Lakers Center Thomas Bryant Undergoes Thumb Surgery
Lakers center Thomas Bryant underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his left thumb, the team’s PR department tweets. He will be reevaluated by team doctors in approximately three weeks, the team adds.
Los Angeles signed Bryant early in free agency to a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract.
The Lakers are off to a bad start in terms of injuries. Another free agent acquisition, guard Dennis Schröder, underwent the same surgery on his right thumb this week and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.
With Bryant out, Anthony Davis is expected to play the bulk of the minutes at center with Damian Jones in reserve.
Bryant’s career has been sidetracked by injuries. The former Wizards big man suffered an ACL tear two seasons ago and has only appeared in 37 games since, including 27 last season.
Bryant, who will turn 25 later this month, began his NBA career with the Lakers, having been acquired from Utah in a draft-night deal in 2017. The 42nd overall pick appeared in just 15 games as a rookie with L.A. and was waived in the summer of 2018.
The Wizards claimed Bryant off waivers and the big man spent the next four seasons in D.C.
Jazz Sign GM Justin Zanik To Multiyear Extension
The Jazz have signed general manager Justin Zanik to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced today in a press release.
A former player agent, Zanik originally joined the Jazz as an assistant general manager in 2013 and spent three years in that role before taking a job in the Bucks’ front office for the 2016/17 season. He returned to Utah as an assistant GM in 2017 and earned a promotion to general manager in 2019.
Although Zanik was initially below president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey in the Jazz’s front office hierarchy and is now technically working under CEO and top decision-maker Danny Ainge, he has essentially been running the front office’s day-to-day operations since his promotion to GM in 2019.
“Justin’s basketball acumen, ability to create meaningful relationships throughout the league, and management of our front office are invaluable assets,” Ainge said in a statement. “We’re thrilled that he’ll continue to lead the team.”
Zanik’s new deal is a signal that Jazz ownership is happy with the job that he and the front office did this summer reshaping the roster and building for the future.
The Jazz acquired a total of seven unprotected first-round picks, a top-five protected first-rounder, and three future first-round pick swaps in trades involving Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Royce O’Neale during the offseason, setting the franchise up to be a player in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes this season.
NBA Announces Opening Night Rosters For 2022/23
After the deadline for teams to reduce their rosters to 17 players (15 on standard contracts and two on two-way deals) passed on Monday evening, the NBA issued a press release listing the opening night rosters for all 30 teams. That list can be found right here.
The NBA’s team-by-team breakdown doesn’t include any major surprises. The only discrepancies we noticed were as follows:
- Luke Kornet does not appear on the Celtics‘ roster, but our assumption for now is that’s a mistake. There has been no indication from the team that Kornet was waived, and no moves involving him show up in the NBA’s official transaction log. We’ll keep an eye out to see if that changes.
[UPDATE: Kornet has since been added to the Celtics’ roster on the NBA’s list.] - Mamadi Diakite, who signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, doesn’t show up on Cleveland’s roster because he completed his deal after the deadline to get down to 17 players had already passed. He now fills the Cavs’ second two-way slot.
- The Mavericks are reportedly signing Facundo Campazzo to a standard contract, while the Trail Blazers are reportedly signing John Butler to a two-way deal. However, neither move is official yet, so Campazzo and Butler don’t show up on the list of opening night rosters.
Once the Campazzo and Butler signings are finalized, there will only be nine roster spots available around the NBA, with 501 of 510 possible slots filled, including all 60 two-ways.
[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Roster Counts]
The Hawks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Sixers, Suns, and Trail Blazers are the teams that will have an open spot on their respective standard rosters.
De’Andre Hunter Signs Four-Year Extension With Hawks
8:00pm: The Hawks have officially announced the deal in a press release.
7:07pm: Hawks small forward De’Andre Hunter is signing a four-season rookie scale contract extension worth up to $95MM to remain in Atlanta, agents Thad Foucher and Joe Smith inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (Twitter link) that $90MM of the deal is guaranteed, while the remaining $5MM on the contract represents unlikely bonus incentives. Scotto adds that there are no player or team options baked into the agreement.
Bobby Marks of ESPN adds (via Twitter) that the fourth-year swingman’s contract extension will pay him $20.1MM starting in the 2023/24 season, with annual salary increases from there. Marks adds that $1.25MM in unlikely incentives could be paid out across each of the four years.
