Grizzlies Sign Charles Bassey To 10-Day Hardship Deal
October 27: Bassey’s 10-day contract with the Grizzlies is now official, the team announced (Twitter link).
October 26: The Grizzlies are preparing to sign free agent center Charles Bassey, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
Memphis doesn’t have an open 15-man roster spot, but will complete the signing using a hardship exception, which allows a club to temporarily add a 16th man.
A team qualifies for a hardship exception if it has at least four players who have missed three consecutive games and are expected to be sidelined for at least two more weeks. Ty Jerome, Zach Edey, Scotty Pippen Jr., and Brandon Clarke fit that bill for the Grizzlies, per Charania.
Bassey is entering his fifth season in the NBA, having spent the last three seasons with the Spurs after playing for the Sixers as a rookie. The former 53rd overall pick holds career averages of 4.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 11.1 minutes per game.
Bassey, a 6’10” center, will turn 25 in two days and can provide some stability at the center spot, which has been manned primarily by Jock Landale to start the season.
The Grizzlies are 2-1, with wins over the Pacers and Pelicans, though they gave up 146 points in a loss to the Heat on Friday and currently boast the sixth-worst mark among teams for opponent scoring allowed, giving up 123.7 points per game.
Hardship deals cover 10 days at a time. If the Grizzlies still meet the hardship criteria when Bassey’s first 10-day contract expires, he could be signed to a second 10-day deal.
NBA Seeking To Tighten Controls On Injury Reporting, Prop Betting
In the aftermath of the FBI’s arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones last week, the NBA informed its teams that the league has begun a process of reviewing policies regarding injury reporting, training and education of all personnel, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The memo also specifically addresses concerns regarding gambling, with the league exploring ways to enhance internal and external monitoring programs to identify suspicious betting activity.
Injury reporting has jumped into the spotlight in light of the allegations against Billups and Jones. While the most serious allegations against Billups regard his involvement in rigged poker games, Billups was also accused of providing inside information that could potentially be used by others for betting purposes. According to the indictment, an unnamed co-conspirator (Billups) told Eric Earnest, another of the defendants, that the Trail Blazers were going into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023 and that a certain player, purportedly star guard Damian Lillard, would sit out.
Along similar lines, Jones allegedly informed an unnamed co-conspirator prior to the Lakers‘ game vs. Milwaukee on February 9, 2023 that a specific Laker would miss the game and that the co-conspirator should bet on the Bucks. That player was later identified as LeBron James. James reportedly wasn’t aware that Jones was sharing information about his playing status.
NBA teams typically provide injury reports the day prior to a game but there is a gap in time during game days before the final injury report prior to tip-off is revealed.
The memo also specifically addressed Rozier’s situation. Rozier was accused of essentially taking himself out of a game due to injury so that prop bets on “unders” could be cashed.
The memo obtained by Charania (Twitter link) stated, “While the unusual betting on Terry Rozier’s ‘unders’ in the March 2023 game was detected in real time because the bets were placed legally, we believe there is more that can be done from a legal/regulatory perspective to protect the integrity of the NBA and our affiliated leagues. In particular, proposition bets on individual player performance involve heightened integrity concerns and require additional scrutiny.”
Prior to the FBI’s arrests, Rozier had been cleared by the league during its investigation and was in uniform for Miami’s opener, though he did not play. Commissioner Adam Silver stated last week the FBI had broader powers to conduct a more thorough investigation. Silver had also expressed growing concerns with regard to prop bets.
Charania shared the entire league memo on social media (Twitter link).
Bennedict Mathurin Out With Toe Sprain
Bennedict Mathurin will miss Sunday’s Pacers game in Minnesota with a right great toe sprain, reports Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).
Dustin Dopirak of the Indy Star adds (via Twitter) that Mathurin is currently in a walking boot, and, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, will undergo imaging on his foot tomorrow in Dallas.
Now possessing a much larger role due to injuries to Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell, along with the departure of Myles Turner, Mathurin has averaged 31.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in the Pacers’ first two games, posting .548/.500/.885 shooting splits.
Mathurin joins a growing Indiana injury list that also includes Andrew Nembhard, Johnny Furphy, Kam Jones, and Taelon Peter in addition to Haliburton and McConnell, writes Alessandro Maggi of Sportando.
Maggi notes that Carlisle has yet to give a timetable for Mathurin’s return.
Luka Doncic Out Multiple Games With Finger, Leg Injuries
Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been diagnosed with a left finger spain and a lower left leg contusion, the team announced today (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). The Slovenian star will be reexamined in about a week.
