Hornets Sign Brandon Slater, Waive Keyontae Johnson
The Hornets have signed Brandon Slater, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter). In a related move, Keyontae Johnson has been waived.
A 6’8″ forward, Slater went undrafted in 2023 after five college seasons at Villanova. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston two years ago, was cut, and spent the 2023/24 season in the G League with the Maine Celtics.
Instead of returning to the NBAGL, Slater signed with GS Lavrio of Greece’s top basketball league. In 24 games (19.5 MPG) with the Greek club, Slater averaged 7.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG on .444/.344/.771 shooting.
Slater most recently suited up for Charlotte at the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, averaging 5.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.1 SPG in eight appearances (17.7 MPG).
While the 26-year-old will fill the Hornets’ final roster spot for now, he likely signed an Exhibit 10 deal and will be waived in the coming days. If that comes to fruition, Slater will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Greensboro Swarm — the Hornets’ G League affiliate — in ’25/26.
Nets Sign Yuri Collins To Partially Guaranteed Deal
The Nets have officially signed free agent guard Yuri Collins, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
Sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link) that Collins received a one-year standard contract with a $85,300 partial guarantee, just like Brooklyn’s recent contract agreements with David Muoka and D’Andre Davis, and is expected to be released soon. Davis was waived in order to make room on the 21-man roster for Collins.
A 6’0″ point guard, Collins went undrafted out of St. Louis in 2023 and has spent the past two seasons in the NBAGL with the Santa Cruz Warriors. After a fairly modest role in 2023/24, the 24-year-old’s usage rate nearly doubled in ’24/25, averaging 13.7 points, 10.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 49 combined games (32.2 minutes per contest). He posted a shooting line of .412/.264/.780.
Collins, who led the G League in assists per game (10.8) last regular season, signed a 10-day deal with Golden State in February and made his NBA debut that month, appearing in two games.
For G League purposes, the deals for Collins, Davis and Muoka will essentially function like Exhibit 10 contracts would have, and it’s safe to assume all three players will end up joining the Long Island Nets. The only real difference is that the $85,300 each player is receiving as a partial guarantee will count against the Nets’ cap.
Clubs generally favor Exhibit 10 deals because they don’t want those cap hits on their books, but those small partial guarantees may help ensure that the Nets’ team salary is above the minimum salary floor by opening night. Brooklyn is the only NBA team still operating below the cap.
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link), Long Island acquired Collins’ returning player rights this offseason, yet another indication that he’ll be headed to the NBAGL in 2025/26.
Early Look At Hornets’ Potential Roster Crunch
Barring a trade (or two), Charlotte will be facing a roster crunch this fall.
As our tracker shows, the Hornets currently have a full offseason roster, with 18 players on standard contracts (16 guaranteed) and all three two-way spots filled. They need to trim their standard roster down to 15 players before the regular season begins.
None of the players on standard deals are signed to training camp contracts, and until the Hornets free up roster spots, they will be unable to finalize Exhibit 10 deals with players who will be headed to their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, to open the 2025/26 season. That likely won’t play a factor in the roster battle, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless.
Here’s the list of players currently on standard contracts, sorted by how much money they make:
- LaMelo Ball
- Miles Bridges
- Collin Sexton
- Josh Green
- Grant Williams
- Brandon Miller
- Kon Knueppel
- Pat Connaughton
- Tre Mann
- Tidjane Salaun
- Liam McNeeley
- DaQuan Jeffries *
- Nick Smith Jr.
- Sion James
- Ryan Kalkbrenner
- Spencer Dinwiddie
- Mason Plumlee
- Moussa Diabate *
* Denotes non-guaranteed contract.
Outside of maybe Miller and Knueppel, it wouldn’t totally surprise me if Charlotte decided to eventually trade virtually anyone on the roster. But for the sake of this exercise, we’ll assume that Ball, Bridges, Sexton, Green, Williams, Salaun, McNeeley, James and Kalkbrenner won’t be on the move in the next five-plus weeks.
The Hornets re-signed Mann to a guaranteed three-year, $24MM contract in free agency and he can’t be traded until January 15. It’s safe to say he won’t be waived before the season begins.
Dinwiddie and Plumlee were also free agent additions and neither can be dealt until Dec. 15. Although they both received guaranteed contracts, they’re only earning the veteran’s minimum in 2025/26.
Either Dinwiddie or Plumlee could theoretically be cut this fall, but it would be a little strange to sign a player to a guaranteed deal only to release him before he suits up for a regular season contest. It’s certainly an option, especially if one gets hurt, but it seems fairly unlikely right now.
