Heat’s Erik Spoelstra Named Team USA’s New Head Coach

October 14: USA Basketball has officially announced Spoelstra as the new men’s basketball head coach. Spoelstra spoke to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst about his new role and what it means to him.

“Absolutely, absolutely humbled. I mean, it is the honor of a lifetime,” Spoelstra told Reynolds. “And I’m just really appreciative of it and being a part of the USA Basketball program. The Olympics are incredible, no matter where it is, but to have the opportunity to compete on your own soil, that’s simply remarkable.”


October 9: Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to be named the new head coach of the United States’ men’s basketball team, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.

According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, a deal between Spoelstra and USA Basketball has not yet been finalized, but Miami’s longtime coach is the frontrunner for the job to succeed Steve Kerr.

As Reynolds writes, Spoelstra was an assistant on Kerr’s staff at both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The Americans finished in fourth place at the World Cup, but won their fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics.

Assuming Spoelstra finalizes a contract with USA Basketball, he would lead the U.S. at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Reynolds notes.

After Gregg Popovich stepped down as coach of the Spurs in the spring, Spoelstra became the longest-tenured head coach in the NBA by a significant margin. The 54-year-old is entering his 18th season as head coach of the Heat, compiling a 787-572 regular season record (.579 win percentage) and 110-83 mark in the playoffs (.570).

Spoelstra has led Miami to six NBA Finals appearances during his time at the helm, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.

Spoelstra has been widely viewed as one of the top coaches in the league for years, so the news isn’t surprising. Still, it’s a significant accomplishment — Spoelstra told The Associated Press after last year’s Olympics that he “would be honored” to be the top coach of the men’s national team.

Nets Sign Malachi Smith

The Nets have signed free agent guard Malachi Smith, the team announced today (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post).

Smith, 25, has been playing in the G League since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. He was with the Rip City Remix and Wisconsin Herd during his rookie year and spent the 2024/25 campaign with the Memphis Hustle, appearing in 46 total games for the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate.

Smith averaged 11.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 25.3 minutes per game for the Hustle last season, making 50.1% of his shots from the field, including 34.7% from beyond the three-point line.

The Long Island Nets acquired Smith’s returning rights from Memphis last month, so it’s a pretty safe bet that the plan is for him to be waived in the coming days and then report to Long Island for the G League season. He’ll likely receive a small partial guarantee as part of the arrangement.

While most players who are ticketed for their teams’ NBAGL affiliates sign Exhibit 10 contracts, the Nets have been structuring their deals a little differently this fall since they don’t mind having the bonuses they pay those players count against their cap as they look to reach the NBA’s minimum salary floor. Exhibit 10 bonuses don’t carry a cap hit, but partial guarantees do.

For instance, as Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets, when signing with the Nets on Monday, Tre Scott received a standard contract with a $45K partial guarantee, while Terry Roberts got a $25K partial guarantee on his standard deal. Both Scott and Roberts were waived today, per Lewis, but those partial guarantees will continue to count against Brooklyn’s cap.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, George, Watford, Bona, Layden

There’s a chance that Joel Embiid could play in the Sixers‘ preseason finale on Friday, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters today, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter links). Embiid, who is coming off knee surgery, was only a partial participant in Tuesday’s practice, but that was by design, not due to any sort of setback.

Nurse cautioned that Embiid’s status on Friday could still go either way depending on how the next few days ago, noting that the star center has a few hurdles to clear in order to get the green light for that contest vs. Minnesota.

In other Sixers injury news, Paul George (knee) and Trendon Watford (hamstring) went through portions of Tuesday’s practice after having previously been limited to individual work, per Bodner.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

