Pacific Notes: LeBron, Luka, Koloko, Suns, Collins
Within an in-depth feature for ESPN.com, Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst take a closer look at the Lakers‘ efforts to “delicately” transition from their LeBron James era to the Luka Doncic era and the challenges they’ve faced along the way.
As Shelburne and Windhorst detail, James wasn’t surprised by the fact that the Lakers have prioritized Doncic in recent months and understands the team has to set itself up for the future. However, “it also did not go down easily,” according to ESPN’s duo, who point out that LeBron specifically chose the Lakers as a free agent back in 2018, whereas Doncic never asked to be a Laker and had been planning to remain in Dallas for his entire career.
Shelburne and Windhorst suggest the Lakers have signaled their shift to Doncic with a “series of microaggressions” that started with not giving James any advance warning about the February trade for the Mavs star. Those microaggressions also included letting Doncic – but not LeBron – know ahead of time about the sale to Mark Walter so that he had a message of congratulations ready to go on social media, as well as not offering to extend James’ contract beyond the 2025/26 season.
James has responded to the Lakers’ decisions with a series of “cryptic hints” of his own, with agent Rich Paul‘s statement in late June representing the most notable one. According to Shelburne and Windhorst, Paul’s comments about LeBron wanting “to make every season he has left count” were interpreted in many different ways by teams around the NBA — some executives saw the statement as James pushing the Lakers to go all-in on this year’s roster, some viewed it as a soft trade request, and at least one considered it an “elaborate pout” due to the lack of contract extension.
Even if nothing comes of that statement and James spends the 2025/26 season with the Lakers without incident, it has had an impact. According to ESPN’s sources, veteran center Brook Lopez was strongly considering the Lakers in free agency due to their open starting spot at center, but was “wary of the uncertainty” surrounding James’ future and ultimately opted for a backup role with the Clippers instead.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Christian Koloko is still a restricted free agent, having not yet accepted his two-way qualifying offer from the Lakers, but there have been no indications to this point that he’ll be changing teams this offseason. The big man was added to the Lakers’ Summer League roster before the club’s Las Vegas opener on Thursday, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
- If and when the Suns finalize a buyout agreement with Bradley Beal, the expectation is that they’ll use that roster spot on a point guard or possibly a combo guard, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.
- The Clippers haven’t really deployed a traditional power forward in recent years, but they got exactly that sort of player when they acquired John Collins from Utah earlier this week, which will change the makeup of their roster, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. “Sometimes you have to make a decision between getting a great athlete who may struggle shooting the ball from range, versus getting the really skilled player who just maybe is just an average functional athlete,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said of the move. “John has shown the ability to be both, which is huge.”
Hawks Sign Nikola Djurisic To Standard Contract
1:10 pm: Djurisic’s deal is a three-year contract worth his minimum salary, totaling about $5.95MM, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who tweets that the first year will be guaranteed.
12:57 pm: The Hawks have added a draft-and-stash player to their standard roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed wing Nikola Djurisic.
Djurisic, 21, was selected by Atlanta with the 43rd overall pick of the 2024 draft and spent last season playing in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks.
While he contributed 10.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game in 32 NBAGL outings for the Skyhawks, the 6’8″ forward struggled with turnovers (3.1 per game) and his shooting efficiency. He made just 37.9% of his field goal attempts, including only 18-of-101 (17.8%) three-pointers.
As Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com notes (via Twitter), Atlanta had been carrying 12 players on standard contracts and didn’t have enough room below the luxury tax line to add three more veterans on minimum-salary deals, so having Djurisic on a rookie-minimum contract will be advantageous from a cap/tax perspective.
Because Djurisic’s contract will count toward the cap for just $1,272,870 in 2025/26, the Hawks should have enough flexibility to sign two more veterans to minimum deals without surpassing the luxury tax threshold.
Djurisic’s contract will be completed using the second-round pick exception. Chouinard adds (via Twitter) that he wouldn’t be surprised if Serbian youngster spends most or all of next season in the G League.
Atlantic Notes: Simons, M. Brown, Knicks, Edgecombe
The Celtics moved forward with their Jrue Holiday/Anfernee Simons swap earlier this week, completing the trade with Portland as a straight-up, one-for-one swap after exploring ways to expand the deal during the July moratorium. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Boston is committed to having Simons on its roster to open the season.
