The Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors have made recent roster moves. How do they affect their training camp numbers and battles? Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns just signed Udoka Azubuike to a two-way contract and are looking for another young player to fill their last spot. Who are the Suns targeting?
NBA Rumors: Raptors, Rockets, and Suns
Raptors Ink Two Players To Training Camp Deals
The Toronto Raptors have agreed to exhibit-10 contracts with two players over the last two days. Mouhamadou Guye and Kevin Obanor signed their deals on August 1.
The Raptors have signed Mouhamdou Gueye to an Exhibit 10 deal.
With Kevin Obanor now official, too, their camp roster is full at 21, barring a change.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 1, 2023
Guye is an athletic defensive specialist who went undrafted out of Pitt in 2022. The 25-year-old forward went to training camp with the Dallas Mavericks in 2022. While the Mavs waived him, Guye ended up signing with the G-League Texas Legends, where he averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks while shooting 55.1% from the field.
Guye played for Toronto’s Summer League team. Last week, the Raptors 905 traded for Guye as they sent a 2024 first-round draft pick to the Legends.
Obanor agreed to a training camp deal with the Raptors a few days after going undrafted out of Texas Tech this year. Known as a shooter and a solid rebounder in college, Obanor appeared in one game for the Raptors summer league squad. He went 0 of 3 from the field, with all three shots from beyond the arc, and grabbed one rebound in 10 minutes.
Expect Guye and Obanor to start the season with the Raptors 905. With Guye, Obanor, and Garrett Temple in tow, Toronto has reached their training camp limit of 21 players. The Raptors have 16 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
Houston Rockets Make Flurry of Moves
The Houston Rockets have made a flurry of roster moves recently. The Rockets added two more players, Nate Hinton and Matthew Mayer, on training camp deals on Tuesday morning, according to Houston Chronicle Jonathan Feigen. Adding Hinton and Mayer, Josh Obiesie, Jeenathan Williams, and Jermaine Samuels brings Houston’s training camp roster to 2o.
Hinton has spent most of his three professional seasons in the G-League. He is a “3-D wing” who spent last season with the Cleveland Charge. Hinton produced 11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.4 steals in 27 contests for the Charge. He drained 1.8 3-pointers while shooting 46.6% from the field and 38.3% from the 3-point line. The 24-year-old does have some NBA experience, appearing in 25 NBA games for the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks between 2020-22.
Mayer, who played with the Rockets summer league team with Hinton, went undrafted out of Illinois in 2023. The 6-9 guard can develop into a “3-D” prospect as he is very athletic and a defensive ace who needs to improve his shooting. However, Mayer did shoot well during the summer league and played well overall. Hinton averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 threes, and 7.2 rebounds in four summer league games while producing a slash line of .516/.435/.889.
Obiesie agreed to a one-year contract with the Rockets on August 1. Keith Smith of Sportac reported that the deal is nonguaranteed with exhibit-10 language.
The Houston Rockets have signed wing Joshua Obiesie to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 training camp contract, a league source tells @spotrac.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 1, 2023
Obiesie has spent the last six seasons in Germany. The 6-6 wing, who went undrafted in 2022, produced 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 29 games for Fraport Skyliners this past season. He also drained 1.4 treys a game and compiled a shooting slash line of .419/.347/.785.
Jeenathan Williams and Jermaine Samuels Deals
Williams also signed with Houston on August 1. His deal is a training camp contract, per The Athletic’s Kelly Iko.
The Houston Rockets are signing Jeenathan Williams to a training camp deal, sources tell me and @ShamsCharania. Williams lands with Rockets after being released by Portland.
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) August 2, 2023
Williams is a three-level who possesses a nice lefty shooting stroke. He can play all three backcourt positions and is very athletic. Williams is a capable rebounder.
Williams inked a two-way contract with Portland Trail Blazers this past April. He averaged 10.6 points, three rebounds, and two assists in five contests for the Blazers. In those contests, the 6-5 wing produced a shooting slash line of .615/.375/.667. Williams also played with the Trail Blazers summer league squad though he got little run in his four appearances. The Blazers waived Williams this week before his $1.7 million contract became guaranteed.
Samuels and the Rockets agreed on a two-way contract earlier today, as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Kelly Iko.
