NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Philadelphia 76ers
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 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 Philadelphia 76ers.
Free agent signings
Quentin Grimes: One year, $8,741,209. Re-signed using Bird rights. Accepted qualifying offer.- Justin Edwards: Three years, $7,076,338. Third-year team option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
- Trendon Watford: Two years, minimum salary. Second-year team option. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Eric Gordon: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
- Kyle Lowry: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Emoni Bates: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Kennedy Chandler: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Malcolm Hill: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Igor Milicic: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Saint Thomas: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Marcus Bagley: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Bagley has since been waived.
- Jaylen Martin: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Martin has since been waived.
Trades
- None
Draft picks
- 1-3: VJ Edgecombe
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $50,438,478).
- 2-35: Johni Broome
- Signed to four-year, $8,685,386 contract. First two years guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.
Two-way signings
- Dominick Barlow
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
- Hunter Sallis
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
- Jabari Walker
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Jared Butler (Suns)
- Jeff Dowtin Jr. (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
- Jalen Hood-Schifino (unsigned)
- Lonnie Walker IV (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
- Guerschon Yabusele (Knicks)
Other roster moves
- Waived Ricky Council IV (non-guaranteed contract).
- Waived Alex Reese (two-way contract).
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and above the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $194.6MM in salary.
- No hard cap.
- Full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14,104,000) available.
- Full bi-annual exception ($5,134,000) available.
- Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $7,975,000).
The offseason so far
Coming off a massively disappointing year in which the Sixers entered the season as one of the NBA’s title favorites and finished with a 24-58 record, there was some speculation entering the 2025 offseason that the team might look to shake up its roster. President of basketball operations Daryl Morey has never been shy about taking big swings on the trade market, and stars Joel Embiid and Paul George – who combined to make 60 appearances in 2024/25 – suddenly looked like major liabilities on their long-term maximum-salary contracts.
But the reasons the Sixers might have sought to move Embiid and/or George – age, health, and cap concerns – were the same reasons why there was no chance they’d be able to get fair value on the trade market for either player. Even if the club wanted to hit the reset button, it would mean giving up those two stars for pennies on the dollar, perhaps even having to attach assets to get a return of any real value for them.
So instead of a summer of change in Philadelphia, it was one of relative continuity. Neither Morey nor head coach Nick Nurse lost his job after last season’s 24-win showing. Embiid and George didn’t go anywhere. Potential free agents like Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, and Justin Edwards all either signed new contracts with the 76ers or picked up player options to return to the team.
Even Quentin Grimes‘ restricted free agency – which lasted a full three months and went all the way down to the wire on October 1, the deadline for him to accept his $8.74MM qualifying offer – ended in anticlimactic fashion, as Grimes ultimately did sign that QO. The Sixers reportedly weren’t very aggressive in their efforts to work out a longer-term agreement with the 25-year-old — their best offer to Grimes was said to be for about $39MM over four years, which was never going to get it done after he finished the season by averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in 28 outings for Philadelphia.
I was a little surprised that the Sixers didn’t try harder to avoid a scenario in which Grimes signed his qualifying offer, which gives him a no-trade clause for the season and lines him up for unrestricted free agency in 2026. But it seems like there were a couple primary reasons why the front office didn’t make it a priority to sign him to a multiyear contract.
For one, after they lucked out in the draft lottery by moving up to No. 3 and hanging onto their top-six protected first-round pick, the 76ers selected standout Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, adding him to a backcourt that already features Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain. Theoretically, Grimes can share the court with multiple guards, but at 6’4″, he’s a better fit at the two himself. Philadelphia’s front office may have felt that investing heavily in another guard didn’t make sense when Maxey, McCain, and Edgecombe project to be the club’s top options in the backcourt for years to come.
Getting Grimes back on the qualifying offer is also the most favorable outcome for Philadelphia’s 2025/26 cap, since any multiyear deal or one-year balloon offer would have started higher – and perhaps much higher – than $8.74MM. With that modest figure on their books, the Sixers are operating less than $7MM above the luxury tax line, giving them a potential path to duck below that threshold before the end of the season. Sending out Oubre at the trade deadline and replacing him with a free agent on a prorated minimum-salary contract would do the trick, for example.
You can certainly argue that maintaining the flexibility to get out of the tax shouldn’t be a top priority for a 76ers team that still ostensibly believes it can be a contender. But after the way last season played out, it’s understandable that ownership would want to see how the first two or three months of the season go before deciding whether it’s worth paying luxury tax penalties for this roster.
The Edgecombe pick and Grimes accepting his qualifying offer were the most significant developments of the Sixers’ offseason, but it’s worth highlighting the three-year deal they did with Edwards and the two-year contract they worked out with Trendon Watford, both of which are worth the minimum and feature a team option on the final season.
