NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra Expected To Be Team USA’s Next Coach

October 9th, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Rory Maher

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to be named the new lead 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.

And-Ones: Westbrook, Durant, WNBA Coaches, Caboclo, Fournier, Projected Win Totals

October 9th, 2025 at 10:45am CST by Dana Gauruder

Russell Westbrook remains an unsigned free agent and Rockets forward Kevin Durant wouldn’t mind a reunion with his former teammate, he said on the “Up & Adams” show (video link).

“Russ is a legend. He deserves to be in the NBA right now,” Durant said. “I think he deserves to walk out of the NBA on his terms. That would be dope.”

If Westbrook is signed in the short term, it won’t be with the Rockets. They’re hard-capped and can’t sign a veteran right now, even if it’s a minimum contract.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

There are five current openings for WNBA head coaches. Marc Stein of The Stein Line hears that several of those teams are considering NBA assistant coaches with G League head coaching experience for those positions. Stein notes that Nate Tibbets had that type of background and is the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, currently in the WNBA Finals. Former Clippers assistant Natalie Nakase guided Golden State’s WNBA franchise to a winning record in the team’s inaugural season, earning Coach of the Year honors.
Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Bruno Caboclo will miss several months of action after undergoing back surgery, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports. The NBA veteran big man joined the Reds prior to the 2024/25 season. He appeared in 23 games last season, including three starts, and averaged 7.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Caboclo, 30, appeared in 105 NBA games, mostly recently a six-game stint with Houston during the 2020/21 season.
Longtime NBA forward Evan Fournier would like to finish his career with Olympiacos, he said in a recent TV interview as relayed by Askounis. “I feel very good here and I want to finish my career here,” he said, “I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but for me that’s the goal.” Fournier signed a three-year extension in July. Fournier appeared in 704 regular season games throughout his NBA career, making 504 starts and averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 27.7 minutes per night.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton has unveiled his win total projections for each NBA team, from top (Thunder at 59.2) to bottom (Wizards, 14.2).

Pacers Sign Cameron Payne, Waive Delon Wright

October 9th, 2025 at 9:39am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have signed veteran point guard Cameron Payne and waived Delon Wright, the team announced in a press release.

Payne, who appeared in 72 regular season games with the Knicks last season, was one of the top free agents still on the market. Payne was signed to a training camp contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.

Payne averaged 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night last season with .401/.363/.907 shooting numbers. He scored 14 points off the bench and was a plus-23 overall in the opener of the Knicks’ first-round series against Detroit. However, his shooting numbers declined throughout the playoffs, and he was removed from the rotation during the Eastern Conference Finals.

The New York Post reported last month the Knicks were not interested in re-signing him.

Payne was selected by Oklahoma City with the 14th pick in the 2015 draft. He was traded to Chicago at the 2017 deadline and later spent time with Cleveland, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Philadelphia before signing with New York. He has appeared in 477 regular season games.

Ironically, Payne and Wright were teammates with the Knicks. Wright began last season with the Bucks before being traded to the Knicks ahead of the deadline. He averaged 3.1 points per game across 40 appearances with both teams and was a bit more productive in New York, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 assists per night and making six playoff appearances. Wright has appeared in 548 regular season contests for 10 different NBA teams in a career that also began in 2015.

Wright was signed to an Exhibit 9 contract late last month. Exhibit 9 deals are standard, non-guaranteed contracts that protect an NBA team in the event that a player suffers a significant injury in training camp.

He played four minutes in the team’s preseason opener on Tuesday but was forced to exit after a head-to-head collision.

Pelicans Add Chase Hunter, Josh Oduro On Camp Contracts

October 9th, 2025 at 8:09am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans have signed Chase Hunter and Josh Oduro to Exhibit 10 contracts, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

New Orleans’ intent to sign Hunter, an undrafted rookie guard, was reported just after this year’s draft.

Hunter had a lengthy college career with Clemson, which spanned six years from 2019-25. He was awarded a medical redshirt after a foot injury limited him to nine appearances in his freshman year, then was granted another extra year of extra eligibility due to COVID-19.

