Blazers Sign Javonte Cooke To Two-Way Contract
October 20: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
October 19: The Trail Blazers have agreed to sign free agent guard Javonte Cooke to a two-way contract, agent Jerry Dianis tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Cooke, a 6’6″ guard who went undrafted in 2023, played three games with the Blazers during preseason, averaging 3.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per contest.
Portland released Cooke on Friday and Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report stated at the time that the Blazers were still considering the 26-year-old for a two-way spot. Cooke was previously on a non-guaranteed camp deal.
The 26-year-old took an unusual path to the NBA. A Division-II basketball player in college who finished his career at Winston-Salem State, Cooke has played in the G League as well as the Canadian Elite Basketball League since leaving college. He made 42 appearances for the Oklahoma City Blue last season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 28.2 minutes per game while converting 42.4% of his shots from the floor, including 33.5% of his three-point attempts.
Cooke will join Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko as the third and final two-way player for Portland. The team had a two-way opening, so no corresponding move is necessary to re-sign Cooke.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 10/20/2025
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 1:00 pm Central time (2:00 pm Eastern).
Pacers Rookie Kam Jones Arrested For Alleged Erratic Driving
Pacers rookie Kam Jones was arrested after a brief chase on Interstate 65 in Indianapolis on Monday morning, according to Mike Potter of WTHR-13News.
According to Indiana State Police, a trooper tried to pull over Jones for allegedly driving erratically on southbound I-65. Police say Jones did not pull over at first and led them on a brief chase that ended near the Fletcher Avenue exit near Fountain Square in Indianapolis. As of Monday afternoon, Jones was being held in the Marion County jail on preliminary charges of reckless driving and resisting law enforcement.
The Pacers issued this statement: “We are aware of the situation involving Kam Jones. We are in the process of gathering additional information and will not have any additional comment on the matter at this time.”
Jones was drafted with the No. 38 overall pick in June and signed a standard contract in July. He missed most of training camp due to a back injury and is expected to be reevaluated sometime next month.
A 6’5″ combo guard, Jones spent his entire four-year college career at Marquette, where he was a consensus second-team All-American and a member of the All-Big East first team in 2025 after averaging 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in 33.8 minutes per game across 34 outings as a senior.
Coby White Out At Least Two Weeks Due To Calf Strain
Bulls guard Coby White will miss at least two weeks of action due to a calf strain, the team’s PR department tweets.
“Coby White has resumed on-court basketball activities and continues to make progress in his ramp up phase for a right calf strain,” the Bulls said in a statement. “White will be reevaluated in two weeks.”
The Bulls open their season on Wednesday with a home game against the Pistons. They’ll also play at least five more games within the next two weeks.
Whilte has been battling a calf strain since August and didn’t play in any preseason games this fall, though he “looked good” after going through most of the contact portions of Saturday’s practice, according to head coach Billy Donovan. Donovan added at that time that White would go through additional contact work on Monday after taking Sunday off.
White hinted on Saturday that he might miss the season opener, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network tweets. The announcement on Monday suggests to club wants White to be fully healthy when he returns so there are no setbacks.
White is headed to unrestricted free agency next summer. He’s reportedly informed the Bulls that he doesn’t plan on signing an extension this season due to limitations on what they can offer him.
White averaged a career-best 20.4 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game last season.
Injuries Leave Grizzlies Seeking Backcourt Help
The Grizzlies are considering adding another guard in the wake of multiple backcourt injuries, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.org. Memphis’ front office is looking at internal and external options to stabilize the team’s depth chart, Afseth adds.
Scotty Pippen Jr. became the latest significant loss over the weekend as the team announced that he’ll undergo surgery on his left big toe. Pippen doesn’t have a projected timeline to return, but he won’t be reevaluated for 12 weeks. He averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 79 games last season and made 21 starts.
Ja Morant is week-to-week after spraining his left ankle during practice in early October. There’s hope that he’ll be ready for Wednesday’s opener, but his status remains uncertain. Coach Tuomas Iisalo said Morant is “progressing really well” and was able to participate in the shootaround before Friday’s preseason finale in Miami.
“Ja continues to work with our group,” Iisalo said. “He’s ramping up well, but we’ll keep being cautious.”
[Update: Morant is expected to play in Memphis’ opener].
The injury issues mounted when offseason addition Ty Jerome left Friday’s game early after hurting his right calf. No updates have been provided on his condition, but he may also have to miss some time.
