Lakers Adding Arthur Kaluma, Augustas Marciulionis Via E10 Deals
The Lakers are set to audition several new players via Exhibit 10 training camp deals. After agreeing to an E10 contract with former five-year North Carolina guard RJ Davis, Los Angeles is also bringing in two additional undrafted free agents on similar agreements.
Former Texas forward Arthur Kaluma and ex-Saint Mary’s guard Augustas Marciulionis have agreed to Exhibit 10 deals with the Lakers, sources tell Dan Woike of The Athletic and Jonathan Givony of ESPN, respectively (Twitter links).
Kaluma, a 6’7″ wing, registered averages of 12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 1.8 APG during his final NCAA season, with a shooting line of .462/.359/.784. Prior to his Longhorns stint, Kaluma also suited up for Creighton and Texas State.
A two-time WCC Player of the Year, the 6’4″ Marciulionis averaged 14.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 4.1 APG in 35 outings last season. He posted shooting splits of .446/.347/.793. Marciulionis missed pre-draft workouts while recuperating from a foot injury, but is expected to be healthy next month, Givony notes.
Exhibit 10 agreements are non-guaranteed, but can be converted into two-way deals if players impress their clubs. Should Kaluma or Marciulionis be waived and spend up to 60 days on the Lakers’ G League affiliate in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers, they could earn bonuses worth up to $85K.
Heat, Steve Settle III Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
The Heat are signing former Temple forward Steve Settle III to an Exhibit 10 deal, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). A 6’10” sharpshooting swingman, Settle impressed scouts during his pre-draft workouts, according to Chepkevich.
Settle, a two-time All-MEAC honoree, averaged a well-rounded stat line of 12.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.0 BPG during his 31 healthy bouts in 2024/25. Settle also connected on 41.6% of his 3.6 three-point tries a game as a fifth-year senior last year, although he’s just a 33.9% career shooter from distance.
During his five NCAA seasons at Temple and Howard, Settle started 125 of 128 possible contests.
Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed training camp deals that can be converted into two-way agreements. Miami has already agreed to sign one other undrafted player, former Michigan center Vladislav Goldin, to a two-way deal.
If Miami cuts Settle and he subsequently logs at least 60 days with their NBAGL affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, he will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85K in 2025/26.
Vlad Goldin Signs Two-Way Contract With Heat
July 2: Goldin has officially signed his two-way contract, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
June 26: Former Michigan center Vladislav Goldin is signing a two-way deal with the Heat, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter). Goldin had been an unrestricted free agent after going unselected in this year’s draft.
The 7’1″ big man bounced around in the NCAA, kicking off his career at Texas Tech in 2020/21, then transferring to Florida Atlantic for the subsequent three seasons. During his fifth collegiate season, 2024/25, the Russian-born center notched averages of 16.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.1 APG, and 0.5 SPG.
The 24-year-old earned a host of honors during his various college stints, including an All-Big Ten First Team accolade and Big Ten Tournament MVP honors with the Wolverines this past season.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic had ranked Goldin as the year’s No. 51 prospect in his final big board.
Miami selected former Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis with the No. 20 pick in the draft. The Heat did not have their own second-rounder this week.
Trail Blazers Signing Caleb Love To Two-Way Deal
The Trail Blazers are inking Arizona guard Caleb Love to a two-way contract, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 6’4″ guard wasn’t selected in the just-concluded 2025 draft, despite being the 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year and a 2025 All-Big 12 honoree during his two seasons with the Wildcats.
A fifth-year senior, Love began his collegiate career in the ACC, where he suited up for North Carolina. In 37 healthy contests for Arizona last year, Love averaged 17.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 1.2 SPG. He notched a shooting line of .398/.340/.889.
Love had been ranked as the No. 63 best prospect among this year’s class by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
Portland has had a buzzy run this week. After trading to acquire six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday from Boston earlier this week, the Trail Blazers traded out of the lottery on Wednesday to take a flier on 7’2″ former Qingdao center Hansen Yang.
Lakers To Acquire No. 36 Pick Adou Thiero
The Lakers have agreed to acquire the No. 36 overall pick in the draft from Minnesota and used it to select Arkansas forward Adou Thiero, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The 36th pick has changed hands in multiple deals that aren’t yet official, from the Nets to the Suns to the Timberwolves and now to the Lakers. Minnesota is moving down to No. 45 as part of this deal and acquiring cash from the Lakers as well, according to Charania (Twitter link).
Los Angeles has been rocketing up the second round since the start of the day. The Lakers first traded the No. 55 selection and cash considerations to the Bulls in exchange for the No. 45 pick, which now is being rerouted to the Timberwolves.
