NBA Rumors - HoopsRumors.com

Khem Birch, Fenerbahce Nearing Extension

August 1st, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Khem Birch is nearing a contract extension with EuroLeague champions Fenerbahce Istanbul, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Urbonas indicates that the deal would be to retain Birch for next season, though it’s unclear if it would extend beyond that.

Birch was named Turkish League Finals MVP this season after averaging 11.2 points and 5,2 rebounds during the Finals. He averaged 3.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per night throughout EuroLeague play. BasketNews named him one of the best defenders in the EuroLeague.

After starting his career with Olympiacos in the Greek league, Birch played six seasons in the NBA, splitting his time between the Magic and the Raptors. He then returned overseas and has been playing in Europe since the 2023/24 season.

The Fenerbahce roster is loaded with players who have spent time in the NBA, including Nicolo Melli, Onuralp Bitim, Bonzie Colson, Devon Hall, and Wade Baldwin IV. The Turkish team will look to defend its title this coming season.

Javon Freeman-Liberty Signs With Brisbane Bullets

August 1st, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Javon Freeman-Liberty has joined the Brisbane Bullets in Australia’s NBL, reports ESPN’s Olgun Uluc (via Twitter). He will head overseas on a one-year deal.

Freeman-Liberty played 22 games for the Raptors in the 2023/24 season, averaging 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per night. He spent last year with the Windy City Bulls G League team, where he averaged 19.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 35.6% from three on 7.9 attempts per game.

The 6’4″, 25-year-old guard is coming off a strong Summer League with the Bulls that saw him average 21 points, six rebounds, and 3.4 assists.

The Bullets came in eighth in the NBL last season out of 10 teams and are hoping that the addition of Freeman-Liberty can help boost them up the standings.

“To add a talent of Javon’s caliber to our roster at this stage is really exciting,” said head coach Stu Lash, according to the NBL website. “He’s a hungry player who’s ready to take the next step in his development as a professional. His toughness, ferocity, and willingness to compete make him a natural fit for what we value at the Brisbane Bullets.”

Trail Blazers To Fully Guarantee Duop Reath’s Contract

August 1st, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Trail Blazers will fully guarantee Duop Reath‘s contract for the 2025/26 season, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Reath’s deal will pay him $2.22MM. Portland would have had to waive him on or before Friday in order to avoid guaranteeing that full amount, as our early salary guarantee tracker shows.

Reath has spent the last two seasons with the Blazers. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 35.9% from three as a rookie, but saw his playing time diminish from 17.9 minutes per night over 68 games to 10.2 minutes per night over 46 games last season following the addition of rookie center Donovan Clingan.

While previous starting center Deandre Ayton is now with the Lakers, the Blazers once again took a big man in the first round in Yang Hansen. If Hansen is able to earn minutes as a rookie, Reath’s pathway to minutes will remain somewhat blocked, especially if Robert Williams is healthy.

Spurs To Guarantee Julian Champagnie’s 2025/26 Salary

August 1st, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Spurs will fully guarantee Julian Champagnie‘s 2025/26 salary, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Champagnie is set to make $3MM in the third season of his four-year contract, which also includes a $3MM team option for the 2026/27 season. August 1 represented the guarantee date for this season’s salary.

The fourth-year small forward carved out a role for himself in San Antonio over the past two seasons, playing 74 games in 2023/24 and all 82 games last year. He averaged 9.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per night last season while shooting 37.1% from three on 5.9 attempts per game.

The Spurs have upgraded their roster in multiple spots this summer, adding Dylan Harper, Kelly Olynyk, Luke Kornet, and Carter Bryant, which will make it harder for Champagnie to command the same role he did in ’24/25. However, the team remains relatively light on wings and could use his three-point shooting.

Skylar Mays Signs With KK Buducnost

August 1st, 2025 at 6:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Skylar Mays has signed with the Montenegrin team KK Buducnost, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. The team officially announced the deal in a press release.

Mays played four seasons in the NBA, with the majority of his time coming with the Hawks. He last played in the NBA in 2023/24, suiting up for 21 games with the Trail Blazers and 17 with the Lakers. Across 105 career appearances, he holds career averages of 4.3 points and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 34.5% from three and 85.9% from the free throw line.

Mays played 19 games with the Iowa Wolves G League team last season, averaging 12.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 39% from three. He also spent time with EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce last year, averaging 3.7 PPG in 10.1 MPG during league play.

Mays will join a Buducnost roster that boasts former NBA players Juwan Morgan and Yogi Ferrell.

Mikal Bridges Signs Four-Year Extension With Knicks

August 1st, 2025 at 5:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

August 1: The Knicks have made the extension official, per a team press release (via Twitter).

“His abilities on both sides of the court in every game made him a vital part of our team’s success last season,” team president Leon Rose said of Bridges. “We look forward to his continued growth and development as part of the Knicks family for years to come.”

July 31: The Knicks and forward Mikal Bridges have agreed to a four-year, $150MM contract extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The deal will include a player option for 2029/30 and a trade kicker.

As Charania notes in a follow-up tweet, Bridges is accepting a deal slightly lower than the max he could have received in an extension, which was $156.2MM. By taking a small discount, Bridges will help the Knicks maintain a little more roster flexibility moving forward. Teammate Jalen Brunson took a similar approach when extending last year.