  • Embiid was healthy enough to take part in Sunday’s Blue x White scrimmage at Chase Fieldhouse, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team showcased an intriguing two-big lineup in that scrimmage, with Embiid playing alongside second-year big man Adem Bona. As Pompey notes in a separate story, Bona has emerged this month as the team’s likely backup center behind Embiid, having started at the five in all three preseason games so far. According to Pompey, Bona needs to work on his rebounding and avoid fouling, but lineups featuring him, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe look capable of giving opponents problems with their speed.
  • Within that second Inquirer story, Pompey says George appears likely to miss time at the start of the season, but there’s a chance Embiid will be ready to go on opening night.
  • The 76ers are making some tweaks to their offense ahead of the 2025/26 season in an effort to avoid being so dependent on Maxey and Embiid, according to Pompey. “A little more ball movement, a little less of maybe zero- or one-pass offense,” Nurse said. “And then worry about the spacing because I know there’s going to be enough of that probably in there.” Nurse went on to say that the team won’t be moving entirely away from actions involving Maxey and Embiid, but wants to include more “variety” in its attack. He added that Embiid is doing well with the adjustment. “There’s probably a little bit more movement and cutting and all that kind of stuff, but he has (adapted),” Nurse said.
  • The Sixers have hired former Timberwolves and Knicks general manager Scott Layden as a scout, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Layden, who also worked in high-level front office roles in San Antonio and Utah, had been a scout for the Kings for the past three seasons before he and the team parted ways in the spring.

Mat Ishbia Countersues Suns’ Minority Shareholders

Suns owner Mat Ishbia has filed a countersuit against a pair of minority owners who sued Ishbia and the team earlier this year, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

That original suit, which was brought forth in August by Andy Kohlberg (Kisco WC Sports) and Scott Seldin (Kent Circle Investments), alleged that Ishbia wasn’t allowing them to view records and financial information that would help them understand how the franchise is being run and how much their shares are worth. Kohlberg and Seldin, expressing dissatisfaction with Ishbia’s management of the team, were reportedly seeking a buyout from the majority owner at a price point of $825MM, which would value the Suns at $6 billion.

Ishbia, who bought the Suns in 2023 at a valuation of $4 billion, offered to buy out the team’s minority owners when he took over control of the franchise and says that Kohlberg and Seldin were the only ones who passed on the offer.

Ishbia’s new suit states that he has invested significantly in the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury since buying the team and sought funds on a capital call in June to “cover payroll, luxury tax payments and other near-term obligations,” per Vorkunov. The suit also alleges that Kohlberg and Seldin didn’t want to invest during that round of fundraising and that their lawsuit was part of a negative PR campaign against Ishbia as they sought a buyout from him at an “extortionate” cost.

“When Mat Ishbia bought the Suns and Mercury, he couldn’t have been clearer with investors: he was going to invest in the teams, the fans, and the community,” an Ishbia spokesperson said in a statement. “Every investor had the choice at that point — sell at premium or stay in and invest alongside him. Andy Kohlberg and Scott Seldin want it both ways. They don’t want to invest in the teams, but they are demanding a payday significantly higher than what Mat originally offered, which was still over 20 times their original investment. That’s not how it works, and we’re confident we’ll prevail in court.”

There has been no shortage of legal battles in Phoenix since Ishbia took over the team. Outside of this dispute between the team’s investors, several former employees have filed lawsuits against the Suns, alleging discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination, per Vorkunov. Ishbia said at media day that he wasn’t looking to settle those suits.

“The truth is, you actually got to win a lawsuit,” he said. “And where I’m different than most successful people … is like, we don’t settle. If we don’t do anything wrong, I’m not paying someone. I hope you guys all report on how many lawsuits we actually lose.”

Jazz, Pedro Bradshaw Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

The Jazz and free agent swingman Pedro Bradshaw have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal, agent Darrell Comer tells NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Bradshaw, who went undrafted out of Bellarmine University in 2021, actually began his career with Utah’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars, as a rookie in 2021/22. He has since played for several other NBAGL teams and spent part of the 2024/25 season in Australia with the Cairns Taipans before finishing the year with the Rostock Seawolves in Germany.

A solid rebounder and shooter, the 6’7″ forward averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game with a 40.2% three-point mark across 45 appearances for Indiana’s G League team in 2023/24. Last season for the Taipans, he registered averages of 10.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG with a .371 3PT%.

Salt Lake City acquired Bradshaw’s returning rights in a trade with the Noblesville Boom this summer, signaling that the Jazz expect to have him suit up for their G League affiliate this fall. If he spends at least 60 days with the Stars, Bradshaw will earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300.

