Grizzlies Acquire Eric Gordon From Sixers, Waive Georges Niang
6:08 pm: The trade is official, the Grizzlies confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). As expected, Niang has been released.
1:20 pm: The Sixers will trade veteran guard Eric Gordon and a second-round pick swap in 2032 to the Grizzlies, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Philadelphia will receive the draft rights to Justinian Jessup in return, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Jessup, a 27-year-old guard who was selected in the second round in 2020, is currently playing for Bayern Munich in Germany.
Memphis has a full roster and plans to waive Georges Niang so the trade can be completed, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). Niang, who was acquired from Utah on Tuesday, has an $8.2MM expiring contract.
Finding a taker for Gordon opens more room below the tax line (and another roster spot) for the Sixers to convert two-way forward Dominick Barlow to a standard deal. Barlow has been outstanding in his fourth NBA season, starting 33 of the 40 games he’s played and averaging career highs with 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 24 minutes per night.
Barlow still has 10 games left before he reaches his limit for the season, so it’s not necessarily an immediate concern, but the Sixers need to have him on a standard contract to make him eligible for the playoffs. The team also seems likely to promote two-way player Jabari Walker, who reached his 50-game limit this week.
Gordon, 37, has only appeared in six games this season and was functioning as a virtual assistant coach in Philadelphia. His $3.6MM expiring contract only carries a $2.3MM cap hit, and he appears to be a strong candidate to be waived in Memphis once the deal is finalized.
Hawks Waive N’Faly Dante
5:57 pm: Dante has been placed on waivers, the Hawks confirmed in a press release.
3:00 pm: The Hawks intend to waive injured center N’Faly Dante, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter). The move will open up a roster spot to allow Atlanta to complete its one-for-two trade with Golden State.
Dante suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in December during a G League contest with the College Park Skyhawks. He underwent surgery last month and will miss the rest of the 2025/26 season.
A native of Mali, Dante had a productive college career with Oregon. After going undrafted in 2024, the 24-year-old big man quickly signed a two-way deal with Houston and spent his rookie season with the Rockets.
Dante was the NBA’s only restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet during the 2025 offseason. He received a two-way qualifying offer from Houston, then signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with Atlanta that the Rockets elected not to match.
Dante appeared in just four games for Atlanta and four for College Park this season. Prior to tearing his ACL, he was sidelined for over two weeks while going through the concussion protocol due to a head injury that he sustained while playing for the Skyhawks.
Assuming Dante goes unclaimed, which is a virtual lock due to his injury, the Hawks will carry a dead-money cap hit of $2.05MM. Dante’s contract for next season was non-guaranteed so that cap charge will come off Atlanta’s books at the end of the league year.
Jazz Cut Lonzo Ball, Chris Boucher
The Jazz have officially placed veterans Lonzo Ball and Chris Boucher on waivers, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. The moves were expected.
Utah received two second-round picks from Cleveland for taking on Ball’s $10MM contract. The 28-year-old guard will be eligible to sign with any team except the Cavaliers once he clears waivers in a couple days.
Boucher was also sent to Utah in a salary-dump deal, which saw the Jazz add another second-round pick from Boston. The Canadian big man is expected to draw interest on the open market, but he won’t be able to re-sign with the Celtics.
The Jazz utilized their room beneath the luxury tax line to trade for both players. Ball was acquired using an existing traded player exception, while Boucher was added via the minimum salary exception.
Sixers Sign Patrick Baldwin Jr. To 10-Day Deal
4:27 pm: The Sixers have officially signed Baldwin to a 10-day deal, per the transaction log at NBA.com.
3:23 pm: The Sixers plan to sign free agent forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a 10-day contract, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
The 28th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Baldwin has appeared in 95 regular season games for the Warriors, Wizards, and Clippers since making his NBA debut. He finished last season on a two-way contract with L.A. and rejoined the team for training camp before being waived at the end of the preseason.
Baldwin, who signed a 10-day deal with the Clips last month, has spent the majority of the season in the G League with the San Diego Clippers. The 23-year-old has averaged 21.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals on .530/.343/.667 shooting in 25 NBAGL games (33.6 MPG).
