Patrick Baldwin Jr. Joins San Diego Clippers
The San Diego Clippers have acquired former NBA first-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. from the G League player pool, the team announced today in a press release.
Baldwin, 22, was selected 28th overall in the 2022 draft by Golden State and spent his rookie year with the Warriors before being traded to the Wizards during the 2023 offseason in the Chris Paul/Jordan Poole deal.
Baldwin didn’t see much playing time in either Golden State or Washington — to date, he has appeared in 91 total NBA regular season games, averaging 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per night. The 6’9″ forward posted a .401/.366/.658 shooting line across those 91 contests.
After originally appearing on track to be sent to the Bucks as part of the Kyle Kuzma/Khris Middleton trade earlier this month, Baldwin was rerouted to San Antonio when more teams got involved in that deal, turning it into a four-team trade. The Spurs waived Baldwin shortly after acquiring him.
Today’s announcement from the Clippers‘ G League affiliate suggests that Baldwin signed an NBAGL contract shortly after becoming an unrestricted free agent. Since no team held his G League rights, he was subject to the waiver process — San Diego either put in a claim or waited until after he cleared waivers and then added him to the team’s roster.
While Baldwin’s minutes at the NBA level have been limited, he has seen a little more action in the G League, including in seven outings for the Capital City Go-Go this season. He averaged 15.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG on .488/.349/.571 shooting in those seven games (27.2 MPG).
Southwest Notes: Morant, Powell, Wemby, Castle
Several of the stars who were traded ahead of this month’s deadline – including Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram – were on the block for a while, while others – such as Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, and De’Aaron Fox – were either total surprises or (as in Fox’s case) weren’t necessarily expected to be on the move this soon.
So which stars might emerge as new trade candidates ahead of the 2025 offseason? Howard Beck of The Ringer said during a live episode of The Real Ones podcast over the weekend that one executive he spoke to about that subject offered up an interesting prediction.
“I’m constantly checking in with executives around (the) trade deadline about what we saw, what we didn’t see, what’s next,” Beck said (Twitter audio link). “And in this league, you are always, always, always on the lookout for who’s the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right? … And somebody out of the blue said, ‘Keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer.’
“… I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m not saying it should happen. I’m just saying it’s one of those things I’m just kind of keeping an eye on if they were to flame out (of the playoffs) early.”
At this point, the idea that Morant will emerge as a trade candidate seems more like wishful thinking on the part of an opposing executive than something likely to actually happen. The Grizzlies‘ star point guard is just 25 years old, is still under contract in Memphis for three more years beyond this season, and has stayed out of trouble off the court since being suspended twice in 2023 for wielding a gun in social media videos.
Still, in the wake of Dallas’ decision to deal Doncic, team executives will likely be loath to assume that any rival star is entirely untouchable.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Mavericks haven’t shared an official update on Dwight Powell‘s health for over a week, but Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link) hears that the big man has been doing full workouts during the All-Star break. Powell, who has been out since January 17 due to a right hip strain, doesn’t typically play a significant role for the Mavs, but the team would love to have him available with frontcourt regulars Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and Anthony Davis all sidelined due to injuries of their own.
- Michael C. Wright of ESPN takes a behind-the-scenes look at Victor Wembanyama‘s first All-Star appearance, noting that the Spurs flew their massage therapist, physical therapist, and performance coach to San Francisco to run the big man through his usual pregame routine, since he wanted to win every event he was involved in. That included Saturday’s skills challenge, in which Wembanyama and teammate Chris Paul attempted to exploit a loophole and were ultimately disqualified. “I don’t regret it,” the first-time All-Star said of the scheme to intentionally miss their required shot attempts as quickly as possible. “I thought it was a good idea.”
- After a busy All-Star weekend, first-year Spurs guard Stephon Castle spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about his experience in San Francisco, what he has learned from Paul, and what it’s like to play with Wembanyama, among other topics. Castle also expressed optimism about his ability to play alongside new San Antonio point guard De’Aaron Fox going forward. “I love playing with D-Fox,” the rookie told Spears. “He plays super-fast. That is how I like to play. Super unselfish. He can go get a bucket whenever you need him to. Yeah, he’s super cool and a great guy off the court, too.”
Hornets Sign Elfrid Payton To Second 10-Day Deal
1:02 pm: Payton’s new 10-day contract is now official, the Hornets confirmed in a press release. It will run through next Thursday (Feb. 27).