Utah currently has a full 21-man preseason roster, so someone will have to be waived to temporarily open up a spot for Bradshaw.

Al Horford Explains Celtics Exit, Hopes To Retire With Warriors

After returning to the Celtics for a second stint in 2021, Al Horford seemed like he was on track to spend the rest of his NBA playing career in Boston. However, at age 39, the veteran big man decided this summer to leave the Celtics because “they just weren’t in a position to offer me the opportunity that I wanted,” he explained to Nick Friedell of The Athletic.

After winning a title in 2023/24 and racking up 61 more regular season wins in ’24/25, the Celtics are expected to take step backward in ’25/26 as a result of Jayson Tatum‘s postseason Achilles tear, as well as financially motivated offseason trades involving Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Due to its desire to shed salary, the club also wasn’t in position to offer free agents like Luke Kornet and Horford the kind of contracts they’d earned.

“There was two things there,” Horford said. “I think the financial part was a component, but more than that, it was the winning part of it, trying to contend for a championship. And I think there was a lot of things up in the air — and it just felt like they weren’t in the same, that same vision, obviously, because JT getting hurt, that takes a big toll. So I think at that point I really had to — up until then I was staying in Boston the whole time.

“… I think once that offseason happened and it started to progress, it became clear to me the team had different priorities. Obviously, getting rid of Jrue, getting rid of Kristaps. And I know it’s all salary stuff, but it was like a domino effect, and it was tough for me. It was a tough decision, but my wife and I, we prayed about it. I knew that it had to be something that was gonna be — that my family had to be on board with me for us to proceed in something like this. And that was it.”

Horford ended up signing with the Warriors on a two-year contract worth the full taxpayer mid-level exception that includes a second-year player option and a 15% trade kicker.

While the deal didn’t officially get done until October 1 due to Golden State’s desire to resolve Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency before hard-capping itself at the second tax apron, Horford knew much earlier in the summer that he’d become a Warrior. He tells Friedell that recruiting pitches from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green played a role in his decision.

“Yeah, I had communication with them, with Steph and Draymond,” Horford said. “And that was important. It happened very fast because it was at a point where they came to me and they’re like, ‘Hey, we’d love to have you,’ and all these things. And it was one of these things that, for me, looking at this fit and the potential, it just felt right. So them reaching out to me was important.”

Given the fact that his new contract includes a second year, Horford may still have multiple seasons left in the NBA. Still, his hope for now is that he’s able to finish his career in Golden State.

“I think at this point in my career, where I see everything, that is my expectation, just to be here,” he said.

Thunder Sign Buddy Boeheim, Waive Payton Sandfort

The Thunder continue to move players on and off the back of their 21-man roster as they prepare for the season. According to the team, guard/forward Buddy Boeheim is the latest player to sign with Oklahoma City. He replaces wing Payton Sandfort, who has been waived after spending roughly 24 hours on the roster.

A former Syracuse standout, Boeheim appeared in 20 NBA regular season games for the Pistons from 2022-24 while on two-way contracts. He spent last season with the Oklahoma City Blue in the G League and averaged 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 26.3 minutes per game across 40 outings. Known as a floor-spacer, the 25-year-old knocked down 37.7% of 9.2 three-point attempts per game for the Blue in 2024/25.

Boeheim will almost certainly rejoin OKC’s G League team as a returning-rights player. Signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Thunder will put him in line to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his standard NBAGL salary as long as he spends at least 60 days with the Blue.

The G League is likely the next stop for Sandfort as well. The undrafted rookie will qualify as an affiliate player for the Thunder, meaning the Blue will have his rights if and when he signs an NBAGL contract.

Oklahoma City continues to carry 21 players on its preseason roster — 15 on guaranteed standard contracts, four on Exhibit 10 deals, and a pair on two-way pacts.

NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Brooklyn Nets

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Brooklyn Nets.


