Ron Harper Jr. Released By Pistons
Forward Ron Harper Jr., who was on a two-way contract, has been released by the Pistons, according to the official transaction log at NBA.com (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
Harper, who went undrafted out of Rutgers in 2022, spent his first year-and-a-half in the NBA on two-way contracts with the Raptors. Toronto released him in December 2023, and he was a free agent until he signed a training camp deal with Boston last summer.
The 25-year-old didn’t make the Celtics’ standard roster for 2024/25, having been waived last October. He caught on with the Pistons in early January, but only appeared in one NBA game with Detroit.
A 6’6″ wing, Harper spent the majority of last season in the NBA G League, averaging 16.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG and 0.9 SPG in 37 total appearances with the Motor City Cruise and Maine Celtics (29.6 MPG). He shot 38.6% from three-point range on high volume (8.2 attempts per game).
The Pistons have a two-way qualifying offer on the table for Daniss Jenkins and are reportedly signing Colby Jones on a two-way deal as well. If Jenkins returns on a two-way contract, all three of their spots will be filled.
Harper only has three years of NBA experience, so he remains eligible for a two-way deal with another team. Harper is the son of former NBA veteran Ron Harper and the older brother of Dylan Harper, who was selected No. 2 overall by the Spurs in last month’s draft.
And-Ones: Biggest Mistakes, Summer League Standouts, More
As effectively managed as some NBA teams have been in recent years, all 30 clubs have made at least a few moves they regret, according to Zach Kram of ESPN.com, who runs through some of the biggest missteps of the 2020s and names the most glaring mistake each team has made this decade.
Kram’s list begins with “small-scale problems,” like the Cavaliers not giving Isaiah Hartenstein a qualifying offer in 2021 and the Knicks signing Evan Fournier to a $73MM contract in 2021, before advancing to “draft disasters” – such as the Celtics trading the draft rights to No. 30 pick Desmond Bane – and miscellaneous midtier mistakes,” including the Pistons giving Monty Williams the largest head coaching contract in league history.
Kram’s final two categories are “too high a cost for too little reward” and “franchise-altering terrible trades.” The top two mistakes on his list are the Mavericks moving Luka Doncic and the Suns giving up the assets they did to land Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic shares his biggest takeaways from this month’s Summer League games, including identifying Tolu Smith of the Pistons, Nae’Qwan Tomlin of the Cavaliers, and Drew Timme of the Nets as players to watch going forward. Hollinger also mentions Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski, Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr., Pistons forward Ron Holland, Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell, and Cavaliers wing Jaylon Tyson as the players who showed they were “too good for summer league.”
- While Summer League success doesn’t always carry over to the subsequent regular season, scouts around the NBA find July’s games “extremely valuable” for evaluating players, as Tobias Bass of The Athletic writes. “Before the draft, no matter what your opinion is about a player or how analytics project him to be, it’s always interesting to see how competitive they are once they get to summer league,” one Western Conference scout told Bass. “How quickly they pick up terminology, are they culture fits and can they keep the main thing the main thing? Can they be attentive, on time and professional, especially with all the distractions in Vegas?”
- Keith Smith of Spotrac empties out his notebook after traveling to Las Vegas for Summer League, sharing quotes from coaches, scouts, and executives about each of the NBA’s Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams.
Central Notes: Pistons Offseason, Robinson, Buzelis, Prince
There’s still some unfinished business for the Pistons this offseason, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes in a subscriber-only story.
They could use a proven floor-spacer who can play power forward after trading Simone Fontecchio. Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland could attempt to fill that role behind starter Tobias Harris, but they’re undersized for that position.
