Lakers Re-Sign LeBron James To Two-Year Deal
JULY 6: The Lakers have officially re-signed James, the team announced today in a press release.
“No one plays the game like LeBron James, and his commitment to continuous performance and long-term sustained excellence is unmatched,” Lakers head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “LeBron is one of the most dynamic and competitive players to ever take the NBA court and we’re grateful to have his leadership as he returns for a seventh season with the Lakers.
“Alongside fellow team captain Anthony Davis, LeBron and new Lakers head coach JJ Redick will together lead a championship-caliber team that will play with great pride every time they take the floor. Entering his 22nd season of NBA basketball, LeBron continues to remind us that no obstacle is too big and no goal is out of reach. We’re so thankful that the history-making story of LeBron James will continue to be written in front of Lakers fans throughout the world.”
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter links), LeBron’s two-year deal is worth approximately $101.35MM, a little below his max. The savings will allow the team to operate ever so slightly ($45K) under the second tax apron.
In addition to featuring a player option and a no-trade clause, the contract will include a 15% trade kicker, tweets Charania.
JULY 3: LeBron James is returning to the Lakers on a two-year, maximum-salary contract that will be worth approximately $104MM, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), the deal will include a second-year player option and a no-trade clause.
Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that the Lakers and agent Rich Paul are still discussing the possibility of James accepting $1MM or so below his max in order to allow the team to operate slightly below the second tax apron and to have a little extra roster-building flexibility.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James had his 20th consecutive All-Star and All-NBA season in 2023/24 at age 39, averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game for the Lakers. He posted an impressive shooting line of .540/.410/.750 and appeared in 71 games, his most in a season since he arrived in Los Angeles in 2018.
While James declined his 2024/25 player option in order to become a free agent, there was never any real belief that he’d leave Los Angeles or the Lakers, who selected his son Bronny James with the 55th overall pick in last week’s draft. However, there was some uncertainty entering free agency about what LeBron’s new contract would look like.
A report ahead of the start of the free agent period indicated that James would be open to taking a pay cut if the additional cap flexibility would help the Lakers land an impact player like James Harden or Klay Thompson. However, the expectation was that LeBron would still seek the max if the players on his short list were unattainable.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), James’ new contract projects to put L.A.’s team salary right around the second tax apron, so the club wouldn’t be able to acquire a player via sign-and-trade or use the full mid-level exception without some significant cost-cutting.
The league-wide maximum salary in 2024/25 for a player with at least 10 years of experience is about $49.2MM, but a player is always permitted to earn up to a 5% raise on his previous salary. That means that James, who made about $47.6MM last season, would have a starting salary of $49,987,718 on his new contract if he signs for the max. The 2025/26 option will be worth $53,986,735, for a total of $103,974,453.
The agreement puts the four-time MVP on track to become the first player in NBA history to surpass the $500MM mark in career earnings, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
James will become the second NBA player to hold a no-trade clause for the 2024/25 season, joining Suns guard Bradley Beal. A player is eligible to negotiate a no-trade clause if he’s signing a free agent contract, has at least eight years of NBA experience, and has spent at least four years with the team he’s signing with. LeBron previously had a no-trade clause in his contract during his second stint in Cleveland.
James had been the No. 4 free agent on our top-50 list.
Klay Thompson Sign-And-Trade Completed As Six-Team Deal
The Mavericks announced on Saturday that they’ve acquired longtime Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson via sign-and-trade in the first six-team deal in NBA history (Twitter link).
“We’re thrilled to have Klay join us in Dallas,” Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison said in a statement. “As one of the league’s greatest shooters who competes on both ends, we feel Klay is a perfect fit for our team. He adds a strong, experienced veteran voice that will help us continue to build on the success we’ve seen in recent years. Klay’s championship experience, clutch performances and calm demeanor under pressure exemplify what it takes to win in the NBA at the highest level. He will help us continue to grow towards our goal of winning another championship.”
The Hornets, Timberwolves, Sixers, and Nuggets are also involved in the trade, with separate agreements involving Kyle Anderson (Minnesota to Golden State), Buddy Hield (Philadelphia to Golden State), and Reggie Jackson (Denver to Charlotte) all folded into a single mega-deal.
