Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Davis, LeBron, Dunn
DeMar DeRozan had a strong debut for the Kings on Thursday, scoring 26 points and eight rebounds in nearly 43 minutes of action, with Sacramento outscoring Minnesota by eight points during his time on the court.
Still, the two-point loss to the Timberwolves showed that there will be an adjustment period for the Kings as they get used to DeRozan’s presence, writes Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee. After finishing third in the NBA with 39.3 three-point attempts per game last season, Sacramento let it fly from beyond the arc just 29 times in Thursday’s game, well shy of Minnesota’s 50 three-point tries.
“His game is the mid-range,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said of DeRozan. “He’s an elite mid-range guy, and so he’s going to take a lot of shots, and that’s going to probably take away from the (three-point shots) some.”
Still, the Kings are confident it won’t take them long to get accustomed to DeRozan’s playing style and believe it will ultimately pay off to have another offensive weapon capable of breaking down defenses and creating his own shot like the 35-year-old can.
“He can run an offense all by himself,” teammate Kevin Huerter said. “There’s times you can just give him the ball and he can go make plays. He doesn’t need plays drawn up for him. As he continues to get more comfortable, we’ll get a lot better. … It’s game one, so we’re early. It’s obviously going to take time. Everybody’s still figuring everything out.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Anthony Davis dominated for a second straight outing in the Lakers‘ Friday win over Phoenix, scoring a game-high 35 points to increase his season total to 71 through two games (both victories). Head coach J.J. Redick‘s plan to make Davis the focus of L.A.’s offense is working as intended so far, according to LeBron James. “It’s very important that he’s the main focal point for us every single night,” James said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We know what he’s going to do defensively, but offensively we have to find him in multiple places on the floor throughout the whole game. And we’ve done that through two games.”
- Asked during his post-game media session on Friday whether he’ll suit up for the second game of the Lakers‘ back-to-back set on Saturday vs. Sacramento, LeBron told reporters, including McMenamin, that his goal is not to miss a single one of the team’s 82 regular season contests. “I plan on playing every game,” said James, the NBA’s oldest active player.
- Although the Suns couldn’t pull out a win on Friday vs. the Lakers, they got an encouraging performance from rookie Ryan Dunn. Known as a high-level defender but not much of a shooter during his time at Virginia, Dunn knocked down three-of-five attempts from three-point range and was a plus-8 in his 14 minutes. Dunn’s improvements as a shooter are the result of “a lot of hard work,” he told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda in a wide-ranging interview. “I keep having the confidence to keep shooting it even when some nights it might not fall and some nights that it might fall,” said Dunn, who also spoke to Medina about his first impressions of the NBA, meeting some of his long-time basketball idols, and his goals for his rookie season.
G League Notes: Knicks, Shamet, Ryan, Bronny, Knox, More
The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers‘ G League affiliate, announced on Friday (via Twitter) that they’ve traded the No. 2 pick in Saturday’s NBAGL draft to the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the No. 3 pick and the returning rights to two players (forwards Troy Baxter Jr. and Milhan Charles).
As a result of the deal, the Knicks’ G League team now holds the top two picks in Saturday’s draft, and Marc Stein (Twitter links) reports that there’s an expectation Westchester will use those selections to nab veteran wings Landry Shamet and Matt Ryan, both of whom are draft-eligible in the NBAGL this fall.
As Stein explains, the Knicks want Landry Shamet to be able to rehab his dislocated shoulder within the organization and have been eyeing Ryan as a potential roster addition at the NBA level. Having both players at Westchester wouldn’t stop another NBA team from poaching them, but it would put the Knicks in good position to promote one or both of them to the NBA squad at some point this season.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), there’s still optimism within the organization that Shamet will be able to avoid surgery on his right shoulder injury.
Here are a few more G League notes ahead of Saturday’s draft:
- Lakers guard Bronny James will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip from October 28 to November 6 and then will begin bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G League, according to Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who share more details on the Lakers’ plans for the rookie. The NBAGL’s fall “Tip-Off Tournament” begins on Nov. 8.
