Hawks Waive Malik Williams
The Hawks have waived center Malik Williams, who had been on a two-way contract with the team, according to a press release. Because the move occurred prior to the league-wide salary guarantee date, Williams will receive just a prorated portion of his two-way salary.
A former Louisville standout, Williams opened this season with Atlanta’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, and was promoted to a two-way deal last month following season-ending injuries to Hawks two-way players Jacob Toppin and Eli Ndiaye.
Although Williams was technically under contract with the NBA club in recent weeks, he remained in the G League for most of that time. The 27-year-old big man was active for just three games with Atlanta and didn’t see any action in any of them.
Assuming he doesn’t catch on with a new NBA team upon clearing waivers, Williams is expected to remain with the Skyhawks, who still hold his G League rights, tweets Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Williams has played well at the NBAGL level in 19 outings this season for College Park, averaging 16.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 28.0 minutes per game. However, he’s shooting just 39.9% from the floor, due in large part to the fact that he’s launching a career-high 7.1 three-pointers per contest and making only 32.1% of them.
Atlanta now has an open two-way slot alongside forward Caleb Houstan and guard RayJ Dennis, whose recently signed two-way contract is a two-year deal.
Eastern Notes: Edgecombe, Wizards, Hall, Williams, Cavs
While he has been overshadowed to some extent by former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe has been one of the NBA’s very best rookies so far this season. As Tony Jones of The Athletic writes, Edgecombe is further along his development than anticipated and showed again on Tuesday why Philadelphia made the right call drafting him with the No. 3 overall pick.
In a back-and-forth overtime matchup with Memphis, Edgecombe racked up 25 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four steals in nearly 41 minutes of action. He also knocked down five shots from beyond the arc, including a game-winning three-pointer with two seconds left in the overtime period (video link via NBA.com).
“VJ has been telling us for three weeks that he deserves to shoot a game-winner,” said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, who had the assist on that final shot. “I said, OK. I trust him. I knew he would shoot it with confidence. He took the shot, and he made it. We’re blessed to have him. You can thank the basketball gods, or (Sixers president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey, or whoever. He’s got a chance to be a special player.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Sixers were able to draft Edgecombe because they were bad enough last season to hang onto a top-six protected 2025 first-round pick. The Wizards find themselves in a similar position this season, with their 2026 first-rounder headed to New York if it doesn’t land in the top eight. As David Aldridge of The Athletic writes, that no longer looks like the lock that it did after Washington lost 15 of its first 16 games this season. The Wizards’ young core has shown positive signs during the team’s recent 4-4 stretch, which bodes well for the future but could jeopardize the team’s 2026 first-round pick if the trend continues.
- The two-way contracts recently signed by PJ Hall with the Hornets and Malik Williams with the Hawks each cover two seasons, Hoops Rumors has learned. If Hall and Williams play out those full deals, they’ll be eligible for restricted free agency during the 2027 offseason.
- With the Cavaliers off to an 18-16 start after winning 64 games last season and surpassing the second tax apron over the summer, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) considers potential moves for Cleveland’s front office, exploring whether it would make sense for the team to shake up its roster in a major way at the upcoming trade deadline. As Gozlan outlines, the Cavs’ inability to aggregate salaries will create challenges on the trade market, but players on smaller or mid-sized contracts – like Herbert Jones and Jose Alvarado of the Pelicans – would still theoretically be attainable.
Hawks Sign Malik Williams To Two-Way Contract
4:01 pm: The Hawks’ two-way deal with Williams is official, the team confirmed in a press release.
2:54 pm: The Hawks have reached an agreement with center Malik Williams on a two-way contract, sources tell Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link).
Williams has been playing for Atlanta’s G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, appearing in 14 games for the team so far this season. The 6’11” big man has averaged 16.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 27.4 minutes per contest.
A former Louisville standout, Williams played in seven NBA games near the end of the 2023/24 season when he signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Raptors, but has been in the G League since then. The 27-year-old was a regular contributor for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s affiliate, prior to joining the Skyhawks this fall.
