Knicks File Lawsuit Against Raptors, Former NYK Employee
The Knicks filed a lawsuit on Monday alleging that former employee Ikechukwu Azotam “illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with the Raptors, which he then shared with his new club, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter thread).
Azotam, who was hired away by Toronto this offseason, allegedly shared the proprietary information with “several members” of the team, including head coach Darko Rajakovic and player development coach Noah Lewis, Begley adds.
The lawsuit alleges Azotam signed a confidentiality agreement with the Knicks which required him “to maintain the secrecy of all confidential or proprietary Knicks information.” A source tells Begley the Knicks contacted both the Raptors and the NBA prior to filing the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.
According to Begley, the lawsuit also alleges that the Raptors “directed Azotam to misuse his access to the Knicks’ subscription to Synergy Sports to create and then transfer to the Raptors Defendants over 3,000 files consisting of film information and data.”
A Madision Square Garden Sports spokesperson released a statement to Begley regarding the lawsuit (Twitter thread).
“The New York Knicks have sued the Toronto Raptors and several members of their organization, including a former Knicks employee, after the former employee illegally took thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position with the Toronto Raptors. These files include confidential information such as play frequency reports, a prep book for the 2022-23 season, video scouting files and materials and more.
“Given the clear violation of our employment agreement, criminal and civil law, we were left no choice but to take this action.”
[UPDATE: Raptors Respond To Lawsuit]
In addition to Azotam, Rajakovic, and Lewis, 10 other Raptors employees are also accused of wrongdoing, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday. Those employees are currently unknown — they’re listed as John Does “1” through “10.”
Thunder Sign Olivier Sarr To Two-Way Deal
The Thunder have brought back Olivier Sarr, announcing in a press release that they have re-signed the free agent big man to another two-way contract.
While Oklahoma City has an open two-way slot, the team was unable to fill it until now because it was at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract. The Thunder created a roster opening this morning when they released Usman Garuba, which allowed them to sign Sarr.
Sarr went undrafted in 2021 after four college seasons — he spent his first three campaigns at Wake Forest before finishing up at Kentucky. He signed a training camp deal with the Thunder in October 2021 and was promptly waived, spending part of 2021/22 with their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
During the COVID-19 outbreak that winter, the French center signed a pair of 10-day hardship deals with the Thunder, then inked a two-way contract in February 2022. He played well at the NBA level as a rookie, averaging 7.0 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 22 games (19.1 MPG), but the Thunder opted to cut him just before the season ended in April.
Sarr caught on with the Trail Blazers prior to ’22/23, initially signing an Exhibit 10 contract which was converted into a two-way deal after he impressed during preseason. However, he sustained a torn ligament in his wrist last fall, which caused Portland to release him in mid-November.
The 24-year-old signed a G League deal with the Blue after recovering from the injury, averaging 12.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.9 APG and 2.4 BPG in 12 regular season games. His play in the NBAGL earned Sarr a promotion in February to a two-way deal. He finished last season with the Thunder, averaging 4.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG in nine games (12.7 MPG).
Sarr was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Thunder didn’t give him a qualifying offer, making him unrestricted. Either way, he’s back with OKC on a two-way contract.
Grant Riller To Play In China
Free agent guard Grant Riller has agreed to a contract with the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association, sources tell Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. The deal includes an NBA opt-out clause, Borghesan adds.
Riller, 26, was the 56th overall pick of the 2020 draft by the Hornets. He spent his rookie season on a two-way deal with Charlotte, appearing in seven NBA games for a total of 27 minutes. The Hornets chose not to give him a qualifying after 2020/21, making him an unrestricted free agent.
In ’21/22, Riller caught on with the Sixers on a two-way deal, but unfortunately his stint was plagued by injuries — he sustained a torn meniscus in October 2021 and then sustained a shoulder injury the following month that required surgery. Due to the lengthy recovery timeline, the Sixers waived Riller in December 2021.
Riller worked out for multiple teams last summer after recovering from the injury, ultimately signing a short-lived training camp deal with Dallas in the fall (he was waived the same day). He spent the ’22/23 season playing for the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ NBA G League affiliate, averaging 21.3 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds on .520/.324/.808 shooting in 26 regular season games (27.7 minutes per contest).
The Royal Fighters, who are coached by former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury, finished last season with a 16-26 record, 15th out of 20 CBA teams.
Eastern Notes: Hayes, Pistons, Queen, Bulls, Skyhawks
Killian Hayes was Troy Weaver‘s first draft choice when he became general manager of the Pistons, having been selected No. 7 overall in 2020. Three years later, the guard’s future with Detroit is uncertain.
