Celtics to Bring in Kendall Brown; Hornets Add Brandon Slater; Pistons Waive John Ukomadu
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Boston Celtics
The Celtics plan to sign free-agent wing Kendall Brown to an Exhibit 10 contract, giving the 22-year-old a chance to compete for a two-way slot during training camp, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Brown was selected No. 48 overall by Indiana in 2022 after one season at Baylor and spent most of his first two NBA years on two-way deals with the Pacers, briefly moving to a standard contract in 2024. He played last season with the G League’s Long Island Nets, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists while shooting 40 percent from three.
Boston is also expected to finalize a camp agreement with forward Jalen Bridges, first reported in July. The Celtics’ current two-way spots belong to Max Shulga, Amari Williams and RJ Luis Jr.; Luis, acquired in a salary-dump trade with Utah, is viewed as the most at risk if the club reshuffles those contracts.
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte has signed forward Brandon Slater and waived wing Keyontae Johnson. Slater, 26, went undrafted out of Villanova in 2023, briefly joined Boston on an Exhibit 10 deal, and spent that season with the G League’s Maine Celtics. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 24 games for GS Lavrio in Greece last year before playing for the Hornets in both the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League, putting up 5.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals over eight contests.
Slater’s contract is also an Exhibit 10, indicating he is likely to be waived again and routed to the Greensboro Swarm. If he remains with the Swarm for at least 60 days, he can earn a bonus of up to $85,300.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons have released forward John Ukomadu just days after signing him to a training-camp deal, the NBA transaction log shows. Detroit recently added four players on non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts: center Charles Bediako, forwards Dawson Garcia and Ukomadu, and wing Brice Williams.
Bediako, a 7-footer who went undrafted in 2023, averaged 9.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks for the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold last season; his returning rights were traded to the Motor City Cruise earlier this week. Garcia, an undrafted rookie out of Minnesota, posted 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his final college season, while Williams averaged 20.4 points for Nebraska and joined Detroit’s Summer League squad.
Ukomadu spent last season with the Cruise after leaving Eastern Kentucky, contributing 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds while hitting 45.9 percent of his three-point attempts in 20 minutes per game. Detroit’s two-way positions are already filled, so the remaining camp invitees are expected to report to the Cruise, where they would be eligible for the same $85,300 Exhibit 10 bonus if they stay 60 days.
Source: Hoops Wire
