Fischer’s Latest: RFAs, Warriors, White, Young, Celtics
During Thursday’s Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link), NBA insider Jake Fischer reiterated multiple times that he expects the four primary restricted free agents — Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Quentin Grimes (Sixers) and Cam Thomas (Nets) — to continue to be in contract standoffs with their respective teams for some time.
“Again, we are still in a holding pattern with all these restricted free agents, and we are — at this juncture — expecting all those situations to linger deeper into August and get into September as well,” Fischer said. “Don’t expect a resolution for Jonathan Kuminga, for Josh Giddey, for Quentin Grimes, for Cam Thomas, anytime soon.”
According to Fischer, the Warriors haven’t shown any interest in what the Kings and Suns have offered in sign-and-trade scenarios for Kuminga. But they also don’t want to lose the former lottery pick for nothing in return.
“Jonathan Kuminga’s side, I believe, right now, would be willing to take a two-plus-one with a player option three-year deal,” Fischer said. “I think that Jonathan Kuminga’s side would take this one-plus-one situation with Golden State — this two-year, $45MM offer that’s been on the table — if he were to get a player option in year two.
“But I was told yesterday from various sources that Golden State is going to be holding firm … that second year is going to be a team option. And that’s kinda where this staring contest is at.”
Here’s more from Fischer:
- The Warriors currently have only nine players signed to standard contracts, with the Kuminga stalemate continuing to hold up their other offseason business. Fischer suggested that Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II are likely to be signed after Kuminga’s situation is resolved. Malcolm Brogdon and Seth Curry remain on Golden State’s radar as well, according to Fischer, with Javonte Green another player mentioned.
- The Bulls are monitoring Coby White‘s upcoming free agency, Fischer said. White will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, and Fischer noted that there has been talk of White wanting a contract that exceeds $30MM annually. That expectation may be factoring into the calculation of Chicago playing a level of hardball with Giddey’s restricted free agency.
- Thomas looks the most likely of the four RFAs to accept his qualifying offer, Fischer confirmed. The high-scoring guard views himself as a $30MM+ per year player, but the Nets haven’t approached that figure and have only offered him short-term deals to this point, Fischer said.
- While Fischer confirmed the latest reports on Trae Young‘s disappointment at the lack of an extension offer from the Hawks, he said that it was also somewhat expected by Young’s camp. Fischer called this season an opportunity for Young to maximize a roster built to complement his game, as well as an opportunity for the new front office to evaluate the players on the roster. If Young is able to maximize the team’s potential and earn All-NBA honors, he’d be eligible for a much more lucrative extension, and he also has a 2026/27 player option he could decline to enter free agency next year as possibly the top free agent on the board.
- Prior to dealing him to the Jazz, the Celtics had talks with the Grizzlies during Summer League about a deal that would send Georges Niang to Memphis, according to Fischer, who said a rumored framework of Anfernee Simons for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was never discussed. Fischer noted that before RJ Luis signed a two-way deal with the Jazz, he was considering signing with the Celtics. The Jazz are expected to keep Niang as a veteran leader. Fischer also said that he’s not as confident that Simons gets traded before the season starts as he was that Niang would be dealt.
- Fischer confirmed that Bennedict Mathurin is on track to receive a bigger role this season with the Pacers due to Tyrese Haliburton‘s injury, and that Mathurin is also hoping to secure a deal that would pay him $20-30MM per year. Fischer added that many of the unsigned rookie scale extension candidates likely won’t finalize new deals until the October deadline.
Eli Cohen contributed to this post.
International Notes: Skapintsev, White, Wiley
Free agent center Dmytro Skapintsev has signed a one-year contract with Hapoel Jerusalem, the Israeli team announced in a press release (hat tip to Sportando). Skapintsev’s deal also features an option for year two, though it’s unclear whether it’s a team, player or mutual option.
Skapintsev, who was briefly on a two-way contract with the Knicks in 2023/24 and appeared in two NBA games with New York, has spent most of the past three years in the G League. The 27-year-old spent two seasons with the Westchester Knicks prior to inking an Exhibit 10 deal with Boston last fall for training camp (he was cut before ’24/25 began).
In 44 total games with the Maine Celtics and Rip City Remix (Blazers’ affiliate) in ’24/25, the 7’1″ Ukrainian averaged 8.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks in 23.8 minutes per contest.