Edwards was effective in a limited role as a rookie last season, while Watford has been a somewhat underrated role player in Portland and Brooklyn in recent years. It wouldn’t be a shock if one or both of them earn regular minutes in the forward rotation for Philadelphia, and given the modest cost of their respective contracts, they won’t have to do a whole lot to justify the team’s investment.
Finally, while most of the Sixers’ departing free agents weren’t rotation players, the one notable exception was Guerschon Yabusele, one of last season’s most pleasant surprises in his first NBA season since 2018/19. Philadelphia reportedly only offered Yabusele a Non-Bird deal that would have started at 120% of his minimum salary.
Increasing that offer would have required using the taxpayer mid-level exception, which would’ve hard-capped the 76ers at the second tax apron and put them at risk of losing Grimes to an offer sheet. Even then, there’s no guarantee Yabusele would’ve taken Philadelphia’s offer over a similar one from the Knicks that was worth nearly the full taxpayer MLE. Losing Yabusele was unfortunate, but unless the club was OK with losing Grimes instead or had been able to shed salary elsewhere on the roster, it was an outcome that was hard to avoid.
Up next
The Sixers are carrying just 14 players on standard contracts, but as we established above, they’re wary of going too much deeper into tax territory, so they’ll likely leave that 15th spot open to start the regular season.
In two-way players Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow, Philadelphia is carrying a pair of three-year veterans with 288 combined regular season appearances between them, which will help make up for the lack of a 15th man — either of those guys could play 10 or 15 minutes off the bench if needed. Undrafted rookie Hunter Sallis, the third Sixer on a two-way contract, is less likely to see action at the NBA level immediately.
Gordon and Drummond have been rumored as trade candidates throughout the offseason, but if a deal involving one of them goes down, it’s probably more likely to happen closer to the trade deadline. The emergence of second-year big man Adem Bona will be an interesting development to keep an eye on. If he emerges as a reliable backup center and Embiid can stay relatively healthy (a big if), Drummond would become more expendable.
Assuming the Sixers don’t make any preseason trades or unexpected roster changes, it should be a relatively quiet couple weeks in Philadelphia, since the team doesn’t have any extension-eligible players on its roster.
Injury Notes: K. Jones, Sheppard, Sarr, Gafford, Suns
Pacers rookie Kam Jones, the 38th overall pick in this year’s draft, will be sidelined for several weeks due to a back injury, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters on Monday (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). Carlisle added that third-year wing Ben Sheppard will miss Tuesday’s preseason opener due to an undisclosed injury.
While Carlisle indicated that Sheppard should be available soon, it sounds as if Jones probably won’t be ready to return by the time Indiana’s regular season schedule tips off on October 23 vs. Oklahoma City.
With a pair of players in the Pacers’ backcourt banged up, it’s possible veteran guard Delon Wright‘s chances of making the regular season roster have increased. Wright and center Tony Bradley are both on non-guaranteed contracts and are believed to be competing for the final spot on the team’s 15-man squad.
Here are a few more injury-related notes and updates from around the NBA:
- Wizards center Alex Sarr, who sustained a right calf injury during EuroBasket, took part in non-contact work in Monday’s practice, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. It was the first time this fall that Sarr had been a partial participant in a practice. Team officials said at the time of the injury that they expected 2024’s No. 2 overall pick to be ready for the start of the regular season.
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said on Sunday that injured center Daniel Gafford, who is recovering from an ankle injury, is “trending in the right direction” but still hasn’t been able to practice, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). Besides Gafford and Kyrie Irving (ACL), everyone else is practicing for Dallas, according to Kidd.
- Providing updates on a pair of potential starters, Suns head coach Jordan Ott said on Sunday that Jalen Green (hamstring) is “definitely progressing” and that “every day has been better” for him, while Mark Williams is “in a good place” as he ramps up for the season (Twitter video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). Ott didn’t commit to either player suiting up for one (or both) of the team’s preseason games in China on Friday and Sunday, but he also didn’t rule out the possibility. For what it’s worth, teammate Jared Butler said he thinks Green is “super close” to returning (Twitter video link via Rankin).
NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Memphis Grizzlies
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 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 Memphis Grizzlies.
Free agent signings
Santi Aldama: Three years, $52,500,000. Third-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights.- Ty Jerome: Three years, $27,660,150. Third-year player option. Trade kicker (15%). Signed using room exception.
- Cam Spencer: Four years, $10,396,518. Fourth-year team option. Re-signed using cap room.
