Hoops Rumors Mailbag: Mavs’ Backcourt, Raptors, Barrett
Our latest Front Office mailbag covers questions about the Mavericks' backcourt, the Raptors' slow start to the season, and what an RJ Barrett trade might look like. The questions have been lightly edited for clarity.
Ben asks:
With Kyrie Irving out for most (if not all) of the season, Dallas is a bit lacking in the ball-handling department, which probably coaxed them into experimenting with Cooper Flagg at point guard. It's early, but this doesn't seem to be working out particularly well. How much patience do you expect coach Jason Kidd to have with this setup before the lineup gets adjusted, and do you expect the Mavericks to target any point guards before the deadline?
Heat Notes: Powell, Rozier, Herro, Jakucionis, Morant, LaRoche
Heat guard Norman Powell is in the final year of his contract, which will pay him $20.48MM in 2025/26. He will remain extension-eligible through June 30, 2026, and if a deal is not reached he will become an unrestricted free agent.
According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Powell recently made it clear he hopes to sign a long-term extension with the Heat.
“I love it here. I love everything about the Heat,” Powell emphasized. “I loved them before. They were on my list before I signed my extension in Portland. I wanted to come here and play for the Heat. So I’m excited. I like the culture. I like what they have going on here. I like the mentality and the approach. I feel like they take guys to the next level. They push them past their own expectations, they have high standards. And I always like being around people that have high aspirations and high goals for themselves. It fits who I am, so I want to be here. Hopefully they feel the same way.”
As Chiang writes, Powell was off to a hot start to the season, averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals on .477/.500/.913 shooting in three games (31.0 minutes per contest) before suffering a right groin strain that has caused him to miss the past two. The 32-year-old is questionable for Sunday’s contest at the Lakers.
“Hopefully [the Heat] like everything that’s happened so far and what I bring to the table outside of just on the court,” said Powell, who recently described himself as “super low-maintenance.” “But just who I am every single day, stepping into the arena, integrating myself with the team and the staff and the members around. Hopefully everybody appreciates my presence and we’ll be able to get something done. But, yeah, I want to be here.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel lists the short-term steps he believes commissioner Adam Silver should take to give the Heat more cap and roster flexibility in the wake of Terry Rozier‘s arrest — the veteran guard is facing two federal charges as part of an illegal gambling probe. While the information isn’t really relevant now, a source tells Winderman that the Heat considered waiving Rozier before the season began (a small portion of his contract was non-guaranteed at the time) and also had buyout discussions with the 31-year-old.
- All-Star Tyler Herro (left ankle surgery) and rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis (right groin strain) are traveling with the team on its current four-game road trip, which ends Wednesday in Denver, per Chiang of The Miami Herald. “It’s good for them,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about Herro and Jakucionis joining the team on the road. “For us, sure, it’s always good to have them around. But I think it just speeds up the whole process when they’re around the guys, around the game, around the whole travel routine, and participating in some of the things that they can do, which they did this morning.” Both players are out on Sunday, though Jakucionis is closer to making his season debut — the 2025 first-round pick is considered day-to-day.
- Although the Heat have expressed “more than passing” interest in Ja Morant in the past, Winderman doesn’t expect the team to explore the possibility of buying low on the Grizzlies guard in the wake of his latest off-court incident, which resulted in a one-game suspension for detrimental conduct following a disagreement with the coaching staff.
- Speaking of the Grizzlies, former Memphis assistant coach Noah LaRoche is now a consultant with the Heat, who have implemented the movement-heavy offense LaRoche was in charge of last season with Memphis, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN. It’s only been five games, but the Heat currently rank seventh in the league in offensive efficiency after finishing 21st, 21st and 25th in the league in that category over the past three years, Windhorst notes. “You know Spo is running the polar opposite of the system that [Heat president] Pat Riley used to run, where he called every play and each play design was exact,” a league executive said. “And it makes me further appreciate and respect that the organization is about the right s–t. They’re about exploring and teaching in Miami.”
