The Nets waived Bazley on Thursday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Bazley averaged 5.7 points and 6.3 rebounds this preseason for the Nets. He will look to join a new team ahead of the 2023-24 season.
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Nets' Darius Bazley: Top rebounder off bench in win
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Bazley finished with five points (2-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt), 13 rebounds, two assists and one steal over 24 minutes in Thursday's 135-103 preseason win over Ra'anana.
Bazley owned the glass during a bench-leading minute total, hauling in a team-high rebound mark and finishing as one of two Nets players with 10 or more boards in Thursday's preseason win. Bazley has seen a good amount of playing time off the bench through two preseason contests, averaging 4.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals over 21 minutes per game.
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Nets' Darius Bazley: Finds work in Brooklyn
Rotowire
Bazley agreed to a one-year deal with the Nets on Friday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Bazley gets a fresh start in Brooklyn after the Suns declined to extend him a qualifying offer and elected to let him walk in free agency. After struggling to find a spot in the Phoenix rotation last February upon coming over in a trade from the Thunder, Bazley could face a similar conundrum in Brooklyn. At the moment, all of Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, Royce O'Neale, Ben Simmons and Dorian Finney-Smith are expected to be ahead of Bazley for playing time at forward or center.
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Darius Bazley: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
Bazley wasn't extended a qualifying offer from the Suns on Thursday, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
Bazley had a limited role with the Suns after being traded from Oklahoma City to Phoenix in February. He averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game over seven appearances with the Suns and will become an unrestricted free agent after the team chose not to extend him a qualifying offer.
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Suns' Darius Bazley: Closes season well
Rotowire
Bazley provided 16 points (7-13 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-3 FT), nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 27 minutes during Sunday's 119-114 loss to the Clippers.
Bazley had his best game since arriving in Phoenix, taking advantage of a game that mattered very little for the Suns. While Bazley can put up intriguing numbers from time to time, he had basically been out of the rotation prior to the past couple of games. Based on that fact, there is almost no way he plays meaningful minutes once the playoffs begin.
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Suns' Darius Bazley: Cleared for Tuesday
Rotowire
Bazley (trade pending) has been cleared to potentially make his debut Tuesday against the Kings, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
T.J. Warren has also been cleared and those two will be competing for minutes on a team that is shallow at the forward position while Kevin Durant (knee) continues his rehab. We'll see if Bazley gets an opportunity after playing a very limited role with the Thunder.
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Suns' Darius Bazley: Won't debut Friday
Rotowire
Bazley (coach's decision) won't make his Suns debut Friday against the Pacers, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.
Friday is the end of a five-game road trip for the Suns, and Bazley is expected to meet up with the team in Phoenix at some point, likely before Tuesday's game against the Kings. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect much of an uptick for Bazley, who figures to be a depth option in the frontcourt when everyone is healthy. He may get a boost while Kevin Durant (knee) remains shelved. The Suns acquired Bazley from the Thunder on Thursday in exchange for Dario Saric and a 2029 second-round draft pick.
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Suns' Darius Bazley: Traded to Phoenix
Rotowire
Bazley was traded from the Thunder to the Suns on Thursday in exchange for Dario Saric and a second-round pick, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
After averaging 29.5 minutes per game over the two seasons prior to the 2022-23 campaign, Bazley saw his role diminish greatly this year, as he averaged just 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game over 36 appearances to begin the season. The Suns also acquired Kevin Durant (knee) and T.J. Warren ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, but Bazley will attempt to carve out a role in the team's frontcourt with Saric -- as well as Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges -- now out of the picture.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Limited role continues in loss
Rotowire
Bazley chipped in three points (1-1 FG, 1-1 3Pt) and one steal over nine minutes during Monday's 141-114 loss to Golden State.
Bazley logged fewer than 20 minutes for the ninth consecutive game, continuing what has been a highly disappointing season to date. While he has been a relatively consistent piece of the rotation, it would appear as though the team does not see him as a significant part of its future. He can be a sneaky source of both boards and blocks when afforded meaningful minutes, but at this point, that feels unlikely to occur.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Limited to six minutes in win
Rotowire
Bazley had one point (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-2 FT) over six minutes during Wednesday's 126-106 win over Indiana.