The Pistons have a $14.3MM trade exception at their disposal, courtesy of their sign-and-trade transaction with Sacramento involving Dennis Schröder. They could use it in a variety of ways but don’t necessarily need to take advantage of it this offseason, since it doesn’t expire until next summer, Sankofa notes. They also must try to finalize rookie scale extensions with starters Jalen Duren and Jaden Ivey.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Acquired by the Pistons in a sign-and-trade with Miami, Duncan Robinson told Hunter Patterson of The Athletic that he works on the mental aspects of the game as much as his physical skills. “Having resilience has been, sort of, the calling card of who I aspire to be,” he said. “I’m a big believer in that, learning how to deal with setbacks and challenges is a skill as much as shooting or dribbling. And the skill is honed and acquired through repetition. The only way you can get better at dealing with it is having gone through it. So, that’s one area of my career where I feel like I’ve been very fortunate is that from a young age. … I was challenged early on, (asking myself), ‘Is this what you want to do? Is this what you want to be?’ And I always just kept coming back to, ‘Yeah, I mean, this is. I love basketball more than anything. It’s what I do, not necessarily who I am. But in terms of the game itself, it’s given me more than I ever could imagine.”
- During his second NBA season, Bulls forward Matas Buzelis will be tasked with initiating the offense and being a creator much more often than he was as a rookie, according to Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. Buzelis got a taste of that during his two Summer League games, as plays were drawn up for him with that in mind. “Being a primary, secondary ball handler is like second nature to me,” he said. “I used to play (point guard) when I was younger, so it’s not really anything new to me. I think it’s just going to get better with time.”
- Forward Taurean Prince waived his implied no-trade clause in his two-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Bucks, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Prince signed the contract earlier this month. As Smith explains, Prince had an implied no-trade clause because the second year includes a player option and and he would lose his Early Bird rights if he’s traded and opts out.
NBA Names Kyle Filipowski Summer League MVP, Announces All-SL Teams
Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski has officially been named the Summer League Most Valuable Player for 2025, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). Filipowski is also one of five players who earned a spot on the All-Summer League first team.
Here are the full All-Summer League teams, per the league (Twitter links):
First Team
- Kyle Filipowski (Jazz)
- Nique Clifford (Kings)
- David Jones-Garcia (Spurs)
- Jordan Miller (Clippers)
- Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves)
Second Team
- Ron Holland (Pistons)
- Isaac Jones (Kings)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- Ajay Mitchell (Thunder)
- KJ Simpson (Hornets)
Filipowski, who is entering his second NBA season after playing 72 games as a rookie, appeared in a total of six Summer League contests (Salt Lake City and Las Vegas). He averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. He especially excelled in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG in three outings.
Clifford, a rookie drafted with the No. 24 pick last month, posted averages of 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in six contests. Jones-Garcia, who is seeking a contract, finished an eight-game summer campaign with averages of 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He posted averages of 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in a handful of games in Vegas.
Miller (22.0, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists) racked up impressive number in five summer games after being waived earlier this month by the Clippers. Entering his second season with Minnesota, Shannon (22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists) excelled in three contests.
After competing in the Summer League championship game on Sunday, both the Hornets (Knueppel and Simpson) and Kings (Clifford and Jones) had multiple players recognized for their play in Las Vegas. Knueppel was named the MVP of the championship game.
And-Ones: Summer League, Clifford, Barton, Apron Teams
The Kings and Raptors will square off in one of the semifinal matchups at the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday, while the Thunder and Hornets will match up in the other semifinal, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).
Those clubs are four of the six who have gone undefeated in Vegas and earned spots in the final four due to their point differential edge over the 4-0 Timberwolves and Hawks. The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will play in the Summer League championship game on Sunday night before the event wraps up.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- As impressive as No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was during his brief stint with the Mavericks‘ Summer League team, Kings guard Nique Clifford beat Flagg out as the best rookie in Las Vegas, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. Pelton also names Trail Blazers big man Yang Hansen the “most intriguing” rookie in Summer League, Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears as the slowest-starting rookie, and Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski as the best second-year performer.
- Veteran guard Will Barton, who spent 11 seasons in the NBA from 2012-23, is joining the DMV Trilogy in the BIG3 and will make his debut for the 3×3 team this Sunday, according to a report from Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Barton hasn’t been on an NBA roster since finishing a rest-of-season contract with Toronto in 2023. The 34-year-old has played in Spain, Puerto Rico, and China since then.
