Payton Sandfort Joins Thunder On Two-Way Deal
12:05pm: The Thunder have announced the signing of Sandfort via a press release, beat reporter Rylan Stiles tweets. To make room for him, they’ve waived Boeheim, who made four cameo appearances with Oklahoma City after signing a two-way deal on Feb. 6.
10:00am: The Thunder will sign Payton Sandfort to a two-way contract, agents Ross Aroyo and Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
The 23-year-old guard inked an Exhibit 10 deal with OKC in October after going undrafted out of Iowa. He was waived the next day and has been playing for Oklahoma City Blue in the G League, where he’s averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 16 regular season games with .375/.331/.800 shooting numbers.
Sandfort spent four years with the Hawkeyes, being named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2023 and earning third-team All-Conference honors in 2024.
The Thunder currently have all three of their two-way slots filled, so a move will have to be made with Brooks Barnhizer, Branden Carlson or Buddy Boeheim before Sandfort’s signing can become official. Wednesday is the final day this season that two-way players can be added to the roster.
Thunder Notes: PPP, Topic, Williams, Boeheim
The NBA is looking at the Thunder for player absences in last Wednesday’s game against San Antonio, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, and Alex Caruso all missed that nationally televised game after having played the previous night vs. Orlando. With the exception of Gilgeous-Alexander, who has remained sidelined due to an abdominal strain, the others were all back in action for the Thunder’s next game on Saturday.
If a team plans to sit a player for one game in a back-to-back set, the NBA typically wants it to happen during the game that isn’t nationally televised, so the league will consider whether Oklahoma City violated its player participation policy (PPP). However, besides SGA, none of those Thunder players meet the “star” criteria, and Rylan Stiles of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that all their health issues were legitimate, so we’ll see if anything comes of the investigation.
Here’s more on the Thunder:
- After missing his entire rookie season in 2024/25 due to a torn ACL and then undergoing treatment for testicular cancer this past fall, Thunder guard Nikola Topic made his G League debut on Monday. In his first game for the Oklahoma City Blue, the 20-year-old Serbian had seven points and seven assists in 16 minutes off the bench. “Great accomplishment,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said, per The Associated Press. “Just can’t say enough about him as a guy, his mental toughness, maturity, resilience. … He hasn’t played a lot of basketball over the last two years, and he comes off a one-year rehab and immediately has a surprising diagnosis and goes through chemotherapy, three rounds of it. So for him to work himself back onto the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment, and we’re incredibly happy for him.”
- Jalen Williams‘ return following a 10-game absence due to a hamstring strain was a success, writes Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Williams scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter to help Oklahoma City secure a 119-110 road win over the Lakers. “He slammed the door on that game,” Daigneault said. “It was impressive. He’s got such a body of work that we’re not overly concerned with how he plays coming back. We’re just happy he’s back. … Obviously, he was huge tonight. We know he’s a big-time player.”
- Buddy Boeheim‘s new two-way contract with the Thunder will cover two seasons, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Boeheim joined the team last Friday, filling the roster opening created when the team waived Chris Youngblood, who had reached his 50-game limit.
Thunder Waive Youngblood, Sign Boeheim To Two-Way Deal
The Thunder have made a change to one of their two-way contract slots, announcing today in a press release that shooting guard Chris Youngblood has been waived and swingman Buddy Boeheim has been signed to replace him.
Youngblood, who will turn 24 on Monday, joined the Thunder last summer as a rookie free agent after going undrafted out of Alabama. Although the 6’4″ guard signed a two-way contract, he was used frequently by Oklahoma City during the first half of the season.
Youngblood was used so frequently, in fact, that he reached his limit of 50 games on the Thunder’s active roster on Wednesday in San Antonio. If OKC had wanted to continue playing him, he would’ve needed to be promoted to a standard contract, but the team doesn’t have any obviously expendable players on its 15-man squad after sending out Ousmane Dieng and bringing in Jared McCain prior to Thursday’s trade deadline.
