Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Northwest Notes: Jazz, Blazers, Conley, Edwards, Thunder

October 22nd, 2025 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Tony Jones of The Athletic about the Jazz beginning construction on a new practice facility outside of downtown Salt Lake City, team owner Ryan Smith expressed optimism about the direction of the franchise, despite the fact that its win total has declined in each of the past four seasons.

“I think (new president of basketball operations) Austin (Ainge) is a star. I think (head coach) Will (Hardy) is a star,” Smith said. “I think we have one of the most exciting front offices in the league. We have a lot of picks and a lot of flexibility.”

After racking up 52 victories in 2020/21, Smith’s first year on the job, the club has won 49, 37, 31, and 17 in the years since then, embarking on a full-fledged rebuild during that time. While Smith is eager for the Jazz to begin reversing that trend and climbing back up the NBA standings, he acknowledged he can’t rush the process and has to exercise some patience.

“The picks aren’t coming fast enough for me, but I know this is the NBA. You have to grow the talent,” he told Jones. “We have brought in a lot of people who have a lot of rings. So, the ultimate goal is to win titles. That’s what matters. I understand that’s also the goal of every other team, so it’s really difficult and winning happens rarely. We just have to hit on these picks and keep stacking good decisions. It’s good to have Taylor (Hendricks) back. Walker (Kessler) is coming along. We just have to grow the guys.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

  • Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link) evaluates the extensions the Trail Blazers completed this week with Toumani Camara and Shaedon Sharpe, dubbing Camara’s four-year, $81MM deal a win-win for the forward and the team, while suggesting that Sharpe’s four-year, $90MM contract represents more of a “calculated risk” for the two sides. As Highkin writes, Sharpe still has All-Star upside entering his age-22 season, but there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll reach that ceiling.
  • Retirement isn’t a consideration in the short term for Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley, who said ahead of his 19th NBA season that he’s “looking forward to trying to get to 20 and see what happens,” according to Sam Yip of HoopsHype. “There hasn’t been a day that I have felt like I should retire yet,” Conley said within a larger Q&A. “… I think it’ll come to a point where you get kind of overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do in order to stay at par to keep up with these guys, that it just becomes too much. But so far it’s not there, so hopefully we can squeeze a little bit more juice out of this thing.”
  • In an in-depth story for The Athletic, Jon Krawczynski examines Anthony Edwards‘ drive to continue improving and his determination to win an NBA championship after being ousted in the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two years. Edwards is listed as questionable to play in Wednesday’s season opener in Portland due to back spasms, per the Timberwolves (Twitter link).
  • Did the defending champion Thunder peak last season, will they peak this season, or are the best years for this core still ahead of them? Zach Kram of ESPN considers that question, outlining why all three possibilities are viable. Oklahoma City picked up its first win of the season in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, beating Houston by one point in a double-overtime thriller after Thunder players received their championship rings.
Repost Share Send via email

Mavericks Notes: Flagg, Gafford, Nembhard, Washington

October 21st, 2025 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Unlike most No. 1 overall picks, Cooper Flagg didn’t wind up with a rebuilding team. Landing on the Mavericks gives him peace of mind entering his NBA regular season debut against San Antonio on Wednesday.

“We’re a really deep team, so I think that kind of takes that pressure off of me to just be myself and not worry about expectations to be like anyone else, but just to be me and help this team win as much as I can,” he told Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News.

Flagg believes Wednesday’s opener could be the start of something big for the team this season.

“Just being able to play my first real game obviously, but it’s the start of a great season and great journey with this team,” Flagg said. “I think we have a really good chance to be successful. Just really excited for it.”

Curtis goes in-depth on Flagg’s journey and potential impact on the league.

