Celtics Rumors

Fischer’s Latest: Simmons, Brogdon, Kuminga, Celtics

July 20th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings and Knicks appear to be the most likely destinations for Ben Simmons in free agency, Jake Fischer said in a recent Bleacher Report stream (hat tip to BasketNews). Simmons, who played 51 combined games with the Nets and Clippers last season, is one of several prominent veterans who remain unsigned.

“We are still anticipating the Kings to be bringing in another veteran guard, and Ben Simmons is on that list of potential targets, in addition to Russell Westbrook, to Malcolm Brogdon, and I think he’d make an interesting addition there,” Fischer said. “I personally think Ben Simmons would be interesting in Minnesota, but I haven’t heard that they have interest in him.”

Sacramento currently has 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, along with non-guaranteed deals for Keon Ellis ($2.3MM) and Terence Davis ($2.5MM), so there’s flexibility to add an established guard. The Kings are nearly $9.9MM below the first apron.

Simmons, 29, was a rotation player with Brooklyn before being waived in early February, averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 33 games. His role was reduced once he joined the Clippers, but he still offers versatility and defensive upside.

Fischer shared a few more rumors in his stream:

The Bucks likely won’t pursue Brogdon after landing Cole Anthony, but Fischer said there’s still plenty of interest around the league in the veteran guard. Along with the Kings, he names the Pelicans, Timberwolves and Warriors as potential landings spots for Brogdon, who appeared in 24 games with Washington last season.
Fischer doesn’t believe the Warriors have enough interest in Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to make him the main piece in a potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade. Vucevic has an expiring contract, and Golden State is expected to fill its need for a stretch five by signing Al Horford. Chicago is among several teams that have expressed interest in Kuminga, but Fischer says the most likely scenario has him remaining with the Warriors on “a short-term agreement.”
The Celtics remain active on the trade market as they try to get their roster younger and cheaper, Fischer adds. He states that Boston had discussions with the Grizzlies recently, but doesn’t provide any other details. He states that rival teams believe the Celtics are trying to unload both Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang.

Celtics Notes: Norris, Gonzalez, Lillard, Scheierman

July 19th, 2025 at 6:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Miles Norris only appeared in three games after signing a two-way contract with the Celtics in early March, so he has tried to make a strong impression during Summer League, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The 25-year-old power forward had 11 points, including four dunks, in Thursday’s win over the Lakers. He said everything has been positive since he came to Boston, and he’s hoping to eventually move into a larger role

“The whole organization, you know, it’s been good to me,” Norris said. “Basketball has been enjoyable since I’ve been here, the environment has been great. So, you know, everyone’s having fun. I’m having a lot of fun. It’s good, I’m just trying to go out there and compete. I’m the two-way now, you know, trying to get work my way. Yeah, I’ve been enjoying it so far.”

Norris spent time with Atlanta and Memphis after going undrafted out of California Santa Barbara in 2023, but the Celtics gave him his first on-court experience. The organizati0n hopes he can develop into an effective three-and-D player, and he’s been instructed to study Michael Porter Jr. and Obi Toppin. He said he benefited from being part of a playoff atmosphere during the spring as the Celtics advanced to the second round.

“The thing I noticed was the preparation, before the court, off the court, you know, guys taking care of their body,” Norris said. “The real professionalism. That’s the biggest thing I’ve seen from the veterans you know. JT (Jayson Tatum), JB (Jaylen Brown), Al (Horford), I (saw) Al every day (last season) working on his body. It’s good to see guys you know, have that longevity, yeah, see how important it is. So I try to take some things from them every day, watch them every day. You know, try to follow them.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

First-round pick Hugo Gonzalez has been his own toughest critic during Summer League, Washburn adds in a separate story. The 19-year-old Real Madrid star could be seen talking to himself in Spanish after a few early errors in Las Vegas. “I’m just trying to have a positive message to my mind after a turnover or missed shot,” he said. “I’m trying to have the mindset of I’ve got to make the best decision on the next play. I try to live with the mistakes. That’s what basketball means.”
Appearing this week on NBA Today, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Damian Lillard gave strong consideration to Boston before returning to the Trail Blazers, per Brian Robb of MassLive. “Over a dozen teams made minimum and mid-level exception offers to Dame,” Charania said. “Two teams in particular, I’m told, that Damian Lillard really considered: Celtics and the Timberwolves. He held calls with both teams at different points, but to be in Portland, back home with his three young kids, was by far the most important factor in his return to the Trail Blazers.” Robb points out that Boston’s offer was limited to the $5.9MM taxpayer MLE and that signing Lillard would have required other moves to get below the second apron.
Baylor Scheierman is trying not to get discouraged by his poor shooting in Summer League, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. Last year’s first-round pick is connecting at 27.4% from the field and 20.5% from three-point range. “Just keep shooting,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’ve practiced a lot in my career to get here, shooting-wise. I’ve shot a lot of shots in a game — made a lot of shots in a game. It’s just a slump that I’m in right now. At the end of the day, the only way I’m going to get out of it is to keep shooting.”

