Jazz Sign Hayden Gray To Two-Year Contract
11:44 am: Gray’s deal is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
9:20 am: The Jazz are signing guard Hayden Gray to a two-year contract, agent George S. Langberg tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will cover the last game of the 2025/26 season and all of ’26/27, though next season is unlikely to feature any guaranteed money.
Gray, who went undrafted out of UC San Diego in 2025, signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract with Boston last July and was waived in September, lining him up to spend his first professional season with the Maine Celtics in the G League.
The 6’4″ shooting guard made 48 appearances for Maine in 2025/26, averaging 9.9 points, 5.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 steals in 27.8 minutes per game, with a .417/.332/.744 shooting line. Gray has a reputation for being an excellent defender — as a college senior in ’24/25, he led all Division I players in steals (3.1 per game) and was named the Big West’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Utah opened up a spot on its 15-man roster when guard Kennedy Chandler‘s 10-day contract expired overnight on Friday. Gray will fill that newly created opening and appears set to finish the season as the Jazz’s 15th man, while Chandler is once again an unrestricted free agent.
Gray’s rest-of-season salary will depend on whether he signs on Saturday or Sunday and whether the Jazz decide to give him more than the minimum. But at the very least, he’ll earn $7,315, which would be the prorated rookie minimum on Sunday. His salary for next season – which, again, is unlikely to be guaranteed – figures to be $2,150,917.
Jazz Sign Kennedy Chandler To Second 10-Day Contract
Following the expiration of Kennedy Chandler‘s first 10-day contract with the Jazz on Monday night, he has been re-signed to a second 10-day deal, the team announced on Wednesday in a press release.
Chandler, who joined the Jazz on March 21 after spending most of the 2025/26 season with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, saw plenty of action during his first 10 days in the NBA since 2023. The 23-year-old point guard averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game across six appearances for Utah, registering a shooting line of .431/.364/.652.
The Jazz are dealing with injuries to several regulars, including usual starting point guard Keyonte George, and have long been eliminated from postseason contention, opening the door for Chandler to play a significant rotation role in the final weeks of the regular season.
His second 10-day deal will run through April 10, covering five of Utah’s remaining six games. After it expires, the Jazz would have to sign Chandler to a rest-of-season or multiyear contract in order to retain him for the regular season finale.
Chandler will earn another $117,730 on his second 10-day deal, bringing his total earnings with the Jazz to $235,460. He’ll carry an identical cap hit.
Jazz Sign Kennedy Chandler To 10-Day Contract
March 21: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
March 20: Former NBA point guard Kennedy Chandler has agreed to a 10-day contract with the Jazz, agent Ryan Davis tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 38th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Chandler spent his rookie season with Memphis but was waived during the 2023 offseason and hasn’t been in the NBA since then, having played for the Long Island Nets, Raptors 905, and Delaware Blue Coats in the G League in recent years.
In 36 games this season for the Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s NBAGL affiliate, Chandler has averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 assists in 35.3 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .449/.299/.686.
The Jazz currently have a full 15-man standard roster, but two of those 15 players are on 10-day deals, with Andersson Garcia‘s contract set to expire on Friday night and Bez Mbeng‘s deal running through Sunday.
While Chandler could simply replace one of those two players on the roster, Utah may also qualify for a hardship exception, allowing the team to temporarily exceed 15 standard contracts. A team becomes eligible for a hardship exception when it has at least four players who have missed three or more games and are expected to be out for at least two more weeks.
In the Jazz’s case, Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, and Jusuf Nurkic have been ruled out for the season, while Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George are currently on the shelf with multi-week injuries. If either Markkanen or George is expected to miss the next two weeks, Utah would qualify for a hardship deal.
Chandler will earn $117,730 over the course of his 10-day contract. If the Jazz wait until Saturday to sign him, he could replace Garcia on the roster and his deal would cover the team’s next six games.
Pullin, Chandler, Chance Claim NBA G League Awards
Free agent guard Zyon Pullin, who opened the 2025/26 season with the Iowa Wolves after being released by the Timberwolves in October, has been named the NBA G League’s Player of the Month for November, according to the NBA (Twitter link).
In seven Tip-Off Tournament games (34.0 minutes per contest) with Iowa this season, Pullin has averaged 27.7 points, 5.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds, with a scorching-hot shooting line of .667/.545/.903.
A 6’4″ guard out of Florida, Pullin played for UC Riverside from 2019-23 before transferring to the Gators for his super-senior year. He was an All-SEC honoree in 2023/24 after averaging 15.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per contest in 33 games (27 starts), with a shooting line of .444/.449/.847.
Pullin quickly signed a two-way contract with the Heat after going undrafted in 2024, but was cut in July and opened last season in the G League prior to signing another two-way deal in January, this time with Memphis. He played three NBA games for the Grizzlies, having spent most of his rookie campaign in the NBAGL with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (Miami’s affiliate) and the Memphis Hustle.
