Warriors Convert Braxton Key To Standard Contract
The Warriors have converted forward Braxton Key‘s two-way deal to a standard contract, according to the NBA’s official transactions log.
The wording in the NBA’s log indicates it was a straight conversion of Key’s one-year contract rather than a brand-new multiyear deal, so he remains on track to be a free agent this summer, when his new contract expires.
As our Luke Adams wrote yesterday, the Warriors had an opening on their standard roster ahead of Sunday’s regular season finale. They have filled it by promoting Key, who is now eligible to appear in the postseason.
A four-year veteran, Key has played a total of 37 NBA games with Philadelphia, Detroit, Denver and Golden State since he went undrafted out of Virginia in 2020. He spent most of 2024/25 in the NBA G League with the San Diego Clippers before signing a two-way contract with the Warriors at the beginning of March.
Key excelled at the NBGL level this season, filling the stat sheet with averages of 16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.1 blocks on .506/.282/.670 shooting in 49 total games with San Diego and the Santa Cruz Warriors (31.7 minutes per contest). He was named the G League’s Defensive Player of the Year earlier this month.
Hornets Re-Sign Jaylen Sims
The Hornets have re-signed Jaylen Sims for Sunday’s regular season finale after his 10-day contract expired overnight, per a team press release.
As our tracker shows, the Hornets currently have a full 15-man standard roster. However, they were able to sign Sims using a hardship exception, as the team has multiple players dealing with significant injuries.
Hardship contracts typically cover 10 days, but Charlotte’s season concludes today. He will earn $6,650 for one day of work with his hometown team, and the Hornets will carry an identical cap hit on their books.
A 6’6″ shooting guard, Sims went undrafted out of UNC Wilmington in 2022 and has spent the past three seasons suiting up for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate.
Sims made 49 combined appearances for the Swarm in 2024/25, averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32.9 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .442/.375/.837. The 26-year-old also played in five games (18.2 MPG) for the Hornets this month, averaging 6.0 PPG and 2.0 APG on .421/.400/.833 shooting.
Sixers Sign Isaiah Mobley
The Sixers have signed free agent power forward Isaiah Mobley, the team announced in a press release.
Mobley was the 49th overall pick of the 2022 draft out of USC. He spent his first two seasons on two-way contracts with Cleveland, appearing in a total of 22 NBA games in a limited bench role.
The Cavaliers chose not to retain Mobley last summer, and he eventually signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the 76ers for training camp. He was released before the 2024/25 campaign began and has spent the entire season with their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Mobley got off to a slow start during the fall’s Tip-Off Tournament, averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists on .375/.333/.556 shooting in 13 games (25.2 minutes per contest). The 25-year-old played much better during the NBAGL’s regular season, averaging 17.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 3.4 APG on .471/.315/.750 shooting in 22 games (28.3 MPG).
The terms of Mobley’s contract were not disclosed, but Philadelphia currently has a full 15-man roster, and today’s announcement doesn’t say anything about waiving another player. That means Mobley was almost certainly signed via the hardship exception for Sunday’s regular season finale.
Colin Castleton‘s hardship deal with Philadelphia ended last night, and he will reportedly sign a two-year contract with the Raptors, so Mobley will essentially take that extra spot for one day. Marcus Bagley is also on a hardship deal with the Sixers, who qualify for multiple hardship exceptions because they have several players sidelined with long-term injuries.
Mobley is the older brother of Cavs big man Evan Mobley.
Raptors Promote A.J. Lawson To Two-Year Standard Deal
April 12: The Raptors have officially promoted Lawson to their standard roster, the team confirmed today in a press release.
April 11: The Raptors are promoting A.J. Lawson from his two-way contract to a two-year standard deal, agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
An Ontario native, Lawson signed a two-way contract with Toronto in December after spending training camp this past fall with Dallas. He has made 24 appearances for the Raptors thus far in 2024/25, averaging 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .428/.333/.620.
The Raptors waived center Orlando Robinson and sharpshooter Cole Swider on Thursday, creating a pair of openings on their standard roster. They will fill one of those vacancies by converting Lawson from his two-way contract. Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reported yesterday that promoting Lawson was one option that Toronto was considering.
A 6’6″ wing, Lawson went undrafted in 2021 out of South Carolina. He spent his first professional season in the G League before catching on with Minnesota and then Dallas during the 2022/23 campaign. He spent all of ’23/24 with the Mavs, appearing in 42 games in a limited role off the bench.
Lawson opened ’24/25 suiting up for the G League’s Long Island Nets before signing with the Raptors. He was named to the NBAGL’s Up Next event — essentially its version of the All-Star Game — in late January. In 37 combined games (33.1 MPG) with Long Island and the Raptors 905 this season, the 24-year-old has averaged 20.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.3 SPG on .440/.361/.726 shooting.
