Charlie Brown

New York Notes: DiVincenzo, Knicks’ Roster, Johnson, Bridges

Knicks swingman Donte DiVincenzo would like to represent Italy in this year’s Summer Olympics but it apparently won’t happen.

“Ideally, I would love to,” DiVincenzo told Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “Logistically and how everything plays out, I don’t know if it’s possible. But if everything works out perfectly, I would love to.”

However, in a follow-up story, Bondy said he received an email from a representative from the Italian Basketball Federation stating that DiVincenzo couldn’t be added to the team.

“For the next Olympic Games there would not be the time to complete the procedures to provide him with an Italian passport,” Francesco D’Aniello wrote.

We have more on the New York teams:

  • The Knicks only have 13 players on standard contracts and need to add at least one more. According to Ian Begley of SNY TV, signing one – or more — of their G League players to a standard contract is a possibility. Charlie Brown Jr., Jacob Toppin and Duane Washington are currently on two-way deals and may be candidates for a promotion, while Taj Gibson, who is currently on a 10-day deal, could receive a rest-of-the-season contract, Begley adds.
  • Nets forward Cameron Johnson returned to action on Wednesday after missing four games with a left adductor strain. He came off the bench and played 18 minutes, contributed four points, three rebounds and two assists. Johnson started in all 40 of his previous appearances but Dorian Finney-Smith got the starting nod with Johnson on a minutes restriction. Coach Jacque Vaughn will have to choose between the two of them going forward, unless he wants to put Cam Thomas in a sixth man role again, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post,
  • The Nets’ last game before the All-Star break was a disaster, as they lost by 50 to the first-place Celtics. Forward Mikal Bridges told Lewis that the team shouldn’t forget about the loss. “Yeah, I mean you gotta learn and fix the issue; that’s pretty much what it is. You can’t just let this one go and think like, ‘Oh, like, let it drop.’ No,” he said. “Yeah, maybe if you lost towards the end, but you got beat by 50. It’s not just, ‘Let it go.’ A lot of (bleep) is not right, and you’ve got to fix it.”

Knicks Convert Charlie Brown Jr., Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Deals

The Knicks have converted Charlie Brown Jr. and Jacob Toppin to two-way deals, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The moves are official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

Both players were signed to Exhibit 10 contracts, and New York had a couple of open two-way spots after waiving Nathan Knight and Jaylen Martin. That means no corresponding moves were necessary in order to promote Brown and Toppin.

Brown, 26, has appeared in a total of 41 NBA regular season games for the Hawks, Thunder, Mavericks, and Sixers since 2019, but wasn’t in the league last year, having spent the season with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. He averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for a Delaware Blue Coats team that won the 2022/23 G League championship.

Following his stint in Delaware, the 6’6″ wing caught on with the Knicks for Summer League play in July. He was a standout in four games in Las Vegas, averaging 19.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG with a shooting line of .547/.375/.800.

Toppin, meanwhile, went undrafted in June out of Kentucky. The 6’9″ forward averaged a career-best 12.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for the Wildcats as a senior in 2022/23, earning a starting role and averaging 31.4 MPG in 33 appearances.

Interestingly, it was initially reported that Toppin would receive a two-way contract, but he actually signed an Exhibit 10 deal. Now, the 23-year-old has wound up on a two-way deal after all.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, Toppin impressed head coach Tom Thibodeau with his defense during preseason action (Twitter link). Toppin is the younger brother of former Knicks forward Obi Toppin, who was traded to the Pacers this summer.

Knicks Sign Charlie Brown Jr. To Exhibit 10 Deal

The Knicks have added free agent guard Charlie Brown Jr. to their offseason roster, signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The move gives New York a full 21-man squad. The team waived Obadiah Noel earlier this week in order to open up a spot.

Brown, 26, has appeared in a total of 41 NBA regular season games for the Hawks, Thunder, Mavericks, and Sixers since 2019, but wasn’t in the league last year, having spent the season with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate. He averaged 13.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game for a Delaware Blue Coats team that won the 2022/23 G League championship.

Following his stint in Delaware, Brown caught on with the Knicks for Summer League play in July. He was a standout in four games in Las Vegas, averaging 19.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG with a shooting line of .547/.375/.800.

Brown’s Exhibit 10 contract will entitle him to a bonus worth up to $75K if he’s waived before the season begins and then spends at least 60 days with the Westchester Knicks. However, New York’s affiliate would need to acquire his returning rights from Delaware for that to happen.

And-Ones: Waiters, Wade, Hernangomez, C. Brown

Speaking to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report after a workout for teams in Las Vegas this week, veteran guard Dion Waiters openly discussed the reasons he has been out of the NBA for the last three seasons and what he feels he needs to do to earn another shot. According to Waiters, he took his time in the NBA for granted, so his exit from the league has been a learning experience that he has been able to pass along to his son.

