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Jeff Dowtin Jr. Signs With Maccabi Tel Aviv

August 5th, 2025 at 7:19am CST by Arthur Hill

August 5: Maccabi Tel Aviv has officially confirmed its deal with Dowtin, announcing in a press release that it’s actually a three-year contract. Based on Stein’s reporting (detailed below), it sounds like the contract will feature NBA outs.

August 4: Jeff Dowtin Jr. will sign a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, agent Bill Neff tells Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old point guard received interest from several European clubs, Stein adds (Twitter link). He and the team will have a mutual option on the second season of his new deal.

Dowtin spent last season with the Sixers on a two-way contract after joining the team in March of 2024. He appeared in 41 NBA games, averaging 7.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 15.1 minutes per night with .487/.400/.733 shooting numbers.

Dowtin signed with Orlando after going undrafted out of Rhode Island in 2020, but he didn’t make his NBA debut until 2021 when Golden State claimed him off waivers. He played one game with Milwaukee on a 10-day contract the following season before returning to the Magic on a 10-day deal. He also spent time with Toronto before coming to Philadelphia.

Stein points out that Dowtin is the third member of last year’s Sixers team to wind up with Maccabi Tel Aviv (Twitter link). He joins Lonnie Walker IV, whose signing was announced earlier today, and Oshae Brissett, who was added to the Israeli team in July.

Spurs Sign De’Aaron Fox To Four-Year Max Extension

August 4th, 2025 at 5:20pm CST by Luke Adams

5:20 pm: The deal is official, per a press release from the Spurs.

1:59 pm: The Spurs and point guard De’Aaron Fox have agreed to terms on a four-year, maximum-salary extension, agent Rich Paul tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Fox will earn just over $37MM in the final year of his current contract, with his new deal taking effect next July and running through 2029/30. It will feature a starting salary worth 30% of the ’26/27 cap.

Based on the NBA’s latest projection of a 7% increase, Fox’s four-year contract would be worth a total of $222.4MM over four seasons. If the cap rises by the maximum allowable 10% next year, the value of Fox’s deal would be $228.6MM. The contract doesn’t include a fourth-year player option or a trade kicker, notes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

The fifth overall pick in 2017, Fox spent his first seven-and-a-half NBA seasons in Sacramento, where he quickly established himself as the Kings’ starting point guard and a rising star. Fox’s best season came in 2022/23, when he earned his first All-Star berth, made the All-NBA third team, and was named Clutch Player of the Year after averaging 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game for a Kings team that won 48 games.

However, as Fox neared the end of the rookie scale extension he signed in 2020, he was hesitant to finalize another contract with the Kings, expressing reservations about the team’s ability to contend for a championship.

Word broke in late January that the Kings – having received no indications from Fox that he had interest in a long-term deal – were expected to entertain trading him and that San Antonio was his preferred landing spot. Less than a week later, the 27-year-old was dealt to the Spurs in a blockbuster three-team trade that sent Zach LaVine from Chicago to Sacramento.

Fox got off to a slow start in San Antonio — his 19.7 points per game and his shooting averages of 44.6% from the floor and 27.4% on three-pointers in his first 17 outings as a Spur were well below his career averages, and he underwent season-ending surgery to address a finger injury in March.

Given the emergence of Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and the fact that the Spurs’ draft-lottery luck allowed them to select Dylan Harper with the second overall pick in June, there was some speculation that a maximum-salary extension for Fox wouldn’t be as automatic as it seemed back in February.

However, the Spurs moved forward with Fox’s new deal just about as soon as they were eligible to do so. Sunday marked six months since Fox was traded to San Antonio, meaning the restrictions limiting the years, first-year salary, and annual raises he could receive on a veteran extension had lifted. A day later, he and the Spurs have reached an agreement on a new contract.

Based on a 7% cap increase for 2026/27, the year-by-year breakdown for Fox’s extension is as follows:

2026/27: $49,641,600
2027/28: $53,612,928
2028/29: $57,584,256
2029/30: $61,555,584
Total: $222,394,368

While Fox’s deal may be the last major piece of extension-related business for the Spurs this offseason, the team figures to continue investing heavily in its core in the years to come. Star big man Victor Wembanyama will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2026, with Castle becoming eligible for a rookie scale extension of his own in 2027.

Brandon Boston Signs With Fenerbahce

August 4th, 2025 at 11:55am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

August 4: Boston’s deal with Fenerbahce is now official, the team announced in a press release.

August 3: Free agent wing Brandon Boston Jr. is putting the finishing touches on a new deal with Fenerbahce, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. According to Urbonas, Boston is close to signing a contract with the Turkish club.

Boston had previously been linked to Greek team Panathinaikos, who – like Fenerbahce – have been actively striving to recruit more NBA-caliber talent this summer.

Since being selected with the No. 51 overall pick out of Kentucky in 2021, Boston has split his four seasons in the NBA between the Clippers and, last year, the Pelicans.

