Heat’s Tyler Herro Optimistic About Potential Extension
Heat guard Tyler Herro isn’t participating in training camp this week as he recovers from ankle surgery, but October 1 is an important date for him — he’ll become eligible to sign a veteran contract extension that could be worth a maximum of $149.7MM over three years.
Herro will have a window of about three weeks this fall to sign a new deal. If he and the team don’t have an agreement in place by Oct. 20, he won’t be eligible to sign an extension until the 2026 offseason, as he enters the final year of his current contract.
However, Herro expressed optimism on Monday about his odds of working something out with the Heat before opening night, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays.
“I expect to get something done. But we’ll see what happens,” Herro said. “I think they’re supposed to meet on Wednesday.
“… It is important for me,” he continued. “I’ve been here six years. I feel like I’ve earned it. I’m not saying what I’ve earned, but I’ve earned something. I think I deserve it, and I want to be here ultimately. I’ve vocally said that.”
Herro, who will earn $31MM this season and $33MM in 2026/27, is coming off the best season of his NBA career. He earned his first All-Star nod and set new career highs in points (23.9) and assists (5.5) per game, along with games played (77) and field goal percentage (47.2%).
That big year doesn’t mean the Heat are prepared to reward him by offering that full $149.7MM, but Herro suggested on Monday that he won’t necessarily be pushing for that maximum extension either. The 25-year-old told reporters that it’s not “$50 million (per year) or nothing,” and added that he has “a number in my mind,” but if he and the team don’t agree to terms, he won’t be frustrated by that outcome.
“I’m not going to hinder this season on getting an extension or not. I’m not going to lose my joy,” Herro said, jokingly referencing a comment former teammate Jimmy Butler made last season. “… I’m excited to play. At the end of the day, I have two years on my contract. And if we don’t get something done, I’m not going to be a problem throughout the organization. I’m happy to be here. … I would love to get something done, like I said, but we’ll see what happens.”
And-Ones: NBC, Amazon, Gay, Jackson, CBA, Darlan, More
With the regular season now just weeks away, the NBA’s new broadcast partners continue to fill out their coverage rosters. NBC Sports issued a press release on Monday announcing that veteran reporter Chris Mannix – who had been writing for SI.com – is joining the network as a digital insider and will appear on NBC’s and Peacock’s studio show to report on and discuss breaking news.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video is hiring NBA reporter Chris Haynes as a league insider and has tabbed Marcus Thompson of The Athletic to report feature stories, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Haynes has been working independently this offseason ahead of his stint with Amazon, while Thompson will continue in his role at The Athletic while pulling double duty for Prime Video.
Amazon also recently added former NBA players Rudy Gay and Jim Jackson to its list of analysts, Glasspiegel notes. They join Kyle Lowry, Dell Curry, Brent Barry, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and Steve Nash as current and former players who will have game or studio analyst roles with Prime Video.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Within a look at how the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and tax apron system have diminished free agency, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) reports that multiple teams have lobbied the league to implement some sort of discount for homegrown players — for instance, if a player drafted by a team goes on to become a maximum-salary player for that club, perhaps his cap hit could be 30% of the cap instead of the 35% salary he’s actually earning. However, the NBA hasn’t seriously weighed that possibility to this point, Fischer writes.
- Thierry Darlan has spent the past two seasons in the G League but was ruled eligible by the NCAA to spend the 2025/26 season at Santa Clara, agent Todd Ramasar tells ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. The 6’8″ guard will enter college as a junior, with two years of eligibility available. Michael McCann of Sportico digs into the decision, writing that it’s the latest defeat for “amateurism,” as the NCAA becomes increasingly open to welcoming players who have already played professionally.
- ESPN’s NBA insiders take a look at the biggest question facing each of the league’s 30 teams this fall, including where Jaden Ivey‘s fits in for the new-look Pistons, whether the Timberwolves‘ young players are ready to step up, and whether the Spurs can overcome a lack of three-point shooting around Victor Wembanyama
- The Knicks (53.5 wins), Celtics (42.5), and Trail Blazers (34.5) are among the teams that John Hollinger of The Athletic believes will fall short of their projected win totals this season.
Warriors Re-Sign Pat Spencer To Two-Way Deal, Announce Six Camp Signings
6:35 pm: The Warriors have waived Francis, Moni and McMillian, the team announced (Twitter link).