As best we can tell, the terms are as follows:
- Mavericks acquire Thompson (sign-and-trade) and a 2025 second-round pick.
- Warriors acquire Anderson (sign-and-trade) and Hield (sign-and-trade).
- Hornets acquire Josh Green, Jackson, the Nuggets’ 2029 second-round pick, and the Nuggets’ 2030 second-round pick.
- Timberwolves acquire a 2025 second-round pick, a 2031 second-round pick swap (from Warriors), and cash (from Warriors).
- Sixers acquire the Mavericks’ 2031 second-round pick.
- Nuggets acquire cash (from Hornets).
There’s at least one minor adjustment from the original agreements. Because the Warriors benefit most from turning multiple deals into a single trade (they can use Thompson’s outgoing salary to salary-match for both Anderson and Hield, allowing them to give the two players a higher combined salary than what Thompson’s will make), they’re no longer receiving a second-round pick from the Hornets. It appears that pick is being rerouted to the Wolves, who needed to send or receive an asset from another team besides Golden State.
We don’t yet know the exact details of the 2025 second-rounders being acquired by Dallas and Minnesota, but it looks like one of them is the 2025 Nuggets pick that Charlotte initially agreed to acquire as part of the Jackson trade and one of them is the 2025 Sixers pick that Charlotte already controlled. The Hornets were always going to send out two second-round picks for Green — they’re just going to Dallas and Minnesota now, instead of Dallas and Golden State.
There may be more moving pieces here though, since none of the announcements from the six teams involved have shared the full details, so we’ll keep an eye out for updates.
For more details on all these trades, be sure to check out our original stories:
Nets, Knicks Officially Complete Mikal Bridges Trade
The Knicks have officially acquired star forward Mikal Bridges from the Nets, the teams announced today in a pair of press releases.
“We are thrilled to add a player of Mikal’s caliber to the Knicks family. His ability to score, shoot and defend at an elite level will add to a team that continues to grow,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “Not only does he demonstrate excellence on the court but Mikal’s strength of character, diligence and dedication to the game of basketball are vital to the culture we continue to build in New York.”
The two clubs reached an initial agreement on June 25, then finalized an expanded version of the deal on Thursday to allow the Knicks to avoid becoming hard-capped at the first tax apron ($178.1MM). New York will instead be hard-capped at the second apron ($188.9MM).
The final terms are as follows:
- Knicks acquire 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).
- Nets acquire 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, the right to swap a 2028 first-round pick for the Knicks’ 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets’ 2025 second-round pick.
The addition of Vaulet’s rights is new, and we now have the details on the draft pick headed to New York in the deal, but otherwise these are the terms that had been previously reported.
Milton’s new three-year contract is worth $9.16MM in total, with a $2.86MM guaranteed salary in year one, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. Brooklyn will be hard-capped at the first apron in 2024/25 as a result of acquiring him via sign-and-trade.
The Nets almost certainly used existing traded player exceptions to take on their incoming players, which means they’ll generate a sizable new TPE worth Bridges’ outgoing salary ($23.3MM). They’ll have one year to use it.
For more details on one of the summer’s biggest trades, be sure to check out our original stories on the agreement.
OG Anunoby Signs Five-Year Contract With Knicks
JULY 6: Anunoby’s new five-year contract is official, the Knicks announced today in a press release (via Twitter).
“Since his arrival in New York, OG has personified the type of player and teammate the organization and city embody,” president of basketball operations Leon Rose said in a statement. “OG’s offensive and defensive presence is undeniable and was a huge part of our success last season. We are thrilled to bring OG back to New York and continue the process of building a team and culture that makes our fans proud.”
Anunoby received a 15% trade kicker in the deal, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
JUNE 26: Free agent forward OG Anunoby intends to sign a five-year contract worth $212.5MM to remain with the Knicks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
The deal, which can be officially completed once the moratorium period ends on July 6, will feature a fifth-year player option and a trade kicker, according to Wojnarowski. It will be the largest contract in Knicks history, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
It’s the second huge move the Knicks have made in the past 24 hours. On Tuesday night, the team reached an agreement with the Nets to acquire Mikal Bridges for a package that includes five future first-round picks and a pick swap. Between Bridges and Anunoby, New York will head into the 2024/25 season armed with two of the league’s best three-and-D players on the wing.
