big man Simisola Shittu, the team announced today in a press release.
Cannady finished the 2021/22 season in Orlando, signing a multiyear deal that kept him under contract with the team offseason. However, his ’22/23 salary was non-guaranteed, so he had an uphill battle to crack the regular season roster on a team that already had 15 players on guaranteed contracts.
Cannady averaged 10.0 PPG and 2.0 APG in five games (29.0 MPG) with the Magic last season, knocking down 15-of-37 three-pointers (40.5%) in those five appearances.
Scrubb and Shittu both signed their Exhibit 10 contracts within the last week, so it comes as no surprise that they’ve been released. There’s a good chance we’ll see both players suit up for the Lakeland Magic, Orlando’s G League affiliate, and it’s possible Cannady will join them — Lakeland still holds his returning rights.
The Magic now have a legal regular season roster, with 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. It’s unclear if the club intends to make any more moves between now and Monday’s roster deadline.
Thunder Sign Scotty Hopson, Waive Adam Mokoka
The Thunder have signed free agent guard Scotty Hopson, waiving recently signed guard Adam Mokoka to create room on their 20-man preseason roster, the team announced on Saturday.
Hopson, who appeared in one game for the Thunder last season while on a 10-day contract, has been a regular for the Oklahoma City Blue for the last few seasons. In 2021/22, he averaged 13.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 32 games (27.8 MPG) for OKC’s G League team.
Mokoka, 24, spent two seasons on a two-way contract with the Bulls from 2019-21. During that time, he appeared in 25 games at the NBA level, averaging 1.9 points in 6.7 minutes per game. The Frenchman returned to his native country last year to spend the season with Nanterre 92.
Mokoka will likely report to the OKC Blue as an affiliate player, while Hopson figures to join the Blue as a returning-rights player once he has been waived, which could happen later today. Assuming both players signed Exhibit 10 contracts, they’ll be eligible to earn bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Blue.
The Thunder still have a full 20-man roster and will need to get down to 17 players (15 on standard contracts, plus two on two-way deals) by Monday evening.