The 24-year-old signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Grizzlies but didn’t play out the entire contract, having been cut in July. He caught on with Minnesota for training camp, inking a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal.
The NBA also announced (Twitter links) the G League’s Player of the Week (for games played from Nov. 24-30), which went to Delaware Blue Coats point guard Kennedy Chandler, and the Coach of the Month, which was won by Jacob Chance of the Austin Spurs.
Chandler, the 38th pick in the 2022 draft, has been playing for the Sixers‘ affiliate this fall after signing an Exhibit 10 deal with Philadelphia for training camp. He averaged 25.0 points and 12.3 assists in three games last week — the Blue Coats went 2-1 in those contests.
In eight games this fall (36.0 MPG), the 23-year-old Chandler is averaging 21.8 PPG, 10.1 APG, 2.9 RPG and 1.8 SPG on .468/.265/.667 shooting.
As for Chance, he guided Austin to a 9-1 record in November the second-best mark in the NBAGL. Raptors 905 coach Drew Jones was also deserving of the coaching award, notes Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter) — Toronto’s affiliate is undefeated at 8-0 and has the best defensive and net ratings in the G League.
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.
Sixers Sign Four Players
September 23: Philadelphia has waived Martin, who is expected to join the Delaware Blue Coats, Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports tweets.
September 22: The Sixers have signed a quartet of free agents, forward Emoni Bates, point guard Kennedy Chandler, wing Malcolm Hill, and forward Jaylen Martin, according to the team.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter link) that all four players have been inked to Exhibit 10 deals.
The 6’10” Bates, still just 21, was selected with the No. 49 pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2023 by Cleveland. He played sparingly with the Cavaliers across his first two pro seasons as a two-way signing. In 25 appearances, he averaged 3.1 points and 0.8 rebounds per game.
The six-foot Chandler played for the Grizzlies 2022/23, suiting up for 36 contests. Chandler has been plying his trade in the G League ever since, suiting up for the Memphis Hustle, Long Island Nets and Raptors 905.
Hill, a 6’6″ swingman, played in just 24 games for Atlanta and Chicago from 2021-23. He was also signed to the Pelicans on a 10-day deal in 2024, although he never appeared in a game on that deal. A journeyman since going undrafted out of Illinois in 2017, Hill has played for NBAGL affiliates more than he has seen NBA action. Most recently, he played for New Orleans’ G League club, the Birmingham Squadron.
Martin split his rookie season in 2024/25 between the Nets and Wizards on two-way deals. In 16 games, he averaged 4.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.1 APG and 0.6 SPG.
Igor Milicic previously signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Philadelphia, while Izan Almansa reportedly agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal as well, though it has yet to be officially completed.
If an Exhibit 10 recipient is cut by his NBA squad before the season and then spends at least 60 days with that team’s G League affiliate, he’ll earn a bonus worth up to $85,300.
And-Ones: Roster Holes, G League Trades
With the start of training camp mere weeks away, Kevin Pelton of ESPN takes a look at the biggest 2025/26 roster holes for all 30 NBA teams.
Beyond the reigning champion Thunder, who will be bringing back their full playoff lineup and whose perceived biggest need is a fresh arena, Pelton believes every club has personnel issues.
Among top East contenders, Pelton posits that Cleveland could use some help along the wing with injured swingman Max Strus expected to be out for multiple months. Pelton notes that New York may want to add more proven veteran help to shore up its bench. In the West, Pelton observes that the Rockets and Nuggets could use help at the point, while Minnesota could benefit from some additional depth on the perimeter.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- The Pistons‘ G League club, the Motor City Cruise, has traded the returning player rights to big man Cameron Martin and guard Javante McCoy to the Nuggets‘ NBAGL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, for the rights to center Charles Bediako and a 2026 international pick, Motor City has announced (Twitter link).
- Raptors 905, the Raptors‘ NBAGL affiliate, is trading their rights to guard Kennedy Chandler to the Sixers‘ G League club, the Delaware Blue Coats, in exchange for wing Patrick McCaw and a future first-rounder, reports Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Murphy tweets that some EuroLeague teams considered bringing McCaw aboard earlier in the offseason. McCaw has been in the G League for four seasons, and Murphy is unsure if he’ll continue suiting up close to NBA scouts or will take a more lucrative offer elsewhere.
- In case you missed it, newly crowned EuroBasket MVP Dennis Schröder cited Hall of Fame countryman Dirk Nowitzki as the major inspiration who helped turn Germany into an international force.
And-Ones: NBAGL Trades, Extension Candidates, Woj’s Replacement, More
Toronto’s G League affiliate – the Raptors 905 – has made a pair of trades in recent days, including a four-team deal that sent Kennedy Chandler‘s returning rights to the 905, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). As we noted recently when the NBA’s Raptors signed and waived Chandler, their G League team still needed to acquire the guard’s rights in order to get him on the 905’s roster this fall.