We have more on the Mavs:

  • Daniel Gafford, who has been working his way back from a right ankle sprain, is listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s game, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Morning Journal. Head coach Jason Kidd said prior to the injury report coming out that Gafford would be listed as questionable. The big man has been ramping up activity after missing all of the preseason.
  • Another player who had a much different journey than Flagg will make his NBA debut on Wednesday. Undrafted Ryan Nembhard, the surprise breakout player during the preseason, is expected to be in the rotation. He’s on a two-way contract. “He’s steady. Understands how to play the game,” Kidd told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “Ryan is a point guard who has set the table in the games that we have put him in a different rotation spot.”
  • P.J. Washington started regularly the past two seasons but the power forward will accept whatever role Kidd has in store for him, Townsend writes. “I’m just coming in and trying to win, doing everything I can to be successful and to help my teammates be in great positions to win,” he said. “So it doesn’t matter if I’m starting or coming off the bench. For me it’s all about winning.”
Repost Share Send via email

Knicks Notes: Hart, Robinson, Towns, Brown, Yabusele

October 21st, 2025 at 9:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

One of the questions facing the Knicks this preseason was whether new coach Mike Brown would choose Mitchell Robinson or Josh Hart as the team’s fifth starter. As it turns out, neither will play in the season opener against Cleveland on Wednesday. They’re listed as out on the official injury report and another starter, Karl-Anthony Towns, is questionable due to a strained right quad, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets.

Hart is dealing with lumbar spasms, according to Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. In terms of the oft-injured Robinson, it’s essentially left ankle injury management.

“With Mitch, we just have to be smart,” Brown said. “That’s part of load management. Just because he might be able to play tonight, he might be able to practice today, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m gonna play him or I’m gonna practice him.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Brown has been tasked to bring the Knicks a long-awaited championship. He says they can’t skip any steps along the way, Schwartz writes. “The good part about it is, the Finals or the championship round doesn’t happen until June,” Brown said. “We’ve got a long time to get there. It starts on the daily. We can’t skip any steps. We just wanna keep taking steps, because it’s gonna be a process. Knowing that we might take one or two steps backwards, but hopefully we can regroup and continue to take three, four, five more forward.”
  • Towns isn’t entirely sure how his skill set fits into Brown’s offensive schemes, which are more up-tempo with a heavier emphasis on movement compared to Tom Thibodeau’s more methodical system. “Honestly, I don’t know, but we’re figuring it out. It’s just different,” Towns told Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. Brown is confident Towns will adjust. “First thing is, it’s going to be a process, especially with him missing the last couple of games,” the Knicks’ new coach said. “He’ll be in the strong corner, he’ll be in the weak corner, he can be the push man, or he can be the weak wing, and also he can be at the top of the key and in the dunker. That will help him, the movement.”
  • Guerschon Yabusele has tipped the scales after signing a two-year contract as a free agent, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post. The new Knicks forward weighs in at 283 pounds, 18 pounds more than last season with the Sixers. “I did not ask him to put on weight or take off weight,” Brown said. “That’s something that our performance people talk to him about.”
Repost Share Send via email

Nuggets Notes: Braun, Watson, Valanciunas, Jokic

October 21st, 2025 at 7:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It went down to the wire but Christian Braun was able to work out a rookie scale extension with the Nuggets. Braun signed a five-year deal worth $125MM and expressed relief on Tuesday, as The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando relays.

“It is a little stressful,” Braun said. “Like I said, I don’t like the negotiations just because you feel like you’re against people you love and people you care about. But I’m just really excited for the way it went down and just really happy that it’s over with.”

The process of working out a long-term agreement that he and his reps and the team were comfortable with made it a difficult exercise.

“Negotiations are kind of maybe not my thing,” he said. “Kind of felt like you’re kind of against them for a little bit. But I think it worked out really, really well. I was really, really happy with the outcome. I’m very grateful for everybody involved.”

