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Wyc Grousbeck Won’t Continue To Be Celtics’ Governor

August 12th, 2025 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

3:08 pm: Chisholm and Grousbeck still intend to run the Celtics together for the next few years, according to Shelburne, who reports (via Twitter) that Grousbeck is giving up his governor title because he’ll control less than the 15% minimum stake required for the person who holds that position.

10:50 am: When the Grousbeck family agreed to sell the Celtics to William Chisholm, the stated plan was for Wyc Grousbeck to remain in his role as the team’s governor through the 2027/28 season. The expectation was that Grousbeck would give up his position when Chisholm’s group – which is initially buying a 51% stake – purchased the rest of the shares in the franchise in 2028.

However, Grousbeck will no longer retain the governor title following the first stage of the ownership transfer, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne. According to Charania and Shelburne, Chisholm will immediately become the Celtics’ new governor once his purchase of the team is approved, which is expected to happen very soon.

ESPN’s report doesn’t specify the reason for the change of plans, but it was an unorthodox approach to have Chisholm acquiring majority control of the team while keeping the team’s former majority owner in the top organizational role.

Grousbeck will continue to operate as the Celtics’ CEO and will also serve as an alternate governor once the sale is complete, per Charania and Shelburne.

This isn’t the first time in recent years that a plan to have an NBA owner remain in a prominent position in the organization after he sells the team has fallen through — Mark Cuban was reportedly expected to remain the Mavericks’ top basketball decision-maker after he sold controlling interest in his franchise to the Aldersons and Patrick Dumont, but that didn’t end up happening.

The Lakers announced a similar arrangement when Mark Walter reached an agreement to buy control of the team from the Buss family. The expectation is that Jeanie Buss will stay in her role as governor in Los Angeles for several seasons after Walter assumes control of the franchise.

Given what happened with Cuban and now Grousbeck, we’ll see if that comes to fruition, but it’s worth noting that Walter has been a minority owner in the Lakers for several years and had a preexisting relationship with the Buss family when he agreed to purchase the club, whereas the buyers and sellers in Dallas and Boston hadn’t previously worked together.

Grousbeck will step down as Boston’s governor after holding the position for over two decades. The Grousbeck family bought the Celtics in 2002 and has since helped guide the organization to a pair of championships (in 2008 and 2024). They bought the team for $360MM and sold it at a valuation of $6.1 billion.

Nuggets Sign Kessler Edwards

August 12th, 2025 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00 pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

1:32 pm: The Nuggets and free agent forward Kessler Edwards have reached an agreement on a deal, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Edwards, who turned 25 on Saturday, has appeared in at least 36 games in each of the past four seasons after being drafted 44th overall out of Pepperdine in 2021. He played some of his best basketball in the second half of 2024/25 for a Mavericks team beset by injuries.

With several key frontcourt players sidelined for Dallas, Edwards averaged 8.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 24.8 minutes per night with a .538/.486/.900 shooting line from February 10 to March 19. He started in 14 of 16 games during that stretch before reaching his two-way games played limit.

In total, Edwards made 40 appearances (18 starts) for the Mavs, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .496/.407/.923 shooting in 15.2 MPG. He holds career averages of 3.6 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 12.7 MPG across 178 outings for Brooklyn, Sacramento, and Dallas.

Scotto doesn’t provide any details on what sort of contract Edwards and the Nuggets have agreed to, but Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports (via Twitter) it’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal.

The Nuggets are carrying 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, so there could be a path for Edwards to make the team as a 15th man, but Denver is already operating slightly over the tax line and may want to keep that spot open to start the season. Edwards is no longer eligible for a two-way contract.

NBA Reveals Opening Week, MLK Day Matchups

August 12th, 2025 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA unveiled a little more of its 2025/26 regular season schedule on Tuesday, two days ahead of the release of the full schedule. In addition to confirming the opening night and Christmas Day matchups previously reported by Shams Charania of ESPN, the league announced several more games from the first week of the season, along with a four-game slate for Martin Luther King Day.