Free agent signings

  • Day’Ron Sharpe: Two years, $12,500,000. Second-year team option. Re-signed using cap room. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Ziaire Williams: Two years, $12,500,000. Second-year team option. Re-signed using cap room. Waived right to veto trade.
  • Cam Thomas: One year, $5,993,172. Re-signed using Bird rights. Accepted qualifying offer.
  • Fanbo Zeng: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Yuri Collins: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($85K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Collins has since been waived.
  • D’Andre Davis: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($85K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Davis has since been waived.
  • David Muoka: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($85K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
    • Note: Muoka has since been waived.
  • Terry Roberts: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($25K). Signed using minimum salary exception.
  • Tre Scott: One year, minimum salary. Partially guaranteed ($45K). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

  • Acquired either the Clippers’ 2026 second-round pick or the most favorable of the Celtics’, Pacers’, and Heat’s 2026 second-round picks (whichever is least favorable; from Rockets) and the Celtics’ 2030 second-round pick (from Rockets) in a seven-team trade in exchange for the draft rights to Adou Thiero (No. 36 pick; to Lakers).
  • Acquired Terance Mann (from Hawks) and the draft rights to Drake Powell (No. 22 pick; from Hawks) in a three-team trade in exchange for cash ($1.1MM; to Celtics).
  • Acquired Michael Porter Jr. and the Nuggets’ 2032 first-round pick from the Nuggets in exchange for Cameron Johnson.
  • Acquired Haywood Highsmith and the Heat’s 2032 second-round pick from the Heat in exchange for the Nets’ 2026 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
  • Acquired Kobe Bufkin from the Hawks in exchange for cash ($110K).

Draft picks

  • 1-8: Egor Demin
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $31,340,681).
  • 1-19: Nolan Traore
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $18,463,882).
  • 1-22: Drake Powell
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $16,723,991).
  • 1-26: Ben Saraf
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $14,806,815).
  • 1-27: Danny Wolf
    • Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $14,384,199).

Two-way signings

Departed/unsigned free agents

Other roster moves

Salary cap situation

  • Operating below the cap ($154.6MM).
  • Carrying approximately $141.2MM in salary.
  • Hard-capped at $207,824,000.
  • Approximately $13.4MM in cap room available.
  • Full room exception ($8,781,000) available.

The offseason so far

The Nets ostensibly went into full rebuilding mode during the 2024 offseason. They traded away Mikal Bridges and entered that fall projected by oddsmakers to be the NBA’s worst team. But apparently no one told Jordi Fernandez that Brooklyn was supposed to be quite that bad. The new head coach led the Nets to nine wins in their first 19 games, getting nearly halfway to the team’s projected over/under win total (19.5) before November was over.

The Nets lost a little steam after that solid start, especially once reliable veterans like Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith were traded away. But they remained competitive all season long, winning six of seven games during one stretch right before the All-Star break and finishing the year with a 26-56 record. It was bad, but not bad enough to earn a pick in the top half of the lottery. While the Nets entered June armed with four picks in the first round of the 2025 draft, none of those picks would be higher than their own selection at No. 8.

As the only team holding that many first-round picks and the only team with significant cap room available this offseason, it seemed obvious what sort of approach the still-rebuilding Nets would take to the summer. The general expectation was that they’d probably make a couple of their first-round picks while looking to roll at least one or two of them over to a future year, and that they’d use their cap room to take on unwanted contracts and continue stockpiling future draft assets in trades.

Half of that equation played out as expected. The Nets didn’t sign a single outside free agent to a guaranteed contract, instead using their cap space to take on salary in trades.

They acquired Terance Mann (owed $47MM over the next three seasons) from Atlanta along with a first-round pick. They swapped Cameron Johnson (two years and $44.1MM left) for Michael Porter Jr. (two years, $79.1MM) while getting a future unprotected future first-rounder from Denver in the process. And they took on Haywood Highsmith‘s expiring $5.6MM contract along with a future second-round pick in order to help get the Heat out of the tax.

