Pacific Notes: Lakers, Wiggins, Bazley, Kings, Carter, Livers
Heat forward Andrew Wiggins was linked to the Lakers earlier in the offseason as a potential trade candidate, but Dan Woike of The Athletic suggested during an appearance on The Zach Lowe Show podcast (YouTube link) that he’s not anticipating Wiggins to be sent to Los Angeles.
“(The Lakers) are not interested in Andrew Wiggins,” Woike said when Lowe brought up the subject (hat tip to HoopsHype). “I think I can put that to bed. I’m pretty confident on that front.”
Those aforementioned reports on the Lakers’ apparent interest in Wiggins suggested that the Heat would be seeking Dalton Knecht or a first-round pick in addition to Rui Hachimura‘s expiring contract. As Lowe observes, the idea that L.A. would entertain that asking price never made all that much sense, given that Wiggins is coming off an up-and-down season in which both his teams (Golden State and Miami) were better when he was off the court than when he was on it.
“I didn’t understand those rumors,” Lowe said. “They were suddenly giving up a lot of s–t for Andrew Wiggins. Like, is Rui Hachimura just as good as Andrew Wiggins? Why am I adding a lot more to that?”
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Former first-round pick Darius Bazley spoke to Matthew Valento of Lakers Nation about playing for the Lakers‘ Summer League team in an effort to “revamp” his career. The 25-year-old forward/center averaged 17.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in three California Classic outings and averaged a double-double (10.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG) through his first two games in Las Vegas before struggling on Monday, with just one point and four rebounds in 22 minutes.
- Kings star Zach LaVine is enthusiastic about what newly signed point guard Dennis Schröder will bring to the team next season, as Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee relays. “Me and DeMar (DeRozan) have a track record for being able to put the ball in the basket and do the things on the court that we need to,” LaVine said. “But I think we need an overall team concept to where everything’s working the right way. Sometimes roster construction helps out a lot with that. So having Dennis, a veteran point guard who’s been in a lot of places, can come off the bench, has started. He can calm things down. He’s been in pressure situations. I think it’s going to help a lot.”
- After making just 2-of-14 shots in his first Las Vegas Summer League game on Thursday, second-year Kings guard Devin Carter has bounced back admirably in what could be a trade showcase. As Jason Anderson details in a pair of stories for The Sacramento Bee, Carter led the Kings to a victory over Chicago on Saturday with 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting, then racked up another 17 points and three steals in a Monday win over Phoenix.
- New Suns two-way player Isaiah Livers spoke on Sunday about his long journey back to the NBA following a reshaping procedure on his right hip, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “They said I was probably playing on it for about a year, straight bone on bone,” Livers said of his hip injury. “It just kept getting worse and worse. I tried to go to L.A. last summer and do conservative rehab. We found out we got to do this special surgery. I was very upset. … (But now) I kind of feel like a whole new player, to be honest.”
Grizzlies Officially Sign Jock Landale
The Grizzlies have officially completed their reported deal with center Jock Landale, announcing the signing on Tuesday in a press release (Twitter link).
Word broke on July 5 that Landale had agreed to a one-year, minimum-salary contract with Memphis after being waived by the division-rival Rockets. The Grizzlies reached a deal with the free agent big man right around the same time they agreed to trade another center Jay Huff, to Indiana.
Landale was signed by Houston in 2023 to a four-year, $32MM contract that included just one fully guaranteed season. However, the Rockets – who were operating well below the luxury tax line last season, hung onto him for the second year of the deal in 2024/25, even though he played a limited role for the team behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams in the frontcourt.
The 29-year-old Australian averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game across 42 outings (three starts) in ’24/25. He had played a similar role a year earlier, with averages of 4.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 13.6 MPG (56 appearances).
Landale will provide depth in a Grizzlies frontcourt that could be missing both Jaren Jackson Jr. (turf toe surgery) and Zach Edey (ankle surgery) when training camps open in the fall. Brandon Clarke and Santi Aldama are among the club’s other options up front.
Landale’s minimum-salary contract will pay him $2,461,463, while Memphis carries a cap hit of $2,296,274.
Contract Details: Anthony, JJJ, Holmgren, J. Williams, Gafford
Cole Anthony, whose previous cap hit had been $13.1MM, gave up exactly $2MM as part of his buyout agreement with the Grizzlies, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Memphis subsequently used the stretch provision to spread the $11.1MM still owed to Anthony across three seasons, resulting in annual cap hits of $3.7MM through 2027/28.
The move reduced Anthony’s 2025/26 cap charge by $9.4MM, generating the cap room necessary to renegotiate Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s ’25/26 salary from roughly $23.4MM up to $35MM, as Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron tweets. That allowed the Grizzlies to give Jackson a $49MM salary (ie. a 40% raise) in the first year of his new extension, which increases to $50.5MM in 2027/28 and $52MM in ’28/29, with a $53.5MM player option for ’29/30.
