Checking In On Top Remaining Free Agents
Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes and Cam Thomas have generated most of the free agency headlines this offseason. While Giddey (four years, $100MM) and Cam Thomas (one year, $6MM) re-signed with their respective teams earlier this month, Kuminga and Grimes remain restricted free agents ahead of the October 1 deadline to accept their qualifying offers.
There haven’t been many updates on Grimes’ situation with the Sixers of late, but there has been movement on the Kuminga front. The Warriors reportedly made a new three-year offer to the young forward, but his agent said signing the $8MM QO remains a viable option unless the team’s offers improve.
The prolonged Kuminga stalemate has prevented the Warriors from completing other roster moves, with unrestricted free agents Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II among the veterans expected to sign with Golden State. The team has been linked to Seth Curry and Cody Martin as well.
The Warriors also have the NBA’s two remaining unsigned 2025 draft picks (Alex Toohey and Will Richard) as well as the lone two-way RFA (Taran Armstrong). As of now, Golden State technically only has 10 players under contract — five fewer than any other team.
Russell Westbrook is the most accomplished UFA left on the board. However, he has really only been linked to the Kings, who reportedly covet Kuminga and have been wary of making other trades until his restricted free agency is resolved. Sacramento would likely need to open a spot in the backcourt to make room for Westbrook.
Precious Achiuwa is another player who surprisingly remains unsigned ahead of training camp. He was added to our list of 2025’s top 50 free agents in late June after spending the past year-plus in New York.
Achiuwa, who recently turned 26 years old, reportedly drew EuroLeague interest from Panathinaikos in early August before the Greek team decided to sign Richaun Holmes. He has since been linked to the Heat, though Miami isn’t in position to sign him to a veteran’s minimum deal without crossing the luxury tax line.
Ben Simmons (who has reportedly mulled retirement), Monte Morris, Cameron Payne, Malik Beasley (who remains a subject in a federal gambling probe), Alec Burks, Mo Bamba and Thomas Bryant are among the other noteworthy names who have yet to find new teams with training camps set to begin within the next two weeks.
Suns Notes: Fifth Starter, Backcourt, Key Dates, TV Deal
First-time head coach Jordan Ott will be faced with some difficult decisions this fall as the Suns prepare for training camp, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (subscriber link).
In addition to managing Devin Booker‘s workload and discovering if Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea can contribute as rookies, Ott and his staff will also have to determine Phoenix’s starting lineup. According to Rankin, Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams will likely be four of the five starters, but the fifth is less certain.
Rankin views second-year wing Ryan Dunn as the most logical candidate to be the fifth starter, assuming he was able to improve his three-point shot over the summer. If Dunn’s offensive efficiency is still lacking, Royce O’Neale would be a more proven option as a small-ball four.
Second-year forward/center Oso Ighodaro is another player who could receive starting consideration if Ott experiments with two-big lineups, Rankin adds.
Here’s more on the Suns:
- Although pairing Booker with Bradley Beal didn’t turn out very well, the Suns are optimistic about the backcourt duo of Booker and Green, Rankin writes in another story. “We are two people who are going to accept the double team and be able to play off each other,” Green said during Summer League in Las Vegas. “When you look at something like that, it’s like, we’re two people who know how to score the basketball. We’re two people who know how to attract the defense. When we’re doing something like that, you got to pick who you want to score tonight. He and I are going to be a deadly scoring duo.”
- In a third article for The Arizona Republic, Rankin lists several key dates to monitor ahead of the regular season. Phoenix’s media day (Sept. 24) and training camp (Sept. 25) are set for next week due to a preseason trip to China (Oct. 10-12).
- Owner Mat Ishiba has agreed to a two-year extension with Gray Media to broadcast Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury games free over the air throughout the state of Arizona, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who reports that the deal is worth $30MM+ annually. Both teams’ local ratings have skyrocketed over the past two years since they switched to the free model. “It’s been a win-win,” Ishbia told ESPN. “It was do right by the fans and get the games more accessible. And when you grow your fanbase, good things happen.”
