Jazz Rumors

Teams With Full 21-Man Offseason Rosters

September 1st, 2023 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The offseason roster limit for NBA teams has historically been 20 players, but the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement raised that limit to 21 to account for the fact that each team’s total two-way contract slots have increased from two to three.

By the time training camps open at the start of October, we can expect most – if not all – of the NBA’s 30 teams to be carrying full 21-man rosters. There’s little downside to filling up the roster, as doing so gives teams more bodies in camp and more roster flexibility during the preseason.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

For now though, only eight teams have maxed out their rosters. The other 22 clubs are carrying fewer than 21 players and will likely have more moves to make in the next month or so.

Here are the eight teams that currently have full 21-man offseason rosters:

Denver Nuggets

15 guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

It’s still possible the Nuggets could make a change or two to their projected regular season squad, but right now their roster decisions appear pretty straightforward. Once the defending champions cut their three Exhibit 10 players, their roster will be set for opening night.

Memphis Grizzlies

17 guaranteed, one TBD, three two-ways

We still don’t know the details on Shaquille Harrison‘s new deal with the Grizzlies — I expect it’ll be non-guaranteed, but even if that’s the case, Memphis would have to trade or release two players on guaranteed deals in order to set their roster for the start of the regular season. Isaiah Todd and Josh Christopher are among those whose spots appear to be most in danger.

Miami Heat

12 guaranteed, one partially guaranteed, five Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

With the Damian Lillard sweepstakes unresolved, the Heat’s roster is still very much subject to major changes. But if no Lillard trade materializes, perhaps Miami will consider promoting one or two of their two-way players (including Jamal Cain) to the standard roster, allowing their Exhibit 10 players to compete for a two-way deal.

Milwaukee Bucks

15 guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported today (via Twitter) that newly signed forward Alex Antetokounmpo has already been waived. But that transaction hasn’t shown up in NBA.com’s log yet, and he’s still listed on the Bucks’ official roster, so we’re assuming the team is still carrying 21 players for now.

Of course, Antetokounmpo and his fellow Exhibit 10 signees will likely be cut sooner or later, but maybe there will be an opportunity for one of them to earn a conversion to a two-way deal with a strong preseason. Players like Lindell Wigginton, whose two-way deals carried over from 2022/23 to ’23/24, typically have less job security than those who have signed new contracts since July.

New York Knicks

12 guaranteed, three non-guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

The Knicks may opt to shake things up a little before opening night. One of their 12 players on guaranteed contracts – Evan Fournier – is an obvious trade candidate, and none of their three players on non-guaranteed deals (Isaiah Roby, DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington) are locks to make the 15-man roster.

Oklahoma City Thunder

15 guaranteed, one partially guaranteed, two non-guaranteed, three two-ways

Setting the Thunder’s roster won’t be as simple as cutting the players without full guarantees. Two of those guys – Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe – were solid rotation players last season and another – Jack White – was newly signed in July. We took a closer look last week at where the Thunder’s roster crunch stands and which players might end up on the outside looking in.

Toronto Raptors

15 guaranteed, one non-guaranteed, two Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

Pascal Siakam has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, but if the Raptors don’t make a deal before the season starts, the only drama may be whether Jeff Dowtin (on a non-guaranteed deal) can play well enough to crack the 15-man opening night roster.

Dowtin would earn a $900K partial guarantee if he makes it to opening night. In that scenario, Malachi Flynn, Garrett Temple, or Otto Porter might be the odd man out.

Utah Jazz

12 guaranteed, two partially guaranteed, one non-guaranteed, three Exhibit 10s, three two-ways

If Romeo Langford had received a small partial guarantee or signed a standard non-guaranteed contract, I’d view him as a threat to earn a 15-man roster spot. However, the Exhibit 10 clause reported to be included in his deal suggests the Jazz aren’t counting on that and will be happy to stick with their 15 players on standard contracts, including the three guys without full guarantees (Kris Dunn, Omer Yurtseven, and Luka Samanic).

World Cup Notes: Quarterfinals, USA, Canada, Fontecchio

September 1st, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Four teams at the 2023 World Cup punched their tickets to the quarterfinals with victories on Friday, as the U.S., Lithuania, Germany, and Slovenia all pushed their records to 4-0 and secured their spots in the eight-team knockout round, eliminating Montenegro, Greece, Australia, and Georgia.

As Armando Caporaso of Sportando tweets, that leaves four win-or-go-home games set for Sunday to determine the other four World Cup quarterfinalists. Those matchups will be Italy vs. Puerto Rico, Brazil vs. Latvia, Serbia vs. the Dominican Republic, and – perhaps most intriguingly – Canada vs. Spain.

