And-Ones: Free Agents, 2026 Draft, Next Summer, 2024 Re-Draft
While most of the top free agents of the summer class of 2025 have either re-signed or joined new teams, there are still some potential impact role players on the market outside of the well-reported restricted free agent group.
Al Horford, Russell Westbrook and Amir Coffey sit atop Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report‘s list of best-available low-cost free agents. Horford has been heavily linked to the Warriors (as have Pincus’s fifth- and sixth-ranked free agents in Gary Payton II and De’Anthony Melton) and reporting has strongly suggested he’ll ultimately end up there once the Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.
Westbrook and the Kings have been frequently connected too, but reporting has suggested Sacramento might not have a spot for the former MVP if Malik Monk and/or Devin Carter aren’t traded, so it’s unclear where Westbrook would end up if the Kings decide they don’t have room in their backcourt.
As for Coffey and Pincus’s No. 4-ranked player Ben Simmons, there have been fewer definitive reports linking them to one team or another. Simmons has been connected to the Kings, Suns, Knicks and Celtics, but there hasn’t been much media traction involving Coffey.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Ahead of the 2025/26 collegiate season, the 2026 NBA draft class looks top-heavy, with three players in A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson who are in contention to be selected No. 1 overall, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report writes. Karim Lopez of the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers is Wasserman’s highest-ranked international prospect in the August update of his top-50 list, while Jayden Quaintance of Kentucky is the highest-ranked returning player (No. 4 overall) after he started 24 games for Arizona State in his age-17 season.
- Looking ahead to next offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks details the headlines that should dominate the news cycle, including the futures of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. James will be an unrestricted free agent next year, and it’s unclear whether he will finish his career with the Lakers. Meanwhile, Curry, Jokic and Antetokounmpo could all be free agents in 2027 if they don’t sign extensions before then.
- One year removed from the 2024 draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic re-drafted his top 20 from last year’s rookies. Zaccharie Risacher had a strong rookie season, but slipped from No. 1 to 2 in Vecenie’s re-draft, with 2024/25 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle overtaking him for the top slot. Jared McCain (from No. 16 to No. 3) and Jaylen Wells (from No. 39 to No. 9) are the biggest risers in the top 10, while Ajay Mitchell jumped from No. 38 to No. 12.
Mikal Bridges Signs Four-Year Extension With Knicks
August 1: The Knicks have made the extension official, per a team press release (via Twitter).
“His abilities on both sides of the court in every game made him a vital part of our team’s success last season,” team president Leon Rose said of Bridges. “We look forward to his continued growth and development as part of the Knicks family for years to come.”
July 31: The Knicks and forward Mikal Bridges have agreed to a four-year, $150MM contract extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The deal will include a player option for 2029/30 and a trade kicker.
As Charania notes in a follow-up tweet, Bridges is accepting a deal slightly lower than the max he could have received in an extension, which was $156.2MM. By taking a small discount, Bridges will help the Knicks maintain a little more roster flexibility moving forward. Teammate Jalen Brunson took a similar approach when extending last year.
Bridges was entering the last year of his current contract and would have become eligible for an additional year and a higher starting salary if he had reached free agency in 2026.
The Knicks acquired Bridges from the Nets in the summer of 2024 for a package that included five first-round picks, two of which became Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore last month. In his first season with the Knicks, Bridges averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while appearing in all 82 regular season contests. He hasn’t missed a game in his career.
Bridges’ first season in New York was up and down — his 35.4% three-point percentage was his lowest mark since his rookie season. However, he helped the Knicks make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years and remains a key piece of the future.
Brunson, OG Anunoby and Bridges are all now under contract through at least ’27/28, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart hold player options for that season.
Bridges will be ineligible to be traded for six months once the deal is officially finalized.
Atlantic Notes: Davison, Simmons, Shamet, Nets
The financial implications of waiving guard JD Davison are why the Celtics ultimately made the move, Brian Robb of MassLive writes. By letting go of Davison, the Celtics slid under the second apron by approximately $1.9MM with 14 players on the roster.
