Celtics Cut Jalen Bridges, Kendall Brown, Wendell Moore
The Celtics have waived a trio of players on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, according to NBA.com’s log of official league transactions. Jalen Bridges, Kendall Brown and Wendell Moore Jr. were the three players cut loose, as first reported by Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Bridges, Brown and Moore were all vying for a two-way contract with the Celtics, who created a two-way opening last night by waiving rookie wing RJ Luis. That two-way spot wound up going to Ron Harper Jr., who was promoted earlier today.
After going undrafted out of Baylor last year, Bridges signed a two-way deal with Phoenix. He spent most of his rookie campaign in the G League, and the Suns decided not to give Bridges a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent until his Exhibit 10 agreement with Boston was finalized prior to training camp.
Both Brown (48th overall) and Moore (26th overall) were selected in the 2022 draft. Brown has spent time with Indiana and Brooklyn on two-way deals but spent most of last season in the G League with the Long Island Nets. He made 21 garbage-time appearances over two seasons with the Pacers.
As for Moore, he spent two years in Minnesota before splitting last season with the Pistons and Hornets. He has averaged 8.1 minutes per game across 90 NBA appearances with those three clubs.
Bridges, Brown and Moore are all candidates to join the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine. Each player is now eligible for a bonus worth $85,300 on top of his normal G League salary if he spends at least 60 days with the Maine Celtics.
Heat Sign Bez Mbeng, Waive Steve Settle III
The Heat have signed guard Bez Mbeng and requested waivers on forward Steve Settle III, according to a team press release.
Mbeng went undrafted in June after a standout four-year college career at Yale. He was named the Ivy League’s Defensive Player of the Year each of the past three seasons and won the conference’s Player of the Year award in 2024/25 as well.
A 6’4″ guard, Mbeng averaged 13.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals on .429/.368/.699 shooting in 29 appearances last season (32.7 minutes per game). He helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA tournament in three of his four years at Yale and is the school’s all-time leader in steals.
While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Mbeng almost certainly signed an Exhibit 10 deal and will be waived sometime in the next couple days. If that comes to fruition, he would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Settle, who went undrafted earlier this year, was signed earlier this week to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Cavaliers Sign, Waive Darius Brown II
October 16: Cleveland has requested waivers on Brown, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.
October 13: Brown has officially signed with the Cavaliers, per RealGM’s transaction log.
October 9: The Cavaliers intend to sign free agent guard Darius Brown II, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
In a follow-up tweet, Fedor clarifies that Cleveland will likely sign Brown after the team’s third preseason game against Boston on Sunday. Brown is expected to be active for next Tuesday’s preseason finale vs. Detroit, Fedor adds.
While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Brown will almost certainly sign a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 10 language. Assuming he’s waived before the season begins, which is a virtual lock, Brown would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.
A 6’2″ point guard who went undrafted in 2024 out of Utah State, Brown signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs last fall, was waived a few days later, and spent all of 2024/25 in the NBAGL with the Charge. In 44 total games, the 26-year-old averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest.
The Cavs are currently at the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract, so they’ll have to cut another player to add Brown.
Spurs Exercise 2026/27 Options On Wembanyama, Castle
The Spurs have exercised their 2026/27 rookie scale team options on Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, as Jared Weiss of The Athletic relays (via Twitter).
French big man Wembanyama will now earn $16,868,246 next season in the final year of his rookie contract. He will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer. Former UConn guard Castle, meanwhile, will earn $10,015,920 in ’26/27, which will be his third season.
Given the way the early portions of their careers have played out, both players were locks to have their options picked up.
After earning Rookie of the Year honors and finishing as the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year during his debut in 2023/24, Wembanyama had a superlative second season in ’24/25, making his first All-Star appearance and averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.8 blocks in 33.2 minutes per game.
However, shortly after the All-Star break, the 21-year-old center was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis — a blood clot — in his shoulder, cutting his season short. Despite playing just 46 games, Wembanyama still led the NBA in total blocked shots (176) by a wide margin — Brook Lopez was second with 148.
Wembanyama, 21, was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft. He was medically cleared to resume full basketball activities in July.
