Miles Norris Signs With Barcelona
Less than two weeks after being waived by the Celtics, forward Miles Norris has lined up his next team, having agreed to a one-year deal with Barcelona, the Spanish club announced in a press release.
Norris, who went undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2023, spent time on two-way contracts in each of his first two professional seasons, first with Atlanta during the first half of the 2023/24 season, then with Boston during the final month-plus of ’24/25. His deal with the Celtics covered two seasons, but he was cut earlier this month in order to open up a two-way slot for rookie Amari Williams.
Norris played sparingly in three total appearances for Boston at the NBA level, but was effective in the G League last season. The 6’9″ forward averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 30.5 minutes per game across 44 total outings for the Memphis Hustle and Maine Celtics, with a shooting line of .464/.388/.791.
Norris is joining a Barcelona squad that finished fifth in both Spain’s Liga ACB and the EuroLeague last season, posting a 21-13 mark in domestic play and a 20-14 record in the EuroLeague. The team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of both leagues’ playoffs.
Barcelona’s roster also features former NBA players like Jan Vesely, Willy Hernangomez, Tornike Shengelia, and Tomas Satoransky. The club’s interest in Norris was reported earlier this week.
Kings’ Malik Monk Still On Trade Block?
The Kings have been “trying very hard” to trade guard Malik Monk this offseason, a league source tell Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal.
According to Afseth and Ashish Mathur of Dallas Hoops Journal, Sacramento would like to create an opening in its backcourt to sign Russell Westbrook, who would become the team’s sixth man behind new starting point guard Dennis Schröder.
The fact that Monk has been on the trade block this summer isn’t breaking news. His name has come up in rumors since even before the start of free agency, when word broke that the Kings’ front office was gauging the market for him and fellow guard Devin Carter.
During the opening days of the free agent period, Monk was linked to the Pistons as part of a potential sign-and-trade for Schröder, but Sacramento and Detroit ended up completing that deal without Monk’s involvement. The Kings took Schröder into an existing traded player exception and the Pistons generated a new TPE of their own by not taking any players back.
Monk is also said to be part of the Kings’ latest offer to the Warriors for restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, but Golden State isn’t interested in taking on the 27-year-old’s contract, which includes an $18.8MM cap hit for this season and has three years and $60.6MM remaining in total. Signing-and-trading Kuminga to Sacramento for Monk would either require the Warriors to include another mid-sized contract or would hard-cap them at the first tax apron, compromising their ability to fill out the rest of their roster.
Monk averaged a career-high 17.2 points per game last season and is just one year removed from finishing second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2024. He’s also nearly 10 years younger than Westbrook, so it’s a little surprising that the Kings would be looking to move Monk in order to sign the 36-year-old free agent, but that rumor has persisted since early July.
It’s worth noting that the Kings overhauled their basketball operations department this spring, with Scott Perry replacing former general manager Monte McNair. Sacramento’s new top decision-maker didn’t acquire Monk or sign him to his current extension and doesn’t appear to have the same level of attachment to him that the old front office did.
Malik Beasley No Longer Target Of Federal Investigation
Free agent wing Malik Beasley is no longer a target of the federal gambling investigation being conducted by the Eastern District of New York, attorneys Steve Haney and Mike Schachter tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
Word broke in June, just ahead of free agency, that Beasley was under federal investigation due to allegations related to gambling and prop bets made the 2023/24 season. According to Charania, Beasley’s lawyers have had “extensive” discussions with the Eastern District of New York in recent weeks and learned that the investigation isn’t targeting their client.
“Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation,” Haney said. “An allegation with no charge, indictment or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence.”
While Beasley is legally afforded the presumption of innocence, it wouldn’t have made sense for an NBA team to sign him without assurances that he would be cleared. A worst-case outcome for Beasley would have meant a lifetime ban from the league, similar to the one levied by the NBA on Jontay Porter after it was determined that Porter manipulated prop bets by exiting at least one game early, citing health reasons.
As Charania details, investigators in this case were believed to be focused on unusually heavy betting activity on Beasley’s statistics in January 2024, including a Jan. 31 game in which action on his “under 2.5 rebounds” prop bet surged significantly in the hours leading up to tip-off — he ended up grabbing six rebounds in that game.