As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes in his latest mailbag, the Pistons have drafted guards Cade Cunningham (No. 1 overall in 2021) and Jaden Ivey (No. 5 overall in 2022) since Hayes was picked. This offseason, they traded up in June’s draft to acquire former Houston Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (No. 25 overall), and sent out a future second-round pick to land veteran guard Monte Morris from the Wizards.
Where does that leave Hayes? In Edwards’ view, the Pistons will either trade the 22-year-old before the 2023/24 season starts, or they added backcourt depth in order to “light a fire” under the young guard so he’ll have to earn his minutes.
Edwards also touches on some other topics, including who might take the backup center job between James Wiseman and Marvin Bagley III. For what it’s worth, Edwards thinks Bagley is a better player right now, but acknowledges Wiseman might have more upside.
Here’s more from the East:
- Trevelin Queen will be signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Magic, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). Queen’s one-year training camp deal is non-guaranteed and worth the veteran’s minimum. If he’s waived before the season starts, he could earn a bonus of up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the Osceola Magic, the team’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted into two-way contracts, and Orlando does have a two-way opening, as our tracker shows.
- Re-signing forward Terry Taylor to a two-year, minimum-salary contract might be the final offseason move for the Bulls, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Having Taylor and Carlik Jones on non-guaranteed deals creates financial flexibility for the Bulls, who now have 15 players on standard deals and all three two-way slots filled, Johnson notes. It’s worth noting that Chicago is virtually certain to add some players on Exhibit 10 deals ahead of training camp, though those are often geared more toward filling out the G League roster.
- The College Park Skyhawks — the Hawks‘ NBAGL affiliate — have announced Daniel Starkman as their new general manager and confirmed that Ryan Schmidt will be their new head coach, according to a team press release. Starkman, who has been with the Hawks organization since 2015, was previously Atlanta’s senior manager of basketball operations. Schmidt was head coach of the British Basketball League’s London Lions last season. He will also be an assistant coach with the Hawks under Quin Snyder.
Magic To Sign Trevelin Queen
The Magic are signing free agent guard Trevelin Queen to a one-year contract, his agent Daniel Hazan tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
Queen went undrafted in 2020 out of New Mexico State. He has spent most of his three pro seasons playing in the NBA G League, winning the NBAGL’s MVP award in 2021/22.
The 26-year-old signed with the Sixers last summer, but was waived during the preseason and caught on with the Pacers on a two-way deal a few days later. He spent most of 2022/23 with Indiana, but was waived at the end of March.
Queen has appeared in a total of 17 NBA games while on two-way contracts with the Rockets and Pacers over the past two seasons. He holds modest averages of 3.8 points and 1.9 rebounds on .355/.282/1.000 shooting in 8.5 minutes per contest.
Queen once again put up big numbers at the G League level in ’22/23, including averages of 23.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game in 11 Showcase Cup contests (35.7 MPG) for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. In 24 NBAGL regular season games, he put up 22.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 2.1 SPG. He was named as a participant in the Next Up Game at All-Star weekend.
However, Queen did have some issues with three-point shooting (26.5% on 7.1 attempts per regular season game) and turnovers (3.8 per game) in the G League this season. He also earned a one-game suspension in March for “directing threatening language” toward a referee, which may have been a factor in the Pacers’ decision to release him.
While the terms of Queen’s contract are currently unknown, it seems unlikely that it will contain much — if any — guaranteed money. The Magic have 15 players on standard contracts (14 guaranteed), including Jonathan Isaac, whose $17.4MM contract is partially guaranteed for $7.6MM. Orlando also has an open two-way slot.
Perhaps Queen’s deal will feature Exhibit 10 language. In that scenario, if he’s released before ’23/24 starts, he could receive a $75K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals.
Mavs Promoting Matt Riccardi To Assistant GM
Matt Riccardi is receiving a promotion from the Mavericks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that Riccardi will hold the title of assistant general manager.
A native of the Dallas area, Riccardi is currently the team’s senior director of pro personnel. The 37-year-old was hired away from the Nets last year.
As Mike Mazzeo wrote for Forbes a couple years ago, Riccardi had a pretty remarkable journey over the course of his 13 years in Brooklyn. He got his start as an unpaid intern and steadily rose up the ranks despite multiple front office overhauls, eventually becoming general manager of the Long Island Nets — the team’s G League affiliate — as well as Brooklyn’s director of scouting.
According to Mazzeo, Riccardi is known for finding hidden gems in the G League, including Spencer Dinwiddie, who revived his career with the Nets. Riccardi reportedly drew interest from the Grizzlies’ front office a handful of years ago, so he’s held in high regard around the league.
