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Heat Sign Gabe Madsen, Waive Trevor Keels

The Heat have signed Gabe Madsen, the team announced in a release. In a corresponding move, they waived Trevor Keels.

Miami signed Madsen to an Exhibit 10 deal in September, but waived him to make room to sign Precious Achiuwa. Now, he’s back on an Exhibit 9 contract, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Madsen played a five-year collegiate career, beginning at Cincinnati and spending the next four years at Utah. He averaged 15.2 points per game in 2024/25 and made 36.0% of his three-point attempts over the course of his five college seasons.

Keels, who played collegiately at Duke, scored 12 points in Miami’s preseason opener. He’s likely headed for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate. His Exhibit 10 contract makes him eligible for a bonus worth $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce.

Nuggets Sign, Waive Terrence Hargrove Jr., Coleman Hawkins

October 9: Denver has waived both Hargrove and Hawkins, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. They’re now set up to join the Grand Rapids Gold.


October 8: The Nuggets have signed Terrence Hargrove Jr. and Coleman Hawkins to Exhibit 10 contracts, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Hargrove, a 6’4″ wing, played for Denver in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in three games. He went undrafted out of St. Louis in 2024 after spending five seasons with the Billikens.

Hawkins is a 6’11” forward who went undrafted out of Kansas State after playing the previous four years at Illinois. A report following the draft said he was expected to go to training camp with Golden State, but that didn’t work out, although he played for the Warriors during Summer League.

Denver will acquire G League rights to both players, who will likely end up with the team’s affiliate in Grand Rapids. The Exhibit 10 contracts make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they spent at least 60 days with the club.

The Nuggets had been carrying 19 players on their roster, so they’re now at the 21-man preseason limit.

Kings Sign, Waive Dexter Dennis

October 9: Dennis has been waived, the Kings announced (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). As noted below, he’ll likely be headed back to Stockton this season.


September 28: The Kings have signed free agent shooting guard Dexter Dennis to a non-guaranteed contract, per Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, confirms Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).

Dennis, 26, has spent the majority of the past two seasons in the G League after going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2023. He was on a two-way contract with the Mavericks for the first couple months of 2023/24, but appeared in just four NBA games for Dallas and was with the Texas Legends and Cleveland Charge for most of that season.

Dennis appeared in 44 G League games as a rookie, then played 47 times in 2024/25 for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s affiliate. The 6’5″ guard was a key part of Stockton’s rotation, averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 31.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .428/.350/.780. He helped lead the team to an NBAGL title in April.

In all likelihood, Dennis will only be under contract briefly with the Kings, with this deal designed to ensure he receives an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300 if he returns to Stockton and spends at least 60 days with the team.

The Kings now have a full 21-man preseason roster. If they intend to complete their reported camp deal with forward Daniel Batcho in the coming days, Dennis or another player on a non-guaranteed contract will have to be cut.

Cavaliers To Sign Darius Brown II

The Cavaliers intend to sign free agent guard Darius Brown II, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).

In a follow-up tweet, Fedor clarifies that Cleveland will likely sign Brown after the team’s third preseason game against Boston on Sunday. Brown is expected to be active for next Tuesday’s preseason finale vs. Detroit, Fedor adds.

While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Brown will almost certainly sign a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 10 language. Assuming he’s waived before the season begins, which is a virtual lock, Brown would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate, the Cleveland Charge.

A 6’2″ point guard who went undrafted in 2024 out of Utah State, Brown signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Cavs last fall, was waived a few days later, and spent all of 2024/25 in the NBAGL with the Charge. In 44 total games, the 26-year-old averaged 7.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest.

The Cavs are currently at the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract, so they’ll have to cut another player to add Brown.

Pacers Sign Cameron Payne, Waive Delon Wright

The Pacers have signed veteran point guard Cameron Payne and waived Delon Wright, the team announced in a press release.

Payne, who appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks last season, was one of the top free agents still on the market. Payne was signed to a training camp contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Payne averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night last season with .401/.363/.907 shooting numbers. He scored 14 points off the bench and was a plus-23 overall in the opener of the Knicks’ first-round series against Detroit. However, his shooting numbers declined throughout the playoffs, and he was removed from the rotation during the Eastern Conference Finals.

The New York Post reported last month the Knicks were not interested in re-signing him.

Payne was selected by Oklahoma City with the 14th pick in the 2015 draft. He was traded to Chicago at the 2017 deadline and later spent time with Cleveland, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Philadelphia before signing with New York. He has appeared in 477 regular season games.

Ironically, Payne and Wright were teammates with the Knicks. Wright began last season with the Bucks before being traded to the Knicks ahead of the deadline. He averaged 3.1 points per game across 40 appearances with both teams and was a bit more productive in New York, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 assists per night and making six playoff appearances. Wright has appeared in 548 regular season contests for 10 different NBA teams in a career that also began in 2015.

Wright was signed to an Exhibit 9 contract late last month. Exhibit 9 deals are standard, non-guaranteed contracts that protect an NBA team in the event that a player suffers a significant injury in training camp.

He played four minutes in the team’s preseason opener on Tuesday but was forced to exit after a head-to-head collision.

Pelicans Add Chase Hunter, Josh Oduro On Camp Contracts

The Pelicans have signed Chase Hunter and Josh Oduro to Exhibit 10 contracts, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

New Orleans’ intent to sign Hunter, an undrafted rookie guard, was reported just after this year’s draft.

