Clippers, Kevon Harris Agree To Camp Deal
Free agent guard Kevon Harris has agreed to sign a training camp contract with the Clippers, agent Daniel Hazan tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Charania, Harris will get the opportunity to compete for a regular season roster spot in Los Angeles. However, that could be an uphill battle unless the Clippers trade or waive one of the players projected to be on their 15-man roster. The club is currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Kai Jones on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Harris, 27, appeared in 34 games for the Magic in 2022/23 while on a two-way contract with the team. That deal covered the ’23/24 season as well, though he saw action in just two NBA contests this past year after missing the first half of the season due to a knee issue.
In 27 regular season outings for the Osceola Magic in the G League in ’23/24, Harris averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 28.8 minutes per contest, posting a shooting line of .492/.381/.746. The 6’5″ shooting guard was selected to play in the NBAGL’s Up Next game at All-Star weekend.
The Clippers currently have 18 players officially signed to their offseason roster and have also reportedly reached agreements on training camp deals with Elijah Harkless, RayJ Dennis, and now Harris.
NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Golden State Warriors
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Golden State Warriors.
Free agent signings
Buddy Hield: Four years, $37,756,096. Third year partially guaranteed ($3MM). Fourth-year player option (partially guaranteed for $3,136,364 if exercised). Signed using Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Sixers.- Kyle Anderson: Three years, $27,658,536. Third year non-guaranteed. Signed using Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Timberwolves.
- De’Anthony Melton: One year, $12,822,000. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Jackson Rowe: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired Lindy Waters from the Thunder in exchange for the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick).
- Reacquired the draft rights to Quinten Post (No. 52 pick) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for cash.
- Acquired Kyle Anderson (sign-and-trade) and Buddy Hield (sign-and-trade) in a six-team trade in exchange for Klay Thompson (sign-and-trade; to Mavericks), swap rights for the Warriors’ 2031 second-round pick (to Timberwolves), and cash (to Timberwolves)
Draft picks
- 2-52: Quinten Post
- Unsigned.
Two-way signings
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Usman Garuba (unsigned)
- Jerome Robinson (Saint-Quentin)
- Lester Quinones (unsigned)
- Dario Saric (Nuggets)
- Klay Thompson (Mavericks)
Other moves
- Waived Chris Paul.
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($140.6MM), over the luxury tax line ($170.8MM), and below the first tax apron ($178.1MM).
- Carrying approximately $176.6MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
- Bi-annual exception available.
- One traded player exception available (worth $2,019,706).
The offseason so far
It was the end of an era this summer in the Bay Area, as four-time champion Klay Thompson, decided to move on to a new team after spending his first 13 NBA seasons with the Warriors.
Seeing Thompson in a Mavericks uniform next season will be an adjustment — if there was one group of active core players who seemed destined to spend their entire careers with a single franchise, it was Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green with the Warriors.
Still, it’s hard to say the move was particularly surprising, given how disgruntled Thompson seemed to be during his final season in Golden State as his role diminished, his production declined, and the Warriors’ extension offer(s) came in below what he believed his history with the organization warranted.
Thompson is still an effective offensive weapon (he averaged 17.9 PPG with a .387 3PT% last season), but his defense has fallen off since he tore his ACL and Achilles, and moving on from him and Chris Paul (whose $30MM non-guaranteed salary was waived) makes the Warriors’ roster younger, more flexible, and more affordable heading into the 2024/25 season.
After operating above the luxury tax line for years, the Warriors made a concerted effort to cut costs — ownership would likely still be willing to spend big bucks for a championship contender, but the club didn’t make it out of the first round of the play-in tournament this spring. It didn’t make sense to continue carrying such a significant payroll.
The move below the first tax apron allowed the Dubs to make the kinds of moves that had been off-limits for years, including using their full mid-level exception (on versatile guard De’Anthony Melton) and acquiring players via sign-and-trade (sharpshooter Buddy Hield and savvy veteran Kyle Anderson).
The newcomers won’t instantly return Golden State to title contention, but there’s optimism that their mix of skill sets and the ongoing development of young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis can make the Warriors a deeper, more dangerous team than they were in 2023/24.
