Wolves’ Juzang Gets Two-Way Deal; Newton Among Cuts
4:14 pm: As expected, the Timberwolves confirmed in a press release that they’ve waived Newton, Johnson, Pullin, and Bernard. The team put out a separate announcement confirming Juzang’s conversion to a two-way deal.
3:34 pm: The Timberwolves are converting Johnny Juzang from his Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal on the heels of his strong preseason, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Juzang, who signed with Minnesota in September after being waived by Utah in June, put up 13.8 points in just 17.6 minutes per game in five preseason appearances for the team. His shooting line was a scorching .500/.483/.833, and he also grabbed 4.2 rebounds per contest.
The Timberwolves didn’t have a two-way spot open for Juzang, so the club has to make a cut. Tristen Newton is the odd man out and will be waived, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (Twitter link).
Newton, the 49th pick in the 2024 draft, accepted his two-way qualifying offer in September after spending his rookie year on a two-way deal. A 6’5″ guard, Newton was much quieter during the preseason than Juzang, averaging 5.2 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game while shooting 38.9% from the floor.
Newton isn’t the only Timberwolf being cut ahead of the season. Veteran forward Alize Johnson is also being placed on waivers, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Camp invitees Zyon Pullin and Jules Bernard, who are also on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, seem likely to be waived too, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Sixers Cut MarJon Beauchamp, Four Other Players
The Sixers have made a series of roster cuts as they ready their roster for the regular season. According to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), forwards MarJon Beauchamp, Malcolm Hill, and Saint Thomas have been waived, as has guard Kennedy Chandler.
Philadelphia also signed and waived former Memphis Tigers forward DeAndre Williams, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports.
Beauchamp is the most notable name of the bunch — the 25-year-old was the 24th overall pick in the 2022 draft and has appeared in 135 regular season games over the past three seasons, mostly with Milwaukee.
All five players had signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the 76ers are expected to join the Delaware Blue Coats for the start of the G League season, per Neubeck. They’ll be eligible to earn bonuses on top of their standard NBAGL salaries as long as they spend at least 60 days with Philadelphia’s G League affiliate.
While those bonuses can be worth a maximum of $85,300, which is what Beauchamp and Hill would receive, not all of these players would earn quite that much by spending two-plus months with the Blue Coats. Chandler and Thomas agreed to bonuses worth $42,650, half of the maximum amount, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Having made those cuts, Philadelphia is now carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. The team’s roster looks set for opening night.
Amir Coffey To Make Bucks’ Regular Season Roster
Amir Coffey has survived a roster crunch in Milwaukee, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the veteran wing will make the Bucks‘ regular season roster.
A 6’7″ guard/forward, Coffey had spent his entire NBA career with the Clippers prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer. In 72 games last season, the 28-year-old averaged 9.7 points on .471/.409/.891 shooting in 24.3 minutes per contest.
Coffey appeared in four preseason games with Milwaukee this fall, averaging 3.3 PPG in 11.4 MPG.
Coffey, who is entering his seventh season, signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal with the Bucks in August — that contract will be converted to a standard non-guaranteed deal.
The news means that the Bucks will likely be waiving either Andre Jackson Jr. or Tyler Smith ahead of the 2025/26 regular season. Both players are owed guaranteed money — Jackson has an $800K partial guarantee, while Smith is owed approximately $1.96MM — so the team technically doesn’t have to release either player for a couple days. Monday is the deadline for teams to set their regular season rosters.
The 36th overall pick of the 2023 draft, former UConn wing Jackson averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game across 67 appearances last season, including 43 starts. Smith, the No. 33 overall pick of last year’s draft, appeared in 23 NBA games as a rookie last season, averaging just 5.3 minutes per night.
For what it’s worth, Jackson appeared in all four of Milwaukee’s preseason games in 2025, while Smith appeared in two.
