Duren settles at $200MM, the Grizzlies waive Hawkins, and the NBA roster board for Sep. 28–Oct. 5
The Sep. 28–Oct. 5 board closes Jalen Duren's $200MM standoff in Detroit, extends Jamal Shead in Toronto, and tracks three rosters that still hold more guaranteed contracts than opening night allows.
The window here is Sep. 28–Oct. 5, 2026. Detroit's contract standoff with Jalen Duren ended minutes before the deadline that would have let him leave, Toronto signed a rotation guard and bought the rest of its parent company, and three rosters are still carrying more guaranteed contracts than opening night allows. The next forced decision lands on Oct. 19.
The board at a glance
| Player or lane | Status | Verified development | Contract, cap or roster mechanism | Next signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Duren, Pistons | Completed | Agreed to a five-year, $200MM contract on Oct. 1, signed it Friday and let the team announce it Saturday. 12 | Fully guaranteed, no options and no incentives, at $40.16MM, $36.95MM, $38.96MM, $40.96MM and $42.97MM. 1 | Trade-eligible Jan. 15. 1 |
| Jamal Shead, Raptors | Completed | Three-year, $24MM extension agreed Oct. 1 and confirmed the same afternoon. 3 | Starts in 2027/28 with a team option on the third year; Shead earns $2.3MM this season. 34 | Toronto's 2027/28 sheet, past $185MM, with RJ Barrett still unsigned. 3 |
| Jordan Hawkins, Grizzlies | Completed, waived | Waived Oct. 2; ESPN's Shams Charania called it a mutual decision. 5 | Memphis absorbs his full $7,021,895 and stays $38.64MM below the tax. 5 | Which of Micah Peavy or Kris Murray goes next. 5 |
| Rob Dillingham, Hornets | Completed, waived | Waived Sept. 28, one day after Charlotte traded for him. 6 | Charlotte owes $6.89MM and declines his $8.76MM option for 2027/28. 6 | Whether he signs elsewhere; Chicago is the one team he cannot join. 6 |
| Moussa Cisse, Mavericks | Completed, guaranteed | Dallas kept him through Oct. 1, guaranteeing the rest of his $2,185,116. 7 | Dallas now holds 15 fully guaranteed deals; Dwight Powell's minimum is guaranteed for $1MM. 7 | Which guaranteed contract Dallas moves to keep Powell. 7 |
| Kelly Olynyk, BC Roma | Completed, overseas | Signed with the Italian club, announced Oct. 3. 8 | No NBA job arrived: Golden State signed Georges Niang instead, and San Antonio would cross the tax line by adding a 15th man. 8 | Whether an NBA team opens a spot for him midseason. 8 |
| Brandin Podziemski, Warriors | Imminent | Golden State wants a deal completed before the deadline. 9 | Extension-eligible to Oct. 19, with Miami's four-year, $60MM deal for Pelle Larsson as the benchmark to beat. 910 | Oct. 19 at 5:00pm CT. 10 |
| Brandon Miller, Hornets | Exploratory | League sources name him among the most likely players to extend. 9 | A full camp participant after May shoulder surgery and up to 210 pounds. 11 | Oct. 19 at 5:00pm CT. 10 |
| P.J. Washington, Mavericks | Exploratory | Rival teams believe Dallas will consider trading him at some point. 9 | In the first season of a four-year, $88MM extension, behind a rebuilt forward group. 9 | The February trade deadline. 9 |
| Jerami Grant, Grizzlies | Exploratory | Called a "prime" midseason trade candidate. 12 | A veteran voice on a roster that wants to keep Isaiah Stewart past this season. 12 | The February trade deadline. 12 |
| Anthony Black, Magic | Exploratory | On an extension: "If it happens, it happens." 13 | Extension-eligible to Oct. 19 on a cap-strapped Orlando payroll. 1013 | Oct. 19 at 5:00pm CT. 10 |
Detroit closes the standoff
Jalen Duren agreed to a five-year, $200MM contract on the night of Oct. 1, then signed the paperwork Friday and let the Pistons announce it Saturday afternoon. 1214
The shape of the money matters as much as the total. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported cap hits of $40.16MM, $36.95MM, $38.96MM, $40.96MM and $42.97MM, so the deal dips in its second year and climbs after that. 1 The low year buys Detroit room in 2027/28, the season Ausar Thompson's five-year, $155MM extension begins. 1
Duren's All-NBA third-team selection raised his ceiling to $287MM over five years, well above the standard 25% maximum of $239.2MM. 1 He signed for $200MM fully guaranteed, with no options and no incentives, and the alternatives were worse. 1 Taking the one-year, $9.6MM qualifying offer and reaching unrestricted free agency next summer would have been worth about $198.8MM across the same five seasons. 1