Up next
With 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, the Warriors’ roster looks just about regular-season-ready. Adding a 15th man is unlikely due to the team’s proximity to its hard cap, and while Gui Santos and Lindy Waters aren’t necessarily locked in for the regular season due to their non-guaranteed salaries, there has been no indication Golden State will look to replace either player.
Still, there are issues to address before the season begins, starting with potential contract extensions. Kuminga and Moody are eligible for rookie scale extensions, while Curry could sign a one-year veteran extension worth approximately $62.6MM for 2026/27.
I wouldn’t necessarily expect Moody to get a new deal this summer or fall. His playing time has been inconsistent in his first three seasons, so the Warriors will be reluctant to pay him big money based on his career achievements so far, while Moody will be reluctant to lock in a long-term deal before he gets a chance to show what he can do with a more regular role.
Curry, on the other hand, seems more likely to get something done. The Over-38 rule prevents the Warriors from tacking on more than one year to the two left on his current deal, but I have to think they’d be willing to give him that one year if he wants it. Curry showed in the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics that we shouldn’t count on his performance falling off anytime soon.
Kuminga’s case is a trickier one. Based on his breakout performance during the second half of the 2023/24 season (he averaged 20.0 PPG and 5.4 RPG on .547/.377/.778 shooting during a 34-game stretch from January 12 to March 26 before injuring his knee), he’d be justified in seeking a massive payday.
I don’t expect the Warriors to give him the maximum-salary deal that his fellow 2021 draftees Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner received. The question is whether there’s an amount below the max that makes sense for both sides.
Given his limited track record, you may balk at the idea of a deal in the range of $150-175MM for Kuminga, but if he follows up last year’s breakout by taking another step forward, he could be worth even more than that in free agency next summer. As a point of comparison, Immanuel Quickley got $162.5MM in guaranteed money from Toronto last month as a restricted free agent. This will be a tricky negotiation, so it wouldn’t be a shock if Golden State takes its chances and postpones it until 2025.
In addition to sorting through possible extensions, the Warriors will have to resolve Quinten Post‘s situation. The No. 52 overall pick is one of the only unsigned players from this year’s draft class — a two-way deal would make sense, given his draft slot, but Golden State would have to waive someone (possibly Pat Spencer?) to create a two-way opening for Post.
The Warriors’ pursuit of Lauri Markkanen showed that the front office isn’t opposed to shaking up its roster before training camp, but with the Jazz forward no longer trade-eligible, I don’t see any trade candidates out there right now that make a ton of sense for Golden State. While general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. will probably keep an eye out for possible deals, I’d be a little surprised if he does anything significant by October.
Lakers Sign Kylor Kelley, Quincy Olivari To Exhibit 10 Deals
6:26pm: Both moves are official, the Lakers announced (via Twitter).
1:09pm: The Lakers have signed free agents Kylor Kelley and Quincy Olivari to Exhibit 10 contracts, according to reports from Jovan Buha of The Athletic and Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation (Twitter links). Olivari’s agreement with the team was first reported in June, but Lane indicates that it’s official now (Twitter link).
Kelley, who went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020, has played in the G League and a handful of other non-NBA leagues – including in England and Denmark – since going pro.
The 7’0″ center spent the 2023/24 season with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s affiliate, and earned NBAGL All-Defensive honors after averaging a league-leading 2.9 blocks per game in 29 regular season appearances (22.0 MPG). Kelley, 26, also contributed 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
Olivari, meanwhile, was a two-time All-CUSA honoree during his four seasons at Rice who transferred to Xavier for his final season of NCAA eligibility in 2023/24. The 6’2″ guard posted averages of 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per night last season, with shooting splits of .425/.409/.814.
Olivari played for the Lakers’ Summer League team last month, while Kelley suited up for the Thunder’s Summer League squad.
A player on an Exhibit 10 contract can earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he’s waived by his NBA team and then spends at least 60 days with his club’s G League affiliate. Exhibit 10 deals can also be converted to two-way contracts before the start of the regular season.
The Lakers now have 20 players under contract, including 15 on guaranteed standard deals and three on two-way pacts.
