Kendall Brown Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Cut Jalen Bridges, Kendall Brown, Wendell Moore

October 16th, 2025 at 5:45pm CST by Rory Maher

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.

Celtics Sign Kendall Brown, Jalen Bridges, Ron Harper Jr.

September 20th, 2025 at 8:13am CST by Rory Maher

September 20: The Celtics have finalized their camp deals with Brown, Bridges and Ron Harper Jr., according to RealGM’s log of NBA transactions. Harper’s agreement with Boston was first reported last month.

September 19: The Celtics intend to sign free agent wing Kendall Brown, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

While Scotto doesn’t explicitly state what type of contract Brown will sign, he suggests it will be an Exhibit 10 deal, as the 22-year-old will reportedly have a chance to compete for a two-way contract in training camp. Exhibit 10 contracts, which are non-guaranteed and do not count against the salary cap, can be converted into two-way deals.

A former top high school recruit, Brown was selected 48th overall in the 2022 draft after one college season at Baylor. He spent most of his first two NBA seasons on two-way deals with the Pacers prior to being converted to a standard deal in March 2024.

Brown was released by Indiana last fall and didn’t make any NBA appearances in 2024/25, having spent the year in the G League, though he had a brief stint on a two-way deal with Brooklyn in late winter. In 37 games (33.9 minutes per contest) with the Long Island Nets last season, the athletic guard/forward averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals on .565/.400/.750 shooting.

Scotto also confirms (via Twitter) that Jalen Bridges remains on track to finalize a camp deal with Boston and will be another player vying for a two-way spot. Bridges’ agreement with the Celtics was first reported on July 2.

Bridges spent 2024/25 — his rookie season — on a two-way contract with Phoenix. The Suns chose not to give him a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Both Brown and Bridges suited up for the Celtics during Las Vegas Summer League.

The Celtics do not currently have a two-way opening, with the spots occupied by Max Shulga, Amari Williams and RJ Luis Jr., a trio of rookies. Of the three, Luis’ roster looks the most vulnerable, considering Boston used second-round picks on Williams and Shulga, while Luis — who went undrafted — was acquired in a salary-dump deal with Utah.

Nets Sign Tyson Etienne, Waive Kendall Brown

March 4th, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have agreed to a two-way contract with guard Tyson Etienne, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. They opened up a two-way spot by waiving Kendall Brown, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Both moves are now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

Etienne has averaged 20.0 points, 3.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals for the NBA G League’s Long Island Nets in 24 regular season games. The 6’2″ guard has been extremely proficient as a three-point shooter, knocking down 47.6% of his attempts while taking an average of 7.0 per game. He has yet to make his NBA debut.

Etienne was signed and waived by Brooklyn on an Exhibit 10 deal in September. He had been in the Hawks organization after going undrafted out of Wichita State in 2022, playing for their G League team.

Brown was signed to a two-way deal late last month and didn’t appear in a game with the Nets. The 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Brown spent his first two professional seasons with the Pacers, first on a two-way contract and then on a standard deal. However, the 6’7″ swingman was waived by Indiana in October and then had his G League rights acquired by the Long Island Nets later that month.

Brown has appeared in 37 games with the Long Island Nets this season, averaging 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Nets Sign Kendall Brown To Two-Way Deal

February 25th, 2025 at 8:22pm CST by Luke Adams

8:22 pm: The two-way deal is official, the Nets confirmed in a press release.

2:38 pm: The Nets have reached an agreement with guard/forward Kendall Brown on a two-way deal, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Brown spent his first two professional seasons with the Pacers, first on a two-way contract and then on a standard deal. However, the 6’7″ swingman was waived by Indiana in October and then had his G League rights acquired by the Long Island Nets later that month.

Brown has thrived this season in 34 total Tip-Off Tournament and regular season outings for Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, averaging 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 34.6 minutes per game. His shooting line at the NBAGL level is an excellent .565/.410/.750.

Brooklyn is the only team in the NBA that currently has an open two-way slot available, so no corresponding roster move will be necessary to make room for Brown. The Nets created that opening when they promoted Tyrese Martin to their standard roster last week.

Once the signing is official, Reece Beekman, Tosan Evbuomwan, and Brown will occupy the Nets’ two-way slots.

G League Notes: K. Brown, Nets, Djurisic, Pacers, Cavs, Suns

October 27th, 2024 at 7:48pm CST by Luke Adams

After being waived by Indiana’s NBA team earlier this month, Kendall Brown won’t suit up for the Pacers‘ G League squad this season either. The Long Island Nets announced in a press release on Saturday that they’ve acquired Brown’s returning rights from the Indiana Mad Ants in exchange for the returning rights to guard Au’Diese Toney, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 first-rounder.

