Christmas Day Schedule Includes Thunder-Spurs, Rockets-Lakers
The NBA’s highly anticipated Christmas Day schedule has been revealed, courtesy of ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). The five-game slate is heavy on Western Conference powerhouses, with just one game coming from the Eastern Conference, in a matchup of what is expected to be the top two teams in the Cavaliers and Knicks.
This will be the first Christmas Day game for the Cavaliers in the post-LeBron James era, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Their last December 25 game came in 2017.
Following the Eastern Conference matchup, the Spurs will travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder, as Victor Wembanyama squares off against Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams.
Kevin Durant and the Rockets will then duel LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Lakers in a clash of teams balancing championship aspirations with their Hall-of-Fame veterans and younger future-facing casts. The Rockets last played a Christmas Day game in 2019, writes Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle.
The final two matchups of the night will see the Mavericks face off against the Warriors, and finally, the Timberwolves going up against the retooled Nuggets in a battle of Northwest Division powerhouses.
As Marc Stein notes (via Twitter), between the Christmas Day schedule and the reported opening night schedule, the league has chosen not to highlight a Mavericks-Lakers matchup on either of these two anticipated dates. Instead, Stein reports (via Twitter), the battle of Doncic’s current and former teams will likely occur at the end of November during the NBA Cup.
As Law Murray of the Athletic notes (via Twitter), only three teams that won at least 49 games last season aren’t featured on the Christmas Day slate. Those teams are the Celtics and Pacers, who are expected to take a step back as their stars (Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton) recover from Achilles tears, and the Clippers, who will not play on Christmas for the fifth year in a row.
Rockets/Thunder, Warriors/Lakers To Play On Opening Night
The 2025/26 NBA season will tip off on October 21 with a pair of Western Conference matchups, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
The Rockets will go up against the 2024 title-winning Thunder to open the evening, followed by the Warriors at the Lakers.
This means Kevin Durant, on the new-look Rockets, will be heading to Oklahoma City on the night the Thunder receive their championship rings. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry will go up against LeBron James for the 57th time in their careers.
While the Mavericks were not tapped with an opening night game, Marc Stein of the Stein Line reports (via Twitter) that their season will start on October 22 against the Spurs in what is sure to be a much-anticipated showdown between this year’s No. 1 pick, Cooper Flagg and 2023’s top pick Victor Wembanyama, as well as this year’s No. 2 selection Dylan Harper.
Stein also notes (via Twitter) that the league has announced that group play for the NBA Cup will take place between October 31 and November 28 this season.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Luka, Extension, Reaves, More
Lakers forward LeBron James has been “supportive and understanding” of the team’s commitment to building around fellow star Luka Doncic, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Monday on First Take (YouTube link). Doncic signed a three-year max extension on Saturday, the first day he became eligible to re-up with the Los Angeles.
James is nearing the end of his record-setting career — he turns 41 years old at the end of December — but Doncic is theoretically just entering his prime, as the Slovenian guard is 26. James exercised his $52.6MM player option in June, which will make him an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
While James was not physically present at the press conference to announce Doncic’s extension, he FaceTimed Doncic to congratulate him on the new deal, as first reported by Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) and subsequently confirmed by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I hope, obviously, [he stays long term],” James told ESPN on April 30. “Laker fans f—ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him. S—, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Dan Woike of The Athletic details Doncic’s decision to extend with the Lakers and the subsequent celebration in Las Vegas that was attended by new owner Mark Walter, governor Jeanie Buss, head coach JJ Redick and several teammates. “He’s only looking forward. And he’s here. He wants to get the best players here. He wants to win, and he knows it starts with him,” said Lara Beth Seager, Doncic’s manager. “And I think that’s what he proved this offseason. ‘OK, everyone wants to say or people think that they know me or I’m not a leader or I’m this way, or I’m that way, I don’t care. They can think and say whatever they want. “I’m gonna show them who I am.’“
- ESPN insiders McMenamin, Zach Kram, Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks examine how the Lakers should build around Doncic both now and in the future, including what types of players they should try to add (rim-running centers and three-and-D wings), what tools they have to use in trades, and their salary cap situation moving forward. Marks points out that just because L.A. could have a significant amount of cap room in 2027 doesn’t mean the team must solely rely on that to try to build out the roster.