Multiple reports published in late June and early July indicated that Beasley was dealing with a number of financial issues, including facing a lawsuit from his former marketing agency. Court records earlier this month suggested that the 28-year-old had been sued by his landlord and evicted from his apartment.
While Charania’s report doesn’t definitively state that Beasley is 100% in the clear, it doesn’t sound as if any charges are forthcoming, so it seems likely there will be renewed interest from NBA teams interested in signing him. He’s coming off a strong season in Detroit in which he was the Sixth Man of the Year runner-up after averaging 16.3 points per game and ranking second in the NBA in three-pointers made (319).
Before news of the investigation broke, the Pistons and Beasley were working toward a potential three-year deal worth roughly $42MM, according to Charania, who notes that other clubs had interest in the sharpshooter and some have stayed in touch with his representatives about his status.
Detroit no longer has the ability to sign Beasley for $42MM over three years — that would have required cap room or the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which has since been used on Caris LeVert. But the Pistons do still hold his Non-Bird rights, giving them the ability to offer a 2025/26 salary up to $7.2MM (a 20% raise on last season’s $6MM salary). Few teams – and even fewer playoff contenders – still have the ability to offer more than that amount at this point in the offseason.
The Knicks are among the other teams that have done due diligence on Beasley’s situation, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv, though they could only offer a minimum-salary contract.
NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Los Angeles Clippers
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Free agent signings
James Harden: Two years, $81,500,000. Second-year player option (partially guaranteed for $13,317,307 if exercised). Trade kicker (15%). Re-signed using Bird rights.- Brook Lopez: Two years, $17,937,500. Second-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Nicolas Batum: Two years, $11,483,280. Second-year team option. Trade kicker (15%). Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
- Bradley Beal: Two years, $10,975,700. Second-year player option. Trade kicker (15%). Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Chris Paul: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Patrick Baldwin Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Jason Preston: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- TyTy Washington Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired the draft rights to Kobe Sanders (No. 50 pick) from the Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Mohamed Diawara (No. 51 pick) and the draft rights to Luka Mitrovic.
- Acquired John Collins (from Jazz) in a three-team trade in exchange for Norman Powell (to Heat), the Clippers’ 2027 second-round pick (to Jazz), and cash ($2.5MM; to Jazz).
Draft picks
- 1-30: Yanic Konan Niederhauser
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $14,091,596).
- 2-50: Kobe Sanders
- Signed to two-way contract.
Two-way signings
- Trentyn Flowers
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee.
- Jordan Miller
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
- Kobe Sanders
- Two years, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season); second year non-guaranteed.
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Amir Coffey (Bucks)
- Patty Mills (unsigned)
- Ben Simmons (unsigned)
Other roster moves
- Waived Jordan Miller.
- Miller was waived from a standard contract and re-signed to a two-way deal.
- Waived Patrick Baldwin Jr.
- Baldwin was waived from a two-way contract and re-signed to an Exhibit 10 deal.
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and above the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $194.7MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $195,945,000.
- Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $6,539,000).
The offseason so far
The Clippers’ decision not to match the Sixers’ four-year, maximum-salary offer for Paul George last July looks savvy in retrospect, following an injury-plagued 2024/25 campaign in which George’s production dropped off significantly. But even at the time of George’s departure, there was a strong case to be made that the Clippers made the right move choosing financial flexibility over a massive investment in an aging star.
With George on the books, the Clippers would’ve been operating in tax-apron territory for the foreseeable future, with limited resources to add quality role players to the roster. Without George, the club dropped below the first apron and had the ability to add Derrick Jones Jr., Nicolas Batum, and Kris Dunn a year ago via the mid-level exception, the bi-annual exception, and sign-and-trade, respectively.
The Clippers made excellent use of their spending flexibility again during the 2025 offseason. While the bi-annual exception wasn’t available again in 2025, the club used every dollar of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign center Brook Lopez and guard Bradley Beal. And because the Clippers’ team salary remained below the first apron, they had the ability to take back more salary than they sent out when they traded Norman Powell to Miami in a three-team deal that landed John Collins in L.A.