After the Lakers sent out cash to Chicago in that initial exchange, L.A. became hard-capped at the NBA’s second luxury tax apron.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned during the network’s second round broadcast that Los Angeles had serious interest in moving up to select Thiero specifically. The Lakers did not have their own first-round pick this season.
The 6’6″ swingman enjoyed a breakout junior year at Arkansas. He had transferred there for the 2024/25 season, following a modest role at Kentucky from 2022-24. In his 27 contests with the Razorbacks last season, Thiero averaged 15.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG.
Mavericks Reportedly Among Leaders For D’Angelo Russell
The Mavericks have emerged as a leading potential free agent destination for veteran guard D’Angelo Russell, sources inform Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
The Mavericks would likely only be able to offer Russell the NBA’s taxpayer mid-level exception, worth an estimated $5.7MM in 2025/26, given their current cap situation. Still, Dallas could give the Ohio State alum the opportunity to start at point guard until nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving returns from his ACL tear.
While much could change this offseason, the Mavericks’ roster doesn’t project to be heavy on play-makers or backcourt depth even once Irving returns, so Russell would likely still be in line for significant run on a fully healthy Dallas team.
Splitting his 2024/25 season between the Lakers and Nets, the 29-year-old averaged 12.6 PPG, 5.1 APG and 2.8 RPG across 58 healthy games. His 39.0% mark on shots from the floor and 31.4% rate on three-point attempts were well below his stronger career shooting line of .427/.365/.796.
Dallas will be able to offer Russell or another free agent point guard more than the veteran’s minimum largely due to the fact that Irving’s new three-year, $119MM contract will feature a more team-friendly cap hit in 2025/26 than his now-declined $43MM player option, Stein observes.
Russell is one of several free agent point guards who has been linked to the Mavericks this week, along with fellow former All-Star Chris Paul, plus Dennis Schröder and Malcolm Brogdon. The Kings are rumored to be a leading suitor for Schröder.
Lakers Sale To Mark Walter Will Close This Year
New incoming Lakers majority owner Mark Walter will assume control of the franchise during the third or fourth quarter of 2025, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.
An ownership group led by Walter is purchasing a significant portion of the Buss family’s 66% majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation. Walter was already a minority shareholder in the franchise, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.
Current Los Angeles governor Jeanie Buss, who helped steer the franchise to a title in that role five years ago, will stay in that role – and will continue to oversee team day-to-day team operations – “for the foreseeable future,” the Lakers and Walter confirmed in a press statement addressing the sale.
“From the day our father [Dr. Jerry Buss] purchased the Lakers, we have been determined to deliver what the City of Los Angeles deserves and demands: a team that is committed to winning — relentlessly — and to doing so with passion and with style,” Jeanie Buss said. “I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values. For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers’ extraordinary legacy.”
Under the Buss family, the Lakers have won 11 championships.
The Chicago-based Walter also has stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and other sports holdings.
“Since Dr. Jerry Buss first purchased the team in 1979, they have truly set the standard for basketball in one era after another, which is why you can find people anywhere in the world wearing Lakers shirts and jerseys,” Walter said.
Celtics Notes: Tatum, Simons, Sale, Roster, Brown, White
Celtics forward Torrey Craig has provided an update on recovering All-Star forward Jayson Tatum. In an interview with CLNS Boston’s Bobby Manning and Noa Dalzell on their show “The Garden Report” (YouTube video link), Craig spoke about Tatum’s recovery from an Achilles surgery.
Tatum is currently four weeks into his rehabilitation, having torn the tendon in Game 4 of an eventual second round playoff series loss to New York.
“(I) see him smiling and laughing and joking around,” Craig said. “I just look forward to his recovery, the progress he’s making, and it’s always good to see him in good spirits.”
Craig, 34, is an unrestricted free agent this summer. With Tatum on the shelf through much or all of 2025/26, he may be an option the team considers on another minimum-salary contract as it looks to fill out its wing depth.
There’s more out of Boston:
- The Celtics’ newest guard, Anfernee Simons, asked to be traded away from Portland even ahead of the 2024/25 season, a source informs Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). According to Washburn’s source, Simons – an Orlando-area native – had been interested the Magic. Orlando addressed its scoring guard needs with its blockbuster deal for Desmond Bane earlier this summer, but Simons eventually got the change of scenery he sought.
- Although the Celtics have yet to officially be sold to new majority owner William Chisholm, the club’s impending sale is still on track to be approved and finalized in the not-too-distant future, sources tell Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- Thanks to their deals of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics are now below the NBA’s punitive second luxury tax apron. Brian Robb of MassLive takes a look at potential next steps for Boston following those deals.
