Cole Swider Signs With Anadolu Efes
August 11: Swider has officially signed with Anadolu Efes, per an announcement from the team (Twitter link).
August 8: Free agent forward Cole Swider is close to reaching a contract agreement with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes, reports NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Swider, who went undrafted out of Syracuse in 2022, has played in the NBA in each of his first three professional seasons. He spent a year apiece with the Lakers and Heat on two-way deals, then had stints with the Pistons and Raptors in 2024/25.
Swider, 26, has seen limited action in the NBA, appearing in 35 total games and averaging just 8.5 minutes per night. He played regular NBA rotation minutes for the first time in Toronto last season, averaging 7.4 point and 3.1 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game across eight outings for the Raptors.
The 6’8″ forward is known as an outside shooting threat. In 83 career G League games, he has knocked down an impressive 44.6% of his three-point attempts, having never made fewer than 42.9% in a single season. Swider showed off his three-point shot last month as a member of the Lakers’ Summer League team, converting 43.1% of his attempts in eight games at the California Classic and Las Vegas leagues.
Assuming Swider finalizes a deal with Anadolu Efes, he’ll be joining a club that features several former NBA players, including guards Shane Larkin and Rodrigue Beaubois, wing PJ Dozier, and big man Georgios Papagiannis. The Turkish club will also be coached in 2025/26 by Igor Kokoskov, a longtime NBA assistant who spent one year as the head coach in Phoenix in ’18/19.
Anadolu Efes went 20-14 in EuroLeague play this past season and posted a 19-7 record in Turkey’s Basketball Super League, but was eliminated by Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague playoffs and by Besiktas in the BSL semifinals.
Bulls Offered Giddey $80MM Deal At Start Of Free Agency
The Bulls made guard Josh Giddey a four-year contract offer worth $80MM when free agency began on June 30, league sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Multiple reports dating back to last October have indicated that Giddey’s asking price is in the range of $30MM per year, so Chicago’s offer fell well short of that benchmark.
While the two sides have had nearly a month-and-a-half since free agency opened to try to bridge the gap, the Bulls have been “anchored” in the neighborhood of $20MM annually since making that initial offer, Fischer writes.
As a restricted free agent, Giddey can’t sign outright with another team, but he has drawn sign-and-trade interest from a handful of Eastern Conference teams, according to Fischer, who reiterates that the Warriors also have genuine interest in the 22-year-old, as he previously reported.
However, Fischer acknowledges that there doesn’t appear to be a “feasible pathway” to a trade that gets Giddey to Golden State, and the other teams with interest in the former sixth overall pick also haven’t made any headway. The Bulls have “messaged for some time” that they’re not looking to seriously engage in sign-and-trade discussions about Giddey, says Fischer.
Giddey got off to a slow start in his first season as a Bull after being acquired from Oklahoma City in exchange for Alex Caruso, but finished strong, particularly after the team traded Zach LaVine to Sacramento. Between the start of February and the end of the regular season, Giddey averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game with a shooting line of .491/.451/.801 across 25 outings.
As we noted last week when we outlined the key dates and deadlines for restricted free agents, there are no deadlines on tap in August or September. RFAs have until October 1 to decide whether or not to accept their one-year qualifying offers (Giddey’s is worth $11.1MM), though that deadline can be pushed back if the team and player work out an agreement.
While it’s rare for so many top restricted free agents to remain unsigned this late in the offseason, it’s not uncommon for one or two RFA standoffs to extend well into the summer. A year ago, Isaac Okoro eventually re-signed with the Cavaliers on September 17; two years ago, P.J. Washington re-signed with the Hornets on August 29; three years ago, Collin Sexton and Jordan Nwora didn’t resolve their restricted free agencies until September.
Two NBA Players Among France’s Pre-EuroBasket Cuts
The French national team announced today (via Twitter) that it has trimmed its preliminary EuroBasket roster to 14 players by making three cuts. Two NBA players – Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng and Hornets big man Moussa Diabate – were among those cut, along with former lottery pick Frank Ntilikina.
Dieng and Diabate both have big seasons on tap in 2025/26. Dieng, the No. 11 overall pick in 2022, is currently eligible for a contract extension as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie scale deal, which will pay him $6.67MM.