Leftover Details On Draft Picks Traded This Summer
It has been over a month since most of this summer’s trades were finalized and more than two weeks since any deal was completed. However, RealGM has updated its invaluable tracker of traded draft picks with new details on some of the picks that changed hands this offseason that we hadn’t seen reported anywhere else.
Here are a few of the clarifications and new details from RealGM’s list that we’d been keeping an eye out for:
The 2025 second-rounders in the six-team Klay Thompson trade
The Hornets created some confusion on July 6 when they announced in a press release that their part of the first ever six-team trade involved sending Philadelphia’s 2025 second-round pick to the Nuggets, which didn’t align with reporting leading up to the deal or with the Mavericks‘ press release announcing the move.
Based on reports out of Minnesota and Denver, we were able to piece together the details, which RealGM has confirmed. Charlotte did send that pick to Denver, but the Nuggets flipped it within the same transaction — the Mavericks will receive the most favorable of the Nuggets’ and Sixers’ 2025 second-rounders, while the Timberwolves will get the least favorable of the two.
To clarify, prior to the trade, the Nuggets controlled their own 2025 second-round pick and Charlotte controlled the Sixers’ 2025 second-rounder, but those picks have essentially now been paired together to create most/least favorable terms for Dallas and Minnesota. I don’t recall ever seeing picks from two separate teams combined like that in a single transaction, but I suppose it wouldn’t be a six-team trade if we weren’t seeing something new.
The Spurs’ 2031 first-round swap rights
The swap rights the Spurs acquired in the three-team DeMar DeRozan trade will allow San Antonio to swap its own 2031 first-round pick for the Kings‘ 2031 first-rounder.
San Antonio had previously acquired the Timberwolves’ 2031 first-round pick, so I’d thought the Spurs might be able to swap the least favorable of those two picks for the Kings’ selection, essentially getting the two most favorable of those three picks. But the Minnesota pick won’t be involved in those swap rights at all — the Spurs will simply acquire it separately.
The Grizzlies’ 2030 second-round pick
The 2030 second-round pick that the Timberwolves acquired from the Grizzlies in the four-team trade involving Wendell Moore and a series of 2024 second-rounders is top-50 protected. That pick was previously said to be protected, but I hadn’t seen the specific details of that protection reported until now.
If that pick falls between 51-60, Minnesota will get it. Otherwise, the Grizzlies will keep it and their obligation to the Wolves will be extinguished.
You can find the full details on all of this offseason’s trades right here.
Knicks Re-Sign Jacob Toppin To Two-Way Deal
Restricted free agent forward Jacob Toppin is back under contract with the Knicks, according to the team, which announced today in a press release (Twitter link) that he has been re-signed to a two-way contract.
New York made Toppin a restricted free agent by issuing him a two-way qualifying offer after he finished the 2023/24 season on a two-way deal with the club. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the 24-year-old simply accepted that qualifying offer.
The younger brother of former Knicks forward Obi Toppin, Jacob signed a two-way contract with the organization last July after going undrafted out of Kentucky. He spent nearly his entire season with New York. He had his contract converted to a 10-day deal in February, then returned on a new two-way contract after those 10 days were up.
Toppin played sparingly at the NBA level, appearing in just nine games for New York, but he was a key contributor for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, averaging 17.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 35.1 minutes per game across 42 Showcase Cup and regular season contests. He registered a shooting line of .455/.323/.781.
Toppin also participated in the 2024 dunk contest, though he was eliminated before the final round.
The Knicks have filled all three of their two-way slots, with Toppin joining Ariel Hukporti and Kevin McCullar.
There are now just two restricted free agents left on the market, and both are Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro (standard) and Emoni Bates (two-way).
International Rumor Round-Up: Jones, Pokusevski, S. Lee, More
While we don’t cover international basketball comprehensively at Hoops Rumors, items involving current or former NBA players – or future NBA prospects – are always of interest to us, so we’ve been keeping an eye on the European, Asian, and Australian rumor mills this offseason as we monitor where NBA free agents are landing.
Generally, we wait until a team officially announces a signing to write up a story on it, since some international outlets are more reliable than others, and specific details in a non-English report can sometimes be lost in translation.