- During a Wednesday appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” (YouTube video link), NBA insider Brian Windhorst confirmed colleague Shams Charania’s report that the Celtics are getting calls about stars Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Windhorst suggested that Boston’s decision on whether or not to move those players may happen sooner rather than later. “There are teams in the top 10 (of tonight’s draft) who are making offers,” Windhorst said. “And you’d potentially be able to get replacement players and a draft pick. I don’t know if Brad Stevens and his staff is in love with one of these top guys. Maybe they are. But that’s what is on the table. … I say at midnight, Jaylen Brown is still a Celtic and Derrick White is still a Celtic, and they run it back, and they get ready to go in ’26/27.”
Rockets Re-Sign Fred VanVleet To Two-Year Deal
July 7: VanVleet’s new contract agreement with the Rockets is now official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
June 25: The Rockets are declining Fred VanVleet‘s $44.9MM team option and will instead re-sign him on a two-year, $50MM deal, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The second season will be a player option, Charania adds.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), VanVleet’s new deal will have a flat structure, paying him $25MM next season, with his option also worth $25MM.
During his 60 healthy games for Houston in 2024/25, the Wichita State alum averaged 14.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.7 RPG, with a .378/.345/.810 shooting line that was well below his career average.
The 2023 offseason veteran additions of VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green and head coach Ime Udoka proved to be the kind of steadying forces needed to take a talented young team to the next level. During VanVleet’s first season in town, Houston finished with a solid 41-41 season and barely missed the postseason in a deep Western Conference.
Last year, the Rockets’ youth movement exploded. Houston finished with the West’s No. 2 record, 52-30, and almost outlasted the Warriors in a hard-fought first round playoff loss.
Houston has now reconfigured its core by bringing in 15-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant in a blockbuster pre-draft trade, which cost the team Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft, young guard Jalen Green, and five second-round picks.
Retaining VanVleet on a cheaper deal with give the Rockets more room to maneuver this summer, as the club hopes to become a true title contender in 2025/26.
To wit, cap expert Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron tweets that Houston now projects to be comfortably below the league’s first tax apron and luxury tax line. Keith Smith of Spotrac reports (via Twitter) that the new agreement will give the Rockets access to the $14.1MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception this year, though using all of the MLE would push the team back above the tax threshold.
While VanVleet’s new contract is a short-term agreement, Charania hears from sources that both sides would like their partnership to ultimately last longer than just the next two years.
Northwest Notes: Boozer, Bradley, OKC, Timberwolves
The Jazz‘s reconfigured front office is leaning on former Utah forward Carlos Boozer and former longtime NBA guard Avery Bradley to help prep for Wednesday and Thursday’s NBA draft, observes Tony Jones of The Athletic.
“This place has really transformed,” Boozer told Jones. “But, I want to do my part to build this team back up to being a contender, because that’s where this franchise belongs. I love this fan base and this town. It reminds me of my hometown in Alaska. So, this has been a huge honor, and it’s brought back so many memories.”
As Jones notes, both Boozer and Bradley know something about being under-the-radar draft gems.
“I think having the perspective of being a player is helpful,” Bradley said. “Seeing players that could model and resemble some of the players that we’ve played with and have been in locker rooms with helps. What Carlos and I have wanted to do is help Austin (Ainge) and Justin (Zanik) and Danny (Ainge) in the process.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- After claiming their first title together on Sunday, the Thunder’s new big three of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-NBA wing Jalen Williams, and big man Chet Holmgren could form the core of a new dynasty, posits Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “These guys represent all that’s good at a young age,” longtime Oklahoma City president Sam Presti said. “They prioritize winning, they prioritize sacrifice, and it just kind of unfolded very quickly…. Age is a number. Sacrifice and maturity is a characteristic, and these guys have it in spades.”
- With the Timberwolves’ sale officially approved by the league, now-former majority owners Glen and Becky Taylor have penned a thank-you message to Minnesota fans, via a Timberwolves press release. Taylor leaves the Timberwolves in a good place, with the club anchored by All-NBA superstar guard Anthony Edwards and fresh off two straight Western Conference Finals appearances. “Though we are stepping away as owners, our love for this organization and this community remains as strong as ever,” the Taylors write. “We will always be fans, cheering from our seats, celebrating your triumphs, and believing in what comes next.”
- Incoming new Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez spoke to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic about their vision for the franchise moving forward. “Let’s make it very clear,” Rodriguez said. “Marc and I are not making basketball decisions… What we’ve learned is some of the best governors throughout sports, they spend most of their time in the front end hiring the right people. … We give them guidelines, we give them budgets, and then Tim (Connelly) can cook. And then we stay out of his way. That’s also really important.”