The 6’7″ swingman enjoyed his biggest role yet during the 2024/25 season, albeit on a tanking team in New Orleans. Across 42 contests (10 starts), he averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG and 1.3 SPG, while slashing .436/.350/.788.

Boston began last season on a two-way contract before being promoted to the standard roster in February. Now that he has four years of NBA experience, the 23-year-old is no longer eligible to sign a two-way deal.

If the 23-year-old finalizes a deal with Fenerbahce, he’ll continue his career with the reigning EuroLeague champions, competing overseas for the first time. Fenerbahce’s 2025/26 roster also includes a handful of other NBA alums, including center Khem Birch and guard Wade Baldwin IV.

Warriors Don’t Expect To Trade Jonathan Kuminga

August 4th, 2025 at 10:06am CST by Arthur Hill

After making little progress in sign-and-trade talks, the Warriors expect Jonathan Kuminga to be on their roster when the season begins, a source tells Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard.

As a restricted free agent, Kuminga has been involved in a stalemate throughout the summer. No interested teams have enough cap space to make a competitive offer, and no one is willing to give Golden State what it wants in a potential deal. The Kings and Suns have been mentioned most prominently as possible trade partners for the 22-year-old forward, but negotiations have been fruitless so far.

Several sources tell Kawakami that the Warriors have been “unenthusiastic” about the prospect of trading Kuminga since the process began. Owner Joe Lacob remains a huge supporter of Kuminga and isn’t willing to part with him unless the trade package includes “real value.”

Kawakami adds that Lacob is willing to be patient until the situation is resolved. That means there’s no pressure on general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. to take the best available deal just to have a sense of certainty as training camp nears.

In the absence of an offer sheet from a rival team, Kuminga’s options are limited. He can either accept a reported two-year, $45MM offer from the Warriors that includes a team option for the second season, or he can sign his one-year, $8MM qualifying offer.

Kawakami views the Kings as the best destination for Kuminga and states that he probably would have signed with them by now if he had been unrestricted. Sacramento could offer a definite rotation role and is rumored to be willing to pay him $63MM over three years.

The Kings are reportedly offering Malik Monk and a protected future first-round pick in return, which hasn’t piqued the Warriors’ interest. Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that Golden State wants the pick to be unprotected, and Kawakami is doubtful that the team has interest in giving up Moses Moody or Buddy Hield, as one of them would have to be added to the deal due to base year compensation rules.

Kuminga has until October 1 to accept the qualifying offer, and Kawakami notes that the date can be pushed back if both sides agree. That means there’s no urgency to get a deal in place, especially from the team’s perspective.

Kawakami’s compromise solution is for the Warriors to replace the second-year team option in their proposal with a partially guaranteed year, perhaps around $14MM. That would guarantee Kuminga in excess of $30MM and take away his right to block a trade. Kawakami points out that it would provide a lot more security than taking the QO and would leave Kuminga with a contract that would be easy to move by the February trade deadline.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Future In Milwaukee Remains Unsettled

August 4th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors have died down in recent weeks, but the two-time MVP hasn’t reached a decision on whether he wants to continue playing for the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania said this morning during an appearance on “Get Up.” (Twitter video link).

“Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said.

There have been past reports that Antetokounmpo might consider leaving Milwaukee to improve his chances of winning at least one more NBA title. Speculation began to grow after the Bucks were eliminated in this first round of this year’s playoffs and star guard Damian Lillard suffered an Achilles tear that’s expected to sideline him for all of next season.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst responded by retooling the team’s roster this summer. He waived and stretched the $112.6MM that Lillard had left on his contract for the next two years and used the newfound cap space to sign center Myles Turner away from the Pacers.

Horst also added Gary Harris, Jericho Sims and Cole Anthony in free agency and re-signed several of the team’s own free agents, such as Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and Taurean Prince.

The aggressive move with Turner was viewed as an important step toward convincing Antetokounmpo that the Bucks could remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. Although there hasn’t been much trade talk over the last month, Charania insists that Antetokounmpo’s situation hasn’t been resolved.

“There’s been some very real conversations over the last week or so,” Charania said. “The constant question that Giannis has, though, is can I win a championship with this roster? … He wants to win a second championship, so he’s asking that question over and over.”

He added that there are “multiple teams waiting in the wings” to make offers if Antetokounmpo decides he wants out.

Damian Lillard To Serve As GM For Weber State Basketball

August 2nd, 2025 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Damian Lillard is the latest NBA player to take a management role with his alma mater, announcing Saturday that he will become the new general manager for the Weber State men’s basketball program (Twitter video link).

Lillard was on hand for the school’s annual Basketball Alumni Classic, according to Brett Hein of The Ogden Standard-Examiner. After signing autographs for about 90 minutes, he addressed the crowd with the news of his continuing relationship with the university.