- In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a look at which teams are members of the NBA’s “apron club” this season and which clubs are positioned to cross that threshold within the next year or two if they don’t end up shedding salary.
- The Pistons‘ acquisition of sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, the Heat‘s trade for swingman Norman Powell, and the Pacers‘ addition of big man Jay Huff are a few of the top “under-the-radar” moves that have been made so far this offseason, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Eastern Notes: Sexton, Holland, Anthony, Embiid, Bassey
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.
Eastern Notes: Robinson, Richardson, Embiid, Dadiet
The Pistons defeated the Heat three times last season in hotly contested games and that made a strong impression on Duncan Robinson, who was acquired from Miami by Detroit in a sign-and-trade.
“Heat versus Pistons, it feels like every single one had some sort of crazy finish,” he told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “The thing that sticks out about this group is the physicality, the toughness and how hard they play. And honestly how they share the ball. That’s the type of system you want to play in, those are the types of guys you want to be around.”
Robinson will be joining forces with Caris LeVert, who was signed to a two-year deal as a free agent. They were teammates at the University of Michigan.
“Caris and I were really good friends in college and we’ve kept up that way pretty much across our entire careers,” Robinson said. “He’s an incredible player obviously. One of the best people I’ve ever been around in terms of a teammate. I’m excited to be back with him. Outside of competing against him I didn’t really know any of these guys too well and they’ve been super welcoming. It is nice to have somebody joining me who also will be new who I do know really well. So that’ll be good.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Jase Richardson is making his presence felt in Summer League competition. The Magic rookie guard has averaged 16.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds in two games. Richardson slipped to the No. 25 pick after some believed he might go in the lottery. “I can do a lot of things in that [position],” Richardson said about driving downhill, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “I can score for myself, I can get my teammates involved and a lot of different ways I can get a bucket for the team.”
- The Sixers‘ roster is being built with the notion that the team will have to overcome inevitable absences of superstar center Joel Embiid, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. That includes the drafting of VJ Edgecombe in the lottery, the addition of free agent power forward Trendon Watford and the injury return of Jared McCain. Those additions should provide additional offensive versatility to complement star guard Tyrese Maxey.
- Knicks 2024 first-rounder Pacome Dadiet had an injury scare in Summer League. The 19-year-old wing departed a contest with left foot soreness. It turned out to be a big toe issue but there was no structural damage, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets.
Central Notes: Giannis, Turner, Pacers, Lanier, Holland
Appearing on a live stream in Greece on Thursday with YouTube personality IShowSpeed, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked if his plan is to remain in Milwaukee going forward.
“Probably,” Antetokounmpo said (Twitter video link). “We’ll see. Probably. I love Milwaukee.”
While any public statement that Antetokounmpo makes about his future is notable, it’s hard to draw any definitive conclusions from those brief comments — they’re pretty much what you’d expect him to say if he hasn’t requested a trade but also hasn’t yet decisively committed to not asking for a trade. And by all accounts, that’s where his situation currently stands.
As we wait for a more conclusive update on Giannis’ future, the Bucks and their fans can take solace in the “probably” part of his response on Thursday, while potential suitors will likely be emboldened by the “we’ll see.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- After signing with the Bucks on Monday following 10 years in Indiana, Myles Turner published a farewell to Pacers fans on his Instagram account on Thursday. “This chapter is closing, but the respect and love I have for this city and its people is forever,” Turner wrote within a much longer statement. “Thank you Indy, from the bottom of my heart. I mean it when I say The 317 will always be home. And I’ve been proud to call myself a Hoosier! I hope you continue to embrace me as much as I’ve always embraced you!”
- Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star shares three takeaways from the Pacers‘ victory in their first Las Vegas Summer League game on Thursday, noting that two-way players RayJ Dennis (26 points, nine assists) and Quenton Jackson (24 points on 8-of-10 shooting) were among the standouts. It would be a boon for the Pacers if Dennis emerges as a reliable option at the NBA level, Dopirak observes, since the team will be on the lookout for additional point guard depth with Tyrese Haliburton out for the entire 2025/26 season.