“I told him, ‘Bro, your dad is not [out of] the league because of talent. It was my attitude, my character, and not understanding that it’s bigger than me,'” Waiters said. “I feel like I had to go through this so I could explain that to my son, and that’s the dead truth.”

A former fourth overall pick, Waiters has appeared in 419 regular season games, but hasn’t played in the NBA since 2020. Still just 31, the former Syracuse standout tells Haynes that he feels like he still has “a lot left in the tank” and that he believes he can be a positive leader in the locker room in addition to helping a team on the court.

“I’m healthy. I just want that opportunity just to show I’m not who I once was. And I know a lot of people talk about that, but for me, I think it’s more about showing that I’ve changed,” Waiters said. “That’s why I’m here, man. I still got that love. I still got that itch.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Dwyane Wade, a 13-time NBA All-Star who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August, has invested in the WNBA’s Chicago Sky and will become part of the team’s ownership group, writes Alexa Philippou of ESPN.com. “It’s a great opportunity to be a part of the league in its very early stages,” Wade said. “… Growth is going to happen, and so I want to be a part of the growth of this league.”
  • While there have been rumblings that Juancho Hernangomez may join brother Willy Hernangomez in signing with FC Barcelona, Juancho said in a conversation with Spanish outlet Marca that  “speculation is just speculation” and stressed that he remains focused on finding another NBA job, as Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relays.
  • Free agent guard Charlie Brown Jr. has been a standout for the Knicks at the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 17.3 PPG and 6.0 RPG in three games (28.4 MPG). Zach Braziller of The New York Post takes a closer look at the play of Brown, who is hoping that his performance in Vegas will inspire a team to sign him for training camp.
  • In an entertaining article for The Athletic, John Hollinger discusses the eight “nerdiest” things that happened in free agency, digging into the details of the Rockets’ sign-and-trade for Dillon Brooks, Paul Reed‘s offer sheet, and Oklahoma City becoming a dumping ground for unwanted contracts, among other moves.

Sixers Convert Michael Foster Jr. To Two-Way Deal, Waive Charlie Brown Jr.

11:40am: The Sixers have officially converted Foster’s deal to a two-way contract and waived Brown, the team announced in a press release.


9:36am: Michael Foster Jr. will receive a two-way contract with the Sixers, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Charlie Brown Jr. will be released from his two-way deal in a corresponding move.

Foster, a 19-year-old forward, joined the team in July on an Exhibit 10 contract after playing for G League Ignite last season. He appeared in three games during the preseason, averaging 1.7 PPG in 6.1 minutes per night.

Foster also played for the Sixers during Summer League and was considered to be one of the best players not selected in this year’s draft.

Brown, a 25-year-old shooting guard, signed a 10-day contract with Philadelphia in January and was given a two-way deal when that expired. He got into 19 games with the Sixers and averaged 1.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in limited minutes. Brown also played three games for the Mavericks last season and has spent time with the Hawks and Thunder as well.

The move likely sets Philadelphia’s roster ahead of Tuesday’s regular season opener, as the team now has 14 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. The Sixers are expected to keep one roster spot open, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic.

Atlantic Rumors: Claxton, Simmons, C. Brown, Birch

The Nets appear to have “dipped their toe” into the trade market for Nicolas Claxton, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated on his latest Hoop Collective podcast, adding that he has heard about Claxton’s possible availability from two different teams (hat tip to RealGM). While Brooklyn may not be actively looking to move the young center, the team is at least “feeling out” the market, Windhorst says.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the Nets considering the possibility of a Claxton trade. Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said last month that Brooklyn “quietly gauged” the 22-year-old’s value at the 2021 draft. Fischer also reported that some rival executives believed the Nets would make Claxton available ahead of this season’s trade deadline.

Claxton will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, and the Nets – already far above the luxury tax line – may be hesitant about giving him a sizeable raise. Additionally, rookie big man Day’Ron Sharpe has emerged recently as a viable rotation player who could claim some of Claxton’s minutes.

Still, Mark Deeks of Heavy.com isn’t convinced that trading Claxton would be the right call for the Nets, arguing that it would be difficult for the club to recoup enough value to make it worthwhile in both the short- and long-term.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Sixers star Ben Simmons is open to the possibility of sitting out for the entire 2021/22 season if the team can’t find a trade it likes by next month’s deadline, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said on Monday’s episode of NBA Today (video link). There have been reports that Philadelphia’s preference would be to get Simmons back on the court this season before potentially trading him in the offseason, but the idea of him playing for the club again has always seemed like a long shot.
  • Charlie Brown Jr.‘s new two-way contract with the Sixers, signed last Tuesday, is a two-year deal covering the 2022/23 season in addition to the rest of ’21/22, Hoops Rumors has learned. That doesn’t mean Brown will definitely remain in Philadelphia through next season, but it ensures he’ll receive at least a $50K partial guarantee for ’22/23.
  • Raptors center Khem Birch, who suffered a nasal fracture on Friday, underwent surgery to repair his broken nose over the weekend, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Head coach Nick Nurse expects Birch to be out for about 10-to-14 days, Lewenberg adds.