3:15 pm: The Warriors have officially confirmed Spencer’s two-way contract (Twitter link).
3:09 pm: Free agent point guard Pat Spencer is back under contract with the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Spencer signed a new two-way deal with the team on Monday.
Spencer, 29, spent parts of the last two seasons on a two-way deal with Golden State before being promoted to the standard 15-man roster in March. He appeared in 39 games for the Warriors in 2024/25, averaging 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 6.4 minutes per contest and posting a shooting line of .406/.227/.733.
With Spencer back under contract and second-rounder Alex Toohey officially signed earlier today, the Warriors now have all three of their two-way slots filled, as Spencer and Toohey join Jackson Rowe. The club still has a two-way qualifying offer on the table for Australian guard Taran Armstrong, but reporting from MozzartSport indicates Armstrong is in talks with the Serbian club KK Partizan.
If Armstrong signs with a non-NBA team, the Warriors would have the ability to continue issuing him qualifying offers in future seasons to retain his RFA rights — the club has done the same thing with Nico Mannion in recent years.
While the Warriors haven’t put out a formal press release confirming Spencer’s deal yet, the team did announce several other non-guaranteed signings today. Golden State published a press release (via Twitter) announcing deals for forwards Ja’Vier Francis and Jacksen Moni, along with guard Chance McMillian, then issued a second statement (via Twitter) to confirm it has also signed center Marques Bolden and guards LJ Cryer and Taevion Kinsey.
Golden State’s agreements with Francis, McMillian, Cryer, and Kinsey were previously reported. Moni is an undrafted rookie out of North Dakota State who played with San Antonio’s Summer League team in July, while Bolden is a three-year NBA veteran who has appeared in games for Cleveland, Charlotte, and Milwaukee since debuting in 2020. Bolden’s G League rights were acquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League team, in August.
All six of those players figure to end up with Santa Cruz, either as affiliate players or returning rights players. They almost certainly all received Exhibit 10 contracts, which will make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with the Warriors’ NBAGL squad.
The order of the signings is worth noting. After officially adding Gary Payton II and Will Richard earlier today, the Warriors had 11 players on their standard roster, which means Francis, Moni, and McMillian got them to 14. Teams aren’t permitted to sign contracts with Exhibit 9 language until they have at least 14 players on standard contracts, so those three players presumably didn’t get Exhibit 9 clauses, whereas Bolden, Cryer, and Kinsey probably did.
Since Exhibit 9 deals give teams injury protection in the event of an injury in training camp or the preseason, I’d expect Francis, Moni, and McMillian to be waived before they suit up in any preseason games for the Warriors, so that the team doesn’t risk a major injury that would require them to pay any of those players’ full salaries.
Golden State now officially has 20 players under contract, with Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Jonathan Kuminga still to sign, so some of those cuts figure to happen within the next day or two.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Reaves, Ayton, Hachimura, Smart, Thiero
Lakers forward LeBron James didn’t offer any specifics on Monday when asked at media day about his retirement plans, but admitted the end of his record-setting career is coming “sooner than later,” writes Dan Woike of The Athletic.
After making it a priority to play with son Bronny James in the NBA, LeBron made it clear on Monday that he won’t necessarily stick around in an effort to do the same thing with Bryce James, who is a freshman at Arizona this year.
“I am not waiting on Bryce,” James said, per Woike. “I don’t know what his own timeline is. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.”
James also said that the opportunity to play with a superstar like Luka Doncic in his prime provides some additional “motivation,” but he said that won’t have a material impact on his retirement decision, which will be made by LeBron and his family (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Lakers guard Austin Reaves turned down a four-year, $87MM extension offer from the Lakers earlier this offseason and admitted to Woike that he was nervous that decision might cause the team to move him. “I thought that there was a good chance for, like, a week after I declined the extension that there was a possibility I’d get traded,” Reaves said. “I mean, it’s still a possibility.” The Lakers guard wants to remain in Los Angeles, but will be eligible for a more lucrative deal if he waits until at least 2026, when he could become an unrestricted free agent. Team and league sources who spoke to The Athletic believe Reaves could receive an annual salary of $35MM+ on his next contract.
- New Lakers center Deandre Ayton said on Monday that coming to L.A. represents the “biggest opportunity of my career” and said repeatedly that he’s not taking it for granted (Twitter links via McMenamin and Khobi Price of the Orange County Register). The former No. 1 overall pick has faced questions about his compete level in recent years.
