Checking In On Active 10-Day Contracts
Since the NBA’s 10-day signing window for the 2020/21 season officially opened in February, a total of 54 separate 10-day deals have been finalized. Many of those signings have be completed since the trade deadline passed a month ago — 36 10-day contracts have been signed in April alone.
With so much action on the 10-day market, we’re taking a little time today to check in on the 10-day deals that are still active, exploring which of those players are eligible for additional 10-day contracts and which teams are still shuttling players in and out of their back-end roster spots.
Here, with the help of our 10-day tracker and our roster counts page, are the players on active 10-day deals:
Players on their first 10-day contracts:
- Los Angeles Clippers: Yogi Ferrell (runs through 4/28)
- Denver Nuggets: Austin Rivers (runs through 4/29)
- Brooklyn Nets: Mike James (runs through 5/2)
- New York Knicks: Jared Harper (runs through 5/2)
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Charlie Brown (runs through 5/4)
These players will all be eligible for a second 10-day contract once their current deals expire. In the case of Brown, it’s possible the Thunder would just sign him to a rest-of-season deal if they’re comfortable keeping him around, since a second 10-day deal would run through at least May 14. The regular season ends on May 16.
Players on their second 10-day contracts:
- Toronto Raptors: Freddie Gillespie (runs through 4/27)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (runs through 4/27)
- Golden State Warriors: Gary Payton II (runs through 4/28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Mfiondu Kabengele (runs through 4/30)
- Orlando Magic: Robert Franks (runs through 5/1)
- Update: Franks’ 10-day deal has been terminated early by the Magic.
- Philadelphia 76ers: Anthony Tolliver (runs through 5/1)
- Orlando Magic: Donta Hall (runs through 5/2)
These players won’t be eligible for a new 10-day contract when their current deals expire, since a player can’t sign three 10-day deals with the same team in a single season. It’s a safe bet that some of these players will receive rest-of-season contracts though — I’d be shocked if the Raptors let Gillespie get away, for instance.
Any team here that opts not to re-sign a player to a rest-of-season contract would open up a roster spot, which could be used on another 10-day trial before the regular season ends. Golden State and Portland are carrying just 14 players at the moment, so they’d have each two open roster spots if they don’t re-sign Payton and Hollis-Jefferson, respectively.
There are a handful of other teams that could still take advantage of the 10-day contract before the end of the season. The Heat, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Kings, Spurs, and Wizards all have at least one open roster spot.
The Heat and Pelicans are right up against the luxury tax line and may be done with 10-days for the season, preferring rest-of-season commitments if and when they fill their roster openings. The Wolves, Spurs, and Wizards may end up going that route too, but for now they’re still decent candidates for 10-day signings.
The Kings, meanwhile, had Damian Jones on a pair of 10-day contracts before his second deal expired on Monday night. Head coach Luke Walton spoke positively about Jones’ contributions to the team, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays (via Twitter), so the veteran center could end up getting a rest-of-season contract. If so, Sacramento would have a full roster and would likely be done with 10-days for the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Poll: Which Team Will Represent East In 2021 NBA Finals?
The top tier of the Eastern Conference has been clearly defined for months, as the Nets, Sixers, and Bucks separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the first half and have maintained that cushion for most of the 2020/21 season. With the postseason fast approaching, those three clubs look like the best bets to come out of the conference and represent the East in the 2021 NBA Finals.
Brooklyn is the odds-on favorite to win the East at this point. The Nets have had all three of their stars – Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving – healthy and available just seven times this season, but they still sit atop the conference standings with a 41-20 record. If they can play this well with just one or two of their stars on the court, it’s a reasonable assumption that the Nets will be an even tougher out in the playoffs once they have all three back.
Still, while Durant, Harden, and Irving are all expected to be ready to go for the postseason, that’s certainly not a lock. Durant has been limited to just 25 games as he has dealt with various injuries this season, Harden recently experienced a setback in his recovery from a hamstring strain, and Irving has a long history of health issues. Even if all three stars are available, their lack of minutes together to date could result in some growing pains when the stakes are highest. And Brooklyn’s 24th-ranked defense could be a concern in the postseason too.
The Sixers, at 39-21, currently hold the No. 2 seed in the East, and will also be counting on good health luck once the playoffs get underway. When he has been on the court, Joel Embiid has played like an MVP this season, but his injury history is a concern. While Ben Simmons is a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate and Tobias Harris is having perhaps his best season as a pro, the Sixers’ ceiling hinges on Embiid’s availability.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have flown somewhat under the radar this season after leading the NBA in wins for two consecutive years. At 37-23, they appear to be focused less on piling up regular season victories and more about preparing for the postseason. With Jrue Holiday now in the mix, the Bucks – who are the only one of the East’s top three teams with both an offensive and defensive rating in the NBA’s top 10 – have a more versatile and more dangerous closing lineup than they’ve had in recent years.
