Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Parts With Agents, Will Rep Himself
Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has parted ways with his agents at Wasserman and will represent himself as he prepares to become extension-eligible this offseason, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter video link).
Gilgeous-Alexander had been represented by Thad Foucher and Joe Smith, per RealGM.
Having made All-NBA teams in both 2023 and 2024, Gilgeous-Alexander has met the performance criteria for a super-max contract and will become eligible to sign that extension with the Thunder this July.
The 2024 MVP runner-up still has two years left on his current deal and can’t exceed six years in total, so the maximum value of his extension would be a projected $293.4MM over four years, beginning in 2027/28.
That projection is based on the cap increasing by the maximum allowable 10% for each of the next three seasons, so it’s possible the final figure will come in a little lower — the deal would start at 35% of the ’27/28 cap and would include 8% raises.
Unlike with Luka Doncic in Dallas, there has been no indication that the Thunder aren’t prepared to put that full super-max offer on the table for Gilgeous-Alexander this summer, which means the negotiation should be fairly straightforward.
While he’ll serve as his own agent as he negotiates that contract with the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander will continue to be represented by Simon Gebrelul of Isla Management for marketing and off-court ventures, according to Haynes.
Gilgeous-Alexander is currently the betting favorite to be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this season. The 26-year-old guard is averaging a league-leading 32.5 points per game on .523/.359/.897 shooting while also contributing 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.0 block per night for the 44-10 Thunder.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. Joins San Diego Clippers
The San Diego Clippers have acquired former NBA first-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. from the G League player pool, the team announced today in a press release.
Baldwin, 22, was selected 28th overall in the 2022 draft by Golden State and spent his rookie year with the Warriors before being traded to the Wizards during the 2023 offseason in the Chris Paul/Jordan Poole deal.
Baldwin didn’t see much playing time in either Golden State or Washington — to date, he has appeared in 91 total NBA regular season games, averaging 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per night. The 6’9″ forward posted a .401/.366/.658 shooting line across those 91 contests.
After originally appearing on track to be sent to the Bucks as part of the Kyle Kuzma/Khris Middleton trade earlier this month, Baldwin was rerouted to San Antonio when more teams got involved in that deal, turning it into a four-team trade. The Spurs waived Baldwin shortly after acquiring him.
Today’s announcement from the Clippers‘ G League affiliate suggests that Baldwin signed an NBAGL contract shortly after becoming an unrestricted free agent. Since no team held his G League rights, he was subject to the waiver process — San Diego either put in a claim or waited until after he cleared waivers and then added him to the team’s roster.
While Baldwin’s minutes at the NBA level have been limited, he has seen a little more action in the G League, including in seven outings for the Capital City Go-Go this season. He averaged 15.0 PPG and 6.0 RPG on .488/.349/.571 shooting in those seven games (27.2 MPG).
Southwest Notes: Morant, Powell, Wemby, Castle
Several of the stars who were traded ahead of this month’s deadline – including Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram – were on the block for a while, while others – such as Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, and De’Aaron Fox – were either total surprises or (as in Fox’s case) weren’t necessarily expected to be on the move this soon.
So which stars might emerge as new trade candidates ahead of the 2025 offseason? Howard Beck of The Ringer said during a live episode of The Real Ones podcast over the weekend that one executive he spoke to about that subject offered up an interesting prediction.
“I’m constantly checking in with executives around (the) trade deadline about what we saw, what we didn’t see, what’s next,” Beck said (Twitter audio link). “And in this league, you are always, always, always on the lookout for who’s the next wave of stars that are going to get dealt, right? … And somebody out of the blue said, ‘Keep an eye on Ja [Morant] this summer.’
“… I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m not saying it should happen. I’m just saying it’s one of those things I’m just kind of keeping an eye on if they were to flame out (of the playoffs) early.”
At this point, the idea that Morant will emerge as a trade candidate seems more like wishful thinking on the part of an opposing executive than something likely to actually happen. The Grizzlies‘ star point guard is just 25 years old, is still under contract in Memphis for three more years beyond this season, and has stayed out of trouble off the court since being suspended twice in 2023 for wielding a gun in social media videos.
