Cavaliers Sign Tyrese Proctor
Second-round pick Tyrese Proctor has signed with the Cavaliers, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
It’s a four-year, $8.69MM contract with full guarantees for the first two seasons, a partial guarantee for the third and a team option in the final year, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Proctor was a third-team All-ACC selection this year at Duke, where he averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 38 games. The native of New South Wales is a product of the NBA Global Academy, which he attended in 2021, and a member of the Australian national team.
Proctor, who was selected at No. 49, is Cleveland’s highest draft pick this season. Having him fill a standard roster spot on a rookie contract rather than giving him a two-way deal will provide financial benefits for a Cavs team that is hovering near the second apron.
Free Agent Rumors: Kings, Schröder, Horford, More
Finding a point guard was a top priority for the Kings when free agency opened on Monday. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), the team arranged meetings via Zoom with both Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook.
Sacramento was also planning to meet with Malcolm Brogdon, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), who notes that the Wizards would be willing to accommodate a sign-and-trade deal involving Brogdon.
The Kings may end up adding more than one point guard, with Schröder looking like a lock to be one of them. Reports leading up to free agency indicated the two sides would likely agree to a two-year deal worth the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) has since reported that Schröder will reach an agreement to sign with Sacramento.
Here are a few more free agent rumors from around the NBA:
- Al Horford is commanding a lot of attention, reports HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (via Twitter). Scotto says that the Warriors, Knicks, Nuggets, Lakers, and Cavaliers have all expressed interest in luring Horford away from the Celtics since free agency opened, but Boston is also interested in retaining him, especially after losing Luke Kornet earlier in the day to the Spurs.
- After agreeing to sign Tyus Jones to be the team’s backup point guard, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press hears that reserve big man Moritz Wagner is expected to return to the Magic (Twitter link). Orlando declined its team option on Wagner over the weekend, but retained his Bird rights. Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel echoes Reynolds’ report (via Twitter), saying that expects Wagner to re-sign with the Magic.
- The Warriors feel good about their chances of re-signing restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears (Twitter video link). Spears says the money Kuminga and his representatives are looking for does not seem to be on the market this summer, which could result in him remaining in Golden State.
Rival Teams Surprised By Statement From LeBron James’ Agent
LeBron James‘ decision to remain with the Lakers was expected, but the announcement that accompanied it has raised eyebrows around the league. James confirmed on Sunday that he’s picking up $52.6MM option to play a record-setting 23rd NBA season. The news came with a statement from agent Rich Paul indicating that James will be monitoring the team’s offseason moves to determine if it can be a title contender.
On this morning’s Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Paul gave advance notice about the statement to the Lakers and to Luka Doncic and his representatives. However, the rest of the league was caught off guard by what could be a veiled threat that James will ask for a trade if he’s not confident in the team’s direction.
“When this statement came out, I began to call teams,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “And I don’t want to get into the who and what and who I talked to, but let’s just say I identified the handful of teams that I could see LeBron trying to be traded to. I’m not going to talk about which teams I talked to, but I did not find a team who was prepared for this. In other words, all of them that I talked to, I didn’t talk to 29 teams, I talked to a handful of teams and they were all caught flat-footed by this.”
Windhorst cites the Cavaliers as an example. There’s been speculation for years that James might want to finish his career close to home and return to the franchise that he led to its only NBA title in 2016. However, Cleveland agreed to trade for Lonzo Ball on Saturday and reached a new four-year contract with Sam Merrill. As Windhorst points out, those moves don’t indicate that the Cavs have any plans to bring back James.
The mechanics of a James deal would be complex due to his no-trade clause and his salary, even in the offseason when teams have more financial flexibility. Windhorst doesn’t believe the uproar over Paul’s statement will ultimately lead to a trade.
“There’s a few players in the league you can trade LeBron for in a one-on-one scenario,” he adds, “and I’ve talked to some of those agents and they in some cases talked to the teams of their players’ teams and I’ve found nothing indicating there was anything afoot here. In terms of a transaction, in terms of a trade.”
At age 40, James doesn’t have the influence that he once did, so the Lakers responded to Sunday’s declaration with the “equivalent of a shrug emoji,” according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. Even if it signifies that this will be James’ final season in L.A. — whether he retires or not — Amick believes the organization is more focused on keeping Luka Doncic happy.