With no path to promote him, the Thunder decided to waive Youngblood, freeing him up for a new opportunity, rather than having him finish the season in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue. The club could’ve made him a restricted free agent at season’s end if he’d remained on the roster but will instead free him up to join a new team.
Boeheim has been playing for the Blue in recent years, including this season. Across nine outings in 2025/26, he has averaged 15.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 30.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .375/.351/1.000.
The former Syracuse sharpshooter, who appeared in 20 NBA regular season games for the Pistons from 2022-24, will be eligible to be active for as many as 19 games for OKC the rest of the way.
Thunder Sign Erik Reynolds, Cut Buddy Boeheim
The Thunder continue to churn players through their 21st roster spot ahead of the season, announcing today that they’ve waived guard Buddy Boeheim and signed guard Erik Reynolds to replace him.
A former Syracuse standout, Boeheim appeared in 20 NBA regular season games for the Pistons from 2022-24 while on two-way contracts. He spent last season with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League and averaged 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.3 minutes per game across 40 outings. Known as a floor-spacer, the 25-year-old knocked down 37.7% of 9.2 three-point attempts per game for the Blue in 2024/25.
Boeheim, who just signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Thunder on Tuesday, is a safe bet to return to OKC’s G League affiliate this fall. He’ll earn an $85,300 bonus on top of his standard NBAGL salary as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Blue.
Reynolds, meanwhile, is joining the Thunder after going undrafted out of Saint Joseph’s in June. As a senior in 2024/25, he averaged 16.0 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 2.6 APG in 33.9 MPG, but struggled with his shot, making just 38.0% from the floor and 29.8% from beyond the arc. He had been a 37.0% three-point shooter in his first three college seasons.
Reynolds – who left Saint Joseph’s as the school’s all-time leader in several statistical categories, including points – played for the Thunder’s Summer League team in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas in July. He appears likely to join Boeheim with the Oklahoma City Blue as an affiliate player.
Thunder Sign Buddy Boeheim, Waive Payton Sandfort
The Thunder continue to move players on and off the back of their 21-man roster as they prepare for the season. According to the team, guard/forward Buddy Boeheim is the latest player to sign with Oklahoma City. He replaces wing Payton Sandfort, who has been waived after spending roughly 24 hours on the roster.
A former Syracuse standout, Boeheim appeared in 20 NBA regular season games for the Pistons from 2022-24 while on two-way contracts. He spent last season with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League and averaged 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.3 minutes per game across 40 outings. Known as a floor-spacer, the 25-year-old knocked down 37.7% of 9.2 three-point attempts per game for the Blue in 2024/25.
Boeheim will almost certainly rejoin OKC’s G League team as a returning-rights player. Signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Thunder will put him in line to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his standard NBAGL salary as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Blue.
The G League is likely the next stop for Sandfort as well. The undrafted rookie will qualify as an affiliate player for the Thunder, meaning the Blue will have his rights if and when he signs an NBAGL contract.
Oklahoma City continues to carry 21 players on its preseason roster — 15 on guaranteed standard contracts, four on Exhibit 10 deals, and a pair on two-way pacts.
Hornets’ Charlie Brown Jr. Among Latest NBA Cuts
The Hornets have waived Charlie Brown Jr., Harry Giles and Keyontae Johnson, the team confirmed in a press release. Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer was first to report the moves (Twitter link).
Brown has appeared in 49 regular season games with Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Philadelphia and New York over the course of his four NBA seasons. The 27-year-old was signed-and-traded to the Hornets from the Knicks as part of the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster.
While it’s not surprising that Brown was released given Charlotte’s roster situation, it’s still a noteworthy event because he will be owed a guaranteed $2,237,692 for the 2024/25 season. Assuming he goes unclaimed, the Hornets will carry that salary as a dead-money cap hit on their books.
Notably, veteran swingman DaQuan Jeffries — another player acquired via sign-and-trade from the Knicks — was not cut today. That could mean the Hornets plan to keep him into the start of the regular season even though he fractured a bone in his hand last week. The team didn’t give a timetable for his return.