That four-team trade also saw the Long Island Nets acquire Au’Diese Toney‘s returning rights and a 2025 first-round pick, the Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans) acquire Trhae Mitchell‘s returning rights, and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets) land the rights to Devin Cannady and Markquis Nowell along with a 2024 first-round pick.
In the 905’s other trade, the Raptors’ affiliate sent Koby McEwen‘s returning rights to the Windy City Bulls in exchange for Evan Gilyard‘s rights, tweets Murphy.
- Fred Katz of The Athletic identifies five of the most interesting extension-eligible veterans to keep an eye on this fall, singling out Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, among others.
- Who are the candidates to replace Adrian Wojnarowski as ESPN’s top NBA insider? According to reporting from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports, while big-name NBA reporters like Shams Charania and Chris Haynes are possibilities, it’s also not out of the question that one of ESPN’s other top news-breakers, such as Jeff Passan or Adam Schefter, could end up in the role. Marchand says Passan is a candidate to switch from MLB to the NBA, while McCarthy suggests it’s not out of the question for Schefter to take on a dual role covering the NFL and NBA.
- In an in-depth Insider-only article for ESPN, Bobby Marks takes a look at all 30 teams’ training camp rosters and examines the key dates and deadlines coming up for each of those clubs.
- Taking into account their projected regular season win totals, John Hollinger of The Athletic picks five teams he expects to exceed expectations in 2024/25, including the Cavaliers, Suns, and Pistons.
Raptors Sign, Waive Kennedy Chandler
2:58pm: As expected, the Raptors have waived Chandler, according to Murphy (Twitter link).
12:33pm: The Raptors have signed former second-round pick Kennedy Chandler to an Exhibit 10 contract, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.
A 6’0″ point guard, Chandler was selected 38th overall out of Tennessee in the 2022 draft and played for the Grizzlies as a rookie. However, he had a disappointing first season, averaging 2.2 points and 1.6 assists in 7.8 minutes per game across 36 outings while shooting just 42.2% from the floor (including 13.3% on three-pointers) and 46.2% from the free throw line.
Memphis waived Chandler in April 2023 even though he still had two fully guaranteed years left on his contract.
Chandler spent the 2023/24 season with the Long Island Nets in the G League, appearing in 49 total Showcase Cup and regular season contests for Brooklyn’s affiliate. He averaged 13.9 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 3.3 RPG with a shooting line of .477/.361/.758.
The Raptors have been signing and quickly waiving free agents in recent days in order to put them in line for Exhibit 10 bonuses worth up to $77.5K if they spend at least 60 days this season with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBAGL team. That may be the plan for Chandler too, though the 905 will have to acquire his returning rights from Long Island to make that happen.
Toronto, at least for now, once again has a full 21-man preseason roster.
Nets Sign, Waive Kennedy Chandler, Patrick Gardner
October 21: The Nets waived both Chandler and Gardner, the team announced (Twitter link via Spotrac’s Keith Smith).
October 19: The Nets have signed guard Kennedy Chandler and center Patrick Gardner, according to the team (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).
In all likelihood, both players received Exhibit 10 contracts that will make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $75K if they’re waived by Brooklyn and then spend at least 60 days with the Long Island Nets. Neither player’s G League rights are held by another team, so the Nets will be able to make them both affiliate players. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts, and Brooklyn does have an open two-way slot.
Chandler, the 38th overall pick in the 2022 draft, signed a four-year contract with the Grizzlies last July that included three guaranteed seasons. However, the team opted to waive him in April to make room on the roster for Kenneth Lofton, eating his salaries for 2023/24 and ’24/25.
As a rookie, Chandler appeared in 36 NBA games, averaging 2.2 points and 1.6 assists in 7.8 minutes per night. He was more effective in 12 G League games with the Memphis Hustle (15.3 PPG, 6.2 APG) and this summer with Brooklyn’s Summer League team (14.0 PPG, 5.4 APG), though he continued to struggle with his outside shot — after hitting just 24.0% of 4.2 attempts per game in the NBAGL last season, he made 2-of-14 (14.3%) in Las Vegas.
Gardner, meanwhile, reached his Exhibit 10 agreement with the Nets back in July after playing for the Heat in Summer League and before representing Egypt at the World Cup. The big man, who transferred to Marist for his final year of college ball, averaged 19.1 points and 6.6 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game (33 games) in 2022/23. He also had a three-point percentage of 38.3%, an impressive mark for a 6’11” frontcourt player.
Brooklyn had only been carrying 18 players on its preseason roster, so no cuts were necessary to make room for Chandler and Gardner. The club still has one opening on its 21-man squad.