- In that same ESPN story, Bontemps writes that while much of the offseason speculation about the Lakers has been centered on James’ future, what they should do with Austin Reaves might be the trickier question. Reaves, who is widely expected to decline his 2026/27 player option (worth $14.9MM) in order to hit free agency next summer, reportedly declined a four-year, $89MM extension in June — the maximum he was eligible to receive — in the hope of landing a bigger payday. “I think he will get $30 [million] plus [annually],” one executive told ESPN, echoing multiple front office sources who were asked about the next deal Reaves could command.
- According to Bontemps, there’s an expectation around the league that Reaves will re-sign with the Lakers, but to reach that $30MM-per-year figure, the 27-year-old guard may have to shine on the biggest stage after struggling in the first-round playoff loss to Minnesota. “This is a big season for him,” one Western Conference assistant coach said. “He’d better bring it in the playoffs, because he’s got to be good enough [to pair with Doncic].”
And-Ones: Middle-Class FAs, Restricted Free Agency, Bubble
In an interesting story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks evaluates whether statements like “the second apron has ruined free agency” and “the current CBA penalizes teams that draft well” are fact and fiction. While Marks acknowledges that changes to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement have created new some new problems for teams and have hurt players in some ways, he rejects the idea that the middle class of free agents have been squeezed out of the market.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver argued during a Summer League media session that the “middle class” is doing better than in the last few years of the previous CBA, and former NBPA president CJ McCollum agreed with Silver’s sentiment during a recent podcast appearance, as Front Office Sports relays.
“I think there’s a misconception that players aren’t being compensated the same ways they have in the past,” McCollum said. “That’s not true. Guys are making more money than they ever have. The middle class is making more money than they ever have before.”
To illustrate this point, Marks runs through 31 veterans who signed free agent contracts this summer worth between $4MM and $20MM per year, noting that 19 of them changes teams during free agency. That list also doesn’t include several players who have signed veteran extensions in that salary range since the season ended, including Steven Adams, Daniel Gafford, and Jaylin Williams.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Eric Koreen and Tony Jones of The Athletic discuss whether the NBA ought to make changes to its restricted free agency process, with Koreen contending that qualifying offers should be worth more. A higher price point for a QO, Koreen writes, would make a team think harder about whether or not to make a player restricted and would make accepting that one-year contract more appealing from the player’s perspective.
- Five years after the NBA set up a “bubble” at Disney World in Orlando to finish its 2019/20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Joe Vardon of The Athletic shares an oral history of that unique summer, with players, coaches, broadcasters, reporters, and league officials alike weighing in on the experience.
- Perhaps the most notable remark from Vardon’s in-depth story came from Daryl Morey, who was still working in Houston at the time. While Morey acknowledged he would’ve viewed a Rockets title that summer as “legitimate,” he gave credence to the notion that the Lakers‘ 2020 championship deserves an asterisk. “Everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship,” Morey said. “Perhaps the lasting legacy of the NBA bubble is that the NBA should be proud of its leadership at both the beginning and end of the pandemic, even though the champion will forever be marked by an asterisk.” Morey’s comment warranted a separate article from The Athletic, in which a panel of writers strongly disagreed with the take.
- Keith Smith of Spotrac checks in on some of the remaining NBA offseason storylines to watch. Besides the top four restricted free agents who remain unsigned, Smith highlights several of the best unrestricted free agents available and takes a look at the teams who need to either fill spots on their 15-man rosters or make cuts to get down to 15 players on standard contracts by the start of the season.
Stein’s Latest: Kuminga, Doncic, Vucevic, Fox, Love
Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agent negotiations with the Warriors continue to be one of the top lingering storylines of the NBA offseason. Following up on recent reports indicating that Kuminga has turned down a two-year, $45MM offer with a team option on the second year, Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) notes that the team’s request for the forward to waive his implicit no-trade clause is part of the holdup.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract or a two-year deal with a second-year option gets the right to veto trades for the rest of the season, but that right can be waived as part of the contract agreement. Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, and Jeff Green are among several players who have waived their veto rights when re-signing with their respective teams this summer.
A player in that position who consents to a trade – either by waiving his veto rights when he signs or by eventually approving an in-season trade – would lose any form of Bird rights as part of the deal and would have Non-Bird rights at the end of the season.