Both Giles and Johnson were on non-guaranteed training camp deals. A North Carolina native who played college ball at Duke, Giles is a former first-round pick (No. 20 overall in 2017) whose career was derailed by a series of major knee injuries. The 26-year-old big man split last season with the Nets and Lakers.
As for Johnson, he spent 2023/24 — his rookie season — on a two-way contract with the Thunder, but they chose not to give him a two-way qualifying offer over the summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Johnson, who had Exhibit 10 language in his contract, can earn a bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate. Giles’ deal didn’t include an Exhibit 10 clause, so he wouldn’t be eligible for the same bonus and therefore seems unlikely to end up with the Swarm.
The Hornets now have 17 players under contract, with 14 players on guaranteed standard deals, Taj Gibson with a significant partial guarantee on his minimum-salary deal, and a pair of players on two-way contracts. NBA teams are permitted to carry three two-way players, so the team still has one roster vacancy ahead of the regular season.
Here are a few more players who were waived on Friday — all three were on non-guaranteed training camp deals:
- The Kings have waived undrafted rookie Boogie Ellis, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The former USC guard, who had a solid preseason showing with Sacramento, will likely be headed to the Stockton Kings to begin his first professional season. Sacramento will still have to waive at least a couple more players beyond Ellis to set its regular season roster.
- The Thunder announced that they have released Buddy Boeheim and Cormac Ryan. Both players will likely be headed to the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s NBAGL affiliate. The Thunder now have 18 players under contract, which is the regular season limit.
Thunder Sign Buddy Boeheim, Cut Alex Reese
The Thunder have made a pair of roster moves, announcing today that they’ve signed forward Buddy Boeheim and waived forward Alex Reese. Oklahoma City is still carrying 20 players on its preseason roster, one below the limit.
The Thunder and Boeheim agreed to terms on an Exhibit 10 contract all the way back at the start of July, just a couple days after he was waived by the Pistons.
The son of longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, Buddy spent most of the 2023/24 season with the Motor City Cruise, Detroit’s G League affiliate, before being promoted to the Pistons on a two-way contract in February.
The younger Boeheim made just 10 NBA appearances last season and saw limited minutes, but played a significant role for the Cruise, averaging 15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 26.8 minutes per game across 47 Showcase Cup and regular season outings. He made an impressive 41.9% of 8.0 three-point tries per game while also knocking down 86.0% of his free throws.
The Oklahoma City Blue – the Thunder’s G League affiliate – acquired Boeheim’s returning rights in a trade with the Cruise this offseason, so it appears the plan is to waive him before the NBA season begins and have him report to the Blue. That also figures to be the next step for Reese. Both players will earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days with OKC’s NBAGL team.
G League Notes: Simpson, Boeheim, McGowens, More
The Hornets‘, Pistons‘, Spurs‘ and Thunder‘s G League affiliates completed a four-team trade, according to a release (Twitter link) and the G League transactions log.
In the trade, the Greensboro Swarm (Hornets) obtained the returning player rights to both Zavier Simpson and Caleb McConnell. The Motor City Cruise (Pistons) acquired RaiQuan Gray‘s rights, along with OKC’s 2025 second-round pick. The Austin Spurs got the rights to Nathan Mensah while the Oklahoma City Blue obtained Buddy Boeheim‘s.
Acquiring a player’s returning G League rights doesn’t necessarily mean that player will suit up for his new team. These trades ensure that if a player signs an NBAGL contract, he will play for the club that acquired his rights. When deals occur at this point in the offseason, they’re often precursors to players signing Exhibit 10 contracts with the parent club, lining them up to receive a bonus worth up to $77.5K if they’re waived and then spent at least 60 days in the G League.
This deal appears to be for exactly those purposes, at least in part. Mensah and Boeheim reportedly agreed to training camp deals with the Spurs and Thunder, respectively, so these trades indicate those agreements will be completed soon. Mensah played in 25 games for the Hornets last season, averaging 1.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest. Boeheim played two seasons with the Pistons, appearing in 20 games and averaging 2.5 PPG.