Hunter, the No. 4 pick out of Virginia in 2019, has spent his entire pro career with Atlanta. On draft night in 2019, the Hawks acquired Hunter’s draft rights from the Pelicans, who in turn had received his rights as part of the Lakers’ blockbuster summer deal for All-Star big man Anthony Davis.
When healthy, the 6’8″ wing has exhibited plenty of promise as an intimidating two-way force. However, Hunter has been hampered by injuries through the past two NBA seasons, having missed a combined 78 regular season contests from 2020-22.
Across 53 games during the 2021/22 season, the 24-year-old averaged 13.4 PPG on .442/.379/.765 shooting splits. He also chipped in 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, and 0.7 SPG. A strong defender capable of effectively pestering shooting guards through power forwards, Hunter operates as an excellent complement to star scorer Trae Young. With Atlanta having shored up its backcourt defense by trading for 2022 All-Star guard Dejounte Murray, Hunter may not be extended quite as much defensively this year.
Earlier this offseason, Hoops Rumors scribe Rory Maher predicted that Hunter could fetch a long-term deal in the range of $60-$80MM. The $60MM is what Rory projected the Hawks would have been willing to offer, while the higher end of the bargain represents what Rory considered to be the rate Hunter and his representatives may have wanted. Instead, the Hawks are making an even more aggressive commitment.
The robust $95MM total value of the deal represents a significant investment in the injury-prone wing, with the Hawks clearly gambling that he will be able to string together healthier seasons and continue to grow on offense in the seasons to come.
With Hunter agreeing to an extension, that brings the tally of rookie scale extension deals to 11 this year, tying a record that was set in 2021, tweets Marc Stein. The 2019 draft’s top five picks all signed lucrative extension deals. No. 13 pick Tyler Herro of the Heat, is the only other ’19 lottery pick to agree to a rookie scale extension.
Dennis Schröder Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks After Thumb Surgery
7:40pm: The Lakers confirmed in a press release that Schröder underwent surgery on Monday to repair the ulnar collaterial ligament on his right thumb and will be reevaluated in three weeks.
3:45pm: Lakers guard Dennis Schröder underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his right thumb on Monday and is expected to miss three-to-four weeks, head coach Darvin Ham told reporters, including ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).
It’s an unfortunate start to the 2022/23 season for Schröder, who re-joined the Lakers on a one-year, minimum-salary deal as a free agent last month after a strong performance at EuroBasket, helping lead the German team to a bronze medal. However, he missed most of training camp and preseason and was only able to practice with the Lakers for the first time last Monday due to a visa issue.
The 29-year-old said he has “unfinished business” with the Lakers after reportedly being unwilling to discuss a lucrative extension in his first stint with the team a couple of seasons ago. The rumored four-year, $80MM extension was never signed, and Schröder instead signed a one-year, $5.9MM with Boston last summer.
Schröder hopes his second stint with the Lakers is longer than his first (one season).
“Of course, it would be great to sign a big deal and a longer-term deal, and that’s my goal still,” he said. “But the end of the day, we are here now and I’m going to do everything I can right now to just help my teammates win ballgames.”
With Schröder sidelined, players like Kendrick Nunn, Patrick Beverley and Austin Reaves could see more playing time in his stead.
No Extensions For Grant Williams, Cam Johnson, Others
Several notable fourth-year NBA players who were eligible for rookie scale contract extension agreements did not come to terms with their current clubs, and will now enter restricted free agency next summer with the extension deadline having passed.
Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN reports (via Twitter) that newly-promoted Suns starting power forward Cameron Johnson, Hornets forward P.J. Washington, and Celtics forward Grant Williams all failed to reach extension deals with their respective clubs.
With former Phoenix starting four Jae Crowder demanding his way out of town, it would have perhaps behooved the Suns to lock up Johnson to a long-term deal, but the team’s ownership situation could have made figuring out an agreement difficult. Williams had an erratic postseason for Boston during the team’s Finals run. Washington could get some additional run this season with the availability of forward Miles Bridges up in the air.
A source informs Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link) that Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes did not ultimately reach an agreement on a contract extension with New Orleans. Clark suggested that Hayes and his team would most likely resume negotiations when the big man reaches restricted free agency next summer, so it appears New Orleans does hope to keep him aboard.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets that Sixers swingman Matisse Thybulle similarly did not agree to an extension with Philadelphia, and is now set to reach restricted free agency in the summer of 2023. Thybulle is a terrific perimeter defender, but his offensive limitations impede his value.