By process of elimination, that likely leaves four players — Connaughton, Smith, Jeffries and Diabate — essentially vying for the 15th and final roster spot.
Of the four, Jeffries seems like the most obvious candidate to be waived. He was sent to Charlotte last October as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, and while he appeared in 47 games last season, he wasn’t a major contributor. The five-year veteran is on a fully non-guaranteed contract, so the Hornets won’t incur a cap hit if they release him.
Despite earning $9.42MM in 2025/26, Connaughton also seems pretty likely to be cut. Perhaps I’m wrong and Charlotte will keep his expiring contract to use for salary-matching purposes in a future trade, but he has negative value on that deal after his career was derailed by injuries the past few years. When they sent Vasilije Micic to the Bucks for Connaughton in July, the Hornets acquired two second-round picks in the deal — it seems safe to assume they made the trade for the draft assets, not for Connaughton himself.
That leaves Smith and Diabate. Smith is just two years removed from being selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, but he hasn’t taken a major step forward since entering the NBA, having made exactly 39.1% of his field goal attempts in both of his professional seasons. He played a more significant role last season, but the Hornets were outscored by 14.3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court, compared to 6.3 points per 100 possessions when he wasn’t playing.
Smith also has a backcourt logjam working against him, while Diabate should benefit from the fact that the Hornets don’t have many viable options in the middle — Plumlee and Kalkbrenner are the only other centers on the roster, so Diabate could actually play rotation minutes this fall, as he did last season, whereas the path to regular playing time for Smith would be more crowded with Miller and Mann back from injuries and Dinwiddie and Sexton now in the mix as well.
It’s worth reiterating that Smith’s salary for 2025/26 is guaranteed, but neither he nor Diabate is owed any guaranteed money beyond the coming season and Charlotte is operating way below the luxury tax line this season. In other words, eating some guaranteed money shouldn’t really affect the team’s flexibility.
Still, even if Jeffries, Connaughton, and Smith look like the most logical odd men out, it’s possible this situation won’t end up being quite that straightforward, so it’ll be worth keeping an eye on this fall.
Luke Adams contributed to this story.
Greece Defeats Finland For EuroBasket Bronze Medal
Greece survived a late rally by Finland in the third-place game of EuroBasket 2025, winning by a final score of 92-89 to claim the tournament’s bronze medal.
Greece led for nearly 38 minutes of the 40-minute contest and never trailed. While they were up by double-digits for the majority of the game, including a 17-point lead with four minutes left, Finland nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback, getting to within one possession in the closing seconds before coming up short.
The Greek national team was led by Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 30 points, 17 rebounds, six assists (seven turnovers), one steal and two blocks in just under 31 minutes. He converted two free throws in the clutch to help seal the victory.
Ex-NBA guard Tyler Dorsey, a Greek nationalized citizen, also had a big game, going 5-of-9 from three-point range en route to 20 points. Guard Vasileios Toliopoulos, who went scoreless in Greece’s semifinal loss to Turkey, had 15 points.
It’s the first time Antetokounmpo has won a medal with Greece and the first time the country has finished in the top three at EuroBasket since 2009, when it also won bronze.
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen had team highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds for Finland, which also received strong contributions from Elias Valtonen (18 points, five rebounds, three steals), Mikael Jantunen (13 points, six rebounds, seven assists) and Olivier Nkamhoua (15 points, five rebounds).
Despite the loss, the Finnish national team had an excellent run in the tournament, including knocking off medal favorite Serbia in the round of 16. Finland, which finished in fourth place, had already secured its best result in EuroBasket history by making the semifinals.
The final between Germany and Turkey will take place later on Sunday.
International Notes: Loyd, Larkin, NBA Europe, Athens
Veteran guard Jordan Loyd, who starred for Poland during EuroBasket 2025, is close to signing a contract with Turkish powerhouse Anadolu Efes, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (via Twitter).
Loyd, who had a brief stint with Toronto during the team’s title-winning season in 2019, averaged a team-high 22.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals on .490/.422/.875 shooting in seven games (32.0 MPG) for Poland.
Stein previously reported that Real Madrid was the most prominent suitor for Loyd, but evidently team was unable to sign him away from AS Monaco because his Spanish league rights are held by Valencia, among other complicating factors.
Loyd, 32, helped Monaco reach the EuroLeague final for the first time in franchise history last season. In 27 EuroLeague contests, he averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.9 APG on .468/.392/.892 shooting (22.7 MPG).
