Celtics Sign Brodric Thomas To Two-Way Deal
11:29am: The Celtics have officially signed Thomas to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
8:02am: The Celtics are filling one of the open spots on their 17-man roster by signing guard Brodric Thomas to a two-way contract, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Thomas, 24, began his rookie season in 2020/21 with the Rockets after going undrafted out of Truman. He had his Exhibit 10 contract with Houston converted to a two-way pact at the end of the preseason, then appeared in four games with the Rockets before being waived in February. Thomas caught on with Cleveland on a new two-way deal less than two weeks later and finished the season with the Cavaliers.
In 32 total games for his two teams, Thomas averaged 3.9 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .361/.271/.674 shooting in 12.5 minutes per contest. He put up better numbers in the G League, with 18.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 3.5 APG on .447/.413/.571 shooting in 14 games (33.6 MPG) for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Canton Charge.
Thomas re-signed with the Cavs on another two-way deal this offseason, but was released last week.
Once Thomas officially joins the team, the Celtics will have 16 players under contract — Thomas and Sam Hauser on two-way pacts, plus 14 players on standard deals. It doesn’t appear the team will fill its final roster spot to start the regular season.
Contract, Roster Deadlines Loom For NBA Teams
We’re one day away from the start of the NBA’s 2021/22 regular season, making Monday the last day of the 2021 offseason. Today serves as the deadline for a number of contract- and roster-related decisions around the league. Here are the most important ones:
Rookie Scale Extensions
A total of 24 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions. Seven of those players (Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Michael Porter Jr., Mikal Bridges, Robert Williams, and Wendell Carter Jr.) have already signed or agreed to new deals, while one (Chandler Hutchison) was waived. That leaves the following 16 players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions on Monday:
- Grayson Allen (Bucks)
- Deandre Ayton (Suns)
- Marvin Bagley III (Kings)
- Mohamed Bamba (Magic)
- Miles Bridges (Hornets)
- Troy Brown (Bulls)
- Donte DiVincenzo (Bucks)
- Aaron Holiday (Wizards)
- Kevin Huerter (Hawks)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Kevin Knox (Knicks)
- Josh Okogie (Timberwolves)
- Collin Sexton (Cavaliers)
- Landry Shamet (Suns)
- Anfernee Simons (Trail Blazers)
- Lonnie Walker (Spurs)
The majority of these guys won’t sign new deals until the 2022 offseason, when they’re eligible for restricted free agency. But it would be a surprise if at least a couple more players from this list don’t finalize rookie scale extensions today. Ayton, Bridges, Huerter, Jackson, and Sexton are some of the best candidates.
The deadline for rookie scale extensions is at 5:00pm central time.
Certain Veteran Contract Extensions
A veteran player who signed his current contract at least two years ago (or three years ago if it was a five-year deal) is eligible to sign an extension. That means many veterans around the NBA are eligible to sign contract extensions today, but that number will significantly drop as of tomorrow.
Once the regular season begins, only veterans in the final year of their contracts can sign extensions — a player that has multiple years remaining is no longer extension-eligible until the following offseason.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension]
Let’s use the Pacers as an example. Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren, and Jeremy Lamb are all eligible for extensions, but of those five players, only Warren and Lamb are on expiring deals. Brogdon, Turner, and LeVert are under contract through 2022/23, so each of them could sign an extension today that covers up to three additional seasons. However, starting on Tuesday, all three will be ineligible to sign an extension until the 2022 offseason.
Someone who has a player option for 2022/23, like Wizards star Bradley Beal, could still sign a new deal during the season, but he’d have to eliminate that option to do so. Picking it up would make him ineligible to complete an extension until the 2022 offseason after today, since it would turn his contract into a multiyear deal, not an expiring one.
A small number of veterans who have 2022/23 player options won’t be able to decline them in order to sign an extension. Nets star James Harden, for instance, couldn’t replace his $47.37MM option for ’22/23 with the first year of a new extension, since he’s already earning more than the maximum, making him eligible for only a 5% raise on his current salary in an extension. That would result in a ’22/23 salary of $46.53MM, but the first-year salary in an extension can’t be lower than the player option it would replace.
That means if Harden wants to sign an extension, he’d have to pick up his player option so that his extension could begin in 2023/24. Since that would make his current contract a multiyear deal, he won’t be eligible for an extension during the season if he doesn’t finalize one today.
The deadline for veteran extensions for players on non-expiring contracts is at 10:59pm CT tonight.