Amick adds that Doncic is expected to sign a long-term extension when he becomes eligible on August 2, whereas the Lakers seem warier about continuing to a commit a max-level salary to James beyond the coming season.
Team sources tell Amick that James and the front office didn’t discuss any deals that would have locked him up beyond 2025/26. He adds that LeBron and his representatives made it clear months ago that he wouldn’t accept a discount just to stay in L.A.
Because James signed his current contract in July 2024, he won’t become extension-eligible before he reaches free agency in 2026.
Amick states that the Lakers need to be focused on their future, which means building the team around Doncic. Amick believes L.A. is monitoring Giannis Antetokounmpo to see if he eventually asks the Bucks for a trade and notes that Nuggets executive Josh Kroenke recently considered the possibility that he might one day have to part with Nikola Jokic, though Kroenke was referencing a hypothetical “nightmare scenario.”
Austin Reaves, who recently declined a four-year, $89MM extension offer in hopes of landing a larger contract next year, appears to be another key part of the Lakers’ future, so the team will have to prepare to give him a significant raise starting next season, Amick notes.
Cavaliers Decline Team Option On Chuma Okeke
The Cavaliers are declining their team option on forward Chuma Okeke, reports Michael Scotto for HoopsHype (via Twitter). Okeke will now become an unrestricted free agent.
The 6’6″ forward, who spent the first four years of his career with the Magic, spent a majority of last season with the Knicks’ G League affiliate team, where he averaged 17.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 35.9% from three.
He then played seven games for the Sixers, averaging 24.4 minutes per game for the much-injured Philadelphia team, before being picked up by the Cavaliers.
Okeke appeared in two regular season games and three playoff contest for the Cavaliers, but only saw 38 total minutes of action. The 26-year-old will now explore his options in unrestricted free agency.
Stein’s Latest: NAW, Schröder, Jerome, Grimes, Kornet, Nuggets
The Pistons and the Hawks have been described as the two best bets to sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker away from the Timberwolves when free agency gets underway, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Both Detroit and Atlanta have previously been reported as potential suitors for Alexander-Walker, along with teams like the Clippers and Magic. The expectation is that he’ll command offers in the range of the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will start at a projected $14.1MM. He might even end up getting more than that, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
While Minnesota has expressed a desire to retain Alexander-Walker, the club has already committed to Naz Reid on a lucrative new five-year deal and is expected to retain Julius Randle as well. Re-signing Alexander-Walker to a market-value contract would likely send the Wolves’ team salary soaring beyond the second tax apron.
As for the Pistons, there has been consistent reporting this week indicating that their free agent guard Dennis Schröder may end up signing with the Kings. While Schröder didn’t exactly confirm that this weekend during a Twitch stream, he suggested he’s unlikely to return to Detroit.
“I want to stay in Detroit for sure, but Detroit ain’t waiting for me, I can tell you that much,” Schröder said (Twitter video link). “Detroit ain’t waiting for me.”
Here’s more from Stein:
- The Hornets and Grizzlies have been consistently mentioned as teams expected to pursue free agent guard Ty Jerome, according to Stein. Reporting earlier today indicated that Utah also may be in the mix for the Sixth Man of the Year finalist, who is now considered a “lock” to leave the Cavaliers, per Stein.
- Sixers restricted free agent Quentin Grimes is expected to land a starting salary of at least $16MM, Stein reports. Assuming he gets that offer from Philadelphia, it would be enough to outbid any rival suitors that might be willing to give him the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- The Clippers, who are in the market for a center to back up Ivica Zubac, are considered a team to watch for free agent big man Luke Kornet, writes Stein.
- The Nuggets, who are eyeing potential assistant coaches for David Adelman‘s staff, have been granted permission to interview Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley and have also exhibited “strong” interest in former NBA guard J.J. Barea, per Stein (Twitter links). Barea had been coaching the Guaynabo Mets in his native Puerto Rico over the past couple years before being let go last month.
Suns’ Gillepsie, Lakers’ Koloko Among Two-Way Players Receiving QOs
A series of players who finished the 2024/25 season on two-way contracts have received qualifying offers from their respective teams, making them free agents, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. Those players are as follows (all links go to Twitter):
- Isaiah Crawford, Kings (link)
- Collin Gillespie, Suns link)
- Harrison Ingram, Spurs (link)
- Daniss Jenkins, Pistons (link)
- Spencer Jones, Nuggets (link)
- Christian Koloko, Lakers (link)
- Riley Minix, Spurs (link)
- Jacob Toppin, Hawks (link)
- Luke Travers, Cavaliers (link)
- Tristan Vukcevic, Wizards (link)
- Keaton Wallace, Hawks (link)
In each case, the player’s qualifying offer is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal, with a small portion (approximately $85K) guaranteed.
