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Pacific Notes: Lakers, Kuminga, DJJ, Suns, Micic

September 11th, 2025 at 6:42pm CST by Luke Adams

After stating in mid-July that he was “pretty confident” the Lakers weren’t interested in Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, Dan Woike of The Athletic confirms reporting from Marc Stein, writing that the Lakers appear more inclined to pursue an upgrade on the wing – including a player like Wiggins – in the wake of Luka Doncic‘s long-term commitment to the team. Doncic signed a three-year, maximum-salary extension with Los Angeles last month.

Although the Lakers seem more open to taking on contracts that run beyond the 2025/26 season in the right deal, they also may want to see how new additions like Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia look this fall before they cash in any of their limited trade assets, Woike cautions.

The Lakers can currently only trade one future first-round pick, either their 2031 or 2032 selection.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Checking in on where things stand between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area says the restricted free agent forward continues to show little interest in Golden State’s two-year, $45MM offer that includes a second-year team option and requires him to waive his right to veto a trade. In Poole’s view, Kuminga signing his $7.98MM qualifying offer remains the most likely outcome.
An arbitrator has ruled that Derrick Jones Jr.‘s former agent, Aaron Turner, is entitled to his full 4% commission ($1.2MM) on the three-year, $30MM contract the veteran forward signed with the Clippers in 2024, per NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). Jones made an agent change right around the time he entered free agency last summer.
Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays several of the most notable comments that former Suns point guard Vasilije Micic made during a recent appearance on the X&O’s Chat (YouTube link), including Micic’s impressions of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, and his thoughts on why Phoenix fell well short of its expectations. “Why didn’t they succeed?” the Serbian guard said in his native language. “It was a bit of everything. Issues with the coach, issues with working together, which I don’t even know what it was.”

Rockets Notes: Eason, Durant, Playing Time, Owens, Sengun

September 10th, 2025 at 9:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

Many people around the league believe the Rockets will work out a long-term extension with Tari Eason before finalizing a new deal with Kevin Durant, according to William Guillory of The Athletic.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently reported that Durant and the Rockets are expected to reach an extension agreement at some point.

Eason has an expiring contract — the Rockets exercised a $5.68MM club option on the final year of his rookie deal for 2025/26. The fourth-year forward averaged a career-high 12.0 points and 1.7 steals per game while making 57 appearances last season.

Here’s more on the Rockets:

In the same story, Guillory opines about a pleasant dilemma: Does Houston have too many good players? Guillory believes coach Ime Udoka will have a difficult time figuring out how to divvy up minutes among so many players capable of heavy minutes on a good team.
Mark Owens, a Houston-area boxing trainer, has become a vital asset to the Rockets — the team’s director of performance, Willie Cruz, describes Owens as “an extension of our strength coaches.” Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle (subscription required) profiles how Owens, who served a federal prison term, turned his life around and helped the Rockets become one of the more physical teams in the league.
Former Sixers forward Furkan Korkmaz is playing alongside Rockets center Alperen Sengun for Turkey in the EuroBasket tournament. Korkmaz called Sengun, not Joel Embiid, the best center he’s played with in his career. “He’s a special kid and every day he’s trying to give his maximum,” he said in a video posted by Eurohoops Turkey.

And-Ones: Top Newcomers, Realignment, McGrady, St. Bonnie’s

September 9th, 2025 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With most of the NBA’s offseason action now in the books, Chris Herring and Kevin Pelton of ESPN identify the 14 NBA “newcomers” whose changes of scenery will have the greatest impact in 2025/26.

There are no surprises at the top of the list, which features new Rockets forward Kevin Durant at No. 1, Magic guard Desmond Bane at No. 2, and Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson at No. 3. However, Herring and Pelton deviate a little from expectations at No. 4 by including a head coach: Mike Brown of the Knicks. As Herring writes, it’s possible no coach in the league will face more “title-or-bust pressure” than Brown in his first year on the job.

Lakers center Deandre Ayton rounds out the top five on the 14-man list, which – outside of Brown – is made up exclusively of players.