While it’s obviously unfortunate that Doncic is expected to miss multiple games, a source tell Woike there are no long-term concerns about the injuries (Twitter link).
The Lakers play four times this week — at Sacramento on Sunday, vs. Portland on Monday, at Minnesota on Wednesday, and at Memphis on Friday — before returning home to face Miami next Sunday.
Backup center Jaxson Hayes, who is battling left knee soreness, has also been downgraded to out for tonight’s game in Sacramento. It’s the second straight absence for Hayes, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN (via Twitter).
As we previously relayed, Doncic received MVP chants from the home crowd during Friday’s victory over Minnesota. The 26-year-old was off to an incredible start to the season, averaging a league-high 46.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.0 steal through two games.
Doncic reportedly sustained the finger injury early in Friday’s game and had the digit wrapped for the remainder of the contest. It’s unclear when the left leg injury occurred — he suffered a minor injury to the opposite leg in Tuesday’s season-opening loss at Golden State.
With Doncic out and LeBron James (sciatica on his left side) still sidelined, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Marcus Smart and Dalton Knecht are among the candidates for increased play-making responsibilities.
Doncic appeared in a career-low 50 games last season, largely due to a calf strain he sustained on Christmas. He received lots of attention for getting in better shape during the offseason and had an excellent showing at EuroBasket 2025 with Slovenia.
Heat Didn’t Know About Terry Rozier Investigation When Trade Took Place
The Heat weren’t aware that Terry Rozier was under suspicion of illegal gambling activity when they acquired him from Charlotte in January 2024, multiple sources tell Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Rozier was arrested Thursday by the FBI as part of a federal investigation into illegal sports betting, jeopardizing his basketball future and raising plenty of questions about what the move means for the team. Without action from commissioner Adam Silver, Rozier and his expiring $26.6MM salary will remain on Miami’s roster for the rest of the season.
The NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity regarding Rozier 10 months before the trade took place, but the league has a policy of not informing its teams about such matters, according to Jackson and Chiang.
No warning was given to the Heat before the league approved the trade, which sent veteran guard Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick to Charlotte, multiple sources told the authors. Their sources also said Hornets officials didn’t share information about the probe with the Heat, and Mike Cristaldi, Charlotte’s chief communications officer, refused to say whether they were aware of the allegations against Rozier.
The Heat didn’t learn that Rozier was being investigated by the NBA and FBI until it was reported by the Wall Street Journal after the trade was complete, according to the authors.
They describe the team as being in “information gathering mode” and still undecided on whether it will appeal to the league in an effort to get back the draft pick that’s now owned by the Hornets. That pick will convey to Charlotte in 2027 if the Heat reach the playoffs that season. Otherwise, it becomes unprotected in 2028.
Two spokesmen from the league office refused to explain to Jackson and Chiang why the NBA doesn’t inform all its teams when unusual betting activity is detected or whenever it opens an investigation into a player. The authors point out that having that information might have dissuaded Miami from trying to trade for Rozier.
They add that the NBA has declined to say whether Silver would consider voiding Rozier’s contract before the case is decided in federal court. The team currently can’t sign a replacement for Rozier or fill its open roster spot without moving into luxury tax territory. If Rozier were to be expelled from the NBA, the Heat would be about $28MM below the tax threshold, giving them plenty of room to sign two players and fill out their roster.
Jackson and Chiang point out that having the draft pick returned would provide a lot more flexibility in trade talks, giving Miami tradable first-rounders in 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032. The team is currently limited to trading no more than two future picks (2030 and 2032).
The NBA office denied a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that the league ordered Rozier to be benched after he left the game that prompted the investigation, the authors add. A league spokesman said Rozier suffered a foot injury that was confirmed by an MRI.
2025 NBA G League Draft Results
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2025/26 season on Saturday afternoon. Players who signed NBAGL contracts and whose rights weren’t already controlled by a team were part of the draft pool.
Affiliates from all 30 NBA teams took part in the draft, along with the unaffiliated Mexico City Capitanes.
Dillon Jones, who was a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft, was selected No. 1 overall by South Bay, which is the Lakers’ G League affiliate.
The 23-year-old small forward was drafted out of Weber State by Oklahoma City with the 26th pick last summer. He appeared in 54 games as a rookie, but only played 10.2 minutes per night and averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
The Thunder traded Jones to Washington in June to clear a spot on their roster. The Wizards waived him last weekend and still owe him $2,753,280 for the remainder of the season.