As effective as Powell was as a scorer and shooter in 2024/25 (21.8 PPG on .484/.418/.804 shooting), the Clippers seemed unlikely to extend his $20.5MM expiring contract and were able to bring in Beal, a replacement with a similar skill set, for a fraction of the price ($5.4MM). While Beal’s time in Phoenix was a disappointment, his production (17.6 PPG on .505/.407/.808 shooting over two seasons) will play a lot better when his cap hit comes in at roughly 1/10th of his previous maximum salary.
Even if you view Beal as a downgrade on Powell (which is debatable), the upgrades the Clippers were able to make in their frontcourt represent a worthwhile trade-off. Ivica Zubac made the All-Defensive second team and received Defensive Player of the Year votes on the heels of the best season of his career, but he doesn’t spread the floor at all on offense or rack up blocked shots on defense, so the club was seeking a new dimension up front and achieved that goal by bringing in Lopez and Collins.
Lopez was probably overextended as Milwaukee’s full-time center averaging 32 minutes per game, but he should thrive as a rim protector and outside shooter in a part-time role. Collins, meanwhile, will immediately become the best scorer in Los Angeles’ big man rotation. Lopez can anchor the defense when Zubac is off the floor, and Collins is capable of playing alongside either center, giving head coach Tyronn Lue more options in terms of two-big lineups.
The Clippers’ other notable veteran addition was a somewhat fortuitous one. There were probably teams willing to give Chris Paul more than the minimum-salary contract he ultimately signed, but those teams weren’t as conveniently located as the Clippers — reuniting with his former team will give the future Hall-of-Famer the ability to be around his family in Los Angeles, which was his top priority this offseason.
Paul will back up starting point guard James Harden, who received a slight raise on a new two-year deal after making the All-NBA third team this past season. Harden got a player option on that second year, but the Clippers protected themselves in the event of a major injury or drop-off in play. Only $13.3MM of Harden’s $42.3MM salary in 2026/27 will be guaranteed if he picks up his option.
Batum, Amir Coffey, and Ben Simmons were among the other Clippers veterans to reach unrestricted free agency this summer. While all three veterans logged regular minutes for the team down the stretch, Batum was the only one to maintain a rotation role in the postseason and was the only one of the three re-signed. After using the bi-annual exception to sign him a year ago, L.A. was able to give the forward a 20% raise using his Non-Bird rights.
Finally, the Clippers made two roster additions in the draft, including No. 30 overall pick Yanic Konan Niederhauser. At the time the Clippers made that selection, Zubac was the only center on the roster, and it looked like Niederhauser might get a shot to compete for regular minutes.
But the team subsequently acquired Lopez and Collins, and Niederhauser didn’t stand out at the Las Vegas Summer League. Unless he really impresses in camp or the Clippers have some frontcourt injuries to deal with, I expect the former Penn State standout to spend most of the first half of the season in the G League.
Up next
There shouldn’t be many items left on the Clippers’ offseason to-do list. They have one opening on their projected regular season roster, but don’t have enough breathing room below their hard cap to carry a 15th man into the regular season. Their two-way contract slots are all full. And Collins, the only extension-eligible player on the roster, could sign a new deal at any time between now and June 30, 2026, so he’s not facing any sort of October deadline.
Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be an entirely uneventful fall in L.A. in terms of roster moves. It’s worth noting, for example, that the team has already signed a handful of players with NBA experience (Patrick Baldwin Jr., TyTy Washington Jr., and Jason Preston) to Exhibit 10 contracts. Despite the current lack of openings, it wouldn’t surprise me if those camp invitees are given an opportunity to compete for a two-way deal, with Trentyn Flowers‘ spot perhaps the most at risk.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 8/21/2025
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 1:00 pm Central time (2:00 pm Eastern).
International Notes: Norris, Samuels, Toupane, Arms
As forward Miles Norris seeks his next opportunity after being waived by the Celtics earlier this month, he’s reportedly drawing interest from across the Atlantic Ocean. Barcelona has its eye on the 25-year-old, according to Oscar Herreros of La Xarxa (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando).
Norris went undrafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2023, but has spent time on a two-way contract in each of the past two seasons, first with Atlanta during the first half of the ’23/24 season, then with Boston during the final month-plus of ’24/25. He has played sparingly in three total appearances at the NBA level, but was effective at the G League level last season, averaging 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 30.5 minutes per game across 44 total outings for the Grizzlies’ and Celtics’ affiliates.