Brown was the 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft, but played sparingly in his first two professional seasons with the Pacers, appearing in just 21 games and logging 103 total minutes at the NBA level. The 6’7″ swingman had a far more substantial role in the G League, where he put up 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 34.1 minutes per contest across 36 total outings for the Mad Ants last season.

Brown is one of several players with NBA experience who is part of Long Island’s training camp roster, which the team announced on Sunday (via Twitter). That group of former NBA players also includes A.J. Lawson, Amari Bailey, Colin Castleton, and former NBA lottery pick Killian Hayes.

Here are a few more notes from around the G League:

As expected, Hawks forward Nikola Djurisic, the No. 43 overall pick in this year’s draft, signed a G League contract and will open the season with the College Park Skyhawks while he recovers from offseason foot surgery. He said during Sunday’s media day that he’s started doing on-court work but isn’t taking contact yet and is still doing 1-on-0 drills, tweets Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com. Atlanta will continue to control Djurisic’s NBA rights, so he’s essentially a draft-and-stash player who’s playing domestically rather than in a league overseas.
The Indiana Mad Ants formally announced their training camp roster on Sunday (via Twitter). The Pacers‘ G League affiliate includes former NBA players like swingman Dakota Mathias, forward Cameron McGriff, and former No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor.
The Cleveland Charge (the Cavaliers‘ affiliate) has officially announced its coaching staff and its training camp roster for the coming season. First-year head coach Chris Darnell will lead a group that includes former NBAers Jacob Gilyard, Chandler Hutchison, and Zhaire Smith, among others.
Veteran NBA forward Mamadi Diakite and former second-round pick Cassius Stanley are among the headliners on the first training camp roster announced (via Twitter) by the Valley Suns, who are embarking upon their first year in the G League.

Pacers Sign, Cut Jahlil Okafor; Kendall Brown Also Waived

October 15th, 2024 at 4:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed veteran big man Jahlil Okafor to an Exhibit 10 contract and subsequently waived him, according to a team press release. The team has also cut Kendall Brown.

Okafor was the third pick of the 2015 draft and began his career in Philadelphia but never quite lived up to his draft status. The 28-year-old has been out of the NBA since the 2020/21 season, when he appeared in 27 games with Detroit. He was traded to Brooklyn that summer and later signed with Atlanta, but wasn’t able to win a roster spot with either team.

Okafor resumed his basketball career overseas, playing in China and Spain before signing with a Puerto Rican team in February. He also spent time in the G League and was among the players selected by Phoenix’s new affiliate in the expansion draft in June. The Pacers’ affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants, recently acquired Okafor’s rights in a G League trade.

Indiana’s intention to sign Okafor was reported late last month. The fact that it didn’t officially happen until now signals he never had a chance to make the regular season roster and that it was exclusively about getting him a bonus if he reports to the G League. Okafor will earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he joins the Mad Ants and remains with them for at least 60 days.

As for Brown, he had his two-way contract with the team last season converted into a three-year standard deal in March. However, the last two seasons of the new contract were non-guaranteed. He would have received $250K if he had made the opening-night roster.

The decision on Brown improves the chances of Cole Swider securing the 15th spot on the regular season roster.

By waiving Brown and his $2.1MM salary, the Pacers are now $2.5MM below the luxury tax with an open roster spot, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.

Central Notes: Walker, Sheppard, Swider, Buzelis, Cavs

October 15th, 2024 at 9:34am CST by Luke Adams

With Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin back under contract with the Pacers on new four-year deals, there won’t be regular playing time available at power forward for 2023 lottery pick Jarace Walker anytime soon, barring an injury. That’s why, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) writes, Walker finds himself battling Bennedict Mathurin and Ben Sheppard for minutes on the wing this fall.

Walker made a strong case for a rotation role last Thursday against Cleveland, when he scored 12 points and was a +18 in 18 minutes off the bench. He was elevated to the starting lineup on Monday vs. Memphis with Siakam and a few other regulars sitting, and contributed 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists in 38 minutes. However, most of those points came in the fourth quarter against reserves, and head coach Rick Carlisle indicated after the game that he wanted to see more from Walker and his fellow starters.

“The first quarter was very poor,” Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “The guys who started the game pretty much eased into the game. (Memphis) is a smash-mouth team that puts physical hits on you both offensively and defensively. They play a clean game, but it’s a physical game. We got smashed in the face in the first quarter.”