Hunter had a lengthy college career with Clemson, which spanned six years from 2019-25. He was awarded a medical redshirt after a foot injury limited him to nine appearances in his freshman year, then was granted another extra year of extra eligibility due to COVID-19.

Hunter ended up appearing in 167 games across those six years, making 123 starts. As a super-senior in 2024/25, he averaged a career-best 16.5 points per game on .470/.407/.866 shooting while also contributing 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals in 33.5 minutes per contest. Hunter earned first-team All-ACC honors this year and left Clemson as the school’s third all-time leading scorer.

Oduro was signed and waived by the Pelicans during last season’s training camp. The 6’9” forward, who went undrafted in 2024, played four collegiate seasons at George Mason before transferring to Providence for his final year. He averaged 12.9 points and 6.6 rebounds across 148 college games (128 starts).

Oduro played 44 games last season for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, averaging 11.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game.

Both players are likely to be waived and join the Squadron. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.

Bulls Sign, Waive Kevin Knox

October 9: The Bulls have officially signed and waived Knox, per NBA.com’s transaction log.


October 8: Free agent forward Kevin Knox has reached an agreement with the Bulls, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Scotto doesn’t offer any specifics about the deal, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 contract designed to get Knox to Chicago’s G League affiliate. If so, it would make him eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls.

Knox played a portion of last season in the G League, averaging 25.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 12 regular season games with Golden State’s affiliate in Santa Cruz. The 26-year-old joined the Warriors on a pair of 10-day contracts in February and March and was signed for the remainder of the season. He saw limited playing time in 14 games.

Knox spent three-plus seasons with New York after being selected with the ninth pick in the 2018 draft, but he has bounced around the league since then. He was traded to Atlanta in January of 2022, signed with Detroit that summer and was shipped to Portland at the 2023 deadline. He returned to Detroit as a free agent in November of 2023, then was traded to Utah at the 2024 deadline.

He has appeared in 320 games during his seven NBA seasons with career averages of 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per night and .393/.340/.723 shooting numbers.

The Bulls only have 19 players on their roster, two short of the offseason limit, so another move won’t be necessary before finalizing Knox’s contract.

Pelicans Sign, Waive D.J. Carton, Trhae Mitchell

7:00 pm: The Pelicans have waived both Carton and Mitchell, per NBA.com’s official transaction log, putting them on track to join the Squadron.


9:17 am: The Pelicans have signed D.J. Carton and Trhae Mitchell to Exhibit 10 contracts, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

New Orleans had two openings on its training camp roster after waiving a pair of players earlier in the week.

Carton, who was on Portland’s Summer League roster in July, opened last season with the Raptors on a two-way contract, but was waived in December.

Across parts of two seasons with the Raptors, Carton appeared in eight NBA games, logging just 69 total minutes. The 6’3″ guard has compiled 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals with a .267/.143/.833 shooting line during his limited NBA minutes.

Carton appeared in 22 G League contests with the Raptors 905 and the San Diego Clippers last season, averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per game.

Mitchell was on New Orleans’ camp roster last season. He appeared in 50 games for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, after being waived by the NBA club and averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.8 minutes per contest.

Both players will likely be waived and join the Squadron. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.

Pistons Sign, Waive Feron Hunt

October 8: Hunt has been waived, according to the NBA’s official transaction log. His next stop figures to be the G League with the Cruise.


October 7: The Pistons have added Feron Hunt on a training camp contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Detroit had an opening on its camp roster.

The SMU product appeared in two games with the Knicks as a rookie in 2021/22. Otherwise, Hunt has mainly spent his pro career in the G League with a stop in Montenegro along the way.

Last season, Hunt appeared in 32 regular season games with the Cleveland Charge, posting averages of 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks in 35.2 minutes per contest. Overall, he played 48 games for the Charge, averaging 15.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.1 BPG.

Hunt, a 6’8” forward, also played for the G League United squad in the Intercontinental Cup last month.

It’s safe to assume Hunt will be waived with the intent of joining Detroit’s G League club, the Motor City Cruise. Assuming he signed an Exhibit 10 deal, which is likely, Hunt will be eligible for a bonus up to $85,300 if he stays with the Cruise for at least 60 days.

Hornets Sign Eric Dixon

The Hornets have filled the open spot on their 21-man preseason roster by signing rookie forward Eric Dixon, the team announced today (Twitter link).

Among this year’s draft-eligible players who went unselected in June, Dixon was the top prospect on ESPN’s big board, having been ranked 44th overall prior to the draft. The 6’8″ lefty led all Division I players in scoring in 2024/25, putting up 23.3 points per game on .451/.407/.813 shooting splits in 35 appearances for Villanova (34.8 MPG). He also chipped in 5.1 rebounds per contest en route to third-team All-American honors.

Dixon reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the Lakers after going undrafted, but when he officially joined the team a month later, it was on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal. Health concerns were believed to be a factor there — Dixon wasn’t able to participate in Summer League due to a foot injury, and his contract with the Lakers included injury language related to his foot.

Still, after he was waived by the Lakers last month, it seemed like the plan would be for Dixon to join the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’ G League affiliate. Whether that plan fell through or he got an offer from Charlotte that he liked more, the 24-year-old now seems more likely to end up with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ G League team, as an affiliate player.

Assuming Dixon got an Exhibit 10 contract from Charlotte, he could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his base G League salary if he’s waived by the Hornets and then spends at least 60 days with the Swarm. An Exhibit 10 deal could also be converted to a two-way contract prior to the start of the regular season, though all three of the Hornets’ two-way slots are currently filled.