- The Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate, acquired the returning rights for Kevin Knox in a three-team trade with the Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers) and Westchester Knicks, per a press release. Knox had been in camp with the Warriors, but his contract didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, so it didn’t appear he was planning to join the team’s G League affiliate. Santa Cruz’s trade suggests that may happen after all.
- The San Diego Clippers acquired Tosan Evbuomwan‘s returning rights along with the No. 31 pick in Saturday’s G League draft from the Motor City Cruise (Pistons) in exchange for this year’s No. 12 pick and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link). The deal ensures that Evbuomwan, who was signed and waived by the Clippers last week, will be eligible for his $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus as a returning rights player for L.A.’s affiliate.
- The Texas Legends (Mavericks) have traded the returning rights for guard Mike Miles to the Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves) in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 international draft pick, the team announced in a press release. Miles averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 21.4 minutes per game across 29 appearances for the Legends last season.
Western Notes: Warriors, Davis, Morant, Pelicans
Most coaches stick with a nine- or 10-man rotation. Warriors coach Steve Kerr feels he has so many bench options, he can use a dozen players during the course of a game.
That was on display on opening night, as Golden State blew out Portland. Early in the second quarter, 12 players had already seen the floor.
“This is as deep of a team as I’ve ever coached, and we’ve got to lean into that,” Kerr said, per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “I’ve never played 12 before, but we’re going to do it. I was thinking, well, maybe I’ll just play 10 and we’ll have to tell two of these guys that they’re going to sit. But I just couldn’t justify that.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- JJ Redick‘s plans to feature Anthony Davis in his Lakers offense was on display opening night against Minnesota, The Athletic’s Sam Amick writes. Signed through the 2027/28 season, Davis racked up 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal. He also attempted 23 shots on which he wasn’t fouled. “I think it’s a good first step of seeing how (Redick) wants me to play and how he wants me to be that hub and to orchestrate the offense, in a sense,” he said.
- Ja Morant was limited to nine games last season due to a suspension and a shoulder injury. He came back strong in the Grizzlies’ opener, contributing 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes against Utah. “My job as a point guard is to control the game,” said Morant, per The Associated Press. “I hate if I let the other team’s point guard control the game. Whatever I can do to make sure it’s in our favor, I try to do.”
- It was an ominous start for the Pelicans, as Zion Williamson sat out with an illness against Chicago and Dejounte Murray broke his hand. Trey Murphy was already out with a hamstring strain. “Guys are ready for more opportunities whenever they may come,” CJ McCollum told William Guillory of The Athletic. “… It’s unfortunate that injuries are part of the game, but they happen sometimes. That’s why you need depth on your roster to compete in an 82-game season.”
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Bronny, Redick, Davis
Lakers All-NBA forward LeBron James and his son, rookie guard Bronny James, made league history on Tuesday. When the duo suited up together in L.A.’s 110-103 victory over the visiting Timberwolves, they become the first father-son NBA tandem to do so, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, something I will never forget,” LeBron said during a postgame presser. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
“I tried not to focus on everything that was going on around me and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate the Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
- The Lakers appear to have wholly bought into first-year head coach JJ Redick‘s methods, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “The game plan, the schemes that he had on both ends of the floor, he trusts us,” All-Star Los Angeles center Anthony Davis said. “We trust him, as far as what he teaches us, what he wants us to do on the floor on both ends and it’s our job to go execute it. I think we were very prepared tonight.”
- After a 15-year pro playing career and a successful broadcasting run, Redick‘s restlessness as a basketball brain eventually compelled him to try out coaching for size, as he told Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “At some point, you just kinda have to listen to your soul and not be afraid of the consequences of whatever happens afterwards,” Redick told Woike of his decision to pursue the Lakers’ coaching gig. “Whatever I envisioned in my previous life, that’s gone. This is who I am now. I’m a coach. And so I don’t feel like tonight is at all about me. It’s about our team.”
