Will RFAs Have More Negotiating Success In 2026 Than 2025?
There were four primary restricted free agents -- Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes and Cam Thomas -- in 2025 whose situations took several weeks or more to resolve. In part because the Nets and Bucks were the only teams with significant cap room, each of those players re-signed with his incumbent club (Chicago, Golden State, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn, respectively).
Here are the contracts each of those players signed last offseason:
- Giddey: Four years, $100MM
- Kuminga: Two years, $46.8MM (includes second-year team option)
- Grimes: Accepted one year, $8.7MM qualifying offer
- Thomas: Accepted one year, $6MM qualifying offer
Kuminga was traded to Atlanta ahead of last month's deadline, while Thomas was waived by the Nets shortly after the deadline and quickly signed with Milwaukee, which released him on Monday in order to promote Pete Nance. Grimes is on track for unrestricted free agency this summer, and Kuminga could be a UFA if his option is declined.
The 2026 RFA class is headlined by Pistons center Jalen Duren, a first-time All-Star in 2025/26, and also features intriguing young players like Peyton Watson and Walker Kessler, among others. But will this year's group of RFAs have more negotiating leverage than last year's?
Bucks Promote Pete Nance To Multiyear Standard Deal
The Bucks have converted Pete Nance‘s two-way contract to a multiyear standard deal, the team announced (via Twitter).
As we detailed in another story, Cam Thomas was waived in order to create an opening on the 15-man roster for Nance.
Monday’s game at the Clippers would have marked the 50th and final game in which Nance could have been active as part of his two-way contract. The 26-year-old forward/center has been receiving rotation minutes in recent weeks with Giannis Antetokounmpo once again sidelined, this time due to a knee injury.
Promoting Nance to a standard deal means he can now be active for the remainder of the regular season. Theoretically he would be eligible to appear in the postseason as well, but the Bucks will almost certainly be eliminated in the coming days based on how far behind they are in the standings.
Nance played four years of college basketball at Northwestern prior to transferring to UNC for his “super senior” year in 2022/23. He spent part of his rookie season with the Cavaliers and played a couple months of 2024/25 on a two-way contract with the Sixers.
Nance caught on with the Bucks in February 2025, when he signed a two-year, two-way contract after he was waived by Philadelphia.
Through 37 games in 2025/26, Nance has averaged 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 56.4% from the floor and 47.9% from three-point range in 12.1 minutes per contest.
The Bucks still have a full 15-man standard roster and now have an open two-way spot. They won’t be able to fill it until the offseason though, as the deadline to sign players to two-way deals was March 4.
Bucks Waive Cam Thomas
The Bucks have waived Cam Thomas, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter). The move is official, Milwaukee announced in a press release (Twitter link).
As we noted in a separate story, Thomas was cut loose because the Bucks wanted to promote Pete Nance, who was signed to a multiyear standard contract. Nance was previously on a two-way deal.
It’s a surprising development, since Milwaukee targeted Thomas immediately after the trade deadline. However, he was on a minimum-salary contract that only covered the rest of the season, so he makes sense as an odd man out if he isn’t part of the team’s plans beyond 2025/26.
According to Charania (Twitter link), general manager Jon Horst pitched Thomas on the idea of being a key part of the Bucks’ present and future, and head coach Doc Rivers compared the high-scoring guard to a couple of Sixth Man of the Year winners he coached earlier in his career (Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams) shortly after the deadline.
While this hasn’t been confirmed, it’s possible that Thomas may have been the one who sought a change of scenery. The 24-year-old had been playing fewer minutes (16.6 per game) with the Bucks than he was with the Nets (24.3 MPG) and received a pair of DNP-CDs last week. Thomas asked Brooklyn to waive him last month.
In 18 games with the Bucks, Thomas averaged 10.6 PPG, 1.9 APG and 1.6 RPG on .431/.275/.754. The former first-round pick is a notoriously subpar defender and also struggled with turnovers in Milwaukee (1.4 per game).
The Bucks will carry a dead-money cap hit of $844,607 if Thomas clears waivers in a couple days. Thomas would be a free agent at that point, but he won’t be eligible to compete in the playoffs because he was released after March 1, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (via Twitter).
If Thomas is claimed on the waiver wire, his cap charge would transfer to the team that adds him and Milwaukee would no longer carry his salary on its books. However, he would remain ineligible to participate in the postseason.
