Bucks Push Back Guarantee Date On Andre Jackson’s Contract
The Bucks and guard Andre Jackson Jr. have agreed to push back the guarantee date on Jackson’s contract for the 2025/26 season, Eric Nehm of The Athletic reports.
Milwaukee previously had until Monday to make that decision. Jackson got a de facto bonus for agreeing to move back the date — a portion of his $2,221,677 salary is now guaranteed, per Nehm. The new guarantee date and the amount of Jackson’s partial guarantee have not yet been disclosed.
The Bucks benefit by gaining more flexibility as they attempt to fill out the rest of their roster.
It would be somewhat surprising if Milwaukee let Jackson go. The 2023 second-round selection out of UConn appeared in 67 games last season, including 43 starts. He didn’t shoot much — 2.9 attempts per game — and made 47.7 percent of his attempts while averaging 3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.6 minutes per game.
Jackson is capable at backing up at both guard spots and small forward. He’s signed through the 2026/27 season with the final year of the deal including a club option.
Clippers Sign First-Rounder Yanic Konan Niederhauser
The Clippers have signed center Yanic Konan Niederhauser to a rookie scale contract, according to the NBA transactions log.
Niederhauser was the 30th and final first-round selection in last month’s draft. As our rookie scale salary table shows, he’ll make $14,091,596 over the next four seasons with a starting salary of $2,743,800, assuming he received the maximum allowable 120% of his rookie scale amount. The third and fourth year of rookie contracts include team options.
Niederhauser played one season at Penn State after two seasons at Northern Illinois. With the Nittany Lions, he averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game while making 29 starts.
Niederhauser improved his draft stock this spring by shining during the pre-draft process, particularly at the G League Elite Camp — his performance there earned him an invitation to the full-fledged combine.
The 6’10” rookie projects as L.A.’s third-string center entering camp behind starter Ivica Zubac and free agent addition Brook Lopez. He’s on the team’s Summer League roster.
Isaiah Stevens Signs Two-Way With Kings
July 8: Stevens’ two-way deal with Sacramento is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, it’s a two-year contract.
July 7: Isaiah Stevens will sign a two-way deal with the Kings, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee and Sean Cunningham of KRCA News (Twitter links).
Stevens finished the season on a two-way with the Heat but didn’t receive a qualifying offer, which landed him in the unrestricted free agent pool.
Stevens, 24, appeared in three games with Miami last season. The point guard saw action in 33 regular season G League games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s affiliate, and averaged 12.8 and 9.4 assists in 36.9 minutes per contest.
The six-foot Stevens, who went undrafted out of Colorado State, signed his two-way with Miami in late December.
Former Auburn center Dylan Cardwell signed one of the other two-ways from Sacramento. The third one remains unclaimed for the time being.
Magic Sign Paolo Banchero To Five-Year Max Extension
7:04 pm: Banchero’s five-year, maximum-salary extension is official, the Magic announced in a press release (Twitter link).
“We are thrilled to keep Paolo in a Magic uniform for years to come,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “At just 22, he has won NBA Rookie of the Year, been named an NBA All-Star and is widely regarded as one of our league’s brightest young stars.
“This commitment reflects our belief in Paolo’s talent, character and desire to win at the highest level. It also reflects Paolo’s belief in our organization, our fans and the city of Orlando. We are excited to continue this journey together.”
5:31 pm: Magic star forward Paolo Banchero has agreed to a five-year maximum rookie scale contract extension that be worth as much as $288MM, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The contract will include a player option in the final year, the first time that’s happened in a rookie scale maximum-salary extension since 2021, when Luka Doncic and Trae Young each received one.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan points out (Twitter link), the extension is technically worth a projected $240MM but it could rise another $48MM if Banchero meets the Rose Rule performance criteria, which includes making an All-NBA team or winning the Most Valuable Player Award.
The salary projections are based on a 7% cap increase for 2026/27.
Banchero will now be signed through at least 2030, with a ’30/31 player option. The five-year extensions for Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs kick in this coming season and recently acquired Desmond Bane has a contract that runs through the 2028/29 season. That means that four members of the starting lineup are signed for at least the next four seasons.
Orlando’s decision to make Banchero the top pick of 2022 draft was somewhat surprising at the time, but he has lived up to that billing. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2023 and an All-Star in 2024.
An early-season oblique injury marred Banchero’s third NBA season, but he still averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in 46 starts. The 22-year-old has averaged 28 points per game in 12 postseason contests over the past two seasons.
Back in May, Banchero told Marc J. Spears of ESPN he wasn’t sure if he’d sign an extension but was hopeful it would come to fruition.
“I was in over my head when I signed my rookie (contract). So, I really haven’t thought much about that. … But it’s a blessing and hopefully all that stuff works out if I’m able to sign with the team and lock in my future,” he said. “That’s every young player’s goal coming into this league, establishing yourself early, get a second contract. So, when (the) time comes, I’m sure all that stuff we can figure out. I don’t know. They say more money, more problems. So, we’ll see what happens.”
Kyle Lowry Remains With Sixers On One-Year Deal
4:48 pm: Lowry’s new deal is now official, according to a press release from the Sixers.