We have more free agency news from around the international basketball world:
- Free agent forward Jermaine Samuels, a former Villanova standout, has signed with San Pablo Burgos for the 2025/26 season, the Spanish club announced in a press release. It will be the first time Samuels has competed overseas — he has been in the NBA and G League since going undrafted in 2022, including spending the 2023/24 season on a two-way contract with the Rockets.
- Former NBA forward Axel Toupane, who was part of the Milwaukee team that won a title in 2021, has signed with FC Porto in Portugal, the team officially announced (via Twitter; hat tip to Eurohoops). The 33-year-old has bounced around since playing for the Bucks four years ago, spending time in France, Lebanon, and Taiwan since then.
- Former Texas Tech standout Adonis Arms will continue his career in Greece, having signed with AEK Athens, per a press release from the team (hat tip to Eurohoops). While Arms has never appeared in an NBA regular season game, the 6’6″ wing has been a G League mainstay in recent years and has signed Exhibit 10 contracts with four teams since 2022, including (most recently) New Orleans last October.
Longtime Bulls Exec Steve Weinman Named Wake Forest GM
Steve Weinman, who has spent the past 13 years in the Bulls‘ front office, has been hired by Wake Forest University and will serve as the general manager for the Demon Deacons’ men’s and women’s basketball programs, the school announced on Thursday in a press release.
According to Wake Forest’s announcement, Weinman will also hold the title of senior associate athletics director for analytics in his new position. He’ll work closely with the men’s and women’s basketball head coaches on “roster construction including recruiting strategy, transfer portal evaluation, resource allocation and planning.”
Initially hired by the Bulls as a basketball operations assistant, Weinman earned multiple promotions during his time in Chicago, most recently serving as an assistant general manager and VP of basketball strategy and analytics. His responsibilities during his stint with the franchise included managing the salary cap, scouting pro and amateur players, and leading the club’s analytics department.
As a result of the professionalization of college sports, NCAA basketball programs have been increasingly inclined to target NBA executives for GM roles, with Weinman the latest veteran executive to leave an NBA position for a college job.
The most notable example of an NBA-to-NCAA move in recent months was probably former Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox – then a high-ranking executive in the Kings’ front office – leaving Sacramento to become the GM at the University of Utah.
Raptors Rumors: Webster, Trade Talks, Barrett
It didn’t come as a surprise to people around the NBA that the Raptors ultimately named general manager Bobby Webster their permanent head of basketball operations, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said in a live stream on Wednesday (YouTube link). In fact, according to Fischer, the only surprise during the process was that Toronto publicly announced a search for a new top executive after parting ways with president Masai Ujiri.
“Someone I consult with who is involved in (executive) search firm stuff was taken aback by the fact that was even put out publicly,” Fischer said. “He was taking it – and the league was taking it – as a foregone conclusion that Bobby Webster would be running the show.”
The Raptors, who traded away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby during the 2023/24 season, have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, but the expectation is that they’ll be more competitive going forward, per Fischer.
“The Raptors have definitely been given some type of formal pressure, some type of direction from their new leadership of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment to end this sort of rebuild era they’ve been in,” Fischer said, adding that the team will be aiming to claim a top-six playoff spot this season, not simply make the play-in tournament.
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Following up on rumors from earlier in the offseason, Fischer confirmed that the Raptors were having trade discussions involving the No. 9 overall pick leading up to the draft and talked to the Celtics, among other teams. “They had conversations with Boston about both Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, trying to figure out ways to add either veteran into their backcourt,” Fischer said. Toronto ultimately kept the No. 9 pick and used it to select Collin Murray-Boyles.
- While he acknowledged that it’s hard to predict trade-deadline activity in August, Fischer suggested that he fully anticipates the Raptors will continue seeking win-now help during the 2025/26 season. “I have the Raptors already earmarked as a buyer,” he said. “Now, if things go awry (or) if there’s something injury misfortune, maybe the Raptors don’t fully go that direction. But if everything goes as intended, if they’re faring night after night in the standings as they hope to be, as they intend to be, I’ve got the Raptors as a buyer.”
- Veteran forward RJ Barrett looks like the top trade candidate on Toronto’s roster, according to Fischer, who noted that Barrett came up in the Brandon Ingram trade talks with the Pelicans in February, but New Orleans didn’t have much interest in him. “RJ Barrett’s representation is fully aware that he is someone that could be discussed in trades moving forward for the Raptors,” Fischer said.