“I have talked to other teams who have said the Celtics are actively trying to trade Anfernee Simons,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Wednesday’s episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “Whether they can or not (remains to be seen).”
Swapping out Holiday’s $32.4MM cap hit for Simons’ $27.7MM figure will help the Celtics operate below the second tax apron in 2025/26. However, as Windhorst and his ESPN colleagues Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps went on to speculate, the club may be looking to cut costs more significantly in what will essentially be a “gap year.” Getting out of the luxury tax entirely would be a step toward resetting the repeater tax clock.
A team operating above the cap but below the tax aprons would only have to send out about $19.2MM in matching salary to legally acquire Simons and his expiring contract.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- During his introductory press conference as the Knicks‘ head coach this week, Mike Brown said he’s not bothered by the fact that the team is essentially in championship-or-bust mode as he takes over the job. “Nobody has any bigger expectations than I do. My expectations are high,” Brown said, per Chris Herring of ESPN. “This is the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. It’s iconic. … I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it.”
- While a lack of reliable depth was an issue for the Knicks last season, Brown lauded president of basketball operations Leon Rose for continuing to add more talent to the roster after the team signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency, as Zach Braziller of The New York Post relays. “Jordan, the things that he can do, especially offensively,” Brown said. “He’s a veteran guy. I know he’s hungry to win. He can score at all three levels. You’re excited with that coming to the table. He’s also a better play-maker than he’s given credit (for). I’m looking forward to seeing some of that, too, because I’m huge when it comes to touching the paint and looking to spray that basketball out to get your teammates easy shots. And then Guerschon, an unbelievable young man. His size, his versatility, he can play the four, the five, maybe some three, who knows?”
- No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe missed the Sixers‘ first game of the Las Vegas Summer League on Thursday after being diagnosed with a left thumb sprain. He’s still taking part in on-court workouts and will have the injury reevaluated on Saturday, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Kings Notes: Carter, Westbrook, Schröder, Rookies
The Las Vegas Summer League could serve as a showcase for second-year Kings guard Devin Carter, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. While there’s no indication that the talks have gained any real traction, Sacramento reportedly floated the idea of a trade package that included Carter for Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga.
The Kings’ willingness to discuss moving Carter a year after selecting him with the 13th overall pick in the 2024 draft will likely prompt a few rival clubs – including perhaps Golden State – to keep a closer eye on the 23-year-old in Vegas. For his part, when asked about how he’s handling a potentially uncertain future, Carter made it clear he’s not dwelling on the trade rumors, per Anderson.
“My pops (Anthony Carter) played for 13 years,” the Kings guard said. “He’s been traded a lot. I just talk to him about how he handled it. That will stay between us, what me and my pops be talking about, but I just come in to work every day, obviously thankful for the opportunity to be here, show up with a ready-to-work mentality all the time, and it is what it is. It’s a business.”
Carter’s 2025 Summer League experience got off to a somewhat shaky start on Thursday, as he made just 2-of-14 shots in 24 minutes of action against Orlando.
Here’s more on the Kings:
- Sacramento has been frequently linked to free agent point guard Russell Westbrook this offseason, but a deal between the two sides still seems unlikely to happen unless the club makes other roster changes, Sam Amick of The Athletic said during his weekly appearance on The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Sactown Sports 1140 (YouTube link). “The sense that I have gotten is that the Kings have a lot of affinity for Russ, without question,” Amick said. “But the backcourt is pretty crowded already, and there was concern about making it even worse. So I have certainly been leaning in the direction of thinking that was not going to happen. And nothing’s changed roster-wise to change the logjam that they would have by making a move like that.”
- In his first media session as a member of the Kings, Dennis Schröder said it “means the world” to him to have a team target and prioritize him as its starting point guard, as Anderson writes for The Bee. “I want to give it back, of course, every single day, every single practice, games, to leave it all on the floor and give everything for this organization,” said Schröder, whose three-year, $44.4MM deal is fully guaranteed for two years and partially guaranteed for the third.
- At the presser introducing Schröder, general manager Scott Perry referred back to comments he made previously about wanting to add players who are “competitive, tough, team oriented, disciplined, accountable and professional,” suggesting that Schröder ticks those boxes. “When you marry those two things together, when free agency was embarking upon us,” Perry said, “this was the No. 1 guy we felt in the league for us that was going to fit that bill and help us establish that sustainable success that we are striving to get.”