Hunter ended up appearing in 167 games across those six years, making 123 starts. As a super-senior in 2024/25, he averaged a career-best 16.5 points per game on .470/.407/.866 shooting while also contributing 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals in 33.5 minutes per contest. Hunter earned first-team All-ACC honors this year and left Clemson as the school’s third all-time leading scorer.

Oduro was signed and waived by the Pelicans during last season’s training camp. The 6’9” forward, who went undrafted in 2024, played four collegiate seasons at George Mason before transferring to Providence for his final year. He averaged 12.9 points and 6.6 rebounds across 148 college games (128 starts).

Oduro played 44 games last season for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, averaging 11.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game.

Both players are likely to be waived and join the Squadron. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.

Bulls Sign, Waive Kevin Knox

October 9th, 2025 at 6:30am CST by Arthur Hill

October 9: The Bulls have officially signed and waived Knox, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

October 8: Free agent forward Kevin Knox has reached an agreement with the Bulls, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Scotto doesn’t offer any specifics about the deal, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 contract designed to get Knox to Chicago’s G League affiliate. If so, it would make him eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls.

Knox played a portion of last season in the G League, averaging 25.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 12 regular season games with Golden State’s affiliate in Santa Cruz. The 26-year-old joined the Warriors on a pair of 10-day contracts in February and March and was signed for the remainder of the season. He saw limited playing time in 14 games.

Knox spent three-plus seasons with New York after being selected with the ninth pick in the 2018 draft, but he has bounced around the league since then. He was traded to Atlanta in January of 2022, signed with Detroit that summer and was shipped to Portland at the 2023 deadline. He returned to Detroit as a free agent in November of 2023, then was traded to Utah at the 2024 deadline.

He has appeared in 320 games during his seven NBA seasons with career averages of 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per night and .393/.340/.723 shooting numbers.

The Bulls only have 19 players on their roster, two short of the offseason limit, so another move won’t be necessary before finalizing Knox’s contract.

Magic Notes: Bane, Banchero, F. Wagner, Black, Howard

October 8th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic took a major gamble by trading for Desmond Bane, but Paolo Banchero believes the high-scoring guard is exactly what Orlando needs to be a serious contender in the East, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. The team sent a lot of assets to Memphis in return, parting with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and a first-round swap. Banchero has no doubt that Bane will be worth the high price.

“It’s a great fit for who we are as a team,” he said. “He adds what we’re missing, and he also adds to what we already have. It’s like the perfect match. We don’t have anybody who can make shots like him, who can kind of leverage the way he is able to make shots, then make plays for others and get downhill and create. He’s a Swiss Army knife just as a player, as a guard. He is stronger than 99 percent of the guards in the league with how he’s built. He’s going to fit into what we do.”

Bane tells Spears that he received a Father’s Day text from Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman, along with a request to talk right away. Kleiman followed up by FaceTiming him to break the news of the trade. Even though Bane was caught by surprise after spending his first five NBA seasons in Memphis, he insists there’s “no bad blood at all” and he’s happy to be in a good situation in Orlando. He also regrets that the Grizzlies weren’t able to make a long playoff run while the foundation of the team was together.

“I feel like we never really got a chance to see what it would be like for a full season with our core and everybody healthy,” Bane said. “But you can only wait so long. In this business, you only got so many years to make something happen.”

There’s more from Orlando:

Jamahl Mosely had Jalen Suggs and Moritz Wagner serve as coaches during Wednesday’s scrimmage, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Suggs is still recovering from a left knee trochlea cartilage tear that ended his season in January, while Wagner is rehabbing a torn ACL in his left knee. Since they couldn’t participate in the scrimmage, Mosely decided to give them a different perspective. “It’s huge because it talks about communicating,” he said. “It keeps communication as the high priority. You’ve got to be able to communicate with your teammates the things that you see, what you want, the standard that we’ve set. I’ve said this before but it’s easy for coaches to say things, to put things on boards, to watch it on film … It becomes real when these guys can repeat it back to you and they can repeat the message of what they’re calling themselves to do.”
Franz Wagner sat out the first preseason contest after an active summer at EuroBasket, but he’s hoping to get back on the court in at least one of the next three games, Beede adds. “Yeah, I definitely want to play, get out there with the guys and get a couple minutes,” Wagner said. “Not that much time before the first real game.”
In a separate story, Beede examines the importance of this season for Anthony Black and Jett Howard, who will both become eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer.

