Brooklyn Nets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Thomas, Westbrook, Simmons, Shamet, Knicks

August 21st, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Wednesday during a Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link) that he continues to hear restricted free agent guard Cam Thomas is weighing whether to sign his $6MM qualifying offer or accept a two-year deal with the Nets worth around $14MM annually. The catch is the second year is a team option, meaning only the first season is guaranteed.

“Cam Thomas’s situation seems to be a decision between taking his qualifying offer or a two-year deal with a team option that is north of the qualifying offer from Brooklyn, somewhere around $14 million in average annual value,” Fischer said.

For what it’s worth, league sources not connected to the situation speculated to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports that Thomas might accept a two-year deal with a team option if he received closer to what Golden State reportedly offered Jonathan Kuminga ($45MM). While Helin acknowledges that the Nets have the edge in negotiating leverage, he wonders if the two sides will eventually reach some sort of compromise — perhaps a second-year player option or a partial guarantee in year two — to hash out a new deal.

Here are a few more rumors and notes on NBA veterans who remain unsigned:

There’s still no indication that any NBA team besides Sacramento is seriously considering signing Russell Westbrook, Fischer said yesterday in the same Bleacher Report live stream (hat tip to Dallas Hoops Journal). “We are still waiting to see what other moves could come in Sacramento before the Kings try to bring Russell Westbrook in,” Fischer said. “And that’s been the one home all along that we really have looked at for Russell Westbrook and that’s still the home that I have heard earlier this week is the most likely outcome for Russell Westbrook if he’s gonna be in the NBA at all. Honestly, that’s really the only home we’ve heard for him.”
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a look at four potential landing spots for Ben Simmons, including the Kings, Knicks and Warriors.
While the Knicks and Simmons have mutual interest and the 29-year-old could end up in New York, Ian Begley of SNY.tv thinks the former No. 1 overall pick is “probably” more likely to land with another team, he said Tuesday on The Putback (YouTube link). New York only has enough room below its second-apron hard cap to sign one veteran to a minimum-salary deal, and Begley is “kind of assuming” that contract will eventually go to Landry Shamet. The Knicks have also kicked the tires on Malcolm Brogdon, though Begley noted they would likely have to make a trade to sign more than one of those three players.

New York Notes: Towns, Thibodeau, Brown, Wolf, Highsmith

August 16th, 2025 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stefan Bondy of the New York Post (subscriber link) finds it curious that there hasn’t been more talk about an extension for Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns this summer. Towns has until October 20 to add two more years to his current deal, which runs through 2026/27 with a $61MM player option for the following season.

Bondy states that he hasn’t been able to get any information about possible extension talks. Towns’ agent didn’t respond to a text regarding the subject, and team president Leon Rose almost never communicates with the media.

Bondy expects Towns to play out the remainder of his contract, possibly including the player option, before getting a new deal. His max extension would be $150MM over two years, and even though Towns is a perennial All-Star, Bondy doesn’t view him as being worth $75MM per year as teams maneuver to stay below the second apron.

Bondy also brings up several questions the Knicks might want to have answered before they consider committing that kind of money to Towns. Can he stay healthier than he did in Minnesota, will he and Jalen Brunson develop better chemistry in the offense, can he improve his pick-and-roll defense, and does he fit better as a center or a power forward?

There’s more from New York City:

Knicks fans are expecting a trip to the NBA Finals this season and would consider anything less to be a disappointment, a survey taken by James L. Edwards of The Athletic reveals. More than 3,000 fans responded, and most are cautiously optimistic that New York will be the No. 1 seed in the East, but they’re split on the firing of Tom Thibodeau. A plurality of 37.7% agree with the move, while 29.6% oppose it and 32.7% are indifferent. Nearly 70% are withholding judgment on new head coach Mike Brown.
Danny Wolf, the last of the Nets‘ five first-round picks this year, brings a lot of versatility to the roster, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscription required). He’s a big man who can orchestrate the offense and shoot from the outside, and he has the potential to see time at power forward and center. “He’s just so unique. I don’t want to compare him to certain players,” Summer League coach Steve Hetzel said. “He’s very unique because he can handle, he can play pick-and-roll … at Michigan, he was a primary ball-handler in pick-and-rolls. So he has a ton of skill and he can shoot the three.”
The Nets are acquiring Haywood Highsmith from Miami, but he seems to be more of a trade chip than a long-term investment, Bondy observes in another story. Brooklyn is emphasizing the development of its young players, and there might be interest around the league in the 28-year-old Highsmith, who has a $5.6MM expiring contract, once he recovers from knee surgery.