- Jock Landale: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Tyler Burton: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Braxton Key: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Lawson Lovering: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
Trades
- Acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, the No. 16 pick in the 2025 draft, the Magic’s 2026 first-round pick (with swap rights; details below), the Magic’s 2028 first-round pick, the Magic’s 2030 first-round pick, and the right to swap first-round picks with the Magic in 2029 (top-two protected) from the Magic in exchange for Desmond Bane.
- Note: The Grizzlies will have the ability to swap the Magic’s 2026 first-round pick for the Suns’ 2026 pick (if the Wizards’ first-rounder lands outside of the top eight) or for the least favorable of the Suns’ and Wizards’ 2026 picks (if the Wizards’ first-rounder lands in the top eight).
- Note: Anthony was subsequently bought out.
- Acquired the draft rights to Cedric Coward (No. 11 pick) from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the draft rights to Yang Hansen (No. 16 pick), the Magic’s 2028 first-round pick, the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick, and the Kings’ 2028 second-round pick.
- Acquired the Trail Blazers’ 2029 second-round pick and the right to swap their 2031 second-round pick for either the Pacers’ or Heat’s 2031 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable) from the Pacers in exchange for Jay Huff.
- Acquired the draft rights to Jahmai Mashack (No. 59 pick), the Warriors’ 2032 second-round pick (top-50 protected), and the draft rights to Justinian Jessup from the Warriors in exchange for the draft rights to Will Richard (No. 56 pick).
Draft picks
- 1-11: Cedric Coward
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $26,345,863).
- 2-48: Javon Small
- Signed to two-way contract.
- 2-59: Jahmai Mashack
- Will play in G League.
Two-way signings
- PJ Hall
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
- Javon Small
- Two years, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season); second year partially guaranteed for maximum two-way protection amount (will increase to 50% at start of regular season).
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Marvin Bagley III (Wizards)
- Yuki Kawamura (Bulls)
- Luke Kennard (Hawks)
- Lamar Stevens (Paris Basketball)
Other roster moves
- Renegotiated Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s 2025/26 salary (from $23,413,395 to $35,000,000) and gave him a four-year, $205,000,000 veteran contract extension that begins in 2026/27. Includes fourth-year player option.
- Bought out and stretched Cole Anthony (gave up $2,000,000 of $13,100,000 salary).
- Waived Zyon Pullin (two-way contract).
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $171.5MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $195,945,000.
The offseason so far
It has been a fascinating few years in Memphis, where the Grizzlies looked like one of the NBA’s best up-and-coming young teams as they won 56 games in 2021/22 and 51 more a year later. Ja Morant‘s off-court behavior and a series of injuries derailed the 2023/24 season, but the team seemed well on its way to picking up where it left off in ’24/25, running out to a 35-16 start and holding the No. 2 seed in the West at the trade deadline.
However, a 13-18 finish resulted in a late-season coaching change – Tuomas Iisalo replaced Taylor Jenkins – and some pretty significant offseason roster moves, creating some uncertainty about what exactly this team’s ceiling looks like going forward.
Let’s start with what, in some ways, was the most important decision of the Grizzlies’ offseason — with former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. entering a contract year and Memphis unable to offer him a market-value deal via a standard veteran extension, the team opted to dip under the cap in order to renegotiate his contract. Using that newly created cap room, the team was able to give Jackson an immediate raise of nearly $12MM for 2025/26, then extend him off his new $35MM salary. The end result was nearly $217MM in new money for Jackson, who is now locked up through at least the 2028/29 season, with a player option for ’29/30.
The Grizzlies made it clear with their actions that Jackson is one of the cornerstones they intend to build around for years to come. And they essentially confirmed that Morant – despite some poor off-court decisions a couple years ago and some nagging health issues since then – still falls into that category as well when they dealt Desmond Bane to Orlando in one of the biggest trades of the NBA offseason.
As I observed when I previewed Memphis’ offseason in early June, as good as Bane is, he had become a logical trade candidate as long as he was the third-most important player on this roster. His near-max deal was going to make it difficult for the Grizzlies to build a quality supporting cast around Morant and Jackson, especially with Jackson and some of the team’s younger players about to get more expensive.
I suggested at the time that it might make sense from a roster-building perspective for the Grizzlies to split up Bane’s salary slot into two or three players, which is essentially what the team did. The package Memphis got from the Magic was heavy on draft picks, and one of the two players sent to the Grizzlies in the trade (Cole Anthony) was bought out a few weeks later. But Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a logical (albeit older and less dynamic) replacement for Bane in the lineup, and the Grizzlies used a couple of the first-round picks they acquired from Orlando to trade up in this June’s draft to nab forward Cedric Coward.
