Lamar Stevens Signs With Paris Basketball
Free agent forward Lamar Stevens has signed with Paris Basketball, the team announced today in a press release.
Stevens, who went undrafted out of Penn State in 2020, will be competing in Europe for the first time after spending his first five professional seasons in the NBA and G League. He has made 220 total regular season appearances for Cleveland, Boston, and Memphis, averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game during that stretch, with a .463/.287/.726 shooting line.
Stevens spent much of last season with the Motor City Cruise in the G League before catching on with the Grizzlies after the All-Star break, first on a pair of 10-day deals and then on a rest-of-season contract.
The 28-year-old had a very limited role in his first 16 outings with Memphis, logging 118 total minutes, but got extended run in the team’s regular season finale — he scored a career-high 31 points on 14-of-25 shooting in 36 minutes in a blowout win over Dallas on the final day of the season before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Stevens will be joining a Paris Basketball squad that is coming off the most successful season in its seven-year history. The club won its first domestic championship in France’s top basketball league (LNB Élite) in 2024/25 and made the postseason in its first year in the EuroLeague.
Clippers Sign Chris Paul To One-Year Deal
5:49pm: The signing is official, according to a Clippers press release relayed by Mark Medina of Sportskeeda (Twitter link).
“He is joining us as a reserve point guard and is excited to fill whatever role (coach Tyronn Lue) asks him to play,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in the statement.
10:13am: Chris Paul is returning to Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), who hears from the point guard’s representatives at CAA that Paul has agreed to sign with the Clippers for what will likely be his last season.
It will be a one-year, minimum-salary deal for Paul, per NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).
Paul received interest from a number of teams during free agency, but was known to be prioritizing an opportunity to play close to his family in Los Angeles. He reportedly rebuffed interest from Eastern Conference suitors like the Bucks and Hornets, as well as non-West Coast clubs like the Mavericks. The Clippers and Suns were long viewed as the most likely landing spots for the future Hall of Famer.
Paul, who turned 40 in May, spent six seasons with the Clippers from 2011-17 during what was arguably the most successful stretch of his NBA career. He received MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of his first five seasons in Los Angeles and was an All-Defensive first-teamer in all six years. He also made five consecutive All-Star teams and earned five All-NBA nods (three first-team and two second-team) in his first go-round as a Clipper.
While Paul is no longer in his prime, he started every game for San Antonio last season, marking just the second time in his 20 NBA seasons that he has made 82 regular season appearances. The former Wake Forest standout averaged a career-low 8.8 points per game for the Spurs, but contributed 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per night while making 37.7% of his three-point attempts and 92.4% of his free throws.
Paul has started 1,314 of his 1,354 career NBA games, with all 40 of those appearances off the bench coming in Golden State in 2023/24. It’s unclear if he’ll get a chance to be part of the starting five in L.A. next season, with James Harden, Bradley Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and defensive ace Kris Dunn all in the backcourt mix as well.
Still, having Paul on the roster further solidifies the depth chart for a Clippers team that has made several notable veteran additions with limited resources this offseason. The club split its mid-level exception on Beal and Brook Lopez, traded Norman Powell for John Collins, and will now bring Paul aboard on a minimum-salary contract.
Once their signing of Paul is complete, the Clippers will have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts. They won’t have enough breathing room below their first tax apron hard cap to add another veteran-minimum player before the season begins.
Wendell Moore Jr. Makes Case For NBA Roster Spot
Former Duke shooting guard Wendell Moore Jr. has yet to establish himself as a reliable rotation player at the NBA level, having appeared in just 90 total games since being drafted 26th overall in 2022. However, he believes he showed during his time with the Magic‘s Summer League team this month that he belongs on an NBA roster, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays (subscription required).
“I showed that I deserved to be in this league,” Moore said. “I showed I can be one of the best defenders out here. I can make shots, I can get downhill (and) play secondary lead guard, if needed. I showed I can do a bunch of things on the floor that can help teams win.”
Moore averaged 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 22.7 minutes per game across five outings for the Magic in Las Vegas. While he made a modest 44.0% of his shots from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc, he earned 4.4 free throws per game and knocked down 86.4% of them while also providing defensive versatility.
The 6’5″ guard spent his first two seasons in Minnesota and barely got off the bench for the Timberwolves, logging just 228 total minutes across 54 appearances. He played a little more last season for Detroit and Charlotte, with averages of 4.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 13.9 minutes per game across 36 outings. He had a shooting line of .468/.341/.818.
Moore, who will turn 24 in September, finished the season on a two-way contract with the Hornets and wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
As Beede points out, Moore still qualifies for a two-way deal for one more season and has made a strong case for consideration with his play in Las Vegas. However, Orlando has a loaded backcourt already, so it’s unclear if the club would be willing to use one of its remaining two-way openings on him. Ethan Thompson is currently the Magic’s only two-way player.