12:45 pm: Following the expiration of his first 10-day contract with the Hornets earlier this week, veteran point guard Elfrid Payton has agreed to a second 10-day deal with the team, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Charlotte is short on point guard depth after having traded Vasilije Micic to Phoenix at this month’s deadline. Tre Mann has been out for most of the season due to a back injury and LaMelo Ball has been in and out of the lineup due to ankle issues.
A former No. 10 overall pick, Payton appeared in two games for the Hornets during his first 10 days with the team, averaging 2.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per night. He had a stint with another banged-up team – New Orleans – earlier this season and put up 6.7 PPG, 6.9 APG, and 3.4 RPG in seven outings (20.6 MPG) for the Pelicans.
The Hornets have a full 15-man standard roster, but won’t need to waive anyone to open up a spot for Payton because they qualify for a hardship exception due to longer-term injuries affecting Mann, Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, and Josh Okogie. That exception allows them to temporarily go beyond the usual roster limit.
Payton will earn a $171,756 salary on his new 10-day contract, while Charlotte carries a cap charge of $119,972. The Hornets have a busy schedule coming up in the next 10 days, including multiple back-to-back sets, so the 30-year-old will be available for up to six games if he officially signs on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Once Payton’s second 10-day deal expires, he won’t be eligible to sign a third one with the Hornets.
Eastern Notes: Ingram, Lonzo, Moore, E. Thompson
He hasn’t appeared in a game for his new team yet, but Brandon Ingram has already made franchise history for the Raptors, contends Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
As Lewenberg explains, Ingram is the first All-Star player to “chart a course to Toronto in the prime of his career.” Conversely, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, and DeMar DeRozan were drafted and developed by the Raptors; Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard didn’t view Toronto as a preferred destination when they were traded there; and Hakeem Olajuwon was in his twilight years when he chose to sign with Toronto.
Although it’s unclear whether Toronto was the No. 1 landing spot on Ingram’s wish list, the Raptors were believed to be one of the teams – along with the Hawks – the 27-year-old targeted as an ideal fit, Lewenberg writes. That was backed up by the fact that Ingram quickly signed a three-year, $120MM extension with the Raptors just days after the trade was completed.
That three-year deal will pay Ingram a salary of $38,095,238 in 2025/26 and exactly $40MM in ’26/27, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The star forward will hold a $41,904,762 player option for the ’27/28 season.
“First thing that I heard [from the Raptors] is they want to make me an All-Star again and I’m going to be a big part of what they do moving forward,” Ingram told reporters last week. “I want to come here and learn. I want to come here and be a sponge, shift the culture, make it a winning culture and come in here and just listen. Do whatever coach (Darko Rajakovic) needs me to do and go out and try to be an example every single day.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Lonzo Ball‘s new two-year, $20MM extension with the Bulls has a flat year-over-year structure, Hoops Rumors has learned. Ball’s $10MM salary in 2025/26 is fully guaranteed, then Chicago holds a $10MM team option for ’26/27.
- Wendell Moore‘s new two-way contract with the Hornets is just a rest-of-season deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. Charlotte’s other two-way players, KJ Simpson and Damion Baugh, are under contract through next season on two-year, two-way contracts. Moore also won’t be eligible for a qualifying offer this summer — because he previously had his 2025/26 rookie scale team option declined, the third-year shooting guard will automatically become an unrestricted free agent.
- Ethan Thompson, who has played primarily in the G League since going undrafted in 2021, referred to his new two-way contract with the Magic as a “dream come true,” adding that playing for the organization – including Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic – has “felt like home,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “It was a surreal moment,” Thompson said of signing his first NBA two-way contract. “My mom instantly cried. My father is proud; my brother is proud as well. It’s a great thing to be able to share that with them.”
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 2/18/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Bulls' options in the draft, players to watch in the buyout market, impact free agents for this summer, Kevin Durant's next team and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
Rest-Of-Season NBA Dates, Deadlines To Watch
With the All-Star Game behind us, we’re preparing for the home stretch of the 2024/25 NBA season. Here are a few noteworthy dates and deadlines to keep an eye on before the playoffs begin in April.
February 28
- Last day for contract renegotiations.
A team with cap room can renegotiate a player’s current-year salary to give him a raise as part of a contract extension. There are no legitimate candidates for a renegotiation at this point in the season though, with all 30 teams operating over the cap.