[Update: Jerome will miss at least four weeks with a high-grade right calf strain].
Afseth states that Memphis is assessing the players who became available Saturday when most teams made their final roster cuts. The Grizzlies are already at the maximum of 15 standard contracts, but they could open a two-way slot to get guard help while their rotation players heal. That would mean waiving either PJ Hall, Olivier-Maxence Prosper or Javon Small, the team’s current two-way players.
Small could be an option if Memphis decides to address the problem internally, Afseth adds. The rookie out of West Virginia was impressive during the preseason, averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds in four games while shooting 44.7% from the field and 52.9% from three-point range.
Sixers Notes: Edgecombe, George, Embiid, Watford, Bona
The Sixers had high expectations for VJ Edgecombe when they made him the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, and he was even better than they expected during the preseason, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). Edgecombe’s athleticism, defensive prowess and scoring were obvious at Baylor, but he has displayed an ability to serve as the primary ball-handler and run the offense even though scouts had concerns about his dribbling.
Pompey notes that coach Nick Nurse used Edgecombe as his lead guard in Friday’s preseason finale and he responded with 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals in 34 minutes. He also created scoring opportunities for Tyrese Maxey, who Pompey points out hasn’t been paired with an accomplished play-maker since James Harden left.
“I think we thought, ‘OK, maybe he could play on the ball some,’ and we were talking about, ‘Let’s do it at Summer League,’” Nurse said. “But where we’re at, I think he’s way ahead of where we thought he might be, being able to do that.”
Edgecombe is part of a talented group of young guards in Philadelphia, alongside Maxey, Quentin Grimes and Jared McCain, but that doesn’t mean he’ll face a battle for playing time. Pompey expects him to be in the starting lineup when the Sixers open the season Wednesday at Boston.
“I know I worked hard to be in this position,” Edgecombe said. “If I wasn’t ready for it, I wouldn’t have been here. I feel as though I just have a lot of confidence. My teammates instill confidence in me also. So, I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s basketball at the end of the day. I’m trying not to overthink it. I love this game so much. … It just flows naturally, man. I’m just out there having fun.”
There’s more from Philadelphia:
- Paul George was a full participant at Sunday’s practice for the first time since undergoing offseason knee surgery, Pompey states in a separate story. George sat out the entire preseason, but there’s optimism that he’ll be ready to play soon. “He looked good,” Nurse said. “He’s moving good. He needs to have some more conditioning and things. But he looked good. He’s really pushing himself to get in shape. Defensively, he looked really good. He was really moving.”
- Joel Embiid also practiced without restrictions after making his first preseason appearance on Friday, Pompey adds. Trendon Watford, who’s dealing with a right hamstring issue, was limited to drills and five-on-zero work.
- Adem Bona‘s contract becomes fully guaranteed today at $1,955,377, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Bona, who may be the team’s primary backup center, has a non-guaranteed $2.3MM salary for next season, along with a $2.5MM team option for 2027/28.
Contract, Roster Deadlines Loom For NBA Teams
We’re one day away from the start of the NBA’s 2025/26 regular season, making Monday the last day of the 2025 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 22 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions.
Six of those players – Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Keegan Murray, and Nikola Jovic -have already signed new deals, a seventh (Shaedon Sharpe) has agreed to an extension that will be officially completed today, and an eighth (Blake Wesley) was waived earlier in the offseason.
That leaves the following 14 players eligible to sign rookie scale extensions on Monday:
Ochai Agbaji (Raptors)- Malaki Branham (Wizards)
- Christian Braun (Nuggets)
- Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
- Ousmane Dieng (Thunder)
- Jalen Duren (Pistons)
- Tari Eason (Rockets)
- Jaden Ivey (Pistons)
- Walker Kessler (Jazz)
- Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers)
- Jeremy Sochan (Spurs)
- Dalen Terry (Bulls)
- Peyton Watson (Nuggets)
- Mark Williams (Suns)
The majority of these guys won’t sign new deals until the 2026 offseason, when they’re eligible for restricted free agency. But it would be a surprise if at least one or two more players from this list don’t finalize rookie scale extensions today.
Braun, Daniels, Duren, Eason, Ivey, Kessler, Mathurin, and Williams are among the notable names in this group, but finding a price point that works for them and their respective teams will be a challenge in some cases.