Heat Trade Haywood Highsmith To Nets

August 15th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat and Nets have agreed to a trade that sends wing Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn along with a 2032 second-round pick in exchange for a protected 2026 second-rounder, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

The Nets have officially confirmed the deal, announcing that they’ve acquired Miami’s unprotected 2032 second-round selection and Highsmith in exchange for their own top-55 protected 2026 second-rounder.

It’s a financially motivated deal for the Heat, who will move under the luxury tax line as a result of the move. Miami entered the day operating about $1.6MM above the tax threshold with 14 players under contract.

Sending Highsmith’s expiring $5.6MM contract to Brooklyn will give the Heat nearly $4MM in breathing room below the tax, with at least one standard roster spot to fill before the season begins — the club will likely keep its 15th roster spot open to start the season to avoid going back above the tax line.

The Heat were always considered likely to duck the tax this season in order to reset their repeater clock.

When I identified Miami earlier this month as a good bet to make a cost-cutting move, I mentioned Highsmith as a potential trade candidate and speculated that he should have a little value based on his play as a three-and-D wing last season. The 28-year-old made 74 appearances (42 starts) for the Heat, averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game and posting a .458/.382/.721 shooting line.

However, word broke last Friday that Highsmith had sustained a torn meniscus during an offseason workout and underwent surgery to address the injury. The recovery process is expected to sidelined him for at least eight-to-10 weeks, jeopardizing his availability for the start of the season and reducing his value as a trade chip, which is why the Heat had to give up a second-round pick to move him.

Miami will create a trade exception worth Highsmith’s outgoing salary ($5,616,000), which the club will have one year to use.

As for the Nets, they continue to use their cap room to stockpile draft assets, having acquired a pair of first-round picks in separate deals for Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann earlier this summer. It’s unclear whether or not Highsmith will be part of their plans for the 2025/26 season, given that there may be a roster crunch in Brooklyn, but taking on his contract puts only a small dent into their remaining cap space.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Brooklyn still has $22MM in room after accounting for Cam Thomas‘ $12.1MM cap hold, though that figure doesn’t include reported two-year, $12MM deals with Day’Ron Sharpe or Ziaire Williams, which aren’t yet official. One of those signings could be completed using the room exception, but at least one will have to use the Nets’ cap space.

NBA Teams Average 14.4 Back-To-Backs In 2025/26

August 15th, 2025 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

Five NBA teams will play a league-high 16 back-to-back sets during the 2025/26 regular season, while six clubs will have just 13 instances of back-to-back games on their schedules. The remaining 19 teams will play either 14 or 15 back-to-backs.

[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Schedules By Team]

Those totals – along with an overall average of 14.4 back-to-backs per team – are about what we’ve come to expect in recent years.

Prior to the COVID-shortened seasons of 2019/20 and ’20/21, the NBA’s regular season consisted of 177 days, and the league had made a concerted effort to reduce instances of back-to-backs. When the league announced its initial schedule in ’19/20, its press release boasted that teams were averaging a record-low 12.4 back-to-backs that season, marking the fifth straight year in which that number had reached an all-time low.

However, since 2021/22, NBA regular seasons have spanned just 174 days, making it a little more difficult for schedule-makers to avoid back-to-back sets. The average number of back-to-backs per team is still well below where it once was (teams averaged 19.3 in 2024/25), but it’s no longer at a record low.

Here are the back-to-backs by team in 2025/26:

Charlotte Hornets: 16
Denver Nuggets: 16
Philadelphia 76ers: 16
Phoenix Suns: 16
Washington Wizards: 16
Golden State Warriors: 15
Los Angeles Clippers: 15
Miami Heat: 15
New Orleans Pelicans: 15
Portland Trail Blazers: 15
Toronto Raptors: 15
Utah Jazz: 15
Brooklyn Nets: 14
Cleveland Cavaliers: 14
Dallas Mavericks: 14
Detroit Pistons: 14
Houston Rockets: 14
Los Angeles Lakers: 14
Memphis Grizzlies: 14
Milwaukee Bucks: 14
New York Knicks: 14
Orlando Magic: 14
Sacramento Kings: 14
San Antonio Spurs: 14
Atlanta Hawks: 13
Boston Celtics: 13
Chicago Bulls: 13
Indiana Pacers: 13
Minnesota Timberwolves: 13
Oklahoma City Thunder: 13

Warriors, Lakers, Knicks, Thunder Get Most Nationally Televised Games For 2025/26

August 15th, 2025 at 7:51am CST by Luke Adams

Having gone from two national broadcasting partners (ABC/ESPN and TNT) to three (ABC/ESPN, NBC, and Amazon Prime) ahead of the 2025/26 season, the NBA’s schedule will feature a significant increase in nationally televised games.