Free agent wing Theo Pinson, who has played for both the Mavs (the past two seasons) and the Nets, sent out a tweet congratulating Riccardi.
Thunder Sign Lindy Waters III To Two-Way Deal
5:57pm: Waters’ two-way deal is now official, the Thunder announced.
5:08pm: Lindy Waters III is rejoining the Thunder on a two-way contract, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Waters, who grew up in Norman and played college ball at Oklahoma State, initially signed a two-way deal with Oklahoma City in February 2022. He was promoted to a multiyear standard contract in February of this year, but his team option for 2023/24 was declined at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The 26-year-old has split the past two seasons playing for the Thunder and the team’s G League affiliate, the OKC Blue. In 66 NBA games (15.1 MPG), the 6’6″ wing holds career averages of 6.3 PPG and 2.2 RPG with a .399/.360/.800 shooting line. He has averaged 13.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.7 SPG on .498/.427/.929 shooting in 29 regular season games (29.8 MPG) with the Blue since 2021.
Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman previously identified Waters as a “strong candidate” to fill one of the team’s two-way slots. As our tracker shows, the Thunder currently have a pair of two-way openings.
However, they were prevented from signing Waters because they had 21 players — the offseason maximum — under contract, including 20 on standard deals. That changed this afternoon, as the Thunder decided to waive TyTy Washington Jr.
Frank Kaminsky Signs One-Year Deal With Partizan
KK Partizan has officially signed free agent big man Frank Kaminsky to a one-year contract, as Eurohoops.net relays.
A report last month indicated that the 30-year-old would only consider joining a European team after exhausting his NBA options. Evidently he was unable to find a suitable contract in North America, as he’ll be heading overseas for the first time in his professional career.
Kaminsky was the ninth overall pick of the 2015 draft. He has appeared in 413 total regular season games for the Hornets, Suns, Hawks and Rockets over the past seven seasons.
The veteran forward/center didn’t play much last season after returning from 2021 surgery on his right knee, averaging just 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per night across 36 appearances with Atlanta and Houston. Prior to his knee injury, Kaminsky averaged 8.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.8 APG with a .468/.344/.682 shooting line in 95 games (17.6 MPG) over three seasons in Phoenix.
Partizan competes in the EuroLeague, widely considered to be the world’s best non-NBA league. The Serbian club finished the regular season with a 20-14 record, losing its hotly contested first-round playoff series against eventual champion Real Madrid in five games (the maximum).
Hornets, Tre Scott Agree To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Hornets are signing free agent forward Tre Scott to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Scott, who went undrafted out of Cincinnati in 2020, signed with French club Fos Provence Basket last summer. However, after he struggled to find success overseas, averaging modest totals of 7.0 PPG and 3.8 RPG on a poor .381/.169/.784 shooting line in 21 LNB Pro A games (20.1 MPG), the 26-year-old returned stateside and finished out 2022/23 with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate.
The 6’8″ forward played much better with the Swarm, averaging 17.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 2.8 APG on .538/.340/1.000 shooting in 10 regular season games (34.5 MPG). Scott spent most of his first two professional seasons in the NBAGL, playing for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, and the Cleveland Charge.
Scott also made a brief NBA appearance with the Cavaliers during the COVID-19 outbreak in December 2021. He signed a 10-day hardship contract and got in two games, scoring six points and grabbing a couple rebounds in 11 total minutes of action.
The most likely outcome is that Scott will be waived by the Hornets before the 2023/24 season begins. In that scenario, he could receive a bonus worth up to $75K if he spends at least 60 days with the Swarm.
The Hornets have a lot of roster uncertainty at the moment. While they only have 12 players on guaranteed standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals, they also have three players on non-guaranteed deals (JT Thor, Kobi Simmons, and Frank Ntilikina), an unsigned draft pick (James Nnaji) and a pair of restricted free agents (P.J. Washington, Theo Maledon) who have yet to sign new contracts.
2023/24 NBA Schedules By Team
The NBA has officially unveiled its full regular season schedule for 2023/24.
The season will begin on Tuesday, October 24 and wrap up Sunday, April 14. The play-in tournament will take place from April 16-19, with the playoffs beginning on April 20.
The league’s announcement highlighted the fact that each team is only scheduled for 80 games at this point. That’s due to the new in-season tournament, whose schedule has already been revealed.
The league also confirmed several previously reported marquee matchups, including its five-game Christmas Day slate, an opening night doubleheader of Lakers at Nuggets and Suns at Warriors, and games taking place in Mexico City and Paris.
Listed below are links to the full 2023/24 season schedules for each NBA team, organized by conference and division. The team-by-team schedules for ’23/24 can also be viewed in a single document right here, while the full schedule by date can be viewed here.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
Southwest Division