As Dopirak writes, Mathurin seems almost certain to be part of the second unit, so Walker and Sheppard may be vying for the last spot in that group. Sheppard, who had a good game on Monday, earned a rotation role last season as a rookie and seems “too trustworthy when it comes the basics to be banished to the end of the bench,” Dopirak writes. So even if Walker receives regular minutes to open the season, he’ll have to continue to prove he deserves them.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Cole Swider may have the edge on Kendall Brown for the 15th and final spot on the Pacers‘ regular season roster, according to Dopirak. Swider had a strong outing on Monday (10 points, five rebounds, three assists, +12), while Brown barely played. As Dopirak observes, Swider’s outside shooting is something Indiana doesn’t get from many other players at the end of its bench, which could help give him a leg up. Both players are on non-guaranteed contracts.
Bulls lottery pick Matas Buzelis is impressing coaches and teammates alike this fall as he gears up for his rookie season, according to Kyle Williams and Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Head coach Billy Donovan referred to Buzelis as having “tremendous upside” and appreciated the fact that the first-round pick has expressed a willingness to do whatever it takes to get better — including possibly spending time in the G League. On Monday, the 20-year-old didn’t shy away from matching up against Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on either end of the court. “He’s not scared of anyone or any moment, and I think for a guy to come into the league like that, have that confidence, it’s huge for him,” Bulls guard Josh Giddey said. “It’s easy for rookies to be shy, not take on challenges, but credit to him. (He’s a) very talented kid, and he’s going to have a helluva career in the NBA.”
The Cavaliers broke ground on Monday on a new state-of-the-art training facility in downtown Cleveland, according to The Associated Press. Star guard Donovan Mitchell attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the 210,000-square-foot building, which is being funded by team owner Dan Gilbert and is scheduled to open in 2027. “Since I arrived here two years ago, I’ve just heard nothing but how serious Cleveland is about their sports,” Mitchell said. “And seeing it, shows how serious and how much they care about their players and the investment about their bodies. This is going to be huge for the longevity of our careers.”

Checking In On Early 2024/25 Roster Battles

September 14th, 2024 at 11:03am CST by Earnest Marshall

Each year, a handful of teams prefer to bring in players to battle it out for the last remaining spots on a given roster. Let’s take a look at a few training camp battles that are already brewing ahead of October.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been busy in recent weeks, filling out their training camp roster with proven talent. The Bulls have 15 players on standard contracts, but Onuralp Bitim‘s deal is non-guaranteed. In addition, Chicago has two open two-way slots. The Bulls have four players — Talen Horton-Tucker, Kenneth Lofton Jr., E.J. Liddell and Marcus Domask — signed to training camp deals.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted to two-way contracts at any time. Horton-Tucker is the only player of that batch who is ineligible for a two-way contract, since he is at five years of NBA service. That gives the Bulls a handful of options for their opening night roster.

In essence, Bitim and Horton-Tucker seem to be battling it out for the Bulls’ 15th roster spot, while Lofton, Liddell and Domask all appear to be candidates for the team’s open two-way slots. Of course, if the Bulls opt to move on from Bitim on a standard deal, they could attempt to re-sign him to a two-way deal. They could also just carry 14 players on the standard roster to begin the year.

New York Knicks

As we detailed Saturday morning, Landry Shamet and Chuma Okeke appear to be battling for the Knicks’ 15th roster spot. Of course, there’s no guarantee that either player will make the roster, but each has a decent case to make the team.

Shamet is a proven three-point shooter while Okeke is a versatile forward who is a previous 16th overall pick. The Knicks will likely assess in training camp what their biggest need is and keep the player who best fits that niche heading into the year.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have a handful of players on non-guaranteed or partially contracts heading into the season. However, previous reporting seems to indicate that the team’s final roster spot will come down to either Kendall Brown or Cole Swider.

Brown is an athletic forward who was the 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has spent the last two seasons with the Pacers but has also appeared in just 21 total games. Meanwhile, the Pacers signed Swider to a training camp contract this offseason that doesn’t include Exhibit 10 language. Swider is a known three-point shooter who spent last season with the Heat and helped Miami to a summer league championship this offseason.

James Wiseman and James Johnson each have partially guaranteed salaries with the Pacers.

The others

Other teams across the league are poised to either carry just 14 players on standard deals to begin the year or already have their 15-man rosters determined. However, some of those teams have unsettled two-way roster slots.

The Heat have their standard roster filled out, but summer standout Isaiah Stevens is on an Exhibit 10 deal. It seems like Stevens will battle Dru Smith — who currently holds a two-way deal — outright for that spot.

The Hornets have Moussa Diabate and KJ Simpson on two-way deals but have another spot open. Keyontae Johnson could be an option for that spot. Charlotte also has a potential opening on the 15-man roster, with four players signed to Exhibit 10 deals and another agreed to.

The Wizards also have an open two-way slot. Washington signed Leaky Black, Kira Lewis and Jaylen Nowell to Exhibit 10 contracts, but only Black is eligible for a two-way deal. The Wizards also have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, with Jared Butler and his non-guaranteed deal possibly on the outside looking in unless they make a trade.