- Forward Rui Hachimura and guard Marcus Smart both told reporters at media day on Monday that it doesn’t matter to them whether they start or come off the bench (Twitter links via Jovan Buha and Khobi Price). James, Doncic, Reaves, and Ayton are probable starters, but that leaves one spot open in the starting five. For what it’s worth, Hachimura did point out that he has established chemistry with James and the starters over the past couple seasons, but stressed that he’s more concerned about his overall minutes than whether he’s on the court to start the game.
- Lakers rookie forward Adou Thiero has experienced swelling in his knee and hasn’t been cleared for the start of training camp, according to McMenamin (Twitter links), who hears from a source that Thiero’s rehab process is on schedule and he should be cleared in another week. The second-round pick didn’t play in Summer League after injuring his knee in his final college season at Arkansas.
Blazers Notes: Lillard, Henderson, Grant, Camara, Clingan, More
Asked at the Trail Blazers‘ media day on Monday if there’s any scenario in which he plays this season, Damian Lillard admitted it’s hard to envision making it back from his Achilles tear before the 2026/27 campaign.
“I don’t plan on it,” Lillard said of playing in ’25/26, per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link). “I feel like if this team is a one seed (without me), they probably got it. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible.”
Lillard added that the trainers and other players who have sustained Achilles injuries who have spoken to him about the recovery process have stressed patience and suggested that he shouldn’t be trying to make it back “in record time” (Twitter link via Highkin).
Although he almost certainly won’t be suiting up for the Trail Blazers this season, Lillard will still be one of the 15 players on the team’s standard roster, which head coach Chauncey Billups believes puts the longtime star point guard in a unique position when it comes to mentoring Portland’s younger players.
“He’s not a coach. He’s still a player. There’s a different level of connectivity that comes with that,” Billups said, noting that he wants Lillard to “keep a really close eye” on Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Scoot Henderson (Twitter link via Highkin).
Henderson, like Lillard, will be unavailable when the season begins, though his hamstring injury is only projected to keep him out for the start of the season, not all of it. Speaking on Monday to reporters, he referred to the injury as a “freak accident” and “minor setback” and said he’s still feeling positive about the season (Twitter links). Billups noted it’s a disappointing turn of events for the former No. 3 overall pick because he’d had an “incredible summer” prior to the injury (Twitter link).
Here’s more from the Blazers’ media day, via Highkin:
- Billups said on Monday that there are “a lot of ways” the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup could go this fall and that the players who want starting jobs will have to earn them (Twitter link). Interestingly, when forward Jerami Grant was asked about the possibility of coming off the bench, he replied, “I don’t really expect that” (Twitter link). There had been some speculation this offseason that Grant could be asked to accept a reserve role due to the emergence of young forwards Avdija and Toumani Camara.
- Speaking of Camara, he’s eligible to sign a contract extension but said on Monday that he’s leaving that up to his agent. “I’m just focused on basketball,” Camara said (Twitter link). “I’m trying to stay away from that right now. If I take care of my business on the court, everything will work itself out.”
- With Deandre Ayton no longer in Portland, second-year center Donovan Clingan will be looking to play a major role. He said on Monday that he has worked on improving his conditioning and is aiming to average 30-plus minutes per night (Twitter link). Rookie big man Yang Hansen will be among the players vying for minutes in the middle, with Billups referring to the No. 16 overall pick as “right there in the mix” for minutes. “I think Hansen’s done a really good job of getting situated and understanding what we’re doing,” Billups said (Twitter link). “He’s definitely going to play.”
- Big man Robert Williams, who underwent a procedure on his knee in March and has been limited to 26 games in two seasons since arriving in Portland, said he’s not sure when he’ll be cleared to play, though he and the training staff have a target date in mind (Twitter links).
- Jrue Holiday and Matisse Thybulle are among the players who expressed enthusiasm on Monday about the defensive potential of the Blazers’ roster (Twitter links). “Playing games in your mind of what lineups we can put out there is pretty fun,” Thybulle said. “We have a few All-Defense-level players. I think we can put some ridiculous lineups out there.”
Rockets Notes: PGs, Finney-Smith, Thompson, Adams, Green
In the wake of Fred VanVleet‘s ACL tear, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka doesn’t expect a single player to take over the veteran point guard’s responsibilities.