Bazley had played double-digit minutes in the last three matchups, but he saw decreased playing time during Wednesday's comfortable victory. He's been an inconsistent member of Oklahoma City's rotation recently but has averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game over his last four appearances.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Two straight DNP-CDs
Rotowire
Bazley has been a DNP-Coach's Decision in the Thunder's past two games.
When asked about Bazley's absence from the rotation, coach Mark Daigneault responded that he's "rifling through guys" but noted, "it always comes back around," implying the forward will see the floor again relatively soon. The Thunder's rotation remains arguably the toughest to predict in the NBA, with the team constantly experimenting.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Upgraded to available
Rotowire
Bazley (illness) is available for Wednesday's game versus Portland.
Bazley has been upgraded from questionable to available Wednesday after missing the last three games with an illness. Bazley might make his second start of the season against Portland after making his first in his previous appearance.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Now considered questionable
Rotowire
Bazley (illness) is questionable for Wednesday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Bazley was slated to miss a fourth consecutive game due to an illness Wednesday, but he'll be in the mix to suit up against Portland. He's logged double-digit minutes in each of his last five appearances.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Out Wednesday
Rotowire
Bazley (illness) is out for Wednesday's matchup against the Trail Blazers.
An illness will keep Bazley out for a fourth game. In his absence, Eugene Omoruyi, Kenrich Williams and Lindy Waters remain candidates to see more action.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Won't play Monday
Rotowire
Bazley (illness) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Trail Blazers.
Bazley is set to miss a third straight game, and his next chance to feature will come Wednesday in a rematch against the Trail Blazers. In his absence, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jalen Williams and Mike Muscala could all see slightly increased roles.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Out again
Rotowire
Bazley (illness) will remain sidelined for Saturday's game against the Grizzlies.
Bazley is still under the weather and will miss both nights of a back-to-back set as a result. In his absence, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jalen Williams and Mike Muscala figure to all see slightly increased roles.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Sidelined Friday with illness
Rotowire
Bazley will not play in Friday's game versus the Timberwolves due to a non-COVID illness.
Bazley started and saw hefty minutes at center Wednesday with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (ankle) out, but he will also now miss at least a contest after coming down with a bug. Mike Muscala, Aleksej Pokusvski and Jaylin Williams could be candidates to see added run in his absence, which could extend to at least two games if he can't make the turnaround for Saturday's second tilt of the back-to-back set.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Dominates center minutes in loss
Rotowire
Bazley played 31 minutes in Wednesday's 110-108 loss to the Heat, finishing with 12 points (4-7 FG, 4-7 FT), five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
At least for the first game of Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's absence due to an ankle injury that could keep him out multiple weeks, Bazley appeared to be the main beneficiary. He picked up his first start of the season and saw his most minutes of the 2022-23 campaign, turning in a well-rounded line in the process. While Aleksej Pokusevski (eight minutes Wednesday) should be more of a factor in the frontcourt in future games, Bazley's stouter frame may make him the preferred candidate to see the majority of the playing time at center when the Thunder oppose bigger, paint-oriented big men such as the Heat's Bam Adebayo.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Gets starting nod
Rotowire
Bazley is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Miami, Rylan Stiles of BricktownBuckets.com reports.
Bazley will replace Aleksej Pokusevski in the starting lineup Wednesday. Bazley will make his first start of the season against the Heat.
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Thunder's Darius Bazley: Back in rotation Saturday
Rotowire
Bazley racked up eight points (3-7 FG, 2-3 3Pt), three rebounds, one block and one steal in 26 minutes during Saturday's 110-102 loss to the Cavaliers.
Bazley re-entered the rotation Saturday, logging 26 minutes off the bench. After sitting out the previous two games, head coach Mark Daigneault obviously felt as though this matchup called for a dose of Bazley. As he has done all season, Bazley was able to chip in on the defensive end but failed to do much else. Outside of limited streaming appeal, Bazley can be left for those in deeper formats only.
