P.J. Washington Likely To Reach Extension With Mavericks
After Dallas unexpectedly earned the No. 1 pick and the ability to draft Cooper Flagg this spring, the team’s crowded frontcourt has been a popular topic of speculation. In Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, the recently extended Daniel Gafford, and Dwight Powell, the team has a number of talented big men. Add in Flagg, Naji Marshall and Caleb Martin as forwards who can play the four, and the rotation quickly fills up.
However, P.J. Washington shouldn’t be considered the odd man out, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). It’s a sentiment shared by general manager Nico Harrison, who has expressed enthusiasm this summer about the idea of Washington and Flagg sharing the floor together.
Washington will become extension-eligible this Friday, two years after he signed his current contract, for a four-year deal worth nearly $90MM, according to Stein, who hears from league sources that the two sides are expected to reach a deal.
Stein notes that the newly-27-year-old Washington has admirers around the league following a productive season-and-a-half in Dallas, including the 2024 Finals run in which he averaged 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and hit the clutch free throws that helped the Mavs advance to the Western Conference Finals.
However, due to extend-and-trade restrictions, any extension that includes a first-year raise exceeding 20%, has a subsequent raise exceeding 5%, or adds four new years to his deal would make Washington ineligible to be traded before the 2026 deadline, ensuring he plays out the season in Dallas.
Washington started all but one of his 57 games last year for the Mavs, averaging 14.7 points, a career-high 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks per contest while shooting 38.1% from three.
Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers Take Home Big3 Championship
Eleven years after helping the LeBron James-led Heat reach the Finals, Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley once again found themselves as Miami teammates vying for a championship, this time in Ice Cube’s Big3 league. Unlike in 2014 against the Spurs, when the Heat lost in five games, the pair came out victorious in the 3×3 title game on Sunday, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Beasley put up 25 points and 12 rebounds, but his biggest play of the night came off an isolation possession in which he found Chalmers waiting in the corner to hit a game-winning three-pointer to clinch the championship. Chalmers, the team’s captain, had just five points, but three of them were the biggest of the night.
Former Pacers wing Lance Stephenson was the second-leading scorer for the Miami 305 with 14 points. Beasley, Chalmers, and Stephenson were joined by former NBA players Reggie Evans and Sean Williams. They beat the Chicago Triplets, whose roster includes former NBA big men Montrezl Harrell and Amir Johnson.
Winderman notes that the title marked the fifth different league in which Chalmers has taken home a championship. The 39-year-old point guard also won two titles with the Heat, two championships in high school, an NCAA championship with Kansas in 2008, and a Champions League title with Virtus Bologna in 2019.
Beasley and Chalmers had previously made the 2024 Big3 Finals but ultimately lost to the team Bivouac, which featured Gerald Green and Corey Brewer.
Heat EuroBasket Notes: Jovic, Spoelstra, Larsson, Fontecchio
The Heat should have several prominent roles available for the taking this fall. While Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo all seem to have their starting spots locked up and Davion Mitchell and Kel’el Ware made strong cases for themselves last season, there are still plenty of regular minutes in the rotation to be won.
Nikola Jovic could get a head start on staking his claim during this summer’s EuroBasket competition, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Winderman writes that head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to see Jovic step into a leadership role as one of the Serbian team’s leading men.
Last season, Jovic saw his responsibilities dip as Ware came on strong. The Serbian forward started just 10 games after making 38 starts the season before, though he was still productive, averaging 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 37.1% from three. A strong EuroBasket could help Jovic hit the ground running next season and carve out a key role with the Heat.
In a recent exhibition win against Slovenia, Jovic scored 18 points on 7-8 shooting with Spoelstra in attendance.
We have more from the Heat’s EuroBasket players:
- Speaking of Spoelstra, the Heat head coach has been on a European tour, checking in on his international players, Winderman writes in a separate article. Prior to watching Jovic help lead Serbia to a 34-point victory over Luka Doncic‘s Slovenian squad, Spoelstra dropped in on Pelle Larsson as Larsson and the Swedish squad battled Estonia.