Aside from the contract negotiations, Stein writes that while Kuminga has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he is still not expected to play in FIBA’s AfroBasket tournament this summer. No official decision has been announced yet, but it’s unlikely that Kuminga would suit up for the Congolese team if his contract situation remains unresolved.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Much has been made about Luka Doncic‘s three-year max extension with the Lakers and what it means for him and the team’s future, but Stein points out an important detail regarding the timeline of the deal. The contract would allow Doncic to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028 when he has more than eight years of NBA service and four seasons with his current team, which means he would be eligible for a no-trade clause if he were to wait until ’28 free agency to sign a new contract with the Lakers. Stein writes that while Doncic will have technically played three-and-a-half years with the Lakers, he’d still meet the no-trade criteria because he would have finished four seasons with the Lakers, even if he started the first one in Dallas.
- While the offseason buyout market has been particularly active this offseason, Stein cautions fans not to expect Bulls center Nikola Vucevic to join the likes of Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard this summer. He writes that unless a trade materializes in the next couple of months, Vucevic will very likely begin next season in Chicago. There has been speculation that the veteran big man could be a prime mid-season buyout candidate if no deal occurs by February’s trade deadline.
- Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox became eligible on Sunday for a three- or four-year extension that would look like the one Doncic signed in L.A. However, Stein notes that with the rise of reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the addition of Dylan Harper with the No. 2 overall pick, there are questions league-wide about whether such a max deal is an automatic decision for San Antonio.
- Kevin Love is actively exploring landing spots in the case of a potential buyout from the Jazz after landing in Utah as a part of the Heat’s trade for Norman Powell, though Stein doesn’t name any possible suitors.
Lakers Notes: Cap Room, Luka, LeBron, Preseason
Even after signing Luka Doncic to a maximum-salary extension, the Lakers are in position carve out maximum cap space for the 2027 offseason, with multiple superstars in position to reach free agency at that time, writes Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link).
Doncic signed a three-year, maximum contract extension on Saturday that could pay him up to $165MM. While Doncic qualified for a five-year, $335.9MM super-max extension as a Maverick, he lost that privilege upon being traded to Los Angeles. His shorter-term deal will enable him to potentially reach free agency in 2028. With 10 years of NBA service at that time, he will qualify for a maximum deal worth 35% of the NBA’s salary cap (up from 30%).
Gozlan observes that Los Angeles could also have significant cap room in 2026. Even if L.A. gives impending guard Austin Reaves a massive raise next offseason and both Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart pick up their 2026/27 player options, the team will still be able to reach $30MM in available space.
But because there is no superstar-level talent expected to hit free agency next summer, 2027 has been viewed as the Lakers’ target date to maximize their cap flexibility. Both Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo could reach free agency that summer, when they would figure to earn maximum annual deals in the $60MM range.
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
- ESPN’s Dave McMenamin answers some lingering questions for the Lakers in the wake of their new deal with Doncic, including addressing their expectations for the upcoming season. McMenamin indicates that Doncic and L.A. both think the current club can realistically compete for a title in 2026. The team has augmented its 50-win 2024/25 core by adding free agents Ayton, Smart and sharpshooting forward Jake LaRavia this summer.
- With the Lakers seemingly going all-in on the 26-year-old Doncic, Dylan Hernández of The Los Angeles Times wonders how invested L.A. is in the future of 40-year-old All-NBA forward LeBron James.
- The Lakers’ full six-game preseason slate has been revealed, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register (Twitter link). Los Angeles will tip off against Pacific Division nemeses the Suns and Warriors twice between October 3-14, before wrapping up with a game apiece against the Mavericks and Kings.
Rob Pelinka: It Would Be ‘Great’ To Have LeBron James Retire As A Laker
As Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka met with the media to announce Luka Doncic‘s new three-year max extension on Saturday, the subject of LeBron James‘ future with the team also came up, writes Dan Woike of The Athletic.
Now that Doncic is the cornerstone of the organization, there are questions about how much longer James will remain in L.A. He has an expiring $52.6MM contract after picking up his player option in late June, and there has been speculation that he might either be traded or reach a buyout agreement before the end of the season.
Pelinka told reporters today that it would be “great” if James were able to retire as a Laker.
“In terms of LeBron’s career, I think the number one thing we have to do there is respect he and his family’s decision in terms of how long he’s going to play. I think that’s first and foremost,” Pelinka said. “And we want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that.”