- After being hired by the Lakers this summer, Redick pledged that he would run his offense through Davis. As Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times writes, many of the nine-time All-Star’s teammates looked to feed him early and often in Tuesday’s opener. “He is the main focal point for us offensively and defensively,” LeBron said of Davis. “We got to make sure we continue to give him the ball. I think the coaching staff and JJ , they do a great job of always putting him in positions where he can be the recipient of the offense.” The 6’10” big man scored 36 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the floor and 13-of-15 shooting from the foul line in his season debut, while also pulling down 16 boards.
Los Angeles Notes: Porter Jr., Harden, Olivari, James Family
The NBA’s investigation regarding Clippers guard Kevin Porter Jr. remains ongoing, Law Murray of The Athletic tweets. Porter will be able to play until the NBA decides whether to take disciplinary action. The Clippers signed Porter to a two-year contract in the summer despite his past troubles with the law.
In 2023, following an arrest on a domestic assault charge, Porter was traded by the Rockets to Oklahoma City shortly before the start of the regular season. The Thunder waived him the day after the deal was completed and he didn’t play in the league last season.
Porter reached a plea agreement of a third-degree reckless assault misdemeanor in January. He was required to complete a court-ordered program, after which his plea was to move to not guilty with no criminal record.
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely due to his knee rehab, James Harden is thrust into the role of primary scorer for the Clippers. However, coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t want to place too much of a burden on the 35-year-old guard. “Yeah, we got to be smart about it. We’ve been talking about it, meeting about it, just making sure we don’t run him into the ground,” Lue told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “When you lose a power player like Kawhi to start, you can see yourself playing James way more minutes than you need to. So, we just got to make sure we keep him healthy and make sure we’re doing the smart thing, and we’re still working on that right now as far as minutes and what we try to have to start the season.”
- Quincy Olivari had his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal by the Lakers after his strong preseason showing. He’s thrilled to make the roster but has loftier goals in mind. “This ain’t my end goal in life, but it’s another milestone that I’ve completed and accomplished and I’m just ready,” Olivari told Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “I’m just glad I was able to come back here to practice, honestly. I woke up and I was like, ‘It might be early, I might still be tired, but there’s some people that don’t have this blessing that I have so I’m just going to take full advantage.’ It changed my whole mindset.”
- Will Bronny James appear on the court at the same time as his father in the Lakers’ season opener? LeBron James says there’s no rush to make history. “Whenever it happens, it will happen,” he said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “If it’s tonight or if it’s down the line, whenever it happens, it will happen. But it’s been a treat, and just in preseason, the practices, just every day … just bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about and how to prepare every day as a professional.” The Lakers host Minnesota on Tuesday.
Injury Notes: Embiid, George, Reaves, Suns, Murray
The Sixers will be without two members of their “big three” when they open their season on Wednesday vs. the Bucks, the team announced today. As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Joel Embiid and Paul George have both been ruled out for that game.
Embiid didn’t play at all during the preseason due to left knee management. In addition to being ruled out for Wednesday’s opener, the star center will also miss Friday’s game in Toronto and Sunday’s in Indiana before being reevaluated this weekend. However, the former MVP is expected to ramp up his return-to-play activities and will scrimmage this week, so it sounds like the isn’t far off from making his season debut.
As for George, he’s said to be recovering well after hyperextending his left knee during the preseason. He’ll also ramp up his on-court activities this week and hasn’t been ruled out for any games beyond Wednesday’s vs. Milwaukee. The plan is for the star forward to be reassessed later this week.
While it’s a somewhat discouraging sign for 76ers fans that two of the team’s three stars will be on the shelf for the start of the season, the team has repeatedly expressed a desire to play it safe with Embiid and George this season in the hopes of having them at full strength for the postseason, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the team isn’t rushing them back for the first of 82 regular season games.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Lakers guard Austin Reaves missed some time during the preseason with an ankle injury, but he said on Monday that the ankle feels great now and that he’s good to go for the club’s opener vs. Minnesota on Tuesday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).