Jackson is now owed exactly $240MM over the next five seasons, having received approximately $216.6MM in new money in his agreement with Memphis.
Here are a few more details on contracts from around the NBA:
- Chet Holmgren‘s new five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension with the Thunder doesn’t include Rose Rule language, but Jalen Williams‘ five-year max extension does, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks at Sports Business Classroom. According to Marks, Williams’ deal will start at 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap if he wins MVP, is named Defensive Player of the Year, or makes the All-NBA first team next season. If he makes the All-NBA second team, it would start at 27% of the cap, while a spot on the All-NBA third team would result in a starting salary at 26%. No All-NBA berth, MVP, or DPOY for Williams would result in a salary worth 25% of next year’s cap, matching Holmgren’s deal.
- As expected, the terms of Daniel Gafford‘s new three-year veteran extension with the Mavericks are the maximum the team could have given the big man while maintaining his trade eligibility, tweets Marc Stein. Gafford got a 20% raise for 2026/27 to $17,263,584, with 5% annual raises for the next two seasons. The new three-year contract is worth a total of $54.38MM, on top of the $14.39MM he’ll make in 2025/26.
- Rockets forward Jeff Green, Spurs guard Jordan McLaughlin, and Bucks wing Gary Trent Jr. have joined the list of players who waived their right to veto a trade in 2025/26 when they re-signed with their respective teams, Hoops Rumors has learned. A player who signs a new one-year deal (or two-year deal with a second-year option) with his previous team typically gets trade veto rights for that season, but those can be forfeited as part of the contract agreement.
Jazz Have No Plans To Trade Markkanen
The Jazz have been aggressively purging their roster of established veterans since Austin Ainge was hired as the team’s president of basketball operations last month, buying out Jordan Clarkson and trading Collin Sexton to the Hornets and John Collins to the Clippers for extremely limited returns.
However, while there has been a good deal of speculation from rival scouts and executives about whether Lauri Markkanen could be the next veteran on the move, Utah has no plans to trade its star forward at this point, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
As MacMahon explains, Markkanen shouldn’t necessarily be considered “untouchable,” but the Jazz continue to view the 28-year-old as part of their long-term core and hope he’s still on the roster by the time the club becomes competitive again.
Markkanen, who was sent from Cleveland to Utah as part of the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster in 2022, made an All-Star team and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in his first year with the Jazz. Over the course of his first two seasons in Utah, he averaged 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with an excellent shooting line of .490/.395/.885.
The Finnish forward battled injuries last season and was limited to just 47 appearances. His production also dropped off, as he put up just 19.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG with a more pedestrian shooting line of .423/.346/.876.
Coming off that down season and with four years and nearly $196MM left on his contract, Markkanen’s trade value appears diminished, so it makes sense that the Jazz aren’t eager to entertain offers, MacMahon writes.
Given that it would require a substantial haul for Ainge and his front office to consider moving the seven-footer, Markkanen may need a bounce-back performance this season to restore his value to the point where a potential suitor might be willing to make that sort of offer.
In the meantime, hanging onto Markkanen is unlikely to compromise the Jazz’s rebuilding efforts as they look to hang onto their top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick. His contract is the only sizable deal on the team’s books beyond this season, and there’s probably not enough established veteran talent on the roster for Utah to contend for a play-in spot in the West in 2025/26 even if Markkanen returns to All-Star form.
Victor Oladipo Seeking NBA Comeback
Two-time NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo took part in a “well-attended” private workout on Monday in Las Vegas, according to Jeremy Woo of ESPN, who says the veteran guard competed in a five-on-five scrimmage alongside a handful of international pros in front of representatives from many NBA and European teams.
Multiple team sources who attended the workout were impressed by how Oladipo looked, says Woo. The 33-year-old, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2023, is hoping to make it back to the league after recovering from a series of knee injuries and was described as being in “excellent” shape on Monday, Woo adds.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, Oladipo said he feels “great right now,” writing that he believes he’s capable of helping a team and that his injuries are behind him. According to Woo, there’s a belief that the former No. 2 overall pick could end up on an NBA roster this fall for training camp.
Oladipo was one of the NBA’s best two-way performers in 2017/18, when he averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.4 steals per game across 75 outings for the Pacers. He earned MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes that season, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award and claiming a spot on the All-NBA third team and All-Defensive first team.
Oladipo made a second consecutive All-Star team for Indiana in 2018/19, but his season was cut short by a ruptured quad tendon, which sidelined for roughly a full calendar year. That quad tendon injury continued to be an issue after the guard eventually returned to action and required a second surgery in 2021.