Pacers Waive Cameron Payne, Two Others
3:36 pm: The Pacers have officially waived Payne, the team confirmed in a press release. Recent signees Kyle Guy and Ray Spalding, who are ticketed for the Noblesville Boom in the G League, have also been cut, per the Pacers.
According to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), the team is still weighing its options at the back of the roster, including whether to keep all of its centers or potentially add another point guard.
2:47 pm: Cameron Payne won’t make the Pacers‘ regular season roster, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), who reports that the team plans to waive the veteran point guard.
After initially targeting Monte Morris this fall for a training camp deal, Indiana pivoted to Delon Wright, who was injured during the preseason, prompting the club to sign Payne last week as a replacement.
A 10-year NBA veteran who has earned regular playing time in Phoenix, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and New York in recent years, Payne had a potential path to a roster spot on a Pacers team that will be without star Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles tear) for the entire 2025/26 season and is also currently missing T.J. McConnell (hamstring).
However, Payne didn’t stand out over the course of three preseason games, shooting just 28.6% from the field and registering nearly as many turnovers (six) as assists (seven). After getting a start in his first preseason outing as a Pacer, the 31-year-old came off the bench in the last two and was behind rookie guard (and preseason standout) Taelon Peter in the rotation on Friday.
Payne was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract, so waiving him won’t leave any dead money on the Pacers’ cap. Indiana is now in position to keep center Tony Bradley, who is on a standard non-guaranteed contract, assuming the team plans to carry a full 15-man standard roster into opening night.
Rockets Waive Carey, Council, Hunter, Matthews
The Rockets announced on Saturday that they have waived four players on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.
The four players — all of whom could be headed to the G League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers — are Vernon Carey Jr., Ricky Council IV, Tyrese Hunter and Cameron Matthews.
Hunter, a 6’0″ guard, and Matthews, a 6’7″ forward, went undrafted earlier this year out of Memphis and Mississippi State, respectively.
As a senior last season, Hunter averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 32 games (34.0 MPG), posting a shooting line of .415/.401/.774. Matthews, meanwhile, averaged 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 29.4 minutes per game across 34 appearances as a fifth-year senior.
Council holds recent NBA experience, having spent the past two years with the 76ers, who waived him in late July. The 24-year-old wing was expected to land with the Nets, but that deal fell through, and he wound up signing a training camp deal with Houston on Friday.
Carey, a former second-round pick, holds three years of NBA experience. However, he has been out of the league for the past two seasons, most recently suiting up for Karşıyaka Basket in Turkey during the 2023/24 campaign.
Houston’s roster appears to be set for the regular season, with 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and all three two-way spots filled. Barring a cost-cutting trade, the Rockets can’t add a 15th standard player until later in the season due to their financial situation — they’re hard-capped at the first apron and only about $1.25MM below that threshold.
Kings Notes: Westbrook, Sabonis, Carter, Murray
The Kings signaled throughout the offseason that they wanted to create an opening in their backcourt before signing a veteran point guard, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
However, as Fischer details, Sacramento’s front office was seemingly underwhelmed with the team’s point guard depth during training camp and preseason, and decided to sign Russell Westbrook without making another roster move. Westbrook’s minimum-salary contract is non-guaranteed.
According to Fischer, head coach Doug Christie is a fan of Westbrook’s toughness and all-out playing style. The nine-time All-Star was also praised by new GM Scott Perry when the signing was announced on Thursday.
The Kings will formally introduce Westbrook as a member of the team at a press conference on Sunday, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Here are a few more notes and rumors on the Kings:
- Star center Domantas Sabonis has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in one week, the team announced today (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). The injury means Sabonis will miss — at minimum — Sacramento’s first two regular season games. The Lithuanian big man suffered the hamstring injury on Wednesday.