Still, in the wake of Dallas’ decision to deal Doncic, team executives will likely be loath to assume that any rival star is entirely untouchable.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- The Mavericks haven’t shared an official update on Dwight Powell‘s health for over a week, but Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link) hears that the big man has been doing full workouts during the All-Star break. Powell, who has been out since January 17 due to a right hip strain, doesn’t typically play a significant role for the Mavs, but the team would love to have him available with frontcourt regulars Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and Anthony Davis all sidelined due to injuries of their own.
- Michael C. Wright of ESPN takes a behind-the-scenes look at Victor Wembanyama‘s first All-Star appearance, noting that the Spurs flew their massage therapist, physical therapist, and performance coach to San Francisco to run the big man through his usual pregame routine, since he wanted to win every event he was involved in. That included Saturday’s skills challenge, in which Wembanyama and teammate Chris Paul attempted to exploit a loophole and were ultimately disqualified. “I don’t regret it,” the first-time All-Star said of the scheme to intentionally miss their required shot attempts as quickly as possible. “I thought it was a good idea.”
- After a busy All-Star weekend, first-year Spurs guard Stephon Castle spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about his experience in San Francisco, what he has learned from Paul, and what it’s like to play with Wembanyama, among other topics. Castle also expressed optimism about his ability to play alongside new San Antonio point guard De’Aaron Fox going forward. “I love playing with D-Fox,” the rookie told Spears. “He plays super-fast. That is how I like to play. Super unselfish. He can go get a bucket whenever you need him to. Yeah, he’s super cool and a great guy off the court, too.”
Hornets Sign Elfrid Payton To Second 10-Day Deal
1:02 pm: Payton’s new 10-day contract is now official, the Hornets confirmed in a press release. It will run through next Thursday (Feb. 27).
12:45 pm: Following the expiration of his first 10-day contract with the Hornets earlier this week, veteran point guard Elfrid Payton has agreed to a second 10-day deal with the team, agent Darrell Comer tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Charlotte is short on point guard depth after having traded Vasilije Micic to Phoenix at this month’s deadline. Tre Mann has been out for most of the season due to a back injury and LaMelo Ball has been in and out of the lineup due to ankle issues.
A former No. 10 overall pick, Payton appeared in two games for the Hornets during his first 10 days with the team, averaging 2.0 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per night. He had a stint with another banged-up team – New Orleans – earlier this season and put up 6.7 PPG, 6.9 APG, and 3.4 RPG in seven outings (20.6 MPG) for the Pelicans.
The Hornets have a full 15-man standard roster, but won’t need to waive anyone to open up a spot for Payton because they qualify for a hardship exception due to longer-term injuries affecting Mann, Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, and Josh Okogie. That exception allows them to temporarily go beyond the usual roster limit.
Payton will earn a $171,756 salary on his new 10-day contract, while Charlotte carries a cap charge of $119,972. The Hornets have a busy schedule coming up in the next 10 days, including multiple back-to-back sets, so the 30-year-old will be available for up to six games if he officially signs on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Once Payton’s second 10-day deal expires, he won’t be eligible to sign a third one with the Hornets.
Eastern Notes: Ingram, Lonzo, Moore, E. Thompson
He hasn’t appeared in a game for his new team yet, but Brandon Ingram has already made franchise history for the Raptors, contends Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
As Lewenberg explains, Ingram is the first All-Star player to “chart a course to Toronto in the prime of his career.” Conversely, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, and DeMar DeRozan were drafted and developed by the Raptors; Kyle Lowry and Kawhi Leonard didn’t view Toronto as a preferred destination when they were traded there; and Hakeem Olajuwon was in his twilight years when he chose to sign with Toronto.
Although it’s unclear whether Toronto was the No. 1 landing spot on Ingram’s wish list, the Raptors were believed to be one of the teams – along with the Hawks – the 27-year-old targeted as an ideal fit, Lewenberg writes. That was backed up by the fact that Ingram quickly signed a three-year, $120MM extension with the Raptors just days after the trade was completed.
That three-year deal will pay Ingram a salary of $38,095,238 in 2025/26 and exactly $40MM in ’26/27, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. The star forward will hold a $41,904,762 player option for the ’27/28 season.
