Vernon Carey Jr. Rumors

Rockets Waive Carey, Council, Hunter, Matthews

October 18th, 2025 at 3:33pm CST by Rory Maher

The Rockets announced on Saturday that they have waived four players on non-guaranteed training camp contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

The four players — all of whom could be headed to the G League to play for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers — are Vernon Carey Jr., Ricky Council IV, Tyrese Hunter and Cameron Matthews.

Hunter, a 6’0″ guard, and Matthews, a 6’7″ forward, went undrafted earlier this year out of Memphis and Mississippi State, respectively.

As a senior last season, Hunter averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 32 games (34.0 MPG), posting a shooting line of .415/.401/.774. Matthews, meanwhile, averaged 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 29.4 minutes per game across 34 appearances as a fifth-year senior.

Council holds recent NBA experience, having spent the past two years with the 76ers, who waived him in late July. The 24-year-old wing was expected to land with the Nets, but that deal fell through, and he wound up signing a training camp deal with Houston on Friday.

Carey, a former second-round pick, holds three years of NBA experience. However, he has been out of the league for the past two seasons, most recently suiting up for Karşıyaka Basket in Turkey during the 2023/24 campaign.

Houston’s roster appears to be set for the regular season, with 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and all three two-way spots filled. Barring a cost-cutting trade, the Rockets can’t add a 15th standard player until later in the season due to their financial situation — they’re hard-capped at the first apron and only about $1.25MM below that threshold.

Roster Moves: A. Scott, Cooke, Council, Carey, Hunter

October 17th, 2025 at 7:29pm CST by Rory Maher

The Celtics have signed wing Aaron Scott to an Exhibit 10 contract, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Scott went undrafted earlier this year, making him an unrestricted free agent.

After spending three college seasons at North Texas, Scott transferred to St. John’s for his senior year. In 36 appearances with the Red Storm in 2024/25, he averaged 8.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 27.2 minutes per game. His shooting slash line was .389/.293/.813.

While those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, college coaches who spoke to The Athletic in June viewed Scott as a “deep sleeper” who could potentially work his way onto an NBA roster at some point.

Here are a few more transactions from around the NBA:

The Trail Blazers have waived Javonte Cooke, the team announced in a press release. He had been signed to an Exhibit 10 deal for training camp and preseason. A 6’6″ shooting guard, Cooke has played primarily in the G League since 2022, with a stint in Canada for the Brampton Honey Badgers in 2024. The 26-year-old made 42 appearances for the Oklahoma City Blue last season, averaging 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.2 minutes per game while converting 42.4% of his shots from the floor, including 33.5% of his three-point attempts.
Portland’s G League affiliate, the Rip City Remix, acquired Cooke’s returning rights in a trade with the Blue earlier this week. While that would typically signify a player is headed to the NBAGL to open the season, Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report hears the Blazers are still considering Cooke for their vacant two-way spot, so there’s a chance he could re-sign with Portland (Twitter link).
The Rockets have signed a trio of free agents, according to Smith, who tweets that the team has added Vernon Carey Jr., Ricky Council IV and Tyrese Hunter. All three players will soon be waived, sources tell Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). High-flying wing Council spent the past two years with Philadelphia. He was waived by the 76ers in late July and was reportedly going to sign with the Nets, but that deal fell through. Carey, a 24-year-old center, was the No. 32 overall pick of the 2020 draft. He holds three years of NBA experience and last played professionally in Turkey. Hunter, a 6’0″ guard, went undrafted out of Memphis in June. As a senior last season, he averaged 13.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.5 SPG in 32 games (34.0 MPG), posting a shooting line of .415/.401/.774.
With the possible exception of Cooke, all of these players will be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they’re released and spend at least 60 days with their respective clubs’ G League affiliates.

Vernon Carey Jr. Signs With Turkish Team

August 30th, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA big man Vernon Carey Jr. has signed with Pinar Karşıyaka, also known as Karşıyaka Basket, the Turkish team announced (via Twitter).