We have more from around the basketball world:

What might NBA realignment look like if the league were to expand to Las Vegas and Seattle? Zach Harper of The Athletic takes a closer look at that topic, exploring scenarios in which either the Timberwolves, Pelicans, or Grizzlies move to the Eastern Conference and considering how the league might shuffle its divisions around in each hypothetical case.
Former NBA star Tracy McGrady has signed a new endorsement deal to reunite with Adidas, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two parties are expected to work with longtime sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro to revive the ABCD (Academic Betterment and Career Development) Camp. As Charania explains in a follow-up tweet, the ABCD Camp was a youth basketball camp that ran for over two decades from 1984-2006 and featured several future stars, including McGrady himself.
The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program will host its first ever pro day on Saturday, October 11 at the NBPA training facility in Manhattan, according to a press release from the school. “The first Bonnies Pro Day is a tremendous opportunity for NBA and G League front office executives to scout our players in a competitive practice and workout environment,” former ESPN reporter and current St. Bonnie’s general manager Adrian Wojnarowski said in a statement.

Texas Notes: Irving, Mavericks’ Arena, Spurs’ Arena, Rockets

August 23rd, 2025 at 9:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on the Mixed Signals podcast (Twitter link), former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gave credit to an unexpected source for helping to bring Kyrie Irving to the team in a 2023 trade. Cuban said ESPN’s Shams Charania, who was with The Athletic at the time, played an important role in making the deal possible.

“He was a big help with us getting Kyrie when we traded for Kyrie,” Cuban said, “and for us extending him when we extended because he had a great relationship with Kyrie’s agent.”

Teams were reluctant to trade for Irving at the time due to his contract and his troubled reputation in Brooklyn. But he became a star again after coming to Dallas and helped the Mavs reach the 2024 NBA Finals. He’s currently recovering from a torn ACL with hopes of returning at some point this season.

Charania broke the news of Irving’s trade to Dallas, and Cuban stated that they often exchanged valuable information.

“The flip side of it was, he would help educate me about other things happening around the league,” Cuban added. “So, we had a great relationship. He knew when not to ask, and I knew when not to ask about other teams because he wouldn’t tell me. But there were certain things he would tell me as it related to players and what their interests were.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The City of Dallas hired a commercial real estate investment and development company to find a site for the Mavericks to build a new arena, according to Everton Bailey Jr. and Nick Wooten of The Dallas Morning News. The team’s lease at American Airlines Center will expire in 2031, and the new ownership group has expressed interest in a basketball-first facility.
Spurs managing partner Peter Holt posted a message on NBA.com about a potential $1.3 billion project to build a new arena in downtown San Antonio. The team has pledged to commit $500MM and cover any unforeseen costs, while the city has agreed to provide up to $489MM. City council authorized the project earlier this week, but the final decision will be up to Bexar County voters in November. “This will be a true public-private partnership,” Holt wrote. “The arena will be publicly owned, funded by visitors, and built to revitalize our downtown, create jobs and give future generations a place to celebrate together.”
The Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s G League affiliate, announced in a press release that they have agreed to a trade with the Iowa Wolves. Austin received the 13th pick in this year’s draft in exchange for the returning player rights of Luke Avdalovic, Justin Smith, a second-round pick in 2026 and a 2026 international draft selection.
Rockets fans are very optimistic about the upcoming season, with nearly two-thirds expecting at least a spot in the Western Conference Finals, Kelly Iko of The Athletic states in sharing the results of a survey that attracted more than 700 responses. The trade for Kevin Durant drew an almost unanimously positive reaction, with 50.1% cautiously optimistic and 47% extremely excited.

Windhorst: Kevin Durant, Rockets Expected To Reach Extension

August 22nd, 2025 at 9:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Rockets and Kevin Durant haven’t yet come to terms on an extension following the Rockets’ trade for the 36-year-old former MVP.

While there has been speculation that Houston is unlikely to offer Durant a full max deal and that the star forward is comfortable heading into the season without a new contract in place, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that there is a belief that the two sides will, in fact, come to terms on an extension sooner or later.

Windhorst cites a source that confirms the two sides have had discussions about an extension and believes such a deal will materialize, though he reiterates that Durant may need to take a deal less than the max to stay a Rocket long-term.