Philadelphia traded Jared McCain and Eric Gordon prior to Thursday’s deadline without acquiring any players in return, enabling the team to dip below the luxury tax line, add draft assets, and open two roster spots. The 76ers will soon have 14 players on their standard roster, as they’re adding Baldwin and re-signed Charles Bassey to a second 10-day deal.
Two-way forward Jabari Walker reached his 50-game limit on Tuesday and will be ineligible to play for the rest of the season unless Philadelphia converts him to a standard deal. Assuming that happens, the 76ers would have a full 15-man standard roster, which would give them the option of keeping Dominick Barlow on a two-way deal for the time being — he can still be active for 10 more games.
The Sixers would have to maintain a full 15-man roster in order to continue using Barlow on his two-way contract, since they’ve hit their “under-15” limit for two-way players — teams can only use their two-way players for a combined total of 90 games while they’re carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts. Philadelphia, which has been carrying just 14 players for most of the season, recently reached that 90-game limit.
Celtics Trade Chris Boucher, Second-Round Pick To Jazz
3:38 pm: The trade is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
The Celtics acquired two-way player John Tonje from Utah in order to complete the deal, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. They also sent cash to the Jazz.
The Jazz intend to waive Boucher, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that the big man should draw interest once he clears waivers.
12:08 pm: The Jazz are also acquiring Denver’s 2027 second-round pick from the Celtics in the deal, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). That’s the second-rounder Boston is receiving from Chicago in its Nikola Vucevic/Anfernee Simons swap.
11:29 am: The Jazz have agreed to acquire big man Chris Boucher in a trade with the Celtics, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
It’ll be a cost-cutting move for Boston, who are making a series of moves to get out of luxury tax territory.
The Jazz will be able to acquire Boucher using the minimum salary exception, since he’s on a one-year, minimum-salary deal. Utah will need to open up a roster spot in order to complete the move and will likely do that by waiving recently acquired guard Lonzo Ball, who isn’t expected to stick with the team.
It’s unclear whether Boucher remains with the Jazz either. If Utah is being incentivized to take on his expiring contract, the club could move on from him and eat the rest of his guaranteed salary to reopen its 15th roster spot.
Boucher, 33, spent seven seasons as a role player in Toronto before joining the Celtics as a free agent last summer. He was expected to help fill the hole in Boston’s frontcourt created by a series of offseason departures, but he struggled to crack the rotation, falling behind Neemias Queta and Luka Garza on the depth chart.
Boucher made just nine appearances for the Celtics, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per night. Entering the season, his career averages were 8.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG with a .488/.339/.779 shooting line.
Mike Conley Waived By Hornets
The Hornets have waived Mike Conley after acquiring him on Wednesday in a trade with Chicago, the team announced (via Twitter).
The veteran point guard will be eligible to sign with any team except for the Bulls if no one claims him and his $10.8MM salary on waivers. There have been reports that he may be interested in returning to the Timberwolves, which would be permitted since he was traded twice before being released, but there’s no confirmation that will be his next move.
Minnesota is adding a guard in today’s trade with Chicago for Ayo Dosunmu, but still has two roster openings if there’s mutual interest with Conley.
Conley, 38, moved into a reserve role for the Wolves this season for the first time since being acquired from Utah at the 2023 trade deadline. He appeared in 44 games, averaging 4.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 18.5 minutes per night with .322/.321/.891 shooting numbers.
Conley was sent to the Bulls on Tuesday in a three-team trade that also involved Detroit. He was shipped to Charlotte a day later in the Coby White deal.
Knicks Trade Guerschon Yabusele, Cash To Bulls
February 5: The trade is official, according to the Bulls, who say they also received cash from the Knicks in the deal (Twitter link). New York sent $500K to Chicago, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Knicks will flip Terry to New Orleans in order to acquire Jose Alvarado, as we detail in a separate story.
February 4: The Bulls will acquire Guerschon Yabusele from the Knicks in exchange for Dalen Terry, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
New York had reportedly been looking to unload Yabusele for several weeks, but couldn’t find a taker because of his $5.7MM player option for next season. Chicago decided to take the risk on a player who was effective last season in Philadelphia but has struggled since joining the Knicks.