The Houston Rockets are signing forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. to a two-way NBA contract, sources tell me and @KellyIko. Samuels earns deal after a standout Las Vegas Summer League where he averaged 11.3 points, 5 rebounds and 3.3 assists for Rockets.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2023
Samuels impressed the Rockets’ brass shortly after joining the team’s summer league team for training camp. The 24-year-old compiled 11.3 points, 5.0 caroms, and 3.3 assists in six games. He shot 47.4% from the field, 35.3% from the 3-point line, and 76.2% from the free throw line.
Samuels is a physical player who can do a little bit of everything. While the 6-7 forward is limited offensively, he is very efficient and an outstanding rebounder on the offensive end.
Samuels went undrafted out of Villanova in 2022. Last year, he played for the Indiana Pacers G-League Fort Wayne Mad Ants, finishing third in the G-League Most Improved Player voting. The 24-year-old produced 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 32 games for the Mad Ants. He registered a 29.1% rebound percentage and a 28.3% block percentage.
Hinton, Mayer, and Williams are all expected to participate in training camp with the Rockets this fall, so they’re receiving contracts with Exhibit 9 language, which protects a team financially in the event of an injury. However, Obiesie “will not be involved in the camp,” per Feigen, but the Rockets will control his G League rights after he’s waived, meaning he will be allocated to Rio Grand Valley.
With the news of the signings and plan for Obiesie, Houston will have one open roster on their 15-man roster to be filled. The Rockets could either sign another player or wait until training camp and sign one of those players. The Rockets have filled all three of their two -way spots.
Suns Interested In Trey Jemison
The Phoenix Suns have one open two-way spot left after agreeing to a deal with Azubuike. Duane Rankin is reporting that 7-foot center Trey Jemison is one of the players on the team’s radar to fill the spot.
https://twitter.com/DuaneRankin/status/1686218450300272640
Jemison, who went undrafted out of UAB in 2023, played for the Suns’ summer league this year. The 23-year-old compiled 8.0 points on 58.6% shooting from the field and 6.8 rebounds in 24 minutes over five games.
Jemison’s defense is currently ahead of his offense. The 23-year-old is a very good rebounder and finishes well around the rim.
Jemison impressed Suns coach Frank Vogel with his effort.
Suns head coach Frank Vogel has noticed the Summer Suns’ starting center. “That guy plays so hard,” Vogel said. “I’m so impressed with his motor and his rebounding.”
Golden State Warriors Open to Bringing Back Andre Iguodala
The Golden State Warriors are open to having Andre Iguodala back for the 2023-24 campaign, general manager Mike Dunleavy told Monte Poole of NBC Sports earlier today. However, Dunleavy said that the Warriors aren’t actively recruiting Iguodala and don’t necessarily expect him back.
“My sense is Andre’s probably got some other stuff going. But he has my number. The phone is always on. We’ve communicated some this summer already. We’ll see. We’re not going to close the door on anything. But my guess, and my belief, is that he won’t be back.”
Iguodala is 39 years old and only played eight games this past season. He has only played in 39 games in the last two years.
Golden State has 13 players under contract for the upcoming season and two open two-way slots. However, due to the Warriors’ financials, they can only offer the veteran minimum to any player they sign.
Montrezl Harrell Tears ACL
Philadelphia 76ers center Montrezl Harrell underwent an MRI on Wednesday to evaluate swelling in his right knee following offseason workouts, and he has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and a medial meniscus tear, per Philadelphia Inquirer Keith Pompey.
#Sixers center Montrezl Harrell underwent an MRI today to assess recent right knee swelling following his offseason workouts. The MRI revealed a torn ACL and medial meniscal tear.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) August 2, 2023
While the 76ers didn’t announce a timeline for Harrell’s recovery, a torn ACL typically takes a year to recover fully. Harrell saw limited action with the Sixers last year, but his role this year under new coach Nick Nurse was undetermined. The undersized big man signed a one-year minimum contract after opting out of his player option.
It is unknown what Philadelphia will do regarding Harrell’s situation. The 76ers have 14 players with a standard contract, so they can add a player without cutting one at this point. However, if the Sixers decided to add more than one player, they would have to make a corresponding move.
The 76ers still have plenty of frontcourt depth with Mo Bamba, Paul Reed, and Filip Petrusev to backup starter Joel Embiid.