Cap Notes: Bulls, Nuggets, Harden, Minott, MLEs

July 18th, 2025 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

When the Bulls traded Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro earlier this month, they had to use a portion of their existing Zach LaVine traded player exception worth $17MM+ to absorb Okoro’s $11MM salary, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Chicago couldn’t simply use Ball’s $10MM outgoing salary for matching purposes due to an injury protection clause in his contract, Smith notes.

The $10MM owed to Ball for the 2025/26 season would be fully guaranteed if he were waived today, but his contract includes an Exhibit 3 (“prior injury exclusion”) clause which would let the team off the hook for the full amount if he suffers a specific injury — presumably, a major one related to his surgically repaired knee.

It sounds as if the NBA required the Bulls to treat Ball’s salary as non-guaranteed due to that Exhibit 3 clause, which means it wouldn’t count for $10MM for outgoing purposes, as we explain in our glossary entry on the trade rules for non-guaranteed salary. That meant another exception had to be used to take on Okoro’s incoming $11MM.

The move will still hard-cap the Bulls at the first tax apron for the 2025/26 league year — instead of using the expanded traded player exception (taking back more than 100% of Ball’s salary), they used a trade exception generated during the previous season. Either move creates a hard cap at the first apron.

Here are a few more cap-related housekeeping notes worth passing along:

The Nuggets used a portion of the traded player exception generated in their Michael Porter Jr./Cameron Johnson swap to acquire Jonas Valanciunas‘ $10.4MM salary from Sacramento, creating a new TPE worth Dario Saric‘s outgoing $5.4MM salary in the process, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reports for Sports Business Classroom. Denver could’ve used Saric’s outgoing salary to legally match Valanciunas’ incoming amount without touching the Porter TPE, but doing so would’ve created a first-apron hard cap. Because the Porter TPE was created after the regular season ended, using it doesn’t result in a hard cap for Denver.
The 2025/26 salaries for Clippers guard James Harden and Celtics guard Josh Minott are now fully guaranteed. Neither Harden nor Minott received a fully guaranteed first-year salary at the time they signed earlier this month, but that was just a technicality so that the Clippers and Celtics could avoid guaranteeing their second-year options for 2026/27. Harden’s $39.2MM salary for ’25/26 became guaranteed after July 11, while Minott’s $2.4MM salary was guaranteed after July 15.
Once Damian Lillard officially signs with Portland, there will be just four NBA teams who still have their entire $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available and remain far enough below the first tax apron that they could use the entire thing. Those teams are the Wizards, Hornets, Bulls, and Warriors. However, Chicago and Golden State still have to resolve restricted free agency for Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga, respectively, so there’s no guarantee they’ll remain on that list. That will make Washington and Charlotte two teams to watch closely for the rest of the offseason and perhaps into the season, since that MLE flexibility makes them candidates to take on unwanted salary in trades.

Eastern Notes: Sexton, Holland, Anthony, Embiid, Bassey

July 17th, 2025 at 9:09pm CST by Luke Adams

In a wide-ranging interview with Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer (subscription required), Hornets head coach Charles Lee spoke about the offseason additions to the roster, why he’s comfortable with the team’s frontcourt options, and how he expects LaMelo Ball to take another step forward as a leader next season, among other topics.

Discussing newly acquired veteran guard Collin Sexton, Lee suggested that the 26-year-old’s “fearlessness” and “competitiveness” are traits that stand out and joked that he’ll be expecting different treatment from Sexton during games now that they’re on the same side.

“From afar, he was very competitive. At times he would stare me down during games as the opposing coach or scout coach, and he’s always looking for some fuel to get him going,” Lee said. “So, when he first got here, I made sure to remind them of that, ‘Like, don’t be looking at me crazy like that anymore or your minutes are going to suffer now.’ But it’s great. I’m so glad to have him on our side.