The other names in the trade are interesting. Simpson played in Summer League with the Hornets but previous reporting from HoopsHype indicated he was set to head overseas this season. He may very well still be doing that, but Charlotte clearly likes him. Gray, meanwhile, was traded while on a two-way contract to the Bulls before being waived.
Simpson has 11 games of NBA experience, averaging 7.8 points and 5.0 assists. McConnell, a former Rutgers player, also played for Charlotte in Summer League. While he hasn’t yet appeared in an NBA game, he suited up for 47 G League contests and averaged 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds last season. Gray played parts of two seasons with the Nets and then Spurs, averaging 9.8 points in his four games.
We have more from the G League:
- The Cruise and Spurs participated in another multi-team trade, with Motor City acquiring the rights to Javante McCoy and Reggie Kissoonlal along with unspecified draft capital, according to the log and a team release (Twitter link). Austin obtained the rights to Isaiah Miller and Jaylen Johnson, while the Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz) got a 2025 first round pick and Jayce Johnson. None of those players have yet agreed to sign Exhibit 10 deals, but as teams start fielding their training camp rosters, they’ll be names to monitor. All players involved have previously participated in training camps with NBA teams.
- The Long Island Nets and Cleveland Charge completed their own trade, with the rights to Trey McGowens heading to Cleveland in exchange for Tray Maddox‘s rights (Twitter link). McGowens signed an Exhibit 10 with Brooklyn last season and averaged 10.1 points in 16 G League games last season. Maddox, a Western Michigan product who went undrafted in 2023, averaged 6.1 PPG last season for the Charge.
- In case you missed it, Lonnie Walker IV signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Celtics and may end up playing for their G League affiliate this season, at least to begin the year.
Thunder To Add Buddy Boeheim On Exhibit 10 Deal
The Thunder have agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with wing Buddy Boeheim, The Athletic’s Shams Charania tweets.
Boeheim cleared waived on Monday after the Pistons cut him loose over the weekend. He had a two-way contract that ran through next season.
Boeheim, 24, appeared in 10 games for the Pistons last season, averaging 3.4 points per contest on .310/.320/.800 shooting. He appeared in 31 games for the G League Motor City Cruise, averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists while draining 43.1% of his 3-point attempts.
The son of longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim also appeared in 10 games with Detroit during the 2022/23 season.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal that doesn’t count against a team’s cap unless the player makes the regular season roster. It can be converted to a two-way contract before the season begins or can put a player in line to earn a bonus if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Pistons Waive Troy Brown Jr., Buddy Boeheim
6:01pm: The Pistons have officially waived Brown, according to the NBA’s official transaction log.
Detroit also cut wing Buddy Boeheim, whose two-way contract with the team ran through the 2024/25 season. Boeheim appeared in 10 games for the Pistons last season, averaging 3.4 points per contest on .310/.320/.800 shooting.
1:53pm: The Pistons have decided to not guarantee swingman Troy Brown Jr.‘s $4MM contract for the 2024/25 season and instead will waive him, report James L. Edwards III and Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Brown inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Timberwolves during the 2023 offseason. He earned $4MM in the first year, with a non-guaranteed $4MM for year two. That salary would have become guaranteed if he had remained under contract through Sunday.
The 6’6″ small forward was flipped from Minnesota to Detroit midway through the 2023/24 season as part of a trade package for Monte Morris. For the year, he posted cumulative averages of 4.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 1.0 APG in 14.0 MPG for the two clubs, while suiting up for 59 total contests (15 starts). Brown also logged a middling shooting line of .372/.333/.865.
A journeyman 3-and-D bench wing, Brown played for the Wizards, Bulls, and Lakers from 2018-23 before splitting last season between the Timberwolves and Pistons. Now, it appears he’ll be on the move again.
Though he doesn’t possess much of a handle, he was — prior to this season, anyway — a capable jump shooter and a solid man-to-man perimeter defender. That skill set still should have value on the open market, though at what cost remains to be seen.