Drafting Jones to South Bay won’t prevent another NBA team from signing him, since holding a player’s G League rights doesn’t mean teams control his NBA rights. However, it will give the Lakers a chance to take a first-hand look at him before potentially offering a standard or two-way contract.
With the second pick, the Osceola Magic selected Tyler Smith, who lost a battle for the Bucks’ final roster spot and was waived last Sunday. The 20-year-old power forward was expected to draw interest as a two-way target, but it doesn’t appear any offers have materialized yet. Smith, who started his career with the now-defunct G League Ignite, was taken with the 33rd pick in last year’s NBA draft.
The Wizards’ affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, had three of the next four picks, selecting Ace Baldwin at No. 3, Nolan Hickman at No. 5 and Cam Carter at No. 6.
Two notable second-generation players were selected in today’s draft. Jamal Mashburn Jr. was taken at No. 8 by the Westchester Knicks, and Jabri Abdur-Rahim, whose father Shareef serves as G League president, went to the Stockton Kings at No. 29.
Here are the full 2025 G League draft results:
Round One:
South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Dillon Jones- Osceola Magic (Magic): Tyler Smith
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Ace Baldwin
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Adama Bal
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Nolan Hickman
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Cam Carter
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Stefan Todorovic
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jamal Mashburn Jr.
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Ethan Taylor
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): A.J. Hoggard
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Kario Oquendo
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Kenan Blackshear
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Vinicius da Silva (Brazil)
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Josh Cohen
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Cearius Warren (St. Thomas University)
- Osceola Magic (Magic): Ebenezer Dowuona
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): John Harge (Adams State University)
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Tray Jackson
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Jaden Seymour
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Chris Mantis
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Tyrin Lawrence
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): JP Pegues
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Olisa Akonobi
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
- South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Selton Miguel
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): O’Mar Stanley
- Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ben Coupet Jr.
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Des Watson
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Jabri Abdur-Rahim
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Carter Whitt
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): J.Z. Zaher
Round Two:
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Sean Durugordon
- Stockton Kings (Kings): No pick
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Jermaine Couisnard
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Dischon Thomas
- Valley Suns (Suns): Bryce Thompson
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Darius Maddox
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Derrin Boyd
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Pierre Crockrell II
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Markeese Hastings
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Vance Jackson
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Chandler Baker
- Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Onno Steger
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Donte Ingram
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Kobe Webster
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Tyler Hawkins (Barry University)
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Jason Hubbard (Taylor University)
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): T.J. Weeks
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): No pick
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): No pick
- Noblesville Boom (Pacers): Ahmaad Rorie
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Nicolas Timberlake
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): No pick
- Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers): No pick
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): No pick
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Franco Miller Jr.
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ray Harrison
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): No pick
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Fousseyni Drame
- Osceola Magic (Magic): No pick
Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).
G League training camps open on Monday, with this year’s NBAGL Tip-Off Tournament getting underway on November 7. The Tip-Off Tournament will be played over about a month-and-a-half and will be followed by the G League regular season, which begins on December 19.
Latest On Lakers’ Sale
Dodgers owner Mark Walter could be approved as the new majority owner of the Lakers by the end of October, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
As Shelburne details, citing sources, Walter is slated to present his record-setting bid to purchase the team to the NBA’s Advisory Finance Committee on Friday. Walter is already a significant minority shareholder in the Lakers, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.
According to Shelburne, the committee will review the bid and then make a recommendation to the league’s Board of Governors, which could vote on the impending sale at the end of next week.
Walter’s ownership group is purchasing a significant portion of the Buss family’s 66% majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation. Current governor Jeanie Buss is expected to stay in that role for the next several years, as the family will retain at least a 15% stake, the minimum required for a minority owner to be a team’s governor.
The Lakers and Walter previously announced that the sale was expected to close during either the third or fourth quarter of 2025.
Pelicans Sign DeAndre Jordan To One-Year Deal
The Pelicans and free agent center DeAndre Jordan have reached an agreement on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, agent Jeff Schwartz tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
New Orleans had an open spot on its standard 15-man roster after waiving guard Jaden Springer on Thursday.
Jordan, a three-time All-NBA center who has led the league in rebounding twice and won a title with Denver in 2023, has been in the NBA since 2008 and has appeared in over 1,100 regular season games for a total of seven teams.