Regular Season Rosters
Most teams around the NBA finalized their roster cuts on Saturday for financial reasons, as we explained over the weekend. However, today is the offiical deadline to reduce offseason rosters to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts (plus two on two-way contracts).
While it’s certainly possible there will be some additional roster shuffling today as teams tweak their back-end roster spots or fill two-way openings, only two teams – the Hornets and Spurs – absolutely have to make cuts, as we detailed on Sunday.
The final day of the offseason is also the last day for teams to convert Exhibit 10 contracts into two-way deals. However, after David Duke, Malik Fitts, Tyler Cook, RJ Nembhard, Tacko Fall, and Daishen Nix had their Exhibit 10 deals converted into two-ways within the last week, there are no candidates left for this maneuver.
Finally, Monday is the last day for a free agent to be signed-and-traded. There’s no indication that any sign-and-trades are in the works.
NBA G League Salaries To Receive Slight Increase
The NBA G League will increase its base player salaries from $35K to $37K this season, sources told Hoops Rumors.
Players previously made $7,000 per month — or $35K per season — numbers that will see slight growth starting with the 2021/22 season. More increases could come in future years, especially with G League players forming their own union in 2020.
Although many G League observers believe players should receive more, these salaries have improved from past years. In 2014, for example, salaries were broken down into three groups: Tier A ($25K), Tier B ($19K) and Tier C ($13K).
Some players also receive bonuses from their Exhibit 10 contracts, which reward them up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with their team’s G League affiliate. Theoretically, a player could earn $87K when taking into account his Exhibit 10 bonus (if the full $50K is included) and G League salary.
A total of 28 teams, all of which are affiliated with an NBA franchise, will be participating in the G League’s regular season in 2021/22. This doesn’t include the G League Ignite, which is entering its second year, or the newly-added Mexico City Capitanes. The Ignite and the Capitanes will take part in the league’s new Showcase Cup, but won’t participate in the regular season.
This year’s G League draft will take place on Saturday, October 23, with the Showcase Cup tipping off on Friday, November 5. After spending last year’s shortened season in a “bubble” at Walt Disney World, the league will return to a full schedule, with a 36-game regular season set to begin on December 27.
A record 45% of players on 2020/21 opening-night NBA rosters held NBAGL experience.
Wizards Claim Two-Way Player Joel Ayayi Off Waivers
The Wizards have claimed two-way player Joel Ayayi off waivers from the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Ayayi was one of four players released by Los Angeles on Friday.
Ayayi, a 6’5″ guard, went unselected in the NBA draft this past summer. The 21-year-old spent three seasons at Gonzaga before declaring for the draft, holding per-game averages of 12 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists during his junior year.
The move brings Washington’s roster to 17 players ahead of the campaign. Ayayi will be the team’s second two-way player, joining Cassius Winston.
The Wizards open the season with a road contest against the Raptors on Wednesday. Washington is coming off an offseason in which it retooled its roster, adding Spencer Dinwiddie, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, among others.
Celtics Waive Jabari Parker
3:34pm: The Celtics have officially waived Parker, according to the team (Twitter link).
1:39pm: The Celtics are set to waive veteran forward Jabari Parker ahead of the 2021/22 regular NBA season, writes Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.
Parker signed a multiyear deal with Boston last season, but his salary for ’21/22 was only partially guaranteed for $100K. By moving on from Parker, the Celtics will open up a spot on their regular 15-man roster. The team also still has an open two-way contract slot.
Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Boston, which projects to be a taxpayer this season, intends to keep its 15th roster spot open for the time being.
After being selected with the second draft pick out of Duke by the Bucks in 2014, Parker showed plenty of promise as a versatile scorer before being felled by two ACL tears, the first during his 2014/15 rookie season with Milwaukee and the second during the 2016/17 season.
Since being made a free agent by the Bucks in 2018, Parker has logged time with his hometown Bulls, then the Wizards, Hawks, and Kings before joining the Celtics during the spring of 2021. He appeared in just 10 games with the Celtics last year, averaging 6.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG across 13.8 MPG with Boston.
The 6’8″ power forward, 26, will hope to catch on with his seventh NBA club for an eighth NBA season.
Knicks Sign Luka Samanic To Two-Way Contract
OCTOBER 16: The two-way contract is official, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).
OCTOBER 15: The Knicks are filling the open two-way contract slot on their roster by signing former first-round pick Luka Samanic to a two-way deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Samanic, the 19th overall pick in the 2019 draft, had been under contract with the Spurs up until this week, but San Antonio was facing a roster crunch, with 17 players on guaranteed salaries and only 15 roster spots for the regular season. The 6’10” power forward, a victim of that crunch, was waived on Monday.