“Kyle’s championship experience and Hall-of-Fame resume speaks for itself. He is a proven floor general with tremendous knowledge of the game that is a resource to everyone in the organization,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “It’s only fitting that his 20th NBA season will be right here in Philadelphia, the city he calls home.”
4:20 pm: Free agent guard Kyle Lowry has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Sixers, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey predicted last month that Lowry would sign another contract with the team since the Sixers value the Philadelphia native for his leadership and mentorship of young guards like Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.
Lowry, 39, played on the veteran’s minimum last season and figures to do so again. He only appeared in 35 games last season, including 12 starts, averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 assists in 18.8 minutes per game.
Not too long ago, Lowry was once one of the highest-paid guards in the game. His NBA career dates back to 2006, when he was a late first-round pick with Memphis. He’s a six-time All-Star and won a championship with Toronto in 2019.
He only projects as an insurance policy for next year’s Sixers team with Maxey, McCain and first-round pick VJ Edgecombe likely ahead of him on the depth chart.
He’ll become the 12th player in NBA history to play 20-plus seasons and the second point guard to do so, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets, joining Chris Paul.
Mavericks Notes: Jones, Prosper, Broghamer, Handy, Russell
The Mavericks have shown interest in re-signing big man Kai Jones, according to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com, but they’ll have to perform some roster gymnastics to make that happen.
The Mavericks will have 16 players on standard contracts once they re-sign Dante Exum, who was a higher priority for Dallas’ front office than Jones. The former Hornets center appeared in a dozen games with Dallas after the Clippers waived him at the beginning of March.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper is considered to have the most tradable contract among the Mavericks’ expendable margin players, Afseth adds. He’s earning about $3MM in 2025/26 and isn’t owed any guaranteed money beyond the coming season.
We have more on the Mavericks:
- Josh Broghamer will coach the Mavs’ Summer League team, a roster that includes top pick Cooper Flagg, Afseth reports. Jared Dudley has coached the Summer League team in recent years, but appears on the verge of finding work elsewhere.
- Updating his own report that Phil Handy is a candidate for the Mavericks’ coaching staff, Marc Stein tweets that the Knicks also have interest in Handy for Mike Brown‘s new staff in New York. Handy worked for Brown with the Lakers and Cavaliers.
- After Stein mentioned Mike Penberthy as a potential target for the Mavericks’ staff on Wednesday, Afseth classifies the Mavs’ interest in the veteran assistant as “serious,” labeling him a strong candidate to join Jason Kidd‘s staff. Penberthy, who was an assistant alongside Kidd with the Lakers during their championship season, is known as a shooting coach and has earned praise from Mavericks star Anthony Davis for helping him improve as a shooter, Afseth adds.
- The Mavs were looking for a player to bridge the gap until Kyrie Irving returns from his knee injury and D’Angelo Russell can fit the bill, Christian Clark of The Athletic writes. Russell is coming off one of his worst seasons but he played well for the Lakers the previous year. Russell agreed to a two-year deal in the $12MM range, a very reasonable price for a rotation player.
Lakers Notes: Knecht, Ayton, Doncic, Bronny, Jokic, Thiero
Dalton Knecht will play for the Lakers’ Summer League team. He’s looking to expand his game and showcase more skills beyond his three-point shooting.
“Just showing what I can do,” Knecht told Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “Feel like I kind of showed a little bit throughout my rookie year, but just keep building on top of that.”
Knecht was part of the rescinded midseason trade with Charlotte when Mark Williams failed the Lakers’ physical. He remained in the rotation and averaged 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 37.6 percent from long range in 78 appearances as a rookie.
“After the season we had a talk and stuff like that,” Knecht said of coach JJ Redick. “And we’ve been doing a workout. We’ve got lunch and stuff. Just talking and getting to know each other more and then being able to communicate with each other. That’s the most important thing. Then, obviously, JJ is a great shooter and we’ve just been doing shooting drills and stuff like that. It’s good just getting to the gym with your head coach. Learn from him, because he’s a great shooter as well.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- At least one prominent Laker is enticed about the prospect of Deandre Ayton joining the team. Luka Doncic is excited about the opportunity to play with Ayton, according to Dan Woike and David Aldridge of The Athletic. They are both clients of longtime agent Bill Duffy.
- Statements by agent Rich Paul after LeBron James opted in to his contract has fueled speculation that James might want to be traded at some point if he’s unhappy with the team’s roster moves. That was news to his son and teammate Bronny James. “Actually, one of my friends called me, talking about where [I was going to play next season], what I was going to do because they saw my dad [in the news],” Bronny told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I didn’t see it. He called me. I was like, ‘Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ … I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. There’s a lot of stuff going around that I don’t pay attention to.”
- Doncic paired up with Nikola Jokic? That is the dream scenario for Lakers fans and Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus outlines how the Lakers are seemingly making moves designed to clear enough future cap space to bring in Jokic at or before the 2027 offseason if he becomes disillusioned with the Nuggets. While Pincus acknowledges it may be a pipe dream, he points out that the Lakers have a history of making unlikely deals to land future Hall-of-Famers.
