Hornets’ Charlie Brown Jr. Among Latest NBA Cuts
The Hornets have waived Charlie Brown Jr., Harry Giles and Keyontae Johnson, the team confirmed in a press release. Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer was first to report the moves (Twitter link).
Brown has appeared in 49 regular season games with Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Philadelphia and New York over the course of his four NBA seasons. The 27-year-old was signed-and-traded to the Hornets from the Knicks as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster.
While it’s not surprising that Brown was released given Charlotte’s roster situation, it’s still a noteworthy event because he will be owed a guaranteed $2,237,692 for the 2024/25 season. Assuming he goes unclaimed, the Hornets will carry that salary as a dead-money cap hit on their books.
Notably, veteran swingman DaQuan Jeffries — another player acquired via sign-and-trade from the Knicks — was not cut today. That could mean the Hornets plan to keep him into the start of the regular season even though he fractured a bone in his hand last week. The team didn’t give a timetable for his return.
Both Giles and Johnson were on non-guaranteed training camp deals. A North Carolina native who played college ball at Duke, Giles is a former first-round pick (No. 20 overall in 2017) whose career was derailed by a series of major knee injuries. The 26-year-old big man split last season with the Nets and Lakers.
As for Johnson, he spent 2023/24 — his rookie season — on a two-way contract with the Thunder, but they chose not to give him a two-way qualifying offer over the summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Johnson, who had Exhibit 10 language in his contract, can earn a bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate. Giles’ deal didn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause, so he wouldn’t be eligible for the same bonus and therefore seems unlikely to end up with the Swarm.
The Hornets now have 17 players under contract, with 14 players on guaranteed standard deals, Taj Gibson with a significant partial guarantee on his minimum-salary deal, and a pair of players on two-way contracts. NBA teams are permitted to carry three two-way players, so the team still has one roster vacancy ahead of the regular season.
Here are a few more players who were waived on Friday — all three were on non-guaranteed training camp deals:
- The Kings have waived undrafted rookie Boogie Ellis, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The former USC guard, who had a solid preseason showing with Sacramento, will likely be headed to the Stockton Kings to begin his first professional season. Sacramento will still have to waive at least a couple more players beyond Ellis to set its regular season roster.
- The Thunder announced that they have released Buddy Boeheim and Cormac Ryan. Both players will likely be headed to the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s NBAGL affiliate. The Thunder now have 18 players under contract, which is the regular season limit.
Heat Notes: Riley, Butler, Adebayo, Herro, Rozier
Speaking on Thursday to a small group of reporters, including Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Heat president Pat Riley said 2024/25 is a critical campaign for the core trio of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, who are entering their sixth season together.
“Six years, yeah, this is a telling year for the team. It should be,” Riley said. “They’ve been together for six years. The core has been together for six years, they’ve all gotten better.
“Everything changes, I think, for the better with continuity and the fact that we believe in this roster. Does it mean that if we don’t win this year or if we don’t go deep this year, there are going to be massive changes? No, it doesn’t mean that. But they should know that this should be a crucial year for them. They want to win. They’ve been [to the NBA Finals] twice, but they want to win.”
Two seasons ago, the Heat went 44-38, advanced to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed via the play-in tournament, and had a Cinderella run to the NBA Finals, ultimately losing to Denver in five games. Last season, the team went 46-36 and once again made the playoffs through the play-in, but dropped its first-round series to Philadelphia without Butler, who was injured.
Oddsmakers — and our readers — are relatively low on the Heat this season. While Riley acknowledged there are other strong contenders in the East, including the defending champion Celtics, he’s still bullish on his team’s upside.
“… I believe in this team, I truly believe in these guys. Bam, Jimmy and Tyler, to some extent maybe Terry [Rozier] have to be better,” Riley said. “It’s always about can you produce more, can you be more, can you be together more. I’ve seen the improvement. … So I think we have a core of really, really great players who need to find another level of greatness. This is their time. So take the challenge.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Riley reiterated the team’s best players need to try to play as many games as possible in ’24/25 and said he isn’t worried about Butler potentially opting out of his contract after the season, according to Chiang. Riley also acknowledged that ’23/24 was a difficult season for Butler on a personal level — his father passed away in February, causing him to miss some games — and that likely impacted his production, but he’s hoping the 35-year-old has a bounce-back performance in ’24/25.
- Riley, 79, is entering his 30th season with Miami, but he has “no idea” when he might decide to retire, Chiang writes.
