Siegel’s Latest: Porzingis, Grizzlies, Towns, Black, More
The Warriors are in a difficult bind as far as trying to find an appealing trade involving Kristaps Porzingis, writes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
ESPN reported that Porzingis was “seriously contemplating his future in basketball” as he continues to deal with recurring symptoms from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, an autoimmune condition. Porzingis confirmed the POTS diagnosis last October.
While the Latvian big man was limited to just 32 combined appearances last season with Atlanta and Golden State, the Warriors were optimistic about his health status when they signed him to a two-year, $40MM extension over the summer, league sources tell Siegel, and never seriously considered letting him walk in free agency. Porzingis will carry a $20MM cap hit this season and next, but only $3MM of his 2027/28 salary is guaranteed.
The Warriors – who are operating over the first tax apron – can’t take back more salary than they send out in a trade, so they’d have to attach at least one more player to Porzingis in order to acquire a player who makes more than $20MM this season. That could complicate matters, especially since several Warriors players are ineligible to be traded until at least December 15.
For instance, the Warriors reportedly reached out to the Bucks about Porzingis, with Myles Turner seemingly a logical fit from a positional standpoint. He’s also on a contract that Milwaukee would probably like to shed a year after signing him to a nine-figure payday in free agency.
But the Bucks aren’t believed to be interested in Porzingis, and even if they were, Turner ($26.6MM this season, $83.6MM over the next three years) makes more money than he does. Siegel points out that Moses Moody ($12.5MM) would tilt the scales in the other direction, but league sources tell Siegel the Warriors prefer to keep the injured wing and were only willing to trade him this offseason if it involved a “significant” roster upgrade.
Jimmy Butler (torn ACL) is another player recovering from a major knee injury, and Siegel’s sources have downplayed the possibility of the 37-year-old being dealt by Golden State this season.
Siegel says the Grizzlies are a team worth monitoring for Porzingis down the line. League sources tell ClutchPoints that the Grizzlies, who have a $28.9MM traded player exception, intend to utilize that TPE as a tool to add to their draft stash by taking on an unwanted contract. Siegel wonders if a deal involving former Warriors big man Quinten Post could make sense once he becomes trade-eligible in December.
Here’s more from Siegel:
- Karl-Anthony Towns recently confirmed he’s willing to less than his max — $276MM over four years — in a potential extension with the Knicks, who are reportedly offering around $200MM over four seasons. Siegel hears the six-time All-Star big man is rumored to be seeking in the range of $225-240MM over four years, which works out to $55-60MM annually. According to Siegel, “many” people around the league believe the two sides will eventually work out a new deal, but if that doesn’t happen, there’s an expectation that Towns will decline his $61MM option for 2027/28 to hit free agency next summer.
- Rival front offices believe Magic guard Anthony Black will top $20MM per year as a restricted free agent in 2027, per Siegel, who says Orlando’s rookie scale extension offer to the former sixth overall pick “didn’t come close” to that figure. Black’s extension-eligibility window closed Monday evening. Opposing teams are keeping a close eye on the Magic this season due to their expensive payroll, Siegel adds, particularly maximum-salary forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
- The Jazz, Bulls and Bucks were among the teams the Lakers called about potential trades involving Dalton Knecht before they ended up waiving the former first-round pick on Monday, league sources tell Siegel. According to Siegel, Milwaukee wanted multiple second-round picks or a first-round swap for a deal involving Knecht and Jericho Sims, but Los Angeles couldn’t do that trade one-for-one and didn’t want to part with those assets to shed Knecht’s salary. After clearing waivers on Wednesday, Knecht signed a two-way contract with the Knicks on Friday.
Pacers’ Ben Sheppard Suffers Torn Left Meniscus
Pacers shooting guard Ben Sheppard has been diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee, the team confirmed in its latest injury report (via Twitter).
Head coach Rick Carlisle said prior to Friday’s home opener vs. Dallas that Sheppard, who suffered the injury in Wednesday’s win over New Orleans, will be sidelined “a little bit,” but a definitive return timeline has not yet been established, per Tony East of Forbes and Circle City Spin (Twitter link).
Carlisle tentatively said Sheppard could be out “a few weeks,” East adds.
The 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Sheppard has been a rotation player for Indiana over the course of his first three NBA seasons, which included a trip to the Eastern Conference finals as a rookie in 2024 and an NBA Finals appearance in 2025.
In 65 games last season, Sheppard averaged 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21.4 minutes per contest. The 3-and-D guard’s shooting slash line was .434/.362/.765.
