The Pelicans' Mathurin maneuver, Harden's deal, and the NBA roster board for Sep. 8–14
The Sep. 8–14 NBA roster board turns on New Orleans clearing space for Bennedict Mathurin, Steve Ballmer conceding the league's penalties, completed paperwork for James Harden and DeMar DeRozan, and Boston landing Devin Carter.
The seven-day window here is Sep. 8–14, 2026. Roster construction across the league accelerated as front offices cleared salary and finalized late-summer additions ahead of training camp. The headline transaction of the week saw the New Orleans Pelicans execute a four-player trade with the Memphis Grizzlies to clear the financial and roster space required to sign Bennedict Mathurin to a two-year contract. In Los Angeles, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer formally accepted the league's cap-circumvention penalties, dropping the prospect of litigation and clearing the remaining institutional hurdle for Kawhi Leonard's pending trade to the Toronto Raptors. Meanwhile, veteran paperwork became official in Cleveland and Denver with James Harden and DeMar DeRozan, while the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics triggered the week's most notable waiver-and-signing sequence around guard Devin Carter.
The board at a glance
| Player or lane | Status | Verified development | Contract, cap or roster mechanism | Next signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennedict Mathurin & Pelicans-Grizzlies swap | Completed sequence | New Orleans traded Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy to Memphis, waived Taj Gibson, and finalized a two-year, $16 million contract with Mathurin. 12 | The Clippers rescinded Mathurin's $8.8 million qualifying offer by mutual consent; New Orleans created room under the tax apron and holds 14 guaranteed standard contracts. | Mathurin's camp workload and starting competition on the wing. |
| Kawhi Leonard, Clippers-Raptors | Pending front-office sign-off | Ballmer and the Clippers agreed to comply with the NBA's penalty ruling without legal action, while Leonard attended Toronto's informal player camp in Miami for solo workouts. 34 | Trade terms remain constructed around Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, two second-rounders, and a 2027 pick swap; Clippers general manager Trent Redden and an interim governor must execute the filing. | Official league submission and physical examinations. |
| James Harden, Cavaliers | Completed | Cleveland officially announced Harden's return on a three-year, $97 million contract. 5 | The contract carries a player option in the third year; Cleveland solidifies its primary initiator alongside Donovan Mitchell while operating under first-apron hard-cap constraints. | Cleveland's final regular-season roster cuts and bench rotation. |
| DeMar DeRozan, Nuggets | Completed | Denver officially signed DeRozan to a one-year, $3.88 million veteran minimum contract. 6 | The deal counts as a $2.45 million cap hit; Denver sits approximately $4.5 million over the second tax apron and plans to carry 14 standard contracts to manage an $84.3 million luxury tax bill. | DeRozan's sixth-man usage alongside Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. |
| Devin Carter, Hawks to Celtics | Waiver & agreement | Atlanta waived Carter on Sep. 11, and Carter agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with Boston on Sep. 14. 78 | Atlanta absorbed a $5,158,080 dead-cap charge and declined Carter's $7,370,897 fourth-year option; Boston brings Carter into camp to compete for a 15th roster spot or a two-way deal. | Carter's physical clearance and Boston's final two-way allocation. |
| Igor Milicic Jr., Knicks | Agreement | New York agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the 6-foot-10 forward on Sep. 12. 9 | New York holds three vacant two-way slots; the Exhibit 10 structure provides a bonus of up to $91,000 if waived and retained by Westchester. | Exhibition minutes and potential two-way conversion. |
| Christian Shumate, Pelicans | Camp addition | New Orleans signed the 6-foot-6 wing to a training camp contract on Sep. 13. 10 | The signing brings New Orleans to the 21-player offseason roster limit, positioning Shumate for affiliate player rights with the Laketown Squadron. | Training camp defense and two-way competition. |
The Pelicans cleared the deck for Mathurin
The most intricate salary-management maneuver of the week unfolded in New Orleans. On Tuesday, Sep. 8, the Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies completed a four-player trade: New Orleans sent shooting guard Jordan Hawkins, forward Micah Peavy, a future second-round pick, and a future second-round pick swap to Memphis in exchange for guard AJ Johnson and veteran big man Taj Gibson. 111
New Orleans waived Gibson on Wednesday, Sep. 9. 1 Gibson's contract had served as matching salary in the trade with Memphis. Shedding Hawkins and Peavy freed up both roster space and financial breathing room below the luxury tax apron.
That maneuver cleared the path for New Orleans to finalize a two-year, $16 million contract with restricted free agent wing Bennedict Mathurin on Sep. 10. 2 The contract includes a second-year player option, allowing Mathurin to test unrestricted free agency in 2027. Mathurin's path to an outright signing opened when his representatives approached the LA Clippers about withdrawing his $8.8 million qualifying offer. Because the July 13 unilateral rescission date had passed, the Clippers rescinded the offer with Mathurin's consent, avoiding an offer sheet or sign-and-trade complication.
For Memphis, Hawkins adds perimeter shooting to a reworked backcourt rotation. The 2023 14th overall selection averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 34.8% from three-point range over three seasons with New Orleans. 1 The Pelicans now carry 14 guaranteed standard contracts, with Trendon Watford on a partial guarantee, three players on non-guaranteed camp deals, and one open standard spot. 2
Completed paperwork for Harden and DeRozan
Two marquee veteran scorers settled their contractual arrangements on Tuesday, Sep. 8, each operating within distinct team cap environments.
Cleveland locked in Harden's three-year term
The Cleveland Cavaliers officially signed James Harden to a three-year, $97 million contract featuring a player option in the final season. 5 Harden had declined his 2026–27 player option in June to seek multi-year security. After arriving in Cleveland at the February trade deadline, Harden posted 23.6 points, 8.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game across the regular season, establishing a high-usage offensive tandem alongside Donovan Mitchell. 5
Harden's deal fits under Cleveland's first-apron hard cap, an accounting limit triggered earlier in the summer when the Cavaliers acquired Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade agreement. Extending Mitchell on a four-year deal and finalizing Harden ensures continuity in Cleveland's starting backcourt for an Eastern Conference finalist seeking to return to the NBA Finals.
Denver added DeRozan on a second-apron minimum
The Denver Nuggets officially signed 37-year-old forward DeMar DeRozan to a one-year, $3.88 million contract on Sep. 8. 6 Because Denver operates roughly $4.5 million above the second tax apron and faces an estimated $84.3 million luxury tax assessment, the front office was restricted to veteran minimum exceptions for outside free agents. DeRozan's minimum salary results in a $2,449,421 cap hit. 6
Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Jamal Murray personally recruited DeRozan after Sacramento waived his partially guaranteed contract in July. 6 DeRozan appeared in 77 games for the Kings last season, averaging 18.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per contest while shooting 49.7% from the field. With 14 players on guaranteed standard deals, Denver plans to keep its 15th roster spot open to curb tax costs, putting pressure on camp invitees such as Lonnie Walker IV. 6
Ballmer conceded the league ruling as Kawhi waited
The transaction sending Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors remained unofficial throughout the week, but the legal obstacles disappeared on Sunday night, Sep. 13.
Clippers principal owner Steve Ballmer issued a formal statement apologizing to fans, staff, and fellow governors, announcing that the franchise has paid the $30 million fine and will comply with all sanctions rather than pursuing civil litigation or outside arbitration. 3 The league's ruling stripped Los Angeles of five consecutive first-round draft picks from 2029 through 2033, while suspending Ballmer for one year and basketball operations chief Lawrence Frank for six months. 3
The decision to forgo legal action stabilizes the Clippers' executive timeline. General manager Trent Redden is running basketball operations during Frank's absence, and an interim team governor is being established to formally sign league documents. 4
Brian Windhorst reported that the agreed trade terms—sending Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, second-round picks in 2030 and 2033, and a 2027 first-round swap—are expected to proceed without alteration. 4 Leonard joined Toronto players in Miami for off-site workouts, though he was limited to individual drills pending the completion of the trade. 4
Roster cuts and training camp additions
Late-summer roster adjustments altered backcourt and wing depth across the conference boards.