Detroit's offer climbed slowly across the summer, from $175MM to $190MM to $200MM, with earlier versions carrying weight-related incentives that the final proposal dropped. 1 Owner Tom Gores called Duren on Thursday to close it, and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Gores promised Duren and his family a more positive experience with the organization. 15
The same reporting carries the residue. Detroit has had concerns about Duren's conditioning across his first three seasons, and Sacramento told Duren during free agency that it viewed him as a maximum-salary player. 15 Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff dismissed the idea of lingering bitterness: "It's a negotiation. It's business." 15
Duren, 22, averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 65.0% shooting in 70 games, made his first All-Star team and helped Detroit to an Eastern Conference-best 60 wins. 1 His postseason went the other way: 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds on 51.4% shooting over 14 games, and the top-seeded Pistons lost in the second round to Cleveland. 1
"I am a Detroit Piston. I want to be a Detroit Piston for life," Duren said Sunday, describing his main emotions as relief and excitement. 16 He said the negotiation taught him the business side of the game, and called the playoff exit humbling. 16
He becomes trade-eligible on Jan. 15. 1
Toronto's week: an extension and an owner
Jamal Shead agreed to a three-year, $24MM veteran extension on Oct. 1, and Toronto confirmed it the same afternoon. 3 The new money starts in 2027/28, when he is due at least $7.4MM in the first year; he earns $2.3MM this season on the last year of his rookie-scale deal, and the third year of the extension is a team option. 34
Shead, the 45th pick in 2024, has played 157 of a possible 164 games in two seasons, averaging 6.9 points, 4.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 21.1 minutes. 3 His 354 assists off the bench last season led the league and set a Toronto record for a reserve. 3 The shooting is the soft part of the case — 38.6% from the floor and 32.2% from three across his career — and the organization pays him for ball-handling, playmaking and defence. 3
"I thought the offer they gave me was really fair. Honestly, above fair," Shead said. "It's just good to be wanted." 4
The extension lands on a crowded sheet. Toronto has about $178MM in guaranteed money committed to seven players in 2027/28 once it picks up its options on Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja'Kobe Walter, and Shead's deal pushes that past $185MM. 3 The NBA's most recent projection puts the 2027/28 cap at $176MM and the tax line at $213MM, so there is room left, and RJ Barrett's next contract is not in that figure. 3
The second Toronto story is ownership. Rogers Communications closed its purchase of the final 25% of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment on Oct. 1, taking full control of the Raptors' parent company. 17 Rogers paid $4.35 billion Canadian, about $3.06 billion US, for the stake held mainly by Larry Tanenbaum's Kilmer Sports; it already owned 75% after buying Bell's share in September 2024. 17
Sportico values the Raptors at $5.22 billion, the most valuable asset in the group. 17 Tanenbaum was expected to step down as the Raptors' governor and as chairman of the NBA's board of governors at the end of September, and to leave MLSE once the sale closed. 17 Rogers' chief financial officer said in July that the company intends to sell a minority stake in MLSE in the first half of 2027. 17
On the floor, Jakob Poeltl looked mobile at Thursday's open scrimmage after a back problem held him to 46 games last season, and Kawhi Leonard was limited to drill work as he reconditions. 4
Two weeks to the extension deadline
Monday, Oct. 19, at 5:00pm CT is the last minute for a rookie-scale extension. 10 Of the 23 players eligible when the offseason began, four have signed: Victor Wembanyama, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson and Keyonte George. 10 Cam Whitmore was waived, leaving 18 players who can still take themselves off the 2027 free-agent market, and at least nine players have signed a rookie-scale extension in each of the last seven offseasons. 10
Marc Stein's list of likely candidates: Brandon Miller in Charlotte, Anthony Black in Orlando, Cason Wallace in Oklahoma City and Brandin Podziemski in Golden State. 9 Golden State wants Podziemski done before the deadline, and Jake Fischer has said the number may turn on whether the Warriors will beat the four-year, $60MM extension Miami gave Pelle Larsson in September. 9 Stein is less certain about Scoot Henderson in Portland, where general manager Joe Cronin has spoken of "seemingly mutual interest", and about Bilal Coulibaly in Washington. 9