According to the oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag, no other Eastern team is better than a 16-to-1 shot to come out of the conference. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on some of the dark horses, since we saw the fifth-seeded Heat knock off three higher seeds in last year’s playoffs to make the Finals.
This year’s Heat have a pretty similar roster, but they’re currently ranked just seventh in the East at 32-29, putting them in position for a play-in spot. They have the same record as the No. 6 Celtics, the team Miami beat in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The C’s have underachieved a little this season, but if Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker are all clicking at the same time, they can hold their own against just about any team.
While Miami and Boston are more battle-tested in the postseason, they’re currently trailing the upstart Knicks and Hawks, who rank fourth and fifth in the Eastern standings. The two 34-27 squads are among the hottest teams in the league — New York has won nine straight games while Atlanta has won 20 of its last 27. Neither club has a ton of playoff experience, but if they can hang onto their current spots in the standings, at least one of them will make the second round.
What do you think? Which team do you expect to represent the Eastern Conference in this year’s NBA Finals?
Which team will win the East in 2021?
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Brooklyn Nets 38% (581)
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Milwaukee Bucks 26% (409)
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Philadelphia 76ers 21% (328)
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Another team 15% (229)
Total votes: 1,547
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Nets Notes: James, Durant, Aldridge
Mike James, the latest addition to the Nets‘ backcourt, would still be playing for CSKA Moscow if not for an altercation last month with coach Dimitris Itoudis. After posting eight points and two steals in his debut with Brooklyn Friday night, James talked about the incident in Russia, as Peter Botte of The New York Post details.
“Some things happened in my personal life and I felt like stuff didn’t go how I thought somebody should handle my situations,” said James, who was also suspended in January. “We had a little clash there. Not really as a basketball player did I have a clash with Itoudis, more as an individual. As two men we had clashes, not really on the basketball court.”
The 30-year-old guard, who signed a 10-day contract on Friday, should get plenty of opportunity in Brooklyn with James Harden, Tyler Johnson and Chris Chiozza all injured. James is looking forward to playing a complementary role, rather than having to carry the offense like he did in Moscow.
“I liked playing a lot and having a star role. Just as you get older, I just don’t want to have that much responsibility on my shoulders every night,” he said. “Playing 21 minutes a night is better for me and just not being as much of a focal point and just trying to help out. I feel like I can shine in that if I got the opportunity.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Kevin Durant expects to play this afternoon against the Suns, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Durant sat out the past three games after suffering a left leg contusion last Sunday.
- Brian Lewis of The New York Post looks at Durant’s success off the court, which includes a possible Oscar win tonight for the live action short film “Two Distant Strangers.” Durant’s ultimate goal is to someday become an NBA owner. “We definitely have always been interested clearly in being involved in team sports, and learning the ownership business and being able to at one point have Kevin, and this organization, own and operate an NBA team,” said his business manager, Rich Kleiman. “The thought is so far down the line, not only because Kevin’s still playing, but the amount of money to get into it is a different level of money.”
- The Nets are paying a price for chasing a star when LaMarcus Aldridge became available rather than addressing more significant needs, writes Kristian Winfield of Yahoo Sports. Brooklyn could have opted for Jeff Teague to provide backcourt depth or Khem Birch to help with rim protection, but chose to go after the bigger name. Aldridge was recently forced to retire because of an irregular heartbeat.
Atlantic Notes: Rose, Thibodeau, Johnson, Injuries, Fournier
Tom Thibodeau joined the Knicks this past offseason with a strong reputation despite unceremonious exits during his last two stops with the Bulls and Timberwolves, and has helped New York exceed expectations, putting the club on the cusp of a postseason appearance.
One player who has been with Thibodeau for a while is Derrick Rose, who enjoyed his best years with Thibs in Chicago, joined him briefly in Minnesota, and is now a key depth piece for the Knicks. In Rose’s view, Thibodeau, a top contender for Coach of the Year, has only improved, Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes.
“It shows that he’s improved as a coach. He’s already a great coach, but every year he’s improving and adjusting,” Rose said. “That’s the big difference that I see with him this year. He’s giving guys more freedom to go out there and play the way they want. He’s being positive on the court.”