March 1
- Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.
As we outline in our glossary entry on buyouts, a player doesn’t need to be signed by March 1 in order to retain his playoff-eligible — he simply can’t be waived after that date. A player who is waived on March 1 and signs with another team on April 8 would be playoff-eligible for his new team, but a player who is waived on March 2 and signs on March 5 wouldn’t be.
March 4
- Last day for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract.
Under the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract was January 15, but it has been pushed back in the current CBA and teams are taking full advantage. In 2024, a total of 15 two-way deals were officially finalized on March 2, 3, or 4.
In the 12 days since the trade deadline, eight players have signed new two-way contracts. That number figures to grow significantly by the end of the day on March 4, despite the fact that there are only three two-way openings around the league right now.
March 10
- Last day to use a disabled player exception.
The Hornets ($6.5MM) and Jazz ($2.9MM) are among the teams that still have available disabled player exceptions, which could be used to sign a player to a rest-of-season contract or to claim a player with an expiring contract off waivers.
However, disabled player exceptions are used more frequently at the trade deadline than after it, and neither Charlotte nor Utah has reason to be especially aggressive in free agency. The likeliest scenario is that these DPEs – as well as those belonging to the Pacers and Nuggets – will expire without being used.
April 10
- Last day to waive a player on an expiring contract or a player with an option for 2025/26 (4:00pm CT).
Players with at least one year still left on their contracts can be waived during the postseason or offseason, but if a team wants to part ways with a player who has the ability to reach free agency this summer, he must be cut in time to clear waivers before the last day of the regular season.
April 13
- Last day of the NBA regular season.
- Last day players can sign contracts for 2024/25.
- Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
- Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.
Several teams around the NBA have at least one open spot on their 15-man rosters. We can probably assume that most – if not all – of those clubs will fill their openings by April 13.
Playoff teams will want to make sure they have as much veteran depth as possible, just to be safe, while lottery teams will look at signing younger players to multiyear deals that include little to no guaranteed money beyond this season in order to get a longer look at them in the summer.
April 14
- Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).
April 15-18
- NBA play-in tournament.
April 19
- NBA playoffs begin.
While they wait for the play-in tournament to conclude, the top six teams in each conference will get a few days off between the regular season and the postseason, giving them some time to recharge before the playoffs begin.
Warriors, Cavs Must Make Roster Additions By Thursday
NBA roster rules require teams to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts for most of the regular season. Clubs are permitted to dip below 14 players for up to 14 days at a time and 28 days in total during a season.
[RELATED: 2024/25 NBA Roster Counts]
Several teams dropped below 14 players on standard contracts earlier this month as a result of trade-deadline deals, but most of them have since made additions to get them back to the league-mandated minimum. There are some exceptions, however.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors briefly dipped to just 11 players on standard contracts after completing their trade for Jimmy Butler on February 6, then added a 12th man by converting Quinten Post from his two-way contract.
Golden State will be required to get back to 14 players on Feb. 20, which means making a pair of roster additions. One of those additions will reportedly be Kevin Knox, who is getting a promotion from the Santa Cruz Warriors after playing well this season for Golden State’s G League affiliate.
Besides Knox, the Warriors will have to add one more player to their standard roster by Thursday, either on a 10-day contract or on a rest-of-season deal.
Knox is reportedly receiving a 10-day contract, so it would make sense for the Warriors to go that route with their second addition as well. When those 10-day deals expire, the club could remain below 14 players for two more weeks before having to get back to 14 for the rest of the season. That would help Golden State navigate its hard cap and add a 15th man sooner.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers’ situation is pretty straightforward. They went from 14 players on their standard roster to 13 as a result of their two-for-one De’Andre Hunter trade on Feb. 6. They haven’t made a roster move since then, so they’ll need to sign a 14th man by Feb. 20, this Thursday.
None of the Cavaliers’ two-way players – Emoni Bates, JT Thor, and Luke Travers – have appeared in more than nine NBA games this season, so they don’t look like obvious candidates for promotions. The Cavs seem more likely to sign a free agent or promote a G League player from the Cleveland Charge.
Since their 14th man is unlikely to see the court much – if at all – the Cavs could opt to go the 10-day route for now and then make a decision on a rest-of-season commitment next month.