- In case you missed it, Kevin Durant recently offered his perspective on his trade saga with the Suns. Durant was eventually dealt to Houston in the deal that brought back Green, Brooks and the rights to the No. 10 pick (Maluach).
Nets Waive Yuri Collins
The Nets have opened up a spot on their standard roster ahead of training camp by waiving Yuri Collins, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Collins was signed on Friday to a one-year deal with a partial guarantee of $85,300, just like the recent agreements with David Muoka and D’Andre Davis, who were also released shortly after their contracts were finalized.
Collins’ contract essentially served the same purpose as an Exhibit 10 deal, as he’ll likely be joining the Nets’ G League affiliate in Long Island to open 2025/26. The only real difference is the Nets will carry that $85,300 on their cap sheet as they look to get above the minimum salary floor by opening night.
A 6’0″ point guard, Collins has spent the past two seasons in the NBAGL with the Santa Cruz Warriors after going undrafted out of Saint Louis in 2023. In 49 games (32.3 minutes per contest) with Santa Cruz in 2024/25, Collins averaged 13.7 points, 10.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals, with a shooting line of .412/.264/.780.
Collins also had a brief stint with Golden State last season, making his NBA debut in February after signing a 10-day contract with the Warriors. In 16 minutes of playing time across two games, he recorded two points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
The Nets now have 20 players under contract, one shy of the offseason limit.
Hornets’ Josh Green, Grant Williams To Miss Training Camp
Hornets wing Josh Green and forward Grant Williams will both miss training camp as they continue to recover from their respective injuries, head coach Charles Lee recently told reporters, including Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.
Green underwent left shoulder surgery in June, while Williams tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee last November.
According to Boone, Lee said both players are making progress, but neither has a specific timeline to return, though Williams is apparently a little further along in his recovery.
Given that Green and Williams miss training camp, which begins September 30, it’s possible neither player will be active for Charlotte’s regular season opener on Oct. 22.
Here are few more items of interest from Boone’s story:
- In addition to making on-court strides this offseason, Brandon Miller has also impressed Lee by becoming a vocal leader, Boone writes. In particular, Miller has been mentoring fellow 2023 first-round pick Nick Smith Jr. Miller is another Hornet whose ’24/25 season was cut short — he underwent right wrist surgery in January. He said in late July the wrist was close to fully healed.
- Lee wants LaMelo Ball to become a locker-room leader as well and thinks trade addition Collin Sexton will help with that, per Boone. While Lee said Ball has made strides on defense, he still wants the team’s highest-paid player to be more consistent on that end of the court.
- Each of Charlotte’s 2025 draft picks — Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner — will receive minutes during the preseason, according to Lee, who thinks big man Kalkbrenner could eventually have a career similar to Brook Lopez.
Hornets Sign Marcus Garrett, Waive Brandon Slater
The Hornets continue to make changes to the back end of their roster ahead of training camp, having signed free agent guard Marcus Garrett, the team announced (via Twitter).
In a corresponding move, forward Brandon Slater has been released.
While the terms of Garrett’s contract were not revealed, it’s likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal, which would make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived before the season begins and spends at least 60 days with the Hornets’ G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.
Garrett, who went undrafted out of Kansas in 2021, appeared in 12 NBA games while on a two-way contract with the Heat as a rookie, but he has spent most of his professional career in the G League, including the past two seasons with the Swarm. He signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Hornets in March and appeared four NBA games, averaging 7.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per contest.
Known as a solid defender, Garrett played 42 games (29.7 MPG) for the Swarm in 2024/25, averaging 10.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.5 SPG on .451/.298/.705 shooting.
Garrett will fill Charlotte’s 21st and final roster spot for the time being.
And-Ones: Inside The NBA, Rubio, Raduljica, Bleijenbergh
“Inside the NBA” will look a little different this season — it will air on ESPN instead of TNT and won’t be on as often. However, the show’s format will largely remain unchanged, ESPN president of content Burke Magnus tells Richard Deitsch of The Athletic.