“… I already appreciate so much of what he’s kind of giving to our group,” Lee continued. “Seeing him do group workouts with Melo, them having conversations, I just think is really important for our group to continue to grow. And he’s going to be a big part of that with his work ethic and then also with his competitiveness.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

While Ron Holland has been impressive all around for the Pistons during Summer League play, with averages of 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.0 steals per game in three outings, his three-point shooting has perhaps been the most encouraging part of his performance, writes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). It’s a small sample, but Holland has knocked down 7-of-15 threes (46.7%) after making just 23.8% as a rookie. “I feel like me and Freddie V have been in the gym, for sure,” Holland said on Sunday, referring to Pistons assistant coach and shooting guru Fred Vinson. “There’s no secret behind that.” Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) also weighs in on Holland’s strong Summer League play, suggesting that the Pistons should be very encouraged by what he has shown.
Cole Anthony‘s new one-year contract with the Bucks is worth the veteran’s minimum, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Anthony will earn $2,667,947 on the deal, while Milwaukee carries a cap hit of $2,296,274.
In a fascinating, in-depth feature, Dotun Akintoye of ESPN gets some candid comments out of Sixers star Joel Embiid, who discussed the media narratives that have followed him around, his altercation with local columnist Marcus Hayes, and his (successful) quest to find out who leaked details about a team meeting last fall, among many other topics.
Big man Charles Bassey has left the Celtics‘ Summer League team, as Souichi Terada of MassLive.com relays. Bassey’s deal with Boston only covered three games in Las Vegas, as he had other summer commitments. The former San Antonio center – who doesn’t yet have a contract in place for 2025/26 – performed well in Vegas, averaging a double-double (15.3 PPG, 11.0 RPG) and shooting 70.4% from the field.

Bucks, Hawks Interested In Horford?

July 14th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors are considered the heavy favorite to sign veteran big man Al Horford if he doesn’t retire. However, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears reports that a couple of Eastern Conference teams are interested in his services (hat tip to Brian Robb of Masslive.com).

The Bucks and Hawks, along with the Lakers, have looked into signing the Celtics free agent. Atlanta could hold some intrigue for Horford, since he has a home there.

“Golden State obviously expected him to sign last week, he didn’t [sign],” Spears said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “Lakers, Milwaukee, and Atlanta, I believe are also interested in a nearly 40-year-old guy who also has retirement on the table. He’s still considering retiring, he’s not in any hurry. He’s got a sixth kid coming on the way, he lives in Atlanta and Boston in the offseason. I’m hearing that whether it’s Golden State and a lesser extent to the Lakers, being away from the family that far isn’t going to be in that decision.”

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said earlier this month that it’s “unlikely” Horford returns to Boston, though Stevens did say the team made offers to both him and Luke Kornet (who signed with San Antonio).

Milwaukee’s reported interest is somewhat surprising, considering it has landed Myles Turner in free agency and re-signed big men Bobby Portis and Jericho Sims.

Atlanta would make more sense, considering the offseason departures of Clint Capela and Larry Nance Jr. The Hawks traded for Kristaps Porzingis, but would be relying on youngsters like first-round pick Asa Newell and Mouhamed Gueye for depth purposes behind Porzingis and Onyeka Okongwu in the frontcourt.

Luka Garza Discusses Signing With Celtics

July 14th, 2025 at 4:07pm CST by Rory Maher

After playing a limited role for the Pistons and Timberwolves over the course of his first four NBA seasons, former Iowa star Luka Garza admitted he was motivated to sign with the Celtics because he’ll have an opportunity to earn more playing time, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.

“Obviously, the franchise speaks for itself and just the winning and the history,” Garza said. “I’m a big basketball junkie, so obviously the chance to put on that uniform and play for the Celtics is attractive enough. But obviously there’s a lot of opportunity, especially in the frontcourt and with the guys that we have. I think the front office and the coaches believe in me and what I can do, so I just saw that as really good for me at this stage in my career.”

The Celtics traded starting center Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta and lost backup Luke Kornet to San Antonio in free agency, while Al Horford is considered unlikely to return next season. After being stuck behind Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid in Minnesota, Garza could carve out a significant role in the middle for Boston, which only has Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman as fellow big men on standard deals.

“I feel like I learned so much from my time in Minnesota from being around those type of guys, but I think it was time to find that opportunity to get on the floor,” Garza said, per Robb. “I felt like in the limited opportunities I was able to get, I was able to show well and maximize those. But for me it was a priority for me to get somewhere where I could get more of those opportunities.”

While he hasn’t played many NBA minutes to this point in his career, Garza has dominated at the G League level and clearly the Celtics liked his game, otherwise they wouldn’t have given him a two-year deal that’s fully guaranteed.

Atlantic Notes: Ingram, Tatum, Lillard, Sixers

July 13th, 2025 at 6:01pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Raptors forward Brandon Ingram has yet to suit up for his new team, but he’s confident that Toronto can mount a postseason run in 2025/26, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter video link).