Here are a couple more items of interest from overseas:
- Free agent forward Jack White has signed with Mesin MSK for the upcoming season, the Turkish team announced (via Twitter; hat tip to Olgun Uluc of ESPN). The 28-year-old holds two years of NBA experience, having played for Denver in 2022/23 and Memphis in ’23/24. He suited up for Melbourne United in his native Australia last season and then finished out ’24/25 with Bayern Munich, winning a domestic championship with the German club. White, who played for the Hawks’ Summer League team last month, averaged 13.8 PPG and 9.4 RPG on .513/.326/.659 shooting in 27 games (26.1 MPG) with Melbourne in ’24/25.
- Forward Jacob Wiley is finalizing a contract with Lithuanian club Rytas Vilnius, sources tell Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link). The 30-year-old, who spent part of the 2017/18 season on a two-way deal with Brooklyn, has enjoyed a long international career, playing for teams in Germany, Greece, Montenegro, Spain and New Zealand over the past several years. Wiley suited up for Spanish club Granada the past two seasons.
- In case you missed it, all of the latest international developments — including Hamidou Diallo‘s two-year deal with Baskonia — can be found right here.
Top Prospect Babatunde Oladotun Reclassifying To 2026
Babatunde Oladotun is reclassifying to the high school class of 2026, making him draft-eligible in 2027, according to Paul Biancardi of ESPN.com. The 16-year-old wing intends to graduate from high school in Maryland next spring.
Oladotun had been ESPN’s No. 1 prospect in the 2027 high school class. He was ranked No. 6 by Rivals, per Joe Tipton of On3.com.
“First and foremost, I am ahead of schedule academically and will graduate next year,” Oladotun told ESPN. “Most of my life, I have played up in age and after playing in the 17U division for Team Durant, I felt comfortable. I have gained 20 pounds over the last year and it never felt like I was playing up. Lastly, I am staying and graduating from Blake High School. It is a great environment, and I have a lot of support.”
Unlike the 2026 draft class, 2027 is generally viewed as lacking in high-end talent. Oladotun could help change that, tweets Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.
According to Biancardi, Oladotun is a “legitimate three-level scorer” who stands 6’9″ with a 6’11” wingspan. Virtually every top college program is trying to secure the commitment of the young wing — Oladotun is viewed as having considerable long-term upside and could be a top-10 pick in 2027.
“We are looking for a coach that has a long history of teaching and winning,” Oladotun’s father, Ibrahim, told ESPN. “Someone who knows how to use a big guard and has a history of coaching big guards. A coach that also plays an NBA-style offense with quick actions.”
Hamidou Diallo Signs Two-Year Deal With Baskonia
Free agent wing Hamidou Diallo has signed a two-year contract with EuroLeague squad Baskonia, the Spanish team announced today in a press release.
Diallo, who turned 27 years old a week ago, was the 45th overall pick of the 2018 draft after spending one college season at Kentucky. He spend his first two-plus seasons with Oklahoma City prior to being traded to Detroit during the 2020/21 campaign.
Diallo spent two-plus years as a regular contributor for the Pistons, but he went unsigned during the 2023 offseason, later inking a training camp deal with the Wizards, who subsequently released him before the ’23/24 season began. He spent that campaign in the G League with the Capital City Go-Go, though he did sign a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January 2024, briefly appearing in two games.
A 6’5″ guard/forward, Diallo is an unusual player for a wing because he isn’t a great passer or shooter, having made just 27.4% of his career three-point tries (he only attempted 1.0 per game) and 62.3% of his free throws in 265 regular season contests. However, he’s an elite athlete, and a strong defender, rebounder and finisher for his size.
The Queens, New York native spent last season in China with the Shanxi Loongs. Diallo put up big numbers in the CBA, averaging 22.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.9 blocks in 41 appearances (25.5 minutes per game). His shooting line was .496/.286/.710.
The Loongs had the second-best record (34-12) during the ’24/25 regular season but were swept in the semifinals of the playoffs by the Beijing Ducks, the eventual runners-up.
This will be Diallo’s first stint in Europe. Baskonia had the third-best home record (12-5) during the ’24/25 EuroLeague season but tied for the worst mark (2-15) on the road and missed out on the playoffs after going just 14-20 overall.
Baskonia also competes in Spain’s top league (Liga ACB) and featured multiple former NBA players last season, including Chima Moneke, Trent Forrest and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, among others.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 8/7/2025
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central time (3:00 pm Eastern).