Miller is a full participant in camp after May surgery on his left shoulder, and he reported at 210 pounds, up from 200 last season. 11 Charlotte's head of basketball operations, Jeff Peterson, said Miller is expected to be a full participant while the team monitors him. 11
Indiana's Jarace Walker reaches the final year of his rookie contract in the same window. 18 Rick Carlisle wants him to become a "great system player", and Chad Buchanan has described a simplified role for him. 18 "Guys like him with his physical tools and skill, if they're dependable system players who can build trust; let's be honest, there's a lot of money in it," Carlisle said. 18
The veteran side of the deadline works on different rules. A player in the final year of his contract can sign an extension any time through June 30, 2027; a veteran not in a contract year can sign only through Oct. 19. 10 That distinction puts Zion Williamson, who has two guaranteed years left, on the clock, while Michael Porter Jr. in Brooklyn can wait. 10 Karl-Anthony Towns stays eligible past the season as long as any extension declines his 2027/28 player option. 10
Nikola Jokic is the biggest name on the shelf. He said on Sept. 28 that he will sign next year, "if they want me", passing on a four-year extension worth a projected $276MM now for a five-year deal worth a projected $357.28MM in 2027 free agency — the only route that can carry a full no-trade clause. 19 Denver's Ben Tenzer said the organization has no concerns. 19
Three rosters still over the line
Memphis started cutting. The Grizzlies waived Jordan Hawkins on Oct. 2, a move Charania described as mutual so the 2023 lottery pick could find a new team. 5 Memphis owes him his full $7,021,895 and still sits $38.64MM below the tax line, so money is not the constraint. 5 Even after the waiver the team carried 16 guaranteed standard contracts, plus Jaylen Wells on a partial deal that becomes fully guaranteed if he makes the opening-night roster. 5
Micah Peavy is next in line. Acquired with Hawkins from New Orleans in September, he turned an ankle in camp and will miss enough time that he cannot make his case; Kris Murray, who arrived in the Ja Morant trade, is the other candidate to be cut. 512
Dallas made the other choice. Keeping Cisse through Oct. 1 guaranteed the rest of his $2,185,116, while his $2.57MM for 2027/28 stays non-guaranteed. 7 Dallas now holds 15 fully guaranteed contracts and needs to trade or waive one of them to keep Dwight Powell, whose minimum carries a $1MM guarantee. 7
Los Angeles is in the same spot. The Lakers hold 16 guaranteed standard contracts, and multiple rival executives expect Dalton Knecht to be the one who goes. 20 Coach JJ Redick said Knecht "worked his butt off" over the summer and is "hungry" to earn a rotation spot. 20
Charlotte took the shortcut it had been building toward when it waived Rob Dillingham on Sept. 28, one day after trading for him. 6 The guard Charlotte acquired from Chicago for Buddy Hield costs the Hornets $6.89MM against the cap this season, and his $8.76MM team option for 2027/28 goes away with him. 6 Charlotte came out of it with 16 standard contracts, 15 of them guaranteed. 6
Three more teams shed camp bodies: Chicago waived Peter Suder, Utah waived Jaelen House and Portland waived Hyunjung Lee, all on Exhibit 10 deals worth $91K, $70K and $91K in G League bonuses. 21
What the market is shopping, and who left it
P.J. Washington may be the most useful name available in February. Rival teams believe Dallas will consider moving him after adding Zaccharie Risacher, Morez Johnson Jr. and Tarik Biberovic, and Washington has reached the playoffs once in seven seasons and has said he wants to get back. 9 Team president Masai Ujiri told him he would not be traded without a heads-up. 9 Washington is in the first season of a four-year, $88MM extension signed last summer, and several contenders are expected to call by the February deadline. 9
Jerami Grant fits the same profile. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints called Grant a "prime" midseason trade candidate, and reported that Memphis wants to keep Isaiah Stewart "well past" this season; Stewart holds a $15MM team option for 2027/28. 12
The Kings are the quiet end of the market. Domantas Sabonis, who played 19 games last season because of a knee injury, said he feels 100% and dismissed the talk around him. "Easy. It's all made up," he said. 20 Doug Christie is effectively working a contract year, since the final season of his coaching deal is a team option. 20
The overseas exit kept taking veterans. Kelly Olynyk signed with BC Roma, the Italian club co-founded by Donnie Nelson and Luka Doncic that plays in the LBA and the EuroCup. 8 Olynyk is 35 and played 8.6 minutes a night in 42 games for San Antonio last season, after 12 straight years above 19 minutes; Golden State signed Georges Niang instead, and San Antonio would cross the tax line by carrying a 15th man. 8 Cameron Payne signed a one-year deal with Anadolu Efes. 22
Hoops Rumors counted nearly two dozen players who finished last season on an NBA roster and signed with a club outside the league this offseason, from Jonas Valanciunas at Zalgiris Kaunas and Joe Ingles at Melbourne United to Guerschon Yabusele at Panathinaikos, D'Angelo Russell at the Shanghai Sharks and Thanasis Antetokounmpo at Aris BC. 23
Buddy Hield, the player at the centre of last week's two trades, has settled into a Chicago locker room as the veteran around Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey, with coach Tiago Splitter pointing at his shooting gravity. 18
Camp health notes
LeBron James is managing chronic arthritis in his left foot and still needs attention on his lower back, where sciatica cost him the first month of last season, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. 24 James arrives at the Sixers' practice facility more than three hours before the session starts and commutes roughly 40 minutes by helicopter from New York. 24
Philadelphia has discussed using him as a point forward, and Nick Nurse describes him as a creator rather than a scorer. 25 Behind Joel Embiid, Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti are competing for the backup centre minutes. 25
In Golden State, Kristaps Porzingis remains out indefinitely, which is part of why the Warriors brought Al Horford back for a 20th season. 26 Horford, 40, shot 36.1% from three last season, could open the season as the starting centre, and is scheduled for 12 to 15 minutes in the preseason opener. 26
The Clippers have three questions after one exhibition game. Max Strus left Sunday's win over Golden State with a non-contact injury to his right ankle and will be examined when the team returns to Los Angeles. 27 Kobe Sanders has a hip impingement and no return timetable. 27 Bradley Beal, who played six games last season before hip surgery, says he can run and jump without pain. 27
In Minnesota, Anthony Edwards needed about two months off to settle the knee problems that ended his season — runner's knee in his right knee and a hyperextended left knee in the first round of the playoffs. 28 San Antonio's Tobias Harris strained his left calf in camp and is questionable for the regular-season opener. 29 In Orlando, Anthony Black (ankle) and Noah Penda (hamstring) returned to practice Sunday. 30
Two league decisions
Las Vegas expansion may slip a year. The 2028/29 season has been the repeatedly cited target for new teams in Las Vegas and Seattle, but Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic hears the NBA has discussed a Las Vegas debut in 2029/30 instead, with nothing decided. 31 Three groups are the finalists: one led by Nancy Walton Laurie and Bill Laurie, one by Bill Foley and Jerry Colangelo, and one represented by Steve Apostolopoulos and Marc Lasry. 31 Charania reported a winning bidder would be chosen "in the very near future", while Vorkunov says an unofficial agreement could arrive before the end of November. 31
The money is enormous: Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported the expansion fee would be around $10 billion and the arena another $2–3 billion, for a total of at least $12–13 billion. 31 T-Mobile Arena would need roughly $400MM in renovations to become NBA-ready, and several bidders have discussed building a new one. 31 In Seattle, Samantha Holloway's One Roof Sports controls Climate Pledge Arena, which Shelburne says could be converted for basketball. 31
Washington will not be punished for saying out loud what its season was about. Guard Bub Carrington told WUSA-TV that the Wizards' players had been "held back" while the team chased the No. 1 pick, AJ Dybantsa, and a source told The Athletic's Josh Robbins and Sam Amick that the league is not expected to penalise him or the team. 32 The NBA fined Mark Cuban $600K in 2018 for a similar admission, and it has revamped the draft lottery for 2026/27. 32
The fantasy and roster read
Analysis, drawn from the reporting above.
- Jalen Duren keeps a 28-to-30-minute centre role on a 60-win team and loses the one scenario that would have wrecked his season. His free-throw rate (74.7%) and his 0.8 blocks a night are the two numbers that decide how high he ranks, because the scoring and rebounding are already established. 1
- Jamal Shead now owns Toronto's backup point guard job through 2029/30. His value is assists and steals; he has shot under 33% from three in each of his two seasons. 3
- Memphis thinned its wing rather than its guard rotation, where Ty Jerome, Cam Spencer and Scotty Pippen Jr. sit ahead of Walter Clayton. Zach Edey has been cleared for on-court work and is on pace for the Oct. 21 opener. 33
- Dallas is worth watching for usage, not just for trades. Dusty May has P.J. Washington in the mix to start next to Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, and Max Christie, who started 68 games last season, is extension-eligible. 34
- Golden State signed or extended nobody this week. A Podziemski deal would change the money and signal the Warriors' plans, while his role stays the same; he ran with Al Horford and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg in Kerr's preseason starting group. 35
Next signals
- Oct. 17: the last day a team can waive a player on a non-guaranteed contract and avoid paying any of his salary. 10
- Oct. 19, 4:00pm CT: rosters must be set at 15 standard contracts and three two-way deals. A player waived on that Monday does not clear waivers until Oct. 21. 10
- Oct. 19, 5:00pm CT: rookie-scale extension deadline, and the last day to convert an Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal. 10
- Oct. 19: the same date closes veteran extension eligibility for players who are not in a contract year, including Zion Williamson. 10
- Oct. 20: the regular season opens. 10
- Nov. 2: teams must decide on their 2027/28 rookie-scale team options; only Golden State, Indiana and Miami carry none. 10
- Jan. 7, 2027: the league-wide salary guarantee date; a non-guaranteed player not waived by then and not cleared by Jan. 10 becomes fully guaranteed. 10
- Jan. 15: Duren becomes trade-eligible. 1
- February: the trade deadline, where P.J. Washington and Jerami Grant are the names most likely to move. 912
References
- 1Jalen Duren Re-Signs With Pistons On Five-Year Deal\
hoopsrumors.com
- 2
- 3Raptors, Jamal Shead Finalize Three-Year Extension\
hoopsrumors.com
- 4Raptors Notes: Shead, Poeltl, Injuries, Leonard\
hoopsrumors.com
- 5Grizzlies Waive Jordan Hawkins\
hoopsrumors.com
- 6Hornets Waive Rob Dillingham\
hoopsrumors.com
- 7Mavericks To Guarantee Moussa Cisse's 2026/27 Salary\
hoopsrumors.com
- 8Kelly Olynyk Signs With BC Roma\
hoopsrumors.com
- 9
- 10NBA Roster, Contract Deadlines To Watch In October\
hoopsrumors.com
- 11Extension Candidate: Brandon Miller\
hoopsrumors.com
- 12Grizzlies Notes: Roster Crunch, Stewart, Grant, Offseason\
hoopsrumors.com
- 13Magic Notes: Sweeney, Wagner, Banchero, Isaac, Black, More\
hoopsrumors.com
- 14
- 15Jalen Duren Notes: Gores, Pistons, Relationship, Bickerstaff
hoopsrumors.com
- 16
- 17Rogers Now Controls 100% Of Raptors' Parent Company
hoopsrumors.com
- 18Central Notes: Hezonja, Zubac, Walker, Hield
hoopsrumors.com
- 19Nuggets' Nikola Jokic: 'I'm Going To Sign Next Year'
hoopsrumors.com
- 20Pacific Notes: Maluach, Suns, Sabonis, Christie, Lakers
hoopsrumors.com
- 21Minor Roster Moves: Bulls, Jazz, Trail Blazers
hoopsrumors.com
- 22Cameron Payne Signs With Anadolu Efes
hoopsrumors.com
- 23NBA Free Agents Who Signed With Overseas Teams
hoopsrumors.com
- 24Sixers Notes: LeBron, Nurse, Brown, Preseason
hoopsrumors.com
- 25Sixers Notes: LeBron, Bona, Hukporti, Brown, Edgecombe, More
hoopsrumors.com
- 26Warriors Notes: Horford, Williams, Niang, Preseason Opener
hoopsrumors.com
- 27
- 28Wolves Notes: Edwards, Williams, Evans, Starters, Thibodeau
hoopsrumors.com
- 29
- 30Southeast Notes: Giannis, Heat, Cain, Magic, Schröder
hoopsrumors.com
- 31Latest On Potential NBA Expansion
hoopsrumors.com
- 32
- 33Grizzlies Notes: Edey, Morant, Jerome, Peavy, Saunders
hoopsrumors.com
- 34Mavs Notes: Washington, Christie, Johnson, Biberovic
hoopsrumors.com
- 35Western Notes: Morant, Lillard, Warriors, Jackson, Simmons
hoopsrumors.com
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