“(Fans are) going to get the show they love in a way that’s very similar to the way it’s always been,” Magnus said. “It’s still produced in Atlanta by the very same people that produced it for Turner. It’s in their building. Other than a logo on the set, it’s going to appear the same, and that’s exactly what we want.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA point guard Ricky Rubio broke a Spanish league record during the 2005/06 season when he made his professional debut at age 14. In hindsight, he thinks it was a mistake to start his pro career at such a young age, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. “It almost seems like exploitation,” Rubio said in a recent interview with Jijantes FC (Twitch link). “If you have the necessary quality at 13, you’ll probably be able to play at 16 or 17, too, or at 18. … There should be professionals, who already exist, to see at what stage to start playing. There will always be debate, ‘This guy is more mature at 16 and another at 18. Yes, but a rule must be set, behind studies with people who understand the whole issue a little better. … I think debuting in a professional team, where you enter a very dangerous world because you’re open to so many things, should be regulated.”
- After a long basketball career, Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica has decided to switch to football (soccer) for the 2025/26 season (Instagram link). According to Askounis of Eurohoops, Raduljica’s full salary with Zeleznicar Pancevo will go to charity. The 7’0″ center, who played parts of two seasons in the NBA with the Bucks and Timberwolves, has spent the past two years in Greece with Maroussi B.C.
- Former G League forward Vrenz Bleijenbergh is now a free agent after mutually agreeing to part ways with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of Australia’s National Basketball League (press release via the team). Bleijenbergh, who is from Belgium, had a solid showing in Turkey last season with Merkezefendi, averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.1 SPG and 1.0 BPG on .466/.398/.791 shooting in 28 contests (30.4 MPG).
Talen Horton-Tucker Signs Two-Year Deal With Fenerbahce
Free agent guard/forward Talen Horton-Tucker has officially signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahce, according to a press release from the Turkish team.
Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported at the beginning of September that Horton-Tucker had reached a tentative agreement with the reigning EuroLeague champion but was still hoping to sign an NBA contract. Marc Stein later clarified that Horton-Tucker had a 21-day window to find a new NBA opportunity.
Evidently Horton-Tucker was unable to find the type of NBA deal he was seeking, as he will now be heading overseas for the first time in his career.
The 46th overall pick of the 2019 draft, Horton-Tucker has spent the past six years in the NBA, most recently suiting up for his hometown Bulls. In 305 regular season games, he holds career averages of 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 19.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .427/.299/.771.
Horton-Tucker won a championship as a rookie with Los Angeles in 2020 and was a Laker for three years prior to being traded to Utah in the 2022 offseason. He spent the next two years with the Jazz, but was unable to find a guaranteed contract as an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 offseason.
The Chicago native signed a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal with the Bulls last September and wound up making the team’s regular season roster — he was the only player on an Exhibit 10 contract last fall to have that deal become a standard non-guaranteed pact.
Horton-Tucker, who said it was a “dream come true” to open the 2024/25 season with Chicago, not only made the roster but eventually had his salary guaranteed when the Bulls decided to keep him around past the January deadline to waive non-guaranteed contracts.
Horton-Tucker appeared in 58 games last season for the Bulls, averaging 6.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG and 1.4 APG in 12.5 MPG. His shooting line was .457/.336/.735.
Fenerbahce’s roster features several other former NBA players, including Wade Baldwin IV, Khem Birch, Nicolo Melli and Brandon Boston Jr.
Celtics Sign Kendall Brown, Jalen Bridges, Ron Harper Jr.
September 20: The Celtics have finalized their camp deals with Brown, Bridges and Ron Harper Jr., according to RealGM’s log of NBA transactions. Harper’s agreement with Boston was first reported last month.
September 19: The Celtics intend to sign free agent wing Kendall Brown, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
While Scotto doesn’t explicitly state what type of contract Brown will sign, he suggests it will be an Exhibit 10 deal, as the 22-year-old will reportedly have a chance to compete for a two-way contract in training camp. Exhibit 10 contracts, which are non-guaranteed and do not count against the salary cap, can be converted into two-way deals.
