NBA Rumors: Grizzlies, GG Jackson, Hornets, Mavericks

The NBA’s final roster decisions aren’t always about the last player invited to camp. Sometimes, keeping a veteran means reconsidering a recent draft pick.

That’s part of the picture in Memphis, Charlotte and Dallas, where teams are weighing trades and cuts ahead of opening night, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.

Grizzlies

Memphis needs to clear two roster spots if it doesn’t complete a trade, and Fischer reports that GG Jackson II and Walter Clayton Jr. have surfaced in discussions.

There is a notable disagreement on Jackson, however. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that the Grizzlies aren’t discussing trades involving the young forward.

That leaves conflicting accounts worth keeping separate as Memphis works through its options. Micah Peavy is considered a strong candidate to be waived, per Fischer.

Clayton is another name to watch. Fischer notes that the Warriors and Heat were intrigued by him before last year’s draft, though he did not identify either as a current trade suitor.

Past interest can help explain a player’s potential market. It doesn’t establish that a team is making calls now.

Hornets

Charlotte would like to retain Pat Connaughton. Doing so could come at the expense of a player the organization drafted with considerably bigger expectations.

Fischer identifies Tidjane Salaun, the No. 6 pick in 2024, as a possible trade or waiver candidate if the Hornets keep Connaughton, whose salary is non-guaranteed. Liam McNeeley could also be vulnerable.

That would be a significant decision on Salaun just two years after Charlotte used a high lottery pick to select him.

Fischer has heard that Salaun improved over the summer, but his preseason hasn’t done much to secure his position. The assessment of his upside has also changed, with Fischer writing that he now projects more realistically as a potential rotation player than the star Charlotte once envisioned.

Connaughton offers something more immediate as a valued locker room leader. The Hornets have to decide how much room they’re willing to make for that presence.

Neither young player has been cut or traded. But Charlotte’s preference to keep Connaughton makes this more than a routine decision on a veteran camp contract.

Mavericks

Dallas is looking for a way to keep Dwight Powell, another veteran whose value to his organization extends beyond the box score.

Powell’s partial salary guarantee increases from $1 million to $1.5 million if he makes the opening-night roster. Fischer reports that the Mavericks are exploring ways to retain him, potentially leaving second-year center Moussa Cisse on the outside.

There could be interest elsewhere if Cisse becomes available. Fischer identifies him and Milwaukee’s Jericho Sims as potential future targets for Philadelphia, which needs to address its backup center situation after Ariel Hukporti suffered a torn Achilles during preseason.

That’s a possibility to monitor rather than a report of an imminent Sixers deal.

For Dallas, the immediate question is how to keep Powell. For another team looking for a center, the answer could produce an opportunity.