The Clippers have RayJ Dennis, Kai Jones and Elijah Harkless signed to Exhibit 10 deals. The team also has an agreement with Kevon Harris for another such spot. With only Jordan Miller and Trentyn Flowers on two-way contracts, all of Dennis, Jones, Harkless and Harris are eligible for the team’s third.

Central Notes: Allen, Pistons, Swider, Brown

August 4th, 2024 at 7:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The three-year, $91MM contract extension that Jarrett Allen signed on Friday gave the Cavaliers more flexibility if they later decide to break up the Allen-Evan Mobley frontcourt next season, according to Marc Stein in his latest Substack post.

Allen is eligible to traded on February 2 — four days before next season’s deadline. It’s believed that the veteran center was essentially obligated to sign the deal before August 6 as a condition of Cleveland extending him at the maximum amount, Stein adds. If he’d signed his new deal after Aug. 6, Allen would have been ineligible to be traded until the summer of 2025.

We have more from the Central Division:

In his Eastern Conference power rankings, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press places the Pistons at No. 12 — ahead of the Hornets, Nets and Wizards. While Detroit endured its worst season in franchise history, it shouldn’t be the worst team in the conference next season after a series of offseason moves. Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley should significantly upgrade the outside shooting, Sankofa notes, and Paul Reed adds depth at center. The team’s young core should continue to grow, particularly Cade Cunningham with more help around him.
Former Heat forward Cole Swider agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers on Saturday. He could be in a competition with Kendall Brown for the 15th spot on the roster, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star opines. Brown, who is also on a non-guaranteed deal, struggled with his perimeter shooting in the Summer League and committed 12 turnovers in five games. Swider, in contrast, played a key role in the Heat’s run to the Summer League title in Las Vegas.
In case you missed it, the Bulls reportedly haven’t halted their efforts to find a trade partners for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

Pacers Notes: Haliburton, Carlisle, Bench, More

May 24th, 2024 at 5:02pm CST by Luke Adams

After Tyrese Haliburton left Game 2 early due to left hamstring soreness on Thursday, the Pacers have listed the star guard as questionable to play in Saturday’s Game 3 (Twitter link). While Haliburton was also said to be dealing with a chest issue in Game 2, the hamstring soreness is his only ailment mentioned on the official injury report.

Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) explores how the Pacers might try to make up for Haliburton’s absence in the event that he’s unable to play in Game 3. As Dopirak notes, the team has solid alternatives at point guard in Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell but might have to dig deeper into its rotation at other positions to cover Haliburton’s minutes. Nembhard and McConnell also wouldn’t be able to replicate the play-making and outside shooting that the All-NBA guard provides.

“He does so many things for our team where everyone just has to move the ball more and get in the paint more,” McConnell said. “The ball movement, like I said, just has to be at another level. He gets 10 assists in his sleep. It’s hard for another person on our team to replicate that. It’s a group effort when he goes down to kinda get people the ball and get moving.”

Here’s more on the Pacers:

Whether or not Haliburton is healthy, the Pacers won’t have any hope of beating pulling off a comeback and beating Boston in the Eastern Conference finals if they play like they did on Thursday, Gregg Doyel writes in a column for The Indianapolis Star (subscription required).
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle raised some eyebrows in Game 2 by leaning on little-used bench players like Doug McDermott, Jarace Walker, Kendall Brown, and Jalen Smith in the fourth quarter while sitting Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, and Pascal Siakam for most or all of the final period. Carlisle explained why he went to his bench so early despite facing a deficit that didn’t seem insurmountable. “To look at some guys that I thought needed a look,” Carlisle said, per Dopirak. “McDermott went in there and played well. Isaiah Jackson brought a lot of fight to the game. Jalen Smith hasn’t had much of an opportunity to play in the playoffs, so I wanted to see where he was at. We weren’t giving up, but it was an opportunity to get some energetic fresh guys in there to fight. They did some good things. … The guys who had played to that point, Pascal was very tired. Aaron had four fouls and he was tired. That was it.”
Prior to Game 2, Haliburton told reporters that Indiana has the “best bench in the NBA,” Dopirak writes in another Indy Star story (subscription required). McConnell, Obi Toppin, and Ben Sheppard are the Pacers reserves who have seen the most action this postseason, leading a second unit that ranks No. 1 in the playoffs with 33.4 points per game.
While many NBA fans didn’t assign much meaning to the league’s first in-season tournament earlier this season, making the championship game in that tournament benefited a Pacers team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2020, says Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “There were some real playoff simulations — our quarterfinal game at home, on a Monday night, against (the Celtics), had the feel of a conference finals-matchup atmosphere,” Carlisle said. “The part about going to Vegas and playing there, that was different, but there was certainly the exposure, the stage, all that. So, all those experiences help a young team.”