“I think we’re making the playoffs for sure,” Ingram said. “I think we try to build championship habits. I think what I saw in the second half of the season is, they play hard, they play really really hard on the offensive and defensive end.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Six-time Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum has been actively recruiting Damian Lillard in the hopes that the nine-time All-Star guard will sign a multiyear deal with the team, reports Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (subscriber link). Both players suffered Achilles tendon tears during this spring’s playoffs. Lillard was stretched and waived by Milwaukee, and while he could miss most or all of 2025/26, the 6’2″ vet has drawn widespread interest for what he could provide beyond the coming season.
Beyond losing forward Guerschon Yabusele in free agency and selecting guard VJ Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick in this summer’s draft, the Sixers‘ roster has barely changed from the 2024/25 season, when the team went just 24-58, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia has also brought in young players Trendon Watford and two-way signings Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow, though none of them appear to be starting-caliber just yet. “We needed to get players in Jabari and Barlow — I’m just going through our later positions — and then Trendon are all sort of part of this, sort of push to get younger and more versatile,” general manager Daryl Morey said. “Trendon can guard multiple positions and he’s fairly unique in his ability to handle the pass, which I do think across the roster that’s a skill that we felt like we needed.”
Morey has a youth movement in his backcourt, led by Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey, and second-year guard Jared McCain, writes Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (subscriber link). Restricted free agent Quentin Grimes will presumably be back, too. Who will start next to pricey All-Star Maxey next season? “It’s competition, man,” McCain told Neubeck. “That’s how we got to our position. So whatever it is, we’re all going to play. We’re all going to have fun playing, and I’m just excited to get out there with these guys, anybody who’s on our team.” Edgecombe noted that, whatever happens, the guards will support each other. “We’re all teammates at the end of the day, and we want what’s best for each other,” Edgecombe said. “So whoever coach does put in the game, we’re gonna rock with it.”

Celtics Notes: Bassey, Chisholm, Gonzalez, Brown

July 12th, 2025 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Charles Bassey wasn’t on the Celtics‘ Summer League roster when the week began, but he was one of the stars of Friday’s win over Memphis, writes Brian Robb of MassLive. The free agent big man, who’s playing a rare fifth year in the Las Vegas league, came off the bench to contribute 14 points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes.

“It was last-minute,” Bassey said. “I got a call from my agent and flew out the next day and started training camp with them. It’s been good, man. It’s been good from training camp to today’s game. The energy has been great, vibing with these guys and coaches, it’s been fun. Everything’s been good.”

A source tells Robb that Boston has expressed interest in Bassey in the past, but now there’s a clear need for size with Kristaps Porzingis traded, Luke Kornet leaving in free agency and Al Horford likely to follow. The Celtics don’t have a proven center on their current roster, which explains why Bassey jumped at the chance for a tryout in Las Vegas.

“Great effort, rebounding, blocking shots, rim protection,” Bassey said of what he can provide. “I bring great defense to the team. I just play my role. I know what a team needs from me and I know what they want from me and I do it every night.”

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens didn’t speculate on Bassey’s chances of making the 15-man roster, Robb adds in a separate piece, but he was impressed with Bassey’s first outing.

“I don’t want to speak for him, what his goals might be,” Stevens said. “He’s a guy that’s probably playing for what’s next. I just think he’s a guy we’ve paid attention to from afar for a long time. We’re watching all these guys all the time and I thought he did a really good job yesterday. He probably was the biggest reason we won the game I thought.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

The sale of the team is expected to be approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors when it meets this week in Las Vegas, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Stevens said new owner William Chisholm remains excited about assuming control of the franchise in spite of Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury, which led to the decision to part with some high-priced talent. “He didn’t take over at the easiest of times when you talk about the second apron issues that we talked about the other day, and Tatum’s injury, and everything else,” Stevens said. “But he’s so level-headed and he’s got such a good way about him. I’m really excited to have him around.”
Stevens was impressed by first-round pick Hugo Gonzalez in his Summer League debut, Himmelsbach adds. Stevens reveals that the Celtics told Gonzalez to take four days off after he helped Real Madrid win the Spanish League title, but he showed up two days later. “I think he really wants to be good,” Stevens said. “You can tell he’s got a good work ethic, a good compete level. There’s a care factor there and, you know, he’s just learning.”
Tatum’s injury means Jaylen Brown is preparing to be the number one option on offense for the first time in his career, Robb states in another story. Brown discussed the challenge in a livestream with Kyrie Irving, saying, “People haven’t seen me at my best because we have a loaded roster, so sometimes you need to do what needs to be done as a team.”