While a rival team could technically sign any of these players to an offer sheet during free agency, we essentially never see that happen with two-way free agents. Most of them end up either accepting their two-way QOs or agreeing to new standard contracts with their current teams.
Gillespie, who turned 26 on Wednesday, is among the players who made a strong case for a promotion to a standard contract this past season. He averaged 5.9 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game for Phoenix across 33 appearances (nine starts) and made 43.3% of his three-point tries.
Koloko (2.4 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 37 games), Vukcevic (9.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and .496/.373/.776 shooting in 35 games), and Wallace (5.4 PPG and 2.6 APG in 31 games) also played rotation minutes for their respective clubs in 2024/25.
Sunday is the deadline for teams to make qualifying offers to players who are eligible for restricted free agency.
Jazz Reportedly Interested In Ty Jerome
The Jazz are among the teams hoping to sign free agent guard Ty Jerome, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG.
The Cavaliers would prefer to keep the 27-year-old shooting guard, who’s coming off the best season of his career. However, they made several moves this week that indicate they might be preparing for his departure.
Cleveland added backcourt depth on Saturday by agreeing to a trade that will send Isaac Okoro to Chicago in exchange for Lonzo Ball. The Cavs also drafted Duke guard Tyrese Proctor with the 49th pick on Thursday and reached an early free agent agreement with guard Sam Merrill.
Cleveland is currently projected to have a payroll well above the second apron in 2025/26. A new contract with Jerome would result in significant luxury tax penalties.
Utah, which is in the market for experienced backcourt help, looks like a natural suitor. Sources tell Afseth that Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, who are both entering the final year of their contracts, are considered to be trade candidates this summer. He adds that the team has “explored scenarios” involving both players.
Afseth also points out that the Jazz opted to pass on point guard Jeremiah Fears in the draft, even though they had expressed interest in him during the pre-draft process. They took forward Ace Bailey instead, which leaves an opportunity to upgrade the backcourt through trades or free agency.
Jerome was a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year honors after averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 70 games.
Cavs Re-Sign Sam Merrill To Four-Year Deal
July 6: Merrill’s four-year contract with the Cavaliers is now official, according to the team.
June 28: The Cavaliers and free agent guard Sam Merrill have agreed to a four-year, $38MM contract that will keep him in Cleveland, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN.
After spending some time in Milwaukee and Memphis at the beginning of his NBA career, Merrill has been with the Cavs for the past two-plus seasons. He initially signing a 10-day contract in March 2023 before receiving a multiyear minimum-salary commitment that has turned into a bargain for Cleveland.
Merrill, 29, established himself as a regular rotation player in 2023/24 and continued to play consistent minutes for the Cavs in ’24/25 as they racked up 64 regular season wins. Across those two years, he averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 18.7 minutes per game, with a 38.8% mark on 5.5 three-point attempts per night.
In addition to providing important floor spacing for the Cavs, Merrill took a step forward as a defender this past season, earning kudos from coaches and teammates for his effort on that side of the ball. He ranked 35th in our list of 2025’s top 50 free agents.
There was some uncertainty about whether Cleveland would be able to re-sign Merrill due to the team’s rising payroll. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link) wrote this morning that there had been a “pessimistic tone coming from the organization” about its odds of retaining Merrill and/or his fellow free agent Ty Jerome, though Fedor did say that re-signing one of the two remained in play.
Given that the Cavs reached a trade agreement for a point guard (Lonzo Ball) earlier in the day and has now struck a deal with Merrill, the odds of Jerome re-signing look increasingly slim. He’s believed to be seeking a contract that starts at or around the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Already projected to operate over the second tax apron next season, Cleveland will now move even further above that threshold. Cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link) estimates that re-signing Merrill will increase the Cavs’ tax penalty next season by about $50MM, to nearly $143MM, though that number is just a projection and could increase or decrease depending on what other moves the teams make.
Bulls Trade Lonzo Ball To Cavaliers For Isaac Okoro
July 6: The one-for-one trade is official, according to a Bulls press release.