Carey, 22, spent one college season at Duke prior to being selected with the No. 32 overall pick in 2020. Shortly after being drafted, he signed a multiyear standard contract with the Hornets.

Charlotte traded Carey to the Wizards at the 2022 deadline. Over three NBA seasons, he appeared in just 37 games with Charlotte and Washington, averaging a modest 5.1 MPG.

Carey was waived by the Wizards at the beginning of March and signed a multiyear deal with the Jazz during the 2022/23 season’s final weekend. His minimum-salary contract for ’23/24 was non-guaranteed, and Utah wound up releasing him last month, making him an unrestricted free agent.

While Carey didn’t get much playing time at the NBA level, he did have a solid G League stint with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s affiliate, this past season. He put up 22.5 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.3 BPG on .588/.385/.708 shooting during last fall’s Showcase Cup (14 games, 28.1 MPG), then followed that up with 20.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .619/.364/.676 shooting during the NBAGL regular season (14 games, 27.6 MPG).

Karşıyaka Basket competes in the Turkish Super League and the Basketball Champions League. Last season, the team finished fourth in the TSL regular season, but made the final during the playoffs after scoring an upset over No. 1 seed Turk Telekom, ultimately losing its best-of-five series versus Anadolu Efes 3-0.

Jazz Waive Vernon Carey Jr.

July 7th, 2023 at 4:22pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz are waiving big man Vernon Carey Jr., reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The move is official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

The 32nd overall pick of the 2020 draft after one college season at Duke, Carey spent his rookie season with the Hornets, who shipped him to the Wizards at the 2022 trade deadline. He has barely played at the NBA level over the past three seasons, appearing in 37 total games for 187 minutes, including 28 minutes over 11 games with Washington last season.

Carey did have a solid stint with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, in 2022/23. He averaged 20.7 PPG 8.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG in 14 regular season games (27.6 MPG).

The 22-year-old was waived by the Wizards at the beginning of March and signed a multiyear deal with the Jazz during the season’s final weekend. His minimum-salary contract for ’23/24 was non-guaranteed, so Utah won’t have any cap charge for releasing him.

Contract Details: Samanic, Carey, Lakers, Cauley-Stein, More

April 11th, 2023 at 7:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz used a portion of their mid-level exception to give Luka Samanic a rest-of-season salary of $432,795 on his new two-year deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. A minimum salary for 2022/23 for the final three days of the season would have paid Samanic just $32,795, so Utah took advantage of its flexibility with the MLE to give him significantly more than that.

In return, the Jazz will have Samanic under contract for a non-guaranteed minimum salary in 2023/24. His $2.07MM cap hit would become partially guaranteed for $400K if he isn’t waived on or before July 18. That partial guarantee would increase to $600K after October 23.

Vernon Carey Jr., the other player who signed with the Jazz during the season’s final weekend, also got a portion of the team’s mid-level exception, receiving $100K for the end of the 2022/23 season. Like Samanic, Carey has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2023/24 on his new deal. He doesn’t have any offseason guarantee dates, but would be assured of receiving his full ’23/24 salary (approximately $2MM) if he remains under contract through October 23.

We have a few more details on recently signed contracts:

Both Tristan Thompson and Shaquille Harrison signed minimum-salary contracts with the Lakers, but Thompson’s deal only covers the rest of this season, while Harrison’s includes a non-guaranteed salary for 2023/24.
The contract that Willie Cauley-Stein signed with the Rockets on the final day of the regular season was just a one-year deal, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent again this summer.
Kobi Simmons received a two-year, minimum-salary deal with a non-guaranteed 2023/24 salary when he was promoted to the Hornets‘ standard roster from his two-way contract.
The two-way contracts recently signed by RaiQuan Gray (Nets), Dereon Seabron (Pelicans), Jacob Gilyard (Grizzlies), and Xavier Sneed (Hornets) all include a second year.