However, unlike fellow ’22 lottery picks Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, who received maximum-salary extensions from the Thunder this summer, Dieng isn’t considered likely to get a new deal at this time and is probably more focused on simply hanging onto his roster spot on a deep OKC squad. He’s the only player on the 15-man roster whose contract is fully expiring (with no option for 2026/27).
Diabate, meanwhile, will be looking to parlay a career year in Charlotte into a guaranteed contract and a more significant role. His $2.27MM salary for ’25/26 is currently non-guaranteed and the Hornets, who are currently carrying 18 players on standard contracts (16 guaranteed), could be facing a roster crunch this fall. However, the team is somewhat thin in the frontcourt and Diabate may well be part of the rotation again after averaging 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per contest (71 games) last season.
France still has plenty of current and former NBA players on its roster after parting with three of them. Wizards youngsters Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, 2024’s No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher, and ex-NBAers like Theo Maledon, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Elie Okobo are among those still on the squad, per Eurohoops.
The French team will have to make two more cuts before EuroBasket tips off later this month in order to set its 12-man roster.
Team USA Announces 2025 AmeriCup Roster
USA Basketball has officially announced the 12-man roster that will represent the United States at this year’s AmeriCup tournament, which will take place from August 22-31 in Managua, Nicaragua.
The roster is as follows:
- Langston Galloway, G
- Jerian Grant, G
- Elijah Pemberton, G
- Jahmi’us Ramsey, G
- Javonte Smart, G
- Speedy Smith, G
- Tyler Cavanaugh, F
- Jarell Eddie, F
- Cameron Reynolds, F
- Robert Baker II, F/C
- Jack Cooley, F/C
- Zach Auguste, C
While it’s not exactly the sort of star-studded roster you’d expect from Team USA at a higher-profile event like the FIBA World Cup or the Olympics, eight of the 12 players representing the U.S. have NBA experience, with Galloway (452 regular season games) and Grant (279 games) leading the way. Pemberton, Smith, Baker, and Auguste are the only players on the roster who haven’t appeared in an NBA regular season game.
The group also has a good deal of experience in international competitions. Galloway, Pemberton, Ramsey, Smart, Cavanaugh, Reynolds, and Baker have all played for Team USA during past AmeriCup or World Cup qualifiers, while Pemberton suited up for the U.S. at the 2022 AmeriCup, earning a bronze medal with that group.
Former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas will coach Team USA during the AmeriCup and will be joined on the sidelines by veteran NBA assistants Patrick Mutombo and Brad Jones.
The U.S. has been drawn into Group A alongside Brazil, Uruguay, and the Bahamas and will play its round-robin games from August 23-26. The other two four-team groups feature Canada, Venezuela, Panama, and Puerto Rico (Group B) and Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and host Nicaragua (Group C).
Eight of 12 teams will advance to the single-elimination stage of the AmeriCup based on the results of those first three games. The quarterfinals will be held on August 28, followed by the semifinals on Aug. 30 and the final (and third-place game) on Aug. 31.
Heat’s Highsmith Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out 8-10 Weeks
Heat forward Haywood Highsmith suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during a recent training session in his hometown of Baltimore and has undergone surgery to repair the injury, the team announced today (via Twitter).
According to the Heat, the procedure was completed in Miami on Friday by team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick (Twitter link). Highsmith will begin rehabilitation work immediately, but the expectation is that he’ll be sidelined for approximately eight-to-10 weeks.
Training camps are scheduled to get underway in roughly seven-and-a-half weeks, so Highsmith’s injury figures to delay his availability this fall. He’s unlikely to be back to full health by the time the Heat begin practicing and may not be ready to return by the time the regular season tips off a few weeks later.
It’s an unfortunate setback for a player who is entering a contract year and who will be looking to establish himself as a regular part of Erik Spoelstra‘s rotation after seeing his role fluctuate last season. Highsmith set career highs by appearing in 74 regular season games and averaging 24.6 minutes per night, but was in and out of the starting lineup and was briefly removed from the rotation entirely.
A versatile defender with good length, Highsmith averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game last season, with a shooting line of .458/.382/.721. He’ll earn about $5.6MM in 2025/26 on an expiring deal.
Early NBA Minimum Salary Projections For 2026/27
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.
Maxwell Lewis To Play In Turkey In 2025/26
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
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
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
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.