“First thing that I heard [from the Raptors] is they want to make me an All-Star again and I’m going to be a big part of what they do moving forward,” Ingram told reporters last week. “I want to come here and learn. I want to come here and be a sponge, shift the culture, make it a winning culture and come in here and just listen. Do whatever coach (Darko Rajakovic) needs me to do and go out and try to be an example every single day.”
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Lonzo Ball‘s new two-year, $20MM extension with the Bulls has a flat year-over-year structure, Hoops Rumors has learned. Ball’s $10MM salary in 2025/26 is fully guaranteed, then Chicago holds a $10MM team option for ’26/27.
- Wendell Moore‘s new two-way contract with the Hornets is just a rest-of-season deal, Hoops Rumors has learned. Charlotte’s other two-way players, KJ Simpson and Damion Baugh, are under contract through next season on two-year, two-way contracts. Moore also won’t be eligible for a qualifying offer this summer — because he previously had his 2025/26 rookie scale team option declined, the third-year shooting guard will automatically become an unrestricted free agent.
- Ethan Thompson, who has played primarily in the G League since going undrafted in 2021, referred to his new two-way contract with the Magic as a “dream come true,” adding that playing for the organization – including Orlando’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic – has “felt like home,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). “It was a surreal moment,” Thompson said of signing his first NBA two-way contract. “My mom instantly cried. My father is proud; my brother is proud as well. It’s a great thing to be able to share that with them.”
Rest-Of-Season NBA Dates, Deadlines To Watch
With the All-Star Game behind us, we’re preparing for the home stretch of the 2024/25 NBA season. Here are a few noteworthy dates and deadlines to keep an eye on before the playoffs begin in April.
February 28
- Last day for contract renegotiations.
A team with cap room can renegotiate a player’s current-year salary to give him a raise as part of a contract extension. There are no legitimate candidates for a renegotiation at this point in the season though, with all 30 teams operating over the cap.
March 1
- Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.
As we outline in our glossary entry on buyouts, a player doesn’t need to be signed by March 1 in order to retain his playoff-eligible — he simply can’t be waived after that date. A player who is waived on March 1 and signs with another team on April 8 would be playoff-eligible for his new team, but a player who is waived on March 2 and signs on March 5 wouldn’t be.
March 4
- Last day for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract.
Under the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract was January 15, but it has been pushed back in the current CBA and teams are taking full advantage. In 2024, a total of 15 two-way deals were officially finalized on March 2, 3, or 4.
In the 12 days since the trade deadline, eight players have signed new two-way contracts. That number figures to grow significantly by the end of the day on March 4, despite the fact that there are only three two-way openings around the league right now.
March 10
- Last day to use a disabled player exception.
The Hornets ($6.5MM) and Jazz ($2.9MM) are among the teams that still have available disabled player exceptions, which could be used to sign a player to a rest-of-season contract or to claim a player with an expiring contract off waivers.
However, disabled player exceptions are used more frequently at the trade deadline than after it, and neither Charlotte nor Utah has reason to be especially aggressive in free agency. The likeliest scenario is that these DPEs – as well as those belonging to the Pacers and Nuggets – will expire without being used.
April 10
- Last day to waive a player on an expiring contract or a player with an option for 2025/26 (4:00pm CT).
Players with at least one year still left on their contracts can be waived during the postseason or offseason, but if a team wants to part ways with a player who has the ability to reach free agency this summer, he must be cut in time to clear waivers before the last day of the regular season.
April 13
- Last day of the NBA regular season.
- Last day players can sign contracts for 2024/25.
- Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
- Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.
Several teams around the NBA have at least one open spot on their 15-man rosters. We can probably assume that most – if not all – of those clubs will fill their openings by April 13.
Playoff teams will want to make sure they have as much veteran depth as possible, just to be safe, while lottery teams will look at signing younger players to multiyear deals that include little to no guaranteed money beyond this season in order to get a longer look at them in the summer.
April 14
- Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).
April 15-18
- NBA play-in tournament.
April 19
- NBA playoffs begin.
While they wait for the play-in tournament to conclude, the top six teams in each conference will get a few days off between the regular season and the postseason, giving them some time to recharge before the playoffs begin.