- In case you missed it, we took a closer look over the weekend at the Raptors’ offseason so far.
Latest On Al Horford, Other Warriors FA Targets
As the Warriors‘ standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga extends into late August, the team remains “very confident” about its ability to eventually sign free agent center Al Horford, Jake Fischer said in his latest Bleacher Report live stream on Wednesday (YouTube link; hat tip to Dallas Hoops Journal).
As Fischer outlines, Horford is among several veteran free agents who have expressed a willingness to be patient in waiting for resolution on Kuminga and have been “in full communication” with the Warriors’ front office.
Pointing to veterans like De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Seth Curry, and perhaps even Malcolm Brogdon as candidates to end up in Golden State, Fischer suggests that those players would likely receive minimum-salary contracts if they sign with the Warriors, whereas Horford would probably be in line for a more lucrative deal.
“Al Horford’s situation is a bit different,” Fischer said. “Because, depending on where the Warriors land in a cap/tax situation, I believe he is slated to make upwards of the full taxpayer mid-level exception. There has also been some discussion about whether or not he could potentially be receiving a two-year deal with a player option as well.”
Fischer adds that the Warriors envision Horford having a “pretty major role” in their rotation. That lines up with previous reporting from ESPN’s Anthony Slater, who has indicated that the 40-year-old would likely slot in as the team’s starting center.
Using any portion of the mid-level exception would hard-cap the Warriors at the second tax apron — that could put them at risk of losing Kuminga, since a rival suitor could look to open up cap room to sign the RFA forward to an offer sheet Golden State wouldn’t be able to match. As a result, the Warriors are putting off the rest of their offseason business until they either re-sign or sign-and-trade Kuminga and have a clearer picture of their cap situation.
Depending on what happens with Kuminga, the Warriors should have either the taxpayer or even a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to them.
For instance, if Kuminga accepts the rumored two-year, $45MM offer Golden State has put on the table, the club would be roughly $14.9MM below the second apron with 10 players under contract and would have the ability to offer Horford the full $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception while still filling out the rest of its roster with minimum-salary players.
If Kuminga were to sign his $7.98MM qualifying offer, Golden State would have about $17MM in breathing room below the first apron and could theoretically go a little above the taxpayer portion of the MLE to sign Horford. But that would result in a first-apron hard cap, which the front office may look to avoid.
Fischer warns that Kuminga’s free agency may remain unresolved well into September, since the deadline to accept his qualifying offer won’t arrive until October 1.
NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Oklahoma City Thunder
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Free agent signings
Ajay Mitchell: Three years, $8,700,000. Second year partially guaranteed ($1.5MM). Third-year team option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.- Malevy Leons: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired the Spurs’ 2027 first-round pick (top-16 protected) from the Kings in exchange for the draft rights to Nique Clifford (No. 24 pick).
- Acquired Colby Jones from the Wizards in exchange for Dillon Jones and the Rockets’ 2029 second-round pick.
- Note: Jones was subsequently waived by the Thunder.
Draft picks
- 1-15: Thomas Sorber
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $22,512,733).
- 2-44: Brooks Barnhizer
- Signed to two-way contract.
Two-way signings
- Brooks Barnhizer
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Branden Carlson (unsigned)
- Alex Ducas (Brisbane Bullets)
- Adam Flagler (Spurs)
Other roster moves
- Signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a four-year, maximum-salary veteran contract extension that begins in 2027/28. Projected value of $285,405,792 (super-max). Includes fourth-year player option.
- Signed Jalen Williams to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale contract extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $239,934,400. Projected value can increase to $249,531,776 if Williams makes the All-NBA third team; $259,129,152 if Williams makes the All-NBA second team; or $287,921,280 if Williams makes the All-NBA first team or is named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year.
- Signed Chet Holmgren to a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale contract extension that begins in 2026/27. Projected value of $239,934,400.
- Signed Jaylin Williams to a three-year, $24MM veteran contract extension that begins in 2025/26. Includes third-year team option.
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $186.9MM in salary.
- No hard cap.
- Full mid-level exception ($14,104,000) available.
- Full bi-annual exception ($5,134,000) available.
- One traded player exception ($501,669) available.