- Suns swingman Grayson Allen missed the team’s final four preseason contests due to a sore right Achilles, but he said he “did just about everything” in practice on Monday and hopes to be active when Phoenix’s season tips off on Wednesday vs. the Clippers, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Meanwhile, Suns guards Josh Okogie and Damion Lee are battling hamstring issues. “I think Damion is close,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Josh is a little bit behind those guys.”
- Dejounte Murray isn’t injured, but his status for the Pelicans‘ opener on Wednesday vs. Chicago is up in the air since he’s away from the team due to a family emergency, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Head coach Willie Green said the team is “hopeful” Murray will be available to make his Pelicans debut on Wednesday.
Checking In On Roster Situations Around The NBA
As expected, the majority of the NBA teams made their roster cuts on Saturday and didn’t wait until Monday’s deadline to set their regular season rosters.
Completing those moves on Saturday will ensure the players on non-guaranteed contracts clear waivers on Monday, before the regular season begins. If a team had waited until Monday to waive a player on a non-guaranteed deal, he wouldn’t clear waivers until Wednesday, and the team would be on the hook for two days’ worth of his salary.
After Saturday’s flurry of roster moves, here’s where things stand around the NBA…
Teams whose rosters are within the regular season limits
Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 29 have rosters that comply with the league’s regular season roster limits, which state that clubs can’t carry more than 15 players on standard contracts or three on two-way contracts.
The following 14 teams are right at the limit, carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Brooklyn Nets
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
- Washington Wizards
Just because these rosters look ready for the regular season doesn’t mean they’re fully locked in. It wouldn’t be be a surprise if one or more of these teams makes a minor tweak before Monday’s regular season roster deadline. That could be as simple as swapping out one two-way player for another.
The following 11 teams are carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:
- Boston Celtics
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Golden State Warriors
- Houston Rockets
- Indiana Pacers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
Several of these teams are in luxury tax territory or have minimal flexibility below the tax line, so they’ll open the season with an open roster spot to either keep their projected tax bill in check or maintain some financial flexibility. That’s not the case for all of them though. The Rockets are well clear of the tax, for instance, and could comfortably make a roster addition if they want to.
Four more teams are within the regular season limits. Those teams are as follows:
- Charlotte Hornets: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
- Detroit Pistons: 14 players on standard contracts and one on a two-way deal.
- New York Knicks: 12 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
- Orlando Magic: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
The Hornets, Pistons, and Magic will likely fill their open two-way slots sooner rather than later. In fact, Detroit already has its eye on a pair of players – Alondes Williams and Cole Swider – for its openings. There are no cap savings generated by keeping a two-way slot open, so I’d bet on Charlotte and Orlando adding one more two-way player in the coming days.
The Pistons also have an open spot on their 15-man roster and it’s perhaps no coincidence that they’re also the only team in the NBA with cap room still available. Carrying a 15th man, even one on a non-guaranteed contract, would slowly eat into that cap room, which is a scenario they probably want to avoid in order to maximize their ability to accommodate salary-dump trades during the season.
The Knicks are facing one of the NBA’s most restrictive hard cap situations, with just $3.58MM in wiggle room below that second-apron threshold, which they can’t surpass at any point during the 2024/25 season. They can’t even carry two more minimum-salary veterans, so the expectation is that they’ll sign a veteran to a minimum deal and promote a two-way rookie to the standard roster — Ariel Hukporti is the top candidate, and would count against the cap for the rookie minimum ($1,157,153) instead of the veteran minimum ($2,087,519), allowing the Knicks to remain below the hard cap.
The Knicks are permitted to carry just 12 players on standard contracts for up to 14 days at a time and for up to 28 total days during the regular season. It looks like they’ll probably use those first 14 days during the season’s first two weeks, meaning they won’t have to add 13th and 14th men until the first week of November.