Jazz Sign Vernon Carey Jr. To Multiyear Deal

April 8th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

9:07pm: The signing is official, the Jazz announced in a press release.

1:01pm: Free agent center Vernon Carey Jr. has agreed to a new deal with the Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that the agreement will run through the 2023/24 season.

It’s unclear at this time how much – if any – of next season’s money is guaranteed. Woj notes that Carey will also get in reps with Utah’s Summer League team this July.

The 6’9″ big man most recently played for the Wizards, though he failed to crack the club’s rotation before being waived last month. He appeared in just 11 games this season for the Wizards and 14 overall after joining the team at the 2022 trade deadline in the Montrezl Harrell deal with Charlotte.

The former Duke standout, who was drafted 32nd overall by the Hornets in 2020, played in 37 total games for Charlotte and Washington, with career averages of 1.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.1 MPG.

Carey enjoyed a far more expansive role with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. He averaged 20.7 PPG on 61.9% field goal shooting, along with 8.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG. Utah will be hoping that some of that promise translates to the NBA level.

The Jazz had an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to sign Carey.

Wizards Waive Vernon Carey Jr.

March 1st, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards have officially waived big man Vernon Carey Jr., the team announced today in a press release.

Carey, who turned 22 on Saturday, has appeared in just 11 games this season for the Wizards and 14 overall since joining the team at the 2022 trade deadline in the Montrezl Harrell deal. The former Duke standout, who was drafted 32nd overall by the Hornets in 2020, has played in 37 total games for Charlotte and Washington, with career averages of 1.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.1 MPG.

Carey’s contract covered one additional season beyond this one, but the Wizards held a minimum-salary team option for 2023/24. By releasing him, Washington is essentially declining that option and will only be on the hook for the rest of this season’s $1.78MM salary, assuming Carey is not claimed on waivers.

The move will create an opening on the Wizards’ 15-man roster for another addition, and the club still has enough breathing room below the luxury tax line after signing Jordan Goodwin to fill that spot without becoming a taxpayer. Washington also still has an open two-way contract slot.

As for Carey, because he’s being waived on March 1, he’ll be playoff-eligible if he catches on with another NBA team. Given his lack of meaningful NBA experience though, it seems unlikely that he’ll be targeted by contenders.

Wizards Rumors: Kuzma, Porzingis, Carey, Barton, Hachimura

January 24th, 2023 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards‘ willingness to trade Rui Hachimura reflects their increased confidence that they’ll be able to re-sign Kyle Kuzma as a free agent in the summer, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack story.

According to Stein, Washington has been telling rival teams that it plans to re-sign both Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis, who also has a player option for 2023/24 that he may decline. Porzingis likes his situation in D.C., Stein adds, so if he does turn down his option, it sounds like he’d be open to a new deal with the Wizards.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports has heard similar rumblings on Kuzma, reporting that the Wizards have told inquiring teams like the Suns and Hawks that the veteran forward isn’t available for trade.

Still, even if Kuzma isn’t going anywhere, Washington seems likely to make at least one more trade before the February 9 deadline, Fischer writes. The team wants to open up a spot on its 15-man roster to promote Jordan Goodwin from his two-way contract, and center Vernon Carey Jr. is considered a trade candidate, according to Fischer, who adds that rival executives are also keeping an eye on Will Barton as a possible buyout candidate if he remains in D.C. through the deadline.