- Adou Thiero, drafted with the 36th overall pick, won’t play this summer for the Lakers, Woike tweets. He’s still rehabbing the left knee injury he suffered this past season at Arkansas but he’s expected to be fully cleared for training camp.
Trendon Watford Joins Sixers On Two-Year Deal
July 2: Watford’s two-year, minimum-salary deal is official, per a press release from the Sixers.
“Trendon is a young, dynamic player with a unique skill set who fits nicely with what we’re trying to accomplish on both sides of the ball,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “His size and versatility allow him to guard multiple positions, while his handle and passing showcase his play-making ability. He is a valued addition to our roster and I’m excited to welcome him to Philadelphia.”
Watford’s new contract includes a team option on year two, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
June 30: Trendon Watford is leaving the Nets and joining another Atlantic Division team, the Sixers, on a two-year deal worth $5.3MM, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
That figures to be a minimum-salary contract for Watford — a two-year, veteran’s minimum deal for a player with his four years of experience will come in at $5.26MM.
Watford played two seasons in Portland, then joined the Nets after the Trail Blazers waived him prior to the 2023/24 season. He has appeared in a combined 107 games with Brooklyn over the past two years.
This past season, Watford averaged a career-high best 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 20.8 minutes per game. He missed six weeks action due to a hamstring injury.
Watford could see rotation minutes at power forward with the Sixers, depending on how their roster shakes out this offseason. If he can carve out a role, Watford’s contract could rank as a big bargain.
Free Agency Notes: Cancar, Nuggets, Turner, Middle Class, Spending Power
Veteran forward Vlatko Cancar is expected to leave the Nuggets and head to Europe next season, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports. The Italian team Olimpia Milano has emerged as the leading candidate to sign Cancar, Urbonas adds, with a report from Aris Barkas of Eurohoops suggesting the two sides are on track to complete a two-year deal.
Cancar, 28, has spent the past five seasons with Denver. He has battled health problems in recent years, having missed all of 2023/24 due to a torn ACL and then undergoing another knee surgery this past season. In 13 total appearances in 2024/25, he averaged 1.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11 minutes per contest.
Cancar is an unrestricted free agent after playing on a one-year veteran’s minimum deal.
Here’s more news on the free agent front:
- Nikola Jokic lamented the Nuggets’ lack of depth after the team was eliminated by the Thunder in the playoffs. That issue has been addressed, as The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando notes (subscription required). Denver agreed to trade Michael Porter Jr. and replace him with Cameron Johnson from the Nets, made another agreed-upon trade for big man Jonas Valanciunas, and reached agreements with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown in free agency.
- Despite a report from the Indianapolis Star’s suggesting they went higher, both The Athletic and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) contend that the Pacers’ best offer to Myles Turner was in the $20-22MM per year range. Turner agreed to a four-year, $107MM deal with Central Division rival Milwaukee on Tuesday. According to Spencer Davies of RG.org, Turner would have stayed in Indiana for $25MM per year, but the organization held firm, offering a three-year, $66MM contract, with no player option on year four.
- The Athletic’s John Hollinger notes that the league “middle class,” solid rotation players but not superstars, are doing surprisingly well in free agency. He points out that eight such players received some or all of a team’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception on the first day of free agency.
- Factoring in all the reported moves prior to Wednesday, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith examines the remaining spending power of all the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams.
And-Ones: Kokoskov, Luxury Tax Payments, 2026 Mock, Injuries, NBA TV
Hawks assistant Igor Kokoskov is leaving his position to become head coach of Turkish League team Anadolu Efes, according to Eurohoops.net. Kokoskov has signed a three-year contract.
Kokoskov has been an assistant in the NBA for 19 years, along with a stint as the head coach of the Suns during the 2018/19 season. He was also a head coach in the EuroLeague with Fenerbahce during the 2020/21 season.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- How much did NBA teams who stayed below the luxury tax get rewarded for keeping their salaries below the line? Non-tax teams collected $11,530,235 from the taxpaying clubs, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets.
- Is it too early to talk about the 2026 draft class? Not for draft experts like The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie. He’s posted his first 2026 mock with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and BYU wing A.J. Dybantsa occupying the top three spots.
- Thunder executive Sam Presti believes there’s a direct correlation between the number of games played and injuries. Presti mentioned the NBA’s 65-game rule to qualify for certain awards, the condensed schedule due to the in-season tournament and the recent uptick in physicality allowed by the league, according to an ESPN story.“I think the one thing we have to do is get away from the defensive nature of trying to convince people, players and teams that there’s no connection between the loads and the injuries,” Presti said. “I think it’s — we’re kind of bordering on a level of like, it’s almost insulting.”
- TNT Sports will cease production efforts on NBA TV at the end of the league’s calendar year in September, according to the Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp. The league will begin operating the network starting Oct. 1. It will continue to carry some regular-season games during the 2025/26 season, plus WNBA, G League and other games from international leagues. One key element is that there will be far fewer live games on NBA TV once the new media-rights deal kicks in this fall with ESPN/ABC, NBC Sports and Prime Video, Karp adds.