Any European team that doesn’t advance to at least the quarterfinals will fail to clinch a spot at the 2024 Olympics in this event and would have to win a qualifying tournament next year in order to try to claim one of the last four Olympic berths.

Puerto Rico, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Canada would keep themselves in the running for an Olympic spot with a win on Sunday. If just one of those four teams makes the quarterfinals, that club would join Team USA as the two Americas clubs that will qualify for the Olympics through the World Cup.

As we wait to see how the second round of the World Cup plays out, here are a few more notes on the tournament:

Team USA earned its spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Montenegro in what was its toughest test yet. Montenegro led at halftime and kept the game close until the final minutes, but a closing lineup that included reserve guards Tyrese Haliburton and Austin Reaves helped the U.S. put the game away, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Haliburton and Reaves took the place of starters Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart while Anthony Edwards scored all 17 of his points in the second half to help lock up the victory.
Team Canada head coach Jordi Fernandez had harsh words for his players after Friday’s upset loss to Brazil, tweets Oren Weisfeld. “Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) has to score the ball and play-make and he didn’t,” Fernandez said. “And I can go down the line. Kelly (Olynyk) has to play-make, rebound and score efficiently – he didn’t. RJ (Barrett) has to run the floor and score efficiently and defend and he didn’t.”
As Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter), a loss on Sunday for Canada would ensure that Brazil finishes ahead of them in their group standings, regardless of whether the Brazilians win or lose on Sunday. So the Canadians will need a victory if they want to hang onto a chance to clinch an Olympic berth this year.
Italian forward Simone Fontecchio played a limited role for the Jazz in his first NBA season in 2022/23, but he showed in Friday’s upset victory over Serbia what he’s capable of. As Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops details, Fontecchio led the charge in Italy’s comeback win over the Serbians, pouring in 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

Northwest Notes: Giddey, Australia, Markkanen, Nuggets

August 31st, 2023 at 12:36pm CST by Rory Maher

The Australian national team reshaped its starting lineup ahead of the 2023 World Cup, with Thunder guard Josh Giddey taking over as the team’s lead play-maker, writes Olgun Uluc of ESPN.

The results have been a little uneven through three games at the World Cup, which is to be expected with different players playing together. Still, the Boomers advanced out of their group after going 2-1, and they believe the move will pay long-term dividends, per Uluc.

“Josh Giddey’s growth throughout his career has just been astounding,” Boomers assistant coach Adam Caporn said. “Being around him, you see why. Every game, he’s studying the opposition, he’s improving things, he’s got great feedback and input for us on what he needs and what he feels like the team needs. It’s really great having that level of floor leader out there. Super fun. The ball will be in his hands a lot, and he’s gonna do a lot of great things.”

Giddey, 20, is averaging 19.0 PPG, 7.3 APG and 5.0 RPG on .528/.222/.684 shooting thus far (28.7 MPG).

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Next up for Australia is a rematch of the bronze medal game from the Tokyo Olympics, with the Boomers set to face off against Slovenia on Friday. Giddey says he’s looking forward to competing against Mavericks star Luka Doncic, according to Uluc. “It’s a lot of fun,” the Thunder‘s 2021 lottery pick said of Doncic. “Obviously a lot of people are here to see him. He carries a heavy load for Slovenia, so a lot of our game plan is gonna revolve around him, just like it did with Lauri [Markkanen] and Yuta [Watanabe] tonight. We’ve had the opportunity to play against these teams where they have a superstar or an NBA player, so Luka is obviously on a different level, but we’ve got Josh Green, Matisse [Thybulle] — those types of guys — for that job. We’ll be ready for it. Just one game at a time, and keep moving forward.”
The Finnish national team has been eliminated from medal contention at the World Cup, but the team is still competing in the classification games. On Thursday, Jazz star Lauri Markkanen was dominant in Finland’s victory over Cape Verde, recording a game-high 34 points (on 12-of-19 shooting), nine rebounds and a game-high plus-23 in 27 minutes of action, notes Eurohoops.net.
Former Nuggets point guard Andre Miller will return as head coach of the Grand Rapids Gold for a second season in 2023/24, the team announced in a press release. The Nuggets’ NBA G League affiliate will also have a new general manager in Ben Tenzer, who will continue to serve as Denver’s vice president of basketball operations. Travess Armenta will be the Gold’s new associate head coach. Armenta has had various roles with the Nuggets and Gold over the years, per the release.