When the league unveiled its full regular season schedule on Thursday, it announced 237 nationally televised regular season matchups, along with the seven knockout round NBA Cup games whose participants aren’t yet known, for a total of 244 contests.

As Colin Salao of Front Office Sports writes in a subscriber story, the total number of nationally televised games is up by more than 40% from last season, when the league’s partners nationally broadcasted a total of 172 games.

Salao also points out that beginning in the middle of the season, when the NFL schedule starts winding down, the NBA will have national games every day of the week: Peacock on Monday; NBC/Peacock on Tuesday; ESPN on Wednesday; Amazon on Thursday; Amazon and ESPN on Friday; Amazon and ABC on Saturday; and ABC, NBC, and Peacock on Sunday.

Every team will be featured at least twice on the national TV broadcast schedule, with the Warriors, Lakers, Knicks, and defending champion Thunder leading the way with 34 appearances apiece.

Here’s the full breakdown of nationally televised games by team:

Golden State Warriors: 34
Los Angeles Lakers: 34
New York Knicks: 34
Oklahoma City Thunder: 34
Houston Rockets: 28
Minnesota Timberwolves: 28
Denver Nuggets: 26
Boston Celtics: 25
Cleveland Cavaliers: 24
Dallas Mavericks: 23
San Antonio Spurs: 22
Los Angeles Clippers: 21
Milwaukee Bucks: 18
Detroit Pistons: 16
Orlando Magic: 14
Philadelphia 76ers: 14
Atlanta Hawks: 13
Memphis Grizzlies: 10
Indiana Pacers: 9
Phoenix Suns: 9
Sacramento Kings: 9
Portland Trail Blazers: 8
Miami Heat: 5
Charlotte Hornets: 3
Chicago Bulls: 3
Brooklyn Nets: 2
New Orleans Pelicans: 2
Toronto Raptors: 2
Utah Jazz: 2
Washington Wizards: 2

Since nationally televised matchups are subject to change, there’s no guarantee that every team will ultimately end up being featured multiple times on the national stage.

As Salao points out, all 30 clubs showed up at least once on the national broadcast schedule initially announced for 2024/25, but the Wizards didn’t get any nationally televised games after having their lone contest replaced by a showdown between Cleveland and Oklahoma City.

Additionally, not every team this season will have a game aired on a traditional, non-streaming network — the only games featuring the Raptors or Wizards will air on either Peacock or Amazon Prime.

Michael Porter Jr. Warns Of Risks Associated With Increased Gambling

August 13th, 2025 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing this week on the “One Night With Steiny” podcast (YouTube link), Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. warned that the growth of sports gambling is changing the experience of watching games for NBA fans, relays David Purdum of ESPN.

“The enjoyment of the game isn’t for the game anymore,” Porter told the hosts. “It’s so that people can make money. In reality, way more people are losing money than making money.”

Porter’s younger brother, Jontay Porter, made headlines last year for his participation in a gambling scheme. He was banned from the NBA in April 2024 after admitting in court testimony that he took himself out of two games during the 2023/24 season so associates who took the under on prop bets could cash in. He added that the arrangement was his way of paying off gambling debts.

Michael Porter Jr. alluded to his brother’s case on the podcast, saying he understands how players who “come from nothing” could be tempted by the opportunity to make big money for themselves and their friends by manipulating the gambling process.

“Think about it, if you could get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under this one game. I’m going to act like I’ve got an injury, and I’m going sit out. I’m going to come out after three minutes,'” Porter said. “And they all get a little bag because you did it one game. That is so not OK, but some people probably think like that. They come from nothing, and all their homies have nothing.”

Porter also stated that players are constantly the target of anger from bettors because they’re always “messing up” either the over or under on prop bets, which allow gamblers to predict whether they’ll have more or less than a certain number of points, rebounds, assists and other statistics.

“We really do get death threats,” Porter said, bringing up the topic of how the league would react if an irate bettor ever decided to physically attack a player.

Porter also decried the growth of online gambling, saying sports in general would be better off if bets could only be placed in person at Las Vegas casinos.

Atlantic Notes: Russell, Murray-Boyles, Nets Assets, Grimes

August 10th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

D’Angelo Russell signed with the Mavericks as a free agent but he’s heaping high praise on the Nets organization. He feels his career has been extended by what he learned early in his career with Brooklyn, he told Dwyane Wade in a podcast (hat tip to Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post). In the process, he took a swipe at the Lakers organization.

