Between July 1 and July 30 of each NBA league year, a player signed using the second-round pick exception doesn’t count toward his team’s cap, but that changes as of July 31. Beginning on Thursday, each of the second-rounders signed using that exception will begin carrying 2025/26 cap hits.
[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Pick Signings]
The effect this will have on teams around the league is negligible. The only club still operating below the cap is Brooklyn, but the Nets didn’t make any second-round picks in this year’s draft and haven’t signed any second-rounders that were stashed from previous drafts, so this change won’t reduce their cap room at all.
The Nets are far from the only NBA team that hasn’t signed a second-round pick to a standard contract this offseason. In fact, only 11 of the league’s 30 clubs have done so.
The Suns, Magic, Hornets (two picks), Sixers, Lakers, Pistons, and Pacers made the top eight selections of the 2025 second round and have signed those players to standard deals, while the Pelicans (No. 40 pick Micah Peavy), Kings (No. 42 pick Maxime Raynaud), Cavaliers (No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor), and Hawks (2024’s No. 43 pick Nikola Djurisic) have joined them. The rest of this year’s second-rounders are either still unsigned, will play overseas, or agreed to two-way contracts.
None of those 11 teams surpassed an apron threshold as a result of their second-rounders’ new cap hits. For example, the Cavs would be well over the second apron with or without Proctor on their books.
Since none of those teams will see their ability to make other roster moves affected by the new cap charges, this is really more of a housekeeping note than anything.
Wasn’t aware of this wrinkle. Thank you Luke.
Everything is LBJ’s fault.
Not to be a hater but it is. Between him then Simmons Joel embiid, the 76ers. They are the reason for the cap. If LeBron didn’t team up in Miami, followed by him doing it again in Cleveland followed by Kevin Duran doing it because he felt like he would never win between Curry and LeBron teaming up on teams. Followed by Kevin Durant doing it again with the nets. Then we wouldn’t have these stupid cap reasons.
Players thought it was all cool to sit out games when they were healthy. Get paid millions and millions of dollars when they had proven anything and now it’s coming back to bite them. The superstars will always make a bunch of money that’s never going to change but in order to win now guys are going to have to sacrifice money. Lebron is the worst one.40 years old taking 50 million. He is not a real billionaire no true billionaire actually tries to make $50 million in salary because they try to pay his least amount of taxes as possible. He wants money and control. He left the NBA in a worse situation than what he received it from Kobe and MJ and magic and bird and the rest of those guys.
Oh I’m a proud LeBron hater and don’t care who it upsets. Your points are more than valid. You did leave some out. League turned soft, rule changes to protect Bron. Fake stats and stat padding out of control. Minions in the media working directly or indirectly for LeBron, so many lies told. Is the Lance Armstrong of the NBA. This dude most likely has divorce to look forward to also. He may need that cash.
Haha well I’m not a hater I am just calling facts. Lebron It’s not the only one who is that padded Russell Westbrook did the same thing and they gave him an MVP just for getting a triple-double but not having any playoff success or team success. So I think LeBron is the leader but he is not the only one. I do agree with him creating narratives and I’ll take it even a step. Further guys like Gilbert arenas Carmelo Anthony even T-Mac which I loved and wore shoes in high school and wore his number when I play overseas. But they are trying to rewrite history in the media. None of those guys ever won anything yet. They try to diminish what it takes to win a ring and so is LeBron because he knows he’ll never catch. Jordan and personally he’s not in my top three. I have LeBron number five all-time NBA. I just can’t put him over Kareem and magic or Kobe. I believe Kobe’s peak was way better than LeBron’s.
However, LeBron is a good player. I don’t want to diminish his skill and how he played when he was playing early with Cleveland. He truly was a superstar. I just wish he would have seen it through and got it out of the mud and I believe his career would have turned out world better than running and turning to Miami.