Jazz Sign Taevion Kinsey, Romeo Langford, Nick Ongenda

August 30th, 2023 at 4:19pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz have officially signed Taevion Kinsey, Romeo Langford and Nick Ongenda, per a team press release.

While the terms of the contracts were not disclosed, the Jazz said the trio of free agents were added to their training camp roster, so they’ll likely all be on Exhibit 10 deals — it has already been reported that Langford will receive an Exhibit 10 contract.

Kinsey, a 6’5″ guard, went undrafted in June after five college seasons, all at Marshall. As a “super senior” in 2022/23, he averaged 22.1 PPG, 5.4 APG, 4.9 RPG and 1.7 SPG on .542/.404/.744 shooting in 32 games (37.8 MPG), earning Sun Belt Player of the Year for his efforts.

Ongenda, a 6’11” center, also went undrafted in June. He spent all four of his college seasons at DePaul, averaging 12.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG and 4.4 BPG in 2022/23. However, those numbers came in a small sample size — the Canadian big man was limited to just eight games (30.5 MPG) this past season due to a wrist injury.

Both Kinsey and Ongenda played for the Jazz during Summer League action in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

The Jazz have now reached the offseason maximum of 21 players under contract, with 15 players on standard deals (12 guaranteed) and all three two-way slots filled.

If Kinsey and Ongenda signed Exhibit 10 contracts and are waived before the season starts, they could each receive a bonus worth up to $75K if they spend at least 60 days with the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted into two-way contracts, though as we previously noted, Langford is ineligible for a two-way deal because he has already played four NBA seasons.

Jazz, Romeo Langford Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

August 30th, 2023 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have agreed to sign free agent wing Romeo Langford to an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Tony Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Langford, who will turn 24 this October, was drafted 14th overall by the Celtics in 2019 when current Jazz CEO Danny Ainge was Boston’s head of basketball operations.

The former Indiana Hoosier spent his first two-and-a-half NBA seasons in Boston before being traded to San Antonio, where he has played since February 2022. He became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after the Spurs opted not issue him a qualifying offer.

Langford is a solid defender, but has struggled to make much of an impact on the offensive end of the floor. In 141 career regular season games, he has averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 16.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .430/.288/.659.

Since he has four years of NBA service under his belt, Langford will be ineligible to have his Exhibit 10 contract converted into a two-way deal. However, if he doesn’t earn a spot on Utah’s standard 15-man regular season roster and then spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, he’d be in line for a bonus worth up to $75K.

With 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, the Jazz currently have three open spots on their 21-man offseason roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to create space for Langford.

Collin Sexton Hoping To Earn Jazz’s Point Guard Job

August 29th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

The competition to become the Jazz‘s starting point guard is expected to be wide open entering training camp this fall, with Collin Sexton, Kris Dunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, Jordan Clarkson, and even rookie Keyonte George all considered candidates for the job.

Appearing at the Powder League, a popular pro-am summer league in Utah, Sexton told Tony Jones of The Athletic that he intends to do all he can to prove that he deserves that starting point guard role following an injury-plagued 2022/23 season.

“I want to show that I’m back and healthy and 100 percent,” Sexton said. “Every year for me is important, so I don’t put too much pressure on myself from that standpoint. I’m my biggest critic, so I’m always going to have a lot of expectations for myself.

“I’ve been watching a lot of film this summer. I want to be able to try and take over the point guard role. I want to show them that I can run the show. I’m getting back into the groove of things. I think this season is going to be fun.”

Mike Conley was Utah’s starting point guard last season until the trade deadline, when he was sent to Minnesota in a three-team deal that also included the Lakers. The Jazz acquired Russell Westbrook in that trade, but he was bought out before ever appearing in a game for the team, opening up the point guard spot.

Although Horton-Tucker finished last season as Utah’s starting point guard, he’s not a traditional distributor. Neither are Sexton or Clarkson, who are both score-first combo guards. Dunn is perhaps the most prototypical point guard on the roster, but he’s on a non-guaranteed contract and has only appeared in 40 games over the past three seasons, so it’s not as if he’ll be handed the job.

Sexton has shown off an impressive ability to score over the course of his five-year career, posting 19.0 points per game on .464/.380/.826 shooting. However, he has averaged just 3.2 assists – compared to 2.4 turnovers – in his 266 regular season contests, and is undersized as a defender. Still, he’s confident he can handle the duties required of a point guard.

“When it comes to making the right plays, I know that I’m capable of doing it,” Sexton said. “I just have to go out and do it. But knowing this season is going to be important for me and for us as a team, I’m excited. I think that we have a chance to be really good.”