Castle was the second straight Spur to win Rookie of the Year following a debut season in which he averaged 14.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 81 games, including 47 starts (26.7 minutes per contest). Castle, who turns 21 in a couple weeks, was the fourth pick of last year’s draft.
We’re tracking all of the rookie scale team option decisions for ’26/27 right here.
Raptors Waive Lawson, Chomche, Roddy, Rhoden, Sarr
The Raptors have waived A.J. Lawson, Ulrich Chomche, David Roddy, Jared Rhoden and Olivier Sarr, the team announced on Thursday (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca).
Lawson, 25, is a Toronto native who holds three years of NBA experience. He signed a two-way deal with his hometown team in December and was promoted to a multiyear standard deal in April, just before last season ended. However, Lawson’s salary for 2025/26 was non-guaranteed, so the Raptors won’t have any dead money on their books by releasing him.
Both Murphy and Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter links) say Lawson was viewed as the frontrunner to fill the team’s 15th standard roster spot to open the season, if Toronto had chosen to go that route. Instead the Raptors opted for financial flexibility due to their current cap/tax situation.
In 26 games (18.7 minutes per contest) with the Raptors last season, Lawson averaged 9.1 points and 3.3 rebounds on .421/.327/.683 shooting. He has also played for Dallas and Minnesota.
Chomche, who is still only 19 years old, was the 57th pick of the 2024 draft. The Cameroonian big man was on a two-way contract with the Raptors, who now have a two-way opening.
As Lewenberg notes (via Twitter), Chomche earned praise for the progress he made last season in the G League with the Raptors 905, but he unfortunately suffered a torn MCL in his right knee in February, cutting his rookie campaign short. He also flashed some interesting tools at Summer League in July, but he has been sidelined for all of training camp and preseason with an undisclosed injury.
Roddy, a former first-round pick (23rd overall in 2022) who has played for five different teams in three NBA seasons, was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp, as were Rhoden and Sarr. All three players are now eligible for a bonus worth $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with the Raptors 905.
The Raptors now have 14 players on standard contracts, all of which are guaranteed, plus rookie guards Alijah Martin and Chucky Hepburn on two-way deals.
Jaden Ivey Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out At Least Four Weeks
Former No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee on Thursday to relieve discomfort, the Pistons announced in a press release. The team says the former Purdue star will be out at least four weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated.
According to Detroit, Ivey’s surgery and knee discomfort are not related to the fractured left fibula which ended his 2024/25 season after just 30 games. Following an arduous rehabilitation process, 23-year-old guard said he was 100 percent healthy entering training camp.
It’s unfortunate news for Ivey, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 20, the day before the ’25/26 campaign begins.
It’s also a tough blow for the Pistons, who were hoping to see Ivey take a step forward in his fourth year. Now his season debut will be delayed until at least mid-November.
In 30 appearances last season, Ivey averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per contest, posting a shooting slash line of .460/.409/.733. The 40.9% mark from long distance was a career-best percentage by a significant margin.
The Kings recently showed with Keegan Murray (thumb surgery) that teams aren’t necessarily afraid to make long-term investments in players who are injured. But for a variety of reasons, Ivey’s situation is a bit more complicated, and the procedure seemingly decreases the odds of an extension being reached in the next few days.
Ivey will earn about $10.1MM in the final year of his rookie scale contract. If he doesn’t sign an extension, he would be eligible for restricted free agency next summer.
With Ivey out, Ausar Thompson, Marcus Sasser, and Caris LeVert are among the players who could have more ball-handling responsibilities for Detroit. Duncan Robinson is also a crafty play-maker who can orchestrate a pick-and-roll, though he isn’t a primary initiator.
Hornets Sign, Waive Jonas Aidoo
October 16: The Hornets have waived Aidoo, per the team (Twitter link), putting him on track to join the Swarm in the coming weeks.
October 15: The Hornets have officially signed center Jonas Aidoo, announcing the news in a press release (Twitter link).
As is the case with most transactions this time of year, Aidoo likely received an Exhibit 10 contract, which would put him in line for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived before the season begins and spends at least 60 days with Charlotte’s G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.