Sheppard, 25, holds career playoff averages of 4.1 RPG, 2.4 RPG and 0.7 APG in 16.5 MPG across 38 appearances, with a shooting line of .451/.386/.846.
The former Belmont star was eligible for a rookie scale extension through October 19, but didn’t reach a contract agreement with Indiana. Sheppard, who’s earning approximately $5MM this season, will be a restricted free agent next summer if he’s tendered a qualifying offer.
While Sheppard was out Friday, wing Aaron Nesmith returned to action after missing Wednesday’s season opener due to a hamstring injury. He didn’t take his normal spot in the starting lineup though, as Jarace Walker opened with the team’s initial group with Nesmith easing his way back into action.
Knicks Sign Dalton Knecht, Waive Kevin McCullar Jr.
6:18 pm: Knecht’s two-way contract is now official, according to the Knicks (Twitter links), who confirmed that McCullar has been placed on waivers.
10:25 am: Former Laker Dalton Knecht will join the Knicks on a two-way contract, his agents at Excel Sports tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). New York will waive Kevin McCullar Jr. to create a two-way opening, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The Knicks were among several teams that expressed interest in Knecht, who was waived by L.A. over the weekend to trim its roster down to 15 players. The Kings, Timberwolves and Raptors were also mentioned as teams that might be willing to offer a two-way deal.
The 25-year-old small forward was viewed as a potential rotation piece when the Lakers selected him out of Tennessee with the 17th pick in the 2024 draft. However, he wasn’t able to provide the scoring production that was expected and he was facing a diminished role in L.A. even if he had made the team.
After appearing in 78 games as a rookie, Knecht saw his playing time cut nearly in half to 10.2 minutes per night in 54 games last season. He averaged 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds while shooting 45.5% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range.
Knecht may see time with the Knicks’ G League affiliate in Westchester as he adjusts to a new organization. He will be eligible to play 50 NBA games this season as long as he remains on a two-way contract.
New York is technically the second NBA team for Knecht, but he was briefly traded to Charlotte at the 2025 deadline as part of the return for Mark Williams. That deal was rescinded when Williams failed his physical, and Knecht was returned to the Lakers without ever playing for the Hornets.
McCullar, a 25-year-old small forward, was in his third straight year with the Knicks on a two-way contract. He appeared in 21 NBA games last season. averaging 2.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 7.4 minutes per night. He did earn a championship ring and got to take part in Tuesday’s ring night ceremony, Scotto notes.
Sean Pedulla Signs Two-Way Contract With Kings
5:20 pm: Pedulla’s two-way agreement with Sacramento is now official, the team announced (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat).
3:54 pm: Free agent guard Sean Pedulla has agreed to a two-way contract with the Kings, agent George S. Langberg tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Pedulla joined the Rip City Remix last fall after going undrafted out of Ole Miss. After spending most of his rookie year with the Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate, he signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Clippers after the All-Star break in February and finished the season with L.A. However, he was waived by the Clippers in August, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
Pedulla made seven NBA regular season appearances for L.A. but spent most of the 2025/26 campaign in the G League, appearing in 42 total games for the Remix and the San Diego Clippers. The 6’1″ point guard averaged 20.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 28.1 minutes per contest, earning NBAGL Rookie of the Year honors.
The 24-year-old signed a two-year, two-way deal with Houston 10 days after he was cut by the Clippers. But after spending training camp and the preseason with the Rockets, he was waived four days ago, just before this season began.
Sacramento, one of only three NBA teams with an open two-way spot, was said to be eyeing backcourt help in the wake of Ben Simmons’ torn Achilles tendon. Pedulla was first linked to the Kings by Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report and The Stein Line.
Thunder, Micah Peavy Agree To Two-Way Deal
The Thunder and free agent wing Micah Peavy have agreed to a two-way contract, according to reports from Shams Charania of ESPN and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter links).
Oklahoma City’s three two-way slots are currently held by Brooks Barnhizer, Josh Dix and Otega Oweh, and one of those players will have to be waived to make roster space for Peavy. For what it’s worth, 2026 second-round pick Oweh suffered a season-ending Achilles rupture during the preseason.
The 40th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Peavy spent his rookie season on a standard contract with the Pelicans. New Orleans traded him to Memphis over the summer and he was waived by the Grizzlies, who were facing a roster crunch, on Monday.
In 61 appearances (15.0 minutes per game) with the Pelicans last season, Peavy averaged 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.7 steals. Known more for his defense than his offense, the 25-year-old’s shooting line was just .385/.259/.759.