Sexton was limited to 48 appearances last season and started just 15 of them. While the 24-year-old would like to start more often this season, he’s willing to accept a reserve role if it’s for the good of the team.

“Everyone has to buy in for a common goal this season, and that’s to win,” he told Jones. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. If we win, everything takes care of itself. And if we win, everybody eats. So that’s the way that we all have to look at things going into camp and into the season.”

And-Ones: Offseason Moves, Coach Contracts, Kerr, Hawaii

August 24th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Maher

In a three-part series for The Athletic, David Aldridge ranks the teams that he believes improved the most and least this offseason. Aldridge’s most improved team is unsurprisingly the Spurs, who won the draft lottery and selected French phenom Victor Wembanyama. The Cavaliers and Suns rank Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

In the middle section, Aldridge has the Jazz at No. 11, the Pistons at No. 15, and the Warriors at No. 20. He gives the Trail Blazers an incomplete, since there’s no way to fairly evaluate their offseason until the Damian Lillard situation is resolved.

At the bottom end, the defending-champion Nuggets are No. 29 on Aldridge’s list after losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green in free agency; the No. 28 team is the Raptors, who lost Fred VanVleet to Houston.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The contracts signed by Monty Williams and Gregg Popovich will be used as benchmarks by top NBA coaches going forward. As Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes, a trio of accomplished head coaches — Steve Kerr (Warriors), Erik Spoelstra (Heat) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers), all of whom are members of Team USA — could be the primary beneficiaries of those deals. Kerr and Spoelstra are entering the final year of their respective contracts, while Lue has two years left on his deal, Windhorst notes.
Kerr has purchased a minority stake in European football (soccer) club Real Mallorca, according to Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez of ESPN. Kerr said he was offered the opportunity by longtime friend Andy Kohlberg, who is the team’s president and recently became majority owner, per ESPN. “Andy Kohlberg and I have been friends for many years,” Kerr said. “We were together this summer. He told me there was a shift in the ownership group and he offered me the chance to be part of the new investment group. I was so excited, having been in Mallorca last summer watching a game, following the team and becoming a fan. It was a really exciting opportunity and I jumped at it.” Mallorca competes in La Liga, Spain’s top league.
The Jazz and Clippers will be playing their first preseason game in Hawaii on October 8, with all proceeds going to the wildfire relief effort, Ryan Kostecka writes for Utah’s team website.

NBA Teams With Fewest Players On Guaranteed Contracts

August 23rd, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

As of Wednesday, 11 of the NBA’s 30 teams are carrying at least 15 players on guaranteed contracts and are unlikely to have many additional offseason acquisitions in store. Another 11 teams are carrying either 13 or 14 players on guaranteed deals.

As our roster counts page shows, that leaves eight clubs carrying 12 or fewer players on fully guaranteed deals. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all eight of those teams will sign free agents to guaranteed contracts before the regular season begins, but it’s worth checking in on them to take a closer look at their roster situations.

Boston Celtics

The only team with just 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, the Celtics are also carrying Dalano Banton and Luke Kornet on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals. Banton and Kornet seem like good bets to make the 15-man regular season roster, but Boston would still have to add a 14th man for opening night.

Based on recent reports, it sounds like the Celtics are eyeing forwards and wings for that 14th spot, with T.J. Warren, Lamar Stevens, and Louis King among the free agents working out for the club.

Charlotte Hornets

Although they only have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, the Hornets have no shortage of candidates for their final two or three roster spots. P.J. Washington is a restricted free agent and still seems more likely to return than to head elsewhere — he would take the 13th slot.

Charlotte also has Frank Ntilikina, Kobi Simmons, and JT Thor on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed salaries, with Theo Maledon still a two-way restricted free agent. So even if No. 31 overall pick James Nnaji becomes a draft-and-stash player and doesn’t sign an NBA contract immediately, the Hornets have plenty of options to fill out their roster without making outside additions.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers have 12 guaranteed contracts on their books, with Sam Merrill on a non-guaranteed minimum deal as their 13th man. Cleveland is a safe bet to make at least one more free agent addition — the club is said to be on the lookout for solid veteran depth, without a specific position in mind. The Cavs will likely wait out the market and see which of the top remaining free agents are willing to accept minimum-salary offers.

Houston Rockets

Although the Rockets only have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Aaron Holiday – whose partial guarantee exceeds $1MM – will likely make the roster as a 13th man. Houston still has a good deal of room to maneuver below the luxury tax line and could easily add two more players without any financial concerns.

Perhaps one of the team’s four Exhibit 10 players or three two-way players will earn a promotion with a strong preseason, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on the Rockets to see if they have one more move up their sleeves in free agency or on the trade market.