The Knicks acquired Anunoby from Toronto in December for a package headed by Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. The former Raptor made an immediate impact with his new team, helping New York win 12 of his first 14 games before an elbow injury sidelined him for several weeks.
Anunoby had a positive on/off-court rating in each of the 23 regular season games he ended up playing for the Knicks, with the club registering an incredible +21.7 net rating during his 802 minutes on the court. Both the Knicks’ offensive rating (122.6) and defensive rating (100.9) during those minutes would’ve ranked first in the NBA.
In 50 total games for New York and Toronto last season, Anunoby averaged 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals in 34.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .489/.382/.753. He made the All-Defensive Second Team in 2023 but didn’t qualify in 2024 due to the NBA’s new 65-game rule.
Injuries have long been a issue for the defensive star, who has missed 29, 34, 15, and 32 games in the past four regular seasons and was unavailable for most of the Eastern Conference semifinals vs. Indiana due to a hamstring ailment. Those health concerns were thought to be a factor that might keep his overall payday this offseason in check, but that certainly won’t be the case.
While Anunoby isn’t signing a maximum-salary deal (which would have been worth a projected $245MM+), his deal with the Knicks will average $42.5MM per season, based on Wojnarowski’s report, which is higher than his projected maximum starting salary ($42.3MM). The five-year, $212.5MM contract will also exceed the maximum offer that any rival suitor could have made to the 26-year-old ($182MM over four years).
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), Anunoby might have had max offers on the table from other suitors, but wanted to help build a title contender in New York.
Anunoby had been the No. 5 free agent on our top-50 list. Three players in our top 10 – Anunoby, his former teammate Pascal Siakam, and Kings guard Malik Monk – have now reached tentative agreements to remain with their current teams ahead of the start of the free agent period on Sunday.
Pistons, Wolves, Grizzlies, Raptors Complete Four-Team Deal
The Pistons, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Raptors have folded a series of separate trade agreements into a single four-team trade, which is now official, the Wolves announced today in a press release.
The Pistons and Timberwolves initially agreed to a deal sending Minnesota’s Wendell Moore to Detroit in exchange for a second-round pick swap, with the Pistons moving up from No. 53 to No. 37.
The Wolves subsequently traded the No. 53 pick to Memphis in exchange for No. 57 and a future second-rounder. Then Minnesota traded No. 57 to Toronto for a reported $1MM in cash.
The end result is as follows:
- Pistons acquire Moore and the draft rights to Bobi Klintman (No. 37 pick).
- Timberwolves acquire a future second-round pick (from Grizzlies) and cash ($1MM; from Raptors).
- Grizzlies acquire the draft rights to Cam Spencer (No. 53 pick).
- Raptors acquire the draft rights to Ulrich Chomche (No. 57 pick).
The Pistons are taking a chance on an inexpensive former first-rounder in Moore ($2.54MM salary in 2024/25) while having moved up in the second round to select a prospect higher on their draft board; the Wolves, who are operating over the second apron, save some money while having swapped out their No. 37 pick for a future second-rounder; and the Grizzlies and Raptors gave up minor assets to trade into the back end of the second round of the draft.
The one missing detail is here is which future second-round pick the Grizzlies are sending Minnesota. We’ll update our tracker of 2024 offseason trades with that information once it’s reported.
Hornets Cut Aleksej Pokusevski, Bryce McGowens
3:34pm: Pokusevski and McGowens have officially been waived, according to a release from the Hornets.
2:40pm: The Hornets will create some additional salary cap flexibility by waiving two more players on non-guaranteed contracts. The team is cutting forward Aleksej Pokusevski, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), as well as wing Bryce McGowens, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
The 17th pick in the 2020 draft, Pokusevski spent three-and-a-half seasons in Oklahoma City before being waived by the Thunder in February. He caught on with the Hornets a few days later and played a regular role off the bench in Charlotte down the stretch, averaging 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 19.2 minutes per game across 18 appearances.