It’s a major roll of the dice for the Grizzlies, who paid a significant price (an unprotected future first-rounder and two second-rounders) to move up from No. 16 to No. 11 for Coward after he was limited to just six games in his senior college season due to a shoulder injury.
Coward, who spent his freshman year at Willamette University in Oregon and then played two seasons for Eastern Washington before transferring to Washington State, didn’t have a huge body of work against high-level college competition, but he was reportedly a standout during the pre-draft process — and, at age 22, he could be more ready than most first-rounders to contribute right away at the NBA level.
It would be misguided to believe that Coward is capable of immediately giving the Grizzlies what last year’s version of Bane did, but the front office clearly has high hopes for what the rookie can become. He’ll also be on a very team-friendly contract for at least the next four seasons, giving the team the flexibility to invest more heavily in some other role players who will complement Morant and Jackson.
One of those players is big man Santi Aldama, a notable 2025 restricted free agent who didn’t have to wait multiple months for a new deal. The Grizzlies and Aldama agreed to terms early in the summer on a three-year, $52.5MM contract that includes a third-year team option. It looks like a pretty good arrangement for both sides after Aldama enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025/26. He gets a nice payday after earning just $10.2MM in his first four NBA seasons, while Memphis has an out after just two years in case the 24-year-old doesn’t continue improving.
The Grizzlies also worked out a new multiyear agreement with Cam Spencer, who spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the club. Spencer’s numbers – 4.2 points and 1.4 assists per game in 25 appearances – certainly don’t jump off the page, but he gave Memphis solid minutes when given the opportunity, and the front office hasn’t been shy about investing in longer-term, team-friendly deals for young players who show some promise. Spencer’s new four-year contract is fully guaranteed for three years, but is worth just $10.4MM overall, so it’s quite low-risk.
With Jackson and Spencer signed using cap room and Aldama’s Bird rights used to eventually complete his deal, the Grizzlies had the opportunity to use the $8.78MM room exception to go shopping for an outside free agent. They ultimately used that entire exception to land Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, signing him to a three-year, $27.66MM contract. While the deal includes player-friendly terms like a third-year player option and a 15% trade kicker, it’s still a nice get for Memphis, given that Jerome was widely viewed as a strong candidate for a mid-level type contract in the neighborhood of $12-14MM per year.
The combined cap hits for Jerome, Caldwell-Pope, and Coward in 2025/26 are almost exactly equivalent to what Bane will earn in Orlando, and the Grizzlies will hope that the various skills those three players bring to the table can help fill the significant hole created by Bane’s exit. Jerome has his limitations, especially on the defensive end, but he showed last season that he can be a valuable scorer, shooter, and secondary play-maker.
Finally, it’s worth highlighting one more minor move made by the Grizzlies. As part of their efforts to clear cap room for Jackson’s renegotiation, they sent center Jay Huff to Indiana in exchange for a second-round pick and a second-round swap. Huff, a rim-protecting big man who can stretch the floor on offense, had flashed some upside in limited minutes in Memphis and could be primed for a larger role in Indiana.
While I certainly don’t expect Huff to become a star, it’s possible that move could backfire to some extent on a Grizzlies team that will likely start the season without Jackson, Zach Edey, and Brandon Clarke available in the frontcourt due to injuries. Minimum-salary free agent addition Jock Landale took Huff’s spot on the roster and could become the team’s opening night starting center by default.
Up next
The Grizzlies have 15 players on guaranteed salaries and three on two-way deals, so their regular season roster looks pretty much set. Two-way moves are always a possibility during the preseason, but Javon Small was a 2025 second-round pick who signed a two-year contract, Olivier-Maxence Prosper is a former first-rounder who could play his way into Memphis’ rotation, and PJ Hall could provide valuable frontcourt depth early in the season until the Grizzlies gets healthier.
As for potential preseason contract extensions, the Grizzlies have no players eligible for rookie scale extensions, but there are a few who could theoretically get veteran deals, starting with Morant.
While I do view the Bane trade as a vote of confidence in Morant, I’d be shocked if an extension happened this year. The former No. 2 overall pick is coming off a down year and still has three seasons left on his current deal. If the coming season goes well, the two sides could open negotiations in earnest during the 2026 offseason.
Clarke and John Konchar are also extension-eligible until October 20, but neither one looks like a legitimate extension candidate at this point. Clarke just underwent a procedure on his knee, while Konchar’s role declined significantly last season. Both players have two years left on their current contracts and seem more likely to be traded than extended at this point — that could change if they play well in 2025/26.
Western Notes: Topic, Rockets, Podziemski, Suns
The rotation the Thunder use this fall will look awfully similar to the one that won a championship earlier in the year, but there could be one notable new addition. Nikola Topic, the 2024 lottery pick who missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, has impressed his teammates in training camp as he makes a bid for regular playing time, writes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (subscription required).