The offseason so far
A year ago, the Celtics were able to retain 13 of the 15 players from their title-winning roster. Given the rate at which modern-day NBA rosters turn over, I assumed that was an achievement that wouldn’t be repeated by another NBA champion for at least a few years.
But the Thunder aren’t just going to match that feat — they’re about to one-up the Celtics. After winning a championship this spring, Oklahoma City is set to bring back 14 members of last season’s 15-man roster. 2024 first-round pick Dillon Jones, who was traded to Washington in July in order to ensure OKC remained under the luxury tax line, is the only player who won’t be back, and he wasn’t even part of the Thunder’s rotation for the majority of the 2024/25 season.
In addition to boding well for their odds of repeating as champions, the Thunder’s continuity is an indication of what sort of offseason it was in Oklahoma City. The club’s only roster additions came in the draft, when the front office used the 15th overall pick to draft Thomas Sorber and the No. 44 pick to nab Brooks Barnhizer, who will begin his career on a two-way contract.
The Thunder won a title last season despite getting no meaningful contributions from their first-round picks, Jones and Nikola Topic, who spent the year recovering from a knee injury. With virtually the same group coming back for 2025/26, they clearly don’t have any glaring need for Sorber in the short term, so while he may get a chance to compete for a modest rotation role, I’d expect him to be brought along slowly and to spend some time in the G League as a rookie.
Oklahoma City’s most important pieces of offseason business have all been contract extensions. No NBA team this summer has extended more players – or committed more money to those extensions – than the Thunder, who signed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a four-year super-max contract, locked up Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, and finalized a more modest three-year, $24MM deal for center Jaylin Williams.
There’s only so much negotiating a team can do with a maximum-salary contract, but the Thunder did well along the edges in their three mega-deals. Gilgeous-Alexander could have secured an even more lucrative five-year payday if he had waited another year to sign his next contract, but put pen to paper sooner rather than later.
More importantly, instead of simply giving Williams and Holmgren the ability to increase their first-year salaries from 25% of the cap to 30% by making any All-NBA team next season, the Thunder included escalators for Williams (detailed above) and avoided Rose Rule language for Holmgren altogether. That could really pay off in the long run, since – as we saw with Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley this year – that 5% salary bump can have a significant impact on a team’s long-term cap situation.
As for the Jay-Will extension, it will fly under the radar compared to the other three deals – for good reason – but the $8MM-per-year agreement (which includes a third-year team option) is a savvy investment in a solid role player.
As the Thunder’s roster gets more expensive in the coming years, they’ll need players like Williams and Ajay Mitchell – who signed a three-year, $8.7MM deal as a restricted free agent – to step into the roles currently occupied by higher-salary veterans. Those new contracts line up Williams and Mitchell to be more cap-friendly alternatives to players like Isaiah Hartenstein and Isaiah Joe down the road.
Up next
With a full 15-man roster, the Thunder will likely enter the season with their current group, though it’s worth keeping an eye on former lottery pick Ousmane Dieng.
Unlike fellow 2022 first-rounders J-Dub and Holmgren, Dieng has never developed into a regular contributor in Oklahoma City and won’t be signing a rookie scale extension before his fourth year. If the team needs to open up a roster spot at some point this fall or during the season for any reason, Dieng’s spot is probably the most at risk — he’s on an expiring $6.67MM contract.
The Thunder have a pair of open two-way slots alongside Barnhizer, though one seems to be earmarked for Branden Carlson — since he reportedly agreed to a new two-way deal back on July 8, there has been no indication that it has been finalized or that the agreement has fallen through.
Even if we assume he gets one of OKC’s two-ways, that leaves one spot available. And given that Carlson and Mitchell showed last season that the club is willing to use its two-way players, it’s worth keeping an eye on who will get that last two-way deal.
Meanwhile, if the Thunder have one more extension agreement up their sleeves this offseason, it would probably be with Luguentz Dort, who is entering the fourth season of the five-year contract he signed as a restricted free agent in 2022.
However, the All-Defensive first-teamer likely won’t be able to reach free agency until 2027, since OKC holds a team option for 2026/27. That means the Thunder can afford to postpone serious contract talks until next offseason and decide at that point whether a raise for Dort (who is owed $36.4MM over the next two years) fits into their long-term financial plans.