“A committee, all of the above,” Udoka said when asked about Houston’s point guard plans, suggesting that Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Aaron Holiday could all play increased on-ball roles (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). That was already the plan for Thompson and Sheppard, but it will be “expedited a little bit” with VanVleet unavailable, Udoka added.
The Rockets’ coach also pointed out that players at other positions like Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant will be relied upon to initiate the offense more frequently.
Here’s more out of Houston:
- New Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who is coming off ankle surgery, said he has been running but didn’t specify a timeline for his return, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who says Finney-Smith hasn’t been fully cleared for basketball activities and will likely miss the start of the regular season.
- After earning an All-Defensive first team spot and finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024/25, Thompson said on Monday that his goals heading into ’25/26 are to make an All-Star team and to win a title, per William Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- While general manager Rafael Stone indicated that the Rockets may still take a cautious approach with Steven Adams on back-to-backs to open the season, the veteran center said his knee feels good entering training camp (Twitter link via Lerner). “I feel ready, I feel confident with it,” said Adams, who sat out all of 2023/24 season while recovering from knee surgery.
- Asked on Monday if he envisions himself coaching once his playing career ends, veteran forward Jeff Green dismissed the idea. “Hell nah,” he replied, according to Guillory (Twitter link).
- In case you missed it, Kevin Durant said on Monday that he expects to sign a contract extension with Houston at some point. We have the full story here.
Spurs’ Fox Unlikely To Be Available At Start Of Season
Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox told reporters on Monday at media day that he isn’t expecting to suit up during the preseason or on opening night. After spending the offseason recovering from finger surgery that ended his 2024/25 season, Fox is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter video link).
Fox made it clear that he feels “great” and thinks he could be playing now, but suggested the Spurs are taking a cautious approach to his return.
“I don’t think I’ll be ready for opening night,” Fox said. “Well, I think I’m ready. But I don’t have that (medical) expertise.”
As Weiss points out, that makes two Spurs point guards who are at risk of missing the team’s season opener. No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper underwent surgery on his thumb earlier this month to repair a partially torn ligament — his status for the start of the regular season remains up in the air.
Here’s more on the Spurs:
- In more positive health news, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson confirmed that big man Victor Wembanyama has been medically cleared to return by both the team and the NBA after his 2024/25 season ended early due to a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder (Twitter video link via Weiss). “He’s been ramping up. He’s been in a really good place,” Johnson said.
- After making a modest 42.8% of his field goal attempts, including 28.5% of his three-pointers, in his first NBA season, improving his shooting efficiency is a goal for reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle in year two, he tells D.J. Siddiqi of ESportsInsider.com. “With live reps, I feel like that’s the best way you can learn is to keep seeing different defenses,” Castle said. “Different variations, options, and on a different possession. Just repping it out, really with a lot of defenders, just getting a lot of shooting reps.”
- The Spurs put out a press release on Sunday announcing several promotions and additions within their basketball operations department. Notably, the team has named three new assistant general managers. Senior director of strategic and basketball insight Hao Meng, senior director of basketball strategy Niraj Mulji, and vice president of basketball operations Dave Telep have all been promoted to assistant GM roles.
Kevin Durant Expects To Sign Extension With Rockets
Nearly three months after being officially traded from Phoenix to Houston, Kevin Durant remains on an expiring contract. However, the new Rockets forward, who is celebrating his 37th birthday on Monday, told reporters at media day that he anticipates extending that contract sooner or later in order to remain in Houston.
“I do see myself signing a contract extension,” Durant said (Twitter video link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). “I can’t tell you exactly when that’ll happen, but I do see it happening.”
Based on the latest projection of a $166MM salary cap for 2026/27, Durant is currently eligible for an extension worth up to $119.1MM over two years. That projected total would increase slightly to $120.85MM on January 6, six months after the trade.
However, reporting during the summer suggested the Rockets may be reluctant to give Durant a maximum-salary deal that covers his age-38 and -39 seasons. There has been speculation that an extension could come in closer to $100MM over two years, which would represent a slight step down from his current $54.7MM salary.
Whatever Durant’s next deal looks like, it sounds like he’s confident he’ll get something done with the Rockets. As Lerner relays in her full Houston Chronicle story, the 15-time All-Star also spoke on Monday about why Houston was one of his preferred landing spots when the Suns put him on the trade block during the offseason.