“It really stands out the way he sees the game,” Chet Holmgren said of the Serbian point guard. “Even without the ball in his hands, the way he cuts and finds open space. Sees plays up ahead of him and gets the ball out of his hands early. It’s impressive for a young guy, but that’s what got him noticed in the first place is his ability to see and read the game.”
Teammate Jaylin Williams also expressed admiration for Topic’s court vision and awareness: “You can see he really reads the game. Great passer, great facilitator out there.”
All 12 players who averaged at least 16 minutes per game for the Thunder last season are still on the roster, and all 12 except for Kenrich Williams (knee surgery) are healthy, so it remains to be seen whether Topic will be able to crack the regular season rotation.
However, he should get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do during Oklahoma City’s preseason schedule, which tips off on Sunday, Mussatto notes. According to head coach Mark Daigneault (Twitter video link via Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer), several of the Thunder’s top players didn’t travel to South Carolina for Sunday’s preseason opener, the first game in a back-to-back set.
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- The Rockets will likely deploy different starting lineups during the preseason as head coach Ime Udoka gets a feel for how certain groups look in game settings, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Udoka also said that forward Tari Eason and center Steven Adams will sit out Wednesday’s game vs. Utah after playing on Monday vs. Atlanta for precautionary reasons. Both players returned last season from major injuries.
- Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda about a variety of topics, including how he’d evaluate his 2024/25 season, what he focused on this offseason, and why he thinks incorporating newcomers like Al Horford will make for a “seamless transition.”
- Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic shares his key takeaways from the Suns‘ victory over the Lakers in their preseason opener on Friday, including the fact that second-year wing Ryan Dunn started as the team’s de facto power forward.
Heat Notes: Wiggins, Jovic, Ware, Smith
In the wake of the trade sending him from Golden State to Miami last winter, Andrew Wiggins struggled to get acclimated to his new NBA home, dealing with a series of minor injuries down the stretch as the Heat adjusted to life without Jimmy Butler. According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Wiggins brought his family to live with him in Miami this offseason and spent the summer getting more comfortable in South Florida — now he’s hoping that comfort level translates to the court.
“When I first got here, it was more so just trying to get situated,” Wiggins said. “I’m in a new situation, new players, new coaches, new systems. Just trying to find my spots and get situated within the team. Now, just getting a summer under my belt, being at the facility almost every day, being with the team, the coaches, any chance to build up that chemistry and be comfortable with the team and with what we have going on.
“… My family definitely makes me a happier person,” he added. “I love being around them. Just being here in Miami with my family has been the perfect spot for me.”
As Chiang writes, Wiggins had a strong training camp and got off to a good start in the Heat’s preseason opener vs. Orlando on Saturday, scoring 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 12 minutes of action. Head coach Erik Spoelstra is optimistic about what the former No. 1 overall pick will be able to bring to the Heat after spending the full offseason with the team.
“I do like this opportunity that he’s had in late July, August, September to really prepare,” Spoelstra said. “He was in the gym, so we were able to see him a whole lot more, get to know each other more. He’s in very good shape. He’s feeling comfortable with what we’re trying to do. He has an opportunity to be such an impactful two-way player, both ends of the court.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Nikola Jovic earned the start alongside Bam Adebayo in the Heat’s frontcourt on Saturday, with Kel’el Ware coming off the bench. That was a notable decision, Chiang observes for The Herald, since Ware started in 36 of his final 38 regular season games in 2024/25, plus all four of Miami’s playoff games. As Chiang points out, lineups featuring Ware and Adebayo outscored opponents by 4.6 points per 100 possessions last season, whereas Jovic was removed from the starting lineup early in the season due to underwhelming results.
- Jovic, who signed a rookie scale extension ahead of Miami’s preseason opener, played well on Saturday, scoring 10 points in 12 minutes while also chipping in three rebounds, a pair of assists, and a block. Spoelstra expressed enthusiasm about Jovic’s potential to continue establishing himself as a long-term building block for the club. “We’re really excited for Niko,” the Heat coach said, per Chiang. “It’s been a fun process to see his maturation and improvement, learning how to become a professional. We drafted him at such a young age and then you’re seeing him grow and mature right before your eyes. He’s earned this. He’s put in a great deal of work.”
- Roughly nine-and-a-half months after tearing his left Achilles, Dru Smith was back on the court for the Heat on Saturday vs. Orlando, notes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). It’s typically an injury that requires upwards of a full calendar year of recovery time, but Smith showed no ill effects in his return, registering a team-high +11 mark in 10 minutes on the court. He’s “very much in the mix” for a regular season rotation role, says Winderman.