- Despite being a lottery pick (No. 13 overall) a year ago, second-year guard Devin Carter seems likely to be moved at some point in the future, according to Fischer, who points out that the former Providence star was involved in trade rumors through the summer and was drafted by the previous front office regime. Carter, whose rookie season was delayed after he underwent shoulder surgery last summer, struggled in four preseason games this fall, averaging 5.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 15.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .375/.100/.500. The Kings picked up his third-year option a few days ago, locking in Carter’s $5.16MM salary for ’26/27.
- Several rival teams were surprised that Sacramento made such a lucrative long-term commitment to Keegan Murray, Fischer adds. The Kings formally signed Murray on Thursday to a five-year rookie scale extension that is reportedly worth $140MM. According to Fischer, many players — both free agents and extension candidates — have been struggling to land contracts north of $25MM per year; Murray’s new deal, which begins in 2026/27, will pay him $28MM annually. The 25-year-old forward will likely be out until at least mid-November after undergoing thumb surgery earlier this week.
Grizzlies Waive Nate Hinton, DeJon Jarreau, Braxton Key
The Grizzlies have set their regular season roster by waiving swingman Nate Hinton, guard DeJon Jarreau, and forward Braxton Key, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).
Hinton and Jarreau both signed with Memphis within the past couple days, whereas Key was with the team for all of training camp and the preseason. Key appeared in just one of the Grizzlies’ preseason games, contributing eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
All three players were on Exhibit 10 contracts and seem likely to end up with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League team. Assuming they spend at least 60 days with the Hustle, Hinton, Jarreau, and Key will receive bonuses worth up to $85,300 on top of their standard G League salaries.
The Grizzlies had been carrying a full 21-man preseason roster. This series of cuts moves that number to 18.
With 15 players on standard guaranteed contracts and three on two-way deals, Memphis will have a full roster to open the season and will need to lean on its depth early. The club is already dealing with a series of injuries — the latest blow was to the backcourt, where Scotty Pippen Jr. will reportedly be sidelined into the new year after undergoing toe surgery.
Mavs Sign, Waive Three Players
2:49 pm: The Mavericks have waived Cross, Sharp, and Smith, according to the team (Twitter link), lining up the trio to join the Legends.
9:45 am: The Mavericks have signed forward Matt Cross, center Jamarion Sharp and guard Zhaire Smith, the team’s PR department tweets.
Cross finished his college career at SMU last season after playing at Massachusetts (2022-24), Louisville (2021-22) and Miami (FL) (2020-21). In his only season with the Mustangs, Cross averaged 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals through 34 games (31 starts). He went undrafted in June.
The 7’5” Sharp appeared in 29 games –including 18 starts — with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ G League affiliate, last season. He averaged 6.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks in 21.6 minutes per contest. This past summer he played for the Mavericks’ Summer League team for the second straight year, averaging, 2.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.8 BPG in 16.1 MPG. His agreement with the Mavs was reported last month.
Smith appeared in 14 games (12 starts) for the Texas Legends last season, averaging 20.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Smith began the 2024/25 season with the Cleveland Charge, with hom he averaged 6.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 1.1 APG through 13 games (four starts).
Smith played two seasons with the Sixers after being drafted in the first round in 2018. Smith’s career got derailed early on due to a broken foot, followed by a life-threatening allergic reaction to sesame that left him forced to use a feeding tube.
It’s likely all three signed Exhibit 10 contracts and will wind up playing for the Legends. They can receive bonuses worth up to $85.300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.
Injury Notes: Queen, White, Brown, Raptors, Rockets, More
Rookie big man Derik Queen has been medically cleared to participate in full basketball activities, the Pelicans announced today (via Twitter).
Head coach Willie Green said Queen was a full participant in Saturday’s practice, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. While the team wants to get Queen up to speed, Green said New Orleans will be careful not to rush the process after a lengthy layoff.
Queen has been rehabilitating from July surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, an injury he sustained at Summer League in Las Vegas. He was a limited participant during New Orleans’ training camp due to the injury.