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Hart, Starters, McBride

October 8th, 2025 at 9:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks‘ coaching change will result in new defensive responsibilities for Mikal Bridges, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Bridges was usually assigned to check opposing point guards last season, but Mike Brown plans to use him against the other team’s best perimeter weapon, regardless of position.

“He will (guard the point of attack) some,” Brown said after Wednesday’s practice. “If Reggie Miller was still playing, I’d throw him on Reggie, because I think he navigates screens well, and with those long strides, he can stay close to a shooter’s body, and then he’s contesting and he’s got long arms. But then if we need to put him on a point guard, because, again, he’s able to navigate through screens and if he does get hit, people still feel him. They feel him coming with his length, and so we’ll mix it up. He won’t always be at the point of the ball. He won’t always chase shooters.”

Winfield notes that Bridges’ matchups with point guards last season resulted in him facing a league-high 25 screens per game, the largest total in the 13 years the NBA has kept track of the statistic. The strategy limited the wear on Jalen Brunson, conserving his energy to carry the offense. Brown’s change is part of an aggressive approach to defense that he hopes will produce more turnovers and create transition opportunities.

“I think our coverages (are) just a little different, when it comes to shifting and stuff like that: concepts, making sure our verbiage is always different with different coaches and different systems,” Bridges said. “I think more emphasis in being aggressive when you’re off the ball. Obviously the usual X’ing out, the help in rotation. I think every coach in the NBA has that. But just putting an emphasis on shifting and helping the guy on ball a little bit more.”

There’s more from New York:

Josh Hart missed practice the past two days due to illness and may not play Thursday against Minnesota, Winfield adds in a separate story. It’s the latest setback for Hart, who came to camp with a splint on his right ring finger, then suffered back spasms in the preseason opener in Abu Dhabi that forced him to miss the second game. Brown said he wasn’t sure if Hart’s back issue has fully cleared up.
None of the starters played more than 18 minutes in the two overseas games, but Brown plans to increase their workload now that the trip is done, according to Andrew Crane of The New York Post. “Getting closer to the season, getting closer to the real thing, we’re still preparing as well as we need to be,” Brunson said. “So we’ll just continue with that preparation and that focus, and yeah, obviously minutes aren’t what they would be in a regular season game, but everything matters what we do.”
Miles McBride has been mentioned as a possible trade target as the Knicks work out their final roster spots, but he avoids the speculation by staying away from social media, per Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper points out that McBride is probably too valuable to part with because he has a team-friendly contract and he’s a natural fit for Brown’s new system. “I love being here,” McBride said. “I want to be a Knick for life. I can’t control anything. So just going to come to work until they tell me otherwise.”

Bulls Notes: Okoro, White, Buzelis, Kawamura

October 8th, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls acquired Isaac Okoro from Cleveland over the summer to help them build a new defensive identity, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic. The 24-year-old swingman’s skills on that end of the court were his calling card during five seasons with the Cavaliers, but his role was starting to deteriorate. Lorenzi notes that Okoro averaged a career-low 19.1 minutes in 55 games last season, and his playing time dropped to 14.2 minutes per night in the playoffs.

“I think for both parties, (Cleveland) probably wanted to change. … For me, I wanted to change,” Okoro said. “Of course, it was hard for both of us to be apart, because that’s where I was drafted to. But in this business, changes happen. Things like this, I look at as a blessing because I’m able to rebrand myself. (It’s) a new chance for me to come to this team and bring a leadership that I’ve learned (from) five years in Cleveland and try to help the team with the things I’ve learned throughout the years.”

Bulls management liked Okoro enough to send veteran guard Lonzo Ball to the Cavs in return. Coach Billy Donovan said the teams have different needs and he believes they both benefited from the deal, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.

‘‘When I spoke to the front office about (the trade), it was, ‘Hey, this is an opportunity, and what do you think about Isaac?’ ’ Donovan recalled. ‘‘I think the trade, in my opinion, was good (for both teams). We needed some physicality, and Isaac brings that to the table. Where (the Cavaliers are) as an organization now in terms of trying to make a deep playoff run, they had some (backcourt) injuries last year, and this shores up their backcourt a little bit more.’’