James will turn 41 in December, and he hasn’t made any public statements about many more years he plans to remain active. He’s still performing at an elite level, earning second-team All-NBA honors last season while averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 70 games.
James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, said during a Summer League interview that James hasn’t asked the Lakers for a trade. Team and league sources confirmed that to Woike, adding that there has been no discussion of a buyout either.
“All the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich in particular, have been positive and supportive. So very professional and Rich has been great,” Pelinka said. “The dialogue with him has been open and constant.”
It has also been reported that the Lakers didn’t offer James a multiyear contract, which is something that Paul said he never asked the team for. Numerous reports have indicated that L.A. is preserving cap space for the summer of 2027, and Woike notes that among this summer’s major signings, Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart both got one-year deals with player options, while Jake LaRavia was signed for two seasons.
Lakers’ St. Jean, Grizzlies’ Mutombo On Knicks’ Radar
As the Knicks continue to work on filling out their coaching staff under new head coach Mike Brown, Lakers assistant Greg St. Jean and Grizzlies assistant Patrick Mutombo are among the potential targets they’ve considered, sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.
The Knicks are retaining several coaches from Tom Thibodeau‘s staff, including Rick Brunson and Maurice Cheeks, and are adding Charles Allen and Riccardo Fois, a pair of player development assistants who worked under Brown in Sacramento. They’re also expected to hire longtime Clippers assistant Brendan O’Connor.
While O’Connor will serve as Brown’s defensive coordinator, the Knicks remain on the lookout for an assistant who could take the lead on the offensive side of the ball. The team has reportedly shown interest in James Borrego, Jay Triano, and Pablo Prigioni, but wasn’t granted permission to meet with Borrego or Triano, while Prigioni decided to remain in Minnesota.
St. Jean had stints working for the Kings, Lakers, Mavericks, and Suns before rejoining the Lakers in 2024 as a member of J.J. Redick‘s coaching staff.
Mutombo, who played professionally for seven seasons outside the NBA, was an assistant for the Nuggets, Raptors, Suns, and Bucks before being hired by the Grizzlies for the 2024/25 season. He also had a two-season stint as the head coach of the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League team, from 2020-22.
It’s unclear if the Knicks intend to seriously pursue either assistant for a spot on Brown’s staff or whether they’ve requested permission to interview either one.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Signs Three-Year Max Extension
As expected, the Lakers and Luka Doncic have agreed to terms on a three-year, maximum-salary contract extension that includes a third-year player option, agent Bill Duffy tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The deal will begin in 2026/27, replacing the player option on Doncic’s current contract. It will be worth roughly $160.8MM over three years based on the NBA’s most recent projection of a 7% cap increase next summer. The total value could reach $165.3MM if the cap ends up rising by the maximum allowable 10%.
Based on a 7% cap increase, the year-by-year breakdown would be as follows:
- 2025/26 (last year of current contract): $45,999,660
- 2026/27 (first year of extension): $49,641,600
- 2027/28: $53,612,928
- 2028/29 (player option): $57,584,256
Both the Lakers and Doncic have put out statements officially confirming the extension.
“I just signed my extension with the Lakers,” Doncic wrote (via Twitter). “Excited to keep working to bring championships to LA and make Laker Nation proud. Grateful to the Lakers, my teammates and all the fans who’ve shown so much love since day one. This is just the beginning.
“Today I’m also committing $5 million to help 77 young athletes around the world chase their dreams, just like I did,” he added in a follow-up tweet. “Basketball gave me everything, and I’m lucky to be able to give back and help the next generation.
“Today is a monumental moment for our franchise,” Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said in the team’s statement. “Luka Doncic’s future is with the Los Angeles Lakers. Luka is one of the game’s most transcendent players, and his on-court dominance and passion is without compare.
“From the moment Luka become a Laker, there was an immediate connection and admiration between Luka and our fanbase. You can feel it in your spirit when you attend a Lakers game. Luka is an absolute killer on the court, and blends that with a unique generosity and care for the community. Above all else, Luka will lead our franchise to pursue future championships, a goal that will forever define the Lakers.”
As we outlined earlier today, now that six months have passed since Doncic was traded from Dallas to Los Angeles, he had become eligible to sign a maximum-salary extension that could cover up to four additional seasons beyond 2025/26.