A native of Durham, North Carolina, Aidoo played three college seasons at Tennessee prior to transferring to Arkansas for his senior year in 2024/25. In 33 games for the Razorbacks last season, including 15 starts (18.9 minutes per contest), the 6’11” big man averaged 6.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks.
Aidoo went undrafted in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
As Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer notes (via Twitter), the Hornets opened up a spot on their 21-man roster yesterday evening when they waived Ibou Badji. The team is now back at the offseason limit of 21 players under contract.
And-Ones: Core Trios, MVP, Hayward, NBA App
Tim Bontemps of ESPN ranks the core trios of every NBA team based on their current and future value. Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren of the defending champion Thunder sit atop Bontemps’ tiered list, followed by the Nuggets trio of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.
Bontemps’ final tier (“rebuilding”) is comprised of the Nets (Nic Claxton, Egor Demin, Nolan Traore), Trail Blazers (Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe), Jazz (Ace Bailey, Walter Clayton, Lauri Markkanen), and Wizards (Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Using six categories (narrative score, expected ridiculous stats score, team quality score, clutch score, player impact score, and perceived value score), Zach Harper of The Athletic takes a stab at predicting who will win the NBA’s MVP award in 2025/26. Jokic, who was the runner-up last season, earns the most points (55/60), followed by reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander (50/60) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (50/60), who finished third in voting last season. However, Harper’s “gut” says Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (45/60) will claim his first MVP.
- Former NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward, who retired last summer after a 14-year career in the league, is returning to his alma mater in a new role. According to a Butler press release written by John Dedman, Hayward will be an executive basketball advisor for the Bulldogs’ men’s basketball program. In addition to advising in multiple areas, Hayward will also serve as a mentor to student-athletes, with a focus on leadership and professional development.
- The NBA announced in a press release that it has launched a new multi-platform streaming offering as well as the “reimagined” NBA TV, both of which can be accessed via the NBA App. There’s also a new flagship program on NBA TV and the NBA App called “The Association,” which features MJ Acosta-Ruiz, David Fizdale, Rudy Gay, Chris Haynes and John Wall, among others.
Zeng Fanbo Released By Nets
Chinese forward Zeng Fanbo has been waived by the Nets, the team announced today (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com).
Zeng will likely be headed to the G League to play for the Long Island Nets. He was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal and is now eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with Brooklyn’s affiliate team.
The 22-year-old has spent the past three seasons playing for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. In 42 appearances with the Ducks in 2024/25, Zeng averaged 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 53% from the field and 41% from three-point range.
Zeng, a 6’10” forward, played in one preseason game with the Nets.
Brooklyn now has a pair of openings on its offseason roster.
Heat’s Erik Spoelstra Named Team USA’s New Head Coach
October 14: USA Basketball has officially announced Spoelstra as the new men’s basketball head coach. Spoelstra spoke to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst about his new role and what it means to him.
“Absolutely, absolutely humbled. I mean, it is the honor of a lifetime,” Spoelstra told Reynolds. “And I’m just really appreciative of it and being a part of the USA Basketball program. The Olympics are incredible, no matter where it is, but to have the opportunity to compete on your own soil, that’s simply remarkable.”
October 9: Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to be named the new head coach of the United States’ men’s basketball team, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, a deal between Spoelstra and USA Basketball has not yet been finalized, but Miami’s longtime coach is the frontrunner for the job to succeed Steve Kerr.
As Reynolds writes, Spoelstra was an assistant on Kerr’s staff at both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The Americans finished in fourth place at the World Cup, but won their fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics.
Assuming Spoelstra finalizes a contract with USA Basketball, he would lead the U.S. at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Reynolds notes.
After Gregg Popovich stepped down as coach of the Spurs in the spring, Spoelstra became the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA by a significant margin. The 54-year-old is entering his 18th season as head coach of the Heat, compiling a 787-572 regular season record (.579 win percentage) and 110-83 mark in the playoffs (.570).
Spoelstra has led Miami to six NBA Finals appearances during his time at the helm, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
Spoelstra has been widely viewed as one of the top coaches in the league for years, so the news isn’t surprising. Still, it’s a significant accomplishment — Spoelstra told The Associated Press after last year’s Olympics that he “would be honored” to be the top coach of the men’s national team.