Durant is still a massively talented player, averaging 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 62 games last season while shooting 43% from three and earning his 15th All-Star nod. However, Windhorst writes that rather than seeing Durant as the centerpiece of their team, the Rockets view him as the final puzzle piece meant to turn their already highly talented roster, which secured the No. 2 seed in the West last season, into a true contender.

The Rockets signed Jabari Smith Jr. to a five-year extension and re-upped Fred VanVleet on a one-plus-one deal this summer. They also signed Alperen Sengun to a five-year extension last summer. Meanwhile, Tari Eason is currently extension-eligible, and Amen Thompson will follow suit in 2026. The team will likely need to be deliberate with its spending to avoid crowding its books in a way that makes it prohibitively expensive to keep the core together.

Rockets Notes: Durant, Sengun, Green, Schedule

August 18th, 2025 at 10:52am CST by Arthur Hill

Although there were expectations that Kevin Durant would sign an extension shortly after being traded, that still hasn’t happened and there are no indications that he and the Rockets are close to a new deal. Nearly two months after the trade with Phoenix was first announced, Durant remains on a path toward free agency next summer with a $54.7MM expiring contract.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon recently suggested that Houston isn’t likely to offer Durant a full max deal, and that Durant and his representatives may not push for it. He added that the Rockets won’t panic if Durant begins the season without a new agreement in place.

Amid that background, Keith Smith of Spotrac speculates on what Durant’s next contract might look like. With an expiring deal in place, he’ll be eligible for a two-year extension through June 30 and can make up to $120,463,616 ($57,915,200 in 2026/27 and $62,548,416 in 2027/28). That figure would start at 35% of the cap.

If Durant lets his contract expire, he would be eligible for a three-year max deal with a total value of $187,645,248 that avoids the complications of the Over-38 rule. Another possibility is a one-plus-one contract that would result in the same figures as the extension.

With Durant believed to be more focused on winning than maximizing his earnings, Smith believes a two-year, $100MM compromise is realistic. Durant would make $50MM per season and would likely receive a player option that gives him the freedom to reconsider his situation in the summer of 2027.

There’s more on the Rockets:

In an interview with Turkish reporter Socrates Dergi (YouTube link), Alperen Sengun shares his reaction to the Durant trade and his first message to his new teammate (hat tip to Fadeaway World). “I gave him two weeks to settle in first, then I messaged him,” Sengun said. “I told him, ‘Welcome to the team, I can’t wait to play with you. We’re gonna have a great year.’ He replied immediately, saying, ‘We’re going to do great stuff this year.'” Sengun also recalled a conversation he had with Durant during a recent Rockets-Suns game: “Last season, I told him one game, ‘Don’t come to double me, let me play one on one.’ He said, ‘No way, you’re an All-Star now. You’re no longer going to play one-on-one. Get used to it.’”
In the same interview, Sengun talked about the loss of Jalen Green, who was sent to Phoenix in the Durant deal. Sengun and Green were both drafted in 2021 as the first pieces of Houston’s rebuilding project. “Jalen was like a brother to me,” he said. “We learned the NBA together. I didn’t speak any English when I first arrived. We learned everything from them.”
The Rockets have the most favorable schedule in the West and the third-easiest in the league, according to Tankathon. While things could change depending on the results of the NBA Cup tournament, they currently have just three games against Western powers Oklahoma City, Denver, Minnesota and both L.A. teams.

Western Notes: Wolves, Hyland, Dundon, Durant, Suns

August 14th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Due to their proximity to the second tax apron, the Timberwolves may only carry 14 players on standard contracts to open the 2025/26 season, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. While Minnesota has checked in on several free agent guards, including Cameron Payne, Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet, all signs point to Bones Hyland being the frontrunner for the 14th spot, Krawczynski reports.

Hyland signed a two-way contract with the Wolves last season, appearing in four games. As Krawczynski notes, Hyland was a former first-round pick by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.

While breaking down the roster, Krawczynski writes that Johnny Juzang — who agreed to a training camp deal with the Wolves — is a long shot to make the cut but that Luka Garza forced his way onto the team with similar odds last year. Young players like Jaylen Clark, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. are expected to have larger roles this season, Krawczynski adds.

