Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included how much the Mavericks improved by landing Cooper Flagg, the Rockets' options on the trade market, the Spurs' plans with the No. 2 pick, suspicions about the lottery results and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Cavaliers and Celtics are in danger of a second-round exit, the Bulls' options with the 12th pick in the draft, the case for the Rockets to trade for a veteran star, the chances of LeBron James heading to Dallas and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
There are no stars among 2025's free agent shooting guards, but that doesn't mean the class is bereft of useful players. A pair of restricted free agents look like strong candidates to cash in this summer, assuming they don't squeezed by the market. Meanwhile, several role players - including a pair of Sixth Man of the Year finalists - increased their value in contract years by logging heavy rotation minutes for playoff teams.
Let’s take a closer look at this summer’s free agent shooting guards, as we continue our breakdown of the 2025 free agent class by position.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Heat's future after their playoff collapse, a summer of change for the Bucks, another roadblock for expansion, a new All-Star Game format and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
The 2025 NBA free agent point guard class features three veterans who have earned maximum-salary contracts and have combined to make 21 All-Star teams. And while all three of those players will be among the best options available at the position this offseason, the point guard who signs the most lucrative long-term contract may be a player who has never been named an All-Star or averaged more than 17 points per game.
Let's take a closer look at this summer's free agent point guards, as we kick off our breakdown of the 2025 free agent class by position.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Lakers should have kept Mark Williams, the Hawks' decision to fire Landry Fields, the Celtics' expensive future, the Rockets' chances to rebound from their Game 1 loss and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
A team's evaluation of a player's worth typically doesn't fluctuate wildly from game to game in the postseason, but it's not uncommon for a strong run on the NBA's biggest stage to boost a player's stock as he enters free agency.
In 2023, for instance, veteran wing Bruce Brown played a crucial role for the champion Nuggets, averaging nearly 27 minutes off the bench and establishing himself as the type of complementary piece any playoff team could use. Brown, who had never earned more than $6.5MM in a season, signed a contract with the Pacers in free agency that paid him $45MM over the next two years.
Isaiah Hartenstein was essentially the 2024 version of Brown. Starting every playoff game for a Knicks team that was one win away from the conference finals, the big man led the NBA in postseason offensive rebounding, anchored New York's defense, and showed off his offensive play-making. Up until that point, the most lucrative contract of Hartenstein's career had paid him $18MM over two seasons. Coming off that postseason showing, he landed a three-year, $87MM deal with the Thunder.
There's no guarantee that a role player like Brown or Hartenstein will parlay a strong playoff run this spring into a free agent contract that dwarfs their previous career earnings, but it's certainly a possibility.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at one player from each of this year's 16 NBA playoff teams who could - or will - reach free agency this offseason and whose future earnings will depend at least in part on how they perform in the postseason.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included Jonathan Kuminga's uncertain status with the Warriors, the future of Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse in Philadelphia, the surprising coaching change in Denver, the Pelicans' decision to hire Joe Dumars and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
The 2024/25 NBA regular season is officially over, but the draft order for this June has not yet been set.
A handful of factors, including the play-in results, random tiebreakers, and - of course - the lottery results themselves will ultimately determine what the 59(*) picks in the 2025 NBA draft look like. But with the season in the books, there's plenty we do know.
(* Note: The Knicks' second-round pick is forfeited due to a free agency gun-jumping violation.)
Let's dive in and check in on several key aspects of the lottery standings and projected draft order...
A total of 20 NBA veterans hold player options on their contracts for the 2025/26 season, as our free agent list shows.
Those 20 players range from superstars like LeBron James to reserves like Eric Gordon. The value of their respective options reflects that wide gap -- James would earn nearly $53MM if he opts in for next season, while Gordon would earn just shy of $3.5MM.
Still, despite the huge difference between those two players' potential '25/26 salaries, Gordon may be the one of the two more likely to pick up his option and lock in that guaranteed money for next season. Each player facing an option decision will weigh several factors, including his 2024/25 performance, his role, his age, and what sort of offers might be available to him on the open market if he opts out.
Most players holding options won't have to finalize a decision until the league-wide deadline of June 29, but it's not uncommon for certain options to be exercised in April, shortly after a player's season wraps up. So we're looking ahead today at all 20 of those decisions to try to get a sense of which direction they might go.
Let's dive in...