Here are the games officially confirmed by the league so far (via Twitter):

Tuesday, October 21:

Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder (7:30 pm Eastern time)
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers (10:00 pm ET)

The NBA will return to NBC and debut on Peacock on Oct. 21 with a pair of star-studded matchups. Kevin Durant will return to Oklahoma City and make his Rockets debut after the Thunder are presented with their championship rings, then Stephen Curry and the Warriors will visit LeBron James and the Lakers as James begins his record-setting 23rd NBA season.

Wednesday, October 22:

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (7:00 pm ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks (9:30 pm ET)

ESPN’s first doubleheader of the season will feature the two teams widely expected to be the top Eastern Conference seeds in 2025/26, along with a matchup between No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and No. 2 pick Dylan Harper.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the Spurs/Mavericks game will be just the second time since 1966 that the top two picks in that year’s draft square off against one another in the first regular season contest of their careers. The only other time it happened was in 2015, when Karl-Anthony Towns‘ Timberwolves faced D’Angelo Russell‘s Lakers to open the season.

Thursday, October 23:

Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers (7:30 pm ET)
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors (10:00 pm ET)

ESPN’s second consecutive doubleheader will include a rematch of last season’s NBA Finals, followed by a showdown between three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and two-time MVP Curry.

Monday, October 27:

Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons (7:00 pm ET)
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves (9:30 pm ET)

Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, will regularly broadcast up to three games on Monday nights throughout the season. Their first Monday of the 2025/26 campaign will feature a doubleheader consisting of a Central Division battle and a Northwest matchup.

Thursday, December 25:

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (12:00 pm ET)
San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (2:30 pm ET)
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors (5:00 pm ET)
Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers (8:00 pm ET)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets (10:30 pm ET)

ABC and ESPN will remain the home of the NBA’s Christmas Day games, which we discussed in greater detail last Friday.

Monday, January 19:

Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks (1:00 pm ET)
Oklahoma City Thunder at Cleveland Cavaliers (2:30 pm ET)
Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks (5:00 pm ET)
Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons (8:00 pm ET)

The Bucks/Hawks game on Martin Luther King Day will stream on Peacock, while the other three nationally televised MLK Day contests will also be available on NBC. Whereas the NBA’s Christmas Day features eight Western Conference teams and just two Eastern Conference clubs, the MLK Day slate goes the other way, with six of eight teams from the East.

In total, half of the league’s 30 teams are featured in this series of marquee nationally televised games. Notable omissions – based on projected record, star power, and/or market – include the Clippers, Grizzlies, Suns, and Pelicans in the West and the Sixers, Heat, Magic, and Bulls in the East.

NBA To Announce Regular Season Schedule On Thursday

August 11th, 2025 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will unveil its full schedule for the 2025/26 regular season on Thursday (August 14), according to an announcement from the league (Twitter link).

The NBA typically leaks several marquee games during the week before its full schedule announcement, and that trend has continued this August.

Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Friday that the opening night schedule this fall will consist of Rockets at Thunder and Warriors at Lakers. He also confirmed the five Christmas Day games, which feature four Western Conference showdowns and just a single Eastern Conference matchup.

The league also indicated today that it will provide a sneak peek at a few more notable matchups on Tuesday during Good Morning America (ABC) and The Today Show (NBC). Those games announced on Tuesday will all be airing on ESPN/ABC or NBC/Peacock.

A year ago, the NBA also put out the full schedule for the Emirates NBA Cup a couple days before the rest of the regular season slate was revealed. It’s unclear if that’s the plan again this time around, but if so, that NBA Cup schedule should be released within the next 24-to-48 hours.

Bulls Offered Giddey $80MM Deal At Start Of Free Agency

August 11th, 2025 at 7:43am CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls made guard Josh Giddey a four-year contract offer worth $80MM when free agency began on June 30, league sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Multiple reports dating back to last October have indicated that Giddey’s asking price is in the range of $30MM per year, so Chicago’s offer fell well short of that benchmark.