While it won’t necessarily be easy to flip any of those players for positive value down the road, all three have proven to be solid rotation vets in the past and could absolutely rebuild their value in the wake of a down year (in Mann’s case) or an injury (for Porter and Highsmith). I wouldn’t be shocked if the Nets end up being able to extract a second-round pick in exchange for Highsmith a few months from now, for instance, after getting one simply to acquire him over the summer. The years left on Mann’s contract and Porter’s sizable cap hits will make it more difficult to acquire positive assets for them later this season or in a future year, but it’s not impossible.

The Nets’ use of their cap room offered no surprises, but their approach to the draft absolutely did. The first-round selection they acquired from Atlanta along with Mann was this year’s 22nd overall pick, giving Brooklyn a total of five first-rounders. And while they did reportedly explore trade options with several of those picks, the Nets ultimately kept all five of them, drafting Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf at Nos. 8, 19, 22, 26, and 27, respectively.

That approach to the draft was, quite literally, unprecedented — no team in NBA history had ever used five first-round picks in the same draft before. Clubs typically don’t like bringing in too many rookies at once since it’s not considered the best developmental situation for a young player, but the Nets are taking their chances and putting a lot of faith in Fernandez and his staff.

It’s also hard not to read the strategy as general manager Sean Marks‘ way of saying: “That top-five pick we weren’t quite bad enough to get in 2025? We’re getting it in 2026.”

There are still a few veterans on this roster, including the three aforementioned trade acquisitions (Mann, Porter, and Highsmith), as well as starting center Nic Claxton. But Brooklyn will likely be the NBA’s youngest team, and getting to 26 wins again with this group will be a tall order for Fernandez. That’s why it came as no great shock when team owner Joe Tsai spoke recently about a “good pick” in 2026 being a top priority for the Nets and strongly hinted that the club was preparing to lose enough to position itself well in the draft lottery.

While Brooklyn didn’t add any outside free agents this offseason, the club did bring back three of its own — Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams returned on matching two-year, $12.5MM contracts with second-year team options, while Cam Thomas accepted his $6MM qualifying offer as a restricted free agent.

The negotiations with that trio made two things clear: The Nets value the flexibility to potentially operate with significant cap room again next summer, and they don’t necessarily view any of those three players as long-term keepers. Because he signed his qualifying offer, Thomas has an implicit no-trade clause this season and can’t be moved without his approval, but Sharpe and Williams each waived his right to veto a trade, so either one – or both – could be on the move before February’s deadline.


Up next

The Nets have taken steps toward addressing their roster crunch by waiving Drew Timme, who was on a non-guaranteed contract, and Dariq Whitehead, a former first-round pick whose $3.26MM salary for 2025/26 was fully guaranteed.

Timme’s release came as no real surprise despite his strong finish last season — he has played almost exclusively in the G League since going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. Waiving Whitehead wasn’t quite as obvious, but injuries have derailed his NBA career so far, and the Nets are in position to eat some guaranteed salary due to their position relative to the cap (and the minimum salary floor).

Brooklyn still has one move to make in the coming days, with 14 players on guaranteed contracts, Jalen Wilson on a partially guaranteed deal, and Tyrese Martin on a non-guaranteed pact. Usually in this scenario, the decision would come down to Wilson or Martin for financial reasons, but it might actually make sense for the Nets to keep both players and waive someone with a guaranteed salary — doing so would allow them to remain above the minimum salary floor without needing to make any additional moves.

With Whitehead no longer on the roster though, there’s not an obvious release candidate among those 14 players with guaranteed deals. Eight of them were either just drafted or re-signed this summer; Mann and Porter have too much guaranteed money left on their contracts; and starting center Nic Claxton obviously isn’t going to be cut. That leaves Highsmith, Noah Clowney, and Kobe Bufkin.

Waiving any of those three players likely wouldn’t have a major impact on the rotation, but the Nets just traded for Bufkin without getting anything else in the deal, which suggests they probably want to take a longer look at him. I haven’t gotten the sense that the team is prepared to give up on Clowney. Highsmith, meanwhile could bring back positive value later in the season if he gets fully healthy after undergoing offseason knee surgery, as noted above.

We’ll see what the Nets do — if either Wilson or Martin ends up as the odd man out, I wonder if the team would guarantee that player’s salary while cutting him in order to avoid falling back below the minimum floor. Staying above that threshold is important because it assures Brooklyn will get its share of the end-of-season payout from the NBA’s taxpaying teams.