By moving under the apron, the Celtics can send out cash in a trade, can aggregate salaries and are beginning the path to opening their 2032 pick up for trade. As Robb explains, once Boston stays under the second apron for three straight seasons, they’ll unfreeze that pick.
Cutting Davison now as opposed to later allowed him to reach a two-way deal in Houston, where he’ll reunite with former Boston head coach Ime Udoka.
We have more notes from the Atlantic Division:
- Ben Simmons and Landry Shamet continue to be candidates for a spot on the Knicks‘ 15-man roster, Ian Begley of SNY writes in a mailbag. As has been previously reported, the Knicks are among the teams awaiting Simmons’ decision, and Begley suggests that several staffers have interest in bringing back Shamet for a second season as well. As Begley writes, the Knicks have enough room under the second apron to bring in one veteran and one draft-rights player on a rookie deal. 2025 second-round Mohamed Diawara looks like a top candidate for that latter role, though that’s speculation.
- In a subscriber-only story, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes that by taking a discount on his extension, Mikal Bridges put himself in rare air and established himself as a core Knick for years to come.
- The Nets announced their preseason schedule for the upcoming season, NetsDaily relayed. The only home game on the four-game schedule is a tilt against Hapoel Jerusalem.
Caris LeVert Poised To Play Big Role For Pistons
New Pistons guard Caris LeVert credited former Cavaliers and current Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff for his growth on the defensive end as a player and expressed excitement about returning to form under him, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic writes.
“J.B. brought out a different part of my game, and I’ve always said that. Once I went to Cleveland, I was asked to play defense,” LeVert said. “Before then, I wasn’t really asked to play defense, and I think that’s one of the stronger parts of my game now. Those things really helped me take my game to the next level.
“Before I went to Cleveland and played under J.B., I was a different player, and I think he challenged me to be the more well-rounded player I am today, so I’m definitely looking forward to this time around.”
LeVert, a Michigan product, will also reunite with former Wolverine Duncan Robinson on the Pistons. Detroit will lean heavily on LeVert after losing Tim Hardaway Jr. to free agency and with Malik Beasley‘s NBA future up in the air.
“I’m a big fan of the culture here,” LeVert said. “I played for J.B. for three years. I’m a big fan of a lot of the guys on the team. [I’m] a fan of how they work, how they play, how competitive they are. I think they’ve got a lot of high-character guys in the organization. … I’m super excited to be playing back here in the state of Michigan and playing for this team.”
Hardaway was another teammate of LeVert’s during their time at Michigan. Within a story by The Detroit Free Press’s Omari Sankofa II, LeVert explained that the now-Nuggets wing was crucial to him signing with Detroit.
“I talked to Tim probably the morning before I signed,” LeVert said. “We talked on FaceTime for a while. He was just telling me how great everybody was here, just reassuring me, letting me know that it’s a great organization, great people, obviously great players. He was definitely someone who I leaned on for this decision.“
Southeast Notes: Rozier, Heat, Hornets, Wizards
When Jake Fischer recently reported that the Heat and Wizards held trade talks about guards Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart, he wrote that the two sides could not come to an agreement as Miami “could not reach an organizational consensus on whether such a trade was a clear upgrade.” Smart was ultimately bought out and ended up with the Lakers.
Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald confirms that the two Southeast teams did indeed engage with one another about a possible deal and notes that it would have made sense on paper given Smart’s expiring salary ($21.6MM) is cheaper than Rozier’s ($26.6MM). However, Chiang clarifies that the primary reason such a trade did not occur was primarily due to the fact that Miami didn’t want to attach the necessary draft capital it would have taken to complete such a deal.
The Heat remain open to trade talks surrounding Rozier, but they have been hesitant to include draft picks or sacrifice future flexibility simply to get off his expiring contract.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- A federal investigation was launched early last year regarding game-worn Heat gear that was stolen from the team’s facilities, Chiang writes in another post. The gear includes that from the likes of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James.