Jared Rhoden Signs With Paris Basketball
Free agent guard Jared Rhoden has signed a contract with Paris Basketball, the French team announced in a press release. No details were provided on the duration of the deal.
Rhoden, who went undrafted in 2022 out of Seton Hall, has spent parts of each of the past three seasons in the NBA, appearing in 45 regular season games for Detroit, Charlotte and Toronto over that span. The 26-year-old finished last season on a two-way contract with the Raptors.
A 6’6″ shooting guard, Rhoden underwent surgery in late April to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and was subsequently waived on July 1. The Raptors re-signed Rhoden to an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp, but he was released again a few days before the 2025/26 season began.
Rhoden appeared in 10 games with the Raptors last season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .506/.324/.880. He bumped those averages to 19.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 31.4 MPG on .507/.393/.648 shooting in 26 regular season outings for the G League’s Raptors 905.
Paris Basketball competes in the EuroLeague and France’s top domestic league, the LNB Élite.
Ja Morant Receives One-Game Suspension From Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have suspended point guard Ja Morant for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), head coach Tuomas Iisalo challenged Morant’s “leadership and effort” following Friday’s loss to the Lakers. Morant responded to Iisalo in a “tone deemed inappropriate,” sources tell Charania.
Morant will lose 1/145th of his $39,446,090 salary for 2025/26 as a result of the suspension, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). That works out to $272,042.
In a brief session with the media after Friday’s game (video link), Morant repeatedly said to “go ask the coaching staff” when asked about his listless performance — the 26-year-old finished with season lows of eight points and one rebound in 31 minutes. He shot just 3-of-14 from the floor and attempted a season-low two free throws.
Morant’s one-game suspension will be served on Sunday in Toronto.
According to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (subscriber link), Morant was “visibly disengaged” during the second half of Friday’s contest, notably not attempting any shots in the final five minutes of the game after making a game-winning floater on Wednesday in Phoenix.
As Cole writes, while Iisalo has been complimented by players for his direct approach, he has also faced questions about some of his substitution patterns.
When asked what the team could have done to get a different result on Friday, Morant replied, “According to them, probably don’t play me, honestly. That’s basically what the message was after.”
Recap Of 2026/27 Rookie Scale Option Decisions
Decisions on rookie scale options for the 2026/27 season were due on Friday — any team that wanted to exercise a third- or fourth-year option on a player for next season was required to do so by October 31.
As is typically the case, a huge majority of those options were picked up. Even for top picks, who are paid higher salaries due to the NBA’s rookie scale, those third- and fourth-year options are relatively team-friendly. So unless a player has fallen well short of his team’s expectations, it generally makes sense to lock in his salary for the following season at this point.
However, not every player with a 2026/27 team option had it exercised by Friday’s deadline. A player who had his option declined will now be on track to reach unrestricted free agency during the summer of 2026, assuming he’s not waived before then. At the end of the season, his team won’t be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds the value of his declined option.
Listed below are the players who had their options turned down, followed by the players whose options were exercised. If a player had his option picked up, his ’26/27 salary is now guaranteed and he won’t be eligible for free agency until at least 2027.
Declined options:
- Jett Howard, Magic (fourth year, $7,337,938)
Kobe Bufkin, Nets (fourth year, $6,904,203)
- Note: Bufkin’s fourth-year option was declined when he was waived by Brooklyn.
- Dariq Whitehead, Nets (fourth year, $5,366,911)
- Note: Whitehead’s fourth-year option was declined when he was cut by Brooklyn.
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Mavericks (fourth year, $5,259,383)
- Note: Prosper’s fourth-year option was declined when he was waived by Dallas, which used the stretch provision to spread his $3MM cap hit over three seasons.
- Nick Smith Jr., Hornets (fourth year, $4,890,067)
- Note: Smith’s fourth-year option was declined when he was released by Charlotte.
- Kobe Brown, Clippers (fourth year, $4,792,058)
- Dillon Jones, Wizards (third year, $2,884,440)
- Note: Jones’ third-year option was declined when he was cut by Washington.