The Nets also have an open two-way slot alongside Tyson Etienne and E.J. Liddell. Camp invitee Fanbo Zeng looks to me like the best candidate to fill it, but Timme could also return on a two-way deal if he clears waivers.

Nuggets Sign James Akinjo To Exhibit 10 Contract

The Nuggets have made an addition to their preseason roster, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac, who tweets that free agent point guard James Akinjo has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the team.

Akinjo, 24, has been playing in the G League since going undrafted in 2022, spending time with the Westchester Knicks, Stockton Kings, and Wisconsin Herd. In 41 games last season for the Herd, Milwaukee’s NBAGL affiliate, the former Baylor standout averaged 14.6 points, 7.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 33.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .403/.361/.844.

Denver’s affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, made a trade with Wisconsin in August to acquire Akinjo’s returning rights. As we noted at the time, it was a strong signal that the Nuggets would sign the 6’1″ guard to an Exhibit 10 deal at some point in order to ensure he receives a bonus for playing with the Gold.

Akinjo, who figures to be waived in the coming days, will be able to earn that bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Nuggets’ G League team. It can be worth up to $85,300.

Denver had a pair of open spots on its 21-man preseason roster after waiving Terrence Hargrove Jr. and Coleman Hawkins last week, so no corresponding move was necessary to make room for Akinjo. The club now has 20 players under contract.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Butler, Warriors, Clippers, K. Brown

Keegan Murray‘s thumb injury creates a difficult lineup decision for the Kings, who don’t have much reliable depth behind the former No. 4 overall pick at power forward, writes James Ham of The Kings Beat.

“It’s tough because Keegan has size, strength, athleticism and he shoots 40 percent [from 3-point range], I think everyone is looking for that,” head coach Doug Christie said on Sunday. “We have a couple of different guys that can equal Keegan, but we don’t have Keegan, so replacing him is definitely going to be difficult.”

The Kings have a pair of preseason games still to come on Wednesday and Friday, and Christie said he intends to “try a couple of different things” during those contests as he weighs his options for a fifth starter alongside Dennis Schröder, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis.

As Ham writes, veterans Dario Saric and Drew Eubanks and rookies Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud are among the potential candidates for the role, but the Kings have more depth in the backcourt, where Malik Monk and Keon Ellis currently project to come off the bench. The team’s thin depth chart at the four is one reason why Sacramento was so interested in Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga this offseason, Ham notes.

We have more from around the Pacific:

  • Warriors forward Jimmy Butler won’t play on Tuesday vs. Portland after spraining his ankle in a Friday practice, tweets Anthony Slater of ESPN. However, the injury isn’t considered serious and head coach Steve Kerr is hopeful that Butler will return for Friday’s preseason finale vs. the Clippers.
  • After ESPN’s Kevin Pelton projected the Warriors to win 56 games, the second-most in the NBA, his ESPN colleague Zach Kram breaks down why Golden State could be more dangerous than the general consensus suggests. Kram cites Al Horford‘s potential impact, a well-balanced roster, and the fact that the Warriors have fewer obvious question marks than several of their Western Conference rivals.
  • Within a report detailing how the NBA approved the Clippers‘ initial sponsorship agreement with the green-bank company Aspiration in 2021, Bobby Marks and Baxter Holmes of ESPN note that people familiar with the investigation into the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard believe the probe will take months, perhaps not wrapping up until after the 2026 playoffs. The league hired the law firm Wachtell Lipton, Rosen & Katz to look into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap by paying Leonard via a separate “no-show” endorsement deal with Aspiration.
  • Clippers forward Kobe Brown, a first-round pick in 2023, believes he’s a “way better” player now than he was when he entered the NBA two years ago, but he also recognizes that his role may still be limited due to the team’s impressive veteran depth, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. He’s OK with that if head coach Tyronn Lue determines it’s what’s best for the club. “If the team’s winning, I’m winning,” Brown said. “I don’t look at it as a negative thing. I just do my job basically.”