And-Ones: NBA Awards Picks, G League Awards
Reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander claims two awards on the unofficial ballot of Dan Devine of Yahoo Sports: MVP and Clutch Player of the Year.
To be clear, Devine does have an official vote for year-end awards, but those ballots aren’t sent out until the regular season concludes on April 12. Devine also notes that he may be forced to change some of his picks, depending on which players are eligible.
Victor Wembanyama, for example, needs to play at least 20 minutes in one of San Antonio’s remaining two games to be eligible for awards consideration. The French big man is Devine’s choice for Defensive Player of the Year and is his runner-up for MVP, ahead of Nikola Jokic.
Kon Knueppel (Rookie of the Year) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Most Improved Player) are a couple of Devine’s other awards picks.
Here are a few more awards-related stories and announcements:
- There’s quite a bit of overlap between Devine’s awards picks and the tentative selections of Zach Harper of The Athletic. Both writers have Joe Mazzulla, J.B. Bickerstaff and Mitch Johnson as the three finalists, in order of how they finish, for Coach of the Year, and Keldon Johnson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tim Hardaway Jr. as their top three picks for Sixth Man of the Year.
- Michael Pina of The Ringer lists his three All-NBA, two All-Defensive, and two All-Rookie teams. Pina’s first-team All-NBA picks are Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama and Jokic; his All-Defensive First Team selections are Wembanyama, Derrick White, Scottie Barnes, Ausar Thompson and Chet Holmgren; and his top-five rookies are Knueppel, Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Dylan Harper and Derik Queen.
- The NBA G League has announced its All-Defensive and All-Rookie teams, which are each comprised of five players (Twitter links via the NBA). The All-Defensive selections are Jamarion Sharp (Texas Legends), Chris Manon (South Bay Lakers), Alijah Martin (Raptors 905), Andersson Garcia (Mexico City Capitanes) and Jalen Slawson (Noblesville Boom), while the All-Rookie team consists of Raptors 905 standout Martin, Norchad Omier and Sean Pedulla of the San Diego Clippers, Keshon Gilbert (College Park Skyhawks) and RJ Davis (South Bay Lakers). Martin, Manon, Slawson (Pacers), Omier and Pedulla are on two-way contracts with their respective NBA teams.
NBA G League Announces ROY, DPOY, COY Award Winners
Clippers two-way guard Sean Pedulla has been named the NBA G League’s Rookie of the Year for the 2025/26 season, the league announced in a press release.
Pedulla, who went undrafted out of Mississippi last June, averaged 23.6 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 28 combined games (32.0 MPG) with the Rip City Remix (the Trail Blazers‘ affiliate) and the San Diego Clippers this season. He posted a shooting line of .443/.369/.845.
Pedulla ranked first in points per game and second in assists per game among rookies who qualified.
The 23-year-old signed a two-way contract with Los Angeles in February. He has made four NBA appearances with the Clippers this season, averaging 3.3 PPG in 5.8 MPG.
Raptors two-way guard Alijah Martin and Clippers two-way forward Norchad Omier finished second and third in voting for the award, respectively, per the NBA (Twitter link).
The NBAGL also announced the Defensive Player of the Year and Head Coach of the Year award winners. Dallas Legends (Mavericks’ affiliate) center Jamarion Sharp won the former award, while Mexico City Capitanes coach Vitor Galvani won the latter.
Sharpe averaged 7.1 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and a league-high 3.9 BPG across 25 regular season appearances for the Legends (24.9 MPG). Lakers two-way guard Chris Manon and Martin of the Raptors finished second and third in voting, respectively.
Galvani guided the Capitanes to a 24-12 record in his first season with the team, who entered the G League playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. It’s the first NBAGL playoff appearance for the league’s lone independent club.
Greensboro Swarm (Hornets‘ affiliate) head coach DJ Bakker and Osceola Magic head coach Dylan Murphy finished second and third in voting, respectively.
All three awards were voted on by G League head coaches and general managers, according to the NBA.
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.
Clippers Sign Norchad Omier, Sean Pedulla To Two-Way Deals
February 20: Omier’s two-way contract has also been finalized, the Clippers confirmed today.
February 19, 8:30 pm: Pedulla’s two-way deal is official, according to the NBA’s transaction log. Pedulla’s contract covers two seasons, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
February 19, 4:56 pm: The Clippers plan to sign free agents Norchad Omier and Sean Pedulla to two-way contracts, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
Los Angeles has a pair of two-way openings after recently promoting Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller to the team’s 15-man standard roster. Omier and Pedulla will fill those vacancies, according to Fischer.
Omier, 24, played for three different college programs — Arkansas State, Miami (FL) and Baylor — over the course of five NCAA seasons. He averaged a double-double in each of those campaigns.
The 6’5″ forward went undrafted last year, signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs, was waived, and has spent the 2025/26 season in the G League with the Cleveland Charge. In 31 total games (28.9 minutes per contest) with the Charge, Omier has averaged 18.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steal on .603/.293/.774 shooting.