Anadolu Efes, meanwhile, won the EuroLeague in both 2021 and 2022. Last season, it was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the playoffs by Panathinaikos, the 2024 champs. Efes also competes domestically in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.
Here are a few more international notes:
- In an extensive — and exclusive — interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, former first-round pick Shane Larkin discussed becoming a Turkish nationalized citizen, his journey to becoming a star in Europe, battling OCD, and Turkish teammate Alperen Sengun, among other topics. “I had a few incredible seasons over here and I had opportunities to go back to the (NBA) and I was like, “Nah I’m cool, like I’m good where I am”… and when people hear that, they don’t understand what it is like to be one of the better star players in Europe. You have to really experience it to fully understand it,” Larkin said as part of a larger quote. The 5’11” point guard, who plays for Anadolu Efes, will compete in the final of EuroBasket on Sunday with Turkey, which faces Germany.
- Speaking to the media on Saturday, FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa said he has “no doubt” that the NBA’s European league will come to fruition at some point, though the details are still being worked out. “There’s a long way to work from today until whenever we start,” Garbajosa said, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “This is going to happen. It’s very clear. Mr. [Adam] Silver announced it publicly, and so did Mr. [Andreas] Zagklis. I did it also. It is not easy to create this competition in Europe, so it’s going to take a while. But this is going to happen. How and when? Let’s see. Some prospects talked about 2027. I think it’s a good year. But obviously NBA is working on it. We are their partners, we want to be their partners, we want to be together with them.”
- The 2026 EuroLeague Final Four will be played at the Telekom Center in Athens, Greece, the league announced in a press release. Athens also hosted the 2007 edition of the EuroLeague Final Four.
Spurs Waive Osayi Osifo
The Spurs have waived Osayi Osifo, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The move is also on RealGM’s official log of NBA transactions.
A 6’7″ forward from South Africa, Osifo went undrafted in 2023 out of Jacksonville. He suited up for the Spurs during Summer League action a couple months ago and also had a brief stint with the Calgary Stampede of the Canadian Elite Basketball League in the spring.
Osifo spent most of the 2024/25 season with the Spurs’ G League affiliate in Austin. In 30 regular season games with Austin, the 25-year-old averaged 7.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.3 blocks in 24.1 minutes per contest.
Assuming Osifo received an Exhibit 10 contract, which is highly likely, he’ll be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with Austin in ’25/26.
The Spurs now have 20 players under contract, one shy of the offseason limit.
Knicks Rookie Diawara Expected To Sign Standard Deal?
Although the Knicks are reportedly considering a cost-cutting trade in order to keep two of Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews, Ian Begley of SNY.tv doesn’t expect a move to occur before training camp (Twitter link via Knicks Videos).
Begley also doesn’t think Miles McBride will be the player traded if New York does make a deal. The backup guard will earn $4.33MM in 2025/26, followed by $3.96MM in ’26/27.
“I’d be surprised if the Knicks made a move like that ahead of training camp,” Begley said. “I’d assume that they let things play out in training camp/preseason before making decisions on final roster spots. It’s also worth pointing out that they have always held McBride in high regard and haven’t been receptive to any past trades involving the now 25-year-old.”
The Knicks have agreed to sign Brogdon, Shamet and Mathews to non-guaranteed contracts but currently only have enough cap flexibility below the second tax apron to keep one of the three on their regular season roster. That player would fill their 13th standard roster spot, while the 14th needs to be a rookie whose draft rights are controlled by New York.
According to Begley, the tentative plan entering camp is for the Knicks to sign Mohamed Diawara to that 14th spot. The 20-year-old, who played for the Knicks in Summer League and spent last season with Cholet Basket in France’s top basketball league, was selected No. 51 overall in the 2025 draft.
Jake Fischer reported yesterday for The Stein Line that New York considered signing free agent center Thomas Bryant before deciding to prioritize backcourt and wing depth. According to Begley’s sources, Bryant “really impressed” the Knicks during recent open gym workouts in New York.
Latest On Clippers, Kawhi Leonard
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made a second investment worth nearly $10MM in the now-bankrupt “green bank” company Aspiration, according to legal filings reviewed by Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
The previously unreported investment, which occurred in March 2023 when the company was “hemorrhaging cash, laying off employees and struggling to raise funds,” was corroborated by a former Aspiration executive, Vorkunov reports.
On September 3, Pablo Torre reported on his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that Ballmer agreed to invest $50MM in Aspiration in September 2021 (the actual payment occurred in December 2021). Multiple sources tell Vorkunov the Clippers also made a separate $50MM+ investment in Aspiration for “carbon offsetting toward the goal of becoming carbon neutral.”