Sacramento Kings
Unlike the Warriors and Cavaliers, the Kings don’t face any immediate deadlines. But after Daishen Nix‘s 10-day contract expired on Monday night, they’re back down to 13 players on standard contracts. They’ll have until March 4 to re-fill that roster spot, though I suspect they may not wait that long.
Heat Notes: Cap Sheet, Herro, Optimism, Jovic
By trading Jimmy Butler, the Heat have created more cap flexibility for this offseason, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.
Miami now has $176.2MM committed to 12 players for next season, approximately $11MM below the projected $187.9MM luxury tax threshold. However, that figure doesn’t include restricted free agent guard Davion Mitchell and rookie forward Keshad Johnson’s $1.9MM team option, nor does it account for the salary for either of the first-round picks they might have.
The Heat could free up an additional $10MM by shedding Duncan Robinson‘s partially-guaranteed contract but it could also be used to help facilitate a trade. In any case, the team doesn’t have to worry about Butler exercising his $52.4MM option, which he declined in order to sign a two-year extension with Golden State.
We have more on the Heat:
- Tyler Herro won the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend and also participated in the revamped All-Star Game format. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “I broke like not even a half sweat. But it was a great experience all weekend, just to be here from Friday to Sunday night. Just super grateful to be here,” Herro told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
- Though the Heat entered the All-Star break with a four-game losing streak and three games under .500, there’s hope for a strong finish, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. The Butler drama is over and there’s more depth with the additions of Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Mitchell. The bigger lineup featuring Ke’lel Ware and Bam Adebayo also gives the club a new dimension.
- In his latest mailbag, Winderman notes that Nikola Jovic has not blossomed as hoped. He’s sometimes guilty of trying to do too much, Winderman writes. An even bigger issue is that he does not play to his size, as he tries to get by too often by finesse instead of power.
And-Ones: Award Eligibility, Towns, Vincent, Brown, WNBA, Dunk Contest
A key requirement for NBA postseason awards is 65 games played and 20 or more minutes per game, though there are some exceptions to the rule. According to Clippers reporter Justin Russo (Twitter link), a majority of the players in the league will fall short of that baseline.
There are 524 players currently in the NBA and only 148 remain eligible, according to Russo. Among the current eligible players, only 108 are on pace to play 65 games. Russo provides a comprehensive spreadsheet on the eligibility of players throughout the league.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Lakers guard Gabe Vincent were elected by the Players Association’s Board of Representatives as vice presidents on the NBPA Executive Committee, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Additionally, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was reelected as a VP.
- Cleveland is likely to be awarded the next WNBA franchise, Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal reports. The new franchise will begin play in 2028. Multiple sources told Friend that Cleveland’s approximate bid was a league record $250MM. An official announcement is expected no later than March. The WNBA is also considering scrapping its original plan of adding one team and could award one or two more franchises to bring its league total to 18 clubs. Philadelphia, Houston, Nashville, Detroit and Miami are the other cities in the running for a franchise.
- Mac McClung‘s three straight triumphs in the annual Dunk Contest on All-Star weekend proves that the event doesn’t need star power, Jason Jones of The Athletic opines. Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed some interest on social media of participating in next year’s competition but Jones argues that it’s more important to have entrants who are passionate about the art of dunking and performing on a grand stage.
Wizards Sign Erik Stevenson To 10-Day Deal, Cut Jaylen Nowell
The Wizards have signed Erik Stevenson to a 10-day contract, according to a team press release. In a related move, they released Jaylen Nowell.
Washington is rewarding one of its G League players. In 32 games this season, Stevenson is averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game for the Capital City Go-Go as a sixth man. The 25-year-old has scored 20-plus points 15 times this season and was selected to the G League Up Next game.
Stevenson, who played college ball for West Virginia, took part in training camp with San Antonio in 2023 and Washington in 2024. He was waived by the Wizards in October before joining the G League club and also played in three games for Washington during Summer League in Las Vegas.
Nowell signed his 10-day deal on Feb. 8 but didn’t see any action for the Wizards last Monday or Wednesday. He appeared in eight games, averaging 8.4 PPG in 21.0 MPG, for the injury-plagued Pelicans in November.
Nowell spent his first four NBA seasons from 2019-23 in Minnesota, had stints with Memphis and Detroit in 2023/24, then joined the Capital City Go-Go after New Orleans waived him. His contract would have run through this Friday it hadn’t been terminated early, since 10-day deals are required to cover at least three games.