While the two sides have had nearly a month-and-a-half since free agency opened to try to bridge the gap, the Bulls have been “anchored” in the neighborhood of $20MM annually since making that initial offer, Fischer writes.

As a restricted free agent, Giddey can’t sign outright with another team, but he has drawn sign-and-trade interest from a handful of Eastern Conference teams, according to Fischer, who reiterates that the Warriors also have genuine interest in the 22-year-old, as he previously reported.

However, Fischer acknowledges that there doesn’t appear to be a “feasible pathway” to a trade that gets Giddey to Golden State, and the other teams with interest in the former sixth overall pick also haven’t made any headway. The Bulls have “messaged for some time” that they’re not looking to seriously engage in sign-and-trade discussions about Giddey, says Fischer.

Giddey got off to a slow start in his first season as a Bull after being acquired from Oklahoma City in exchange for Alex Caruso, but finished strong, particularly after the team traded Zach LaVine to Sacramento. Between the start of February and the end of the regular season, Giddey averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game with a shooting line of .491/.451/.801 across 25 outings.

As we noted last week when we outlined the key dates and deadlines for restricted free agents, there are no deadlines on tap in August or September. RFAs have until October 1 to decide whether or not to accept their one-year qualifying offers (Giddey’s is worth $11.1MM), though that deadline can be pushed back if the team and player work out an agreement.

While it’s rare for so many top restricted free agents to remain unsigned this late in the offseason, it’s not uncommon for one or two RFA standoffs to extend well into the summer. A year ago, Isaac Okoro eventually re-signed with the Cavaliers on September 17; two years ago, P.J. Washington re-signed with the Hornets on August 29; three years ago, Collin Sexton and Jordan Nwora didn’t resolve their restricted free agencies until September.

Celtics Sign Chris Boucher On One-Year Deal

August 10th, 2025 at 7:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

August 10: Boucher has officially signed with the Celtics, according to a press release from the team.

August 5: The Celtics are signing free agent forward Chris Boucher on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

Boston opened up a frontcourt spot for Boucher by agreeing to trade Georges Niang to Utah on Tuesday. Boucher will compete for minutes at both the power forward and center spots for the Celtics, who have been busy shedding salary and revamping their roster throughout the offseason.

Save for one cameo appearance with Golden State in 2017/18, Boucher has spent his entire career with the Raptors. Boucher has played in Toronto for the past seven seasons, winning a title in 2019 and appearing in 406 games, primarily off the bench (23 total starts).

He has averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.7 minutes during his NBA career while shooting 48.8 percent overall and 33.9 percent beyond the three-point arc.

Boucher, 32, saw action in 50 games last season, averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes. He didn’t appear in a game after Feb. 26 as the Raptors decided to essentially shut down the veteran big man and take a long look at their younger players.

Boucher was the last remaining player from the Raptors’ championship club. He holds the all-time franchise records as a reserve for points, rebounds, blocks, minutes and games played.

Toronto held Boucher’s Bird rights and reportedly was interested in re-signing him but that didn’t come to fruition. He’ll now join an Atlantic Division rival.

As an eight-year veteran, Boucher will earn $3,287,409 on his minimum-salary deal while the Celtics carry a cap hit of $2,296,274.

Nets Not Making Aggressive Offers To RFA Cam Thomas

August 10th, 2025 at 1:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets have not made an aggressive effort to sign restricted free agent Cam Thomas on a long-term deal, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Thomas, who is entering his fifth NBA season, has posted some big offensive numbers the past two seasons. He averaged 22.5 points per game in 66 outings during the 2023/24 season and 24 PPG last season. However, he only made 25 appearances in ’24/25 due to persistent hamstring issues.