- In another article for The Miami Herald, Chiang provides some takeaways from Wednesday’s preseason victory over Atlanta, which was the second of a back-to-back. As Chiang observes, Butler has suited up for all four of Miami’s preseason games thus far, a stark contrast to last October, when he didn’t play in any exhibition games. The five-time All-NBA forward was dominant on Wednesday, recording 24 points (on 8-of-11 shooting), five rebounds, three assists and three steals in just 21 minutes. Butler and several other rotation members won’t travel to Memphis for Friday’s preseason finale, Chiang adds.
- Rozier and Herro didn’t play much together last season due to injuries, but head coach Erik Spoelstra is encouraged by what he’s seen from the starting backcourt duo during practices and preseason, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “They like each other,” Spoelstra said. “All the hard things, they already have those boxes checked. It’s just a matter of getting enough time together. More than anything, I just want the speed. The speed that they’re bringing our team right now is bringing a great deal of life. And I like it.”
Bucks Sign, Waive Justise Winslow
5:08pm: The Bucks have now waived Winslow, according to the NBA’s transaction log. As noted below, this move was designed to secure Winslow’s G League rights for the upcoming season. He’ll earn a bonus as an affiliate player if he spends at least 60 days with the Wisconsin Herd.
1:30pm: The Bucks have signed free agent forward Justise Winslow to an Exhibit 10 contract, reports Jamal Collier of ESPN (Twitter link).
After spending his first five seasons in Miami — the team that drafted him 10th overall back in 2015 — Winslow has bounced around the league in recent years, suiting up for the Grizzlies, Clippers and Trail Blazers. The 28-year-old signed a 10-day contract with the Raptors last season, but he didn’t appear in an NBA game for Toronto.
Winslow’s 2023/24 debut was delayed due to ankle surgery. He spent most of last season with the Raptors 905 (Toronto’s G League affiliate), averaging 15.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.6 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .476/.295/.667 shooting in 22 regular season contests with the NBAGL club (27.0 MPG).
In July, Shams Charania reported that a handful of veteran free agents — including Winslow — worked out for the Bucks.
Since the Bucks have 14 players on guaranteed contracts and Andre Jackson with a significant partial guarantee, their standard roster looks pretty set. That means Winslow will almost certainly be waived and headed to the Wisconsin Herd (Milwaukee’s affiliate) to open ’24/25. Assuming Wisconsin acquires his returning player rights from the Raptors 905, Winslow could receive a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Herd.
The Bucks’ 21-man offseason roster is full once again following the addition of Winslow. The team released James Akinjo earlier on Thursday to make room for the newcomer.
Kevin Durant: “Not Even Thinking About” Possible Extension
Speaking on Thursday to reporters, including Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, Suns star Kevin Durant downplayed the possibility of signing a one-year, $59.5MM extension prior to Monday’s deadline.
“I’m not even thinking about it,” Durant said after Thursday’s shootaround. “I’m just going to play out my contract really, and just focus on that. Focus on the team. I haven’t even really had conversations with anybody about a contract. Trying to focus on basketball.”
Durant, who became the first men’s basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals over the summer, will earn $51.8MM in 2024/25, followed by $54.7MM in ’25/26.
He can currently only tack on one year to his current contract due to the Over-38 rule. If he doesn’t sign a new contract by Monday, he’ll be ineligible to complete an extension during the season, but will be eligible again during the 2025 offseason.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), there’s a “strong likelihood” that Durant will hold off on extension talks until next offseason, when he’d be eligible to sign a two-year, $123.8MM extension.
Durant, 36, is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, with 14 All-Star nods, 11 All-NBA appearances, four scoring titles, an MVP, two championships, and two Finals MVPs on his résumé.
In 75 regular season games last season, the 6’11” forward averaged 27.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.0 APG, 0.9 SPG and 1.2 BPG on .523/.413/.856 shooting (37.2 MPG).
Trail Blazers Waive Devonte’ Graham
The Trail Blazers have waived veteran guard Devonte’ Graham, the team confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian was first to report the move.
Assuming he goes unclaimed, Graham will become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday.
Graham signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract with Portland in August in the hope of making the regular season roster. He was competing with Dalano Banton for the 15th and final standard roster spot — Graham being released drastically improves Banton’s odds of making the team.
The news doesn’t come as a surprise, but it was still a key roster battle to monitor. Banton impressed the Blazers down the stretch of last season, and they picked up their 2024/25 team option on his contract at the end of June, giving him a partial guarantee of $217,533, with the remainder of his $2,196,970 salary still non-guaranteed. If Banton makes the opening night roster, his partial guarantee will increase to $1,098,485.
A former second-round pick (No. 34 overall in 2018) who played four years of college ball at Kansas, Graham had some productive seasons with Charlotte in his first few NBA seasons, including averaging 18.2 points, 7.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steal per contest in 63 games in ’19/20 (35.1 MPG).