The deadline for rookie scale extensions is at 5:00 pm 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 who has multiple years remaining is no longer extension-eligible until the following offseason.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension]
Let’s use the Heat as an example. Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, and Norman Powell are all eligible for veteran extensions right now, but Herro still has two guaranteed years left on his contract. That means his extension eligibility window will close after Monday and won’t reopen until next July, whereas Rozier and Powell, who are on expiring contracts, could sign extensions anytime between now and June 30, 2026.
An extension-eligible veteran who has a player option for 2026/27 – such as Wiggins – could still sign a new deal later in the ’25/26 league year, but he’d have to eliminate that option to do so. Picking up the option would make him ineligible to complete an extension between Tuesday and the start of the ’26/27 league year, since it would turn his contract into a multiyear deal, not an expiring one. This rule also applies to team options.
Here are the players who have a Monday deadline to sign a veteran extension if they want to lock in a new deal before next July:
- RJ Barrett (Raptors)
- Dillon Brooks (Suns)
- Brandon Clarke (Grizzlies)
- Donte DiVincenzo (Timberwolves)
Darius Garland (Cavaliers)- Josh Green (Hornets)
- Tyler Herro (Heat)
- De’Andre Hunter (Cavaliers)
- Cameron Johnson (Nuggets)
- Keldon Johnson (Spurs)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- John Konchar (Grizzlies)
- Kyle Kuzma (Bucks)
- Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
- Aaron Nesmith (Pacers)
- Jordan Poole (Pelicans)
- Michael Porter Jr. (Nets)
- Max Strus (Cavaliers)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
- Grant Williams (Hornets)
- Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
While Jokic is the most worthy candidate for an extension in this group, word broke early in the offseason that he’s not expected to sign this year because he would qualify for more years and more money if he waits until 2026.
Outside of Jokic, the best candidates for new deals might be Herro and Nesmith, but there’s no guarantee that anyone from this group will extend today, since they’ll all have at least one more eligibility window down the road.
The deadline for veteran extensions for players on non-expiring contracts is at 10:59 pm CT tonight.
Regular Season Rosters
Nearly every NBA team finalized its roster cuts on Saturday for financial reasons, as we explained over the weekend. However, today is the official deadline to reduce offseason rosters to the regular season limit of 15 players on standard contracts (plus three on two-way contracts).
While there will could very well be some additional roster shuffling today as teams tweak their back-end roster spots or fill two-way openings, only one team – the Bucks – absolutely has to make a move. Milwaukee appears likely to waive 2024 second-round pick Tyler Smith in order to set its regular season roster.
[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Roster Counts]
The two other teams that made it through Saturday with more than 15 players on standard contracts – the Nets and Wizards – got down to 15 by making cuts on Sunday.
The Bucks’ roster move is due by 4:00 pm CT.
The final day of the offseason is also the last day for teams to convert Exhibit 10 contracts into two-way deals, but there are no real candidates left after Ron Harper Jr., Caleb Houstan, Moussa Cisse, Jahmyl Telfort, Jahmir Young, Johnny Juzang, Chris Youngblood, and Colin Castleton were all converted within the past few days.
The only player still on an Exhibit 10 deal who is eligible for a two-way contract is Knicks forward Mohamed Diawara, and the expectation is that he’ll make New York’s regular season roster in order to ensure the team’s salary remains below its hard cap.
It remains possible that a player on an Exhibit 10 contract who was cut on Saturday could be claimed off waivers and immediately converted to a two-way deal later today.
Finally, Monday is the last day for a free agent to be signed-and-traded during the 2025/26 league year. However, there have been no indications that any sign-and-trades are in the works.
Scotto’s Latest: Braun, Daniels, Coffey, T. Smith, Napier
There’s “cautious optimism” that the Nuggets will work out a rookie scale extension with Christian Braun before today’s deadline at 5:00 pm Central time, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Scotto hears that negotiations between the team and Braun’s agent, Bill Duffy of WME Sports, are focusing on a five-year agreement in the range of $115MM to $125MM.
After being an important member of the team’s bench unit during his first two years in Denver, Braun moved into the starting lineup last season following the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. Braun posted career-high numbers across the board, averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 79 games with .580/.397/.827 shooting splits.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported over the weekend that Braun and the Nuggets seemed unlikely to work out a deal before the deadline, but it appears progress may have been made over the past two days.