Oladipo has appeared in just 102 total NBA games since sustaining that initial quad injury in January 2018, most recently suiting up for the Heat during the 2022/23 season. He sustained a torn left patellar tendon in his last game with the Heat in April 2023.
Timberwolves Sign Naz Reid To Five-Year Deal
JULY 14: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
JUNE 27: The Timberwolves and Naz Reid are in agreement on a new contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that the reserve forward/center intends to sign a five-year, $125MM contract to remain in Minnesota.
Reid held a player option worth approximately $15MM for the 2025/26 season, but will turn down that option in advance of Sunday’s deadline in order to finalize his new deal with the Wolves in July. According to Charania, the new contract will also feature a player option on the final year.
After winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2023/24, Reid had another strong showing for the Timberwolves in ’24/25, matching or exceeding his stats from the previous season in several key categories. The 25-year-old averaged 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game across 80 outings (17 starts).
Reid has knocked down 39.5% of 5.4 three-point attempts per game over the past two seasons, making him a valuable floor-spacer in Minnesota’s frontcourt alongside center Rudy Gobert. Lineups featuring Reid and Gobert outscored opponents by 11.8 points per 100 possessions last season, the best mark of any of the team’s 25 most frequently used duos.
According to Charania, there was a “vibrant market developing” in free agency for Reid, with teams prepared to offer similar money and potentially a starting role. While Brooklyn is the only club currently projected to have enough cap room to have offered Reid a starting salary in the range of $20-25MM, there are other clubs that probably had the ability to get there.
The Pistons, for instance, were known to be interested in adding a stretch big man, and were cited as a team with interest in Reid. Detroit has the ability to create roughly $17MM in cap room and could have attempted to move off one more contract to create additional spending flexibility.
But the Timberwolves spoke both publicly and privately since their season ended about their desire to retain Reid, and showed with their five-year offer that they were serious about holding off rival suitors.
The next orders of business for the Wolves will be figuring out what happens with starting power forward Julius Randle and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Randle holds a $30.9MM player option that he must decide on by Sunday, while Alexander-Walker will be an unrestricted free agent.
Although Minnesota has expressed a desire to keep all three players, retaining both Randle and Alexander-Walker would almost certainly push team salary well over the second tax apron for a second straight year, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan outlines (via Twitter). That may not appeal to the front office (or team ownership).
There has been some skepticism about the Wolves’ ability to keep all three players, with Alexander-Walker viewed as the most likely odd man out. Accounting for Randle’s option and no new deal for Alexander-Walker, the Wolves currently project to operate just below the second apron, tweets ESPN Bobby Marks.
Grizzlies Sign Cam Spencer To Four-Year Contract
1:00pm: Spencer has officially signed his new four-year contract, the Grizzlies announced this afternoon (via Twitter).
11:48am: After initially agreeing to a two-year, minimum-salary contract when free agency opened on June 30, the Grizzlies and Cam Spencer have since amended the terms of that agreement, agents Mark Bartelstein and Ross Aroyo tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Charania, Spencer will now be signing a four-year, $10.5MM contract that includes three fully guaranteed seasons. The fourth year will be a team option, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
The 53rd pick of the 2024 draft after winning a national championship with UConn, Spencer appeared in 25 games with the Grizzlies last season, averaging 4.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 10.1 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .415/.365/1.000.
The 25-year-old combo guard had a much bigger role in his eight G League appearances (32.2 MPG) with the Memphis Hustle in ’24/25, averaging 23.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.2 SPG on .538/.493/.765 shooting.
When the Grizzlies initially agreed to a two-year, minimum-salary deal with Spencer, they likely didn’t know whether or not they’d have to renounce his rights in order to accommodate Jaren Jackson‘s renegotiated contract.
It appears Memphis was able to hang onto Spencer’s Non-Bird rights while maintaining enough cap room for Jackson’s new deal, which will allow the club to go beyond two years and a little above the minimum for Spencer.
As we wrote earlier today, Spencer’s deal with the Grizzlies is one of four reported signings that will likely be officially completed now that Jackson’s renegotiation and extension is complete.
Bucks President Feigin: Team In ‘Good Place’ With Giannis
Appearing on NBA TV’s broadcast of the team’s Summer League game against the Clippers on Sunday, Bucks president Peter Feigin was asked for his two cents on where the organization stands with Giannis Antetokounmpo and what the relationship looks like moving forward.
“We kind of laugh internally, it’s where we’ve been for 10 years,” Feigin said (Twitter video link; hat tip to Bleacher Report). “Giannis loves Milwaukee, Milwaukee loves Giannis. We’re in a good place. We feel great about it. It’s business as usual.
“I think we get kind of a fun little joy in everybody else thinking they know what’s going on and what the clickbait is, but for us, we’re in a good spot. Giannis is in a good place. He’s enjoying the summer, and we’re looking forward to next season.”