Teams that still have moves to make before Monday’s deadline
Only one NBA team has yet to make the necessary cuts to get within the regular season roster limits:
Minnesota Timberwolves: 16 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
As a result of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, the Timberwolves are carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts and one (PJ Dozier) on a partially guaranteed deal. Dozier is assured of receiving at least $1MM of his minimum-salary contract, which counts on Minnesota’s books for about $2.09MM.
It sounds as if the Wolves would like to keep Dozier, which will likely make veteran forward Keita Bates-Diop the odd man out. Bates-Diop was a throw-in the Towns trade and wasn’t at practice on Saturday.
If they waive Bates-Diop, Minnesota will be on the hook for his full $2,654,644 guaranteed salary, along with the accompanying tax penalties, so the front office may continue to explore the trade market to try to find a taker for him (or a separate deal) in order to avoid that scenario. The Wolves will have to get down to 15 players on standard contracts and finalize their regular season roster by 4:00 pm Central time on Monday.
Reported Exhibit 10 signings that never materialized
A couple weeks ago, we checked in on the reported Exhibit 10 deals that had yet to be finalized, noting that most of them would still become official before opening night.
As expected, that was indeed the case. Of the 11 players we highlighted, nine ultimately signed Exhibit 10 contracts as reported and were subsequently waived. A tenth player, Boo Buie, didn’t complete his anticipated deal with the Suns, but inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks instead.
That leaves just one reported Exhibit 10 agreement that wasn’t completed — former Missouri guard Sean East II never ended up signing with the Lakers.
East and the Lakers could still technically finalize that deal on Sunday or Monday, but that doesn’t seem likely, since the team would take on a cap charge by signing and waiving East this late in the offseason. With just $45K in breathing room below the second tax apron, the Lakers are unlikely to be so cavalier about making even a small addition to their team salary.
Hoops Rumors’ roster resources
We consistently maintain and update a number of lists and trackers that are designed to help you keep tabs on NBA rosters. They’re all up to date following Saturday’s cuts.
Those resources, which can be found on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site or on the “Features” page within our mobile menu, include the following:
- 2024/25 NBA Roster Counts
- 2024/25 Non-Guaranteed Contracts By Team
- 2024/25 Two-Way Contract Tracker
- 2024 NBA Free Agent Tracker: This tracker will no longer be updated once the regular season begins, but includes every offseason free agent signing, including all the players who were signed-and-waived in recent days.
- 2025 NBA Free Agents By Position/Type
- 2025 NBA Free Agents By Team
Pacific Notes: Olivari, Bronny, Warriors, McLaughlin
Before his new two-way contract with the Lakers became official, rookie point guard Quincy Olivari got to play in front of his childhood basketball hero Friday night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Warriors star Stephen Curry, who sat out due to a sprained finger, talked to Olivari after the game and presented him with autographed sneakers.
“I used to sleep under that jersey,” Olivari told reporters. “I just wanted to be like him so bad. So just to be able to meet him, him be able to have some respect for me and for us to talk in the back — he gave me a pair of his shoes and signed them. Like, that meant the world to me.”
The 23-year-old Olivari has been a pleasant surprise in training camp after going undrafted out of Xavier. He shot 57.1% from the floor during the preseason and capped it off with a 22-point performance Friday night.
“I just want a job in the NBA,” he said. “Like, it’s the only thing I’ve wanted since I was like 5 years old, and my dad always said my biggest gift is my energy. Energy can never be created or destroyed, only transferred. So I bring energy to whatever team wants me, and I bring every group up.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Friday also marked the best preseason showing for second-round pick Bronny James, who posted 17 points, four rebounds, three steals and a block, McMenamin adds. He points out that James also got off to a slow start in Summer League, but improved as he saw more game action. “[It gives me] just a little bit of confidence going into the season even though I might not be in that rotation, might not be playing, but just going into practice, maybe G League games with that confidence in myself to go out there and play my game,” James said.