“The organization of Brooklyn is different,” Russell said. “It’s unlike any other. The performance, team, coach — everything about Brooklyn is different than what you would expect. And I’ve been around the league, where I came from the Lakers, where the structure is not the same.”

Russell played 29 games with the Nets last season. He also spent two seasons with them from 2017-19 after beginning his career with the Lakers.

“I always approached the game to where I was nonchalant, and I felt like I could just wing it. They taught me how to be a professional, how to sleep, how to eat, how to recover,” Russell said.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Collin Murray-Boyles‘ personal trainer believes that the No. 9 pick of this year’s draft could turn into a Draymond Green-style defender with better offensive skills, he told Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. “He is more of the modern-day Draymond [Green],” trainer Khadijah Sessions said of the Raptors‘ rookie forward. “He is a defender, he can defend all positions, he can pass, he can set his teammates up… He’s going to be a better Draymond. He’s going to shoot better than him. He’s going to be able to score better than him. But it’s going to be over time and I think him playing behind Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram is going to bring a different monster out of him.”
After selecting a handful of players during the first round of this year’s draft, the Nets still have plenty of draft assets remaining, including extra picks and pick swaps. Yet their best asset might be their own first-rounder next year, which they reacquired from Houston, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post (subscription required). There’s plenty of pressure on general manager Sean Marks that a majority of the players he picked this June pan out, as well as using that future draft capital wisely.
Should restricted free agent Quentin Grimes sign his $8.7MM qualifying offer from the Sixers and become unrestricted next summer? Or will the two parties eventually find common ground on a multi-year contract before next season? Rich Hofmann and Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports take a deep dive into that subject in their latest podcast (video link).

Nets Not Making Aggressive Offers To RFA Cam Thomas

August 10th, 2025 at 1:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have not made an aggressive effort to sign restricted free agent Cam Thomas on a long-term deal, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Thomas, who is entering his fifth NBA season, has posted some big offensive numbers the past two seasons. He averaged 22.5 points per game in 66 outings during the 2023/24 season and 24 PPG last season. However, he only made 25 appearances in ’24/25 due to persistent hamstring issues.

Thomas is more of a scorer than a shooter and has other holes in his game, which has limited his market in sign-and-trade scenarios. In a recent story from The Athletic, 16 NBA executives were polled regarding current prominent RFAs. Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes were considered more valuable than Thomas. Whereas 15 of the 16 respondents proposed contracts of at least three years for each of Kuminga, Giddey and Grimes, only eight did the same for Thomas.

Fischer writes that Thomas might be the most likely of those RFAs to accept his $5.9MM qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Last month, Fischer reported that Brooklyn had not offered Thomas anything further than a two-year deal with a team option worth roughly the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM). Thomas is believed to be seeking a contract of at least $20MM annually.

Fischer’s Latest: RFAs, Warriors, White, Young, Celtics

August 7th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Maher

During Thursday’s Bleacher Report live stream (YouTube link), NBA insider Jake Fischer reiterated multiple times that he expects the four primary restricted free agents — Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), Josh Giddey (Bulls), Quentin Grimes (Sixers) and Cam Thomas (Nets) — to continue to be in contract standoffs with their respective teams for some time.

“Again, we are still in a holding pattern with all these restricted free agents, and we are — at this juncture — expecting all those situations to linger deeper into August and get into September as well,” Fischer said. “Don’t expect a resolution for Jonathan Kuminga, for Josh Giddey, for Quentin Grimes, for Cam Thomas, anytime soon.”

According to Fischer, the Warriors haven’t shown any interest in what the Kings and Suns have offered in sign-and-trade scenarios for Kuminga. But they also don’t want to lose the former lottery pick for nothing in return.

“Jonathan Kuminga’s side, I believe, right now, would be willing to take a two-plus-one with a player option three-year deal,” Fischer said. “I think that Jonathan Kuminga’s side would take this one-plus-one situation with Golden State — this two-year, $45MM offer that’s been on the table — if he were to get a player option in year two.

“But I was told yesterday from various sources that Golden State is going to be holding firm … that second year is going to be a team option. And that’s kinda where this staring contest is at.”