- In a separate story for The Bee, Anderson notes that rookies Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud made a strong impression in their Summer League debuts on Thursday, combining for 33 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the Kings’ win over Orlando.
NBA Teams With Hard Caps For 2025/26
The NBA salary cap is somewhat malleable, with various exceptions allowing each team to surpass the $154,647,000 threshold once its cap room is used up. In some cases, teams blow past not only the cap limit, but the luxury tax line of $187,895,000 as well — the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Timberwolves are among the clubs who project to have substantial tax bills this season as a result of their spending.
The NBA doesn’t have a “hard cap” by default, which allows clubs like Cleveland, Boston, and Minnesota to build a significant payroll without violating NBA rules. However, there are certain scenarios in which teams can be hard-capped.
The league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement has carried over the hard cap rules from the 2017 CBA while also expanding them, adding new scenarios in which teams can face hard caps and creating a second salary level that certain teams can’t exceed.
We go into greater detail in a separate article on how teams become hard-capped, but here’s a brief rundown of the ways it can happen in 2025/26:
- A team becomes hard-capped at the first tax apron ($195,945,000) if it makes any of the following moves:
- Acquires a player via sign-and-trade.
- Uses more than the taxpayer portion (up to two years, with a starting salary of $5,685,000) of the mid-level exception to sign a player.
- Uses any portion of the mid-level exception to acquire a player via trade or waiver claim.
- Uses any portion of the bi-annual exception to sign a player or to acquire a player via trade or waiver claim.
- Uses the expanded traded player exception.
- Uses a traded player exception generated during the previous offseason or regular season.
- Signs a player who was waived during the regular season and whose pre-waiver salary was higher than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14,104,000).
- A team becomes hard-capped at the second tax apron ($207,824,000) if it makes any of the following moves:
- Uses any portion of the mid-level exception to sign a player to a contract.
- Aggregates two or more players in a trade for salary-matching purposes.
- Sends out cash in a trade.
- Sends out a player via sign-and-trade and uses that player’s outgoing salary to take back a contract (either in the same transaction or in a subsequent transaction via the resulting trade exception).
Given how many ways there are to create a hard cap, most clubs who don’t intend to operate over one of the two aprons will likely end up hard-capping themselves at one or the other.
Some teams will have to be hyper-aware of that hard cap when they consider any roster move for the rest of the season, but for others it’s just a technicality that won’t affect their plans in any meaningful way.
Listed below are the hard-capped teams for the 2025/26 league year, along with how they created a hard cap.
In some instances, a team made multiple roster moves that would have imposed a hard cap (e.g. acquired a player via sign-and-trade and used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception). Only the first of those transactions is noted below, though in some cases a team made two moves within a single transaction to create a hard cap, in which case each relevant move is mentioned.
Hard-capped at first tax apron
These teams will be prohibited from exceeding $195,945,000 in team salary.
Atlanta Hawks
- Acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker via sign-and-trade.
- Used a trade exception generated last offseason (for Dejounte Murray) to acquire Alexander-Walker.
Charlotte Hornets
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire Collin Sexton.
Chicago Bulls
- Used a trade exception generated last season (for Zach LaVine) to acquire Isaac Okoro.
Detroit Pistons
- Acquired Duncan Robinson via sign-and-trade.
Houston Rockets
- Acquired Clint Capela via sign-and-trade.
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire Capela and Kevin Durant.
Indiana Pacers
- Used a trade exception generated last season (for James Wiseman) to acquire Jay Huff.
Los Angeles Clippers
- Used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Brook Lopez.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Jake LaRavia.
Memphis Grizzlies
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony.
Miami Heat
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire Norman Powell.
Milwaukee Bucks
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire Ousmane Dieng.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey.
Orlando Magic
- Used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Tyus Jones.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire Jrue Holiday.
Sacramento Kings
- Acquired Dennis Schröder via sign-and-trade.
- Used a trade exception generated last season (for Kevin Huerter) to acquire Schröder.
San Antonio Spurs
- Used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Luke Kornet.
Toronto Raptors
- Used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to acquire Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Utah Jazz
- Used the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to acquire Kyle Anderson.
- Used the bi-annual exception to acquire Kevin Love.