The Hawks have recently seen their two-way and frontcourt depth decimated by a series of major injuries. Two-way forwards Jacob Toppin underwent season-ending shoulder surgery and Eli Ndiaye will soon follow suit, while center N’Faly Dante – who is on a standard contract – sustained a torn ACL. Starting center Kristaps Porzingis is also currently on the shelf due to an illness.
Toppin was waived by Atlanta last week, so the team won’t need to make a corresponding roster move to open up a two-way slot for Williams. As our chart shows, the Hawks’ newest two-way player will be eligible to be active for up to 32 games for the NBA squad.
Hawks Waive Kobe Johnson, Lamont Butler, Malik Williams
The Hawks announced today that they have requested waivers on Lamont Butler, Kobe Johnson, and Malik Williams, writes Caleb Johnson for 929 The Game (via Twitter). With the move, Atlanta has finalized its 18-man training camp roster.
Johnson was officially signed to his Exhibit 10 deal just over two weeks ago, and Butler and Williams were signed two days ago. Having been signed and waived by Atlanta, the three players will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 apiece if they spend at least 60 days with the Hawks’ G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks. College Park acquired Williams’ returning rights earlier this month.
Johnson, brother of Hawks forward Jalen Johnson, went undrafted earlier this year after averaging 7.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game with a .464/.362/.704 shooting line for UCLA as a senior.
Butler, a 6’2″ guard who played his final college season at Kentucky, averaged 11.4 PPG and 4.3 RPG while shooting 39.1% from three as a fifth-year senior. He also went undrafted in June.
Williams played five seasons for Louisville. The 6’11” center averaged 9.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG in his final season before going undrafted in 2022. He appeared in seven games with the Raptors in 2023/24.
Hawks Sign Malik Williams, Lamont Butler
6:25 pm: The Hawks have confirmed in a press release that they’ve officially signed Williams and former Kentucky guard Lamont Butler. Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter) reports that both are Exhibit 10 deals.
Reports in June indicated Butler was expected to sign a two-way contract, but after having filled their three two-way slots this offseason, the Hawks have apparently decided to bring him aboard on an Exhibit 10 deal instead.
4:32 pm: The Hawks have agreed to a training camp contract with free agent center Malik Williams, sources inform Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). A source tells Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter) that it’s an Exhibit 10 deal.
The 6’11” Louisville alum went undrafted in 2022 and kicked off his pro career by playing in the Polish Basketball League.
Williams spent most of 2023/24 with the Heat’s NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Late in the season, he managed to link up with the Raptors on a 10-day contract and then a rest-of-season deal. He cameoed in seven games, averaging 2.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 0.6 BPG in 15.3 MPG.
After his tenure with Toronto ended that spring, Williams returned to Sioux Falls for the 2024/25 season, with an eye towards a potential NBA call-up. Across 31 G League games for the Skyforce last year, he averaged 16.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.4 SPG and 1.4 BPG. A modern stretch big, he logged shooting splits of .450/.396/.667 while attempting 5.5 three-point attempts per game.
Assuming Williams is waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Hawks’ G League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks, he would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300. College Park acquired Williams’ returning rights earlier this month.
And-Ones: G League Trade, Offseason Moves, Spending, Draft Capital
The Heat‘s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, acquired the returning player rights to Alex Fudge from the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’s developmental team, the Skyforce announced in a release. The move was a three-team deal, with the Skyforce obtaining a 2026 first-round pick from the College Park Skyhawks (the Hawks‘ affiliate) while sending them Malik Williams. South Bay also obtained Caleb Daniels from Sioux Falls and Michael Devoe from College Park.
Fudge went undrafted in 2023 out of Florida but signed with the Lakers on a two-way contract that summer. He was later waived and then signed a two-way deal with Dallas before being cut last offseason. He spent all of last season with South Bay, averaging 5.5 points in 15 regular season games. The 22-year-old has appeared in six NBA games.
The other player in the deal with NBA experience is Williams, who suited up in seven games (two starts) with Toronto on a 10-day contract in 2023/24. He averaged 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in the G League last year with Sioux Falls.
Daniels previously signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Miami before averaging 10.8 PPG with the Skyforce last season. Devoe signed Exhibit 10 deals with the Clippers in 2022 and Jazz in 2023. He last played in the G League in 2023/24.
G League trades can often indicate a team is gearing up to sign one or more of the players involved to an Exhibit 10 contract. When teams sign players to Exhibit 10 deals, those players are eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with that organization’s G League affiliate.
Devoe played last year in Germany, so this trade doesn’t necessarily mean he will for sure suit up in the G League. But if he does, the South Bay Lakers currently controls his returning rights.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The Spurs signing Luke Kornet is one of the NBA’s most underrated moves of the offseason, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. San Antonio got a big that pairs nicely with Victor Wembanyama or can play when he’s off the floor without breaking the bank. In an article evaluating some of the most overlooked moves of the summer, Hollinger credits the Bulls for re-signing Josh Giddey at a decent price point and the Heat for trading for Norman Powell, while applauding various other moves.
- On the other hand, several teams made deals Hollinger was not a fan of. The Heat salary-dumping Haywood Highsmith is one such move, while the Pelicans acquiring Jordan Poole is another.
- With free agency largely over, pending the conclusion of restricted free agency for Quentin Grimes and Jonathan Kuminga, Keith Smith of Spotrac took a look at how teams spent their money this offseason. Small-market teams mostly led the way in total spending, signing players to big extensions. The Thunder, for example, led the league in new extension money at $776.3MM spread out between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams.
- The Thunder laid the blueprint for teams building through draft capital, winning a title with drafted players Holmgren and Williams leading the charge alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, who was himself acquired alongside draft assets. Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo of ESPN rank the top teams in the league by their draft capital, with the Thunder still leading the way with 13 incoming future first-round picks. Two rebuilding teams, the Nets and the Jazz, round out the top three.
Dennis Smith Jr. Among Players At Sixers’ Minicamp
Dennis Smith Jr. is participating in the Sixers‘ two-day veterans minicamp this week, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
The 27-year-old guard is hoping to return to the NBA after a one-year absence. After failing to catch on with anyone prior to the start of the season, Smith signed a G League contract in mid-December. He was hoping to be claimed by the Austin Spurs, but wound up with the Wisconsin Herd and never played for them.
Smith headed to Europe in mid-January, signing with Real Madrid for the rest of the season. He reportedly wasn’t in top condition when he arrived in Spain and only appeared in two games. He left after about a month in hopes of being picked up by an NBA team with a roster opening, but that didn’t happen so now he’s hoping to work his way back into the league through offseason auditions.
Smith spent time with six teams during his seven NBA seasons. He was selected by Dallas with the ninth pick in 2017, but was traded to New York midway through his second season. He was sent to Detroit two years later and then had one-year stints with Portland, Charlotte and Brooklyn.
Smith was an extremely explosive and athletic guard coming into the league, but shooting issues prevented him from ever reaching stardom. He’s averaging 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 326 NBA games with career shooting splits of .407/.298/.674.
Other minicamp participants include Eugene Omoruyi, Malcolm Hill, Adama Sanogo, Alondes Williams, Malik Williams, Armando Bacot, Javonte Cooke, Judah Mintz and Leaky Black, Pompey adds (Twitter link).
Team USA Announces Roster For February AmeriCup Qualifiers
Team USA has announced its 12-man roster for upcoming AmeriCup qualifiers games against Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, per a USA Basketball press release.
Four players will return to the team after representing the U.S. in the previous AmeriCup qualifying games in November. Those four players are as follows:
- Robert Covington, F
- Jahmi’us Ramsey, G
- Javonte Smart, G
- Malik Williams, C
The following eight players will round out the roster, which will be coached by former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas:
- Keita Bates-Diop, F
- Norris Cole, G
- Jalen Crutcher, G
- John Jenkins, G
- Miller Kopp, F
- RJ Nembhard, G
- Nassir Little, F
- Reggie Perry, F/C
While this obviously isn’t the sort of star-studded roster that Team USA would typically send to the World Cup or the Olympics, it features a good deal of NBA experience. Kopp is the only one of the 12 players on the team to have never appeared in an NBA regular season game.