“Just seeing the quick progression of this franchise, where it was right after that James Harden/ Chris Paul era and seeing when (head coach) Ime (Udoka) got here and how he turned it around so fast,” Durant said. “I have some connections here within the organization, people I’ve worked with around the league already, so it felt organic and natural coming into the gym and getting to be a Houston Rocket for the first time. I always had respect for this coaching staff, this fan base, this state, this city. So it feels great.”
NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Chicago Bulls
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 Chicago Bulls.
Free agent signings
Josh Giddey: Four years, $100,000,000. Re-signed using Bird rights.- Tre Jones: Three years, $24,000,000. Third-year team option. Re-signed using Bird rights.
- Caleb Grill: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Grill has since been waived.
- Mouhamadou Gueye: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Wooga Poplar: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Poplar has since been waived.
Trades
- Acquired the draft rights to Lachlan Olbrich (No. 55 pick) in the 2025 draft and cash ($2.5MM) from the Lakers in exchange for the draft rights to Rocco Zikarsky (No. 45 pick).
- Acquired Isaac Okoro from the Cavaliers in exchange for Lonzo Ball.
Draft picks
- 1-12: Noa Essengue
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $25,333,943).
- 2-55: Lachlan Olbrich
- Signed to two-way contract.
Two-way signings
- Yuki Kawamura
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee.
- Emanuel Miller
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee.
- Lachlan Olbrich
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee.
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Talen Horton-Tucker (Fenerbahce)
- E.J. Liddell (Nets)
Other roster moves
- Waived Jahmir Young (two-way contract).
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $174.3MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $195,945,000.
- Full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14,104,000) available.
- Full bi-annual exception ($5,134,000) available.
- One traded player exception available (worth $6,186,573).
The offseason so far
The Bulls underwent some major roster changes during the 2024 offseason, when they sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City and signed-and-traded DeMar DeRozan to Sacramento, and at the 2025 trade deadline, when they completed a three-team blockbuster that send Zach LaVine to the Kings and returned veterans Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and Zach Collins, along with complete control of the team’s 2025 first-round pick.
As a result of all that activity in the previous 12 months, the 2025 offseason was relatively quiet by comparison. With many of the club’s highest-paid players – Huerter, Collins, Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Jevon Carter – on expiring contracts in 2025/26, Chicago could have been very active on the trade market, seeking new homes for those guys while potentially taking on some multiyear deals.
Instead, the Bulls hung onto all six of those players, and while they did add some multiyear money to their cap in free agency and on the trade market, the primary order of business this summer was keeping the current roster intact by re-signing their own free agents.
That effort began during the first few hours of free agency on June 30, when the Bulls struck a deal to re-sign Jones to a three-year, $24MM contract that includes a third-year team option. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan repeatedly lauded the veteran point guard during the final months of last season for his high basketball IQ and his knack for making winning plays, so it didn’t come as a huge surprise that the front office made it a priority to re-sign him at a price that makes sense for a backup point guard.
The Bulls’ other top free agent was also a point guard, but it took much longer for the club to reach an agreement with Josh Giddey, one of four restricted free agents whose standoffs extended well into September. Giddey reportedly came into the summer seeking a $30MM annual salary, while the Bulls initially wanted to do a deal in the neighborhood of $20MM per year. The two sides eventually compromised right in the middle — Giddey signed a four-year, $100MM contract that is fully guaranteed, with no incentives or options, and features a flat structure, with annual cap hits of $25MM.
While it’s a little more than the Bulls wanted to pay, it looks like a pretty good deal for the team. Among NBA starting point guards, Giddey’s $25MM annual salary is on the low end, and he should be entering his prime during the next four years, which will be his age 23-to-26 seasons. The former sixth overall pick hit his stride after Chicago traded LaVine in February, averaging 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game with a .500/.457/.809 shooting line after the All-Star break.
With Giddey and Jones back under contract, the Bulls were going to have a major logjam in the backcourt, with White, Dosunmu, and Lonzo Ball also expected to play rotation roles and Carter buried on the depth chart. Rather than bringing them all back, Chicago made an effort to balance its rotation a little by trading Ball straight up to the Cavaliers for Isaac Okoro.