Even though Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard and head coach Wes Unseld Jr. gave him positive preseason performance reviews, forward Rui Hachimura also will now enter restricted free agency in the 2023 offseason, reports Ava Wallace of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
Knicks forward Cam Reddish, the tenth pick in the 2019 draft, did not get an extension from New York, his second NBA team, The Athletic’s Fred Katz reports (via Twitter). Katz notes that an agreement was not anticipated. Reddish struggled to carve out rotation minutes when the Hawks traded him to the Knicks, even though the team was clearly lottery-bound near the end of the 2021/22 season.
Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). reports that, in another anticipated move, combo guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker did not reach an extension agreement with the Jazz.
Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago writes that the Bulls also opted to not extend reserve guard Coby White, the seventh pick in the 2019 draft. Schaefer notes that, though Chicago considered trade offers for the 22-year-old out of UNC, the team eventually decided to not move him.
White will compete for minutes in a crowded backcourt that includes starting point guard Ayo Dosunmu and starting shooting guard Zach LaVine, plus reserves Alex Caruso and Goran Dragic. If Lonzo Ball returns from a recent knee surgery, he would supplant Dosunmu in the starting lineup, and further dilute White’s minutes load.
Here’s the full list of players eligible for rookie scale extensions who didn’t sign new deals before Monday’s 5:00 pm CT deadline:
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Jazz)
- Darius Bazley (Thunder)
- Goga Bitadze (Pacers)
- Rui Hachimura (Wizards)
- Jaxson Hayes (Pelicans)
- Cameron Johnson (Suns)
- Romeo Langford (Spurs)
- Cam Reddish (Knicks)
- Matisse Thybulle (Sixers)
- P.J. Washington (Hornets)
- Coby White (Bulls)
- Grant Williams (Celtics)
- Dylan Windler (Cavaliers)
Extension-eligible veterans on expiring contracts remain eligible to sign new contracts throughout the season, while extension-eligible vets with multiple years left on their contracts can extend their deals up until 10:59 pm CT tonight.
Though the roster deadline has passed and every team is in compliance, that doesn’t mean there will be no additional moves tonight and tomorrow before the games begin. That said, in general, team rosters are set with the 2022/23 season set to tip off on Tuesday.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
Pistons Waive Kemba Walker
OCTOBER 17: As expected, the Pistons have waived Walker, the team confirmed today in a press release.
OCTOBER 14: The Pistons will likely waive veteran guard Kemba Walker in the coming days in order to get their roster down to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts, according to Shams Charania and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
A four-time All-Star, Walker has seen his production dip in the last year or two as he has been slowed by knee issues. He averaged 11.6 PPG and 3.5 APG on .403/.367/.845 shooting in 37 games (25.6 MPG) last season for the Knicks, and was a liability on defense.
New York sent Walker to Detroit in a salary-dump trade in June, and reports immediately indicated that the 32-year-old and the Pistons would likely come to a buyout agreement. However, that buyout didn’t end up coming to fruition.
There are likely a couple reasons why Walker has yet to accept the Pistons’ buyout offer. For one, there has been no indication that he has a guaranteed contract offer on the table from another team, as he seemingly confirmed last week.
Additionally, since Detroit has more than 15 players on guaranteed contracts, the team was always going to have to trade or release one of those players by the regular season roster deadline of October 17 — since Walker is so obviously the odd man out, the Pistons had little leverage to encourage him to give back a portion of his $9.17MM salary unless they parted with another player on a guaranteed deal.
If and when Walker is waived, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent two days later and would be able to sign with any team except the Knicks. Potential suitors will certainly be wary of Kemba’s knee problems, but he insisted last week that he can still be a useful NBA player and still has “a few years left” in him.
“I’ve got something in the tank for sure,” he said. “I feel great. I’m going to be honest. I’m going to have my opportunity. I’m not in any rush right now. I’m just grinding and trying to feel as good as I can. And right now, I feel great. I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time. I’m just waiting for the opportunity.”
Walker’s former team in Charlotte is one that has been mentioned as a possible landing spot — the Hornets were already short on point guard depth even before LaMelo Ball sprained his ankle during the preseason.