“It’s something that, my relationship with coach (Eric) Duft and this program means a lot to me, and seeing the success of the program means a lot to me,” Lillard said. “I feel like I can do a lot to help the program be successful, to help the players even individually continue to grow their careers past college, that’s something that I’m passionate about.”

Few details of the position were announced, but Lillard’s association should bring prestige to the program, which competes in the Big Sky Conference and is coming off a 12-22 season. WSU issued a press release stating that Lillard “will work closely with the coaching staff and athletic department leadership to provide insight, mentorship, and guidance, using his experience at the collegiate and professional levels to elevate the program.”

Lillard is one of the most accomplished players in Wildcats history, twice earning conference Player of the Year honors before declaring for the draft in 2012. He had 1,934 points and left school as the second-leading scorer in Weber State history and No. 5 all-time in the Big Sky Conference.

“All of the resources that I have, I’ve got an opportunity to be able to create for the program, while they’re in the program and even after the program, it’s something I’m excited about,” Lillard added. “I’m looking forward to doing that work, looking forward to continue to lift up the university, lift up the program. It’s going to be fun.”

The new arrangement with Weber State continues an eventful offseason for Lillard, who had his contract waived and stretched by Milwaukee after suffering a torn Achilles in the playoffs. He wound up returning to the Trail Blazers on a three-year deal.

Stephen Curry started the trend of active players helping to run college basketball programs in March when he became an assistant GM at Davidson. Since then, Trae Young (Oklahoma), Terance Mann (Florida State) and Patty Mills (Hawai’i) have accepted similar positions.

Rob Pelinka: It Would Be ‘Great’ To Have LeBron James Retire As A Laker

August 2nd, 2025 at 6:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

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’ Luka Doncic Signs Three-Year Max Extension

August 2nd, 2025 at 11:23am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Mikal Bridges Signs Four-Year Extension With Knicks

August 1st, 2025 at 5:15pm CST by Earnest Marshall

August 1: The Knicks have made the extension official, per a team press release (via Twitter).

“His abilities on both sides of the court in every game made him a vital part of our team’s success last season,” team president Leon Rose said of Bridges. “We look forward to his continued growth and development as part of the Knicks family for years to come.”

July 31: The Knicks and forward Mikal Bridges have agreed to a four-year, $150MM contract extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The deal will include a player option for 2029/30 and a trade kicker.

As Charania notes in a follow-up tweet, Bridges is accepting a deal slightly lower than the max he could have received in an extension, which was $156.2MM. By taking a small discount, Bridges will help the Knicks maintain a little more roster flexibility moving forward. Teammate Jalen Brunson took a similar approach when extending last year.

Bridges was entering the last year of his current contract and would have become eligible for an additional year and a higher starting salary if he had reached free agency in 2026.

The Knicks acquired Bridges from the Nets in the summer of 2024 for a package that included five first-round picks, two of which became Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore last month. In his first season with the Knicks, Bridges averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while appearing in all 82 regular season contests. He hasn’t missed a game in his career.

Bridges’ first season in New York was up and down — his 35.4% three-point percentage was his lowest mark since his rookie season. However, he helped the Knicks make the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years and remains a key piece of the future.

Brunson, OG Anunoby and Bridges are all now under contract through at least ’27/28, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart hold player options for that season.

Bridges will be ineligible to be traded for six months once the deal is officially finalized.

Pelicans Sign Jaden Springer

August 1st, 2025 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

2:47 pm: Springer’s contract is a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who tweets that the guard will compete for a roster spot in training camp.

7:22 am: The Pelicans have signed free agent guard Jaden Springer, the team announced in a press release.

The No. 28 pick in the 2021 draft, Springer played a limited role in Philadelphia across two-and-a-half seasons before being sent to Boston at the 2024 trade deadline. He spent roughly a full calendar year with the Celtics, then was rerouted to Houston in a salary-dump deal in February 2025.

After being cut by Houston, Springer signed a 10-day deal with the Jazz in February and agreed to a two-year contract with the team in March following that initial 10-day audition. However, he was waived by Utah last week before his minimum salary for the 2025/26 season could become partially guaranteed.

Springer, who is known more for his perimeter defense than his offensive game, has career averages of 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per contest across 110 regular season outings. He played a significant role at the G League level during his first two years with the 76ers, but has only made two appearances in the NBAGL since the start of the 2023/24 season.

Details of the Pelicans’ deal with Springer aren’t yet known — it’s a pretty safe bet that it will be a minimum-salary contract, but it’s unclear whether or not it will include guaranteed money.

For what it’s worth, New Orleans has 14 players on standard guaranteed contracts and has enough breathing room below the luxury tax line to carry a 15th man into the regular season, so there could be a path for Springer to make the team this fall. Because he has four years of NBA experience, he’s no longer eligible for a two-way deal.

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