Lawson’s salary for next season will be fully non-guaranteed, according to Murphy (Twitter link).
Postseason Scenarios To Watch Friday
With only two regular season games remaining on each team’s schedule, 15 of the 20 seeds entering the 2025 postseason are still up for grabs, the NBA noted today (Twitter link).
All 30 teams will be playing on Friday and again on Sunday. Friday’s slate has several matchups with important postseason implications.
Here’s a quick rundown of the the most important scenarios in play tonight, per the league (Twitter link):
- The Nuggets will clinch a top-six seed and thus a guaranteed playoff spot with a win AND a loss by either the Clippers, Warriors or Timberwolves.
- The Clippers will clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a loss by either Denver, Golden State or Minnesota.
- The Warriors will secure a playoff berth with a win AND losses by both Memphis and Minnesota.
- The Grizzlies will be locked into the play-in tournament with a loss AND a Warriors win.
- The Timberwolves will be locked into the play-in tournament with a loss AND wins by Denver, Golden State and the Clippers.
- The Lakers will clinch the Pacific Division with a win OR a Clippers loss.
Grizzlies’ Jaylen Wells Expected To Miss Rest Of Season
The Grizzlies have issued a medical update on Jaylen Wells, announcing (via Twitter) that the 21-year-old is “likely” to miss the rest of the 2024/25 season after sustaining a fractured right wrist on Tuesday in Charlotte.
According to the Grizzlies, Wells also suffered a concussion and facial laceration after being fouled on a fast-break dunk in the second quarter (YouTube link). He landed with all of his weight on his head and wrist and was carried off the court on a stretcher.
The good news is that Wells is expected to make a full recovery, per the team. He was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday and attended Thursday’s shootaround.
Wells was one of the season’s top rookies after being selected 39th overall in last year’s draft. The 6’7″ wing appeared in 79 games for Memphis, including 74 starts, averaging 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists on .425/.352/.822 shooting in 25.9 minutes per contest. He was also frequently tasked with defending the opposing team’s best perimeter scorer.
With Wells out, Vince Williams Jr. got the starting nod during Thursday’s loss to Minnesota. Scotty Pippen Jr. also had an uptick in playing time.
Memphis currently 47-33, the No. 7 seed in the West.
Pelicans Re-Sign Elfrid Payton To Two-Year Deal
2:50pm: Payton signed a two-year deal with the Pelicans, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). We’ll have to wait for more details on Payton’s new contract, but it seems unlikely to feature guaranteed money for 2025/26.
2:06pm: The Pelicans have re-signed veteran point guard Elfrid Payton to a standard contract, per a team press release.
Payton’s second 10-day contract with New Orleans was set to expire overnight on Friday. Instead of waiting for that to happen, it seems like the Pelicans decided to terminate the deal a day early to bring him back on a new contract, which will enable Payton to play in Sunday’s season finale vs. Oklahoma City.
A nine-year veteran, Payton had been playing in the G League for the past two seasons until the Pelicans gave him NBA another opportunity in the fall. He was released after a couple of weeks, later signing a pair of 10-day hardship contracts with Charlotte in February.
New Orleans initially brought Payton back in March on a 10-day, with his second 10-day deal officially being signed on April 2. Teams are not permitted to sign players to three 10-day contracts, hence Payton’s latest agreement with New Orleans.
Payton, who is from Louisiana and played college ball for the Ragin’ Cajuns, has really struggled to score in 2024/25, averaging 3.5 points and shooting just 33.9% from the field in his 22 games this season with the Hornets and Pelicans. He has missed all five of his three-point attempts and converted four of his seven free throw tries (57.1%).
However, the 31-year-old has been productive in other areas, including four straight games with 10-plus assists. Overall, he’s averaging 6.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21.1 minutes per contest.
The Pelicans had been carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts, so they didn’t have to waive anyone to add Payton. Kylor Kelley is also on the roster for now on a 10-day deal because New Orleans qualifies for a hardship exception.
Knicks Notes: Tucker, Achiuwa, Bridges, Playoffs
Veteran forward P.J. Tucker had only made one brief appearance for the Knicks this season heading into Thursday’s game in Detroit. However, with OG Anunoby and Josh Hart held for rest, he was surprisingly the first player off the bench last night, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
Tucker received a heads-up that he’d be in the rotation on Thursday, but he wasn’t sure how much he’d play. He wound up logging 27 minutes, the most playing time he’s received in a regular season game in two years.