However, we wanted to pass along some updates today on possible deals involving some NBA veterans that have yet to be formally announced. Let’s dive in…
Damian Jones
A veteran NBA center with nearly 300 total games and a couple championships under his belt, Jones spent last season with the Cavaliers. The 29-year-old played sparingly in Cleveland, averaging 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.9 minutes per contest across 39 appearances off the bench.
After rumors surfaced about a month into the NBA’s free agent period that Turkish club Fenerbahce may be interested in Jones, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reported that the big man was actually signing with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls in the Chinese Basketball Association.
This story was a tricky one, since Carchia deleted his tweet reporting the deal after Sportando published a story about it. Zhejiang also doesn’t appear to maintain an up-to-date website or social media presence outside of China, so we couldn’t just wait for a formal announcement.
We reached out to Jones’ representatives at CAA Sports and to Carchia to seek clarity on his situation, and while the center’s agency didn’t respond, Carchia told Hoops Rumors that his reporting hasn’t changed despite the deleted tweet. As such, we’re assuming for now that Jones is headed to China for the 2024/25 season.
Aleksej Pokusevski
Pokusevski, a lanky Serbian forward, is a former first-round pick who showed flashes of real promise during his rookie contract. However, injuries derailed his development and he slid down the Thunder’s depth chart in the past year or two as Oklahoma City continued to add more young talent. He signed with the Hornets in February after being waived by OKC, but was later cut by Charlotte too in July, making him an unrestricted free agent.
A report from Christos Tsaltas of Sportal.gr (Twitter link) in mid-July indicated that Pokusevski was close to reaching a deal to join KK Partizan, a Serbian team based in Belgrade. The international outlet Sport Klub followed up earlier this week by reporting that the two sides had reached an agreement (hat tip to Eurohoops), while TeleSport suggested that the 22-year-old is signing a three-year deal (hat tip to Sportando).
Based on the sheer number of separate outlets reporting this deal, we trust that the info is accurate, but with Partizan set to fully reveal its 2024/25 roster on August 19 (Twitter link), we’ll likely wait until they make it official next Monday to write up a full story on it.
Saben Lee
Lee, 25, finished each of the past two seasons on a two-way contract with the Suns, appearing in 24 games for Phoenix last season. However, the 6’2″ guard now has four years of NBA service, making him ineligible for another two-way, which may have been a factor in his inability to find an NBA deal he liked this offseason.
Tolis Kotzias of SDNA.gr (Twitter link) reported in early August that Lee was close to signing with Manisa Buyuksehir Belediyespor, a Turkish team.
It still seems as if that’s the plan for Lee — there have been no reports since then suggesting otherwise. But Manisa hasn’t mentioned Lee at all on its website, Twitter, or Instagram, so our assumption for now is that the deal isn’t yet official.
Usman Garuba
A former first-round pick who spent a couple seasons in Houston, Garuba spent most of the 2023/24 season on a two-way deal with Golden State. He only appeared in six games for the Warriors, but was converted to a standard contract at the end of the season because the team had an open roster spot to fill. It was just a rest-of-season deal, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Reporting all the way back in May stated that Garuba was expected to sign with Real Madrid in Spain this offseason, but he responded by saying he had yet to make a decision. In mid-July, Spanish reporter Carlos Sanchez Blas (Twitter links) said that Garuba had a long-term deal in place with Madrid, and this time the big man didn’t deny it.
However, even as they’ve announced other roster moves – including the signing of Serge Ibaka – Real Madrid hasn’t confirmed the signing of Garuba on its website or social media. This is another one we expect to happen sooner or later, but we’ve been waiting on formal word from the club.
Rudy Gay
A 17-year NBA veteran, Gay hasn’t been in the league since being waived by the Warriors last October and will turn 38 years old this Saturday. Still, the 6’8″ forward doesn’t appear prepared to call it a career.
Just a few days into the NBA’s July free agent period, Kotzias of SDNA (Twitter link) reported that Gay was on track to sign with the Greek team Peristeri BC, barring an unexpected development. But subsequent reporting from Spanish outlet Piratas Del Basket (hat tip to TrendBasket) indicated that Gay was actually in advanced talks with Leyma Basquet Coruna in Spain.