Jonas Valanciunas ‘Fully Committed’ To Honoring Nuggets Contract
After having avoided directly addressing his contract situation in recent weeks, Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas offered clarity on his plans for the 2025/26 season in remarks to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com on Monday.
“I want to clear the air about my playing situation next season now that Denver has made their decision to keep me,” Valanciunas said. “The idea of playing for Panathinaikos, closer to home, was very exciting to me, but that will have to wait. I am fully committed to honoring my contract with the Nuggets this season and will give it my all to compete for a championship.”
The Nuggets reached a trade agreement with the Kings on July 1 to acquire Valanciunas in exchange for Dario Saric, solidifying their backup center spot behind Nikola Jokic by landing a player they had reportedly coveted in recent years.
However, the Lithuanian big man’s future became a hot topic of discussion a couple days later when word broke that he was close to accepting a three-year contract offer from the Greek team Panathinaikos.
While it initially appeared that a buyout might be in the works for Valanciunas, the Nuggets made it clear they wanted him to play in Denver in 2025/26. They officially pulled the trigger on the trade on July 13, with general manager Ben Tenzer telling reporters this past Friday that the Nuggets had had “great conversations” with the center and his camp and that Valanciunas had expressed excitement about the upcoming season.
In order to play for Panathinaikos or any other non-NBA club, Valanciunas would have to secure his release from his current contract and then get a letter of clearance from FIBA. With the Nuggets unwilling to buy him out, his only option to force the issue would have been to hold out and not report to his new team. His comments today indicate he won’t be taking that route.
Valanciunas’ contract will pay him $10.4MM in 2025/26 and includes a non-guaranteed $10MM salary for the ’26/27 season. He’s expected to play a significant role as part of a revamped second unit in Denver that will also include recently added free agents Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr.
Stein’s Latest: Simmons, CP3, Clippers, Nuggets, Simons, Mavs
After his Stein Line teammate Jake Fischer reported that the Kings and Knicks look like the top candidates to land Ben Simmons, NBA insider Marc Stein suggests within his latest Substack article that at least a couple more clubs are in the mix for the former No. 1 overall pick.
According to Stein, Simmons has drawn interest from the Celtics since free agency began and has also had some recent conversations with the Suns.
While a couple of those teams could offer Simmons a portion of their mid-level exception, most of them have tax- or apron-related concerns that would make a minimum-salary offer more likely for the former 76er, who celebrated his 29th birthday on Sunday. Phoenix would cross the tax line with even a veteran-minimum signing, New York has used its full taxpayer mid-level exception, and Boston is currently operating slightly above the second tax apron.
Simmons is a three-time All-Star who has made a pair of All-Defensive first teams and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2021, but he has battled back issues in recent years and has been a tricky fit in lineups that feature any other non-shooters. In 51 total appearances for the Nets and Clippers last season, he averaged 5.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Following up on Lawrence Frank‘s comments on Saturday about the Clippers “strongly, strongly considering” Chris Paul, Stein suggests that most rival front offices view the veteran point guard as “the Clippers’ signee to lose.”
- With Jared Dudley and J.J. Barea set to occupy the top two spots on David Adelman‘s bench in Denver, the Nuggets don’t intend to hire an assistant specifically for their third front-of-bench position. Instead, the plan is to rotate assistants in and out of that role depending on game-to-game scouting responsibilities, Stein explains. Ognjen Stojakovic, a holdover from Michael Malone‘s staff who is close with Nikola Jokic, is one coach expected to be in the rotation for that third assistant slot, Stein adds.
- League sources confirm to Stein that the Celtics are continuing to explore the trade market for recently acquired guard Anfernee Simons.
- The Mavericks will congregate in Canada this fall, according to Stein, who says the team’s training camp will be held in Vancouver, B.C.
Lakers Notes: Doncic, Smart, Vanderbilt, Kleber, More
“External fretting” about whether or not Luka Doncic will make a long-term commitment to the Lakers has subsided significantly in recent weeks, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link), who says the star guard and his camp have worked closely with the front office this summer as it has bolstered the roster in free agency.
As previously reported, Doncic played a major role in the Lakers’ efforts to recruit both center Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart to Los Angeles. According to Stein, Doncic’s pitch to Smart “particularly resonated” with the former Defensive Player of the Year, who ultimately chose the Lakers despite the division-rival Suns making a “determined push” to land him.