“Once I got through my first wind, it was really good,” said Tucker, who finished with three points and six rebounds. “I started to open up a little bit. I started to feel good, started talking, getting involved with the game and it’s like riding a bike.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- While Tucker was happy to be playing again, he was not pleased with the loss to the Pistons, who could be New York’s opponent in the first round of the playoffs. “They just out-toughed us. They did. The whole fourth quarter,” Tucker said (story via Bondy). “We kept it close but they just out-toughed us. That’s something we got to address. Obviously, not having OG [Anunoby], not having Josh [Hart], getting those guys back will help a lot. I just feel like down in the trenches like that in the playoffs this year, they’re not calling nothing. They’re letting a lot of stuff go right now and I like it. The refs are letting a lot of stuff go both ways. With that happening, guys got to play differently. We got to play different. We got to toughen up. It’s more physical. We got to toughen up.”
- In a mailbag for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III answers questions about the Knicks’ playoff chances, the results of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, and more. One question is focused on the future of Precious Achiuwa, who will be an unrestricted free agent again this summer after re-signing with New York on a one-year deal. Edwards believes another reunion between the two sides is unlikely.
- Iron man Mikal Bridges has yet to miss a game in his NBA career. In fact, he hasn’t sat out a game since he was in high school, Bondy writes for The New York Post. The 28-year-old is on the verge of playing all 82 regular season games in 2024/25.
- In a subscriber-only story, Bondy lists which members of the Knicks have the most at stake entering the playoffs. Bridges and head coach Tom Thibodeau are likely feeling the most heat, according to Bondy. Bridges will be eligible for an extension this offseason.
Rasheer Fleming To Declare For 2025 NBA Draft
Saint Joseph’s forward/center Rasheer Fleming is declaring for the 2025 NBA draft, agents Rich Paul and Lucas Newton tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Fleming is coming off an impressive junior season in which he averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in 35 appearances (31.1 minutes). He posted a shooting slash line of .531/.390/.743 for the Hawks.
According to Givony, Fleming wasn’t a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, but he has improved across the board over the past three years for St. Joe’s, particularly in 2024/25, when he was named to All-Atlantic Ten First Team. He’s ranked No. 30 in ESPN’s latest draft projections, making him a potential first-round pick.
Givony’s report doesn’t say anything about Fleming maintaining his college eligibility, so it sounds like he intends to stay in the draft.
Central Notes: Pacers, Jerome, Holland, Bucks
Led by star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who finished with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, the Pacers secured a top-four seed — and home-court advantage in the first round — in the Eastern Conference playoffs by defeating Cleveland on Thursday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
After starting the season with a 10-15 record, the Pacers have gone 39-16 since December 8, the fourth-best mark in the league over that span, only trailing Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Boston. They’re currently on a six-game winning streak.
“It’s special for us knowing what we’ve been through to get here and how this started,” Haliburton said. “We’re a game away from having a 50-win season. That could be something because time is moving so fast that you just let happen and you move forward, but it’s a special year especially with how this started. … Early in the year it was just really a struggle. I’d be lying to you if I told you it was easy for me personally and all the things I was dealing with. For us to get here, honestly, I love the guys in our locker room, the coaching staff, how much those guys mean to me and all my loved ones because it was a tough time.”
As Dopirak notes, Indiana was fortunate in the sense that Cleveland was resting four starters after clinching the top seed in the East. But it was nonetheless an important victory for the Pacers, who still have a shot at the No. 3 seed — they’re one game behind the Knicks with two games remaining for both teams, though New York holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Forwards Aaron Nesmith (22 points, six rebounds) and Jarace Walker (15 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 15 minutes, including 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the final period) were among the other key contributors for Indiana, Dopirak adds.
Here are a few more notes from around the Central:
- Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, bolstered his candidacy for the Sixth Man of the Year award with a big night on Thursday, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link). Jerome was highly efficient, recording 24 points (on 9-of-16 shooting) and six assists, and the Cavs outscored Indiana by 13 points in his 26 minutes. He was rested for the entire fourth quarter.
- No. 5 overall pick Ron Holland played 11 of his 22 minutes in the fourth quarter during Thursday’s victory over New York, recording 10 points (on 5-of-6 shooting), three rebounds and a block in the final frame. After the game, Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff discussed why he turned to the 19-year-old down the stretch (Twitter link via Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). “He’s earned it, that’s what it says … we fell back on believing in Ron because that’s what we do,” Bickerstaff said. “Ron fell back to the time and hours he’s put in … that’s allowed him to be successful.”
- Milwaukee pulled most of its rotation mainstays early during Thursday’s blowout win vs. New Orleans, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The Bucks can clinch the East’s No. 5 seed if they defeat Detroit on Friday — it’s the second end of a back-to-back for both clubs.