However, a three-year agreement with a 2028/29 player option makes more financial sense for him in the long run, since it will allow him to start his next contract in 2028, once he has 10 years of NBA service and qualifies for a higher maximum salary (starting at 35% of the cap instead of 30%).
If Doncic waits until 2028 free agency to sign his next contract and re-ups with the Lakers at the time, he could get a five-year deal worth up to a whopping $417MM. That $417MM projection would hinge on the salary cap increasing by 10% in each of the next three years, but even with slower cap growth, the five-time All-Star will have an opportunity for a massive, record-setting payday.
The NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2019 and a five-time All-NBA first-teamer from 2020-24, Doncic battled a calf issue last season that limited him to 50 games (22 for Dallas and 28 for L.A.). He still put up his usual superlative numbers when he was available, averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with a .450/.368/.782 shooting line, but he and the Lakers failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs after he made the NBA Finals with the Mavericks a year earlier.
Motivated by the early postseason exit and criticism that leaked out of Dallas following February’s blockbuster trade, Doncic has dedicated this offseason to improving his body and his conditioning. He made changes to his diet and workout regimen and looked noticeably slimmed down in a recent Men’s Health photo shoot, as we detailed earlier this week.
We’ll get a chance to see the new-look Doncic in action later this month. He’s set to rejoin the Slovenian national team ahead of this year’s EuroBasket tournament. The club will play a handful of exhibition games in the coming weeks before the event begins on August 27. Slovenia’s group-play schedule will begin with an Aug. 28 matchup against Poland.
As for the Lakers, even with Doncic’s new extension on their books, they’ll have significant cap flexibility going forward. Doncic is their only player who currently has a guaranteed salary beyond the 2026/27 season (Jarred Vanderbilt holds a ’27/28 player option, while three other players have team options on their contracts).
The extension makes Doncic ineligible to be traded for six months, though it’s safe to assume that wasn’t an option the Lakers were considering.
Luka Doncic’s Extension Restrictions Have Lifted
It has been six months since the Mavericks sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers in one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. That means that the restrictions limiting Doncic’s first-year salary, annual raises, and total years on a contract extension no longer apply.
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Doncic is now eligible to sign a contract extension with the Lakers that would be worth up to a projected $222.4MM over four years, beginning in 2026/27.
While that four-year, $222.4MM extension is the most lucrative deal Doncic could lock in at this time, it may ultimately be in his best interests financially to sign a shorter-term deal. If he agrees to a three-year, $160.8MM contract that includes a third-year player option, he’d have the ability to start his next contract in 2028, when he’ll have 10 years of NBA experience and would qualify for a maximum salary worth 35% of the cap instead of his current 30%.
“The (two)-plus-one structure is the smartest move for a player in Luka’s position,” one veteran agent told Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com. “It gives him the flexibility to hit that 10-year mark when he can sign a super-max. If I had to guess, that’s what I expect him to do. That’s what I’d advise.”
The Lakers would presumably be thrilled to get Doncic’s signature on any contract in order to ensure that their newest superstar won’t have the ability to reach free agency next summer. His current deal will pay him about $46MM in 2025/26 and he holds a player option worth roughly $49MM for 2026/27. An extension would likely replace the option, since his new maximum for ’26/27 projects to be worth $49.6MM based on the NBA’s estimated 7% cap increase.
As Khobi Price of The Orange County Register writes, all signs in recent weeks have pointed to Doncic and the Lakers working out a new deal. The former Maverick helped recruit free agents Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart and has spoken about a desire to continue his career in Los Angeles.
“He obviously didn’t ask for the trade, but he’s embraced it as much as the Lakers could have hoped,” one assistant general manager of a Western Conference team told Afseth. “He’s clearly invested in the team if he’s putting in work to help recruit Smart and Ayton. You don’t recruit like that unless you’re planning to stay a while.”
There was some speculation earlier this summer that a new contract for Doncic might not get done until later in the offseason, once his obligations to the Slovenian national team had wrapped up. However, it now looks like there will be an opening for a deal to get done as soon as this weekend — Doncic is making a stop in Los Angeles as part of a week-long U.S. tour for Jordan Brand before he heads back overseas for this year’s EuroBasket tournament.