Scotto shares more information from around the league:
- League sources tell Scotto that the Hawks and Dyson Daniels remain far apart in negotiation talks as the deadline nears. Daniels and his agent, Daniel Moldovan, are asking for an extension valued at $150MM over five years, while the team’s offer is in the neighborhood of five years at $115MM. Daniels was a valuable addition in his first season in Atlanta, earning First Team All-Defensive honors while leading the league in steals and being named Most Improved Player. However, Scotto points out that the Hawks made two significant free agent additions over the summer in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard who could cut into Daniels’ playing time. Both players are better shooters, and Scotto suggests they could be on the court late in games instead of Daniels if Atlanta needs more offense.
- Bucks coach Doc Rivers was a strong proponent for Amir Coffey to earn a roster spot, league sources tell Scotto. Rivers coached Coffey during his rookie season with the Clippers and believes he’ll be a valuable addition in Milwaukee. The 6’7″ swingman, who was in camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, connected at 40.9% from three-point range last season. Milwaukee still has a roster move to make with Tyler Smith and Andre Jackson Jr. in contention for the final spot. Scotto hears that the Bucks spent the weekend exploring the trade market for Smith, a second-round pick in 2024 who appeared in 33 games last season. He’ll likely be waived if the Bucks can’t find a taker before this afternoon’s deadline, Scotto confirms.
- Former NBA player Shabazz Napier has joined the Wizards as a coaching apprentice, sources tell Scotto. Napier, 34, played for Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague last season.
Knicks Notes: Brown, Dadiet, Kolek, Robinson
Young players like Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek knew there wasn’t much chance they’d see significant minutes under Tom Thibodeau, but that’s changed now that Mike Brown is running the Knicks, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Brown prefers a larger rotation than Thibodeau, who was notorious for leaning on his starters, and the new coach has a reputation for giving opportunities to unproven talent.
It began with New York’s first preseason game in Abu Dhabi, Winfield notes, as Dadiet found himself in the starting lineup due to a hand sprain that sidelined OG Anunoby. It’s a philosophy Brown picked up while serving as an assistant to Steve Kerr, who regularly would insert end-of-the-bench players into a game without prior notice.
“If you look at what I’ve done, it’s usually nine-and-a-half to 10 guys,” Brown said. “I try to play as many as I can. Even in (Sacramento), when we had an injury, I started a two-way guy in Keon Ellis. So I’m going to play whoever helps us win and try to get guys an opportunity. With how deep our roster is, everybody should get one at some point.”
Dadiet still could spend time in the G League as long as the Knicks stay relatively healthy, but the team may need Kolek to step into the backup point guard role right away following Malcolm Brogdon‘s unexpected retirement. Kolek fits Brown’s up-tempo style, and he delivered 20 points and six assists last Monday in a game where the starters rested.
“There’s urgency every single day,” Kolek said. “They say the hardest thing is not to get in this league — it’s to stay in it. You’re fighting and scrapping for yours while keeping a collective goal as a team. Every day you’re working on your game to put yourself in the best position.”
There’s more from New York:
- Brown’s plan to play faster got off to a rough start in the preseason as the Knicks ranked 29th in pace with 98.55 possessions per 48 minutes, notes Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Brown attributes that to having so many players missing time with injuries. “The guys that have been out, they’re the key pieces to what we’re trying to do,” he said. “They haven’t gotten the reps and for us to jell together from top to bottom is gonna take a little more time than I thought.”
- Mitchell Robinson missed most of last season while recovering from ankle surgery, so the Knicks have been cautious with him since training camp opened, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. Robinson was a healthy scratch for the preseason finale at the behest of Casey Smith, who runs the team’s performance group. Brown added that he’s not aware if there’s a specific plan for how often Robinson will be available during the season.
- James L. Edwards of The Athletic offers predictions for how the rotation will play out now that the final roster cuts have been made.
Preseason Observations: Rookie Extensions, E10 Bonuses, Bufkin, Waivers
We've finally arrived at the last day of the 2025 NBA offseason. In less than 36 hours, the 2025/26 season will tip off with the defending champion Thunder hosting former OKC star Kevin Durant and the Rockets.
Durant is one of three players - along with a pair of Trail Blazers - who worked out a contract extension with his new team on Monday. With the deadline looming for players to sign rookie scale extensions in 2025, we're using the space below to examine which players from the 2022 draft class are most likely to finalize new deals of their own in the coming hours.
We're also taking a closer look at some of the players who got Exhibit 10 bonuses below the max, revisiting the Nets' decision to cut Kobe Bufkin, and explaining why the waiver wire is worth watching on Monday.
Let's dive in...
