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Early NBA Minimum Salary Projections For 2026/27

August 8th, 2025 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s minimum salary is one of several figures that changes from year to year at the same rate as the league’s salary cap. If the cap increases by 5% from one season to the next, the minimum salary will rise by the same amount.

That means that even though we don’t know yet exactly where the minimum salaries will end up for the 2026/27 season, we can make an educated estimate. The NBA’s most recent projection for ’26/27 called for a $166MM cap, which is the number we’ll use to project next season’s minimum salaries.

[RELATED: NBA Minimum Salaries For 2025/26]

A player’s minimum salary is determined in part by how much NBA experience he has — a veteran who has 10+ seasons under his belt is eligible for a significantly higher minimum salary than a rookie would be.

Based on the current 2026/27 cap estimate, next year’s rookie minimum salary will approach $1.37MM, while the minimum for a veteran with 10+ years of service will surpass $3.9MM.

Here are the current minimum salary projections for the 2026/27 season, using a $166,000,000 cap:

Years of Experience	Salary
0	$1,366,314
1	$2,198,879
2	$2,464,849
3	$2,553,508
4	$2,642,165
5	$2,863,807
6	$3,085,455
7	$3,307,099
8	$3,528,745
9	$3,546,312
10+	$3,900,945

It’s worth noting that these figures will only apply to players who sign new minimum-salary contracts in 206/27. The ’26/27 salaries for players with multiyear minimum deals will look a little different. For example, a rookie who signed a two-year deal worth the minimum ahead of the 2025/26 season would have a second-year salary of $2,150,917 for ’26/27, as we outline here.

We’ll update these projections later in the season if the NBA adjusts its cap estimate for the 2026/27 season, and then again next year when the league officially sets the ’26/27 cap.

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Maxwell Lewis To Play In Turkey In 2025/26

August 8th, 2025 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA second-round pick Maxwell Lewis has signed with Tofaş, the Turkish club announced in a press release.

The deal was actually completed in July, but slipped through the cracks for us at the time. Even though we’re a couple weeks late, we still want to dedicate a full story to the next stop for a player who was selected 40th overall in the 2023 draft and has spent the past two seasons in the NBA.

Drafted out of Pepperdine, Lewis began his professional career with the Lakers, but logged just 103 total minutes in 34 appearances at the NBA level as a rookie, playing primarily in garbage time. He earned a bigger role for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game across 28 outings in the G League in 2023/24.

The 6’7″ forward played in seven more games for Los Angeles and 10 more for South Bay to open the 2024/25 season before being sent to Brooklyn in December as part of the D’Angelo Russell/Dorian Finney-Smith trade.

Lewis was limited to 21 appearances for Brooklyn after fracturing his tibia in his first game as a Net. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game, with a .422/.380/.700 shooting line, then was waived in June before his salary for 2025/26 could become guaranteed.

Lewis received a small partial guarantee on his ’25/26 minimum salary, with the Nets carrying a $100K cap hit after releasing him.

Former NBA first-round pick Anzejs Pasecniks and Knicks draft-and-stash prospect Hugo Besson are among the other notable names on Tofaş’ roster. The club competes in Turkey’s Basketball Super League.

Celtics Sign Joe Mazzulla To Multiyear Extension

August 8th, 2025 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have extended their head coach’s contract, announcing today in a press release that Joe Mazzulla has officially signed a new multiyear deal with the club.

“We are very excited that Joe has agreed to extend with the Celtics,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “He understands the job and has a passion for the Celtics that is only rivaled by our most die-hard fans. He’s worked hard and accomplished amazing things in his first three years as a head coach – including averaging over 60 wins per season and winning the 2024 NBA Championship.

“Joe is a gifted leader who brings a consistent commitment to learning, improving, and maximizing each day we get to compete for the Boston Celtics.”

Mazzulla, who joined the Celtics’ coaching staff in 2019 as an assistant, was unexpectedly thrust into the head coaching role ahead of the 2022/23 season when Ime Udoka was suspended by the club. Udoka never returned to the team, resulting in Mazzulla earning the position on a permanent basis.

Mazzulla has acquitted himself very well in his first three years as the Celtics’ head coach, winning 57, 64, and 61 regular season games for an overall record of 182-64 (.740). He has also guided Boston to a 33-17 record in the playoffs, as well as a 2024 championship.

Mazzulla finished third in Coach of the Year voting in his first year on the job in 2022/23, then ranked fourth a year later.

He’ll face a new challenge in his fourth year in the role, as the Celtics have spent the offseason retooling their roster to cut costs after operating above the second tax apron last season. With Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis no longer on the roster and Jayson Tatum expected to miss most or all of 2025/26 while he recovers from a torn Achilles, Mazzulla will have to find a way to maximize a group that features less talent than his previous rosters.

Wizards, Akoldah Gak Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

August 8th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

Australian forward Akoldah Gak has agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with the Wizards, agent Deirunas Visockas tells Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link).

It will be the first NBA contract signed by Gak, who spent several years playing professionally in his home country before coming stateside and joining the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League earlier in 2025.

The 23-year-old subsequently suited up for the Wizards’ Summer League team in July, averaging 4.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 16.8 minutes per game across three outings in Las Vegas.