Sixers Sign Charlie Brown Jr. To Two-Way Deal, Waive Aaron Henry

4:17pm: The Sixers have officially signed Brown to a two-way contract and waived Henry, the team announced in a press release.


4:00pm: The Sixers will retain guard Charlie Brown Jr. beyond his current 10-day hardship deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Brown will receive a two-way contract from the team. Philadelphia is waiving forward Aaron Henry to open up a two-way slot for Brown, Charania adds.

Brown is a Philadelphia native who played his college ball at Saint Joseph’s. He has bounced around the NBA and G League since going undrafted in 2019, spending time with Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Philadelphia at the NBA level and playing for the College Park Skyhawks, Iowa Wolves, and Delaware Blue Coats in the NBAGL.

Brown began this season with Delaware, averaging 16.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on .457/.400/.850 shooting in 11 games (30.2 MPG). That earned him 10-day hardship deals with the Mavs and Sixers.

He has appeared in two games since signing his 10-day contract with Philadelphia on January 3, averaging 2.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.0 SPG in 17.5 MPG.

Henry, who went undrafted out of Michigan State in 2021, logged just 17 total minutes in six NBA games for Philadelphia on his two-way deal. In 10 G League contests for Delaware, he recorded 13.2 PPG and 4.9 RPG on .431/.327/.500 shooting. The 22-year-old will be free to sign with any team if he clears waivers.

Brown’s current 10-day deal won’t expire until Wednesday night, but the Sixers could terminate it early if they want to move him into his newly-earned two-way slot sooner rather than later.

Sixers Sign Charlie Brown Jr. After Maxey Enters Protocols

The Sixers have added Charlie Brown Jr. on a 10-day contract via the hardship exception after another prominent player entered health and safety protocols, Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice tweets. Philadelphia confirmed the signing in a team press release.

Starting guard Tyrese Maxey will miss Monday’s game against Houston due to those restrictions, joining Matisse Thybulle and two others.

Brown was signed to a 10-day contract by the Mavericks but it wasn’t renewed. He made three brief appearances with Dallas.

Brown had been playing with the NBAGL’s Delaware Blue Coats before the wave of COVID positives around the league. He also appeared in a total of 19 games with the Hawks in 2019/20 and the Thunder in 2020/21.

A Philadelphia native, Brown played his college basketball at Saint Joseph’s, where he averaged 19.0 PPG in his final season with the Hawks.

COVID Updates: Cheatham, Brown, Simpson, York

Here’s are the latest updates regarding players entering or exiting the league’s health and safety protocols or on 10-day contracts:

  • Zylan Cheatham‘s 10-day contract with the Heat expired after the team’s game against the Rockets on Friday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. The Heat still have six other players on 10-day contracts and six players in protocols. Cheatham never appeared in a game with the Heat and entered protocols on Dec. 29.
  • Charlie Brown Jr. won’t receive another 10-day from the Mavericks, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Brown made three cameo appearances for Dallas.
  • Gabe York agreed to a 10-day contract with the Magic on Dec. 29. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 the next day, scuttling the deal, Justin Spears of Tucson.com reports. York has been playing with the G League Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ affiliate.
  • Guard Zavier Simpson agreed to a 10-day with the Thunder on Monday. However, he has also entered protocols, according to Shaw. It’s still possible Simpson could sign a contract once he’s cleared.

Mavericks Sign Charlie Brown Jr. To 10-Day Contract

DECEMBER 23: The Mavericks have officially signed Brown to a 10-day deal, the team announced today (via Twitter). The team has now finalized three hardship signings this week and has two more (Brandon Knight and Carlik Jones) reportedly on tap.


DECEMBER 21: Valuable Mavericks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. is now in the league’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Given that Hardaway is the fourth Maverick to be placed into COVID-19 protocols in the last four days, the Mavericks will ink shooting guard Charlie Brown Jr. to a 10-day contract via the league’s hardship exemption, Charania tweets.

Brown is currently with the NBAGL’s Delaware Blue Coats. Across two NBA seasons, he has appeared in 19 games between the Hawks in 2019/20 and the Thunder in 2020/21. He holds career averages of 3.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG.

The 23-year-old shooting guard out of Saint Joseph’s is averaging 16.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 0.9 BPG in 11 starts this season with the Blue Coats, on shooting splits of .457/.400/.850.

Dallas re-signed Hardaway this past summer to a four-year, $75MM contract. In 29 contests for the Mavericks, including 20 starts, the 29-year-old out of Michigan is averaging 14.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.0 SPG. The 6’5″ guard has had an inconsistent shooting season from the floor and has seen his numbers dip at the charity stripe, with splits of .391/.332/.743.