Peavy played five years of college basketball prior to being drafted, having spent one year at Texas Tech and three with TCU before finishing out his NCAA career with Georgetown. As a “super senior” with the Hoyas in 2024/25, the 6’7″ guard/forward averaged 17.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.6 APG and a Big East-best 2.3 SPG in 32 appearances (37.0 MPG).
As Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets, Thunder big man Thomas Sorber expressed excitement on social media about playing with his former Georgetown teammate. Peavy dealt with an ankle sprain throughout training camp and the preseason, which is reportedly one reason why he was cut by the Grizzlies.
Spurs Notes: Three-Guard Lineup, Wembanyama, Fox, K. Johnson
The Spurs’ new three-guard starting lineup experienced ups and downs during the season opener on Tuesday, but the biggest issue is the effect it has on the rest of the rotation, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Second-year guard Dylan Harper replaced Julian Champagnie as a starter, providing the look that many observers wanted to see during San Antonio’s playoff run last spring. The starting five struggled in the first half of the loss to Oklahoma City, but looked better after intermission.
Weiss points out that the change means that coach Mitch Johnson no longer has the luxury of changing the flow of the game by inserting Harper and the energy he brings off the bench. De’Aaron Fox was the first guard removed from the game, with Johnson bringing him back later to run the offense with the second unit. However, Fox wasn’t able to mesh with Champagnie or Keldon Johnson as secondary creators, which led to turnovers and other unproductive possessions.
In the second half, the three guards remained on the floor while Champagnie replaced Devin Vassell, who picked up his fourth foul, so it’s not clear if that marked a change in the team’s substitution pattern. It may take several games for the new arrangement to get worked out.
“The biggest thing is just, for me at least, communication,” Harper said. “Just making sure we’re all on the same page. Just being able to go out there and play for each other while also knowing that we have each other’s back. I feel like we did a good job at that, but we still have a ways to go in all areas of the game.”
There’s more on the Spurs:
- Victor Wembanyama doesn’t plan to overreact to a rough first game that saw him miss his first 12 shots from the field, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News states in a subscriber-only story. McDonald notes that OKC sent extra defenders at Wembanyama to take away his driving lanes and kept Isaiah Hartenstein near the basket as another deterrent. Wembanyama said he was “overthinking” the Thunder’s defense, adding, “I don’t need to do more. I need to think less.”
- Rockets star Kevin Durant views improved efficiency as the next stage of Wembanyama’s development, McDonald tweets. “Just make the game easier for you,” Durant said. “I think that’s everybody’s next step, not just his. That’s the goal we’re all trying to reach as players is just to make the game easier.”
- Fox and Keldon Johnson are both listed as questionable for Friday’s game against Houston, per Tom Orsborn of The Express-News. Fox has a sprained right wrist, and Johnson is dealing with a “mouth laceration” after getting stitches due to a gash inside his right cheek he suffered on Tuesday. “It was a really deep cut,” Johnson told reporters.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Brown, George, Walsh, Pritchard
In a new video series featuring Jayson Tatum (YouTube link), the Celtics star explains his reaction when he learned about the Jaylen Brown trade, Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe relays in a subscriber-only story. Tatum says ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news about the deal to him in person.
“We (were) in Vegas. I just got done playing pick-up the first day. Shams walks over,” Tatum said. “He hands me the towel and he’s like, “Yo, put this over your face. Don’t react. They just traded him.” I’m like, ‘Oh (expletive).’ I’m like, ‘Where?’ He said, ‘Philly.’ ‘You traded him down the street?’ So, I was just as much caught off guard as the rest of the world.”
However, Brown doesn’t seem to accept Tatum’s version of events, Ryan adds. Under a Bleacher Report Instagram video with Tatum’s comments, Brown responded with a blue baseball cap emoji (Twitter link), which signifies a lie or exaggeration in slang terms (as the opposite of “no cap,” which means something is true). Ryan suggests that Brown may believe Tatum had advance knowledge that a deal was in the works.
In addition, Tatum offers a few comments in the video about what it was like playing alongside Brown for so long.
“I very much have been transparent about how thankful, I personally am, for our relationship, and what we were able to accomplish over nine years,” Tatum said. “Talk about 2017 to 2025-26. Jayson and Jaylen. You won’t ever be able to talk about one of us without the other.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- Tatum shot just 6-of-23 from the field in Tuesday’s loss at Detroit, but it’s more concerning that he only took one free throw, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Boston is counting on Tatum to carry the offense, which will be much harder if he can’t get to the line consistently. “I do wonder if he’s the same guy,” a scout who attended Tuesday’s told MacMahon. “Does he have the same burst and explosion? I’m not going to overreact to one game, but if the free throw numbers are down in December, that’s an indication that he’s not back to being himself coming off that Achilles. It’s a telltale sign when guys are shooting jumpers instead of getting to the rim like they used to.”
- Paul George’s 38-point outburst in the season opener was the result of a productive summer, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). The 36-year-old forward said he went into the offseason healthy and was able to work on his game rather than recovering from an injury. “The last two years were very difficult trying to play through injuries and just not quite being 100 percent,” George said. “And this summer was huge. I had a great summer, had time off. And coming into this year, I knew it was going to be a big one. It was going to be a fun one, a great opportunity. And so I was just happy that I was able to attack this summer with working on my game more so than rehabbing and working on my body. So it was a great summer for me. And that was, I guess, the beauty in the process.”
- Jordan Walsh was in the starting lineup on Tuesday with Payton Pritchard back in a sixth-man role, but the fifth starting spot could be fluid throughout the season, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive (subscription required). Coach Joe Mazzulla said before the game that all his lineup combinations are important and he doesn’t place a lot of emphasis on who gets to be in the starting five.
Thunder Notes: Financial Decisions, SGA, Presti, Topic
With the Thunder facing an extremely expensive roster next season, rival executives are watching closely to see who might become available, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN. He states that Oklahoma City is currently projected to have about $250MM in salary with a roughly $200MM luxury tax payment, but that doesn’t account for three potential first-round selections in the 2027 draft. OKC has incoming picks from the Clippers, Nuggets (top-five protected) and Spurs (lottery protected), which will add to the cost of the payroll.
The Thunder hold a $7.8MM team option next summer on Jaylin Williams and face decisions by November 2 on whether to guarantee the salaries for Nikola Topic ($7.5MM) and Thomas Sorber ($5.1MM). Windhorst points out that they don’t have room on the roster to keep all three players and use all three draft picks, noting that retaining Topic and Sorber would add more than $60MM to the tax bill. He notes that the total projected payroll, including salaries and tax penalties, could reach $500MM after the draft.
“They will not be paying that much, so it comes down to who and how they cut some of it,” an executive from another team tells Windhorst. “(General manager) Sam (Presti) I’m sure has studied it at length and will develop two or three paths out and will look for the cleanest option over the next year.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander saw his streak of scoring at least 20 points in 141 consecutive games come to an end Thursday night, and he made the decision not to try to extend it, according to Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. Gilgeous-Alexander had 17 points when Denver called time out with 1:24 remaining, but when he saw that the Nuggets had removed their starters, he went back to the bench as well. “I was going to go out there,” he said. “But then I saw that (Denver) had subbed, so I was like, ‘I should probably sub too.’ I feel like you should always treat the game with respect.”
- Tim MacMahon of ESPN looks at how Presti helped develop Gilgeous-Alexander into a two-time MVP. Presti emphasized patience for SGA as he dealt with plantar fasciitis after being acquired in a trade with the Clippers. “I just believed wholeheartedly and had trust in just like the human being Sam was,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “In this business, that’s another thing that you just can’t control — who runs your organization. I’ve been lucky to be placed with a guy like Sam. It’s been amazing. It feels like a partnership. I don’t work for him. He doesn’t work for me. We’re in this thing together.”
- Nuggets star Nikola Jokic shares his thoughts on Topic, his teammate on the Serbian national team, in an interview on the Oklahoman website.
Nuggets Notes: S. Jones, Johnson, Brazile, DeRozan, Murray
The Nuggets made Spencer Jones a last-minute scratch before Thursday night’s season opener at Oklahoma City, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. The backup forward has been dealing with a hamstring issue since training camp, but he told reporters over the weekend that he expected to be ready to play. The team decided that it wasn’t worth the risk, fearing that he might suffer further damage to the injured area.
“He went through the whole day, the whole process. We’re not gonna play him tonight,” coach David Adelman said in his pregame meeting with the media. “It’s not a serious thing, just precautionary. It’s one of those injuries that could turn out to be a serious thing.”
Denver is counting on Jones to bolster a reserve unit that was depleted by departures over the summer. He figures to see expanded playing time after the team matched a two-year offer sheet he received from the Thunder in July.
Adelman believed Jones would be available as late as Wednesday night, according to Durando, but he was reevaluated after he participated in Thursday morning’s shootaround and the decision was made to hold him out.