Jones was the only 2024 first-round pick (he was selected 26th overall) who did not have his third-year option picked up. In addition to the six 2023 first-rounders listed above, Jalen Hood-Schifino also had his third- and fourth-year options declined by the Lakers last year. He was subsequently traded to — and released by — the Jazz, and is now on a two-way contract with Philadelphia.
Howard (No. 11 overall in 2023) was the lone former lottery pick whose option was turned down this fall. The 22-year-old wing has yet to carve out a rotation role with Orlando, the team that selected him, and the Magic project to be a tax apron team next season even without Howard’s $7,337,938 salary on their books.
Aside from Howard, Brown is the only other player who remains with the team that declined his option. Similar to Howard, the 25-year-old forward has rarely played for the Clippers over the past two-plus seasons.
None of the declined options were too surprising this year, as the seven players have not been significant NBA contributors to this point in their careers.
The Nets’ decisions to waive Bufkin and Whitehead were motivated by a roster crunch and a desire to stay above the minimum salary floor entering the season — not reaching the floor would have caused Brooklyn to lose its luxury tax distribution, which is projected to be around $12.8MM.
The Mavs, Hornets and Wizards were all facing roster crunches as well. While Charlotte and Washington had plenty of financial wiggle room to eat guaranteed salaries, Dallas needed to use the stretch provision on Prosper to create enough room below its second-apron cap to finalize a veteran’s minimum deal with Dante Exum, who has yet to play this season due to a knee injury.
Prosper and Smith are now on two-way deals with the Grizzlies and Lakers, respectively, after having their fourth-year options declined. Bufkin, Whitehead and Jones are all unrestricted free agents.
Exercised options:
Fourth year:
Note: These players will become eligible for rookie scale extensions in July of 2026. If they’re not extended, they’ll be on track for restricted free agency in 2027.
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs ($16,868,246)
Brandon Miller, Hornets ($15,104,626)- Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers ($13,585,523)
- Amen Thompson, Rockets ($12,258,609)
- Ausar Thompson, Pistons ($11,117,925)
- Anthony Black, Magic ($10,106,315)
- Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards ($9,240,012)
- Jarace Walker, Pacers ($8,478,541)
- Taylor Hendricks, Jazz ($7,805,900)
- Cason Wallace, Thunder ($7,420,806)
- Dereck Lively II, Mavericks ($7,239,130)
- Gradey Dick, Raptors ($7,131,510)
- Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans ($7,021,895)
- Keyonte George, Jazz ($6,563,925)
- Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat ($5,939,141)
- Brandin Podziemski, Warriors ($5,679,458)
- Cam Whitmore, Wizards ($5,458,310)
- Noah Clowney, Nets ($5,414,034)
- Kris Murray, Trail Blazers ($5,315,004)
- Marcus Sasser, Pistons ($5,198,983)
- Ben Sheppard, Pacers ($5,031,668)
- Brice Sensabaugh, Jazz ($4,862,237)
- Julian Strawther, Nuggets ($4,826,931)
These 23 players who had their fourth-year options exercised, along with the seven listed in the section above who had their fourth-year options declined, were drafted in the first round in 2023.
Third year:
Note: Teams will have to make fourth-year option decisions for 2026/27 on these players by November 2, 2026.
- Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks ($13,826,040)
Alex Sarr, Wizards ($12,370,680)- Reed Sheppard, Rockets ($11,108,880)
- Stephon Castle, Spurs ($10,015,920)
- Ron Holland, Pistons ($9,069,600)
- Tidjane Salaun, Hornets ($8,237,880)
- Donovan Clingan, Trail Blazers ($7,519,920)
- Rob Dillingham, Timberwolves ($6,889,320)
- Zach Edey, Grizzlies ($6,332,760)
- Cody Williams, Jazz ($6,015,600)
- Matas Buzelis, Bulls ($5,715,360)
- Nikola Topic, Thunder ($5,429,760)
- Devin Carter, Kings ($5,158,080)
- Bub Carrington, Wizards ($4,900,560)
- Kel’el Ware, Heat ($4,654,920)
- Jared McCain, Sixers ($4,422,600)
- Dalton Knecht, Lakers ($4,201,080)
- Tristan Da Silva, Magic ($3,991,200)
- Ja’Kobe Walter, Raptors ($3,811,800)
- Jaylon Tyson, Cavaliers ($3,658,560)
- Yves Missi, Pelicans ($3,512,760)
- DaRon Holmes, Nuggets ($3,372,120)
- AJ Johnson, Wizards ($3,237,120)
- Kyshawn George, Wizards ($3,108,000)
- Pacome Dadiet, Knicks ($2,983,680)
- Terrence Shannon Jr., Timberwolves ($2,801,640)
- Ryan Dunn, Suns ($2,784,240)
- Isaiah Collier, Jazz ($2,763,960)
- Baylor Scheierman, Celtics ($2,744,040)
As usual, nearly every player from the 2024 draft class had his third-year option picked up, with 29 of 30 exercised. As noted above, Jones is the only player from 2024’s first round who is now a free agent.
For a team-by-team breakdown of this year’s rookie scale option decisions for the 2026/27 season, along with full stories on each decision, you can check out our tracker.
Mavs’ Daniel Gafford To Make Season Debut Saturday
Mavericks center Daniel Gafford will make his 2025/26 season debut on Saturday in Mexico City against Detroit, he told reporters, including Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News and Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter links).
“Of course. Yeah,” The 27-year-old big man said. “Of course. Just taking my time.”
Gafford said he sprained his right ankle on the first day of training camp in late September when he landed on Anthony Davis‘ foot in one of the team’s first drills (Twitter video link via Curtis). He was originally expected to miss two-to-three weeks, but has now been out for just over a month.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Gafford said. ” … Couldn’t really control it. … It wasn’t something anyone was planning on happening but as they say, ‘stuff happens.’“
As Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal writes, Gafford is officially listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, as is guard D’Angelo Russell, who is dealing with a left knee contusion he sustained in Wednesday’s win vs. Indiana. Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain) will miss his third straight game, with Anthony Davis (calf strain), Kyrie Irving (recovering from ACL surgery) and Dante Exum (right knee injury management) out as well.
Gafford averaged a career-high 12.3 points per game last season, along with 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, but injuries limited him to 57 games. He sat out 21 straight contests with a sprained knee late in ’24/25, but was able to return in early April.
The former second-round pick’s offseason was highlighted by a three-year, $54MM extension that runs through the ’28/29 season.
Wizards Notes: Coulibaly, George, Lottery, Wall, Haywood
Third-year Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly had an impressive season debut in Thursday’s loss to Oklahoma City, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic details.
Coulibaly missed the entire preseason and the first four games of 2025/26 after undergoing surgery last month to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The 21-year-old suffered that injury while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket 2025.
Coulibaly, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer after having his fourth-year option for 2026/27 exercised, recorded 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks in 24 minutes against the Thunder. While the statistics speak for themselves, the manner in which the French wing produced was an encouraging sign for the Wizards, Robbins writes.
“I’ve worked too much to be passive and all that,” Coulibaly said afterward. “I’m just trying to be as active as possible this year. Every possession, everybody’s got to feel me. I think it will be a really good step up.”
The seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, Coulibaly was immediately reinserted into the starting lineup, with Bub Carrington moving to the bench. Head coach Brian Keefe likes the defensive versatility of Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, and believes they can eventually form the “backbone of a top defense,” according to Robbins.
“He thinks we are guys that can really defend and be on top of the league at some point,” Coulibaly said.
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- George, who will get more on-ball reps with the starters now that Carrington is running the second unit, recently spoke to Grant Afseth of RG.org about a number of topics, including what has led to his strong start to the season. The 21-year-old guard/forward says he hasn’t just been working to improve his on-court skills, but his leadership as well. “I think it ties into the player I want to be in the future — one of the best,” George told Afseth. “And I think to be one of the best, you’ve got to be a leader and you’ve got to be aggressive on the court. I worked a whole lot during the offseason. I was in Washington most of my offseason for a reason, and I think now it’s just about me putting it into practice in the game.”