Warriors, Cavs Must Make Roster Additions By Thursday
NBA roster rules require teams to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts for most of the regular season. Clubs are permitted to dip below 14 players for up to 14 days at a time and 28 days in total during a season.
[RELATED: 2024/25 NBA Roster Counts]
Several teams dropped below 14 players on standard contracts earlier this month as a result of trade-deadline deals, but most of them have since made additions to get them back to the league-mandated minimum. There are some exceptions, however.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors briefly dipped to just 11 players on standard contracts after completing their trade for Jimmy Butler on February 6, then added a 12th man by converting Quinten Post from his two-way contract.
Golden State will be required to get back to 14 players on Feb. 20, which means making a pair of roster additions. One of those additions will reportedly be Kevin Knox, who is getting a promotion from the Santa Cruz Warriors after playing well this season for Golden State’s G League affiliate.
Besides Knox, the Warriors will have to add one more player to their standard roster by Thursday, either on a 10-day contract or on a rest-of-season deal.
Knox is reportedly receiving a 10-day contract, so it would make sense for the Warriors to go that route with their second addition as well. When those 10-day deals expire, the club could remain below 14 players for two more weeks before having to get back to 14 for the rest of the season. That would help Golden State navigate its hard cap and add a 15th man sooner.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers’ situation is pretty straightforward. They went from 14 players on their standard roster to 13 as a result of their two-for-one De’Andre Hunter trade on Feb. 6. They haven’t made a roster move since then, so they’ll need to sign a 14th man by Feb. 20, this Thursday.
None of the Cavaliers’ two-way players – Emoni Bates, JT Thor, and Luke Travers – have appeared in more than nine NBA games this season, so they don’t look like obvious candidates for promotions. The Cavs seem more likely to sign a free agent or promote a G League player from the Cleveland Charge.
Since their 14th man is unlikely to see the court much – if at all – the Cavs could opt to go the 10-day route for now and then make a decision on a rest-of-season commitment next month.
Sacramento Kings
Unlike the Warriors and Cavaliers, the Kings don’t face any immediate deadlines. But after Daishen Nix‘s 10-day contract expired on Monday night, they’re back down to 13 players on standard contracts. They’ll have until March 4 to re-fill that roster spot, though I suspect they may not wait that long.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Luka, Center, Vanderbilt, DFS
Asked at All-Star weekend whether the the Lakers‘ acquisition of Luka Doncic might affect his timeline for retirement, star forward LeBron James neither confirmed nor denied that the opportunity to play alongside Doncic would prompt him to try to extend his career.
“I have not given it that type of thought,” James said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Just the excitement of being able to add a caliber player like that, a generational talent like that to our franchise, it’s something that’s given me energy. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. … I think we could be really good going down the stretch. But we’ll see what happens.”
As McMenamin relays, James discussed a wide variety of topics during his 15-minutes press conference on Sunday, including Saturday’s dunk contest. LeBron said it would be “pretty cool” to see stars like Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo compete in the event, as they teased on social media on Saturday night, but he said he’s fine with the fact that it’s not something on his own career résumé.
“No, there’s no part of me that has regrets about not doing it,” James said. “Obviously, I had a couple moments where I wanted to do it, and it just never worked out that way.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- There’s “no tangible dismay” from Doncic’s camp about the fact that the Lakers’ trade for Mark Williams – who was reportedly “handpicked” by Doncic – ended up falling through, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). According to Stein, Doncic told Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka he understood the team might not be able to add a starting-caliber center until the offseason, and he was impressed that Pelinka and the front office nearly addressed that need just days after making their deal with the Mavericks.
- Doncic has been on a minutes restriction since returning from his calf strain last Monday, playing between 23 and 24 minutes in each of his first two outings as a Laker. According to Stein, L.A. is expected to continue with that “measured approach” coming out of the All-Star break, with Doncic likely to play in just one of the club’s back-to-back games on Wednesday vs. Charlotte and Thursday in Portland.
- Jovan Buha of The Athletic considers what the Lakers’ center rotation will look like for the rest of this season, writing that Alex Len‘s first game last Wednesday was “rough” and the veteran’s floor may be lower than initially thought. In Buha’s view, the team may end up having to rely more than it would like on small-ball lineups, especially in the postseason, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Dorian Finney-Smith among the candidates to see minutes at the five in that scenario.