- EuroBasket offers Larsson a chance to spread his wings and show his complete skill set to the Heat, who already like the approach he takes to the game. “What he does are the things that we value,” Spoelstra said of Larsson, per Winderman. “He’s so tough. He makes winning plays. He’s a great role player. He fits around guys, the best players. And he will continue to get better, because he has a great work ethic.” Spoelstra has been interested in watching how the second-year guard fares as a ball-handler, but declined to put Larsson in a box as far as his role, citing the variety of ways in which the 6’5″ wing can impact the game. Winderman adds that Spoelstra’s comments seemed to indicate that Larsson had already won himself a role in the rotation for this coming season.
- EuroBasket is also a chance for new addition Simone Fontecchio to bounce back and show what he can bring to the Heat after he followed up a strong 2023/24 performance with a disappointing ’24/25 in Detroit. With the long-tenured Duncan Robinson heading to the Pistons this offseason, Winderman notes that there’s hope Fontecchio can get back to the 40% three-point shooter he was two years ago in an effort to replace some of what Miami lost.
Danilo Gallinari Hasn’t Ruled Out NBA Return
Danilo Gallinari hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2024 playoffs, but he hasn’t necessarily given up on the idea of making it back to the league. Gallinari, reflective and self-aware at 37 years old, spoke recently about his desire to stay in the NBA for another year (Twitter link via Iacopo De Santis of Pianeta Basket).
“I always hope so. If I were to return, it would be as a veteran, kind of like insurance for a franchise,” he said. “I wouldn’t play much and would serve as a helpful presence.”
De Santis also writes that Gallinari expressed doubt that his long-held desire to return to Olimpia Milano – the team with which he got his start and played for three years before being selected sixth in the 2008 draft by the Knicks – would come to fruition.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I consider it very, very unlikely. The more time passes, the more complicated it seems,” he said. “In order to return to Milan, you have to be wanted. Even during my last years in the NBA, I thought about coming back to Milan. But again, to return, you have to be wanted. It’s not like I wake up one morning, make a call and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m ready to come back, do you want me?’ That’s not how it works.”
He adds that he received calls from European teams throughout his NBA career, as well as more recently, but never from Milan.
Gallinari spent time in 2023/24 with the Wizards, Pistons, and Bucks, averaging 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. He appeared in three playoff contests for the Bucks, averaging 3.7 PPG in 12.3 MPG.
Gallinari played this season in the Puerto Rican league, where he helped lead the Vaqueros de Bayamon to a championship and was named Finals MVP after he scored 24 points with six rebounds and four assists in the title-clinching game. He has recently joined the Italian national team for what he says will be his final international competition.
History Indicates Brad Stevens, Celtics Unlikely To Tank
The Celtics have been one of the teams hit particularly hard by the CBA’s second apron rules, especially in conjunction with the team being sold and the Achilles injury to Jayson Tatum that has forced them to take a step back from their title contention goals. That has led to the team trading away players such as Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Georges Niang (who was acquired in the Porzingis deal) in an effort to shed salary.
However, just because the Celtics have been working to get their books in order doesn’t mean that fans should expect them to outright tank this season, writes Chris Forsberg for NBC Sports Boston.
In a mailbag, Forsberg shares a story from general manager Brad Stevens‘ coaching days to illustrate his mindset. Forsberg writes about the 2014/15 season, when the Celtics, coming off their first missed playoffs since 2007, started the year 13-26.
When confronted by Jae Crowder about whether he was okay with losing, Stevens refused to consider tanking, and the team eventually pulled together a 40-42 season and a trip to the first round of the playoffs. Forsberg writes that the refusal to accept losing helped define Stevens’ tenure as head coach, and will likely do the same for his tenure in the front office.
While there would be an undeniable benefit in the Celtics landing an unexpected top pick in a loaded 2026 draft class, Forsberg believes the esteem in which Stevens holds winning and competitiveness will likely preclude the front office from selling off important future-facing pieces — even if the team falls well behind the pace established by last season’s 61-win squad.
Windhorst: Kevin Durant, Rockets Expected To Reach Extension
The Rockets and Kevin Durant haven’t yet come to terms on an extension following the Rockets’ trade for the 36-year-old former MVP.