In April 2022, Kawhi Leonard signed a four-year, $28MM endorsement deal with Aspiration but there’s no evidence he ever performed any work for it.
A subsequent report from Boston Sports Journal, which was confirmed by Torre, indicated that Leonard made a separate side deal with Aspiration to receive an additional $20MM in company stock. That $20MM came directly from co-founder Joe Sanberg.
“I am personally contributing stock to Kawhi to make this partnership possible,” Sanberg wrote members of his leadership team in a May 2022 email obtained by The Athletic. “Aspiration’s CEO judged the deal to be not worth doing. For avoidance of doubt, any and all benefit to Aspiration from the Kawhi deal is being subsidized by my contributing my equity to make this happen.”
Sanberg pled guilty last month to two counts of wire fraud for defrauding investors and lenders of more than $248MM.
Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star also reported that Leonard’s camp was seeking essentially the same deal he got with Aspiration when he was a free agent in 2019.
Ballmer’s second investment in Aspiration came three months after his college roommate and the Clippers’ lone minority owner, Dennis Wong, invested approximately $2MM in the company after it failed to make a $1.75MM quarterly payment to Leonard, as reported by Torre. Leonard was paid nine days later, on the same day Aspiration laid off 20% of its workforce.
The NBA is investigating whether the Clippers and Leonard circumvented the salary cap through their deals with Aspiration.
Leonard’s contract had certain obligations he was supposed to meet but it also permitted him to refuse to do anything “not consistent with his beliefs,” according to Vorkunov. Former CEO and co-founder Andrei Cherny disputed that Leonard had a “no-show” deal,” Vorkunov adds.
However, Leonard’s contract drew “confusion and frustration” within the company, with one former top executive telling Vorkunov the deal “materialized essentially out of the ether.”
Another former Aspiration executive told Vorkunov that celebrity endorsers Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr. both received less than $2MM in their deals.
Knicks, Landry Shamet Agree To One-Year Contract
3:39pm: Shamet’s one-year deal with the Knicks is non-guaranteed and he will compete with Garrison Mathews for a roster spot, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).
2:53pm: Free agent shooting guard Landry Shamet is returning to the Knicks on a one-year contract, agent George S. Langberg tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Shamet drew interest from other teams but he liked being part of New York’s locker room last season and wants to compete for a championship.
Shamet, who is entering his eighth NBA season, will earn $3,080,921 in 2025/26, while the Knicks will carry a cap charge of $2,296,274. We’ll have to wait and see if the contract is guaranteed — Shamet originally signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal with New York last fall.
Shamet, 28, was the 26th overall pick of the 2018 draft after three college seasons at Wichita State. He spent time with the Sixers, Clippers, Nets, Suns and Wizards prior to signing with the Knicks in 2024.
Known for his shooting ability, Shamet appeared in 50 games last season after his season debut was delayed by a shoulder injury. He averaged career lows of 5.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game, though he did convert 39.7% of his three-point looks.
Once the signing is official, Shamet will be the 13th player under contract with the Knicks. All three of their two-way spots remain open, with Kevin McCullar Jr. still a two-way restricted free agent.
The Knicks are hard-capped at the second tax apron and don’t have enough room below that threshold to carry a full 15-man roster into the regular season. Given their proximity to their hard cap, the expectation is that their 13th man will be a veteran on a minimum-salary contract (like Shamet) and their 14th man will be a player whose draft rights they hold on a rookie minimum deal.
Garrison Mathews To Sign Camp Deal With Knicks
The Knicks intend to sign free agent guard Garrison Mathews to a training camp contract, reports Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (via Twitter). Mathews’ agent, David Bauman, confirmed the news to Bondy (Twitter link).
According to Bondy, Mathews will compete with Landry Shamet for a spot on New York’s regular season roster.
Nearly 85% of Mathews’ field goal attempts over the course of his career have come from behind the three-point line, and the former Lipscomb star has converted 38.2% of those outside looks. He also has a knack for drawing fouls on three-pointers.
Mathews, who turns 29 years old next month, has spent the past two-plus seasons with Atlanta. In 47 games last season, the 6’5″ shooting guard averaged 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists while knocking down 39.0% of his threes in 17.7 minutes per contest.
Mathews started his NBA career as a Wizard after going undrafted in 2019, spending two years with Washington. He also spent a year-and-a-half with Houston prior to being traded to the Hawks ahead of the 2023 trade deadline.