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Warriors currently have only nine players signed to standard contracts, with the Kuminga stalemate continuing to hold up their other offseason business. Fischer suggested that Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II are likely to be signed after Kuminga’s situation is resolved. Malcolm Brogdon and Seth Curry remain on Golden State’s radar as well, according to Fischer, with Javonte Green another player mentioned.
The Bulls are monitoring Coby White‘s upcoming free agency, Fischer said. White will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, and Fischer noted that there has been talk of White wanting a contract that exceeds $30MM annually. That expectation may be factoring into the calculation of Chicago playing a level of hardball with Giddey’s restricted free agency.
Thomas looks the most likely of the four RFAs to accept his qualifying offer, Fischer confirmed. The high-scoring guard views himself as a $30MM+ per year player, but the Nets haven’t approached that figure and have only offered him short-term deals to this point, Fischer said.
While Fischer confirmed the latest reports on Trae Young‘s disappointment at the lack of an extension offer from the Hawks, he said that it was also somewhat expected by Young’s camp. Fischer called this season an opportunity for Young to maximize a roster built to complement his game, as well as an opportunity for the new front office to evaluate the players on the roster. If Young is able to maximize the team’s potential and earn All-NBA honors, he’d be eligible for a much more lucrative extension, and he also has a 2026/27 player option he could decline to enter free agency next year as possibly the top free agent on the board.
Prior to dealing him to the Jazz, the Celtics had talks with the Grizzlies during Summer League about a deal that would send Georges Niang to Memphis, according to Fischer, who said a rumored framework of Anfernee Simons for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was never discussed. Fischer noted that before RJ Luis signed a two-way deal with the Jazz, he was considering signing with the Celtics. The Jazz are expected to keep Niang as a veteran leader. Fischer also said that he’s not as confident that Simons gets traded before the season starts as he was that Niang would be dealt.
Fischer confirmed that Bennedict Mathurin is on track to receive a bigger role this season with the Pacers due to Tyrese Haliburton‘s injury, and that Mathurin is also hoping to secure a deal that would pay him $20-30MM per year. Fischer added that many of the unsigned rookie scale extension candidates likely won’t finalize new deals until the October deadline.

Eli Cohen contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Pritchard, Bridges, Knicks, Nets

August 6th, 2025 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ biggest transactions this offseason – including trades that sent Jrue Holiday to Portland and Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta – have been more about reducing the team’s payroll as opposed to upgrading the roster. Still, despite those summer moves and the fact that Jayson Tatum will be sidelined with a torn Achilles, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Payton Pritchard remains confident in the team’s ability to compete.

“We’re definitely trying to be a playoff team. We’re trying to win a championship,” Pritchard said on the Celtics Talk Podcast with Chris Forsberg (story via Logan Reardon of NBC Sports Boston). “It’s not even about playoffs, we have one standard in Boston and it’s to win a championship. Everybody in that locker room will have the goal of competing for a championship. And we will do everything in our power necessary to go for that. That’s what (the fans) should know.”

Pritchard went on to acknowledge that it “definitely sucks” to lose players like Holiday, Porzingis, and Luke Kornet, adding that he’ll especially miss Holiday, who was “like a big brother.” Still, the Celtics guard is optimistic that other players will step up and play well in increased roles — Pritchard himself, who averaged a career-high 28.4 minutes per game last season, is among the players who will likely take on more responsibilities in 2025/26.

“I feel like everybody should be excited,” Pritchard said. “There’s a lot of opportunities across the board. For me, personally, I’m excited every year. Because it’s an opportunity to prove myself again, to show that I can take another step. And that’s my goal every year. I’m definitely hungry and motivated this year, been working really hard. So I’m excited.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Despite the fact that Mikal Bridges accepted a little less than he could have received on his four-year, $150MM contract extension, the Knicks project to be a second-apron team next season if they re-sign Mitchell Robinson, Yossi Gozlan writes for The Third Apron (Substack link). Within his look at the Knicks’ cap situation, Gozlan notes that Bridges’ unusual 5.69% trade kicker would put him in line to receive a bonus of about $6.17MM if he’s traded during the 2026 offseason — it would be almost the exact amount he gave up as part of his extension agreement (his max extension would have been worth roughly $156.17MM).
In a mailbag for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III explores Robinson’s contract situation and the timing of Bridges’ extension, among other topics. Edwards also explains why he wouldn’t be a fan of even a minimum-salary investment in free agent guard Ben Simmons and confirms that the Knicks – along with many other teams around the league – have been monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s situation in Milwaukee throughout the offseason.
After ending up at No. 8 in this year’s draft lottery, the Nets appear likely to tank again in 2025/26 in the hopes of landing a higher first-round pick. Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) discusses the potential pitfalls of that approach, noting that teams who prioritize draft positioning for multiple years risk creating culture issues. “A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there’s no consequences,” one agent told Lewis. “You risk eroding the environment you’re trying to create. That’s what happened in Philadelphia.”