Seven NBA Two-Way Contract Slots Currently Open
While most of the NBA’s 30 teams filled all three of their two-way contract slots before training camps tipped off, there are still seven teams carrying just a pair of players on two-way deals, leaving one two-way slot open on their respective rosters, as our tracker shows.
Those teams are as follows:
- Brooklyn Nets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Miami Heat
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Portland Trail Blazers
The majority of the players around the league who are in camp with teams on Exhibit 10 deals will ultimately end up with those clubs’ G League affiliates, but there’s an opportunity for the Exhibit 10 signees on those seven teams listed above to earn an 18-man roster spot entering the regular season.
Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals before the season begins, so several of those clubs are in the process of essentially holding an open competition for that last two-way slot. Besides the Nets (Fanbo Zeng) and Mavericks (Moussa Cisse; Matthew Cleveland), the rest of those teams have at least four players in camp on Exhibit 10 deals.
Not every player who is on an Exhibit 10 contract can have it converted to a two-way deal in the next couple weeks. For instance, while the Cavaliers have Killian Hayes, Chaney Johnson, Miller Kopp, Norchad Omier, and Tristan Enaruna in camp on Exhibit 10 deals, only the latter four are candidates for two-way conversions — Hayes already has five years of NBA service and is ineligible to have his contract converted. A player is only eligible to receive a two-way contract if this would be his first, second, third, or fourth NBA season.
[RELATED: 2025/26 Non-Guaranteed Contracts By Team]
Although many of these seven teams will likely reward one of their standout camp invitees with a promotion to a two-way contracts, that’s not necessarily how all of them will fill their remaining opening. When teams make roster cuts later in the preseason, some intriguing two-way targets will shake loose on waivers and in free agency, so these clubs could turn to the open market to address their third two-way slot.
Even teams that already have their three two-way slots filled could end up making changes between now and opening night, which would result in some current two-way players being waived, creating more potential targets for the teams with open slots.
A player on a two-way contract is eligible to be active for up to 50 NBA regular season games and can earn up to $636,435 (half the rookie minimum) if he remains under contract through at least January 7. Teams can continue swapping players on and off on two-way contracts until March 4. You can learn more about two-way deals in our glossary entry.
Southwest Notes: Zion, Bey, Alvarado, DSJ, Spurs
Zion Williamson was limited to just 30 games last season for health reasons, while Trey Murphy‘s year came to an early end due to shoulder surgery. So it was a very encouraging sign for the Pelicans that Williamson (15 points) and Murphy (18 points) were their leading scorers in their preseason opener. New Orleans became the first NBA team to play a game in Australia, winning an exhibition contest over Melbourne United on Friday.
“It was electric,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “The fans were in tune. They were engaged. It was a really great platform to come here and play high-level competition.”
Green lauded Williamson for his defensive activity after he picked up a pair of steals on Friday. That effort on the defensive end was on display again on Sunday as the Pelicans won their matchup against the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Williamson scored just eight points, but racked up nine rebounds (eight defensive), three steals, and two blocks in 15 minutes of action en route to a 127-92 win.
As good as Williamson was, it was new Pelican Saddiq Bey who stole the show in Sunday’s victory. Bey, who hasn’t played a regular season game since March 2024 due to an ACL tear, had 21 points in 21 minutes, knocking down four three-pointers and registering a game-high +27 plus-minus mark.
“I am just grateful to be out here,” Bey said in a post-game interview, according to Walker. “The opportunity to play in Australia is is a blessing.”
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado departed Sunday’s game in the third quarter due to an apparent right leg injury, Walker notes. Green said after the game that Alvarado will be reevaluated when the team returns home to New Orleans.
- Within an extensive breakdown of takeaways from the Mavericks‘ training camp, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal writes that head coach Jason Kidd praised Dennis Smith Jr. as a camp standout, lauding his “energy.” Smith is on a non-guaranteed contract and has an uphill battle to earn a regular season roster spot, but it sounds like he’s doing all he can to make his case.
- After spending most of last season in the role of “acting” Spurs head coach, Mitch Johnson has the permanent title heading into 2025/26. Running a training camp for the first time, he has made an effort to implement his own style while carrying over many of the lessons he learned from longtime San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News details (subscription required). “(Last season) we were all just trying to maintain what was already going on, the things we put in during training camp, the principles we had,” veteran forward Harrison Barnes said. “Coming into this year, there’s just building blocks that will be different that (Johnson) can say, ‘OK look, I have full ownership of the things that are going on.'”
