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And-Ones: G League Trade, Offseason Moves, Spending, Draft Capital

September 18th, 2025 at 7:26pm CST by Earnest Marshall

The Heat‘s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, acquired the returning player rights to Alex Fudge from the South Bay Lakers, Los Angeles’s developmental team, the Skyforce announced in a release. The move was a three-team deal, with the Skyforce obtaining a 2026 first-round pick from the College Park Skyhawks (the Hawks‘ affiliate) while sending them Malik Williams. South Bay also obtained Caleb Daniels from Sioux Falls and Michael Devoe from College Park.

Fudge went undrafted in 2023 out of Florida but signed with the Lakers on a two-way contract that summer. He was later waived and then signed a two-way deal with Dallas before being cut last offseason. He spent all of last season with South Bay, averaging 5.5 points in 15 regular season games. The 22-year-old has appeared in six NBA games.

The other player in the deal with NBA experience is Williams, who suited up in seven games (two starts) with Toronto on a 10-day contract in 2023/24. He averaged 14.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in the G League last year with Sioux Falls.

Daniels previously signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Miami before averaging 10.8 PPG with the Skyforce last season. Devoe signed Exhibit 10 deals with the Clippers in 2022 and Jazz in 2023. He last played in the G League in 2023/24.

G League trades can often indicate a team is gearing up to sign one or more of the players involved to an Exhibit 10 contract. When teams sign players to Exhibit 10 deals, those players are eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with that organization’s G League affiliate.

Devoe played last year in Germany, so this trade doesn’t necessarily mean he will for sure suit up in the G League. But if he does, the South Bay Lakers currently controls his returning rights.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The Spurs signing Luke Kornet is one of the NBA’s most underrated moves of the offseason, John Hollinger of The Athletic opines. San Antonio got a big that pairs nicely with Victor Wembanyama or can play when he’s off the floor without breaking the bank. In an article evaluating some of the most overlooked moves of the summer, Hollinger credits the Bulls for re-signing Josh Giddey at a decent price point and the Heat for trading for Norman Powell, while applauding various other moves.
On the other hand, several teams made deals Hollinger was not a fan of. The Heat salary-dumping Haywood Highsmith is one such move, while the Pelicans acquiring Jordan Poole is another.
With free agency largely over, pending the conclusion of restricted free agency for Quentin Grimes and Jonathan Kuminga, Keith Smith of Spotrac took a look at how teams spent their money this offseason. Small-market teams mostly led the way in total spending, signing players to big extensions. The Thunder, for example, led the league in new extension money at $776.3MM spread out between Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams.
The Thunder laid the blueprint for teams building through draft capital, winning a title with drafted players Holmgren and Williams leading the charge alongside Gilgeous-Alexander, who was himself acquired alongside draft assets. Bobby Marks and Jeremy Woo of ESPN rank the top teams in the league by their draft capital, with the Thunder still leading the way with 13 incoming future first-round picks. Two rebuilding teams, the Nets and the Jazz, round out the top three.

Central Notes: Toppin, Giddey, Pistons, Bucks

September 18th, 2025 at 10:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers will have to defend their Eastern Conference championship without Tyrese Haliburton, who will spend this season rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery. Big man Obi Toppin still believes the Pacers can be “great” without their star guard.

“Ty brings so much to the team and it’s not hidden, everybody understands what he brings to the game,” Toppin told Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star. “So it’s just something that everybody on the team has to do while we’re out there, just doing a little extra knowing what we’re missing and knowing what we need out there on the court and just continue playing Pacers basketball. We’ve built the system here and I feel like everybody has bought into the system. That’s why we’ve been so successful. If we continue doing that, we’re gonna still be great.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Given Josh Giddey‘s defensive shortcomings, handing him a four-year, $100MM contract was a risky move, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. While the Bulls got the deal done without egregiously overpaying, they can’t continue to make large commitments to players that can be exploited on the defensive end, Poe contends. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times takes a different approach, stating that Giddey’s contract compares favorably to several of the Eastern Conference starting point guards.
The Detroit Free Press’ Omari Sankofa II projects a Pistons starting lineup of Jaden Ivey, Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren. Sankofa also looks a few other combinations that the coaching staff might want to explore this season.
Can the Bucks find a reliable point guard? Will Kyle Kuzma have a bounce-back campaign? Those are two of the five questions that could define Milwaukee’s season, according to The Athletic’s Eric Nehm, who takes a closer look at each of those issues.

How Giddey Contract Impacts Bulls’ Financial Outlook

September 12th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Josh Giddey and the Bulls recently came to terms on a four-year, $100MM free agent contract, putting an end to one of the summer’s longest-running negotiations. In the wake of that deal, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (subscriber link) broke down how it will impact Chicago’s financial future.