It doesn’t appear Gay finalized an agreement with either team, since Orazio Cauchi of BasketNews tweeted in early August that the veteran was also drawing interest from Italian club Pistoia Basket.
Our working assumption is that Gay doesn’t have a deal in place with any team in Europe yet, though it certainly sounds like that could change before the 2024/25 season tips off.
NBA 2024 Offseason Check-In: Brooklyn Nets
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2024 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Brooklyn Nets.
Free agent signings
Nic Claxton: Four years, $97,000,000. Includes $3,000,000 in incentives. Re-signed using Bird rights.- Shake Milton: Three years, $9,162,405. Second and third years non-guaranteed. Signed using Non-Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Knicks.
- Keon Johnson: Two years, minimum salary ($4,512,814). First year partially guaranteed ($250,000). Second-year team option. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
- Trendon Watford: One year, $2,726,603. Accepted qualifying offer.
Trades
- Reacquired their own 2026 first-round pick and control of their own 2025 first-round pick (negating the Rockets’ right to swap either their own 2025 first-rounder or the Thunder’s 2025 first-rounder for Brooklyn’s pick) from the Rockets in exchange for the Suns’ 2027 first-round pick, either the Mavericks’ or the Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is more favorable), swap rights for the Suns’ 2025 first-round pick, and swap rights for either the Mavericks’ or Suns’ 2029 first-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Acquired Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, the Knicks’ 2025 first-round pick, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Knicks’ 2027 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2029 first-round pick, the Knicks’ 2031 first-round pick, swap rights for the Knicks’ 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets’ own 2025 second-round pick from the Knicks in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, the draft rights to Juan Pablo Vaulet, and either the Pistons’, Bucks’, or Magic’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).
- Acquired Ziaire Williams and the Mavericks’ 2030 second-round pick from the Grizzlies in exchange for Mamadi Diakite and the draft rights to Nemanja Dangubic.
Draft picks
- None
Two-way signings
- None
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Jacob Gilyard (unsigned)
- Dennis Smith Jr. (unsigned)
- Lonnie Walker (unsigned)
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($140.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($170.8MM).
- Carrying approximately $167.6MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $178,132,000.
- Full mid-level, bi-annual exceptions available.
- Five traded player exceptions available (largest worth $23,300,000).
The offseason so far
The Nets attempted to remain competitive after trading away James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving in 2022 and 2023, but after closing the 2022/23 season on a 13-17 run, then posting a 32-50 record in ’23/24, the club had no way to meaningfully improve this summer, with no picks in this year’s draft and no cap room available. Rather than risk getting stuck in the middle for the next several years, management decided to take a step back and go into full rebuilding mode.
That meant trading three-and-D standout Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn’s most valuable player. Perhaps even more importantly, it meant reacquiring control of the Nets’ own 2025 and 2026 draft picks — the club had previously traded swap rights in 2025 and its unprotected 2026 pick to Houston, but paid a steep price (two future Suns first-rounders and two swaps) to get them back.
Without control of those picks, bottoming out in the next year or two wouldn’t have benefited the Nets at all, but now the club is in position to secure a high lottery pick in a loaded 2025 draft.
Brooklyn did make one major investment this offseason, re-signing starting center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97MM contract. Despite not being in win-now mode, retaining Claxton made sense for the Nets, who didn’t want to lose a promising young player for nothing and could probably trade the big man down the road for positive value. Claxton’s still just 25 years old though, so he could very well be part of the next contending team in Brooklyn.
Outside of locking up Claxton, the Nets’ offseason moves have either been minor transactions or have been focused on the future. In exchange for Bridges, Brooklyn received five first-round picks (four unprotected) and a pick swap from their cross-town rivals in New York, further replenishing a stash of draft assets that was depleted a few years ago when the Nets first traded for Harden. The Nets have loaded up since then by flipping Harden and moving Durant, Irving, and now Bridges.
While regaining control of their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks from Houston was more important, it’s worth noting that the Nets also reacquired their 2025 second-rounder from the Knicks in the Bridges deal. If Brooklyn is among the NBA’s worst teams in 2024/25, that could be a top-35 selection.
Up next
The Nets have reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with a handful of free agents, most notably former lottery pick Killian Hayes. Villanova’s Mark Armstrong and Division II guard KJ Jones also reportedly agreed to sign with Brooklyn.