The Knicks own a record of 33-27 record entering play Saturday, good for fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Check out more Atlantic Division notes:
- Year after year, the Knicks seemingly found new ways to become a laughingstock of the NBA through poor hires, questionable signings and head-scratching trades. This season, however, the club has played well behind some shrewd acquisitions and the hiring of a good coach, and is trending in the right direction, Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill writes.
- The Nets believe Kevin Durant is close to returning but it’s unclear when that will happen, according to head coach Steve Nash. “I think he’s close, but I don’t think he’s there,” Nash said, per NetsDaily. “We’ll see tomorrow and Sunday if that’s a possibility. But it may not. It may bleed back into this road trip.” Nash added that guard Tyler Johnson, who has missed 10 straight games, is close to a return too.
- The Nets are also currently without recent signee Alize Johnson as he is sidelined due to health and safety protocols, per ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter link). Brooklyn recently inked Johnson to a multiyear deal after he signed a pair of 10-day deals.
- Celtics trade deadline acquisition Evan Fournier returned to the court on Friday in Brooklyn after missing nine games due to COVID-19. Fournier detailed his symptoms and noted he needs time to ramp up back into shape, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps writes. “My experience — where do I start? The first two days I was doing great, no symptoms at all, and then flu-like symptoms, high fever, really tired, fatigue, all that,” Fournier said. “I honestly stayed in bed and slept for four or five days. The roughest part was ramping up the activity. The last two days of practice was really hard. I had moments where I was doing good and moments where I was exhausted.”
Nets Officially Sign Mike James To 10-Day Contract
APRIL 24: Not that there was any doubt, but NBA.com’s official transactions log confirms it was Aldridge waived to make room for James.
APRIL 23: The Nets have officially signed Mike James to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release. The move had been expected once James cleared the league’s coronavirus testing protocols.
James, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in 36 total games for Phoenix and New Orleans during the NBA’s 2017/18 season, has been playing in Europe since then. He was having a big year for CSKA Moscow this season, racking up 19.3 PPG and 5.7 APG in 27 EuroLeague contests (31.2 MPG), but was suspended indefinitely by the club following an altercation with head coach Dimitris Itoudis in late March.
Although CSKA Moscow’s contract with James runs through 2023, the team announced this week that it had reached an agreement to allow him to become a free agent until the end of the 2020/21 season, clearing the way for him to sign with an NBA team.
While the Nets’ official release confirms that James’ 10-day deal has been finalized, it doesn’t mention who was released to make room for him on the 15-man roster. It seems safe to assume that LaMarcus Aldridge was the player waived — he announced his retirement as a player last week.
It’s also still not entirely clear how James’ agreement with CSKA Moscow will work. The team’s statement didn’t give any indication that his multiyear contract has been terminated, but a EuroLeague club loaning a player to an NBA team isn’t exactly a common occurrence. We should get more clarity soon on James’ situation.
Durant Close To Returning; Dinwiddie Still Pushing To Play This Season
Coming off a nice win over Phoenix on Thursday, the Celtics are set to play the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday, and both teams are a little banged up.
Nets star Kevin Durant, who has missed two games with a left thigh contusion, is listed as questionable on the club’s latest injury report and could be available to play on Friday vs. the Celtics, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. If not tonight, Durant looks like a good bet to be back on Sunday against Phoenix.
- Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who suffered a partially torn ACL early in the 2020/21 season, continues to say that he has a realistic chance of returning during the postseason, as Diamond Leung of The Athletic tweets. While that seemed unlikely at one point, there’s an increasing feeling among league sources that Dinwiddie could return before Brooklyn’s season is over, Lewis writes for The New York Post.
Knicks Notes: Playoff Seed, Fans, Success, Randle
The red-hot Knicks carried a seven-game winning streak into their game against Atlanta on Wednesday. They sit in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with new aspirations of getting home court advantage in the opening round, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. If they finish fourth, they’ll achieve that goal.
“We have a mentality there is no seventh, eighth seed for us. It’s strictly focused on the 4-5-6 and making sure we have a solid spot,” center Nerlens Noel said. “We worked really hard this season. It would be tough to put in that much work in and have a play-in thing. We have to take advantage of the position we’re in now and finish strong through this last stretch of the season so we’re in position to have one of those locked-in spots.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that indoor capacity for both the Knicks and Nets can increase from the current 10% to 25% for the playoffs, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. The relaxed restrictions will kick in May 19, though the Knicks might have a play-in game on May 18.
