Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included Jonathan Kuminga's contract standoff with the Warriors, Alperen Sengun's outstanding EuroBasket performance, the impact of the Aspiration probe on the Clippers, Anthony Edwards' potential emergence as an MVP candidate and more!
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Pistons' roster needs, Ben Simmons' future, the Bulls' plans for the trade deadline, how long Devin Booker will remain in Phoenix and more!
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...
While exceptions are permitted for up to two weeks at a time and up to 28 total days in a given season, an NBA team is generally required to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts.
The maximum standard roster size is 15 players, and many clubs will carry a full 15-man squad into the regular season -- the Thunder, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Hornets, Jazz, and Wizards all already have at least 15 players on guaranteed contracts, for example.
But a number of teams will leave their 15th roster spot open at the start of the season to maximize their roster and financial flexibility. And a handful of clubs are expected to leave that 15th spot unfilled because they literally don't have the ability to fill it -- currently, five teams are operating so closer to their respective hard caps that they're unable to legally sign a 15th man to their rosters.
We're taking a closer look at those five clubs in the space below, exploring how much wiggle room they have below their hard caps, how they got to this point, and when they'll be able to add a 15th player if their cap situations remain unchanged.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Hornets' play-in chances, Matt Ishbia's new philosophy in Phoenix, the Knicks' pursuit of Malik Beasley, the future in Washington and more!
There are still several free agents who will sign contracts that include fully guaranteed 2025/26 salaries - Dru Smith was the most recent to do so - but many of the deals being finalized in mid-August are of the non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed variety.
Javonte Green recently signed a minimum-salary contract with the Pistons, for example, that carries a partial guarantee of $925K. Meanwhile, Kessler Edwards - who gave the Mavericks good minutes in the second half of last season - settled for a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Nuggets. Amir Coffey, a solid rotation player for the Clippers in 2024/25, reportedly signed a similar deal with the Bucks, as did Caleb Houstan with the Hawks.
Green, Edwards, Coffey, and Houstan are examples of free agents who flew mostly under the radar this summer before finding new homes on pretty team-friendly deals.
We've spent the past few weeks focusing more on the big-name restricted free agents still on the market - Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes, and Cam Thomas - as well as several notable unsigned veterans, including Al Horford, Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons, and Malcolm Brogdon. Malik Beasley should join that group now that he's no longer the target of a federal gambling investigation.
But beyond those top remaining free agents, there are still a number of quality role players available who are capable of earning roster spots and possibly rotation minutes this fall.
Today, we're highlighting eight of those under-the-radar free agents whose landing spots are worth monitoring ahead of training camps this fall. Let's dive in...
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Sixers' bumpy offseason, the Bulls' decision to pass on Derik Queen, Dean Wade's future in Cleveland, a potential breakthrough in Orlando and more!
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Knicks' options with their open roster spots, the Clippers' omission from the Christmas Day schedule, the Thunder's chances to set the regular season win record, Trae Young's future in Atlanta and more!
The NBA's offseason news wire has slowed down since Summer League ended, but there's still no shortage of storylines to follow in August. Since the month began, Luka Doncic, De'Aaron Fox, and Mikal Bridges have signed lucrative new extensions, and top restricted free agents like Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes, and Cam Thomas are still working on new contracts.
As we await further updates on the summer's top remaining free agents and extension candidates, I'm taking a closer look today at some of the stories that have caught my eye as of late. That includes taking a closer look at how the new luxury tax rates are affecting projected tax bills, how the extend-and-trade rules might affect players traded this summer, and whether a Kuminga/Giddey double sign-and-trade could really work.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included Jonathan Kuminga's standoff with the Warriors, De'Aaron Fox's future after signing an extension, new speculation about Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Lakers' strategy of focusing on the 2027 free agent class and more!