Miami Heat

The Heat have a full 21-man offseason roster, but only 12 of those players have guaranteed standard contracts.

Orlando Robinson, who has a small partial guarantee, should make the 15-man roster, and two-way player Jamal Cain is a candidate to be converted to a standard deal, but Miami has more ambitious targets in mind. If the Heat make a trade for Damian Lillard, they’ll likely send out more players than they take back and could fill out their roster with veteran free agents.

New York Knicks

Even with Jericho Sims‘ salary for 2023/24 now fully guaranteed, the Knicks have just 12 players on guaranteed contracts. Isaiah Roby, DaQuan Jeffries, and Duane Washington are in the mix for 15-man roster spots on their non-guaranteed deals.

New York also has a pair of two-way players – Nathan Knight and Dylan Windler – with multiple years of NBA experience, so they may be candidates for promotions. The Knicks are likely keeping their options open for possible Evan Fournier trades too, recognizing that they could potentially use his pseudo-expiring $18.9MM contract to take back two or three players in a trade.

Portland Trail Blazers

Like the Heat, the Trail Blazers are in a bit of a holding pattern while they wait to see how the Lillard situation plays out. For now, they have 12 players on guaranteed contracts, with Moses Brown on a partially guaranteed deal. But if they end up acquiring, say, three players in exchange for Lillard, their projected 15-man roster will fill up in a hurry.

Utah Jazz

Of all the teams listed in this article, the Jazz may have the fewest roster decisions to make before the season. In addition to their 12 players on guaranteed salaries, they’re carrying Kris Dunn, Omer Yurtseven, and Luka Samanic on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts. Utah may simply hang onto those three players and set its 15-man regular season roster without any further tweaks.

World Cup Notes: Latvia, Japan, Philippines, China, Australia

August 23rd, 2023 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Latvian Basketball Association has officially announced the national team’s 12-man roster for the upcoming FIBA World Cup (Twitter link).

Thunder forward Davis Bertans is the only active NBA player on Latvia’s roster, but the team features a handful of former NBAers, including Bertans’ brother Dairis Bertans. Former Nets forward Rodions Kurucs and ex-Wizards big man Anzejs Pasecniks are the other Latvians with NBA experience.

Here are a few more notes on the 2023 World Cup:

Japan and the Philippines, two of the host nations of the World Cup, have announced their 12-man rosters for the event. Suns forward Yuta Watanabe is the only NBA player representing Japan in this year’s tournament, while Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson is the lone NBA player for the Philippines (Twitter link). Young center Kai Sotto, who committed to the G League Ignite in 2020 and has spent the past two seasons in Australia, is also suiting up for the Philippines.
China and Australia are among the other national teams to finalize their 12-man World Cup squads. There are no surprises in either case — while Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson is China’s only NBA player (Twitter link), the Boomers have nine active NBAers on a loaded roster that includes up-and-comers like Thunder guard Josh Giddey and Pelicans guard Dyson Daniels (link via BasketNews.com).
A panel of ESPN’s basketball writers, including Brian Windhorst, has previewed the 2023 World Cup and made predictions for the event. South Sudan is a popular sleeper pick to make it to the knockout round and potentially earn an Olympic berth, but Team USA is widely expected to win the tournament — France was the only other team to receive a single vote.

World Cup Notes: Green, Brazil, Naturalized Players, U.S. Coaches

August 22nd, 2023 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

Mavericks guard Josh Green, who sat out Australia’s final World Cup tune-up game on Tuesday due to a minor ankle injury, is considered healthy and available for the Boomers’ World Cup opener on Friday, per Basketball Australia (Twitter link via Olgun Uluc of ESPN).

Green, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension with Dallas this offseason, is expected to play a key role for an Australian squad looking to improve upon its fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup.

Here are a few more notes on the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which tips off this Friday:

The Brazilian national team has officially announced its 12-man roster for the World Cup (Twitter link). While no current NBA players are on the roster, former NBAers like Raul Neto, Bruno Caboclo, and Cristiano Felicio will be representing the Brazilians.
FIBA is permitting each national team to have one “naturalized” player on its roster for the 2023 World Cup, prompting Meliksah Bayrav of Eurohoops to highlight some of the notable players who fall into this group, including Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (Philippines) and Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (China).
As Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes, it’s not just the players who are asked to accept lesser roles than they’re accustomed to when they join Team USA. Vardon takes an in-depth look at a talented U.S. coaching staff under Steve Kerr, noting that accomplished title-winning head coaches like Erik Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue have happily performed the “grunt work” expected of assistants during the lead-up to the World Cup.

Load More Posts