However, the six-year veteran only appeared in 23 games for San Antonio last season, averaging a career-low 13.6 minutes, and was traded to the Hornets in July in a salary dump. Charlotte promptly waived him before his full $12,650,000 salary became guaranteed, but Graham will still be paid his $2.85MM partial guarantee, with the Hornets carrying that figure as a dead-money cap hit.
Portland’s roster could be ready for the regular season, though there’s still time to make some minor additions for G League purposes. The team now has 18 players under contract, with 15 players on standard deals and all three of its two-way slots filled.
Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard Out Indefinitely With Knee Issue
Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard is expected to be out indefinitely as he continues to rehab from right knee inflammation, league sources tell Shams Charania and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
At the team’s media day on September 30, Leonard expressed optimism about being ready for the regular season opener on October 23. Based on ESPN’s report, there’s essentially no chance of that happening.
Leonard, who dealt with inflammation in his right knee at the end of last season and underwent surgery during the offseason, has yet to take part in contact drills and is working on strengthening the knee. He was ruled out for the remainder of preseason earlier this week.
“He has not been a part of what we’ve been doing on a daily basis,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said after Wednesday’s practice. “I know the company line has been that we’re going to be patient with him, so he’s doing everything that he can to rehab it and strengthen that knee on his own with our medical staff. And we’re just dealing with the guys that we have [available].”
According to ESPN’s duo, the Clippers and Leonard are working together to find the best long-term solution to keep the two-time Finals MVP healthy. The team plans to be cautious with Leonard, who tore his right ACL in 2021, then his right meniscus in 2023. He missed the entire 2021/22 season while recovering from the ACL injury.
A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, the 33-year-old remains a two-way force when active. He appeared in 68 games last season (34.3 MPG), averaging 23.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .525/.417/.885 shooting. However, as previously mentioned, he was hampered by the knee inflammation to end ’23/24, including in L.A.’s first-round playoff loss to Dallas.
Leonard was originally on USA Basketball’s roster for the 2024 Olympics in Paris over the summer, but he was replaced with Derrick White before the event began. Team USA claimed the gold medal after edging past Serbia and France in the semifinal and final, respectively.
With Leonard sidelined to open the season and Paul George departing for Philadelphia in free agency, the Clippers will have a difficult task in replacing their production, particularly on offense. They’ll need multiple players to step up, with offseason additions Derrick Jones and Nicolas Batum among the candidates for more playing time.
Leonard is under contract through ’26/27 after signing a three-year, $152MM extension last season.
Knicks Notes: Shamet, Morris, Hukporti, Hart, Crawford
The health status of Knicks guard Landry Shamet remains unclear just a few days before the team has to make a decision on his non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Shamet was viewed as the frontrunner to make New York’s regular season roster out of training camp, but he sustained a right shoulder injury in Tuesday’s preseason game vs. Charlotte.
“We need the information first. I don’t wanna be premature. I wanna see what everyone has to say and then we go from there,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I really liked the way [Shamet plays], the speed and versatility, his ability to make plays off the dribble, to shoot the ball, to move without the ball, to read defenses, to understand what’s going on on the floor, and he helps bring the best out of everyone. He helps you execute, and I think that’s important.”
If Shamet’s injury is serious and the Knicks decide to waive him, he would earn $15K due to the Exhibit 9 language in his contract. Forwards T.J. Warren and Chuma Okeke could be internal options to make the roster out of camp, but there are other possibilities.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, Marcus Morris had fans in the organization before Shamet’s injury — the longtime veteran forward was viewed as a “potential in-season addition” even after he declined his second camp invite. Morris initially signed a camp deal with the Knicks but was waived in a procedural move to complete the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, then declined an opportunity to return to the club after the Towns deal was official.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Both Begley and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic have pegged rookie big man Ariel Hukporti as the leading candidate to be converted from his two-way deal to a standard contract. The Knicks have limited flexibility under the second apron hard cap due to the Towns trade, which is why they’ll only be able to carry 14 players on their standard roster. Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link) takes a look at how the German center is making a push to be promoted.
- It might take him some time to adjust to the team’s new additions, but Josh Hart could be the key to unlocking the full potential of New York’s offense, according to Edwards of The Athletic. As Edwards details, Hart’s high basketball IQ, connective passing and timely cuts make a major impact on quality possessions. “It’s huge,” Thibodeau said. “Being decisive and cutting hard is an act of unselfishness. It’s prioritizing winning. If you cut and you’re open, you should get the ball. But even if you cut with force and make the defense react to that, it’s going to open up other things and you’re going to create good offense for your teammates. And that’s what winning is about.”