Even after those deals are officially finalized, the team will have a pair of openings on its 21-man offseason roster, but the squad already features 15 players on standard contracts, including 13 on guaranteed salaries. While Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson don’t have full guarantees, they appear more likely than not to make the regular season roster, which may be essentially set.
That projected 15-man roster could still undergo some changes if the Nets make another trade or two before the regular season begins. There has been no indication that anything is close, but talks could pick up again as training camps near, and Brooklyn has no shortage of veteran trade candidates — Ben Simmons, Dennis Schröder, and Bojan Bogdanovic are all on expiring contracts and may not have long-term futures with the franchise, though wings Dorian Finney-Smith and Cameron Johnson would have more value on the trade market.
The Nets also have a pair of players eligible for rookie scale extensions, with former first-rounders Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe entering the final year of their rookie deals. I expect the front office to explore deals with both players. However, Brooklyn will be wary of overpaying either player ahead of restricted free agency, since Thomas has been a somewhat one-dimensional scorer (albeit a talented one) and Sharpe is a reserve who has never averaged more than 15.1 minutes per game in a season.
Trail Blazers Sign Henri Drell To Exhibit 10 Deal
11:30am: It’s an Exhibit 10 deal for Drell, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report confirms (via Twitter).
7:19am: The Trail Blazers have signed free agent forward Henri Drell to a one-year, non-guaranteed training camp contract, according to RealGM’s transaction log.
Drell, 24, is a 6’9″ Estonian wing who spent several years playing overseas before joining the Windy City Bulls in the G League in January 2022. His play for Chicago’s G League affiliate across parts of three seasons eventually earned him a shot at the NBA level — he signed a two-way contract with the Bulls last December and spent the rest of the season with the club, though he logged just 30 total minutes across four NBA appearances.
Drell had his most productive G League season in 2023/24, averaging 14.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 32.6 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .435/.309/.757, across 42 Showcase Cup and regular season outings. However, the Bulls opted not to tender him a qualifying offer in June, so he became an unrestricted free agent, though he did play for Chicago in the Las Vegas Summer League last month.
The Trail Blazers now have 19 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed standard deals, Dalano Banton and Devonte’ Graham on non-guaranteed contracts, and Justin Minaya and Bryce McGowens on two-way pacts. Yongxi Cui is also expected to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the club.
It’s unclear if Drell’s deal includes Exhibit 10 language. If it does, he could be a candidate to have his deal converted to a two-way contract before the regular season begins.
Theo Maledon Signs With ASVEL
Veteran NBA guard Theo Maledon is returning to his home country for the 2024/25 season, having reunited with ASVEL on a one-year deal, according to an announcement from the French club.
The 34th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Maledon has appeared in 177 total NBA games over the past four seasons, spending time with the Thunder, Hornets, and Suns. He posted career averages of 7.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per contest, with a subpar shooting line of .372/.310/.793.
Maledon, 23, began the 2023/24 season on a two-way contract with Charlotte. He was waived in December and was claimed by Phoenix at that time, but the Suns later cut him in March, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Maledon began his basketball career with ASVEL in 2017, playing first for the junior team and later being promoted to the senior club. He won a French League championship in 2019 and was named the LNB Pro A Best Young Player for that season.
ASVEL, which also competes in the EuroLeague, had a strong season domestically in 2023/24, posting a 25-9 regular season record before losing to Paris Basketball in the semifinals of the LNB playoffs. However, the team struggled in EuroLeague play, finishing 17th out of 18 teams with a 9-25 mark. The hope is that Maledon can help them be more competitive in 2024/25.
“I am convinced that Theo has not yet reached his full potential, and he will have the opportunity to show it this season in an environment that he knows perfectly,” ASVEL coach Pierric Poupet said as part of a larger statement.
Traded First-Round Picks For 2025 NBA Draft
The 2025 NBA draft is still over 10 months away, but a number of teams have already traded away their first-round picks for ’25, and more clubs may do so before this season’s trade deadline.
We’ll use the space below to keep tabs on each team’s first-round pick for 2025, continually updating it as necessary throughout the year.