Fischer’s Latest: Sharpe, Daniels, Eason, Dadiet, Knicks
In his latest subscriber-only article for The Stein Line, Jake Fischer expresses some doubt that there will be much more action on the rookie scale extension front before the regular season begins. As Fischer writes, just five players – Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., and Nikola Jovic – have signed rookie scale extensions thus far, with 16 players still eligible.
Of course, it’s worth pointing out that at this time last year, only four rookie scale extensions had been signed — seven more were completed on deadline day, October 21, and I’d be surprised if we don’t get at least a little flurry of action at this year’s deadline, which will land on Oct. 20.
Still, as Fischer observes, teams who took their fourth-year players to restricted free agency this past summer instead of getting extensions done early had significant leverage in those negotiations. And while more teams are projected to have cap room next summer, which could offer RFAs more pathways to getting paid, some of that projected cap room figures to dry up over the course of the season due to extensions and trades.
One prime candidate for a rookie scale extension this month is Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe. Fischer says he has heard the Blazers have discussed a potential four-year, $90MM deal for the 22-year-old, while team strategists he has spoken to around the league believe that Sharpe could ultimately match or exceed the four-year, $100MM contract Josh Giddey recently signed with Chicago.
Sharpe played well during the second half last season, averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game in his final 29 outings. According to Fischer, the Blazers believe they’ll be well positioned to compete for a postseason spot in 2025/26 if Sharpe carries over and builds on that momentum.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- There’s “some distance” between Dyson Daniels and the Hawks in the early stages of their rookie scale extension negotiations, Fischer writes. Daniels is the NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player and placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be seeking a significant payday on his second NBA contract.
- While it’s not a necessity, the Rockets would prefer to get an extension done with Tari Eason before finalizing a new deal with Kevin Durant, since that would allow them to know exactly what their cap situation will look like before they make a substantial commitment to the 15-time All-Star, according to Fischer. If Houston works out an extension with Eason, it would likely be for four years, says Fischer, adding that cap strategists think the annual salary will come in lower than the $24.4MM Smith got from the Rockets earlier this year.
- Confirming that the Knicks have contacted multiple teams to gauge Pacome Dadiet‘s trade value, Fischer reports that multiple sources think New York started Dadiet in its preseason opener on Thursday in order to showcase him for a potential deal. Trading Dadiet would allow the Knicks to keep two veteran camp invitees instead of just one. While Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are widely viewed as the favorites to make the team in that scenario, Fischer has repeatedly heard that Garrison Mathews will get legitimate consideration for a regular season roster spot. Given their respective skill sets, Mathews would be more likely to supplant Shamet than Brogdon.
Oldest, Youngest Players On NBA Rosters For 2025/26
For a third straight fall, Lakers star LeBron James will enter the NBA season as the league’s oldest player.
James will turn 41 before the calendar year is over, but he’s not the only NBA player in his 40s like he was a year ago. His good friend Chris Paul, the NBA’s second-oldest player, turned 40 in May, and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry will join that club later in the season — he turns 40 in March.
It’s safe to say that not every player on the list of the NBA’s 10 oldest players will provide the level of production that James – or even Paul – will in 2025/26. Garrett Temple and Joe Ingles are among the players in that group who have transitioned to the “veteran leader” stage of their careers and will likely see limited action this season.
Still, it’s worth noting that Stephen Curry has cracked the list of the NBA’s oldest 10 players for the first time and continues to play at an All-NBA level, while Kevin Durant just missed making the cut (he’s currently the NBA’s 12th-oldest player) and is still putting up gaudy numbers as well.
Before we share the full list, we should also acknowledge that it’s subject to change. A few of the veterans who were on this list a year ago – P.J. Tucker, Taj Gibson, and James Johnson – remain unsigned, but it’s possible they’ll find new NBA homes in the coming days or weeks.
For now, here’s the list of the oldest players in the league heading into the 2025/26 NBA season:
- LeBron James, Lakers (born 12/30/1984)
- Chris Paul, Clippers (born 5/6/1985)
- Kyle Lowry, Sixers (born 3/25/1986)
- Garrett Temple, Raptors (born 5/8/1986)
- Al Horford, Warriors (born 6/3/1986)
- Jeff Green, Rockets (born 8/28/1986)
- Joe Ingles, Timberwolves (born 10/2/1987)
- Mike Conley, Timberwolves (born 10/11/1987)
- Stephen Curry, Warriors (born 3/14/1988)
- Brook Lopez, Clippers (born 4/1/1988)
It comes as no surprise that the Clippers and Warriors – the two oldest teams in the league – have multiple players on this list. Beyond these 10 veterans, there are only seven more active NBA players who were born in the 1980s, and three of them are either members of the Clippers or Warriors: Nicolas Batum, James Harden, and Jimmy Butler.