Washington Wizards
- Used expanded traded player exception to acquire CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and Cam Whitmore.
Hard-capped at second tax apron
These teams will be prohibited from exceeding $207,824,000 in team salary.
Boston Celtics
- Sent out cash in a trade.
Brooklyn Nets
- Sent out cash in a trade.
Dallas Mavericks
- Used the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign D’Angelo Russell.
Golden State Warriors
- Used the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Al Horford.
New York Knicks
- Used the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Guerschon Yabusele.
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Sent out cash in a trade.
Philadelphia 76ers
- Used the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign Dominick Barlow.
Phoenix Suns
- Sent out cash in a trade.
No hard cap
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Denver Nuggets
- Minnesota Timberwolves
This list, which figures to continue evolving, will be updated throughout the 2025/26 league year as necessary. It can be found anytime in the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site, or in the “Features” menu on our mobile site.
Central Notes: Giannis, Turner, Pacers, Lanier, Holland
Appearing on a live stream in Greece on Thursday with YouTube personality IShowSpeed, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked if his plan is to remain in Milwaukee going forward.
“Probably,” Antetokounmpo said (Twitter video link). “We’ll see. Probably. I love Milwaukee.”
While any public statement that Antetokounmpo makes about his future is notable, it’s hard to draw any definitive conclusions from those brief comments — they’re pretty much what you’d expect him to say if he hasn’t requested a trade but also hasn’t yet decisively committed to not asking for a trade. And by all accounts, that’s where his situation currently stands.
As we wait for a more conclusive update on Giannis’ future, the Bucks and their fans can take solace in the “probably” part of his response on Thursday, while potential suitors will likely be emboldened by the “we’ll see.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- After signing with the Bucks on Monday following 10 years in Indiana, Myles Turner published a farewell to Pacers fans on his Instagram account on Thursday. “This chapter is closing, but the respect and love I have for this city and its people is forever,” Turner wrote within a much longer statement. “Thank you Indy, from the bottom of my heart. I mean it when I say The 317 will always be home. And I’ve been proud to call myself a Hoosier! I hope you continue to embrace me as much as I’ve always embraced you!”
- Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star shares three takeaways from the Pacers‘ victory in their first Las Vegas Summer League game on Thursday, noting that two-way players RayJ Dennis (26 points, nine assists) and Quenton Jackson (24 points on 8-of-10 shooting) were among the standouts. It would be a boon for the Pacers if Dennis emerges as a reliable option at the NBA level, Dopirak observes, since the team will be on the lookout for additional point guard depth with Tyrese Haliburton out for the entire 2025/26 season.
- Pistons second-round pick Chaz Lanier believes he’s capable of “immediately” playing a role for his new NBA team as a rookie, he told reporters during his introductory press conference this week. “Coming in to do whatever they need me to do,” Lanier said, per Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. “Coming in and making shots when I need to. … I am a shooter first, that is what I hang my hat on; putting the ball in the basket. However, I believe that at the NBA level, you need to be able to make an impact on defense. That is how I plan on making my mark.”
- Pistons forward Ron Holland, who turned 20 on Monday, was pleased that he was able to earn an every-game rotation role as a rookie last season, but he feels like he “left a lot on the table” and “could’ve done more,” as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press relays (subscription required). “That’s definitely putting a chip on my shoulder and being able to go into next season trying to thrive and get better every single day,” Holland said.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 7/10/2025
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central time (3:00 pm Eastern).
Lakers Notes: Buss, Ayton, Doncic, LeBron
A statement last month indicated that Jeanie Buss is expected to remain the Lakers‘ governor “for the foreseeable future” even after the team is sold to incoming owner Mark Walter. That “foreseeable future” will span quite some time, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who hears from a source that the agreement between the two sides calls for Buss to remain in her governor role for at least the next five seasons.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Speaking to reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, new Lakers center Deandre Ayton said that signing with Los Angeles “feels like a video game” and that he doesn’t intend to take the opportunity for granted, as Mark Medina of RG.org relays. Ayton called new teammate Luka Doncic a “once-in-a-generation player” and cited Doncic’s and LeBron James‘ career assist numbers as one reason why he expects to thrive in L.A. “They turn (their teammates) into superstars,” Ayton said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “They make them bigger than their roles, they make them very important on the floor.”