While there has been speculation that Houston is unlikely to offer Durant a full max deal and that the star forward is comfortable heading into the season without a new contract in place, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that there is a belief that the two sides will, in fact, come to terms on an extension sooner or later.
Windhorst cites a source that confirms the two sides have had discussions about an extension and believes such a deal will materialize, though he reiterates that Durant may need to take a deal less than the max to stay a Rocket long-term.
Durant is still a massively talented player, averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 62 games last season while shooting 43% from three and earning his 15th All-Star nod. However, Windhorst writes that rather than seeing Durant as the centerpiece of their team, the Rockets view him as the final puzzle piece meant to turn their already highly talented roster, which secured the No. 2 seed in the West last season, into a true contender.
The Rockets signed Jabari Smith Jr. to a five-year extension and re-upped Fred VanVleet on a one-plus-one deal this summer. They also signed Alperen Sengun to a five-year extension last summer. Meanwhile, Tari Eason is currently extension-eligible, and Amen Thompson will follow suit in 2026. The team will likely need to be deliberate with its spending to avoid crowding its books in a way that makes it prohibitively expensive to keep the core together.
Tony Parker Working Toward NBA Coaching Job
Tony Parker is hoping to find his way back to the NBA, this time as a coach, writes David Loriot for L’Equipe. This involves enrolling in a coaching course, according to Kevin Martorano of Sportando.
Parker, the 18-year NBA veteran, four-time champion, and 2007 NBA Finals MVP, has been president of the French team ASVEL since 2014. In that time, the team has rostered NBA players such as Guerschon Yabusele and eventual NBA No. 1 overall picks Victor Wembanyama and Zaccharie Risacher.
Now, though, Parker says he wants to step away from his front office position and familiarize himself with the rigors of coaching life.
“My dream is to coach in the NBA,” Parker said in an interview with L’Equipe.
To do so, Parker is working to obtain his DESJEPS degree, or Higher State Diploma of Youth, Popular Education and Sport, along with a secondary degree, the DEPB or Professional Basketball Coach Diploma, which he will likely receive in May 2026.
After Parker was a surprise guest for the ASVEL under-15 team on Thursday, running the team through training, he spoke about what that experience meant to him.
“It confirms what I’ve been feeling since last year: I missed the court,” he said. “The adrenaline, the daily grind, I missed all of that. I think it’s the right timing for me. I’ve been retired from sport for six years and I feel it inside me.”
In the lead-up to this decision, Parker said he spoke with his former coach Gregg Popovich, as well as French sports legends Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, all of whom imparted advice.
“Last October, after my first discussion with Pop, I felt this strong desire. I asked him for advice, the Spurs opened the doors to me in January, February, March, where I was able to observe everything over seven or 10 days,” he said, before adding that Zidane and Henry helped convince him to obtain his coaching degree.
“I don’t need it to coach in the NBA,” Parker said with a smile. “But I said to myself, why not go back to school?”
Parker added that he has been approached by several clubs (presumably NBA teams), but that he preferred to get his diploma, and then to pursue a path that could eventually end with him being the head coach of an NBA team. He also wouldn’t rule out the idea of one day coaching the French national team.
“Everyone knows that I’m friends with [French national team coach Freddy Fauthoux], I love him, he’s my guy! But in the very long term, why not,” Parker mused. “It’s clear that if you embark on this career, one day, you’ll want to coach the French team, that’s for sure. But before that, I have so many things to do.”
Fischer’s Latest: Beasley, Martin, Hyland, Cavaliers
Following the recent report that Malik Beasley is no longer the target of a federal gambling investigation, it is expected that the sharp-shooting free agent will rejoin the market as one of the more valuable players still available. One of the teams that has shown interest in his services is the Knicks, writes Jake Fischer for The Stein Line, confirming a report from Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
The Knicks currently have an open roster spot, and have been rumored to be considering Landry Shamet or Ben Simmons for the role, though there’s debate as to how real the Simmons interest is. Fischer notes that the Knicks’ interest in Beasley dates back to their first-round playoff series against the Pistons, who still hold his Non-Bird rights.
Begley, in a tweet, adds that it wouldn’t be surprising if Beasley’s market was more than the veteran minimum contract the Knicks would be able to offer. Beasley reportedly had a three-year, $42MM deal on the table from the Pistons before news of the gambling investigation broke and Detroit moved on to signing Duncan Robinson.