The Timberwolves are the only other club with multiple players among the NBA’s oldest, but Minnesota balances that out by being one of just two teams with a pair of players on the list of the league’s 10 youngest active players, joining the rebuilding Nets. Brooklyn actually just narrowly missed out on having three players in that top 10, with Egor Demin coming in at No. 11.
Here are the 10 youngest players currently on NBA rosters, each of whom was a 2025 draft pick:
Cooper Flagg, Mavericks (born 12/21/2006)- Noa Essengue, Bulls (born 12/18/2006)
- Joan Beringer, Timberwolves (born 11/6/2006)
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans (born 10/14/2006)
- Khaman Maluach, Suns (born 9/14/2006)
- Ace Bailey, Jazz (born 8/13/2006)
- Rocco Zikarsky, Timberwolves (born 7/11/2006)
- Note: Zikarsky is on a two-way contract.
- Kasparas Jakucionis, Heat (born 5/29/2006)
- Nolan Traore, Nets (born 5/28/2006)
- Ben Saraf, Nets (born 4/14/2006)
Flagg accomplishes the rare feat of entering the NBA as the league’s youngest player after after being selected first overall in the draft. He won’t turn 19 until two months into the regular season. No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper nearly joined him in this top 10, but his March 2, 2006 birth date wasn’t quite recent enough to make the cut.
Outside of the Timberwolves and Mavericks, the NBA’s rebuilding or retooling teams are fairly well represented on this list. One notable exception is the Wizards, who would have multiple players mentioned here if we expanded to a top 15 — Tre Johnson was born on March 7, 2006, while Will Riley was born about a month earlier, on February 10.
Nuggets Notes: Braun, Watson, Brown, Defense
After hearing his superstar teammate Nikola Jokic say on media day that his plan is to “be with the Nuggets forever,” Christian Braun suggested in a conversation with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he has a similar mindset.
“That has been my whole career. I have wanted to win in one spot,” Braun said. “I played with the same AAU team for seven years. I never switched up my AAU team. I was with my same high school coach my whole career and never switched high schools. I was at Kansas. I thought about leaving Kansas, but I couldn’t do it. I just wanted to be in the same spot.
“You gain a relationship with those people and trust with those people. So that’s who I am as a person. We’ve won here [in 2023]. I know what it takes to win. I know what it takes to win with this group and with this organization. I became really close with a lot of the guys around here. So being a Nugget means a lot to me. That’s part of who I am. I want to be in one spot. … I want to win as a Nugget. I don’t want to win anywhere else. Me winning as a Nugget means more than something somewhere else. Being grateful for the people here drives me to want to win in a Nuggets uniform.”
Braun is currently eligible for a rookie scale extension. The deadline to sign a new deal is October 20, and if he doesn’t have an agreement in place by that point, he’ll be headed for restricted free agency next summer. The fourth-year guard said it’s not his job to worry about those contract negotiations, which he’ll leave up to his representatives.
“My main priority is to get better as an individual and get better as a team and win,” Braun told Medina. “Ultimately if we win, I know that I got to be taken care of.”
Here’s more out of Denver:
- In addition to Braun, fellow 2022 first-rounder Peyton Watson is also eligible for a rookie scale extension this month. He said on media day earlier this week that he’s not stressed about what his next deal will look like, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “We’re just taking it day by day,” Watson said. “… I was telling (Nuggets VP of player personnel) Jon (Wallace) not too long ago, I’ve got everything that I’ve ever needed and wanted. I’ve got more money than I ever thought that I would ever make. So I’m not one of those guys who’s only playing basketball for the money. I’ve always played it for the enjoyment and the love of the game. And it’s put me in a position where I’m gonna have the opportunity to make some money here in this league. But I’m young. I’ve got a lot of time. I know that I’ll make a lot of money in this game.”
- After playing for three teams over the past two seasons, Bruce Brown is thrilled to be back with the Nuggets, and that feeling is mutual, according to Medina, who notes that teammate Aaron Gordon referred to Brown as the “ultimate glue guy.” Speaking to Medina in a Sportskeeda interview, Brown explained what goes into playing that role: “Whatever the team needs me to do, I’ll do. If they need me to play backup (point guard) or if they need me to play at the three, whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it. My pride is put aside. I’ve played every position in the league. So whatever it takes to win, I’ll do it.”
- Defensive intensity has been a point of emphasis for the Nuggets during training camp, as Durando writes for The Denver Post. New permanent head coach David Adelman even said he wouldn’t mind if the offense “takes a little step back” if it means the defense improves. Last season, Denver had the NBA’s fourth-best offensive rating but ranked just 21st on the defensive end. “If we get to around top-10 defensively,” Gordon said, “it’s going to put us in a position to win it all.”