As of August 2, Doncic will be eligible to sign an extension that could be worth up to a projected $222.4MM over four years. While there’s no guarantee he’ll sign for the maximum four years or that he’ll get a deal done immediately on Aug. 2, it seems increasingly likely that the five-time All-Star will have a new extension in hand before the 2025/26 season begins, as reporting over the weekend indicated.
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Like Doncic, Smart has been working hard this offseason on his body and his conditioning, according to Stein, who writes that the Lakers are optimistic about getting a “sleeker” version of the 31-year-old next season after he battled health issues over the past couple years.
- Stein has also heard that forward Jarred Vanderbilt is healthier now than he was at any point during the 2024/25 season. Although both players were on last season’s roster, healthy versions of Vanderbilt and big man Maxi Kleber could feel sort of like offseason additions for the Lakers, Stein writes. Vanderbilt played a very limited role in 36 regular season outings last season, while Kleber didn’t make his debut as a Laker until the playoffs — both of them missed time while recovering from foot surgery.
- People around the league believe Trail Blazers veterans Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams are potential trade targets to watch for the Lakers this season, according to Grant Afseth of Fast Break Journal. I’m skeptical of the Holiday fit, given that Los Angeles has shown no interest in taking on long-term money (Holiday is still owed $104.4MM over three years) and Portland was prepared to give up a pair of draft picks along with Anfernee Simons to acquire him (those two second-rounders ultimately weren’t included due to minor concerns about Holiday’s physical). However, if he proves he’s healthy, Williams might make some sense for the Lakers due to their limited depth behind Ayton in the middle.
- In case you missed it, the Lakers waived both Jordan Goodwin and Shake Milton on Sunday in order to create the cap flexibility necessary to sign Smart using their bi-annual exception.
Hornets’ Knueppel Named Summer League Championship Game MVP
The Hornets took home the NBA’s 2025 Summer League championship with an 83-78 victory over Sacramento in Sunday’s finale in Las Vegas.
Rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15 points, nine rebounds), and two-way guard KJ Simpson (11 points, seven rebounds, five assists) were among the Hornets who played key roles in the win, but No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel led the way with a team-high 21 points and +9 on/off mark, earning him championship game MVP honors, as Mark Anderson of The Associated Press details.
Knueppel got off to a shaky start in Summer League play earlier this month, scoring just five points on 1-of-8 shooting in his Hornets debut vs. Utah. He bounced back nicely, however, scoring at least 16 points and making multiple three-pointers in each of his next four games.
Knueppel was the first of four players drafted by the Hornets last month — the team also selected Liam McNeeley at No. 29, Sion James at No. 33, and Kalkbrenner at No. 34.
While James and McNeeley appeared in just two of Charlotte’s six Summer League games due to hip and Achilles issues, respectively, all four of the team’s 2025 draftees showed some promise in Las Vegas as the Hornets became the only club to go 6-0 at the event.
Lawrence Frank: Clippers ‘Strongly Considering’ Chris Paul
Speaking to reporters over Zoom on Saturday, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team is “strongly, strongly considering” signing free agent point guard Chris Paul (Twitter video link via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints).
While the Clippers still have two open spots on their projected 15-man roster, they only have about $3.57MM in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap, which wouldn’t be enough to fit more than one veteran minimum contract before the season begins. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets, the expectation is that adding ball-handling and play-making will be a goal for the Clippers as they consider options for that 14th roster spot.
Assuming he continues his career and plays a 21st NBA season in 2025/26, Paul is known to be prioritizing proximity to his family in Los Angeles, so the Clippers would be a logical match for him in that regard.
At least one report indicated he’d also like to continue to be a starter after starting all 82 games for San Antonio last season — that kind of role might be harder to come by with the Clippers in the wake of their Bradley Beal addition.
Here are a few more of Frank’s noteworthy comments from today’s presser:
- Frank spoke at length about the signing of Beal, which became official on Friday, noting that the team had twice tried to trade for the veteran shooting guard in the past (Twitter link via Law Murray of The Athletic). Secondary play-making and ball-handling are among the reasons the Clippers targeted Beal, according to Frank, who said he also believes the 32-year-old can be a positive contributor on defense (Twitter links via Murray). Additionally, Frank repeatedly referenced a desire to get Beal involved in hand-off actions, which was a strategy the Clippers used frequently with Norman Powell, tweets Murray.
- Mark Bartelstein, Beal’s agent, spoke to many people within the Clippers’ organization before his client committed to the team, including having a half-hour conversation with James Harden, according to Frank (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
- Frank credited Harden for signing a contract that gave the Clippers enough wiggle room below the first apron to use their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which allowed them to sign both Beal and free agent center Brook Lopez (Twitter link via Murray). The Clippers are one of just three teams – along with the Pistons and Lakers – to have used every dollar of the $14,104,000 MLE so far in 2025/26 (Portland could become the fourth, assuming Damian Lillard‘s deal is worth the full amount).