We have more on the Nuggets:

  • There was mutual interest between the team and Peyton Watson regarding a rookie scale extension but those negotiations were complicated by the Nuggets’ desire to get Braun signed, Durando reports. Getting Braun under a long-term deal was seen as a higher priority due to the restrictions of the second tax apron. As Durando notes, if the Nuggets had also signed Watson for more than $7MM annually, they would have been projected as a second-apron team for 2026/27 with three more roster spots to eventually fill.
  • Speaking of Watson, the coaching staff is intent on increasing his ball-handling responsibilities and he’s grateful for their belief in him, Durando writes. “Our coaching staff has really put a lot of trust and belief in me this entire preseason, training camp,” Watson said, “to go out there and kind of play more like myself and have the ball in my hands. Make decisions. So I’ve been able to work on a lot of things just in live-action games against really, really talented players. I think that’s always good for confidence. It’s always good for my sharpness. And I feel great.”
  • The Nuggets have struggled to find a productive backup to Nikola Jokic at center ever since Jokic exploded onto the national landscape. Can Jonas Valanciunas finally solve the problem? Durando looks back at Jokic’s previous backups, detailing year-by-year the dropoff that occurred when the superstar center wasn’t on the floor.
  • The leading members of the team’s revamped front office want to keep Jokic happy. Keeping the three-time MVP in the loop is one of the ways they’re trying to ensure that he remains with the franchise for the long haul. “It would be crazy to not listen to his advice and his input, just because he’s so important to the organization,” executive VP of basketball operations Ben Tenzer told The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “But also, he sees (the game) a different way than we see it and how our scouts see it. He’s a brilliant basketball mind. So yeah, we have to ask him how he feels about things in general. And sometimes he’ll have opinions, sometimes he won’t. But it’s always good to just connect with him. That’s just a sign of respect.”
Repost Share Send via email

Grizzlies Exercise 2026/27 Option On Zach Edey

October 21st, 2025 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies have exercised their 2026/27 option on Zach Edey‘s contract, the team’s PR department tweets. The cap hit on Edey’s third season in the league will be $6,332,760.

[RELATED: Decisions On 2026/27 Rookie Scale Team Options]

Memphis had until the end of the month to exercise that option but it was foregone conclusion that would happen. Edey was the ninth pick of last year’s draft and started a majority of the team’s games. He appeared in 66 overall (55 starts) and averaged 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.o assists and 1.3 blocks in 21.5 minutes per contest.

The two-time National College Player of the Year at Purdue was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Edey underwent ankle surgery in June and is still several weeks away from returning to action.

Repost Share Send via email

Pacers Exercise 2026/27 Options On Walker, Sheppard

October 21st, 2025 at 5:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have exercised their 2026/27 options on the contracts of Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, according to a team press release.

Walker’s fourth-year option carries a cap hit of $8,478,542, while Sheppard’s cap hit on his fourth year will be $5,031,669. Walker was the eighth pick of the 2023 draft, while Sheppard was chosen at No. 26.

The team had until the end of the month to exercise those options.

Walker appeared in 75 regular season games last season (five starts) and averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15.8 minutes. Sheppard appeared in 63 games (nine starts) and averaged 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in 21 postseason contests.

Both players are expected to be key bench contributors once again this season.

Repost Share Send via email

Grizzlies’ Pippen Undergoes Toe Surgery, Out At Least 12 Weeks

October 21st, 2025 at 5:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Oct. 21: The surgery on Pippen’s left big toe took place on Tuesday, the team’s PR department tweets. As initially reported, he’ll be reevaluated in approximately 12 weeks, according to the Grizzlies.

Oct. 18: Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. is undergoing a sesamoidectomy to address a lingering left big toe injury, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Memphis said a return timeline wouldn’t be given until after the procedure, but Pippen is expected to make a full recovery. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who first reported the news (via Twitter), Pippen is expected to miss at least 12 weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated.

It’s a tough blow for the Grizzlies, who have been hit hard by injuries over the past couple years, a trend that has continued before the 2025/26 regular season even gets underway.

In addition to Pippen, who reportedly won’t make his season debut until at least January, second-year center Zach Edey continues to recover from left ankle surgery, veteran big man Brandon Clarke recently underwent a knee procedure, and star point guard Ja Morant has been battling a left ankle sprain. The team is optimistic that Morant might be ready for next week’s season opener, but Edey and Clarke may not be back until November.

Former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. also went offseason surgery to address a turf toe injury, but he should be ready for the opener after appearing in the team’s final two preseason contests.