Here’s more on the Wizards:

One source tells Stein that Hachimura requested a trade before he was dealt to Los Angeles, which the 24-year-old didn’t deny over the weekend.
Three-team discussions involving the Suns, Bucks, and Wizards helped set the price for the Lakers to acquire Hachimura, according to Fischer (Twitter link), who reports that those three clubs discussed a concept that would have sent Hachimura to Phoenix, Jae Crowder to Milwaukee, and three second-round picks and matching salaries to Washington. The Wizards ultimately decided they preferred the deal with L.A.
In columns reacting to the Hachimura trade, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post questioned the Wizards’ plan and direction following their latest move, while David Aldridge of The Athletic referred to the deal as a “salvage operation” rather than a win for president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard. “Not impactful, but better than letting your No. 9 pick walk for nothing,” a league executive said in a text message to Aldridge. “Not a championship move. Not a playoff move. Maybe a play-in move.”
As Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes in a column on the trade, the Wizards generated a $6.26MM traded player exception in the swap for Hachimura’s outgoing salary, since they were able to take Nunn’s $5.25MM salary into an existing trade exception created at last season’s deadline. Washington will have until January 23, 2024 to use the newly created TPE.

Wizards Notes: Avdija, Kuzma, Porzingis, Carey

October 14th, 2022 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards forward Deni Avdija, who has been dealing with a left groin strain this fall, played 5-on-5 on Thursday for the first time since training camp began, tweets Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes, Avdija told reporters earlier this week that he was taking painkillers to deal with the injury while playing for the Israeli national team in August and September.

“It was just something that popped up this summer. I played on pills with the national team to kill the pain,” Avdija said. “At the end of the (EuroLeague tournament), I was barely walking. So, I knew coming into the season, it was kind of frustrating for me after the good summer that I had, taking some backsteps, but it is what it is. I’m here now.”

As Avdija goes through the ramp-up process and attempts to work his way back into game shape, here are a few more notes on the Wizards:

In another story for NBC Sports Washington, Hughes takes a closer look at the Kyle Kuzma‘s role for 2022/23 as the veteran forward adjusts to playing alongside Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. While it may take some time to establish chemistry, Kuzma’s wide-ranging skill set should help him coexist with Washington’s stars, says Hughes.
Porzingis (ankle) will sit out the Wizards’ preseason finale on Friday, but his absence is considered precautionary and he expects to be ready to go for next week’s regular season opener, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Wizards big man Vernon Carey entered the NBA’s concussion protocol on Thursday after being involved in a minor traffic accident, the team announced (via Twitter). Carey is considered day-to-day.
John Hollinger of The Athletic thinks the Wizards are capable of finishing with a top-10 offense this season, but will struggle on defense due to a “glaring lack of perimeter stoppers.” He projects a 38-44 record and the No. 11 seed in the East.

Hornets Acquire Montrezl Harrell From Wizards

February 10th, 2022 at 7:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:08pm: The trade is official, according to a Wizards press release. The pick Washington is receiving is a conditional seconder (2023 or 2024 from Boston via Charlotte).

The Hornets’ announcement states that the Wizards will receive the Celtics’ 2023 second-rounder if it’s not in the top 45. Presumably, if that pick lands in its protected range, Washington would instead get Boston’s 2024 second-rounder.

1:26pm: The Wizards are finalizing a deal to send veteran center Montrezl Harrell to the Hornets, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Washington will get Vernon Carey and Ish Smith in return, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Wizards will also receive a second-round pick, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Harrell, 28, will provide a rugged interior presence for a Charlotte team that has been searching for help in the middle. He was acquired from the Lakers in the five-team offseason trade that sent Russell Westbrook to L.A., and averaged 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 46 games with the Wizards.

Moving Harrell relieves the logjam in the middle that Washington has been dealing with ever since Thomas Bryant returned from an ACL injury last month. However, the timing of the move is interesting because Harrell talked publicly over the weekend about the negative mood in the team’s locker room.

Harrell has a $9.7MM expiring contract, and the Hornets will have early Bird rights on him this summer, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Harrell is a North Carolina native, which may make him more likely to remain in Charlotte.

Smith, who played two seasons in Washington before going to Charlotte, has a $4.7MM non-guaranteed contract for next season. Carey will make $1.8MM next year and has a $1.9MM team option for 2023/24.