In the short term, the Bulls still have their $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception available, but with no unrestricted free agents left on the board who would warrant such a deal, Gozlan speculates that the team will probably carry that exception into the season, when it could potentially be used for a rotational upgrade or to take on money to add other future-facing assets.

As for next summer, the Giddey extension doesn’t change the fact that Chicago will look to be a player in free agency. Should the Bulls keep Coby White‘s $24.5MM cap hold on their books – which seems likely barring a trade – they would project to have between $40-50MM in cap space in the summer of 2026. Gozlan notes they could use all of that space and then go over the cap to sign White to a new long-term deal.

There are a number of talented players who could potentially reach free agency next summer, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Zach LaVine, and Trae Young. However, given recent trends involving star players avoiding free agency, it’s possible that White, an unrestricted free agent, could be one of the names on the market.

Gozlan speculates that with another strong season, White could command a deal reaching around $30MM annually. He has averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on .450/.373/.873 shooting splits over the past two seasons and will turn 26 midway through the season.

Should the Bulls balk at the idea of paying him, he would undoubtedly be a high-level trade chip, but considering both Lonzo Ball and LaVine have been traded since February, White’s spot in the team’s long-term backcourt seems more stable than it previously did.

Gozlan also notes that Chicago has $90MM in expiring deals between Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, and Jevon Carter. Trading some of them to bring back long-term money would eat into their 2026 cap flexibility, but could function as a way to essentially conduct free agency business in advance.

Finally, Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dalen Terry are currently extension-eligible and could cut into the team’s cap space if they’re signed to new deals.

Fischer’s Latest: Kuminga, Bulls, Knicks, Bryant, Sixers, More

September 12th, 2025 at 4:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls are unlikely to emerge as a viable sign-and-trade suitor for Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga after agreeing to re-sign their own RFA (Josh Giddey), according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). However, Fischer suggests that Chicago is worth keeping an eye on as a future landing spot for Kuminga, given that the Bulls project to have significant cap room beginning in 2026.

The fact that the Bulls and many other teams around the NBA should have cap space available next summer is one reason why Kuminga is “strongly considering” accepting his $8MM qualifying offer, which would allow him to hold an implicit no-trade clause for the coming season and reach unrestricted free agency in 2026, Fischer writes. While Kuminga’s preference would be to negotiate a longer-term deal, the Warriors haven’t yet seemed inclined to budge off their two-year, $45MM offer that includes a second-year team option.

Still, there’s a sense that a resolution on Kuminga might not be far off. Anthony Slater of ESPN said during an NBA Today appearance (YouTube link) that there have been “renewed efforts” this week to bridge the gap between the two sides, while Fischer says people connected to the negotiations believe there could be movement within the next week.

Here’s more from Fischer:

The Knicks weighed the possibility of signing free agent big man Thomas Bryant but ultimately decided to prioritize depth in the backcourt and on the wing, league sources tell Fischer. The team reached non-guaranteed deals this week with Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet, and Garrison Mathews, who will each compete for a roster spot.
Following up on his report about Sixers veterans Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. being on the trade block, Fischer clarifies that the front office doesn’t appear to be operating with any sort of “clear-cut directive” to move either player. Trading Drummond and/or Oubre without taking back any salary would help create a more favorable cap/tax situation as Philadelphia looks to re-sign restricted free agent Quentin Grimes.
The Kings‘ decision to waive Terence Davis, who had a non-guaranteed contract, likely signals that they don’t expect to need his outgoing salary for matching purposes in a trade before the season, Fischer observes. “The only reason for Sacramento to have kept Davis this long was to have potentially used him in a trade,” one league source told The Stein Line.
Celtics big man Luka Garza had hoped to suit up for Bosnia and Herzegovina at this year’s EuroBasket tournament but has yet to be cleared by FIBA, according to Fischer, who explains that Garza’s appeal will be heard after EuroBasket ends. If he gets clearance, Garza could represent Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2027 World Cup.

Mouhamadou Gueye Joins Bulls On Camp Deal

September 9th, 2025 at 7:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have added Mouhamadou Gueye on an Exhibit 10 contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

Gueye has 11 games of NBA experience, all with the Raptors in 2023/24. Gueye, who went undrafted out of Pitt in 2022, joined the Raptors on a 10-day deal in February 2024 and a two-way contract that March. He averaged 2.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 10.9 minutes per contest during those NBA appearances.

Gueye was on the Wizards’ camp roster last season, then was waived before opening night. He averaged 10 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game over 34 contests for the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League club.