Pippen, who turns 25 next month, was a key reserve for the Grizzlies last season, appearing in a career-high 79 games while averaging 9.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 21.3 minutes per night. He posted a shooting slash line of .480/.397/.713.

Ty Jerome would typically be a prime candidate for more playing time with Pippen out, but he might be sidelined for a while too — he exited Friday’s preseason finale with a right calf injury, per the team (Twitter link), and will be reevaluated this weekend, according to head coach Tuomas Iisalo (Twitter link via Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com).

Second-year guard Cam Spencer and rookie second-rounder Javon Small, who is on a two-way deal, should receive additional run in the Grizzlies’ backcourt.

Repost Share Send via email

Raptors Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter

October 21st, 2025 at 4:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have exercised their 2026/27 options on the contracts of Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter, according to a team press release.

Dick’s fourth-year option will carry a cap hit of $7,131,511, while Walter’s third-year option will carry a cap hit of $3,811,800. The team had until the end of the month to exercise those options.

Dick started 54 games last season, averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.4 minutes per night. He was the 13th pick of the 2023 draft.

Walter, who won’t play in the team’s opener due to an illness, averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.2 minutes per game while appearing in 52 contests during his rookie season. He was the 19th overall pick in 2024.

With the addition of Brandon Ingram, Dick will likely come off the bench this season. Dick and Walter will have to fight hard for their rotation minutes.

Repost Share Send via email

2025 NBA Rookie Scale Extension Recap

October 21st, 2025 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s annual deadline for rookie scale contract extensions passed on Monday, officially bringing the extension period for 2022 first-round picks to an end.

While there was a slight dip in rookie scale extensions this season after a streak of 11 or more for four consecutive years seasons, the drop-off wasn’t significant — nine players still signed new deals prior to Monday’s 5:00 pm Central time deadline.

It was the seventh straight year in which at least nine players completed rookie scale extensions. That didn’t happen at all between 2015-18. Since 2019, however, the total by year has been as follows:

Here’s a breakdown of the nine rookie scale extensions signed before this year’s deadline, sorted by total value.

Note: Projected values for maximum-salary extensions are based on a $166MM salary cap for 2026/27. If the cap comes in lower or higher than that, those max extensions would change in value, since they’re determined by a percentage of the cap.

  • Paolo Banchero (Magic): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $240,700,000. Projected value can increase to $288,840,000 if Banchero makes an All-NBA team or is named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. Includes fifth-year player option. Starts in 2026/27.
  • Jalen Williams (Thunder): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $240,700,000. Projected value can increase to $250,328,000 if Williams makes the All-NBA third team; $259,956,000 if Williams makes the All-NBA second team; or $288,840,000 if Williams makes the All-NBA first team or is named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. Starts in 2026/27.
  • Chet Holmgren (Thunder): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $240,700,000. Starts in 2026/27.
  • Keegan Murray (Kings): Five years, $140,000,000 (story). Starts in 2026/27.
  • Christian Braun (Nuggets): Five years, $125,000,000 (story). Starts in 2026/27.
  • Jabari Smith Jr. (Rockets): Five years, $122,000,000 (story). Starts in 2026/27.
  • Dyson Daniels (Hawks): Four years, $100,000,000 (story). Starts in 2026/27.
  • Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers): Four years, $90,000,000 (story). Starts in 2026/27.
  • Nikola Jovic (Heat): Four years, $62,400,000 (story). Starts in 2026/27.

As is typically the case, the maximum-salary deals were completed relatively early in the offseason, with Banchero, Williams, and Holmgren all signing within the first two weeks of July.

It came as no surprise that any of those three players signed maximum-salary contracts, but it was notable that the Thunder were able to avoid including Rose Rule language in their deal with Holmgren, which will start at 25% of the cap even if he earns award recognition in 2025/26. Williams, meanwhile, will only get up to 30% of the cap with a first-team All-NBA, MVP, or Defensive Player of the Year season. If he repeats last year’s feat and makes the All-NBA third team, his deal would start at a more manageable 26% of the cap.