- At Thursday’s practice, Curry aggravated a finger injury he suffered last week, but he’s expected to be ready when the Warriors begin their season Wednesday at Portland, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. Coach Steve Kerr had hoped to get some clarity about his starting and closing lineups on Friday, but he suggested he may try several combinations early in the season. “I suppose both could change. I suppose both could change from one night to the next,” Kerr said. “I’d like to get a consistent starting five — and a consistent closing five. But it has to reveal itself.”
- There’s some concern in Sacramento after the Kings wrapped up their first winless preseason in 33 years, observes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. One positive is Jordan McLaughlin, who seems to be fully recovered from an ankle sprain earlier in the preseason. “I feel solid,” said McLaughlin, who joined the team in free agency this summer after five years in Minnesota. “I’m still getting my legs back and getting my wind back from being hurt, but so far, so good, and I’m just looking forward to growing in this system.”
Minor Moves: Thunder, Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, Bucks
The Thunder have waived forward Malevy Leons, the team announced today. Leons went undrafted in June out of Bradley and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Oklahoma City in September. His next stop will likely be with the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. If he spends at least 60 days with the Blue, Leons will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K.
Meanwhile, the Thunder’s roster is now regular season compliant. They’re carrying 13 players on standard guaranteed salaries, a pair on non-guaranteed deals, and three on two-way pacts.
Here are a few more minor transactions completed on Saturday around the NBA:
- The Raptors signed and subsequently waived forward Kevin Obanor, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter links). After going undrafted out of Texas Tech in 2023, Obanor spent his rookie season with the Raptors 905. Today’s sign-and-waive transaction suggests he’ll be returning to the 905 this fall — Toronto already held his returning rights, but today’s moves will allow the 25-year-old to cash in on an Exhibit 10 bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the 905.
- The Celtics signed Jordan Schakel to an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac, and waived him on Saturday, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. As with Obanor, the moves were simply designed to get Schakel a bonus for returning to the Maine Celtics, the team he played for last season. Boston also signed and waived Schakel in September, so it’s unclear why the club did so again a month later.
- The Lakers have cut former Belmont standout Grayson Murphy after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract this week, the team announced on Saturday (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). The 25-year-old point guard spent the past two seasons competing in Germany, but appears ticketed for the South Bay Lakers to open the 2024/25 season.
- The Bucks waived center Jalen Lewis after having signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract on Friday, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Lewis, who spent multiple years in the Overtime Elite program, will likely begin the season with the Wiscon Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate.
Lakers Sign Quincy Olivari To Two-Way Deal, Waive Colin Castleton
The Lakers have signed training camp standout Quincy Olivari to a two-way contract, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Los Angeles is waiving Colin Castleton to make room, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Olivari drew rave reviews from Lakers staffers during the offseason, and he backed it up with impressive play during the preseason. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting a blistering 57.1% from beyond the arc across four preseason appearances (including one start). He closed out the preseason on Friday with a 22-point performance.
Olivari played four collegiate seasons at Rice before transferring to Xavier for his final season. He averaged 19.2 PPG and shot 40.9% on 7.6 three-point attempts per game last season. He went undrafted in the 2024 class but is now set to make the Lakers’ opening-day roster.
Castleton appeared in 16 games with the Lakers last season on a two-way deal after going undrafted out of Florida. He didn’t play much at the NBA level, but impressed in the G League with averages of 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.
The Lakers made him a restricted free agent this offseason before re-signing him to a two-way deal amid a summer league performance that saw him average a near-double-double. L.A.’s frontcourt depth is down right now with Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt injured and Christian Koloko still needing medical clearance (though the team is optimistic he’ll receive it sooner than later).
That seemed like a recipe for Castleton to perhaps receive some early season minutes, but he only averaged 2.4 points in 13.7 minutes during the preseason. The Lakers are reportedly looking for at options for center depth.
The Lakers are still one spot over the regular season limit from setting their opening night roster. They have Grayson Murphy occupying an Exhibit 10 slot, but he’ll almost certainly be waived in the coming hours. The Lakers have a full 18-man roster beyond that, with Olivari, Armel Traore and Koloko occupying their two-way slots.