Drafted one spot after No. 4 overall pick Patrick Williams in 2020, Okoro – like Williams – hasn’t developed into an impact wing during his first five years in the NBA. But he has shown the ability to be an effective three-and-D rotation player, knocking down at least 36.3% of his outside shots during each of the past three seasons while handling tough defensive assignments in Cleveland.
Okoro has two guaranteed years left on his contract, while Ball’s deal includes a team option for 2026/27, so the trade represented a rare instance of the Bulls cutting into their flexibility for next summer. However, the team still has more than $90MM in expiring player salaries coming off the books in 2026, so the front office will have the ability to go in a number of different directions with the roster at February’s trade deadline and/or next offseason.
Besides Okoro, the one notable newcomer to the roster is 12th overall pick Noa Essengue, an athletic, versatile forward who will be one of the NBA’s youngest players this season — he won’t turn 19 until December. As such, it’s probably not realistic to expect much from Essengue as a rookie, but if he shows some promise and 2024 lottery pick Matas Buzelis continues to make positive strides, the Bulls could have a couple solid building blocks at forward.
Up next
After officially re-signing Giddey last week, the Bulls are at 15 players on guaranteed contracts. They’ve also filled all three of their two-way slots. That doesn’t mean those 18 players are all assured of spots on the opening night roster. Two-way deals, in particular, can be fleeting, since the guaranteed money is so modest and doesn’t count against the cap at all, and there are plenty of trade candidates on the standard roster.
Still, I wouldn’t anticipate major changes to the current group during the preseason. The Bulls are more likely to focus on possible extension candidates, with White, Dosunmu, Vucevic, and Dalen Terry among the many players eligible.
White, who averaged a career-high 20.4 points per game last season and thrived alongside Giddey following the LaVine trade, would be the Bulls’ top extension candidate, but the team is limited to offering him a deal that maxes out at approximately $87MM over four years. He’ll be seeking a more lucrative payday and has reportedly informed the team he doesn’t plan to sign a new contract until he reaches free agency, at which point his maximum contract would increase substantially.
Vucevic also probably isn’t a realistic candidate for a new contract. Many Bulls fans likely expected him to be traded by now, which could still happen by February 5, but even if he plays out the season with the team, the center’s days in Chicago appear numbered.
Terry played a more consistent role in 2024/25, but it doesn’t feel as if he’s shown enough in his first three NBA seasons to warrant a commitment from the team a year ahead of his free agency. Unless he takes another real step forward in ’25/26, he’s at risk of not getting a qualifying offer next summer to make him a restricted free agent.
Huerter and Collins are among the Bulls’ other extension-eligible players, but to me, Dosunmu looks like the only one with a real chance to sign a new contract before opening night. Like White, he faces a limit of about $87MM over four years, but his next deal figures to come in well below that. While he’s a solid defender, Dosunmu is more of a complementary piece on offense, having set career highs with 12.3 points and 4.5 assists per game this past season.
With Giddey and Jones back on multiyear contracts and a potential deal for White on the horizon next July, you could make a case that Dosunmu is more of a luxury than a necessity for the Bulls. But he’s a Chicago native who has been one of this front office’s better draft finds, and locking him up to an extension would give the team some insurance in the event that White doesn’t stick around beyond this season. Dosunmu will be extension-eligible all season long, so there’s no urgency to get something done in the coming weeks, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the two sides begin to discuss a potential deal.
Timberwolves Sign Alize Johnson
5:00 pm: The Timberwolves have officially signed Johnson, the team confirmed in a press release.
10:12 am: The Timberwolves and free agent forward Alize Johnson have reached an agreement on a one-year deal, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who says Johnson will have a chance to compete with the team in training camp.
While Charania didn’t provide any further information about the contract, it figures to be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 agreement, which could be converted to a two-way deal prior to the regular season or would line up Johnson to receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and spends at least 60 days with Minnesota’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves.
Johnson, the 50th overall pick in the 2018 draft, appeared in 76 regular season games across five seasons from 2018-22, suiting up for the Pacers, Nets, Bulls, Wizards, Pelicans, and Spurs during that time. He never played a major role for any of those clubs, averaging 2.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per contest.
Johnson hasn’t been on an NBA contract since being waived by San Antonio in December 2022. After spending a little time in the G League, the 29-year-old has competed internationally in recent years, playing in South Korea, Puerto Rico, and Japan since 2023.
The Timberwolves have three spots available on their 21-man preseason roster, so no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Johnson.