NBA Veteran Extension Candidates To Watch
While the majority of February's biggest transactions have been trades, it has also been an eventful month for contract extensions.
The Bulls took point guard Lonzo Ball off the trade market when they reached an agreement on a two-year, $20MM extension, which was finalized on Friday. The Warriors completed a two-year, maximum-salary extension with Jimmy Butler as part of the trade that sent him from Miami to Golden State. And the Raptors locked up Brandon Ingram to a new three-year, $120MM deal shortly after acquiring him from New Orleans.
Among the players who entered the month eligible for veteran extensions, Ball, Butler, and Ingram were three of the top candidates to sign new contracts. But even with that trio off the board, there are more than two dozen players eligible for veteran extensions up until June 30.
Not all of those players should be considered legitimate candidates for new deals. For instance, I wouldn't hold my breath on P.J. Tucker signing an extension with the Raptors or the Nets getting a new deal done with Bojan Bogdanovic. Still, there are a number of extension candidates worth keeping an eye on in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Let's take a closer look at those players to watch...
Dorian Finney-Smith (Lakers)
Mavs Reportedly Never Intended To Offer Luka Doncic Super-Max
When word broke two weekends ago that the Mavericks were trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers, one theory quickly emerged — perhaps Dallas had learned Doncic would hesitate to sign the five-year super-max extension (worth a projected $345MM) that he would’ve been eligible to receive during the 2025 offseason.
Asked about that theory during his introductory press conference as a Laker, Doncic said he had “absolutely not” given the Mavericks any reason to believe he wouldn’t accept such an offer. Agent Bill Duffy echoed that message and said he’d expected to discuss a potential super-max deal with the team this summer.
Based on all that’s been reported in the past two weeks, it seems as if any hesitation over the super-max was on the Mavericks’ side, not Doncic’s. Christian Clark, Mike Vorkunov, and Fred Katz of The Athletic confirm as much within an in-depth feature on Dallas general manager Nico Harrison, reporting that Harrison and the Mavs were “never going to offer” Doncic that record-setting super-max contract.
We’ve seen potential super-max eligibility factor into teams’ decision to trade players in the past, but that typically occurred in instances where a club was concerned about having to pay big money to retain a second- or third-tier star — the Kings traded away DeMarcus Cousins in 2017 after consecutive All-NBA Second Team seasons, for example, rather than hanging onto him and having to make a decision on a super-max extension offer during the following offseason.
Doncic, on the other hand, has five consecutive All-NBA First Team nods under his belt and finished third in the MVP voting last season. Super-max contracts – which allow a player to earn a salary worth 35% of the cap before he has reached the required threshold of 10 years of NBA experience – were designed to reward superstars like Doncic and to put their teams in a better position to hang onto them.
But, as has been reported ad nauseam since word of the blockbuster trade broke, the Mavericks were concerned about making that sort of financial commitment to Doncic due to concerns about his injury history and work ethic. According to Clark, Vorkunov, and Katz, Harrison was worried about the possibility that Doncic’s body would “break down possibly sooner than anyone would suspect.”
If the Mavs had retained Doncic and declined to make him a super-max offer in the offseason, would he have been willing to accept something below the 35% max or would he have balked and looked to join a team that valued him higher? We don’t know for sure, but that uncertainty explains why Harrison said shortly after making the deal that he believes he and the Mavs avoided a “tumultuous” summer by trading Doncic when they did.
“There’s some unique things about his contract that we had to pay attention to,” Harrison said at the time. “There’s other teams that were loading up that he was going to be able to decide, make his own decision at some point of whether he wants to be here or not. Whether we want to super-max him or not, or whether he wants to opt out. So, I think we had to take all that into consideration, and I feel like we got out in front of what could have been a tumultuous summer.”
Harrison hasn’t spoken to the media since Doncic’s introductory presser as a Laker, so reporters haven’t had an opportunity to ask him about Luka’s comments on a potential super-max deal.
Doncic is no longer eligible for a super-max contract this summer with the Lakers as a result of being traded.