- Pistons second-round pick Chaz Lanier believes he’s capable of “immediately” playing a role for his new NBA team as a rookie, he told reporters during his introductory press conference this week. “Coming in to do whatever they need me to do,” Lanier said, per Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News. “Coming in and making shots when I need to. … I am a shooter first, that is what I hang my hat on; putting the ball in the basket. However, I believe that at the NBA level, you need to be able to make an impact on defense. That is how I plan on making my mark.”
- Pistons forward Ron Holland, who turned 20 on Monday, was pleased that he was able to earn an every-game rotation role as a rookie last season, but he feels like he “left a lot on the table” and “could’ve done more,” as Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press relays (subscription required). “That’s definitely putting a chip on my shoulder and being able to go into next season trying to thrive and get better every single day,” Holland said.
Eastern Notes: White, Langdon, Beasley, Johnson, Jakucionis
The Celtics traded away two starters this offseason and Derrick White‘s four-year, $118MM extension has kicked in for 2025/26. But he was reasonably sure he wouldn’t be dealt, he told Chris Forsberg of the Celtics Talk Podcast (hat tip to Brian Robb of Masslive.com).
“I think every summer is pretty crazy, especially nowadays,” White said. “But I didn’t feel too worried about anything. My agent and Brad (Stevens) had been talking and all the other rumors and stuff, I wasn’t really too worried about. I mean, I feel like it’s cool to be wanted by other teams, but I wanted to stay in Boston, and I was glad they wanted to keep me.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Pistons top exec Trajan Langdon admitted that the gambling investigation involving Malik Beasley news left them “not much time” to pivot,” Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press tweets. The Pistons pulled their three-year, $42MM offer to Beasley, an unrestricted free agent, when the news broke. “I was able to communicate with Malik and his agent Saturday, which was obviously right before we could start talking to free agents on Sunday,” Langdon said. “It was disappointing for us, because we were excited to get him back.”
- Lottery pick Tre Johnson strives for greatness, which is one big reason why the Wizards are excited about his future, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. “I really don’t have too much of a life outside of basketball, and that was literally a choice up to me because of just how good I wanted to be,” Johnson said.
- Kasparas Jakucionis, the Heat‘s first-round pick, had a rough time at the California Classic Summer League, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. He score just 12 points on 1-of-15 (6.7%) shooting from the field, including 0-of-11 from three-point range, in his first three summer league games. However, he’s not panicking over his showing. “I think I need to just settle in more, play at my own pace, don’t get sped up too much as I was these three games,” Jakucionis said. “I didn’t feel myself in those games. But I think that’s normal. It’s a process, so I’m just happy to be here, happy to be able to learn from coaches, from other guys by working out, watching film and just understanding the game.”
Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup
The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).
In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.
For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.
Here are the groups for the 2025 NBA Cup:
- West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Sacramento Kings (9), Phoenix Suns (11), Utah Jazz (15)
- West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (3), Los Angeles Clippers (5), Memphis Grizzlies (8), Dallas Mavericks (10), New Orleans Pelicans (14)
- West Group C: Houston Rockets (2), Denver Nuggets (4), Golden State Warriors (7), Portland Trail Blazers (12), San Antonio Spurs (13)
- East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers (1), Indiana Pacers (4), Atlanta Hawks (8), Toronto Raptors (11), Washington Wizards (15)
- East Group B: Boston Celtics (2), Detroit Pistons (6), Orlando Magic (7), Brooklyn Nets (12), Philadelphia 76ers (13)
- East Group C: New York Knicks (3), Milwaukee Bucks (5), Chicago Bulls (9), Miami Heat (10), Charlotte Hornets (14)
The round-robin group play games will be starting a little earlier than usual this season and will run from October 31 to November 28. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.
The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.
The quarterfinals will be played on December 9-10, with the semifinals and final to follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively, in Las Vegas. The knockout round games will all be aired by one of the NBA’s new broadcasting partners, Amazon Prime.
The Bucks won last season’s NBA Cup, with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earning MVP honors after leading Milwaukee to a victory over the Thunder in the championship game.