A former top high school recruit, Brown was selected 48th overall in the 2022 draft after one college season at Baylor. He spent most of his first two NBA seasons on two-way deals with the Pacers prior to being converted to a standard deal in March 2024.
Brown was released by Indiana last fall and didn’t make any NBA appearances in 2024/25, having spent the year in the G League, though he had a brief stint on a two-way deal with Brooklyn in late winter. In 37 games (33.9 minutes per contest) with the Long Island Nets last season, the athletic guard/forward averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals on .565/.400/.750 shooting.
Scotto also confirms (via Twitter) that Jalen Bridges remains on track to finalize a camp deal with Boston and will be another player vying for a two-way spot. Bridges’ agreement with the Celtics was first reported on July 2.
Bridges spent 2024/25 — his rookie season — on a two-way contract with Phoenix. The Suns chose not to give him a qualifying offer in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Both Brown and Bridges suited up for the Celtics during Las Vegas Summer League.
The Celtics do not currently have a two-way opening, with the spots occupied by Max Shulga, Amari Williams and RJ Luis Jr., a trio of rookies. Of the three, Luis’ roster looks the most vulnerable, considering Boston used second-round picks on Williams and Shulga, while Luis — who went undrafted — was acquired in a salary-dump deal with Utah.
International Notes: KD, Boston, Cousins, NBA, UK
New Rockets forward Kevin Durant became the first men’s basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals last year in Paris. Earlier this week, Durant was asked about the possibility of suiting up for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, as Law Murray of The Athletic relays (Twitter video link).
“Yeah, if I’m still me,” Durant said. “I don’t want the gift of the veteran, like, ‘come sit on the end of the bench and get your fifth (gold medal).'”
The 15-time All-Star also said he’s given some thought to becoming a coach after his playing days are over.
“Some days I would (like to coach), some days I wouldn’t,” Durant said. “It’s tough dealing with personalities. … But we’ll see.”
Here are a few more international items of interest:
- In an interview with Bilal Baran Yardımcı of Eurohoops, four-year NBA veteran Brandon Boston Jr. said talking to former teammate CJ McCollum and McCollum’s older brother, new teammate Errick McCollum, helped convince him to sign with Fenerbahce this offseason. The Turkish team is the reigning EuroLeague champion. “Just having those conversations with those guys really helped me a lot with my decision,” Boston said.
- Former NBA center DeMarcus Cousins is returning to Mongolia for the 2025/26 season, having re-signed with the Selenge Bodons, he announced on social media (Facebook link; hat tip to HoopsHype). “I’m excited to announce that I will be returning to the Bodons! Can’t wait to get back to Mongolia and finish what we started and try to bring home a championship!” Cousins wrote. The four-time All-Star, whose last NBA stint came with Denver during the 2021/22 campaign, has played overseas for several teams during the past few years.
- The NBA and the UK government are investing £5MM apiece to elevate one of the UK’s “fastest-growing sports,” according to Basketball England (hat tip to BasketNews). “Basketball is booming in Britain – and this investment will help take it to the next level, opening up the game to thousands more people right across the country,” UK prime minister Keir Starmer said as part of a larger statement. The NBA is hosting regular season games in London in 2026 and in Manchester in 2027 and is working to create a league in Europe that could launch as early as 2027 and may feature teams in both of those cities.
Pelicans Sign Christian Shumate
The Pelicans have signed Christian Shumate, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.
A 6’6″ forward, Shumate had a brief eight-game stint with Tulsa during the 2020/21 campaign before spending his final four college seasons at McNeese State. He went undrafted in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.
While Shumate was a somewhat erratic offensive player during his college career, only shooting 26.9% on three-pointers and 51.2% on free throws, he was an All-Southland selection in each of his four years at McNeese State and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025.
In 35 games as a senior last season, Shumate averaged 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 27.6 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .623/.309/.423. He helped the Cowboys reach the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year — they upset Clemson in the first round before falling to Purdue.
Shumate almost certainly signed an Exhibit 10 deal and will likely be waived by New Orleans before the season begins. If he spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, he could earn a bonus worth up to $85,300.
The Pelicans’ offseason roster is now full, with 21 players under contract.