McGowens, meanwhile, has played in Charlotte for the past two seasons after being drafted 40th overall in 2022. The 21-year-old appeared in 59 NBA games last season, averaging 5.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 0.9 APG with a .439/.333/.776 shooting line in 14.9 MPG.
Both Pokusevski ($2.27MM) and McGowens ($2.02MM) were on non-guaranteed minimum salary contracts. Cutting them is necessary to accommodate a series of moves the Hornets are completing using cap room, including trading for Devonte’ Graham, Josh Green, and Reggie Jackson. The club is also waiving Davis Bertans, whose salary is only partially guaranteed.
If Pokusevski and McGowens don’t catch on with another team right away and there’s mutual interest in a return to the Hornets, there would be no rule stopping Charlotte from re-signing them on new minimum deals. But it’s unclear whether or not that’s the plan for either player.
Pascal Siakam Signs Sign Four-Year Max Deal With Pacers
JULY 6: Siakam has officially re-signed with the Pacers, according to the NBA’s transaction log. Assuming Siakam got the full max, as expected, the deal is worth approximately $188.95MM over four years.
JUNE 19: Siakam intends to sign a four-year, maximum-salary contract with the Pacers after the July moratorium ends, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). As outlined below, a four-year max deal would be worth $189.5MM based on the most recent cap projections.
JUNE 18: The Pacers and star forward Pascal Siakam are nearing an agreement on a long-term contract, reports Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link).
The No. 3 free agent on our top-50 list, Siakam was traded from Toronto to Indiana in January after spending the first seven-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career in Toronto, where he earned two All-Star berths, two All-NBA nods, a Most Improved Player award, and a championship.
In his first 41 regular season games as a Pacer, the 30-year-old averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 31.8 minutes per game with a shooting line of .549/.386/.699. Siakam was Indiana’s leading scorer in both the regular season and the playoffs — he averaged 21.6 PPG on 54.1% shooting in the postseason and helped lead his new club to series victories over Milwaukee and New York, resulting in the franchise’s first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals in 10 years.
The expectation is that Siakam, who is coming off a four-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension, will once again get the max or something very close to it on his new deal with the Pacers, though no terms have been reported yet. A max contract for Siakam projects to be worth approximately $189.5MM over four years or $245.3MM over five.
The NBA and NBPA agreed to a rule change that goes into effect this offseason, allowing teams to begin negotiating with their own free agents on the day after the end of the NBA Finals instead of on June 30.
Technically, the Pacers were allowed to talk to Siakam even before Tuesday, since he has been extension-eligible since arriving in Indiana. However, a player’s years and dollars in an extension are capped for six months after a trade, so Siakam will likely end up becoming a free agent and then signing a new contract instead of extending his current deal. That means that even if he and Indiana reach an agreement shortly, it’s unlikely to become official until July 6, after the moratorium ends.
With a new deal for Siakam on the books and Tyrese Haliburton‘s own five-year, maximum-salary extension taking effect in 2024/25, the Pacers won’t have any cap room available this offseason, barring cost-cutting moves. They’ll have some breathing room below the luxury tax line for now, but will have a few more contract decisions to make after they work out a deal with Siakam — Obi Toppin will be eligible for restricted free agency, Jalen Smith holds a $5.4MM player option that he may decline, and T.J. McConnell will be extension-eligible beginning in July.
Lakers Re-Sign Colin Castleton To Two-Way Contract
The Lakers are bringing back center Colin Castleton on a two-way contract, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The signing is official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
Castleton, 24, joined the Lakers on a two-way contract last July after going undrafted out of Florida. He logged just 59 total minutes in 16 games with Los Angeles at the NBA level, but had a bigger role in the G League, where he appeared in 24 Showcase Cup and regular season games for the South Bay Lakers. The big man averaged 16.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.6 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game for L.A.’s G League affiliate.
The Lakers issued Castleton a two-way qualifying offer last week, making him a restricted free agent. The move ensured that he couldn’t sign a contract with another team without L.A. having the ability to match it.
With Castleton back under contract, the Lakers now have all three of their two-way contract openings filled, as our tracker shows. Undrafted rookies Blake Hinson and Armel Traore occupy the other two slots.