Having signed an Exhibit 10 deal, Gueye will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived by Chicago and spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls.

The addition of Gueye gives Chicago 21 players on its camp roster, the maximum allowed.

Eastern Notes: Shamet, Thomas, Bucks Survey, Donovan

September 8th, 2025 at 5:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Landry Shamet remains under heavy consideration to fill the Knicks’ available roster opening for a veteran’s minimum contract, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Shamet was a key reserve for the club last season, appearing in 50 games. Shamet has reportedly been working out in New York while hoping to re-sign with the Knicks.

A report from Marc Stein earlier on Monday indicated that Ben Simmons turned down an offer from the Knicks. Another prominent free agent, Malik Beasley, is a long shot to sign with them, according to Bondy, who names Malcolm Brogdon as another possibility for that veteran-minimum slot.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

The fact that restricted free agent Cam Thomas signed his $6MM qualifying offer means he’s not in the Nets’ plans beyond this season, Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.com writes. Despite some gaudy offensive numbers, Thomas is an undersized, shoot-first guard who has been a poor defender throughout his career, Slater adds. The QO comes with a no-trade clause but the Nets now have little incentive to offer Thomas a featured role this season, which could complicate his market next summer, Slater notes.
Bucks fans who answered a survey conducted by The Athletic’s Eric Nehm have little faith that the team will the NBA championship this season. Out of 690 responses, 81.2% were either “not that confident” or “not at all confident” that the Bucks will win it all. However, Bucks fans remain high on general manager Jon Horst, as 83.1% said they were either “extremely confident” or “somewhat confident” in him. The same could not be said of Doc Rivers, as 62.7% expressed little or no confidence in the veteran head coach.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame over the weekend. Now, Donovan must show he’s a Hall of Fame coach by finally turning the Bulls into a true playoff contender, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times opines.

Eastern Notes: White, Donovan, Johnson, Wall, Shammgod

September 7th, 2025 at 9:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, who won back-to-back NCAA titles with Florida during his college coaching career, was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday. Starting guard Coby White attended the ceremony and spoke to Chicago Sports Network about Donovan’s “amazing accomplishment” and what he likes about having him as a coach (Twitter video link).

“He’s honest,” White said of Donovan. “He pushes you, he’s going to get the most out of you. And for the most part, he’s always been upfront with me.

“But he also believes in his players. He gets his players to compete every night. He builds a relationship with his players, which often times you don’t see (with NBA head coaches).”

Donovan signed a multiyear extension with the Bulls in late July, while White is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him about $12.9MM in 2025/26.

Here are a few more notes from around the East:

Wizards lottery pick Tre Johnson III was viewed as one of the best shooters entering the 2025 draft but he also displayed improved ball-handling a couple months ago at Las Vegas Summer League, writes Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network. “I watch bits and pieces of Kyrie (Irving) and Darius Garland, just from a guard’s perspective how they can change speeds,” Johnson said. Second-year big man Alex Sarr believes Johnson is more than capable of creating shots for both himself and others. “I like his play-making in general. I already knew that about him, but it’s just good to see. I feel like we’re just seeing the surface of what he’s capable of,” Sarr said.
John Wall announced his retirement as a player last month and will cover the NBA for Amazon Prime Video in 2025/26. In an interview with Michael Lee of The Washington Post, Wall said he hopes to have his No. 2 jersey retired by the Wizards. Varun Shankar of The Washington Post considers whether the Wizards should retire Wall’s jersey, noting that the former No. 1 overall pick made five All-Star appearances with the franchise and is the team’s all-time leader in both assists and steals. While it’s been a long time since the organization has retired a player’s jersey, Shankar believes Wall could be a “logical” choice to be honored, as he was the driving force behind Washington’s “best stretch since (Wes) Unseld retired.”
Assistant coach God Shammgod, who joined Orlando this offseason after nine years in Dallas, believes the Magic have a talented roster capable of taking a step forward this season, he tells Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. “Paolo (Banchero) and Franz (Wagner) and them, they’re coming into their own right now,” Shammgod said. “They’re at the right age where they still young, but they young enough to dare. Dare to be great. And I believe like Paolo and Franz is going to be great, but Desmond Bane, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, we got Tyus Jones. Now we got so many great players. … And I feel like right now they all are ready to make their mark. So I’m just happy and honored to be a part of it.”

Finding Contract Compromises For Top Three Remaining RFAs

September 7th, 2025 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

It's September 7 and three of the summer's top restricted free agents remain unsigned. By all accounts, there has been no real movement in weeks for Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Sixers wing Quentin Grimes, but we're still expecting resolution at some point this month, prior to the October 1 deadline for restricted free agents to accept their qualifying offers.

