Bucks’ Nance Among Two-Way Players Nearing Game Limit
Bucks forward Pete Nance had one of his best games of the season in Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds, and blocking two shots. Although Milwaukee lost the game by a score of 123-116, Nance was a +7 during his 30 minutes of action.
As Keith Smith of Spotrac observes (via Twitter), it was the 29th consecutive game – and the 47th overall – in which Nance was active. That’s important because the 26-year-old is on a two-way contract, which comes with a limit of 50 active games.
The Bucks still have 14 games left on their regular season schedule, but if they want Nance to be active for more than three of those contests, they’d have to promote him to their standard 15-man roster, which is currently full.
Most promotions from a two-way contract to a standard deal in a given league year occur between the trade deadline and March 4. That way, teams don’t prematurely fill a roster spot they might need for a deadline deal and have the ability to back-fill a newly opened two-way slot on or before March 4, the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts. Promoting a two-way player to the 15-man roster after that deadline means that a club would have to leave one of its two-way slots open for the rest of the season.
Promotions can still happen between March 5 and the end of the regular season, but it’s a less pressing priority for teams who don’t have 15-man roster spots available and/or won’t need their two-way standouts for the postseason. The Bucks, whose playoff chances are on life support, probably fall into both of those categories, so it will be interesting to see whether they feel compelled to make a move with Nance as he nears his 50-game limit.
Here are the other players are on two-way contracts around the NBA who have fewer than 10 games of eligibility remaining (their remaining games are noted in parentheses):
- Moussa Cisse, Mavericks (4)
JD Davison, Rockets (4)
Tyrese Martin, Sixers (4) - Caleb Love, Trail Blazers (5)
David Roddy, Nuggets (5) - Tristan Enaruna, Cavaliers (6)
Blake Hinson, Jazz (6)
Rayan Rupert, Grizzlies (6)
Payton Sandfort, Thunder (6)
Dalen Terry, Sixers (6) - Norchad Omier, Clippers (7)
Nate Williams, Warriors (7) - Patrick Baldwin Jr., Kings (8)
Jamal Cain, Magic (8)
Julian Reese, Wizards (8) - Trevor Keels, Heat (9)
KJ Simpson, Nuggets (9)
Jalen Slawson, Pacers (9)
Ethan Thompson, Pacers (9)
Chris Youngblood, Trail Blazers (9)
Some of these players were just signed a couple weeks ago and didn’t have that many games of two-way eligibility to begin with, so the fact that they’re nearing their limit isn’t a big deal for their respective teams.
Sandfort, for instance, joined the Thunder on March 2, giving him 12 total games of regular season eligibility. He has been active for six, but has a DNP-CD in all of them. It’s safe to assume Oklahoma City won’t be looking to find a way to promote him to its standard roster.
Others on this list were regular contributors earlier in the season but have been deactivated since they got close to their respective limits. Cisse, for example, was at 42 active games at the trade deadline, but has been in the Mavericks’ lineup for just four of 18 contests since then. Davison and Love are among the others who have found themselves exiled to the inactive list on a permanent basis in recent weeks. Their teams have gotten by without them lately and don’t appear to be prioritizing promotions.
That doesn’t mean none of these players will be converted to standard contracts by April 12 though. The Jazz, Warriors, and Magic are among the teams that have open roster spots, so Hinson, Williams, and Cain, each of whom has been seeing a decent amount of playing time recently, should be considered candidates to fill those openings.
Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Watson, Johnson, Simpson
The Nuggets have had to deal with a barrage of injuries impacting starters and rotation players this season, but head coach David Adelman is optimistic it won’t be much longer until the roster is healthy again. Adelman told reporters today that he’s hoping the team will be fully healthy with about 20 games to go in the season, as Ryan Blackburn of Mile High Sports tweets.
The Nuggets will be playing their 62nd game of the season on Monday in Utah, so if we take Adelman literally, he’s suggesting that players like Aaron Gordon (hamstring) and Peyton Watson (hamstring) might be able to return in a week or so. For what it’s worth, Blackburn says he’s heard it could be more like two or three weeks before Gordon and Watson are back.
Adelman provided a positive update on Gordon’s progress today, indicating that the veteran forward did “basically everything but the contact stuff” in Tuesday’s practice, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
“He got up and down (the court). We did some situational defensive drills. He was a part of that,” Adelman said. “But it’s just gonna be a day-by-day thing. … Aaron’s been great. He’s understood the process.”
Gordon, who last played on January 23, was ruled out for at least four-to-six weeks due to a right hamstring strain, while Watson has been out since February 4 with a left hamstring strain and is expected to be reevaluated in early March.
We have more on the Nuggets:
- The odds are high that Denver will have to part ways with a key player this offseason, Durando writes in a mailbag for The Denver Post (subscription required). As Durando explains, the Nuggets have essentially treated the second tax apron like a hard cap in recent years, but re-signing restricted free agent Watson – who has had a breakout 2025/26 season – would require them to either surpass that threshold or move off another one of their highest-paid players. According to Durando, sources he has spoken to view Cameron Johnson as the most likely trade candidate if the team makes a move to create more financial flexibility to re-sign Watson.
- The Nuggets still have an open spot on their 15-man roster, and Durando thinks the team will most likely use that opening to add more size on the wing. However, he cautions that the front office is expected to wait to see who else shakes free on the buyout market in the coming days before making any decisions on that 15th roster spot.
- The two-way contract that guard KJ Simpson signed with the Nuggets last week covers two years, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Denver will have the ability to hang onto Simpson through the 2026/27 season on that deal.
Nuggets Notes: Simpson, Jokic, Murray, Gordon
KJ Simpson attended the championship parade in 2023 as the Nuggets celebrated their first NBA title, and now he’s on the roster with a chance to help them win another one, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. Simpson was playing at the University of Colorado at the time and had a high school rivalry with Denver swingman Peyton Watson. As he watched Watson go by in the parade, Simpson was hoping to be able to have the same experience.
“That was the closest I had been to seeing or being there to experience a championship team, I guess,” Simpson said. “Seeing them just go by. The job is finished. That was mad inspiring to me. Like, man, I want to feel that one day.”
Simpson’s NBA career began last season when he was selected by Charlotte with the 42nd pick in the draft. He was waived on February 6 and signed a two-way deal with the Nuggets on Thursday. His debut came Friday at Portland, as he contributed three points and four assists in seven minutes.
“I’m just excited to play in front of that fan base,” Simpson said. “It’s bigger than just CU Boulder. Colorado in general. … I was there for three years. First place I lived other than home. So to me, that was considered like home. I loved my time there. I loved everything about it. The people. And we would go to Denver a lot just to go see games. … So I’ve always felt that connection to Colorado. It’s just crazy how full-circle it is.”
There’s more on the Nuggets:
- Nikola Jokic didn’t wear tape on his right wrist Friday night, but the pain is still affecting him, Durando states in a separate story. Jokic estimates he has been dealing with wrist discomfort for six years, and it started flaring up again before the All-Star break. He still provided 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, scoring 19 points in the first quarter as Denver pulled away early. “When I tape it, I don’t feel it, and I don’t feel the ball. So that didn’t work really well for me,” Jokic said. “It’s pretty much the same.”
- Jamal Murray was listed as questionable for Friday with right hamstring tightness, Durando adds, and after playing 25 minutes he may be held out of Sunday afternoon’s game at Golden State. “If he feels anything, he’s not gonna play,” coach David Adelman said on Friday. “We played a 7:30 (Pacific time) game last night. We play 7:00 tonight. We play 12:30 on Sunday. It makes absolutely no sense for me to put him in a torture chamber and then be surprised if he gets hurt.”
- Aaron Gordon is making progress toward returning from a strained right hamstring, Tim MacMahon said on the latest edition of The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Jordanna Clark of NuggLove). MacMahon reports that the Nuggets sent a trainer to Orlando with Gordon during the All-Star break, and he was able to participate in portions of practices this week. Gordon has been dunking and playing one-on-one games, and the team hopes to slowly expand those to five-on-five. MacMahon adds that the Nuggets are being careful with the injury and projects it will be a couple more weeks before Gordon resumes playing.
KJ Simpson Joins Nuggets On Two-Way Deal
February 19: Simpson’s two-way deal is official, the Nuggets announced (via Twitter).
February 18: KJ Simpson will sign a two-way contract with the Nuggets, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
The 23-year-old point guard was selected by Charlotte with the 42nd pick in the 2024 draft and inked a two-year, two-way deal. He remained on the roster until he was waived earlier this month to open up a spot for the Hornets to sign Tosan Evbuomwan.
Simpson appeared in 50 games and made 17 starts during his time in Charlotte. He averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per night with .346/.266/.773 shooting numbers. He hasn’t appeared in a game since December 18.
Denver will have a two-way opening after promoting Spencer Jones to a standard contract.
If Simpson’s new deal becomes official today, he will be eligible to appear in up to 16 regular season games. That number goes down to 15 if he doesn’t sign until Thursday.
Hornets Waive Simpson, Sign Evbuomwan To Two-Way Deal
3:10 pm: Evbuomwan has officially signed his two-way contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
2:11 pm: The Hornets have waived guard KJ Simpson, the team announced today (Twitter link).
The 42nd overall pick in the 2024 draft, Simpson signed a two-year, two-way contract with Charlotte as a rookie that summer and remained on that deal until today. He has appeared in a total of 50 regular season games for Charlotte since making his debut in the fall of 2024, averaging 7.3 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game.
Simpson has posted a subpar shooting line of .346/.266/.773 in his 50 NBA outings and struggled with his shot in the G League this year too, making just 37.6% of his attempts from the floor and 24.1% from beyond the arc in 11 games with the Greensboro Swarm. He has been sidelined since mid-January due to a left hip injury.
Charlotte will fill its newly created two-way opening by signing forward Tosan Evbuomwan, agent George S. Langberg tells ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
A former Ivy League Player of the Year at Princeton, Evbuomwan went undrafted in 2023 and has spent the two-and-a-half seasons since then bouncing back and forth between the NBA and G League.
The 6’8″ forward signed 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies and Pistons as a rookie before finishing that season on a two-way deal with Detroit, then spent the majority of his second season on a two-way deal with Brooklyn. Evbuomwan was waived by the Nets this past August and signed a new two-way contract with the Knicks in September before being cut by New York last month.
Evbuomwan, who has also made 50 total appearances at the NBA level, has been playing for the Maine Celtics since being let go by the Knicks. He has averaged 19.4 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 4.7 APG in nine contests (35.2 MPG) for Boston’s NBAGL affiliate in recent weeks.
The Hornets will be able to have Evbuomwan active for up to 19 NBA games for the rest of the season.
Injury Notes: Ball, Embiid, Edgecombe, Kuminga, Mavs, Kings
Hornets star LaMelo Ball is listed as probable for Friday’s game in Milwaukee, tweets Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. The 24-year-old point guard, who has missed the past five games with a right ankle impingement, recently practiced in the G League, with head coach Charles Lee expressing optimism about his progress.
Ball, a former Rookie of the Year who made his lone All-Star appearance in his second season, has averaged 23.3 points, 9.8 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals on .430/.333/.815 shooting in six games this fall (33.3 minutes per contest).
Second-year guard KJ Simpson (left AC joint sprain) is also probable to suit up against the Bucks, while rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner will miss a game for the first time in his career due to personal reasons.
Here are some more injury-related notes from around the NBA:
- While there are no long-term concerns about the injury, Sixers center Joel Embiid will miss his second straight game on Friday because of right knee soreness, as Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports relays (via Twitter). VJ Edgecombe, the third overall pick in the 2025 draft, is also on the injury report, having been listed as questionable to suit up against Detroit due to back spasms.
- Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga is dealing with bilateral tendinitis in his knee and is questionable for Friday’s matchup at San Antonio, per Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). Kuminga was demoted to the second unit on Wednesday vs. the Spurs after starting the first 12 games of the season. He played a season-low 12 minutes last night, leaving the game early due to the knee issue.
- Three key members of the Mavericks‘ frontcourt are questionable to play Friday against the Clippers, according to Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Anthony Davis (left calf strain) and Dereck Lively II (right knee sprain) have both missed several games with their respective injuries, while forward P.J. Washington is a recent addition to the injury report — he’s dealing with a left shoulder strain.
- The Kings have listed Domantas Sabonis (left rib contusion) and Malik Monk (sore left ankle) as questionable for Friday’s matchup in Minnesota, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. High-scoring guard Zach LaVine is not on the injury report after missing Wednesday’s game vs. Atlanta with a bruised thigh, Anderson adds. Head coach Doug Christie ripped the Kings for their “shameful” compete level after Wednesday’s lopsided defeat, the team’s fourth straight loss.
NBA Names Kyle Filipowski Summer League MVP, Announces All-SL Teams
Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski has officially been named the Summer League Most Valuable Player for 2025, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). Filipowski is also one of five players who earned a spot on the All-Summer League first team.
Here are the full All-Summer League teams, per the league (Twitter links):
First Team
- Kyle Filipowski (Jazz)
- Nique Clifford (Kings)
- David Jones-Garcia (Spurs)
- Jordan Miller (Clippers)
- Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves)
Second Team
- Ron Holland (Pistons)
- Isaac Jones (Kings)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- Ajay Mitchell (Thunder)
- KJ Simpson (Hornets)
Filipowski, who is entering his second NBA season after playing 72 games as a rookie, appeared in a total of six Summer League contests (Salt Lake City and Las Vegas). He averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. He especially excelled in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG in three outings.
Clifford, a rookie drafted with the No. 24 pick last month, posted averages of 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in six contests. Jones-Garcia, who is seeking a contract, finished an eight-game summer campaign with averages of 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He posted averages of 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in a handful of games in Vegas.
Miller (22.0, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists) racked up impressive number in five summer games after being waived earlier this month by the Clippers. Entering his second season with Minnesota, Shannon (22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists) excelled in three contests.
After competing in the Summer League championship game on Sunday, both the Hornets (Knueppel and Simpson) and Kings (Clifford and Jones) had multiple players recognized for their play in Las Vegas. Knueppel was named the MVP of the championship game.
Hornets’ Knueppel Named Summer League Championship Game MVP
The Hornets took home the NBA’s 2025 Summer League championship with an 83-78 victory over Sacramento in Sunday’s finale in Las Vegas.
Rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15 points, nine rebounds), and two-way guard KJ Simpson (11 points, seven rebounds, five assists) were among the Hornets who played key roles in the win, but No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel led the way with a team-high 21 points and +9 on/off mark, earning him championship game MVP honors, as Mark Anderson of The Associated Press details.
Knueppel got off to a shaky start in Summer League play earlier this month, scoring just five points on 1-of-8 shooting in his Hornets debut vs. Utah. He bounced back nicely, however, scoring at least 16 points and making multiple three-pointers in each of his next four games.
Knueppel was the first of four players drafted by the Hornets last month — the team also selected Liam McNeeley at No. 29, Sion James at No. 33, and Kalkbrenner at No. 34.
While James and McNeeley appeared in just two of Charlotte’s six Summer League games due to hip and Achilles issues, respectively, all four of the team’s 2025 draftees showed some promise in Las Vegas as the Hornets became the only club to go 6-0 at the event.
Kings, Hornets To Meet For Las Vegas Summer League Title
Play will wrap up in the Las Vegas Summer League on Sunday with the Kings facing the Hornets in the championship game at 9 p.m. CT. Both teams advanced with convincing wins on Saturday, with Sacramento defeating Toronto, 98-88, and Charlotte routing Oklahoma City, 109-80.
Isaac Jones led the way for the Kings with 36 points and six rebounds in the semifinal matchup. The 25-year-old power forward appeared in 40 games as a rookie last season and is set to return after the team exercised its option on him last month. Sacramento also got 15 points from Mason Jones, who missed the previous game with an oblique injury, and 12 points and seven rebounds from rookie center Maxime Raynaud.
Charlotte was led by 25 points from Jaylen Sims, who appeared in six games with the team last season after signing a 10-day contract in April. The 26-year-old shooting guard is currently a free agent. Kon Knueppel, the fourth selection in last month’s draft, scored 17 points in 21 minutes before leaving the game after suffering a head injury while diving for a loose ball, according to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
Even if Knueppel returns today, the Hornets will be without two of their top players. First-round pick Liam McNeeley missed the past two games with right Achilles tendinopathy, while last year’s lottery pick Tidjane Salaün sat out the last three games due to right Achilles soreness.
There were six unbeaten teams during this year’s preliminary games, with the Raptors (+15.8), Thunder (+14.8), Hornets (+12.7) and Kings (+11.5) advancing due to point differential ahead of the Timberwolves (+9.5) and Hawks (+8.0).
Today’s contest will feature a matchup of former college teammates Nique Clifford and KJ Simpson, who spent two years together at Colorado, notes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. The Kings traded up to take Clifford with the 24th pick in this year’s draft, and he’s gotten off to a strong start in Summer League, averaging 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals in five games while shooting 55.4% from the field and 50% from three-point range.
Simpson has served as the Hornets’ primary ball-handler in Las Vegas and has posted 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.5 steals in five games.
The Kings are seeking their third title since playoffs were added to the league in 2013. They defeated the Rockets in 2014 and the Celtics in 2021. The Hornets are chasing their first Summer League championship.
Southeast Notes: Simpson, Ware, Toppin, Magic Coaches
Hornets guard KJ Simpson is embracing his role as the primary initiator on Charlotte’s Summer League team after missing the event as a rookie a year ago, writes Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. The Hornets’ roster is loaded with guards, and Simpson is aware he needs to become more consistent with his offense if he wants to find a role with the team this season.
“I know I’m a way better shooter and way better efficient scorer than I was during the season,” Simpson said. “Just being more efficient, taking better shots and better decision making, that can always improve.”
Simpson also knows he has to be a pest defensively if he wants to earn his place on the court. One player he’s looking to for inspiration is T.J. McConnell, whose game tape he has been watching for inspiration — that includes the Pacers guard’s tendency to pick up full-court defensively.
“T.J. is a good example that he just goes out there heart over height, and I just want to go out there and prove I can do the same thing at that same level,” Simpson said.
We have more from around the Southeast division:
- After being called out by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra for his lackluster Summer League start and overall approach, second-year big man Kel’el Ware responded in a major way on Sunday evening, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Ware racked up 21 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks in his fourth Summer League outing while making two of three three-point shots, though Jackson notes that more is still needed in terms of attention to detail on the defensive glass and transition defense. “He’s the coach and he has that trust in me and he wants to see me be the best I can be,” Ware said after the game. “So I took it as motivation.” Summer League coach Eric Glass liked what he saw from Ware. “When he comes in with that focus and that intensity, the rest of his game blossoms,” Glass said. “He has that potential and we want to see him do it again tomorrow.”
- Jacob Toppin is hoping to build off a strong start to Summer League with the Hawks, writes Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Toppin’s speed and athleticism with the ball has stood out during his play, and Summer League coach Bryan Bailey has noticed. “Obviously, his size, his length and ability to shoot the ball,” Bailey said. “We even saw (Friday) in the game, just in the fourth quarter, he can push the ball. He can dribble. So we got him as a weapon in transition. Just keep developing those things.” The Hawks have a roster loaded with athletic wings, but Toppin knows what he needs to do to prove himself worth the investment. “On the defensive end, being a menace, being able to guard one of four, keeping guys in front,” he said. “Offensively, being that athletic wing who’s going to run the floor space, make open shots and stuff like that.”
- Losing in the first round for a second consecutive season helped convince Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley that additional help was needed, not just on the roster, but on the coaching staff as well, writes Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. That led the team to hire God Shammgod and former Bucks’ assistant Joe Prunty. “What they bring is experience,” Mosley said. “They bring a level of player relationship that they’ve developed over time throughout being in the league all these years. For our staff, they continue that connectivity that we have.” Mosley has worked with both coaches before – Shammgod in Dallas and Prunty in Cleveland – and is excited about what the duo can bring to the team. “Sham, more on the coaching side, being able to dissect some of the offense, the individual movement and plays of guys,” Mosley said. “Joe’s going to be tasked more with the offensive focus, offensive flow of the way in which we’re playing.”