Thunder Waive David Nwaba, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss
The Thunder have made three cuts ahead of Monday’s regular season roster deadline, announcing that they’ve waived swingman David Nwaba, guard Trey Burke, and forward/center Marquese Chriss.
All three players were sent from Houston to Oklahoma City last month, but that trade was more about cutting costs for the Thunder than it was about the players involved. Oklahoma City also received Sterling Brown in that deal and waived him too, so none of the four players acquired from the Rockets are still under contract with the Thunder (Houston has also waived the four players it acquired in the trade).
Three cuts were required for the Thunder because they had been carrying 18 players on guaranteed contracts after signing Isaiah Joe earlier today.
The team will be on the hook for the 2022/23 salaries for Nwaba ($5,022,000), Burke ($3,423,750), and Chriss ($2,193,920), assuming they go unclaimed on waivers. However, none of the three are owed any guaranteed money beyond this season. Nwaba, Burke, and Chriss have been solid rotation players in the past, but none were particularly effective for Houston in 2021/22.
Nwaba averaged 5.1 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 46 games (13.2 MPG), while making just 30.6% of his three-point attempts; Burke put up 5.1 PPG and 1.4 APG in 42 games (10.5 MPG) and shot a career-low 31.7% on threes; Chriss averaged 4.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 34 appearances (10.2 MPG) and underwent knee surgery in June.
The Thunder now have 15 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals, so their roster is set for the regular season.
As for Joe, his new deal with the Thunder is a three-year, minimum-salary contract that is fully guaranteed for the first season and non-guaranteed in year two, with a third-year team option, Hoops Rumors has learned. Oklahoma City used a portion of its mid-level exception to complete the signing, which head coach Mark Daigneault expressed enthusiasm about in a Monday media session.
“He’s a guy that our scouts and our people have liked for some time,” Daigneault said, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter video link).
Rockets Waive Derrick Favors
OCTOBER 17: The Rockets have waived Favors, the team confirmed today. Houston’s roster is now set for the regular season.
OCTOBER 14: The Rockets plan to waive veteran big man Derrick Favors, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter link).
As Charania notes, Houston still needed to make one more cut with 16 players on guaranteed standard contracts. Favors will be the odd man out.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Rockets are “huge fans” of Boban Marjanovic, another veteran center who may have been competing with Favors for the last roster spot. Iko says the team holds Marjanovic “in high regard as a locker room presence” and he’s “universally loved by his teammates,” in addition to having situational use as a backup.
The Rockets will be on the hook for all of Favors’ $10,183,800 salary in 2022/23 assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, which is almost certain to happen. If he’s officially waived today, the 31-year-old will become a free agent on Sunday.
Favors was acquired by the Rockets in an eight-player trade with the Thunder at the end of last month, and all four players Houston acquired will have been waived before the season starts (the Rockets essentially took on extra expiring money this season to land a future second-round pick and received some cash to help offset the salary differences).
The third overall pick of the 2010 draft, Favors has appeared in 790 regular season games (503 starts, 24.3 MPG) with averages of 10.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 1.2 BPG while shooting 53.4% from the floor and 66.3% from the foul line. His mobility and production have declined in recent seasons, averaging career-lows of 5.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 38 games (18 starts, 16.7 MPG) with the Thunder in ’21/22, but it would be surprising if he doesn’t land with a new team soon after becoming a free agent.
Darius Days Gets Two-Way Contract With Rockets
OCTOBER 17: The Rockets have converted Days to a two-way contract, the team confirmed today. With Favors also officially waived, Houston is now within the regular season roster limit.
OCTOBER 16: The Rockets will give their open two-way slot to Darius Days, tweets Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Houston claimed Days on Tuesday after he was placed on waivers by the Heat.
The 6’7″ forward out of LSU had a strong showing with the Spurs at the Las Vegas Summer League. The Heat gave Days a two-way contract in July, but later converted him to an Exhibit 10 contract and cut him when they decided to give Jamal Cain that two-way slot.
Miami had hoped to send Days to its G League affiliate if he cleared waivers, but the Rockets snatched him away.
Houston’s roster now appears set with veteran big man Derrick Favors expected to be waived before Monday’s deadline. Rookie guard Trevor Hudgins holds the team’s other two-way slot.