Wizards Re-Sign Anthony Gill To One-Year Deal
1:12pm: As Robbins tweets, Gill’s signing is now official, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
12:57pm: The Wizards are re-signing free agent forward Anthony Gill to a one-year contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Gill has spent the past five seasons in Washington, largely serving as a veteran leader and mentor to his younger teammates. Although he was waived in late June before his $2,546,675 salary for 2025/26 would’ve become guaranteed, multiple reports from Josh Robbins of The Athletic — including at the time of Gill’s release — indicated that both sides were interested in a reunion, so the signing had been anticipated.
After going undrafted out of Virginia in 2016, Gill started his professional career overseas, playing in Turkey with Yesilgiresun Belediye in 2016/17 before spending three years with Russian club Khimki, which competed in the EuroLeague at the time. He parlayed his strong international play into multiple contracts with the Wizards, his first and only NBA team to this point.
Gill, who will turn 33 years old in October — a few days before the season begins — appeared in 51 games in ’24/25, posting modest averages of 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per contest. In addition to the Wizards, the 6’7″ forward was also linked to multiple EuroLeague teams this summer.
As Robbins explained last month, the new deal is a win for both sides, as Gill will earn more on a veteran’s minimum contract ($2,667,947) than his old contract would’ve paid him and the league’s reimbursement policy will reduce the Wizards’ salary cap hit to $2,296,274, equivalent to a player with two years of experience.
Interestingly, the signing of Gill puts the Wizards at 16 players on standard contracts, one above the regular-season limit. While Justin Champagnie is on a non-guaranteed deal, he should be a lock to make the roster after a breakout ’24/25 campaign.
Assuming Gill makes the cut, perhaps one of Washington’s new additions, like Malaki Branham or Dillon Jones, could be the odd man out. For what it’s worth, Jones ($2.75MM) makes far less money than Branham ($4.96MM).
The Wizards also brought back Marvin Bagley III on a minimum-salary deal last month. His contract is guaranteed, but he technically would have the smallest dead-money cap hit.
Early NBA Maximum Salary Projections For 2026/27
Although a number of big-money free agent contracts were completed earlier this summer, many of the most lucrative deals signed by players so far in 2025/26 have been contract extensions. And several of those extensions have been maximum-salary deals.
[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]
Because those extensions won’t go into effect until at least the 2026/27 season and the NBA won’t finalize its ’26/27 salary cap until next summer, we can only ballpark what many of year’s maximum-salary contracts will look like based on the league’s latest cap estimates.
The NBA’s most recent projection for ’26/27 called for a cap of $165MM, which is the number we’ll use to project next season’s maximum salaries.
Listed below are the early maximum-salary projections for 2026/27. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous club can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.
A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players. Unless they qualify for a more lucrative extension by meeting certain performance criteria, players with no more than six years of NBA experience are limited to a starting salary worth up to 25% of the cap. For players with seven to nine years of experience, that number is 30%. For players with 10 or more years of experience, it’s 35%.
Here are the the early max-salary projections for 2026/27:
A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | $41,250,000 | $49,500,000 | $57,750,000 |
| 2027/28 | $44,550,000 | $53,460,000 | $62,370,000 |
| 2028/29 | $47,850,000 | $57,420,000 | $66,990,000 |
| 2029/30 | $51,150,000 | $61,380,000 | $71,610,000 |
| 2030/31 | $54,450,000 | $65,340,000 | $76,230,000 |
| Total | $239,250,000 | $287,100,000 | $334,950,000 |
The “6 years or less” column here is what Chet Holmgren‘s extension with the Thunder will look like. Paolo Banchero and Holmgren’s teammate Jalen Williams have Rose Rule language in their contracts, so their deals would be the same as Holmgren’s if they don’t make an All-NBA team or win MVP or Defensive Player of the Year, but they could move up to the 30% max column (“7-9 years”) if certain performance criteria are met.
De’Aaron Fox‘s new extension with the Spurs falls under the “7-9 years” column here, though Fox’s deal is for four years, not five. Without that $65MM+ salary in 2030/31, Fox projects to earn about $222MM on his four-year contract.
The 30% max column will also apply to players who reach the free agent market next summer with between seven and nine years of NBA experience under their belts. That would be Trae Young‘s maximum contract with the Wizards if he becomes a free agent next summer, for instance.
The third column (35%) would apply to a player who reaches free agency next summer with 10+ years of NBA service, such as LeBron James or James Harden, though neither of them could sign a four- or five-year contract due to the Over-38 rule.