Antetokounmpo’s future has been one of the most popular subjects of speculation this offseason on the heels of a third consecutive first-round playoff exit for the Bucks and a Damian Lillard Achilles tear.
However, while rival clubs have been monitoring the situation closely in the hopes that Giannis will ask for a trade, that hasn’t happened. In fact, Milwaukee has moved aggressively this summer in an effort to maintain a roster capable of contending without Lillard and longtime starting center Brook Lopez, who left in free agency for the Clippers.
The Bucks re-signed several of their own free agents, including Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., and Taurean Prince, reached agreements to bring in new role players like Gary Harris and Cole Anthony, and made the most surprising free agent addition of the NBA offseason when they landed Myles Turner on a four-year, $109MM deal.
While Antetokounmpo hasn’t entirely shut down the speculation by making any definitive statements about his future, most teams have gone about their business this summer as if the two-time MVP won’t be seeking a change of scenery in the short term. For his part, Giannis suggested last week that he’ll “probably” be in Milwaukee going forward. Feigin’s remarks on Sunday point in that direction too.
Reported Signings That Aren’t Yet Official
Most of the free agent deals and all of the trades that were reported during or before the July moratorium have since been officially finalized, but there are still a handful of signings that we’re waiting on. Here’s a quick breakdown of the reported free agent contracts that have not yet been formally completed and announced:
Brooklyn Nets:
The Nets are the only NBA team that still has cap room remaining, so they’re likely weighing their options for how best to use that space before officially cutting into it by signing Sharpe and/or Williams. It’s possible that one of those two contracts will eventually slot into the room exception in order to help Brooklyn maximize its cap space.
Dallas Mavericks:
The Mavericks are hard-capped at the second tax apron as a result of using their taxpayer mid-level exception to sign D’Angelo Russell. Signing Exum, even for the minimum (which will likely be what his new deal is worth), would push their team salary above that hard cap, which isn’t permitted. So Dallas will need to make a cost-cutting move before officially finalizing Exum’s deal. Former first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper is considered a trade candidate.
Memphis Grizzlies:
- Santi Aldama (three years, $52.5MM)
- Ty Jerome (three years, $27.66MM)
- Cam Spencer (four years, $10.5MM)
- Jock Landale (one year, minimum salary)
The Grizzlies needed to finalize Cole Anthony‘s buyout and renegotiate Jaren Jackson‘s contract using cap room before making all of these moves, which can be completed without using cap space. Anthony’s buyout and Jackson’s renegotiation both happened over the weekend, so I’d expect Memphis to start officially finalizing these signings soon — perhaps even as soon as today.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
It’s not entirely clear why the Timberwolves‘ two big deals for their power forwards have been delayed. My best guess is that Minnesota is waiting on a decision from another free agent on an offer that would use the team’s taxpayer mid-level exception.
In that scenario, the Wolves would want to get Reid’s and Randle’s first-year salaries as low as possible to ensure their team salary stays below a second-apron hard cap. If there’s not another non-minimum free agent incoming, the club could potentially increase Reid’s and Randle’s first-year salaries slightly. That’s just my speculation, however.
Many two-way deals and Exhibit 10 agreements around the NBA have also been reported and not yet finalized, but those won’t affect teams’ cap situations, so the ones above are the ones we’re keeping the closest eye on.
Cavs’ Koby Altman Signs Contract Extension
Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman has signed a contract extension that will run through the 2029/30 season, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
Altman last signed an extension back in January 2022. Reporting at the time indicated that deal kept him under contract through ’27/28, so the new extension will tack on two additional years.
Altman, who has been the head of basketball operations in Cleveland since 2017, oversaw the post-LeBron James rebuild following the star forward’s departure in 2018 and has since constructed one of the NBA’s most talented rosters. The Cavaliers have won at least 48 games and earned a playoff berth in each of the past three seasons. In 2024/25, the club racked up a conference-high 64 regular season victories.
The Cavaliers have drafted Darius Garland and Evan Mobley during Altman’s tenure, as well as trading for Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell. Altman also oversaw the 2024 head coaching search that resulted in the team hiring Kenny Atkinson, who earned Coach of the Year honors this spring.
Altman’s job will get more challenging going forward — after remaining out of luxury tax territory for seven straight seasons in the wake of James’ exit, the Cavs have soared past that tax threshold this offseason and will be operating above the second tax apron in 2025/26.
While carrying one of the league’s most expensive rosters is more of a burden on ownership than management, the roster restrictions that apply to second-apron teams will make it more difficult for Altman and his front office to continue complementing the Cavs’ core with quality role players.
Cleveland lost Ty Jerome in free agency this offseason, but re-signed free agent wing Sam Merrill, swapped Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball, and brought back former Cav Larry Nance Jr.
According to Charania, other members of Altman’s front office – including general manager Mike Gansey and assistant general manager Brandon Weems – have also been extended.