There’s more on the Bulls:

Coby White is still recovering from a calf strain he suffered in August, Cowley adds in a separate story. Donovan said White has been running and shooting, and there’s hope he can be ready for the final preseason game on October 16 and the regular season opener six days later. ‘‘The problem is when they all came back after Labor Day, the calf issue was bothering him,’’ Donovan added. ‘‘Treatment, rehab, all that stuff. And then every time they kind of ramped him up a little bit, it kind of always got to a place where he felt tightness. It wasn’t pain, but every time they got to this threshold, he felt tightness. So they basically just shut him down.’’
Matas Buzelis showed no fear in attacking Cavaliers big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, Lorenzi observes in a recap of Tuesday’s preseason game. Buzelis finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes, and Lorenzi believes he may be ready for a huge second season.
Two-way point guard Yuki Kawamura was also impressive against the Cavs, handing out five assists in a little more than 14 minutes of action, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Kawamura is the shortest player in the league at 5’8″ and there are plenty of guards ahead of him in the rotation, but he believes he’s a perfect fit for the Bulls’ fast-paced attack if he gets a chance to play. “I feel like it fits me,” he said. “I love the system. That’s why it didn’t take me a long time to adjust to the Bulls’ offense.”
Former NBPA director Justin Jackson – not to be confused with former NBA first-round pick Justin Jackson or former second-round pick Justin Jackson – has been hired as assistant general manager for the Bulls’ Windy City G League affiliate, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

Pelicans Sign, Waive D.J. Carton, Trhae Mitchell

October 8th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

7:00 pm: The Pelicans have waived both Carton and Mitchell, per NBA.com’s official transaction log, putting them on track to join the Squadron.

9:17 am: The Pelicans have signed D.J. Carton and Trhae Mitchell to Exhibit 10 contracts, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

New Orleans had two openings on its training camp roster after waiving a pair of players earlier in the week.

Carton, who was on Portland’s Summer League roster in July, opened last season with the Raptors on a two-way contract, but was waived in December.

Across parts of two seasons with the Raptors, Carton appeared in eight NBA games, logging just 69 total minutes. The 6’3″ guard has compiled 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals with a .267/.143/.833 shooting line during his limited NBA minutes.

Carton appeared in 22 G League contests with the Raptors 905 and the San Diego Clippers last season, averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 assists in 29.6 minutes per game.

Mitchell was on New Orleans’ camp roster last season. He appeared in 50 games for the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate, after being waived by the NBA club and averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.8 minutes per contest.

Both players will likely be waived and join the Squadron. They’ll be eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they stay with that club for at least 60 days.

Rockets Believe Extension Deal With Kevin Durant Is Close

October 8th, 2025 at 5:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

There’s “optimism” that the Rockets will have an extension in place with Kevin Durant before the regular season begins on October 21, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Wednesday on NBA Today (Twitter video link).

Speculation about a new contract with Durant has been ongoing since Houston reached an agreement to acquire him from Phoenix in June. He’s currently on a $54.7MM expiring deal and will become a free agent next summer unless a new contract can be worked out.

Durant stated at media day that he expects to sign an extension with the Rockets, although he told reporters he wasn’t sure when it might happen. It has been suggested that the team would like to work out a rookie scale extension with Tari Eason first so it has a better grasp on its finances before finalizing a deal with Durant.

With a projected $166MM salary cap for 2026/27, Durant is currently eligible for an extension worth up to $119.1MM over two years. That number would increase to $120.85MM on January 6, which is six months after the trade was finalized.

A report in August indicated that the Rockets are hesitant to give Durant a maximum-salary deal, noting that the extension will cover his age-38 and -39 seasons. That was accompanied by speculation that he might be willing to accept $100MM over two years, which would be a slight decrease from his current salary.

Durant and the Rockets aren’t necessarily under any pressure to finalize a new deal before the regular season begins, since he’ll remain extension-eligible for the entire season, through June 30, 2026.

In an interview on Tuesday with Kay Adams of FanDuel TV (Twitter video link), Durant confirmed that he will make his Rockets preseason debut in tonight’s game against Utah.

“Just get some good run up and down the floor, just to get your wind right,” Durant responded when asked about he hopes to accomplish. “It’s a different feel when you’re underneath the lights, and the whistle and the real game.”