A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | $41,250,000 | $49,500,000 | $57,750,000 |
| 2027/28 | $43,312,500 | $51,975,000 | $60,637,500 |
| 2028/29 | $45,375,000 | $54,450,000 | $63,525,000 |
| 2029/30 | $47,437,500 | $56,925,000 | $66,412,500 |
| Total | $177,375,000 | $212,850,000 | $248,325,000 |
If a player changes teams as a free agent, he doesn’t have access to a fifth year or 8% raises. So if someone like Austin Reaves were to sign with a new team next summer, his maximum contract would be a four-year deal projected to be worth a little over $177MM.
If a veteran free agent with between seven and nine years of NBA experience – such as Young – wants to change teams in 2025, he would be able to sign a four-year contract worth up to a projected $213MM.
A veteran with 10+ years of experience would be able to earn up $248MM across four years if he changes teams as a free agent in 2026. Although it happened with Paul George during the 2024 offseason, it’s relatively rare for a player with that many years of experience to sign a four-year, maximum-salary contract with a new team, especially since many of those older stars are subject to the Over-38 rule.
Celtics’ Sale Expected To Close Within Two Weeks
The sale of the Celtics to an ownership group headed up by William Chisholm is expected to close either late next week or early the following week, three sources familiar with the process tell Kurt Badenhausen and Scott Soshnick of Sportico.
The purchase requires the approval of the NBA’s Board of Governors, but that group doesn’t have to meet in person for a formal meeting, according to Badenhausen and Soshnick, who note that the vote can be conducted remotely.
Chisholm reached an agreement back in March to buy the Celtics from the Grousbeck family in two stages. Chisholm is purchasing a controlling interest in the franchise for a valuation of $6.1 billion and will take over from Wyc Grousbeck after the 2027/28 season when he and his group buy the rest of the club for a valuation of $7.3 billion.
While Chisholm is the lead investor in the Celtics, he’ll be joined by a number of minority shareholders, including ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal, who will be the second-largest stakeholder in the franchise and could become the team’s alternate governor. In addition to Chisholm and Mittal, the new Celtics ownership group will include current minority stakeholder Robert Hale, Bruce A. Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street.
After paying nearly $53MM in luxury tax penalties and operating over the second tax apron last season, the Celtics have made a concerted effort to cut costs this summer, with star forward Jayson Tatum expected to miss most or all of 2025/26 due to a torn Achilles.
Boston has moved Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Georges Niang (who was initially acquired in the Porzingis deal) in financially motivated trades and has reduced what would’ve been a record-setting tax payroll (salary and tax penalties) from $540MM to a projected $239MM, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Latest On Trae Young
Within the last week, a pair of star point guards have finalized maximum-salary extensions with their respective NBA teams: Luka Doncic signed a three-year deal with the Lakers, while De’Aaron Fox completed a four-year contract with the Spurs.
Hawks guard Trae Young has been eligible since the start of July for the same extensions that Doncic and Fox just signed (up to $222.4MM over four years), and while his NBA résumé doesn’t quite stack up to Doncic’s, it compares favorably to Fox’s.
Young has made four All-Star teams (Fox has one All-Star nod) and led Atlanta to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. He has a career scoring average of 25.3 points per game and led the NBA with a career-high 11.6 assists per game in 2024/25.
Still, there have been no indications that the Hawks and Young are engaged in serious discussions about a new deal or that an extension agreement is imminent, as an ESPN panel discussed during Tuesday’s episode of NBA Today (YouTube link; hat tip to RealGM).
“Trae has done a lot to show that he’s invested in the Hawks,” ESPN’s Marc J. Spears said. “Nickeil Alexander-Walker, (Luke) Kennard, he convince them to sign with the Hawks. Instead of going to the Jordan (Brand event in Greece) this summer, he came to Summer League and he got to meet with (new senior VP of basketball operations) Bryson Graham… (and) some other new front office guys. There’s a new front office in Atlanta that’s trying to make decisions.”
In addition to adding Alexander-Walker and Kennard in free agency, the Hawks made a trade for big man Kristaps Porzingis and will get forward Jalen Johnson back after a shoulder injury ended his 2024/25 season early. Atlanta has been lauded for its offseason work and is viewed as a strong playoff contender in the East after being eliminated in the play-in tournament this past spring.
While it remains possible that the Hawks and Young will work out a new multiyear deal at some point in the next couple months, Spears believes the season may begin without an extension in place for the star point guard.
“What I’m hearing now at this point – and you can tell by Trae’s tweet and I saw him during the Finals – I think he’s disappointed that it hasn’t come, it hasn’t been offered,” Spears said of a potential extension. “So don’t be surprised if he plays this out and sees what happens next summer.”