Rumors had emerged that the 30-year-old Yabusele was considering going back to Europe, where he was a star for five seasons, but this trade will likely quash that speculation. The Bulls intend to hang onto the Frenchman, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Yabusele was only averaging 8.9 minutes per night in 41 games with New York, but he figures to see a larger role in the Bulls’ revamped frontcourt. Chicago has been in need of additional size all season and agreed to trade starting center Nikola Vucevic to Boston earlier this week.
The Knicks get a small amount of savings by swapping Yabusele’s $5.5M salary for Terry, who’s making $5.4MM in the final season of his rookie contract and is on a path for restricted free agency this summer. The 23-year-old shooting guard was selected with the 18th pick in the 2022 draft, but he hasn’t been able to earn a consistent rotation spot during his four years in Chicago.
The deal increases the Knicks’ space below the second apron from $148,359 to $249,241, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link), allowing them to sign a 15th player on March 26 instead of waiting until April 2.
New York can still ship Terry to another team before Thursday’s deadline, and Gozlan believes they’ll likely get more interest in his expiring deal than they did in Yabusele.
Hornets Trading Tyus Jones To Mavericks For Malaki Branham
After picking up Tyus Jones in a deal with Orlando on Wednesday, the Hornets have agreed to trade him to the Mavericks, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Charlotte will receive Malaki Branham in return while generating a $7MM trade exception. There are no picks involved on either side, adds Christian Clark of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Dallas was hoping to sign Jones last summer in its search for a point guard, but couldn’t compete with the $7MM offer he received from the Magic, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). The Mavs wound up adding D’Angelo Russell, who is heading to Washington as part of the Anthony Davis deal.
Charlotte agreed to take on Jones’ contract in a salary dump that moved Orlando below the luxury tax line, getting a pair of future second-round picks in return.
Jones struggled with his shot during his time with the Magic, connecting at 32.4% from the field and 29.4% from three-point range in 48 games. But he remains one of the NBA’s most dependable ball-handlers and could have a prominent role with Dallas until Kyrie Irving returns from injury.
Branham was a part-time starter during his first two seasons with San Antonio after being selected with the 20th pick in the 2022 draft, but his playing time has dropped sharply over the past two years. He’s being sent from Washington to Dallas in the Davis trade and is earning $5MM in the final year of his rookie contract.
Celtics Promote Rookie Amari Williams To 15-Man Roster
2:00 pm: Williams’ new deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
1:01 pm: The Celtics are promoting rookie two-way player Amari Williams, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets. Williams has agreed to a two-year, $2.7MM standard contract.
It’s uncertain if Williams is getting quite that much, as a two-year, minimum-salary contract for a rookie as of today would be worth $2.64MM, though it’s possible the Celtics will give him slightly more using the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Williams was selected with the No. 46 overall pick last June. He was technically drafted by the Magic, who forwarded him to Boston in a draft-night deal.
The 6’11” big man has seen action in 13 games, including two starts, averaging 1.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.2 minutes. He’s spent a majority of his rookie campaign with the G League’s Maine Celtics, where he’s averaged 15.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.7 blocks in 30 minutes per game while appearing in 21 contests.
Boston dealt Chris Boucher to the Jazz on Thursday, opening up a spot for another frontcourt player to move up the depth chart.
Sixers Sign Charles Bassey To Another 10-Day Deal
The Sixers have signed Charles Bassey to another 10-day contract, according to the NBA transactions log.
Bassey signed his first 10-day contract. Bassey, who was originally drafted in the second round by the Sixers in 2021, has yet to appear in a game with Philadelphia this season.
Bassey, a 25-year-old center, was averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game with Santa Cruz in the G League. Following an outstanding Summer League performance with Boston, he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Atlanta in September. The Hawks waived Bassey prior to the start of the season, and he inked a 10-day hardship contract with Memphis in late October. He appeared in two games during that time, but was let go when the contract expired.
Bassey provides some temporary frontcourt depth on Philadelphia’s roster, which is in a state of flux.