Injury Notes: Brooks, Williams, Ivey, Embiid, Shamet
The Suns could get a couple of starters back from injuries next week, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), who expects Dillon Brooks to return early in the team’s road trip and Mark Williams to be back later in the week. Phoenix’s road trip begins next Monday in Memphis and concludes the following Sunday at Chicago.
Brooks underwent surgery last month to repair a fractured left hand. The 30-year-old wing is four weeks removed from that injury, which was expected to sideline him around four-to-six weeks.
Williams, meanwhile, has been out since March 3 after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot. The 24-year-old center will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Bulls upgraded Jaden Ivey (left knee soreness) to questionable on Sunday before downgrading him to out. He’ll miss his 16th consecutive game Monday against Houston. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link), Ivey recently returned to practice but he banged knees with a teammate and will be seen by a doctor on Monday night. Head coach Billy Donovan previously said Ivey, an impending restricted free agent, would travel on Chicago’s four-game road trip; that’s now up in the air after his new injury.
- Sixers star Joel Embiid went through Monday’s shootaround and also did some individual work afterward, tweets Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. The veteran center, who is recovering from a right oblique strain, is expected to go through a more rigorous workout on Tuesday and will be reevaluated after that, Bodner adds. Monday marks Embiid’s 13th consecutive absence.
- Knicks wing Landry Shamet is out again Tuesday due to a tibial plateau contusion, also known as a bone bruise, in his right knee, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (All Twitter links). Shamet suffered the injury in Friday’s game at Brooklyn and sat out Sunday’s win over Washington. However, Bondy hears it isn’t serious and expects the veteran guard/forward to return “within a few games, if that.” Shamet has been a key reserve for New York this season, Bondy notes.
NBA Decreases Salary Cap Projection For 2026/27
The NBA has informed teams that its projection for the 2026/27 salary cap has decreased from $166MM to $165MM because of a reduction in local media revenue, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
When the league set a $154,647,000 cap for 2025/26, it reportedly told teams it was projecting a 7% increase for ’26/27. That would work out to $165,472,000.
In September, the NBA reportedly increased that projection to $166MM. But now the cap projection is back down to $165MM, according to Charania.
It’s unclear if the $165MM figure Charania cited is exact or rounded down. Either way, it’s not a significant change to the projection, but it could be an important one for teams who project be over the first and/or second tax aprons next season, since those thresholds may come in a little lower than anticipated. It could also impact teams who operate under the cap.
Sports Business Journal reported a few weeks ago that the NBA let its teams know that there’s a chance it will introduce a streaming hub for local broadcasts as soon as next season. Many clubs’ local broadcasts have been thrown into disarray due to the fact that Main Street Sports Group, which has regional TV agreements with 13 NBA teams, is likely headed for insolvency.
Due to its financial woes, Main Street has missed payments to its teams on January 1, February 1, and March 1, per Sports Business Journal. The NBA originally didn’t plan on launching this sort of streaming hub until down the road, but it has become a higher priority in order to help teams make up for those lost rights-fee payments.
Although the league has informed its teams that it’s trying to get something together for the 2026/27 season, there’s no guarantee that will happen, so Main Street clubs have been advised to explore lining up a bridge deal for their local broadcasts. Those teams are exploring both linear and streaming options, according to Sports Business Journal.
Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, annual cap increases are capped at 10% to avoid another huge single-year jump like the 34.5% increase that occurred in 2016, which allowed the 73-win Warriors to sign Kevin Durant in free agency.
A 10% bump for ’26/27 would result in a $170,112,000 cap. However, based on the updates we’ve gotten to this point, there’s no indication that sort of increase is in the cards for next season.
Wiggins, Jaquez, Powell To Return Monday For Heat
The Heat will have their full rotation available for Monday’s game against San Antonio, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Starting forward Andrew Wiggins, who has missed the last eight games with sesamoiditis in his left big toe, will be active against the Spurs. Key reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr., who has been sidelined for the past two contests because of left hip soreness, will be available as well.
Miami will also have veteran wing Norman Powell back in action after he missed Saturday’s loss in Houston due to left calf tightness, Winderman notes.
As Winderman observes, the stretch run of the season will be important for all three players. Wiggins could be a free agent this summer if he declines his $30.2MM player option for 2026/27; Powell will be a free agent unless he signs a veteran extension before July 1; and Jaquez will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
Wiggins has averaged 15.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 block on .474/.399/.788 shooting in 57 games this season (31.0 minutes per contest). Jaquez is a Sixth Man of the Year contender, having averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 4.8 APG on .500/.281/.766 shooting in 64 appearances (28.6 MPG).
