East Notes: Wizards, Jordan Poole, Raptors, Nets, Cam Johnson

Wizards

Guard Jordan Poole said he is feeling relaxed in his new surroundings after coming to the Wizards via a trade with the Warriors — which sent Chris Paul to Golden State.

“Playing the game I love at the highest level, my family is taken care of, my basketball legacy is taken care of with the ring,” Poole said, via Logan Murdock of The Ringer. “This is probably the first time in my life I’ll play basketball with no pressure. So that’s kind of how you look at it. But it’s a really good opportunity. It’s a cool opportunity, dope opportunity.”

  • Following Poole’s practice blowup with forward Draymond Green last season, Warriors coach Steve Kerr tried to get Green to take Poole to dinner and smooth things over, per Murdock. Green declined.
  • The Wizards and forward Deni Avdija agreed to a four-year, $55 million contract extension, agents Doug Neustadt and Matan Siman-Tov told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
  • The first year of Avdija’s new deal in 2024-25 will take up 8.7 percent of the Wizards’ salary cap, per Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Raptors

  • The Raptors signed and waived guard/forward Omari Moore on Sunday. He is likely headed to Raptors 905 of the G League with the possibility of a bonus of up to $75,000. 
  • Moore, 23, is 6-foot-6 and went undrafted out of San Jose State this past summer. He signed a two-way deal with the Bucks in July but was waived last week.

Nets

Forward Cameron Johnson was a full participant at practice on Saturday and the Nets expect he’ll be ready for the season-opener vs. the Cavaliers, per Bridget Reilly of the New York Post

Johnson has had a strained hamstring since the start of camp and didn’t play in the preseason.

“I think his progression to get to this point has been pretty methodical and our approach (was) getting him to feel comfortable when he’s back on the floor,” coach Jacque Vaughn said, via Reilly. “So he’s done the work behind the scenes, to be in a position to practice today and hopefully he continues to. … We got three more days to get some more comfort and being on the floor and being out there with a different group.”

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