A 6’11” forward, Gak began to play regular minutes in Australia’s National Basketball League after joining the Cairns Taipans in 2023. In 2024/25, he put up 6.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 19.5 minutes per game for Cairns, with a field goal percentage of 51.5%.

Gak almost certainly won’t open the regular season on the Wizards’ roster, but looks like a prime candidate to become an affiliate player for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League team. His Exhibit 10 contract will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his NBAGL salary if he’s waived by the Wizards and then spends at least 60 days with the Go-Go.

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Towns, Lineup, Carmelo

August 8th, 2025 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

In a subscriber-only story, Zach Braziller of The New York Post considers whether the Knicks‘ coaching change will benefit Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in their second year with the team.

Bridges had an up-and-down first season in New York, while Towns put up big numbers but wasn’t always involved in the offense enough, including in some playoff games. New head coach Mike Brown is expected to bring a faster pace and more ball movement with him to the Knicks, Braziller notes, which could result in better looks for Bridges and Towns.

James L. Edwards III of The Athletic covers similar ground in a mailbag, observing that Brown used some creative offensive sets in Sacramento to get DeMar DeRozan good mid-range looks and could run similar sets for Bridges. Edwards also thinks the Knicks could use Towns as the hub of their offense more frequently and take advantage of his passing.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Edwards also explores some lineup and rotation questions in his mailbag, speculating that the Knicks will open the season with Towns and Mitchell Robinson starting alongside one another in the frontcourt in order to provide more rim protection on the first unit.
Whether it’s Robinson or Josh Hart in the starting lineup, Edwards projects both players to be regular parts of the rotation along with Towns, Bridges, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson, and Guerschon Yabusele. Whether Brown opts to go beyond a nine-man rotation to open the season could depend on who the Knicks sign to fill out their roster and whether or not any of the club’s young players stand out during the preseason, Edwards writes.
Former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony has chosen Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade to be his presenters when he’s formally inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame next month, according to a press release.
In case you missed it, Mike Weinar withdrew from the Knicks’ search for a lead assistant, but Chris Jent of the Hornets remains under consideration. In other Knicks news, we recently passed along the details on Bridges’ four-year extension with the team, including his unique trade kicker.

Warriors Have Interest In Sign-And-Trade For Josh Giddey

August 7th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

In a recent live stream for Bleacher Report (video link), Jake Fischer discussed the current stalemate surrounding both the Bulls with Josh Giddey and the Warriors with Jonathan Kuminga, neither of which he expects to come to an end anytime soon. During that stream, Fischer reported that there is interest, at least from the Warriors’ end, in a double sign-and-trade that could solve both problems simultaneously.

“I can report that there have been multiple teams that have reached out to Josh Giddey’s representation about having interest in [him],” Fischer said. “Golden State is one of them. Golden State would be interested, depending on how the machinations would go, in some kind of Josh Giddey-Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade, to my understanding.”

Of course, a sign-and-trade needs both sides to be interested, and Fischer notes that doesn’t appear to be the case at the moment. “The Bulls have been telling teams… that they don’t want to talk sign-and-trade,” he said.

According to Fischer, Chicago does have a longstanding interest in Kuminga, though it’s unclear to what extent. While the Bulls haven’t made an “aggressive pursuit” of Kuminga to this point, they remain on the periphery of the situation.

“They made outreach to Golden State early in the offseason about Kuminga, they’ve talked about Kuminga in various trade conversations with the Warriors in the past when Golden State was checking in on Zach LaVine and Alex Caruso and other things,” Fischer says.

A double sign-and-trade is a difficult maneuver to pull off, as the rules regarding base year compensation mean that the salaries going out would only count for 50% of their annual average value to the team trading them, but would count fully for the team receiving the player. Since that would apply to both the Bulls and Warriors in such a deal, any double sign-and-trade would almost certainly necessitate at least one more team getting involved.

The Warriors were prepared to draft Giddey in 2021 if Kuminga were selected ahead of their No. 7 pick, per Fischer, and they’ve since maintained their interest in the 6’8″ guard. Fischer also notes that the Warriors have attempted to negotiate with this Bulls regime before, citing the 2023 deadline, when the Warriors reportedly made multiple first-round picks available in a potential deal for Caruso.

He adds that rival teams feel that the Bulls are not generally forthcoming in trade negotiations, at times to the point of inscrutability.

“Other teams don’t want to talk that business with Chicago, and they know Chicago doesn’t really want to make sign-and-trade scenarios come to fruition for Josh Giddey after turning Caruso into Giddey directly with no other draft capital coming back,” Fischer said.

Even if the Warriors and Bulls don’t make any sort of deal this offseason, that may not close the door on the idea of Kuminga eventually ending up in Chicago, Fischer adds: “There still is some hope from Kuminga’s side that the Bulls could factor into his situation right now, and there is also some hope to my understanding from Kuminga’s side that if he were to take the qualifying offer and reach unrestricted free agency next year, the Bulls… are going to be major players with cap space.”

Fischer’s Latest: RFAs, Warriors, White, Young, Celtics

August 7th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Maher

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

August 7th, 2025 at 5:14pm CST by Rory Maher

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

August 7th, 2025 at 4:09pm CST by Rory Maher

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

August 7th, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Rory Maher

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.