- The team’s season has already been a massive success regardless of how the rest of the campaign plays out, John Hollinger of The Athletic writes. Julius Randle has proven he can carry a team offensively, Immanuel Quickley has shown he’ll a long-term backcourt starter, and coach Tom Thibodeau’s offensive and defensive schemes have given the franchise a much-needed identity.
- Randle has reached another potential bonus, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Randle has appeared in 58 games and if the Knicks get a top six spot in the Eastern Conference or reach the first round via the play-in tournament, he’ll add another $945K to his bank account. He’s already earned a $945K bonus for being an All-Star.
Nets Expected To Sign Mike James To 10-Day Deal
APRIL 21, 2:39pm: Stein has now confirmed (via Twitter) that it’ll be a 10-day contract for James. As such, the expectation is that Brooklyn will simply release Aldridge to create a roster spot.
APRIL 21, 12:47pm: There are conflicting reports on the terms of James’ deal with the Nets. Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) suggests it’ll be a two-way contract, while Shams Charania of The Athletic says (via Twitter) it’ll be a 10-day pact.
Signing James to a 10-day contract would simply require waiving Aldridge. Chris Chiozza and Reggie Perry currently occupy Brooklyn’s two-way slots, so one of the two would have to be waived or promoted to the 15-man roster (taking Aldridge’s spot) if the team wants to do a two-way deal with James.
APRIL 21, 11:44am: James will sign with the Nets on Friday, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who confirms (via Twitter) that the veteran guard is still going through the COVID-19 testing protocols.
CSKA Moscow announced (via Twitter) it has reached an agreement with James that will allow him to become a free agent “until the end of the 2020/21 season,” and that he’ll sign with an NBA team soon.
The wording of CSKA’s statement suggests that James’ contract hasn’t been terminated, so it sounds like he’ll be required to report back to the Russian club for 2021/22 after finishing this season with Brooklyn. Andrew Bogut did this a couple years back, joining Golden State in the middle of a two-year contract with the NBL’s Sydney Kings before returning to Australia for the second year.
APRIL 19, 4:00pm: The Nets are in advanced talks with veteran guard Mike James, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times, who tweets that a deal between the two sides could be completed as soon as Tuesday.
Antonis Stroggylakis and Dionysis Aravantinos of Eurohoops initially reported that the Nets were eyeing James, who has also drawn interest from the Knicks. Chema de Lucas subsequently reported (via Twitter) that the 30-year-old was expected to sign a rest-of-season contract with Brooklyn, though Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link) heard that James was one of a couple players the team was interested in.
James, who averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in 36 total games for Phoenix and New Orleans during the NBA’s 2017/18 season, has been playing in Europe since then. He was having a big year for CSKA Moscow this season, racking up 19.3 PPG and 5.7 APG in 27 EuroLeague contests (31.2 MPG), but was suspended indefinitely by the club following an altercation with head coach Dimitris Itoudis in late March.
James is under contract with CSKA Moscow through 2023, but Eurohoops’ report indicates that the club is willing to accommodate him if he finds an NBA opportunity, while Stein suggests that James has already been released from his contract overseas.
Further clarity on James’ situation should come soon. Assuming he does officially complete a deal with the Nets, he’ll take the roster spot previously held by LaMarcus Aldridge. While Aldridge technically remains under contract with Brooklyn for the time being, he announced his retirement last week and is expected to be waived in a procedural move.
Durant's Thigh Injury Considered Minor
- A pair of sources confirmed to Brian Lewis of The New York Post that Kevin Durant‘s thigh injury is considered minor. Durant remains with the Nets on their current road trip rather than having returned to Brooklyn, and head coach Steve Nash said the star forward is “day-to-day.” The latest update from the team on James Harden wasn’t quite so positive, as we relayed last night.
Harden Suffers Setback, Could Be Out Until Playoffs
Nets guard James Harden has suffered a setback in his rehab from a hamstring injury, the team announced today (via Twitter).
The setback occurred during an “on-court rehab session” on Monday, according to the team statement.
Harden had an MRI on Tuesday and will remain out indefinitely.
“We’re back to square one,” head coach Steve Nash said, according to an ESPN report. “He will be back when he’s back. It might be the playoffs. It might be sooner.”
Over the weekend, GM Sean Marks expresses optimism that Harden would suit up soon, so this obviously caught the Nets by surprise. Harden suffered the injury in the early going against the Knicks on April 5.
If the injury continues to sideline him or be a source of concern during the postseason, it could obviously affect the team’s championship aspirations. Harden has played to an MVP level since forcing a trade from the Rockets in January. He’s averaging 25.4 PPG, 11.0 APG and 8.7 RPG with Brooklyn.