We have more from the Western Conference:

A group led by the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon reached an agreement on Wednesday to buy the Trail Blazers. That group includes Sheel Tyle, co-CEO of Collective Global who is married to Dr. Sejal Hathi, the head of Oregon Health Authority, Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report writes (Substack subscriber link). The group’s local connection through Tyle is one of a few reasons why it stood out among the bidders, per Highkin.
After suggesting in a recent podcast that the Rockets might be reluctant to sign Kevin Durant to a maximum-salary extension, Tim MacMahon said on an NBA Today appearance that there isn’t any urgency to complete a multiyear agreement. MacMahon said the Rockets have other matters to attend to, including an extension for Tari Eason. “Kevin Durant is their best player, he’s not necessarily their priority,” MacMahon said. “That’s not an insult to him, their priority is making sure they have as long of a runway as possible while trying to cash in on this window that they created by getting Kevin Durant.“
Plenty of “ifs” stand in the way of the Suns making the playoffs, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports writes. While they could be a surprise team if things break the right way, Bourguet has them just on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture for next season, sitting at No. 11 in his conference power rankings. The Suns basically remade their depth after trading away Durant and waiving Bradley Beal, adding the likes of Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams via trades.

Thunder Notes: Ring Night, Durant, Hartenstein, Sorber

August 9th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder fans shouldn’t get distracted by the presence of Kevin Durant at their ring night celebration, writes Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. According to a Friday report, Durant’s first game with the Rockets will kick off the new NBA season on October 21 at Oklahoma City, which is when the home team will be honored for capturing the city’s first-ever championship.

Durant has a long and complicated history with OKC fans. He was their first hero when the team moved from Seattle in 2008 and led them to the NBA Finals in 2012. However, a rift was created when he left for Golden State as a free agent four years later and he usually gets loudly booed during visits to Oklahoma City.

Stiles encourages fans to look past their feud with Durant for at least one night and savor the ring presentations and the raising of the championship banner. Stiles doesn’t expect forgiveness, but he said the crowd should celebrate the accomplishments of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates, who were able to accomplish something for the franchise that Durant never did.

There’s more on the Thunder:

After winning 68 games and bringing home the championship, there are reasons to believe OKC will be even better next season, Stiles suggests in a separate story. Fourteen players return from the title team, with first-round pick Thomas Sorber replacing Dillon Jones on the 15-man roster. The team figures to benefit from internal development with so many young players, plus 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topic will be active after missing all of last season due to injury. In addition, several contenders have taken a step back so the Thunder’s path through the regular season might be easier.
A $28.5MM team option on center Isaiah Hartenstein will be the Thunder’s major decision for next summer, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman states in a mailbag column. While it’s possible that Hartenstein could agree to a new deal with a smaller average annual value, Martinez notes that re-signing him may mean parting with Luguentz Dort ($17.7MM) and Kenrich Williams ($7.2MM), who will also be on team options. Martinez views Hartenstein as the most likely of the three to be let go because his salary is so large.
The Thunder can afford to be patient with Sorber if he’s not fully ready in time for training camp, Martinez adds in the same piece. The 19-year-old big man underwent surgery in February for a turf toe injury and missed all of Summer League, even though he was able to work out individually during practices. There has been no official word on Sorber’s status, and he said at a post-draft press conference that he was “just taking it day-by-day.”

Rockets Reluctant To Give Kevin Durant Max Extension?

August 9th, 2025 at 6:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

In the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), ESPN’s Tim MacMahon indicated that the Rockets appear reluctant to sign Kevin Durant to a maximum-salary extension — or anything close to it.

“The Rockets aren’t going to go all-in — by all appearances and by what I’ve heard — they’re not going all-in on an extension for Kevin Durant,” MacMahon said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “Now, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. But there have been rumblings of, ‘Hey, KD is not going to push for the full max.’ I don’t know that the Rockets are going to put anything on the table that’s close to the max.

“I think the Rockets are like ‘it’s not ideal,’ but I don’t think they would panic if they go into the season with Kevin Durant on the contract that he’s on, just on the expiring deal.”