Ramsey and Smart have been Team USA’s top scorers in previous AmeriCup qualifying windows, with Ramsey averaged 17.8 points per game on .511/.478/.824 shooting in four outings, while Smart put up 20.5 PPG on .714/.455/.667 in two games.
Covington has the most NBA experience of any player on the team, with 614 regular season NBA appearances on his résumé. Little is among the most notable newcomers — he appeared in 237 games for Portland and Phoenix over the past five seasons, but hasn’t been on an NBA roster since being waived by Miami in October.
Bates-Diop is another new addition worth noting. The former first-round pick has made 283 NBA appearances and was poised to play in November’s qualifying games before having to be replaced at the last minute.
The qualifying rounds for the 2025 AmeriCup feature 16 teams divided into four groups of four teams each. Each club plays the other members of its group twice, with the top three from each group (12 total) qualifying for this year’s AmeriCup tournament, which will take place from August 23-31 in Managua, Nicaragua.
Team USA went 3-1 in the previous two qualifying windows, beating each of the three teams in its group once but also dropping a game to Cuba (2-2). The U.S. will play in Puerto Rico (2-2) on Feb. 20 and in the Bahamas (1-3) on Feb. 23 as it looks to secure its AmeriCup ticket.
Team USA Roster Announced For AmeriCup Qualifying Tournament
Twelve players have been selected to represent Team USA in the next phase of the AmeriCup Qualifying Tournament, USA Basketball announced in a press release. All 12 have at least some NBA experience, and seven have represented the U.S. in the past.
One of the most notable names is Robert Covington, an 11-year veteran who remains a free agent after spending last season with the Clippers and Sixers. This is the first USA Basketball experience for the 33-year-old forward.
Also on the team is big man Frank Kaminsky, who was with the Suns during training camp but was waived before the start of the season. Kaminsky was hoping to return to the NBA after playing for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia last season.
Veteran forward Keita Bates-Diop, who was waived by the Timberwolves before the season began, is another prominent name on the roster. Bates-Diop divided last season between the Suns and Nets.
Rounding out the team are Henry Ellenson, Dusty Hannahs, Nate Hinton, Jahmi’us Ramsey, Chasson Randle, Javonte Smart, David Stockton, Paul Watson and Malik Williams.
Team USA will play two games in Washington, D.C., hosting Puerto Rico on November 22 and the Bahamas on November 25. Training camp will begin Friday and will run through November 21.
Former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas will coach the team during competition windows in November and February. His assistants will include Patrick Ewing and Keith Smart.
The Americans went 1-1 in the first window, splitting their games with Cuba. They will travel to Puerto Rico and the Bahamas in February.
The qualifying rounds involve 16 teams that are divided into four groups of four teams each. Each team plays the other members of its group twice, with the top three from each group qualifying for the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup tournament, which will take place August 23-31 2025, in Managua, Nicaragua.
The qualifying games can be viewed for free by setting up an account on Courtside 1891.
Heat Waive Bryson Warren, Malik Williams
The Heat have waived Bryson Warren and Malik Williams, the team announced (via Twitter). Both players were signed to Exhibit 10 contracts on Wednesday.
As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald points out (Twitter link), the moves were procedural, as both players are expected to spend the upcoming season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBA G League affiliate. If they spend at least 60 days with the Skyforce, each player could earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K on top of their regular NBAGL salary.
Warren, a 6’3″ guard, spent all of last season with Sioux Falls, averaging 6.9 PPG and 1.8 APG on .376/.325/.800 shooting in 27 total games (17.4 MPG). The 19-year-old turned pro early, previously playing in the Overtime Elite league, but technically didn’t declare for the NBA draft until this year, when he went undrafted.
Williams, a 6’11” center, spent most of last season with Sioux Falls before receiving a 10-day contract and a rest-of-season deal from Toronto at the end of ’23/24. Overall, the 26-year-old big man played in 42 games with the Skyforce and seven with the Raptors. He went undrafted out of Louisville in 2022 and spent his first pro season in Poland.
The Heat are back down to 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason maximum.