Thomas is more of a scorer than a shooter and has other holes in his game, which has limited his market in sign-and-trade scenarios. In a recent story from The Athletic, 16 NBA executives were polled regarding current prominent RFAs. Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes were considered more valuable than Thomas. Whereas 15 of the 16 respondents proposed contracts of at least three years for each of Kuminga, Giddey and Grimes, only eight did the same for Thomas.

Fischer writes that Thomas might be the most likely of those RFAs to accept his $5.9MM qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Last month, Fischer reported that Brooklyn had not offered Thomas anything further than a two-year deal with a team option worth roughly the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM). Thomas is believed to be seeking a contract of at least $20MM annually.

Trae Young, Hawks Not Expected To Discuss Extension During Offseason

August 10th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

There are no plans for extension talks between Trae Young and the Hawks this summer, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (subscriber link).

As Fischer indicated during a Bleacher Report live stream on Thursday, Young and his camp have been resigned for a while to the idea that he’ll have to play out the final guaranteed year on his current deal. He’ll face a decision on a $49MM player option next summer.

Fischer reports that when Young was represented by Klutch Sports, Rich Paul viewed him as a potential partner for Victor Wembanyama. At the time, Paul was hoping to get one of his points guards to the Spurs, whether it was Young, De’Aaron Fox or Darius Garland.

Fischer states that Fox’s contract expiring a year before Young’s brought a sense of urgency to his future, along with Fox’s desire to relocate to Texas. San Antonio acquired him from Sacramento in a three-team deal in February and gave him a four-year max extension last week.

Young is now represented by CAA, and Fischer makes it clear that he’s not looking to force his way out of Atlanta. The Hawks appear to be a legitimate contender after upgrading their roster over the summer, and Fischer states that Kristaps Porzingis may be the best scoring forward Young has ever teamed up with.

Fischer notes that Atlanta’s improvement could boost Young’s chances of earning All-NBA honors this season, which would increase the maximum value of a five-year contract into the $335MM range.

Sources tell Fischer that Young is disappointed that the Hawks haven’t reached out to him about an extension. However, that could change if he pushes them back toward the playoffs. If it doesn’t happen, he may wind up as one of the top free agents in next year’s market.

Fischer adds that Young’s strong relationship with coach Quin Snyder adds to the optimism that a new deal will eventually get worked out.

Calf Injury Will Prevent Jeremy Sochan From Playing In EuroBasket

August 10th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan will miss the EuroBasket tournament due to a calf injury, the Polish Basketball Federation announced.

Sochan felt pain in his calf following a workout earlier this week and alerted the Polish team’s medical staff. A meeting was held Saturday that included representatives of the Spurs, along with Sochan’s agent and family, and it was determined that the best course of action would be for him to return to San Antonio for treatment and rehabilitation.

The injury isn’t expected to affect Sochan’s availability when NBA training camps open late next month.

“We did the necessary tests for Jeremy. The injury is not serious, but there are less than three weeks left until EuroBasket,” said Lukasz Koszarek, director of the Polish national team. “This is very little time. Jeremy is a very important part of our team, he has great contact with all the players and staff and we are very sorry that his adventure with the national team ends so quickly this summer.”

Sochan, whose mother is Polish, has represented the country in international competitions since the junior level. He made his debut for the Polish senior team at EuroBasket in 2022.

Selected with the ninth pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Sochan has been a versatile player for the Spurs during his three years in the NBA. He averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 54 games last season and is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

Spurs general manager Brian Wright commended Polish officials for their handling of the injury, and Sochan expressed regret at having to miss the tournament.

“I am very disappointed, but due to a calf muscle injury, unfortunately, I will not be able to play for Polish at this year’s EuroBasket,” he said. “I’ve been working hard for this over the last few months, and the time I trained and played with the national team was amazing. It’s a special group and I really enjoyed being a part of this team. Fortunately, the doctors predict that I will be fully healthy by the time the start of the preparation camp before the upcoming NBA season. I want to thank my teammates, coaches and the whole staff, especially the fans in Poland, for their support. I appreciate it very much and know that although I will not be able to be with you, I will support Poland with all my heart.”

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.

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