Top 45 Picks From 2025 Draft Have Signed NBA Contracts

July 12th, 2025 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been 16 days since the NBA’s 2025 draft wrapped up and just 11 days since those draftees were permitted to start signing contracts, but the majority of the ’25 draft class have already put pen to paper, finalizing standard or two-way deals with their respective teams.

As our tracker shows, all 30 first-round picks have signed their rookie scale contracts, and the top 15 picks in the second round are now under contract too. Outside of the top 45, four additional players – No. 48 pick Javon Small, No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor, No. 50 pick Kobe Sanders, and No. 55 pick Lachlan Olbrich – have formally inked their first NBA contracts.

That leaves the following players who don’t yet have an NBA contract in place for the 2025/26 season:

Boston Celtics: Amari Williams
Milwaukee Bucks: Bogoljub Markovic
New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara
Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey
Utah Jazz: John Tonje
Indiana Pacers: Taelon Peter
Golden State Warriors: Will Richard
Boston Celtics: Max Shulga
Cleveland Cavaliers: Saliou Niang
Memphis Grizzlies: Jahmai Mashack

A number of these players are expected to end up on two-way deals — Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links) reported on draft night that both of these Celtics picks – Williams and Shulga – would be signing two-ways with Boston, for instance.

Still, not all of these guys will be on NBA rosters when the 2025/26 season begins. For example, the expectation is that Niang will spend next season in the EuroLeague with Virtus Bologna.

Players born outside the U.S. and/or ones who already have experience in non-NBA leagues are typically the best candidates to become overseas draft-and-stash players, so that could be an option for late second-rounders like Markovic, Diawara, and Toohey too. It’s hardly a given though. Post-draft reporting indicated that the Bucks and Knicks weren’t yet sure if Markovic and Diawara, respectively, will be stashed in Europe or if they’ll play stateside in ’25/26. Diawara, in particular, might have a chance to earn a standard contract for a New York team with little breathing room below its hard cap.

The other option for draft-and-stash players is to spend the season in the G League rather than in a league outside the U.S. Typically, at least one or two players go that route each season. That’s what Nikola Djurisic, the Hawks’ No. 43 overall pick a year ago, did in 2024/25 before signing his first NBA contract with Atlanta earlier this week.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these players in the coming days and weeks, as many of them could end up finalizing their plans for 2025/26 either during the Las Vegas Summer League or shortly thereafter.

Atlantic Notes: Simons, M. Brown, Knicks, Edgecombe

July 11th, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics moved forward with their Jrue Holiday/Anfernee Simons swap earlier this week, completing the trade with Portland as a straight-up, one-for-one swap after exploring ways to expand the deal during the July moratorium. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Boston is committed to having Simons on its roster to open the season.

“I have talked to other teams who have said the Celtics are actively trying to trade Anfernee Simons,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Wednesday’s episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “Whether they can or not (remains to be seen).”

Swapping out Holiday’s $32.4MM cap hit for Simons’ $27.7MM figure will help the Celtics operate below the second tax apron in 2025/26. However, as Windhorst and his ESPN colleagues Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps went on to speculate, the club may be looking to cut costs more significantly in what will essentially be a “gap year.” Getting out of the luxury tax entirely would be a step toward resetting the repeater tax clock.

A team operating above the cap but below the tax aprons would only have to send out about $19.2MM in matching salary to legally acquire Simons and his expiring contract.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

During his introductory press conference as the Knicks‘ head coach this week, Mike Brown said he’s not bothered by the fact that the team is essentially in championship-or-bust mode as he takes over the job. “Nobody has any bigger expectations than I do. My expectations are high,” Brown said, per Chris Herring of ESPN. “This is the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. It’s iconic. … I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it.”
While a lack of reliable depth was an issue for the Knicks last season, Brown lauded president of basketball operations Leon Rose for continuing to add more talent to the roster after the team signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency, as Zach Braziller of The New York Post relays. “Jordan, the things that he can do, especially offensively,” Brown said. “He’s a veteran guy. I know he’s hungry to win. He can score at all three levels. You’re excited with that coming to the table. He’s also a better play-maker than he’s given credit (for). I’m looking forward to seeing some of that, too, because I’m huge when it comes to touching the paint and looking to spray that basketball out to get your teammates easy shots. And then Guerschon, an unbelievable young man. His size, his versatility, he can play the four, the five, maybe some three, who knows?”
No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe missed the Sixers‘ first game of the Las Vegas Summer League on Thursday after being diagnosed with a left thumb sprain. He’s still taking part in on-court workouts and will have the injury reevaluated on Saturday, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

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