- Ayton also said on Tuesday that he’s motivated by critics who have questioned his effort, focus, and maturity, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “It fuels me,” Ayton said. “It fuels me up completely. And it’s a different type of drive that I’ve been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it’s a platform that I cannot run from. I can show what I really am and just be around some greats to really emphasize that for me as well. It is a lot of fuel in me to prove to the whole world.”
- After social media posts revealed that LeBron James visited the Cavaliers‘ practice facility last week, the star forward clarified (via Twitter) that it’s an annual occurrence for him, since he lives and trains in the area during the offseason. Still, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during an appearance on ESPN Cleveland (Twitter video link) that LeBron knew what he was doing when he was photographed in the Cavs’ building amidst speculation about his future. “LeBron absolutely knows that he will cause a wave with these social media things,” Windhorst said (hat tip to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com). “On one hand, he is just coming home for the holiday, he is just doing something that he has done numerous times in the past. On the other hand, by doing what’s he’s doing, he’s absolutely poking the bear and being passive aggressive. And by the way, the Lakers are being passive-aggressive back at LeBron. They did not announce his option pick-up. So they’re both acting in the same way. Now, how is this going to get resolved? And my answer to you, in full honesty, is I don’t know.”
Rockets Finalize Minimum Deals With Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green
July 10: The Rockets have put out a press release officially confirming their new deals with Holiday and Green.
June 30: The Rockets have agreed to bring back guard Aaron Holiday and forward Jeff Green on one-year, minimum-salary contracts, reports Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The news doesn’t come as a surprise, given that word broke on Friday that Houston intended to re-sign both players – along with free agent forward Jae’Sean Tate – to deals at or near the veteran’s minimum. Tate reached a one-year, $3MM agreement with the club earlier today.
Holiday, who has spent the past two seasons in Houston, had a solid season in 2024/25 as a backup point guard, averaging 5.5 points, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game on .437/.398/.829 shooting. However, his playing time dipped — his 12.8 minutes per game represented a career low.
While the Rockets still like Holiday, they wanted to bring him back on a more team-friendly deal than his previous contract, so they turned down his $4.9MM team option and will now carry a $2.3MM cap hit for the 28-year-old in 2025/26.
Green also played less than ever in 2024/25, averaging a career-low 12.4 minutes per game in 32 appearances. However, he’s a respected veteran locker-room leader and held his own in his limited role, with averages of 5.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG and a .504/.367/.808 shooting line.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Porzingis, Daniels, Whitmore
Jeff Weltman has served as the Magic‘s president of basketball operations since 2017. During that time, Orlando has made four playoff appearances but has yet to advance past the first round of the postseason. In Weltman’s view, the current version of the Magic looks more capable of achieving that feat than any other roster he has overseen during the past eight years.
“For me personally since I’ve been here, I think this roster has a chance to do some special things, more so than any other that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Weltman said, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “It looks good on paper. It’s the job of our players, our coaches and all of our staff to bring everything we have to bear to get this team as far along as we can.
“The nice thing about the team that I get excited about is it’s still very young and there’s still a lot of growth baked in. I look forward to the next few years unfolding, but obviously starting right now.”
Orlando has traded for standout wing Desmond Bane and signed veteran point guard Tyus Jones this offseason, adding them to a core headlined by Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs. Banchero has also received a new long-term extension.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Speaking to Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required), new Hawks big man Kristaps Porzingis expressed excitement about the coming season in Atlanta and spoke about what he thinks he can bring to the club. “I think I’ll fit right in here and add more like diversity, maybe even more offense,” Porzingis said. “And, yeah, I think there’s going to be more like layers to this offense that’s already pretty powerful. But yeah, I think we can really be a force offensively.”
- After being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for 2024/25, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels tells Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints that he believes he still has room to keep getting better and that he has bigger goals ahead, including becoming an All-Star and winning a championship. The Defensive Player of the Year runner-up also credited Trae Young for the role he played in Daniels’ breakout season. “He made my life a lot easier and our games kind of really complement each other,” Daniels said. “Him on the offensive end, me on the defensive end helping him out.”
- The acquisition of Cam Whitmore from Houston is a low-risk and potentially high-reward for the Wizards, according to Josh Robbins and Kelly Iko of The Athletic, who consider how the trade fits into Washington’s long-term plan and suggest head coach Brian Keefe could frequently deploy wing-heavy lineups that lack a traditional power forward next season.