5 NBA Longshots Survive Final Cuts After Preseason

Bismack Biyombo, San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs wanted to try and give it another go with Biyombo, who has been in the NBA since 2011. He started his career with the Charlotte Hornets, and played half of his career there over two different stints.

Last year, Biyombo appeared in 28 games for the Spurs, starting in all but two of them. He averaged 18.9 minutes of action. The veteran center produced 5.1 points per game, while coming down with 5.6 rebounds per game.

Amir Coffey, Milwaukee Bucks

Doc Rivers reunited with Coffey this year after the veteran guard switched teams for the first time in his career.

Coffey spent six seasons playing for the LA Clippers. He averaged 18.4 minutes of action on the court in 323 games. Last year was Coffey’s most productive year, as he averaged 9.7 points, shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from three.

Mohamed Diawara, New York Knicks

The Knicks traded for Diawara, who was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2025 NBA Draft with their 51st overall pick in the second round. He comes from France, where he won a EuroCup championship last season.

The power forward played in 27 games with Cholet last year, seeing the court for 19.6 minutes per game. He averaged 5.8 points, shooting 38 percent from the field. He also came down with 3.1 rebounds per game, along with dishing out 1.4 assists per game.

Landry Shamet, New York Knicks

It was no secret that the Knicks planned to keep Landry Shamet on board this year. The veteran sharpshooter played with the team last year, coming off the bench for 50 games after he recovered from an injury.

Shamet had the best shooting season of his career, knocking down 46 percent of his field goals. He also shot 39 percent from three, averaging 5.7 points per game. The Knicks were expected to keep one or two of their non-guaranteed guards. Shamet was viewed as a heavy favorite across the league.

Jaden Springer, New Orleans Pelicans

After just turning 23, Springer is trying to find a long-term home in the NBA after being the youngest prospect in the 2021 NBA Draft class. Springer spent the first three seasons of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, who struggled to find a steady role for him.

During the 2023-2024 season, Springer was traded to the Boston Celtics. He appeared in just 17 games, witnessing the team win an NBA Championship. Last year, Springer played 26 games in Boston and 17 more with the Utah Jazz. Springer is still working on improving his offensive game. He ends up in a situation in New Orleans, where he could potentially carve out a limited role off the bench.

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