As those standoffs drag on, we're taking a closer look today at what "compromise" contracts might look like for Giddey, Kuminga, and Grimes.

These aren't necessarily the contracts we expect them to eventually sign. There's no guarantee that one side or the other will budge from its current position -- either the team or the player may have to cave sooner or later, rather than the two sides meeting somewhere in the middle. In the case of Nets guard Cam Thomas, for instance, signing his $6MM qualifying offer wasn't a "compromise," but it was how his free agency ultimately concluded.

In our view, the proposals below represent fair resolutions for both the player and team, leaving both sides feeling like they came out of the negotiations with a reasonable outcome.

Let's dive in...

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Free Agent Notes: Giddey, Lyles, Bacot, Gallinari

September 4th, 2025 at 7:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls‘ have increased their offer to restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey since they reportedly proposed a four-year deal worth $20MM annually the start of free agency, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link). However, it remains well below the price that Giddey and his camp are reportedly seeking.

“He was offered four years, $80 million when free agency started,” Marks said. “That number has gone up to four years, $88MM.”

As Marks points out, that $22MM-per-year figure would be at the low end of the spectrum for starting point guards. Giddey’s representatives have reportedly been seeking $30MM annually since they discussed a potential rookie scale extension with the Bulls last fall. While Giddey may not ultimately get that sort of commitment from Chicago, Marks believes the team should be willing to further increase its offer if it views the 22-year-old as an important long-term building block.

“If you think that he’s your point guard of the future, then you sign him to what point guard money is,” Marks said. “And I’m not saying you sign him to Immanuel Quickley money at $32.5MM (per year) or five years, $160MM. But you sign him in that $26-28MM (per year range) and you do it for three years or four years. And if it’s four years, $100MM or four years, $110MM, it’s still good value going forward.”

Some sort of resolution is expected within the next few weeks for Giddey and the Bulls, since training camps open by the end of the month and October 1 is the deadline for a restricted free agent to accept his qualifying offer.

Here are a few more notes on free agents from around the basketball world:

While the exact terms are unclear, veteran forward Trey Lyles has an NBA out clause in his new deal with Real Madrid that “ensures he retains flexibility should an opportunity arise to return during the 2025/26 season,” Grant Afseth writes for RG.org. Before agreeing to sign a one-year contract reportedly worth $3MM with the Spanish club, Lyles drew interest from the Heat, Kings, and other EuroLeague teams, including Fenerbahce, sources tell Afseth.
Speaking of Fenerbahce, the Turkish club has signed former North Carolina standout Armando Bacot to a one-year contract, according to a press release. Bacot, who inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Grizzlies and then played for the Memphis Hustle last season after going undrafted out of UNC, will be paid more than $1MM on his deal with Fenerbahce, per Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link).
Although Danilo Gallinari has stated his intention to retire from the Italian national team after this year’s EuroBasket tournament, the longtime NBA forward is leaving his options open when it comes to extending his professional career beyond this summer, as Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops relays. “I said anything is possible,” Gallinari replied when asked about the possibility of playing in the EuroLeague again. “I’m not thinking about anything. I didn’t think about anything yet. I didn’t make any plans, so we’ll see.” The 37-year-old, who has made 777 career regular season appearances, recently expressed some interest in the idea of joining an NBA team as a veteran leader.

Nikola Vucevic Retires From National Team

September 3rd, 2025 at 1:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has announced his retirement from the Montenegrin national team, BasketNews.com relays.

Montenegro failed to advance in the EuroBasket tournament. Vucevic made his announcement after the team lost to Great Britain.

“It sucks for me to finish [my international career] this way. I would have loved to play more in Riga, but it is what it is,” Vucevic said. “I’d like to thank my teammates, coaches, and most importantly, the fans for everything they did throughout my career with the national team. It was an honor to play here, but that’s sports. I enjoyed playing here, but it’s time for a new generation to leave its mark.”

Vucevic made his first major national team appearance in 2011 at EuroBasket.

“There’s a lot of pride; we are a very small country. We don’t have a lot of players, and for us, every time we got into a big tournament, it was a huge success, and we always tried to do our best and represent our country the best way,” he said, per Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net. “In some tournaments we did well, in some others we didn’t, and that’s how it goes.

“I am very proud that I had the chance to represent my country in all these tournaments, and very happy to play with all the guys I had. With some of them, we are close friends now, and that’s something that you have for the rest of your life. We are all very proud; we wish it could have ended differently, but that’s sports. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s not.”

Vucevic, who turns 35 in October, is entering the final season of his three-year, $60MM contract with the Bulls.