Warriors, Lakers, Knicks, Thunder Get Most Nationally Televised Games For 2025/26
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.
Pistons Sign Javonte Green To One-Year Deal
August 14: Green has signed his one-year contract with the Pistons, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.
August 11: The Pistons are set to sign free agent swingman Javonte Green, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are finalizing an agreement on a one-year deal.
Green, 32, began his professional career overseas after going undrafted out of Radford in 2015, but eventually earned a look in the NBA and has since established himself as a rotation player for a handful of teams. Since 2019, he has made 263 regular season appearances for the Celtics, Bulls, Pelicans, and Cavaliers, averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game.
Known primarily for his defensive ability and versatility, Green played in New Orleans and Cleveland in 2024/25. He made 18 starts and 50 total appearances for the injury-plagued Pelicans before being bought out in order to sign with the East-leading Cavs. In total, he averaged 5.1 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 18.5 MPG across 68 outings for the two teams, with a shooting line of .429/.326/.724.
Charania’s report doesn’t include any additional details on Green’s deal with Detroit beyond the fact that it will be a one-year contract, so it’s unclear whether or not it will be guaranteed. It’s a safe bet it will be worth the minimum salary.
The Pistons are currently only carrying 13 players on standard contracts, so even if Green’s deal isn’t fully guaranteed from day one, he should have a clear path to earning a spot on the 15-man regular season roster this fall.
Central Notes: Hunter, Langdon, Buzelis
De’Andre Hunter started on a regular basis during his first five seasons in the league with the Hawks. In 64 combined games with Atlanta and the Cavaliers last season, he started just nine games in 64 games.
Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor (subscription required) argues that Cleveland should keep Hunter in a reserve role. He notes that with Ty Jerome signing with Memphis, the Cavaliers need another high-scoring sixth man and points to Hunter as the most logical candidate — he averaged 17 points in 27.2 minutes per game last season.
Hunter may be more talented than Max Strus, the other candidate to start at small forward, but Hunter is not the best stylistic fit with the starting five, Fedor opines. The Cavs beat writer also points out that Hunter has shown he’s comfortable coming off the bench, as he receives more freedom and has an expanded offensive role.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- In his second season as the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon has continued to make personnel decisions with the desire to keep his options open for future moves, Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois writes. Langdon added Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert to fortify his bench without sacrificing future flexibility and it’s likely that he’ll only reach rookie scale extensions agreements with Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren before the October deadline if the contract numbers match their on-court contributions.
- By all accounts, Matas Buzelis wants to be a special player and is doing what is necessary to reach that status, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. With contract issues surrounding Coby White and Josh Giddey, the second-year Bulls forward has become the most important player on the roster. After averaging 22.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in two Summer League contests, Buzelis has been busy in the weight room and on the court, looking to expand his game.
- Former Magic guard Cole Anthony spoke about his excitement to join the Bucks. Get the details here.
Free Agent Guard Malik Beasley Evicted From Apartment
Free agent shooting guard Malik Beasley was evicted from his apartment in Detroit on Wednesday, writes David Purdum of ESPN.com, citing court records.
As Purdum details, Beasley was sued two times by his landlord earlier this year for a total of $21,505 in unpaid rent. The first lawsuit was dismissed in March, but the 36th District Court in Michigan issued an eviction order in the second case after Beasley failed to respond.
Beasley’s social media accounts indicate that he has been traveling in Europe this summer, according to Purdum.
To put it mildly, it has been a tumultuous offseason for Beasley, who was expected to land a significant payday as a free agent after finishing third in the NBA in three-pointers made (3.9) and fourth in three-point attempts per game (9.3) last season. He knocked down a career-high 41.6% of his long-range looks in 2024/25 while appearing in all 82 regular season contests for the Pistons.
In addition to his eviction, Beasley is under federal investigation for allegedly gambling on NBA games during the 2023/24 season, when he was a member of the Bucks. He’s also being sued by his former marketing agency, Hazan Sports Management Group, which is seeking $2.25MM in damages and legal fees for breach of contract.
On July 1, The Detroit News detailed some of the 28-year-old’s other financial difficulties in recent years.
The Pistons still hold Beasley’s Non-Bird rights, but at this point it’s unclear if or when he’ll play in the NBA again.
Daniss Jenkins Re-Signs With Pistons On Two-Way Deal
Guard Daniss Jenkins has re-signed with the Pistons on a two-way contract, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.
The news was first reported by Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
Detroit made Jenkins a restricted free agent at the end of June when it tendered him a two-way qualifying offer, which is equivalent to a one-year, two-way deal, with a small portion ($85,300) guaranteed. Jenkins may simply have accepted the QO.
The 6’3″ guard had a well-traveled run through college, playing for the Pacific Tigers, the Iona Gaels and the St. John’s Red Storm. He signed a two-way contract with the Pistons last summer after going undrafted.
While Jenkins’ NBA contributions during his rookie season were very limited – seven appearances for 23 total minutes – he played a significant role with the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, averaging 18.5 points, 6.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 47 games (35.7 minutes per contest). He posted a shooting line of .427/.331/.768 with the Cruise.
In five games during the Las Vegas Summer League last month, Jenkins thrived, averaging 14.0 PPG, 5.4 APG, 2.6 RPG and 1.0 SPG on .449/.421/.783 shooting in just 22.6 MPG.
Jenkins, who was named to the All-NBA G League Rookie Team in 2024/25, will turn 24 years old in a couple weeks. As our tracker shows, he will fill Detroit’s third and final two-way spot, joining Tolu Smith and Colby Jones.
Jenkins will earn $636,435 in 2025/26, half of the rookie minimum, if he remains under contract through the league-wide guarantee date in January. He is eligible to appear in up to 50 games for the Pistons.