Bridges was entering the last year of his current contract and would have become eligible for an additional year and a higher starting salary if he had reached free agency in 2026.

The Knicks acquired Bridges from the Nets in the summer of 2024 for a package that included five first-round picks, two of which became Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore last month. In his first season with the Knicks, Bridges averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while appearing in all 82 regular season contests. He hasn’t missed a game in his career.

Bridges’ first season in New York was up and down — his 35.4% three-point percentage was his lowest mark since his rookie season. However, he helped the Knicks make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years and remains a key piece of the future.

Brunson, OG Anunoby and Bridges are all now under contract through at least ’27/28, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart hold player options for that season.

Bridges will be ineligible to be traded for six months once the deal is officially finalized.

Tristen Newton Signs Qualifying Offer From Timberwolves

August 1st, 2025 at 5:05pm CST by Eli Cohen

Restricted free agent guard Tristen Newton has signed his two-way qualifying offer from the Timberwolves, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

Newton, who was the 49th pick in the 2024 draft, split time between the Pacers and Wolves last season, playing five games in Indiana and three in Minnesota.

He spent the majority of his season in the G League, where he averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 assists, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game in 20 outings for the Iowa Wolves. In five Summer League appearances this offseason, Newton averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 47.6% from three.

The Wolves signed Enrique Freeman to a two-way deal earlier today, and already have 2025 second-round pick Rocco Zikarsky and second-year center Jesse Edwards occupying two-way slots, meaning someone will have to be waived to accommodate Newton’s return.

The expectation is that Edwards will be waived following the addition of Freeman, along with rookie big men Zikarsky and first-round pick Joan Beringer.

Raptors Sign Olivier Sarr To Exhibit 10 Deal

August 1st, 2025 at 4:18pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Raptors have signed free agent center Olivier Sarr, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.

According to Murphy (Twitter link), the contract is an Exhibit 1o deal, which will allow Sarr to compete for a roster spot in training camp and receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and joins the Raptors’ G League team.

Sarr played for the Thunder for parts of three seasons from 2021-24, averaging 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game across 46 outings, before spending last season in the G League.

The Raptors recently extended Jakob Poeltl and signed Sandro Mamukelashvili to a minimum deal. They also drafted Collin Murray-Boyles this year and Jonathan Mogbo in 2024, both of whom can switch between center and forward spots. With two-way big man Ulrich Chomche also in the frontcourt mix, the 26-year-old Sarr is likely a long shot to earn a regular season roster spot.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals prior to the NBA regular season. If Sarr doesn’t get a two-way contract and is waived, he would have to spend at least 60 days with the Raptors 905 to earn his Exhibit 10 bonus.

Wolves Sign Enrique Freeman To Two-Way Contract

August 1st, 2025 at 4:18pm CST by Luke Adams

4:18 pm: The Timberwolves have made the Freeman signing official, according to a team press release.

9:12 am: The Timberwolves and free agent forward Enrique Freeman have agreed to terms on a two-way contract, agents Keith Kreiter and Sam Cipriano tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Freeman, who turned 25 on Tuesday, was the 50th overall pick in the 2024 draft and appeared in 22 NBA games as a rookie for Indiana, averaging 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per contest.

While Freeman’s impact at the NBA level was very limited, he played well in the G League, averaging 16.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game in 14 outings for the Indiana Mad Ants last season. He also had a strong Summer League showing in Las Vegas this month, registering averages of 16.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.8 BPG with an incredible 72.5% mark on field goal attempts, including 55.6% on three-pointers.

However, the Pacers had no two-way slots available for Freeman and pulled their qualifying offer to him last week, allowing him to reach unrestricted free agency. Now he has a new deal in place with the Timberwolves.

Second-year center Jesse Edwards and 2025 second-rounder Rocco Zikarsky currently occupy Minnesota’s two-way slots, so Freeman projects to fill the third and final opening.

The Timberwolves also still have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for 2024 second-rounder Tristen Newton — if they don’t rescind that QO (with Newton’s approval), the Wolves would have to waive one of their current two-way players should he accept it.

Precious Achiuwa Reportedly Drawing Interest From Panathinaikos

August 1st, 2025 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Having failed to land Jonas Valanciunas last month, the Greek club Panathinaikos remains on the lookout for frontcourt help and reportedly has NBA free agent big man Precious Achiuwa on its radar.

Kevin Martorano of Sportando shares the details, citing a report from Vasilis Papatheodorou of SDNA, who says Achiuwa is on Panathinaikos’ short list of potential targets.

Achiuwa, who will turn 26 in September, has spent the past season-and-a-half with the Knicks after being traded from Toronto to New York along with OG Anunoby in December 2023. In 57 games in 2024/25, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a .502/.278/.594 shooting line.

Achiuwa is a bit undersized for a center and isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, but he’s an athletic, high-energy player who rebounds well and is a versatile, switchable defender. Still, he remains unsigned a month into free agency and a reunion with the Knicks appears off the table after New York signed Guerschon Yabusele to take his spot on the depth chart.

There’s no indication yet that there’s serious mutual interest between Achiuwa and Panathinaikos, but this is the first real rumor we’ve heard about him in several weeks, so it’s worth keeping an eye on.