June 28: The Bulls are trading point guard Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for forward Isaac Okoro, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, has played for Chicago since 2021. However, due to multiple knee injuries, he spent the better part of those four years recovering. He missed the entirety of the 2022/23 and ’23/24 seasons before returning to the lineup this past year.
While his playing time was down from his career averages this season, he still recorded 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per night and had positive on/off-court numbers.
The Bulls signed Ball to a two-year, $20MM extension in February despite trade interest at the time. He’s on the books for $10MM this coming season and has a team option for 2026/27.
Acquiring Ball gives Cleveland a versatile guard to add to its lineup. The 27-year-old has proven to be an effective defender, shooter and facilitator when healthy. The Cavs’ decision to acquire a point guard could also point to pessimism in their ability to re-sign impending free agent Ty Jerome.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are taking a flier of their own in obtaining former No. 5 overall pick Okoro. The Cavaliers didn’t re-sign Okoro to a multi-year contract until September of last year after he became a restricted free agent following the 2023/24 season.
Okoro’s playing time decreased in new head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s system, and he averaged career lows of 6.1 points and 19.1 minutes per game. In the playoffs, Okoro’s averages shrunk to 4.6 PPG across 14.2 MPG.
He’ll be in the second year of the three-year, $33MM deal he inked with Cleveland last year. He’ll count for $11MM against the cap in 2025/26 before his salary rises to a guaranteed $11.8MM next season.
Ball drew interest on the trade market prior to February’s deadline, with the Grizzlies, Pistons, and Timberwolves said to be among the teams to register interest at that time. The Bulls were reportedly offered draft capital in February, but didn’t want to take on a sizable multiyear contract.
Assuming the Ball/Okoro swap is completed as reported, it will hard-cap the Bulls at the first tax apron for the rest of the 2025/26 league year, since they’ll be taking in more salary than they’re sending out. The trade will become official in July, after the players’ new cap hits take effect.
And-Ones: 2025 Draft Grades, 2026 Class, France, Gabriel
Five teams earned ‘A’ grades on Sam Vecenie’s post-draft report card for The Athletic, including four teams who had picks in the top six. The fifth team to earn an A was the Hawks, primarily for landing an unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the Pelicans to drop 10 spots in the middle of the first round.
Another 18 teams earned ‘B-‘ to ‘B+’ grades, meaning they mostly met or exceeded the value expected at their respective draft slots. Multiple clubs who only had second-round picks, like the Cavaliers and Warriors, found themselves in this tier. A few teams who ended up landing players who slid from pre-draft projections also ended up in this group, with the Jazz getting Ace Bailey at No. 5, the Heat landing Kasparas Jakucionis at No. 20 and the Thunder getting Thomas Sorber at No. 15.
That left five teams to earn a mark of ‘C’ or lower from Vecenie (Houston and Denver did not make any selections). The Pelicans were marked down for the haul they gave up to move up from No. 23 to No. 13 and select Derik Queen. The Nets were questioned for making three selections – Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf – with positional overlap, while the Knicks earned a middling grade for selecting a stash player who may not make it to the league.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The 2026 draft looks to be loaded on paper, with a strong blend of returners who would have been drafted this year and high-level incoming talent. In ESPN’s first full 2026 mock draft, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Darryn Peterson of Kansas as the No. 1 overall pick. A.J. Dybantsa (BYU), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Nate Ament (Tennessee) and Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) round out their top five. Among returning college players, Jayden Quaintance (No. 6, Kentucky) and Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 14, Michigan) are the highest-ranking.
- Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report‘s top three looks identical to ESPN’s, but he has Arizona’s Koa Peat at No. 4 in his first 2026 mock draft. Another significant difference between the two boards is Baylor wing Tounde Yessoufou‘s spot — Wasserman has him at No. 6, but ESPN places him at No. 23.
- France has named its 18-man preliminary roster for EuroBasket 2025, per the team (Twitter link). Bilal Coulibaly, Moussa Diabate, Ousmane Dieng, Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr and Guerschon Yabusele are the current NBA players on the roster. Former NBAers on the team include Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Frank Ntilikina and Theo Maledon, among others.
- Former NBA player Wenyen Gabriel is leaving Panathinaikos to sign with Bayern Munich in Germany, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Gabriel played his first EuroLeague season in 2024/25, averaging 6.0 points per game, and will remain in the league by signing with Bayern. The 6’9″ big man played 150 NBA games from 2019-24 across stints with the Lakers, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Kings and others. He averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.4 RPG for his career.