According to Basketball-Reference, Omier will be the first player born in Nicaragua in NBA history.
Pedulla, a 6’1″ guard, went undrafted last year out of Mississippi after previously playing three years at Virginia Tech. The Oklahoma native signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Portland last fall and has been suiting up for the team’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix.
In 36 games with the Remix this season, Pedulla has averaged 19.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 4.0 RPG and 1.4 SPG in 27.7 MPG. The 23-year-old’s shooting line was .438/.359/.847.
The Clippers will have a full roster once the signings are official.
Cavaliers Waive Killian Hayes
The Cavaliers have waived Killian Hayes, reports HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (via Twitter).
Scotto notes that Hayes, who was on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs, is expected to join the team’s G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.
Hayes was selected seventh overall by the Pistons during the 2020 draft. He played four years in Detroit before spending part of last season with the Nets, with whom he averaged 9.0 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 38.1% on three-pointers in six appearances.
Hayes also played 18 games with the Long Island Nets, averaging 20.7 points, 7.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per contest while knocking down 41.7% of his threes.
A strong defender as a 6’5″ point guard, Hayes has struggled with scoring consistency during his time in the league, as evidenced by his career 28.1% three-point mark. Scotto notes that he is still hopeful to find another NBA deal.
Hayes was one of three players cut today by the Cavaliers, per NBA.com’s official transaction log. Camp invitees Tristan Enaruna and Norchad Omier were also placed on waivers and will likely end up with the Charge as well.
Cavaliers Sign Killian Hayes, Four Others
September 26: The Cavaliers have officially signed Hayes, according to the team, which formally announced its training camp roster on Friday.
The Cavs also completed previously reported Exhibit 10 agreements with Baylor forward Norchad Omier and former Auburn forward Chaney Johnson, in addition to signing free agent wing Tristan Enaruna and forward Miller Kopp. The club now has a full 21-man roster for camp.
September 23: The Cavaliers and former lottery pick Killian Hayes have agreed to a contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
Details were not disclosed but it’s almost certainly a training camp deal with no certainty of making the opening night roster. However, the Cavaliers need to fill out their 21-man preseason roster — adding Hayes would give them 16 players, five short of the training camp maximum.
In a related move, Cleveland acquired Hayes’ G League rights in a trade with the Nets’ affiliate. The Long Island Nets acquired a first- and a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA G League Draft from the Cleveland Charge in exchange for the returning player rights to Hayes.
Hayes reportedly drew interest from teams in Europe this offseason, but was focused on earning another NBA opportunity.
ASVEL Basket in France reportedly made Hayes a strong offer and Real Madrid in Spain and Anadolu Efes in Turkey also registered some interest in the free agent point guard.
However, Hayes is hoping to stick in the NBA after appearing in 216 regular season games across the past five seasons. The seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Pistons, he struggled to adjust to the NBA game in Detroit, where he made just 38.2% of his field goal attempts and 27.7% of his 3-point attempts across four seasons from 2020-24.
Still, Hayes is just 24 years old and played well in a very small sample with Brooklyn last season, averaging 9.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 27.0 minutes per game and making 38.1% of his three-point tries in six appearances (five starts). The 6’5″ Frenchman spent most of 2024/25 playing for the Long Island Nets in the G League, where he put up 17.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, and 5.4 RPG on .463/.371/.689 shooting in 33 outings (32.9 MPG).
Hayes is no longer eligible for a two-way contract, so if he hopes to make an NBA roster this fall, he’ll have to do it by earning a standard 15-man spot.
Brazil Wins FIBA AmeriCup 2025
In a Sunday night final in which both teams struggled to score, Brazil beat Argentina by a final score of 55-47 to win the gold medal at AmeriCup 2025 in Nicaragua, according to FIBA.
Brazil’s 55 points marked the lowest ever by a champion, per the press release, while the 102 combined points between the two sides were the fewest in any AmeriCup game.
It was a rematch of the 2022 final, with the Brazilian national team avenging its loss and dethroning Argentina to win its fifth AmeriCup championship (first since 2009). Argentina claimed the silver medal as the runner-up.
Brazilian point guard Yago Santos, who competes professionally in the EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda, was named MVP of the event after averaging 17.8 points, 6.2 assists (against only 1.8 turnovers) and 3.3 rebounds on .485/.487/.880 shooting in six appearances (27.6 minutes per game).
After recording game highs of 25 points and 12 assists in Brazil’s semifinal comeback against Team USA, Santos finished the final with game highs of 14 points and five assists.
The All-Star Five was comprised of Santos, Bruno Caboclo (Brazil), Juan Fernandez (Argentina), Javonte Smart (United States) and Kyshawn George (Canada). Caboclo and Smart are former NBA players, while George — who was making his senior national team debut — is entering his second season with the Wizards.
Prior to the final, the United States and Canada competed in the third-place game. It was another rematch, with the same result as three years ago: the U.S. defeated Canada to win bronze. Team USA was led by 21 points apiece from Smart and Tyler Cavanaugh.
Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (Puerto Rico) headlined the All-Star Five second team, with Norchad Omier (Nicaragua), Georginho De Paula (Brazil), José Vildoza (Argentina) and Mfiondu Kabengele (Canada) rounding out the group.
Omier is expected to sign an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavaliers after going undrafted in June, while Kabengele spent parts of three seasons in the NBA, last suiting up for Boston in 2022/23. Alvarado was injured during Puerto Rico’s quarterfinal loss.
Cavaliers, Norchad Omier Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
Baylor forward Norchad Omier has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, sources tell Sean Cunningham of KCRA in Sacramento (Twitter link).
Omier, 23, played for the Bears this season after spending two years at Miami (Florida) and two at Arkansas State. He averaged 15.7 points and 10.8 rebounds in 35 games and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection, as well as a member of the conference’s All-Newcomer Team.
Omier collected various honors during his five years of college basketball, including being named Sun Belt Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He was the first native of Nicaragua to earn a Division I basketball scholarship when he signed with Arkansas State in 2020. He’s also a member of the Nicaraguan national team.
The Exhibit 10 language means Omier could earn a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate. Exhibit 10s can also be converted into two-way deals if Omier makes a strong impression in training camp.
Draft Workouts: Jazz, Wolves, Kings, Broome
The Jazz are hosting a pre-draft workout on Friday featuring Colorado State wing Nique Clifford, North Carolina wing Drake Powell, Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner and Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, multiple league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Clifford is the top-ranked prospect of the group, according to ESPN’s big board, coming in at No. 22. Powell (No. 31), Kalkbrenner (No. 33) and Lanier (No. 37) are also viewed as strong bets to be drafted, either late in the first round or early in the second.
Utah currently controls four picks — Nos. 5, 21, 43 and 53 — in June’s draft.
Here are a few more notes regarding pre-draft workouts:
- The Timberwolves, who control the 17th and 31st picks, are holding a workout Thursday that includes Asa Newell (Georgia), Jamir Watkins (Florida State), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State) and Steven Crowl (Wisconsin), reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News and SKOR North (via Twitter). Newell, who was invited to the green room, is ranked No. 21 on ESPN’s board, while Watkins is No. 39. The other two players are unranked.
- The Kings will be hosting six players for a workout on Friday, the team announced (Twitter link via Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee). The six are Ryan Nembhard of Gonzaga, Curtis Jones of Iowa State, Koby Brea of Kentucky, Kadary Richmond of, Norchad Omier of Baylor, and Vladislav Goldin of Michigan. All six prospects appear on ESPN’s board, ranging from No. 47 (Brea) to No. 95 (Omier). Sacramento currently only controls the 42nd pick, but is rumored to be interested in moving into the first round.
- Big man Johni Broome, the 40th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s list, had a workout with the Warriors today, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The former Auburn star said he has previously worked out for the Clippers, Pistons, Hawks, Nets, Raptors and Celtics, and has upcoming workouts scheduled with the Thunder, Timberwolves and Suns, according to Rankin. Golden State controls the 41st pick.
Draft Notes: Toohey, Markovic, D. Williams, Sanon, Omier
Australian forward Alex Toohey plans to turn some heads at the NBA draft combine later this month, he tells Olgun Uluc of ESPN.
“Pretty much every area a basketball player can show, I feel like I’m gonna surprise some people over there,” Toohey said.
Toohey, who turns 21 years old today (happy birthday), is ranked No. 39 on ESPN’s big board ahead of June’s draft. He has spent the past two seasons with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League.
According to Uluc, Toohey has already begun working out for NBA teams. The 6’8″ wing discussed a number of topics with Uluc, with the draft obviously being the primary focus.
Here are a few more draft notes:
- Serbian forward/center Bogoljub Markovic will not be able to attend the combine due to his team — Mega Basket — competing in the ABA playoffs, agent Misko Raznatovic announced (via Twitter). The combine takes place in Chicago from May 11-20, while the first round of the ABA playoffs will run from May 11-20. Markovic is ranked No. 38 on ESPN’s board.
- Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams, who comes in at No. 44 on ESPN’s board, worked out for the Kings on Monday, per Sean Cunningham of KCRA News (Twitter video link). The Sacramento native said it was a “dream come true” to have his first pre-draft workout with his hometown team. Williams helped the Red Raiders make the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual champion Florida.
- Former Arizona State guard Joson Sanon, who has committed to transferring to St. John’s if he returns to college, has declined an invitation to the 2025 G League Elite Camp, a source tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Scotto hears that Sanon, who is not ranked on ESPN’s big board, has upcoming workouts with NBA teams selecting in the 30s.
- According to Scotto (Twitter link), forward Norchad Omier received an invite to the G League Elite Camp after Sanon declined to attend. Omier averaged a double-double in each of his five collegiate seasons with Arkansas State, Miami (FL) and — most recently — Baylor.