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.“
Signed Second-Round Picks Now Count Against Cap
Between July 1 and July 30 of each NBA league year, a player signed using the second-round pick exception doesn’t count toward his team’s cap, but that changes as of July 31. Beginning on Thursday, each of the second-rounders signed using that exception will begin carrying 2025/26 cap hits.
[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Pick Signings]
The effect this will have on teams around the league is negligible. The only club still operating below the cap is Brooklyn, but the Nets didn’t make any second-round picks in this year’s draft and haven’t signed any second-rounders that were stashed from previous drafts, so this change won’t reduce their cap room at all.
The Nets are far from the only NBA team that hasn’t signed a second-round pick to a standard contract this offseason. In fact, only 11 of the league’s 30 clubs have done so.
The Suns, Magic, Hornets (two picks), Sixers, Lakers, Pistons, and Pacers made the top eight selections of the 2025 second round and have signed those players to standard deals, while the Pelicans (No. 40 pick Micah Peavy), Kings (No. 42 pick Maxime Raynaud), Cavaliers (No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor), and Hawks (2024’s No. 43 pick Nikola Djurisic) have joined them. The rest of this year’s second-rounders are either still unsigned, will play overseas, or agreed to two-way contracts.
None of those 11 teams surpassed an apron threshold as a result of their second-rounders’ new cap hits. For example, the Cavs would be well over the second apron with or without Proctor on their books.
Since none of those teams will see their ability to make other roster moves affected by the new cap charges, this is really more of a housekeeping note than anything.
Pistons Sign Colby Jones To Two-Way Contract
July 29: The Pistons have officially announced their two-way deal with Jones, confirming the signing in a press release (Twitter link). Jones and Tolu Smith are now on two-way contracts with the Pistons, who still have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for Daniss Jenkins too.
July 23: Free agent shooting guard Colby Jones will sign a two-way contract with the Pistons, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Jones, 23, had a strong finish to last season in Washington after being acquired from Sacramento in a three-team trade at the deadline. In 15 games with the Wizards, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25.7 minutes per night while posting .466/.308/.657 shooting numbers.
Jones was traded to Oklahoma City last month, but the Thunder immediately waived his non-guaranteed $2.22MM contract for the upcoming season.
Jones began his career with the Kings after being selected with the 34th pick in the 2023 draft. This will be his first time on a two-way contract.
The Pistons have a two-way opening, so no corresponding roster move will be required before Jones can be signed.
Eastern Notes: Peter, Krejci, Pistons, Sixers
Taelon Peter‘s two-way contract with the Pacers will cover two seasons, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks at Sports Business Classroom. Peter, the 54th overall pick in this year’s draft, is the fourth 2025 second-rounder to a sign a two-year, two-way contract, joining Rocco Zikarsky (Timberwolves), Javon Small (Grizzlies), and Kobe Sanders (Clippers).
Peter’s two-way deal includes a $85,300 partial guarantee for now, but half of his full $636,435 salary will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through the start of the regular season, Hoops Rumors has learned.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Hawks guard Vit Krejci is the lone active NBA player named to the preliminary Czech roster for this year’s EuroBasket tournament, notes Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com (Twitter link). Veteran guard Tomas Satoransky, who appeared in 388 NBA games from 2016-22, is among the other notable names representing the Czechs.
- With oddsmakers considering the Pistons the betting favorites to land Cam Thomas if he leaves Brooklyn, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press explores the possibility of the restricted free agent guard landing in Detroit but expresses skepticism it will happen. As Sankofa notes, Thomas isn’t an obvious fit on a roster that already features multiple ball-dominant guards (Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey) and likely “doesn’t check enough boxes to justify the expense.” Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report (YouTube link) also recently checked in on the Pistons as a possible suitor for Thomas and found nothing doing.
- In a mailbag for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Keith Pompey fields questions on Joel Embiid‘s and Paul George‘s trade value, why Guerschon Yabusele wasn’t moved in February if the Sixers were going to let him walk, and what the club’s backcourt rotation might look like. Pompey expects Quentin Grimes, assuming he re-signs, to start alongside Tyrese Maxey, with Kelly Oubre at small forward and Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe coming off the bench.
Latest On Raptors’ Search For New Head Of Basketball Ops
General manager Bobby Webster is running the Raptors‘ front office for now following the abrupt dismissal of Masai Ujiri at the end of June.
According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, Webster is interested in becoming Toronto’s new head of basketball operations on a permanent basis and seems to be the frontrunner to land the position, but there are a number of other candidates to monitor as well.
A source tells Grange that most of the names that have come up in the search process are “lower-tier executives” who would make sense as complementary additions working under Webster.
However, there are some veteran executives who appear to be in the mix, including Brampton native Marc Eversley, who is currently GM of the Bulls. As Grange writes, Eversley is a board member of Canada Basketball, was previously an assistant GM in Toronto, and has a solid relationship with Webster.
Pacers GM Chad Buchanan is another name on the Raptors’ radar, Grange reports.
According to Grange, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley has met with both Dwane Casey and Monte McNair about the position.
Casey is the Raptors’ former head coach and is currently an executive with the Pistons, while McNair was Sacramento’s GM for five years prior to parting ways with the organization after the 2024/25 season.
One league insider who spoke to Grange suggested that Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is MLSE’s top choice for the job, though Grange points out that lateral moves for executives under contract with other teams are difficult to pull off.
As for Ujiri, Grange says he would be “very surprised” if Toronto’s longtime former president accepted another NBA job for the upcoming season. In the future, Ujiri could be a candidate to lead an expansion team or run the NBA’s proposed European league, Grange writes.
That said, Ujiri will certainly be linked to any top executive roles that pop up in the coming months, according to Grange, who has heard speculation that the Heat could be a team to monitor, as Pat Riley recently turned 80 years old.