Powell, a first-time All-Star this season, is the Heat’s leading scorer at 22.3 PPG. He has also contributed 3.6 RPG, 2.6 APG and 1.2 SPG on .473/.384/.823 shooting splits in 52 games (30.1 MPG).
Miami is currently 38-33, the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the team is only 1.5 games behind No. 5 Toronto with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
Markelle Fultz Signs 10-Day Deal With Raptors
3:48 pm: Fultz’s 10-day deal is official, the Raptors announced (via Twitter).
2:45 pm: Veteran guard Markelle Fultz is signing a 10-day contract with the Raptors, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).
The Raptors have an open roster spot, so no corresponding move will be necessary. Their NBA G League affiliate, the Raptors 905, claimed Fultz off the waiver wire on March 6.
Fultz, a former No. 1 overall pick and a veteran of eight NBA seasons, has since been working to get back into game shape. He has played in five G League games and his minutes were ramped up over the weekend.
He played a total of 50 minutes in a pair of back-to-back games in Portland on Friday and Saturday and finished with 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting and 12 assists against four turnovers, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
Fultz could give the Raptors an immediate boost. He’ll be active for Monday’s game against the Jazz, Grange tweets.
Grange also notes backup point guard Jamal Shead has been struggling of late. Shead was 1-of-6 from the floor and was minus-22 in 21 minutes during Sunday’s loss in Phoenix. Shead is shooting 6-for-25 from 3-point range over his last 12 games and 31 percent from the floor overall.
Starting point man Immanuel Quickley is dealing with a foot injury that will keep him out of the team’s game against Utah on Monday.
Fultz, who was selected with the first pick in the 2017 NBA draft, had his career derailed by injuries and has played in just 255 regular-season games across eight seasons for the Sixers, Magic, and Kings. He made 21 appearances for Sacramento in 2024/25, averaging 2.9 points and 1.3 assists in 8.8 minutes per contest.
Fultz will earn $188,932 over the course of his 10 days with the Raptors, who will take on a $131,970 cap hit.
Luka Doncic, LaMelo Ball Named Players Of The Week
Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference, while Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has won the award in the East, the NBA announced today in a press release.
It’s the second straight week Doncic has claimed the award. The 27-year-old had a spectacular showing from March 16-22, helping guide Los Angeles to a 4-0 road record by averaging 42.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 3.0 steals on .500/.390/.723 shooting in 38.5 minutes per contest.
The highlight of Doncic’s week came on Thursday in Miami, when he poured in a season-high 60 points. The Slovenian superstar has now won Player of the Week four times in 2025/26, moving past Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has three.
Ball helped lead Charlotte to a 3-0 record last week, averaging 26.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, 5.0 RPG and 2.3 SPG on .500/.412/.846 shooting in just 27.3 MPG. This is the first time the former All-Star point guard has claimed the weekly award in 2025/26 (and in his career).
According to the league (Twitter link), the other nominees in the West were Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Ayo Dosunmu, Rudy Gobert, Gilgeous-Alexander, Amen Thompson and Victor Wembanyama. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Duren, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Karl-Anthony Towns were nominated in the East.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 3/23/2026
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 3:00 pm Central time (4:00 pm Eastern).
Potential Lottery Pick Karim Lopez Declares For Draft
Potential lottery pick Karim Lopez has declared for this year’s draft, Jeremy Woo and Shams Charania of ESPN report.
Lopez is ranked No. 11 on ESPN’s big board. The Mexican forward has spent the past two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League. He’s the top-ranked international prospect on ESPN’s draft rankings and could become the first player born in Mexico to be selected in the first round.
“It’s been my dream and my goal my whole life to play in the NBA,” Lopez said. “Honestly, since I can remember. I was probably like 5 years old, making drawings of myself playing in the NBA. … It’s pretty special, you know, to be in this position right now.”
Lopez, who turns 19 next month, averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game while shooting 49% from the field this season. The 6’9” forward set several records for draft-eligible NBL Next Stars, including the single-season points record with 358 in his 30 starts.
Lopez took a step forward in his second NBL season, including a 32-point game in a Jan. 30 win over Melbourne. NBA scouts have been drawn to Lopez’s combination of positional size, 7’1” wingspan, ball skills, play-making flashes and toughness, according to the ESPN duo.
“I want to show NBA teams who I am,” Lopez said. “Playing in a grown man league, it’s not easy. But there’s things I feel like people haven’t seen yet.”