Besides those three extensions, there was one more deal completed at the start of free agency, with Smith coming to terms with the Rockets very early in the offseason. That $122MM agreement was a significant commitment to a player who didn’t take a major step forward in his third NBA season, but it’s the kind of investment that could look savvy down the road, given that the former No. 3 overall pick is still just 22 years old.

The other five extensions were completed in October, including three coming in on Monday. Those contracts ranged from $15.6MM annually for Jovic to $28MM per year for Murray. Braun and Daniels each got $25MM per season, with Sharpe’s new deal coming in at $22.5MM annually.

While none of those contracts looks like a massive overpay to me, I’d be most comfortable with the investments in Braun and Daniels, given that they’ve already shown the ability to be impactful starting-caliber players. Sharpe, Jovic, and Murray all have the upside to make good on their respective extensions (and then some), but those long-term agreements are more about what their teams think they can become than what they’ve done so far.

A total of 22 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions. Nine signed extensions and one – Blake Wesley – was waived, so there are 12 players who didn’t reach agreements and will be entering contract years.

Here’s that list of those players, who are now eligible to become restricted free agents during the 2026 offseason, assuming they finish out their current deals:

A few players in this group – like Branham, Dieng, and Terry – never looked like serious extension candidates and will need to make their case this season that they’re worthy of qualifying offers in 2026 free agency.

However, there are several intriguing names on this list, including a few who still have a shot to earn $25MM+ annually on their next contracts if they play well in 2025/26.

Duren, Eason, and Kessler look to me like the safest bets for nice paydays in 2026, but Ivey and Williams are good candidates too if they have relatively healthy seasons, while Mathurin and Watson are well positioned to improve their stock in increased roles.

Several notable players who reached restricted free agency in 2025 after not signing extensions last October had a tough go of it this summer, with a couple (Cam Thomas and Quentin Grimes) settling for their qualifying offers. But with more cap room available around the league next offseason, there should be more opportunities for agents to regain some leverage in the process by wielding the threat of offer sheets.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that there were eight players selected in the first round of the 2022 draft who weren’t eligible at all for rookie scale extensions entering this offseason, for various reasons. Those players are as follows:

Of these six players, only LaRavia is currently on a standard NBA contract — he had a nice third season for Memphis and Sacramento after having his option turned down and parlayed that success into a two-year, $12MM deal with the Lakers.

Baldwin, Beauchamp, Davis, Moore, Roddy, and Washington were all recently waived from Exhibit 10 contracts and appear likely to open the season in the G League, while Griffin stepped away from basketball in 2024.

Repost Share Send via email

Jerami Grant To Come Off Bench For Blazers

October 21st, 2025 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers‘ starting lineup when their season tips off on Wednesday vs. Minnesota will consist of Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe in the backcourt, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija at forward, and Donovan Clingan in the middle, tweets Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report.

That means forward Jerami Grant will come off the bench for the first time since joining the Blazers in 2022 — and the first time since he was a member of the Nuggets during the 2019/20 season.

Grant, who was traded from Detroit to Portland during the 2022 offseason, has started all 164 games he has played for the team since then, averaging 18.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 34.1 minutes per game across those three seasons.

The 31-year-old is the second-highest-paid player on the roster, just behind Holiday, and remains under contract for at least two more years beyond this one, with a player option for 2027/28. However, he has been surpassed on the depth chart by Camara and Avdija, two younger players who look like long-term fixtures in Portland. Camara just signed a four-year contract extension with the team and is locked up through 2029/30, while Avdija has three guaranteed years left on his deal.

Asked about the possibility of coming off the bench at media day last month, Grant replied, “I don’t really expect that.” He later sought to clarify that he wouldn’t become disgruntled if he doesn’t end up starting, indicating that he’d be “fine” with it.

While the Blazers’ decision to move Grant out of the starting five doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given the way that Camara and Avdija have emerged, it’s still a situation worth keeping an eye on during the first half of the season. The veteran forward looks like a potential trade candidate, but he has three years and $102.6MM left on his contract and is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he was limited to 47 games, so his value on the trade market would be extremely limited right now.

Repost Share Send via email
Load More Posts