Durant will make $54.7MM during the upcoming season on the final year of his current contract. Since the trade to Houston became official on July 6, he has been eligible for a two-year extension worth roughly $118.7MM. Waiting until January 6 would allow him to tack on nearly $2MM to his maximum extension value.

For what it’s worth, one source Kurt Helin of NBC Sports spoke to at Summer League suggested Durant might accept an extension for around $100MM over two years.

Houston was reported as one of Durant’s preferred destinations when Phoenix was going through the trade process, so the possibility of him leaving after one season may be minimized. Because they obtained him in a trade, the Rockets would hold full Bird rights on Durant if he does become a free agent next summer. He’ll remain extension-eligible all season and could sign as late as June 30, 2026 to avoid free agency.

Brian Windhorst of the Hoop Collective points out that general manager Rafael Stone has been cautious about overextending his resources. Most of his signings have been short-term, including recent deals with Fred VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith, and the long-term contracts he gave to Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. are viewed as good values around the league.

Windhorst adds that the Rockets seem to be prioritizing financial flexibility for the summer of 2027. VanVleet’s new contract covers two seasons, while Finney-Smith only has two years of guaranteed money. Smith and Steven Adams will both see their salaries decline after the 2026/27 season.

On the same podcast, Tim Bontemps credits Stone for “understanding the new economic environment the league is in.” He suggests that Stone’s restraint will help the team better navigate the apron structure once expected extensions for Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and possibly Reed Sheppard eventually kick in.

“The Rockets have done a remarkable job of showing fiscal discipline and restraint all the way through,” Bontemps said. “And I think if they can continue to do that, they’re going to have a real advantage over the competition, because we’ve seen other teams not do that. And I think it’s going to bite them later.”

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Look Ahead At Potential 2026 Free Agents

August 8th, 2025 at 9:59pm CST by Eli Cohen

Free agency is not the headline event it once was in the NBA, as a large portion of the top players on the market tend to extend, like Luka Doncic did last weekend with the Lakers, or move in trades rather than signing with new teams. However, there are still likely to be talented players available and ready to contribute to new situations, as Zach Harper details for The Athletic.

Teams like the Lakers, Clippers, and Heat have made an effort to keep their flexibility for next year, write Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton for ESPN. However, those teams are also expected to try to maintain cap space for 2027, a summer in which multiple MVPs – Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic – could potentially reach the market, though of course neither is guaranteed to be available.

The Celtics will also likely look to retool their roster next summer after trading away key contributors in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis for salary cap relief, as they seek to rebuild their roster into a contender around Tatum once he has recovered from his Achilles tear.

Trae Young, with a $48.9MM player option for the 2026/27 season, has the potential to be one of the top names on the board, and while Harper expresses confidence that an extension with the Hawks will get done, there have been rumors that it’s far from a certainty, and that next season could serve as an evaluation period for the Hawks’ core under a new head of basketball operations.

Other high-end veterans with player options for ’26/27 include James Harden (Clippers), Zach LaVine (Kings), Draymond Green (Warriors), Austin Reaves (Lakers), Andrew Wiggins (Heat), Fred VanVleet (Rockets), and Bradley Beal (Clippers). Harper considers Harden, Green, and Reaves very likely to remain with their current teams, and VanVleet also relatively likely to stay, though the Rockets have some level of flexibility in regard to the future of their roster.

Then there are the unrestricted free agents. As of this moment, LeBron James (Lakers) and Kevin Durant (Rockets) represent the cream of the crop, but there are other talented players such as Porzingis (Hawks), Anfernee Simons (Celtics), Coby White (Bulls), and others who are sure to garner suitors.

For what it’s worth, Durant has been widely expected to extend with Houston, but James is ineligible to be extended prior to free agency and White’s salary is so modest relative to his value that he’s considered likely to wait until he can get a bigger payday on the free agent market.

One interesting inflection point will be players on team options, such as Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort on the Thunder, and Bogdan Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez on the Clippers. The Thunder, particularly, could have some tough decisions to make on their role players soon as lucrative extensions take effect for stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams.