The Mavericks spent Tuesday shuffling the back end of their preseason roster, cycling through several names at the 21st spot before landing on a bigger body.
Dallas first waived Matt Cross, then used that opening to sign guard Darin Green Jr. Green didn’t last long either. The Mavericks then moved on from him to add forward Chris Mantis, and after that, Mantis was waived so the team could sign Jorge Diaz Graham.
The newest addition appears to have a bit more staying power than the others. Dallas announced Diaz Graham’s jersey number - No. 23 - which suggests he’ll stick around at least for now rather than being cut right away. The 6-foot-10 forward/center had already been taken by the Texas Legends with the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBAGL international draft, so the Mavericks’ G League affiliate had his rights in place.
Diaz Graham also spent time with Dallas in July during Summer League after finishing his college run at Oregon State. Across five games in Las Vegas, he put up 7.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per night.
Green, Mantis and Diaz Graham are all believed to be on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts, which would make them eligible for bonuses of up to $91K if they’re waived and then spend at least 60 days with the Legends this season. Green was in Israel last season with Hapoel Holon, while Mantis played rotation minutes for the Capital City Go-Go. The Legends had already picked up both players’ returning rights in separate trades.
Elsewhere around the league, the Clippers brought Fletcher Loyer back on a new Exhibit 10 deal after waiving Yuki Kawamura on Monday. Loyer, a former Purdue guard, had been with L.A. for the first week of training camp before getting cut last Tuesday. His prior contract also came with a full $91K bonus, so the Clippers may be giving him another look with their open two-way spot in mind.
The Jazz also made a move, waiving big man Mohamed Wague. Utah signed the undrafted rookie forward/center to an Exhibit 10 contract last week, and he’ll receive a $5K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League this season. With Wague gone, the Jazz now have one open spot on their 21-man preseason roster.
In Other News...
Jazz Get An Early Look At A Crucial Center Battle
Jusuf Nurkics absence is already forcing the Jazz to take a hard look at a spot that suddenly feels much thinner than it did a week ago. After the trade of Walker Kessler, Nurkic was the most proven center option on the roster, which made his toe injury especially costly as Utah tried to sort out the frontcourt rotation.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Jaxson Hayes and Mo Bamba are among the players who could be asked to cover the minutes, and the picture gets even tighter with Kyle Filipowski sidelined for the upcoming game because of a lower back injury. That leaves Hayes and Bamba with a clearer chance to grab some run, and perhaps a more meaningful opportunity to show where they fit while the Jazz wait for the front line to get healthy again. [Read more 🡒]
Jazz Get An Unusual Preseason Test Against A Short-Handed Spurs
The Jazz head into their third preseason game with a familiar wrinkle in the injury report, as three players have been ruled out for the meeting with San Antonio at the Delta Center. Kyle Filipowski and Jusuf Nurki are among the absences, leaving Utah to continue its preseason work without two frontcourt pieces who have already been unavailable since camp began. Tipoff is set for 7 PM MT, and even in October, availability is shaping the way the Jazz can evaluate their rotation.
San Antonio, meanwhile, is dealing with an even longer list of absences, with nine players sidelined and its entire starting five unavailable because of injuries and rest. That creates a preseason setting unlike the usual one, with both teams forced to lean on deeper parts of the roster and younger players who may get far more minutes than expected. For Utah, the matchup still offers a useful look at lineups and ball movement, but the real challenge may be getting a clean read on anything with so many key names missing on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Still Havent Given Fans The Lineup Theyre Waiting For
The preseason meeting between the Jazz and Spurs already had a different feel before tipoff, with San Antonio planning to sit a long list of players and Utah also dealing with notable absences. Kyle Filipowski will not go, and Jusuf Nurki is out with a foot injury, while Tobias Harris is set to miss the entire preseason because of a calf strain and Carter Bryant remains sidelined after an ankle injury.
For the Spurs, the bigger development is how much of the roster they are choosing to protect this early in camp. Even as the exhibition schedule is supposed to help teams sort out lineups and roles, San Antonio is holding out a group that includes Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, leaving the Jazz to navigate a matchup that is missing a lot of the names fans were hoping to see. [Read more 🡒]