- Former Knicks guard Jamal Crawford will serve as a game analyst for approximately 10 games on MSG Network this season, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Crawford was an analyst with TNT last season but he won’t be returning to the network, which may lose its NBA media rights in 2025/26, pending the result of its lawsuit against the league. Crawford has also drawn interest from Amazon, NBC and ESPN, Marchand adds.
Cavaliers Sign Darius Brown II To Exhibit 10 Deal
OCTOBER 15: Over three-and-a-half months after the deal was first reported, Brown has officially signed with the Cavaliers, according to RealGM’s transaction log. The team opened up a spot on its 21-man roster by waiving Jacob Gilyard.
JUNE 28: Free agent guard Darius Brown II will be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter).
Brown, who went undrafted in 2024, had previous collegiate stops at Cal State Northridge and Montanta State before finishing out his career with Utah State in 2023/24. As a “super senior” this past season for the Aggies, he averaged 12.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 6.5 APG and 1.5 SPG on .446/.398/.865 shooting in 35 games (36.1 MPG).
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn 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.
Thunder Sign, Waive Chase Jeter
OCTOBER 14: The Thunder have waived Jeter, the team announced today. The move puts him on track to join the OKC Blue this fall and receive an Exhibit 10 bonus, as detailed below.
OCTOBER 12: The Thunder have signed free agent big man Chase Jeter, the team announced in a press release.
Jeter, 27, played four years of college ball at Duke and Arizona prior to going undrafted in 2020. As a senior with the Wildcats in 2019/20, he appeared in 22 games, averaging 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per contest.
Jeter has spent the past two seasons playing professionally in Austria and Czechia, according to RealGM. During the ’23/24 campaign with BK Nova Hut Ostrava, which competes in the Czech National Basketball League, the 6’10” center averaged 13.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 19 games (21.6 minutes).
While the terms of Jeter’s contract were not disclosed, it’s highly likely that he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Thunder and will be waived and headed to their NBA G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. If he spends at least 60 days with the Blue, the Exhibit 10 language in his contract would put him in line for a bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of his regular NBAGL salary.
The Thunder created an opening on their 21-man offseason roster by waiving guard Javonte Cooke on Saturday morning. After signing Jeter, OKC is now — at least temporarily — back at 21 players under contract.
Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Kings, Curry, Warriors, Kaminsky
The Kings dropped their second straight preseason game to Golden State on Friday, but they came away encouraged by their performance, particularly the play of the starting five, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Point guard De’Aaron Fox is pleased by how seamlessly DeMar DeRozan has fit in.
“It definitely feels natural right now,” Fox said of playing with DeRozan. “Obviously, we have someone else who can really post up and create their own shot, but he’s also still creating for others and making our jobs easier, so I feel like there are no hiccups. Right now we’re not running much. We’re just running our flow offense and I think it’s looked good.”
DeRozan, who was acquired from Chicago over the summer in a three-team sign-and-trade, concurred with Fox’s assessment.
“It’s comfortable,” DeRozan said. “Now, it’s just about getting that consistent rhythm, and the more we play, the more opportunities we get, the easier it becomes.”
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- In other Kings news, a league source tells Anderson that Malik Monk will be active on Sunday vs. Portland after missing Friday’s contest due to personal reasons (Twitter link). Monk re-signed with Sacramento on a four-year, $78MM contract as a free agent.
- Warriors star Stephen Curry sustained a jammed right index finger in the second quarter of Friday’s victory and was held out for the remainder of the game, but he was able to go throughout his typical post-game workout, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic relays (Twitter links). Curry underwent an X-ray, which came back negative, and he’s considered day-to-day.
- Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was sidelined by an illness during training camp and will miss his fourth straight preseason game on Sunday vs. Detroit. However, the former No. 1 overall pick has recovered from the unspecified illness and is expected to suit up for Tuesday’s contest vs. the Lakers, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link).
- Kerr continues to experiment with the Warriors‘ starting lineup in preseason, Slater notes (Twitter video link). On Friday, Kerr went with a small-ball approach, with Curry, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody, Kyle Anderson and Draymond Green as the starting five. While they’re taking a “game-by-game” approach right now, in part due to Wiggins’ absence, Kerr downplayed the possibility of that continuing into the regular season. “We want a starting lineup to form, and to establish some continuity, for sure,” he said.
- Frank Kaminsky is on a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Suns and is vying for the 15th spot on their standard roster. Even if he’s waived before the season begins, the veteran big man is thankful to have another NBA opportunity after dealing with a knee injury and playing in Serbia last season. “I’m just going with it,” Kaminsky told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m in the position I wanted to be after getting healthy and playing overseas last year. Just grateful for this opportunity. Whatever happens, happens.”