Atlanta cut Carter, Boston extended camp opportunity
The Atlanta Hawks waived second-year guard Devin Carter and Lamont Butler on Friday, Sep. 11. 78 Atlanta had acquired Carter from Sacramento in June alongside a 2033 second-round pick in a cost-absorption trade. To clear their roster bottleneck, the Hawks absorbed Carter's guaranteed $5,158,080 salary as dead money for 2026–27 while declining his $7,370,897 rookie team option for 2027–28. 8
Carter agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Boston Celtics on Monday, Sep. 14. 8 The 13th overall pick in 2024 played college basketball at Providence and will compete with rookies Milos Uzan and Tucker DeVries in camp for Boston's 15th standard roster spot or a vacant two-way designation.
Camp contracts in New York and New Orleans
The New York Knicks agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with Polish forward Igor Milicic Jr. on Sep. 12. 9 The 6-foot-10 forward spent last season with the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League, averaging 6.9 points and 5.0 rebounds. New York holds all three of its two-way contract slots open heading into camp.
In New Orleans, the Pelicans signed forward Christian Shumate to a training camp contract on Sep. 13. 10 Shumate averaged 11.2 points and 6.6 rebounds across 40 games for the franchise's G League team in 2025–26. The signing brought New Orleans to the league maximum of 21 players under contract.
Fantasy and roster read
The table below provides analysis based on verified contract structures and projected team rotations.
| Player or lane | Changed opportunity | What to monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Bennedict Mathurin | Joins New Orleans with guaranteed salary and a clear opening for high-minute scoring on the wing alongside Zion Williamson. 2 | Preseason starting role, perimeter shot selection, and free-throw generation. |
| Jordan Hawkins | Moves from a crowded Pelicans wing group to Memphis, where shooting depth behind Ja Morant and Desmond Bane is a primary organizational priority. 1 | Bench three-point volume, rotation minutes, and defensive assignment match. |
| DeMar DeRozan | Projects into a primary sixth-man scoring role for Denver after starting 1,252 career regular-season games. 6 | Staggered minutes with Jokic, shot diet without elite floor spacing, and closing lineup usage. |
| James Harden | Secured three guaranteed years in Cleveland, cementing his role as primary pick-and-roll distributor for Mitchell and Evan Mobley. 5 | Assist-to-turnover ratio, backcourt minute loads, and pace metrics. |
| Devin Carter | Enters Boston's system on a low-risk Exhibit 10 deal with full guaranteed salary paid by Atlanta. 8 | Physical recovery from 2025–26 injuries and camp standing against Boston's summer-league guards. |
| Igor Milicic Jr. | Targets one of New York's three vacant two-way contracts as a stretch-four prospect. 9 | Exhibition rebounding, perimeter shooting accuracy, and two-way conversion timeline. |
Next concrete signals
- Official trade execution for Kawhi Leonard between Toronto and Los Angeles once interim gubernatorial documentation is filed with the league office. 4
- The NBA Board of Governors meeting scheduled for mid-September, where league leadership will review compliance monitoring for the Clippers and discuss future salary-cap projections. 3
- Contract resolutions for restricted free agent center Jalen Duren in Detroit ahead of the Oct. 1 qualifying offer signing deadline.
- Boston's training camp roster cuts determining whether Devin Carter earns a standard contract or fills one of the Celtics' remaining two-way spots. 8
- Denver's final decision on whether to carry 14 or 15 players into the regular season under its second-apron constraints. 6
References
- 1
- 2Bennedict Mathurin Signs Two-Year Contract With Pelicans
hoopsrumors.com
- 3
- 4Latest On Kawhi Leonard Trade
hoopsrumors.com
- 5
- 6DeMar DeRozan Signs With Nuggets
hoopsrumors.com
- 7Hawks waive Devin Carter
hoopshype.com
- 8Devin Carter To Sign With Celtics
hoopsrumors.com
- 9Knicks, Igor Milicic Jr. Reportedly Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
hoopsrumors.com
- 10Pelicans Sign Christian Shumate To Training Camp Deal
hoopsrumors.com
- 11
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