- Addressing the acquisitions of Lopez and John Collins, Frank explained that the Clippers made it a priority to add size in their frontcourt and wanted to bring in players with more diverse skill sets that could complement one another (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
- Pointing out that the Clippers have 10 players who project to be rotation players, Frank acknowledged that head coach Tyronn Lue “usually” plays just nine. As the Clippers weigh their options for their 14th roster spot and set their rotation this fall, role definition and communication will be key, Frank said (Twitter link via Murray).
Bulls Sign Yuki Kawamura To Two-Way Deal
3:52 pm: The Bulls have officially confirmed their two-way deal with Kawamura, announcing in a press release that Young has been waived to open up a two-way spot for the newcomer.
3:33 pm: The Bulls will be making a change to one of their two-way contract slots, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that free agent point guard Yuki Kawamura has agreed to a two-way deal with the team.
Chicago doesn’t currently have a two-way opening, with Jahmir Young, Emanuel Miller, and second-round pick Lachlan Olbrich occupying those three roster spots, so one of them will need to be waived, promoted, or traded in order to make room for Kawamura.
Kawamura, 24, arrived stateside in 2024 after playing professionally for several seasons in his home country of Japan. The 5’8″ guard signed a two-way contract with Memphis and spent 2024/25 with the Grizzlies, though his playing time at the NBA level was limited — he logged just 93 total minutes across 22 appearances.
Kawamura was more of a featured player for the Memphis Hustle in the G League, averaging 31.6 minutes per game across 31 outings. He put up 12.7 points, 8.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per contest, with a shooting line of .383/.365/.761.
After not receiving a qualifying offer from the Grizzlies, Kawamura became an unrestricted free agent and caught on with the Bulls for Summer League. In five appearances in Las Vegas, he averaged 10.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game while making 41.7% of his three-point tries, earning himself a two-way offer.
A two-way deal will allow Kawamura to appear in up to 50 regular season games with the Bulls. If he remains under contract through the league-wide salary guarantee deadline in January, he would earn $636,435, which is 50% of this season’s rookie minimum salary.
Cavs Rumors: Oladipo, Wade, Tomlin, Enaruna
The Cavaliers currently have 13 players on standard contracts and it’s not yet clear how they intend to fill their 14th roster spot, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in a subscriber-only mailbag article.
As Fedor explains, head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s switch-heavy defensive system means another versatile wing will always be an option for the Cavs, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise if the team adds another ball-handler.
Darius Garland will be coming off toe surgery, Lonzo Ball has only played in 35 games over the past three seasons for health reasons (mostly knee-related), and it remains to be seen whether the club is comfortable using Craig Porter Jr. in a major role, Fedor writes. While Donovan Mitchell is another ball-handling option, Cleveland won’t want to lean on him too heavily early in the season.
One free agent guard who is at least on the Cavs’ radar is two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo. A member of the front office attended Oladipo’s recent workout in Las Vegas, according to Fedor, who says Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has long been a fan of the former No. 2 overall pick. In fact, Fedor describes Gilbert as having been “eager” to use the No. 1 overall pick in 2013 on Oladipo until David Griffin, then an assistant general manager, lobbied for Anthony Bennett.
Here’s more on the Cavs from Fedor:
- There was a good deal of “chatter” in Las Vegas about the possibility of the Cavaliers trading forward Dean Wade, says Fedor. Wade is on an expiring $6.6MM contract in 2025/26 and there’s a sense that he may not be a priority for a cap-strapped Cleveland team beyond the coming season. Sources tell Cleveland.com that contending teams from each conference have expressed interest in Wade, with Fedor adding that the Mavericks are among the clubs believed to be fans of him.
- If Wade were to be moved, it could create an opportunity for two-way forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who made just five NBA appearances as a rookie last season. The 24-year-old “continues to turn heads” after averaging 20.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on .582/.409/.800 shooting in four Summer League outings, Fedor notes, and could compete for rotation minutes this fall.
- Former Cleveland State wing Tristan Enaruna, who had a good Summer League for the Cavs (13.3 PPG, .568/.429/.500 shooting), is among the players the club is considering for its open two-way slot alongside Tomlin and Luke Travers, per Fedor.
- Fedor observes that improving the defense was a priority for the Cavaliers this summer after the unit struggled in the club’s second-round series loss to Indiana. That’s one reason why the front office prioritized retaining Sam Merrill over Ty Jerome. The belief in Cleveland, Fedor writes, is that Merrill and new additions Ball and Larry Nance Jr. won’t get played off the court in the postseason.