We’ve listed all 30 teams here, so even if a team hasn’t traded its first-round pick, that will be noted. We’ll also provide details on the protections for each traded pick, including what happens to the pick in 2026 if it doesn’t change hands in 2025.
Here’s the full breakdown on the status of each 2025 first-round pick:
Note: Teams marked with an asterisk (*) have traded away their 2026 first-round pick (either unprotected or with protection) and can’t freely trade away their 2025 first-rounder due to the Stepien Rule.
Atlantic
- Boston Celtics: Own pick.
- Brooklyn Nets: Own pick.
- New York Knicks: Traded to Nets (unprotected).
- Philadelphia 76ers: Traded to Thunder (top-six protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Sixers would instead owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected).
- Toronto Raptors: Own pick.
Central
- Chicago Bulls: Own pick.
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Traded to Jazz or Suns (unprotected).
- The Jazz will receive the most favorable pick of the Cavaliers’ and Timberwolves’ first-rounders; the Suns will receive the least favorable of the two.
- Detroit Pistons: Traded to Timberwolves (top-13 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Pistons would instead owe the Knicks their 2026 first-round pick (top-11 protected).
- Indiana Pacers: Traded to Pelicans.
- Milwaukee Bucks: Traded to Nets (top-four protected) or Pelicans (5-30 protected).
- The Bucks’ obligation to whichever team doesn’t receive this pick will be extinguished.
- The Bucks’ obligation to whichever team doesn’t receive this pick will be extinguished.
Southeast
- Atlanta Hawks: Traded to Spurs (unprotected).
- Charlotte Hornets: Traded to Kings (top-14 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Hornets would instead send the Kings their 2026 and 2027 second-round picks.
- Miami Heat: Traded to Thunder (top-14 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Heat would instead owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick (unprotected).
- Orlando Magic: Traded to Grizzlies.
- Washington Wizards: Traded to Knicks (top-10 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Wizards would instead owe the Knicks their 2026 first-round pick (top-eight protected).
Northwest
- Denver Nuggets: Traded to Magic (top-five protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Nuggets would instead owe the Magic their 2026 first-round pick (top-five protected).
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Traded to Jazz or Suns (unprotected).
- The Jazz will receive the most favorable pick of the Timberwolves’ and Cavaliers’ first-rounders; the Suns will receive the least favorable of the two.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Own pick.
- The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick. If the Rockets receive the Thunder’s pick, they would have the right to swap it to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-round pick.
- The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick. If the Rockets receive the Thunder’s pick, they would have the right to swap it to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-round pick.
- Portland Trail Blazers: Traded to Bulls (top-14 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Trail Blazers would instead owe the Bulls their 2026 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- Utah Jazz: Traded to Thunder (top-10 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Jazz would instead owe the Thunder their 2026 first-round pick (top-eight protected).
Pacific
- Golden State Warriors: Traded to Heat (top-10 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Warriors would instead owe the Heat their 2026 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
- Los Angeles Clippers (*): Traded swap rights to Thunder.
- The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick.
- Los Angeles Lakers: Traded to Hawks (unprotected).
- Phoenix Suns: Traded to Nets or Rockets (unprotected).
- The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick; the Rockets have the right to swap whichever pick they end up with to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-round pick.
- Sacramento Kings: Traded to Hawks (top-12 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Kings would instead owe the Hawks their 2026 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
Southwest
- Dallas Mavericks: Own pick.
- Houston Rockets (*): Traded swap rights to Thunder (top-10 protected).
- The Thunder have the right to swap their own first-round pick for the Rockets’ pick (top-10 protected) or the Clippers’ first-round pick; the Rockets have the right to swap whichever pick they end up with to Brooklyn for the Suns’ first-round pick.
- Memphis Grizzlies: Traded to Wizards (top-14 protected).
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Grizzlies would instead send the Wizards either the Celtics’, Pacers’, Clippers’, or Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) and the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick.
- If this pick lands in its protected range, the Grizzlies would instead send the Wizards either the Celtics’, Pacers’, Clippers’, or Heat’s 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable) and the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick.
- New Orleans Pelicans: Own pick.
- San Antonio Spurs: Own pick.
Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.