The tweet Spears was referring to was posted by Young last week in response to star NFL pass rusher Micah Parsons, who submitted a trade request to the Dallas Cowboys in the midst of a public contract standoff.
“This why you pay the man early,” Young wrote. “When someone will take less early to stay in a place he wanted to be forever, you do it… the price only goes up now! Get what you deserve bro!”
We don’t know for sure whether Young’s remarks about Parsons’ situation can be applied to his own contract negotiations with the Hawks or whether he’s willing to accept less than his max to finalize an agreement this summer. Still, the fact that Young chose to post that comment publicly raised some eyebrows.
As talented a scorer and passer as Young is, the Hawks also have to weigh the fact that his 41.1% field goal percentage in 2024/25 was a career low and he has never been an especially strong defender. The new-look front office, led by general manager Onsi Saleh, may also want to evaluate his fit with the team’s new players before making a massive long-term investment in the 26-year-old.
Young will earn about $46MM in 2025/26 and holds a player option worth just shy of $49MM for the ’26/27 season. He would remain extension-eligible during the coming season as long as he declines that player option as part of an extension agreement.
Checking In On Unsigned 2025 NBA Draft Picks
As our tracker shows, 51 of the 59 players selected in the 2025 draft in June have signed their first NBA contracts. That group includes all 30 first-round picks getting rookie scale contracts, 11 second-round picks signing standard contracts, and 10 more second-rounders receiving two-way deals.
On top of those 51 players, two more will reportedly remain overseas for the 2025/26 season, with Bucks second-rounder Bogoljub Markovic rejoining Mega Basket in Serbia and Cavaliers second-rounder Saliou Niang signing with Virtus Bologna in Italy.
That leaves just six players from the 2025 draft class whose ’25/26 plans remain up in the air. Those players are as follows:
Boston Celtics: Amari Williams- New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara
- Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey
- Utah Jazz: John Tonje
- Golden State Warriors: Will Richard
- Memphis Grizzlies: Jahmai Mashack
Let’s start with Williams, the only top-50 pick who doesn’t have a deal in place. Former ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony reported on draft night that the No. 46 overall pick would be signing a two-way contract with the Celtics, and that still looks like a possibility.
Boston doesn’t have a two-way opening, but Miles Norris is a carry-over from last season and it’s unclear whether the team has legitimate interest in retaining RJ Luis after acquiring him from Utah on Wednesday or if he was simply a placeholder to make the deal work. Either player could be waived to open up a spot for Williams.
As Wednesday’s Georges Niang deal showed, however, the Celtics continue to explore their options on the trade market and may make a real effort to duck below the luxury tax line. In that scenario, signing Williams to a standard contract that pays him the rookie minimum might make some sense, since it would allow the C’s to keep their costs as low as possible for their 14th man.
The Knicks have somewhat similar cap considerations to evaluate with Diawara. They’re currently carrying 12 players on standard contracts and they don’t have enough room below a second-apron hard cap to add two more players on veteran minimum deals. That means their 14th man figures to be a player on a rookie-minimum contract.
Diawara is a candidate to be that 14th man, but he’s not the only one — 2023 second-rounder James Nnaji is another possibility. If Diawara isn’t signed to a standard contract, he’ll likely end up on a two-way deal, given that the Knicks have three open slots and his former team in France announced last month that he was leaving for the NBA.
The Warriors have a pair of two-way openings that Toohey and Richard could end up filling, but they’ll probably keep their options open until Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency is resolved. Depending on what happens with Kuminga, Golden State may want to add either Toohey or Richard to its 15-man roster on a rookie minimum contract in order to maximize its cap flexibility below a hard cap or to avoid crossing over into first or second tax apron territory.
Before trading Luis to Boston on Wednesday, the Jazz just had one open two-way slot, with Tonje and two-way restricted free agent Oscar Tshiebwe both candidates to fill it. With Luis out of the picture, Utah could sign both players to two-way contracts without having to waive anyone, and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s the plan.
As for the Grizzlies and Mashack, he looks like the most obvious candidate to fill Memphis’ lone two-way opening. But it’s worth noting that there’s often at least one player per draft class who ends up being a domestic draft-and-stash, spending his rookie season in the G League without signing an NBA or two-way contract. We’ll see if the Grizzlies want to try to go that route with Mashack or if he simply ends up on a two-way deal.