- Look for Mason Plumlee to start at center for the Hornets in a year where his competition looks to be rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner and former two-way big Moussa Diabate, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes. Plumlee started for the Hornets during Mark Williams‘ rookie season before being traded to the Clippers. Boone suggests a similar situation could play out in 2025/26, with Plumlee starting as the man in the middle before Kalkbrenner ultimately takes over.
- The Wizards will keep their 2026 first-round pick if it ends up in the top eight of the draft. The Knicks will own the pick if it falls outside of that range, but as Josh Robbins of The Athletic details, the Wizards don’t feel compelled to try to reacquire that selection in its entirety, since doing so would mean potentially giving up the swap rights they own on the Suns’ 2026 first-rounder.
Brendan O’Connor Expected To Join Knicks As Assistant Coach
The Knicks are nearing a deal to hire veteran assistant coach Brendan O’Connor away from the Clippers, SiriusXM radio host Frank Isola reports (via Twitter).
O’Connor, who has been with the Clippers since the 2013/14 season, previously served for the Pistons under Larry Brown where he established and maintained a close relationship with New York executive William Wesley. He also worked for the Nets between his stints in Detroit and L.A.
O’Connor will act as the Knicks’ defensive coordinator, The New York Post’s Stefan Bondy tweets.
“A hell of a basketball coach and a great guy. Knicks just made their best offseason acquisition,” a Western Conference executive said to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link).
The Knicks are still looking for an associate head coach to help with the team’s offense. Attempts to bring on James Borrego, Jay Triano and Pablo Prigioni were unsuccessful. The Clippers ranked fourth in defense last season.
Pelicans Sign Herb Jones To Three-Year Extension
JULY 14: The signing is official, the team tweets.
JULY 10: The Pelicans and forward Herbert Jones have agreed to a three-year, $68MM extension, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will feature a player option on the final year, Charania adds.
Jones’ current contract will pay him roughly $13.9MM this season and $14.9MM in 2026/27. His new extension will begin in ’27/28 and will be start at 140% of his previous salary, with 8% annual raises, for a total of $67.6MM.
That means he’s now under contract for five seasons (including the player option in ’29/30) and would earn $96.4MM if he plays out the full deal.
The coveted defensive ace has evolved into a leader and mainstay for the Pelicans after being selected 35th overall in the 2021 draft. In four seasons with New Orleans, Jones holds averages of 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Jones joins Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson as the only Pelicans players on guaranteed contracts through at least 2027/28, though Dejounte Murray and the team’s 2024 and 2025 draftees have options for that season.
Jones has drawn plenty of outside interest due to his lock-down defense and growing three-point ability (he shot 41.8% in his last fully healthy season). However, with both he and Murphy on respectable and affordable deals, New Orleans likely won’t be eager to move either.
Jones, specifically, will have a six-month trade restriction once he officially signs his extension, so he won’t become eligible to be dealt until January.
Wizards Sign Marvin Bagley III
July 11: Bagley has officially signed with the Wizards, per the transaction log at NBA.com.
July 10: The Wizards are signing free agent big man Marvin Bagley III to a one-year deal, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
On paper, it makes sense for the Wizards to target a veteran big man in free agency given the fact they traded away Kelly Olynyk this week. Washington only has one player on its standard roster taller than 6’9″ — second-year center Alex Sarr.
However, it’s an interesting move given that the Wizards just traded Bagley away at the deadline to the Grizzlies. Washington originally acquired the former No. 2 overall pick ahead of the 2024 trade deadline alongside Isaiah Livers and a second-round pick. This year, the Wizards sent Bagley out in a multi-team deal that landed them Marcus Smart and a first-round pick, which they used to trade down and select Will Riley.
Bagley appeared in 43 games (16 starts) with Washington across parts of 2023/24 and ’24/25, averaging 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Despite the move making positional sense, it remains to be seen whether Bagley will actually stick on an already-crowded roster. The Wizards have 15 players on official, standard contracts. They also have Richaun Holmes and Justin Champagnie on standard deals, but Holmes’s $13.28MM contract is only guaranteed for $250K and Champagnie is non-guaranteed.