Samanic appeared in 36 total games in two years as a Spur, averaging 3.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG on .430/.294/.576 shooting in 9.9 MPG. Despite his modest numbers in San Antonio, the Knicks apparently see some untapped potential in the 21-year-old Croatian.
A two-way contract will allow Samanic to play in up to 50 regular season NBA games, so he’ll likely spend some time with the Westchester Knicks in the G League. Jericho Sims is New York’s other two-way player.
Rockets Waive Dante Exum
The Rockets have placed guard Dante Exum on waivers in order to set their roster for the regular season, the team announced today in a press release.
Exum signed a three-year deal with the Rockets last month that had a base value of $8.1MM and included another $8MM+ in likely and unlikely incentives. There were conflicting reports on Exum’s salary details, but Hoops Rumors can confirm that his $2.5MM base salary for the 2021/22 salary was non-guaranteed, so Houston won’t be on the hook for any dead money.
The fact that Exum’s deal was fully non-guaranteed made it a fairly straightforward decision to release him in advance of the regular season, since the Rockets have 15 other players with guaranteed salaries. The team also has both its two-way contract slots filled.
Exum, the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, finished last season with Houston after coming over in the four-team James Harden trade, but he didn’t play at all during his time with the Rockets. The former Jazz and Cavs guard will clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Monday.
Nets Convert David Duke Jr. To Two-Way Deal, Waive Devontae Cacok
4:10pm: The Nets have officially announced that they’ve converted Duke’s contract to a two-way deal and waived Cacok, issuing a pair of press releases to confirm the moves. The team’s roster is now set for the regular season.
2:40pm: The Nets will sign David Duke Jr. to a two-way contract, rewarding him for his impressive play during training camp, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The signing means that 25-year-old Devontae Cacok will likely be waived, as the two players were competing for a spot in training camp. Cacok’s G League rights were acquired by Long Island on Friday, signaling that he may end up as a returning-rights player for the Nets’ NBAGL affiliate after he’s cut.
In addition, the move signals that neither of Brooklyn’s two unsigned draft picks, Marcus Zegarowski and RaiQuan Gray, will be receiving a two-way deal, with Duke and second-rounder Kessler Edwards occupying those spots. Zegarowski and Gray, who were drafted 49th and 59th overall, respectively, could end up signing G League contracts and reporting to Long Island while Brooklyn retains their NBA rights.
Duke, 22, went undrafted in July and signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Brooklyn in August. He averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game at Providence in 2020/21.
Thunder Waive Mamadi Diakite, Two Others
The Thunder have waived forward Mamadi Diakite, guard Justin Jaworski and center Olivier Sarr, the team announced in a press release today.
Diakite was claimed off waivers by Oklahoma City last month, while Jaworski and Sarr both signed Exhibit 10 deals with the club earlier today. Diakite was only guaranteed $100K this season and held a non-guaranteed salary for the 2022/23 campaign.
Jaworski and Sarr are strong contenders to join the Thunder’s G League team this season.
Diakite is coming off a G League season where he averaged 18.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was recently diagnosed with a left hip fracture.
Oklahoma City now has 17 players under contract, including Paul Watson and Aaron Wiggins on two-way deals. It appears that Gabriel Deck, whose deal is non-guaranteed, has earned a spot on the Thunder’s 15-man opening night roster.
Grizzlies Cut Kris Dunn, Two Others
The Grizzlies have waived former lottery pick Kris Dunn, the team announced today in a press release. Matthew Hurt and David Stockton have also been cut, as Memphis finalizes its roster for the regular season.
Dunn, 27, began his career with Minnesota after being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He was later sent to Chicago in the Jimmy Butler trade and spent three years with the Bulls before signing with Atlanta during the 2020 offseason.
Dunn has struggled to produce offensively at the NBA level, averaging 8.2 PPG and 4.1 APG in 231 career games (24.1 MPG), with a shooting line of .420/.305/.727. His strong defense earned him a two-year contract with the Hawks last offseason, but an ankle injury limited him to just four games. He was traded to Boston and then flipped to Memphis after he exercised his player option for 2021/22.
The Grizzlies acquired Dunn and Carsen Edwards in that trade with Boston last month, but have since waived both players, signaling that the 2026 second-round pick swap included in the deal was the main reason Memphis pulled the trigger.
Dunn will clear waivers on Monday and could draw interest from teams in need of a defensive specialist in the backcourt.