The 37-year-old no longer plays the same kind of significant role he did earlier in his career, but he still saw semi-regular minutes for the Nuggets in recent years as one of Nikola Jokic‘s backups. In 2024/25, Jordan made 56 regular season appearances, averaging 3.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest.
The Pelicans, who have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and had Springer on a non-guaranteed deal, determined that it made more sense to use that 15th roster spot to carry another big man, since their frontcourt has been hit hard by injuries early in the season.
Presumed starting center Kevon Looney is currently sidelined due to a left knee sprain, while big men Yves Missi (right ankle sprain) and Karlo Matkovic (low back spasms) are considered questionable to play vs. San Antonio on Friday. Rookie forward/center Derik Queen is available, but he missed the entire preseason while recovering from wrist surgery and is unlikely to see a ton of playing time right away — he logged 15 minutes in Wednesday’s opener.
According to NBA.com’s transaction log, Jordan officially signed on Thursday, which means he would earn a prorated minimum salary of $3,592,381, with the Pelicans taking on a cap hit of $2,269,880.
I would expect Jordan’s deal is non-guaranteed, giving the club the flexibility to consider another move with that 15th roster spot if and when its frontcourt gets healthier. However, that’s just my speculation and hasn’t been confirmed.
Latest On Arrests Of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier
Although he was not indicted in the illegal sports betting case that resulted in the arrest of Heat guard Terry Rozier, it’s clear that a person matching the description of Chauncey Billups is accused of providing insider information about the Trail Blazers planning to go into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Billups was arrested on Thursday in a separate but related case involving an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia. He was arraigned on one count of wire-fraud conspiracy and one count of money-laundering conspiracy in federal court in Portland and was released under certain conditions, including having his travel restricted to Oregon, Colorado (his home state), and New York (where his trial will take place) writes Maxine Bernstein of The Oregonian.
The 49-year-old coach, who has been placed on leave by the NBA, will also be required to pay a “substantial” bond, surrender his passport, is prohibited from contacting his co-defendants and is barred from engaging in any form of gambling-related activities, per Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link).
Billups’ next court date is November 24 in Brooklyn, New York.
Chris Heywood, the attorney who represented Billups at Thursday’s arraignment, released a statement saying his client disputes the charges. It’s unclear if Billups will have a different lawyer for the actual case, a league source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others,” Heywood said in the statement. “To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.
“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to. Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”
Rozier, who was also placed on leave by the league, faced his own arraignment in Florida today. The 31-year-old had to put up his $6MM mansion as collateral for bond, according to Mike Valente of CBS Central Florida (Twitter link), and was conditionally released under similar stipulations as Billups.
Here are a few more items of interest related to the cases:
- While the arrests of Billups and Rozier have understandably generated the most attention, Damon Jones‘ involvement may be the most problematic for the league, a high-ranking team executive tells Mannix. The former NBA guard and coach was allegedly involved in both cases, including for tipping off a bettor about the injury status of a Lakers player that Dave McMenamin of ESPN confirms was LeBron James. To be clear, James has not been accused of any wrongdoing and was unaware of his colleague’s gambling activities, a source tells McMenamin.
- Several ESPN insiders and three SI.com authors explain more details of the investigations and the alleged involvements of Rozier, Billups and Jones.
- The Magic were mentioned in the illegal betting probe. In a statement to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link), the team said it has “no indication that any current players were involved and we have not been contacted by the authorities.”
- According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link), the Heat were unaware of Rozier’s involvement in the illegal sports betting case — which allegedly took place when he was a member of the Hornets — when they traded for him several months later. Miami was also not aware of any NBA investigation into the matter, Jackson adds.
Pelicans Waive Jaden Springer
The Pelicans have made a roster move just one game into the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Jaden Springer.
Springer, a defensive-minded guard who made New Orleans’ opening night roster after coming to camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, was active for Wednesday’s game, but didn’t see any action. He appeared in a pair of preseason contests, averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 6.3 minutes per game.
Because Springer’s salary was non-guaranteed, the Pelicans will only carry a small dead-money cap hit after waiving him. The 23-year-old will be paid for the three days of the regular season he spent under contract, as well as the two days he spends on waivers.
In total, he’ll earn 5/174ths of his $2,461,463 salary, which works out to $70,732. That’s also the cap hit that will be left on New Orleans’ books, assuming Springer goes unclaimed on waivers.
The Pelicans now have an open spot on their 15-man standard roster and have roughly doubled their breathing room below the luxury tax line, to over $4MM.