- While it’s promising that George, Sarr, Coulibaly and Tre Johnson, among others, appear to be taking steps forward in their development, the Wizards will still need lottery luck next year if they hope to find a star-level talent, contends David Aldridge of The Athletic. As Aldridge observes, the 2026 draft class is considered very strong at the top, with Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer all viewed as having considerable upside.
- Former Wizards star John Wall and ex-Wizards big man Brendan Haywood have joined the team’s local broadcasts as analysts on Monumental Sports Network, as Scott Allen of The Washington Post relays (subscriber link).
Knicks Exercise 2026/27 Option On Pacome Dadiet
The Knicks have exercised their third-year team option on Pacome Dadiet, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (via Twitter).
Dadiet, the 25th overall pick in last year’s draft, will now earn a guaranteed $2,983,680 in 2026/27. New York will have until the end of next October to decide whether to pick up its fourth-year option on Dadiet.
A 6’7″ guard/forward, Dadiet only played 111 minutes in 18 games with the Knicks as a rookie last season. He has yet to make an appearance in year two.
The French wing received more playing time at the G League level in ’24/25, averaging 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23 games (31.8 minutes per contest) for the Knicks’ affiliate team in Westchester. Scoring efficiency was an issue for the 20-year-old, who posted a shooting line of .402/.296/.826.
There were rumors that the Knicks might look to trade Dadiet this fall to clear enough room below their second-apron hard cap to keep two veterans on their roster to open the season instead of one. However, Malcolm Brogdon‘s surprise retirement likely ended any speculation on that front, and now Dadiet will be under contract through at least next season.
Today was the deadline for teams to make decisions on rookie scale team options for 2026/27. All of those decisions can be found here.
Chris Livingston Signs Two-Way Contract With Cavaliers
8:00 pm: The deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
3:26 pm: Free agent wing Chris Livingston will be signing a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).
The 58th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Livingston spent his first two NBA seasons on a standard deal with Milwaukee, the team that drafted him. He rarely played for the Bucks, averaging just 4.7 minutes per game across 42 total appearances over that span.
Livingston, who turned 22 earlier this month, has showed some promise in the G League. In 18 outings for the Wisconsin Herd in 2024/25, he averaged 18.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals in 29.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .485/.301/.828.
The 6’6″ small forward also played well for the Bucks’ Summer League team this July, earning a new one-year, minimum-salary contract in Milwaukee after having been waived two weeks earlier. His new deal was fully guaranteed, but the Bucks decided to release him again ahead of the regular season due to a roster crunch.
As our tracker shows, the Cavaliers and Nets are the only teams in the NBA with an open two-way spot — no corresponding move will be necessary for Cleveland to add Livingston.
Livingston will earn a prorated portion of a full two-way salary, which is worth half the rookie minimum. If his deal is finalized on Friday, that would work out to just under $600K, a figure that is non-guaranteed until January.
It’s a homecoming for Livingston, who was born nearby in Akron, Ohio.
Bulls’ Noa Essengue Expected To Spend Extended Time In G League
Bulls forward Noa Essengue, the 12th overall pick in the 2025 draft, won’t travel to New York for Sunday’s game against the Knicks, head coach Billy Donovan said today (Twitter links via Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic and K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Sports Network).
Instead, the 18-year-old will be assigned to the G League on Saturday to begin practicing and playing for the Windy City Bulls. As Lorenzi notes, Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate is in the early stages of training camp — Windy City’s season opener is next Saturday, October 8.
According to Johnson, Essengue is likely to spend extended time with Windy City to open his rookie season. The French forward has yet to make his NBA regular season debut for the Bulls, who are off to a 4-0 start.
Essengue, who played professionally last year in Germany, didn’t look NBA-ready in Summer League action in Las Vegas or during the preseason, so it’s not surprising that he’ll need to continue to work to adjust to the speed and physicality of the league.