DeMar DeRozan To Meet With Kings In Sacramento
Free agent forward DeMar DeRozan and his representation are traveling to Sacramento to meet with the Kings, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter links).
It’s the latest signal that there’s serious mutual interest between DeRozan and the Kings, as multiple recent reports have indicated. James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link) says there’s “positive momentum” between the two sides, with the in-person meeting giving them a chance to potentially seal the deal.
The Kings don’t have the cap room necessary to sign DeRozan, who’s seeking a salary above the full mid-level exception ($12.9MM), but the Bulls are reportedly willing to work with Sacramento or another team on a sign-and-trade deal to get DeRozan a higher salary. Still, Chicago isn’t far below the luxury tax line and doesn’t want to take on much salary in the transaction, so the two teams need a third club to serve as a facilitator and take on a contract or two from the Kings.
Reporting earlier in the day indicated that San Antonio appear to be emerging as that facilitator, and the Spurs‘ trade agreement with the Hornets – in which they’ll move off of Devonte’ Graham‘s $2.85MM partial guarantee – is a signal that they’re opening up cap room for a specific move.
While Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter have been mentioned most frequently as trade candidates for the Kings, they’re not the only players who could serve as outgoing salary-matching pieces in a sign-and-trade for DeRozan. A package of Trey Lyles‘ and Chris Duarte‘s expiring contracts could theoretically work, for instance, if DeRozan’s starting salary is in the $20MM range. To accommodate a higher salary, at least one of Barnes or Huerter would likely need to be included.
Of course, even if the Kings, Bulls, and Spurs have an idea of what a three-team trade agreement would look like, Sacramento would still need to secure DeRozan’s commitment, which is presumably the goal of this weekend’s meeting.
Celtics Sign Jayson Tatum To Super-Max Extension
JULY 6: The richest contract in NBA history is now official, with the Celtics announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Tatum to his super-max extension.
“Jayson is a special person and player, and it’s been a thrill for all of us to watch his entire journey in Boston,” president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a statement. “He has embraced all that comes with being a great Celtic, and shows consistent and genuine care for every one of his teammates, coaches, and staff across the organization. Despite all the team accomplishments and individual awards, Jayson is committed to constantly improving. He works hard and is extremely driven by the challenges of the game – especially the goal of competing with his teammates for championships. We are obviously ecstatic that Jayson chose to extend his contract and add to his amazing career as a Boston Celtic.”
JULY 1: The Celtics and Jayson Tatum have agreed to terms on a five-year, super-max extension that will begin in 2025/26 and will start at 35% of the salary cap, reports Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
Based on the NBA’s latest cap projection, the five-year contract will start at approximately $54.13MM and will be worth a total of $313.93MM, making it the largest deal in league history. It will replace the $37MM player option for 2025/26 from Tatum’s current contract and will run through the ’29/30 season.
Tatum, who won his first championship this spring, earned All-NBA First Team honors for a third straight season after averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 35.7 minutes per game with a .471/.376/.833 shooting line for the league’s top team.
The star forward met the super-max criteria, increasing his maximum salary from 30% of the cap to 35%, by making the All-NBA team in both 2022 and 2023. He needed one more year in the NBA in order to meet the service time criteria of at least seven years, but this move had been expected since last spring once he became eligible.
Tatum’s deal, which can be officially signed as early as July 6, is on track to be completed less than one year after his teammate Jaylen Brown signed a five-year super-max extension of his own. Brown’s deal, which went into effect today and previously held the title of biggest contract in NBA history, is worth approximately $285.4MM.
Having also agreed to a four-year, $125.9MM extension with guard Derrick White earlier today, the Celtics have locked up three of their five starters through at least the 2027/28 season, with a fourth (Jrue Holiday) holding a player option for that year. Boston’s fifth starter (Kristaps Porzingis) is under contract through ’25/26. It projects to be one of the league’s priciest rosters going forward, but the Celtics now have their championship core under team control for the long term.
The Celtics will become one of four teams who have multiple players on maximum-salary contracts that began at 35% of the cap. The Bucks (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard) and Sixers (Joel Embiid, Paul George) will have two apiece, while the Suns (Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal) are carrying three.