Queen was selected with the 13th overall pick in June after the Pelicans sent Atlanta this year’s No. 23 selection and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks) for the right to draft the Maryland big man, who was highly productive in his lone season with the Terrapins. In 36 games last season, the 20-year-old forward/center averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30.4 minutes per contest.
We have several more injury notes from around the NBA:
- Bulls guard Coby White, who has been battling a calf strain since August and didn’t play in any preseason games this fall, “looked good” after going through most of the contact portions of Saturday’s practice, according to head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter links K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network). Donovan added that White would go through additional contact work on Monday after taking Sunday off. For his part, White said he was encouraged by today’s session, though he cautioned he’s still working on regaining his conditioning and rhythm. “We’ll see. It’s in the works,” White said of potentially playing in Chicago’s season opener, per Johnson.
- Celtics star Jaylen Brown sustained a left hamstring injury in Wednesday’s preseason finale. As Jay King of The Athletic writes, head coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t say whether Brown would be active for next Wednesday’s season opener, but the injury doesn’t sound serious — Brown is considered day-to-day, per Mazzulla.
- Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic expressed optimism that lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles could be ready for Wednesday’s season opener in Atlanta after the former South Carolina forward sustained an arm injury last week, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links), Murray-Boyles is day-to-day with a right forearm strain.
- Although Raptors center Jakob Poeltl missed time during preseason with lower back stiffness and exited Friday’s preseason finale with the same injury, Rajakovic clarified after the game that the Austrian big man was pulled for precautionary reasons (Twitter links via Lewenberg). Poeltl is under contract through 2029/30 after signing a lucrative long-term extension in July.
- Forward Jae’Sean Tate, who underwent offseason ankle surgery, went through contract drills in Saturday’s practice, per Rockets head coach Ime Udoka (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). The team remains optimistic that Tate will be available for Houston’s season opener, but Dorian Finney-Smith probably won’t be, according to Udoka. Finney-Smith, a free agent addition, is recovering from June ankle surgery.
- Former Alabama forward Grant Nelson was originally expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets shortly after Summer League in July, but the signing was delayed until a few days ago due to an otherwise unspecified “stress reaction from overworking,” he told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “It was like a small, little minor injury that held me out of training camp. And then I feel like I did everything I could. I caught the injury really early, so I wasn’t out long. But it worked out perfect. So now I’m back healthy, feeling 100 percent.”
- Backup Lakers center Jaxson Hayes exited Friday’s preseason finale with a right wrist contusion, the team announced (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic). Head coach JJ Redick said after the game that X-Rays on the wrist were negative, with another update on Hayes expected to come on Sunday, as veteran NBA report Mark Medina relays (via Twitter).
- Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija experienced upper back stiffness on Thursday in Utah, causing him to exit Portland’s preseason finale, per the team (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Avdija will miss additional time as a result of the injury.
Thunder Convert Youngblood To Two-Way, Waive Three Players
The Thunder have announced a series of roster moves as they get their roster ready for the regular season. According to the team, guard Chris Youngblood has had his Exhibit 10 deal converted to a two-way contract, while forwards Zack Austin, Malevy Leons and Dariq Whitehead have been placed on waivers.
Youngblood went undrafted out of Alabama in June after previously playing for Kennesaw State and South Florida. As a super-senior in 2024/25, he averaged 10.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game across 28 appearances for the Crimson Tide, posting a shooting line of .447/.388/.804.
Youngblood earned a promotion to a two-way contract with his play for the Thunder in the preseason. The 23-year-old averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 19.3 minutes per game in three appearances, knocking down 44.4% of his three-point attempts.
Austin, Leons, and Whitehead were also on Exhibit 10 contracts, but that trio now seems likely to join the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate. They’ll earn bonuses worth $85,300 apiece if they spend at least 60 days with the Blue.
As for the Thunder, they now have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts and three on two-way deals, so barring any last-minute sign-and-waive moves, their roster looks all set for opening night.