“Today was one of those ‘longest days ever’ kind of things in the NBA. So we had a lot of opportunity to get him checked by the medical people,” said Adelman, whose team was in the late game on national television. “And there was enough concern that you can’t lose your backup power forward on night one. I just think it’s a smart play. Not to mention, sometimes when guys don’t play, it brings opportunity. … I think it does educate to see your roster. So being careful with Spence, bringing opportunity to other people.”
There’s more on the Nuggets:
- Cameron Johnson left the game after spraining his right ankle late in the first half, Durando adds in a separate story. Johnson was listed as questionable after trainers examined him at halftime, but he didn’t return and Alpha Diallo took his place in the starting lineup for the second half.
- Trevon Brazile joined DeMar DeRozan as the first subs off the bench, Durando tweets, and the rookie forward grabbed 12 rebounds in 18 minutes in his NBA debut.
- In another piece, DeRozan tells Durando that he’s ready to accept the challenge of being a bench player for the first time since his rookie year. After being a star in Toronto, San Antonio, Chicago and Sacramento, DeRozan signed with the Nuggets this summer in hopes of winning a title before he retires. “I still have a lot to give,” he said. “I don’t want to short-cut or cheat the game. I think that for me means more than anything. For me just to still have that opportunity. (This is) not me feeling like, ‘Oh, I can take a back seat, let me just see where it’s taking me.’ Nah, it’s still me feeling like I can go out there and contribute and still give so much to the game that I love.”
- After earning All-Star and All-NBA recognition for the first time last season, Jamal Murray talks to Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (subscription required) about wanting to accomplish even more.
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Towns, Brunson, Ring Night
Mitchell Robinson had to miss out on ring night after leaving in free agency this summer, but the Knicks won’t have to wait long to see their former teammate, Steve Popper of Newsday writes in a subscriber-only piece. Robinson and the Celtics will host New York tonight, creating an early reunion for an important part of last year’s championship team. Popper states that Knicks players have missed Robinson’s presence on and off the court since training camp opened.
“It’s bittersweet,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “Because you love Mitch. We’ve done so much historical things together here. And to not see him in a Knicks jersey anymore, obviously, for all of us, we’re a family unit. You guys are around us every day. You know how much we care about each other, each other’s families, and to not be able to have him with us on this journey after that amazing journey we went through is obviously bittersweet. But it’s gonna be amazing to be able to see our brother. To hug him, be able to show him some love and to obviously compete playing basketball, like we love to do.”
Robinson wasn’t re-signed because of the rising payroll in New York and owner James Dolan’s refusal to spend into the second apron. He received a three-year, $47.4MM contract from a Celtics team that may become a major obstacle to the Knicks repeating as champions.
Robinson told Boston media on Thursday that he didn’t watch his former teammates during their ring ceremony, Popper adds. He also downplayed the significance of facing the Knicks four months after being part of a significant achievement in franchise history.
“It doesn’t matter that I’m playing my former team,” Robinson said. “It’s more so just trying to bounce back from what happened two days ago. It’s basketball, it’s a business. Got to play the team just like you play any other team.”
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Coach Mike Brown is telling Towns to stop trying to create contact on his shots, per Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News (subscription required). The attempt to draw fouls backfired in the season opener against Philadelphia as Towns was whistled for two fouls in the first 3:14 of the game, with the second coming when he kicked his leg out on an open three-point shot and wound up tripping Tyrese Maxey. “Some guys, I say, ‘go try to get fouled,’” Brown said. “Nah nah nah. KAT: You’re a freaking perennial All-Star. So just make the bucket, and if he happens to foul you, then great. When you do those types of [foul-baiting] things, it shortens your opportunities to pick up a foul when you’re boxing out or trying to get a rebound and stuff like that, so that’s the stuff we want to try to eliminate from his game.”
- After a summer of celebrating, the Knicks got a dose of humility in their opening-night loss, per Jared Schwartz of the The New York Post. Jalen Brunson believes the experience may be helpful in refocusing the team for the long season ahead. “I think it’s good for us to kind of get knocked down off the mountain,” he said. “Humble ourselves, put our egos in check and see what’s going to happen. I’ve told you guys since Day 1, whatever happens these first couple of weeks of the season, it’s gonna show who we truly are. So let’s see.”
- The first ring night at Madison Square Garden in 53 years brought its share of controversy, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The most significant incident involved MSG employees who received emails in September telling them to click on a link to choose the ring style they preferred. It turned out to be a phishing test, multiple sources told Vardon, and employees who clicked were required to attend to attend a cybersecurity class.