Beasley averaged 16.3 points per game last season while shooting 41.6% from three on 9.3 attempts and earning the runner-up status for Sixth Man of the Year. Despite coming off the bench for all but 18 games, Beasley ranked second in the league in total made three-pointers.
We have more news from Jake Fischer’s latest article:
- While rival teams expect the Warriors to sign Al Horford, Gary Payton II, and De’Anthony Melton once their stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga is resolved, they will still have more moves to make. One name that they’re considering, according to Fischer, is Cody Martin. Fischer notes that Martin has interest from multiple playoff teams, and is waiting to determine if Golden State would offer the best situation or if it would be better to make his choice once training camps have started. The 6’5″ wing has struggled with his shot in recent years but is a strong athlete and capable defender.
- The Timberwolves are hoping to bring Bones Hyland back with one of their two remaining roster spots, Fischer writes, confirming prior reporting from The Athletic. Hyland, a 24-year-old scoring guard, played just four games with the Wolves last year after starting the season with the Clippers, with whom he averaged 7.2 points and shot 38.8% on three-point attempts in 11.1 minutes per night. Hyland would provide depth for the Wolves’ point guard rotation, which currently features 38-year-old Mike Conley and 21-year-old Rob Dillingham,
- The Cavaliers also have two open roster spots, but Fischer writes that they’re not expected to fill the 15th spot heading into the season. With a massive payroll and a punitive luxury tax bill, Fischer instead expects them to sign a a 14th man to a non-guaranteed contract and leave the 15th spot open.
Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III
The Warriors remain locked in a contract standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, but that hasn’t kept them from poking around the league for upgrades on the trade market. One name that has come up in their search, writes Jake Fischer for The Stein Line, is Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III.
Fischer says the Warriors approached the Pelicans about Murphy this summer. However, he notes that New Orleans has turned away offers for the recently-turned 25-year-old, who is coming off a breakout year that saw him score 21.2 points per game after averaging 14.6 PPG over the previous two years.
Murphy, who is on a favorable contract (four years, $112MM), is a 6’8″ wing who can shoot (career 38.3% from three), defend at a solid level, and has shown flashes of self-creation. The Warriors have placed a premium on shooting, as illustrated by Fischer’s report that they have refused to consider sign-and-trade offers that would force them to part with either Moses Moody or Buddy Hield, two of the team’s top marksmen outside of Stephen Curry.
Fischer adds another name to the list of potential suitors for Murphy: the Spurs. According to Fischer, San Antonio has also registered trade interest in the athletic wing.
Murphy would be a clean fit with the Spurs, who could use a big wing shooter to complement guards De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle – an extremely talented trio that doesn’t feature a reliable outside shooter – as well as versatile forward Jeremy Sochan.
However, all the reasons teams such as the Spurs and Warriors are interested in Murphy’s services are also reasons the Pelicans would be reluctant to part with him. That’s especially true given the uncertainty surrounding Zion Williamson, both in terms of his long-term health and off-court allegations. Murphy, the recently extended Herb Jones, and Jose Alvarado have been on the team longer than anyone outside of Williamson, and Murphy’s game has grown tremendously in that time.
Jaime Echenique Signs With Reggio Emilia
Jaime Echenique is joining Reggio Emilia in Italy, reports Dario Skerletic for Sportando. The deal is expected to be for one season.
Echenique, a 6’11” center out of Barranquilla, Colombia, played one game for the Wizards during the 2021/22 season. This appearance made him the first and, to this point, only Colombian-born player to play in the NBA. The following season, he played 13 games for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League, averaging 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per night.
He has spent the last two seasons overseas, playing first for Promitheas in the Greek League, and last season with Petkim Spor in the Turkish league, where he averaged 10.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per night as a part-time starter.
Discussing the new addition to his team, coach Dimitris Priftis expressed high praise and lofty expectations.
“We are completing our foreign player lineup with an important player. Echenique has great skills around the rim and is very experienced, having played in multiple European leagues,” Priftis said. “I believe he can help us develop the style of play we envision and achieve the goals we have set.”