If Bagley’s deal is non-guaranteed, it would seem like a cut-and-dry situation to let go of him, Holmes and Champagnie to solve the roster crunch. However, Champagnie being cut would be somewhat surprising despite his non-guaranteed status, given that he started 31 games last season and averaged 8.8 points while shooting 51.1% from the field and 38.3% from three.
If Washington opts to keep Champagnie, it would mean trading or cutting a player with a guaranteed contract. If Bagley is guaranteed, that means two players on Washington’s roster could potentially be let go despite having guaranteed deals.
In any scenario in which Bagley and/or Holmes doesn’t make the opening-night roster, that would mean Washington would be entering the season with 6’8″ Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly as the tallest players on the 15-man squad outside of Sarr.
After the Grizzlies acquired Bagley last season, he only appeared in 12 games and averaged 3.6 PPG. He holds career averages of 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 238 games.
Suns Notes: Dunn, Ighodaro, Culture, Maluach, Livers, Booker
Suns sophomores Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro were able to build a special relationship with Kevin Durant during their first season in the league before he was traded to Houston, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Dunn said he loved playing with Durant and appreciated what he was able to learn from the future Hall-of-Famer.
“We built that relationship,” Dunn said. “I wish him the best in Houston. I’m excited to go compete against him and talk some smack to him now, but it’s someone I can always turn to and learn from, so I wish him the best as well.”
Both players are expected to take a major step up in responsibility this season after already being leaned on heavily in their first years in the league.
“He was such a great teammate, great leader for us,” Ighodaro said about Durant. “It was great just to be able to say I was his teammate and learned a lot from him, me and Ryan. Talked to him a little bit since he’s left. I wish nothing but the best for him.”
We have more on the Suns:
- Dunn was quick to observe some of Phoenix’s early culture changes under new general manager Brian Gregory, Rankin writes. Gregory is looking to set a competitive tone for the new-look Suns. “He wants dogs,” Dunn said. “He wants dogs on this team.” Dunn and Ighodaro are aiming to establish winning habits as leaders on the Summer League team, Rankin writes in another story. “We want to kind of change the identity here,” assistant coach DeMarre Carroll said. “We want to compete at a high level. These guys have been doing it.”
- New head coach Jordan Ott was complimentary of rookie draft pick Khaman Maluach, according to PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet (Twitter link). “You know how big and long he is, it’s obvious. His ability to run just creates a different dynamic, the vertical spacing that he has above the rim. And then just the overall size and rim protection, you can feel it every second he’s out there,” Ott said. The Suns acquired the pick used to select Maluach in the Durant trade.
- In addition, Ott expressed excitement about adding Isaiah Livers to a two-way contract, per Rankin (Twitter link). “Isaiah brings a shooting piece, size piece we’re looking on this roster,” Ott said. “He has been injured, but now he’s back. He’s fully healthy. He’s been here. Excited to see him more this summer into training camp and into the season.“
- Fresh off earning the richest salary in the NBA, this season could prove to be Devin Booker‘s most challenging yet, Doug Haller of The Athletic opines. The Suns will need Booker to be patient as they sort through a reset period that may see them battling for a play-in spot yet again.
Trail Blazers Hire James Posey As Assistant Coach
The Trail Blazers have hired James Posey as an assistant coach on Chauncey Billups‘ staff, the team announced today in a press release.
Posey, a two-time NBA champion as a player, had been a member of the Suns’ staff under Mike Budenholzer for the 2024/25 season. After retiring from his playing career in 2011, Posey began his coaching career with Cleveland’s G League affiliate in 2013/14. He then joined the Cavaliers as an assistant from 2014-19, where he won another championship in 2016.
After leaving Cleveland, Posey spent the 2021/22 season with the University of Virginia’s women’s basketball team as an assistant under current Trail Blazers scout Tina Thompson. Posey then worked as an assistant from the Wizards from 2022-24 before joining the Suns.
As noted in Portland’s release, Posey was teammates with Billups with the Nuggets in the ’99/00 season. Posey joins Nate Bjorkgren, Tiago Splitter, Patrick St. Andrews, Quinton Crawford and Ronnie Burrell as assistant coaches for the Trail Blazers.