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Damian Lillard Returns To Trail Blazers On Three-Year Deal

July 19th, 2025 at 5:40pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 19: Lillard’s new contract is official, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

JULY 17: Star point guard Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42MM contract to return to the Trail Blazers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that the deal is expected to feature a player option for the 2027/28 season and a no-trade clause.

Zach Lowe of The Ringer first stated (Twitter link) that the Blazers and Lillard had mutual interest in a reunion, with Bill Oram of The Oregonian reporting shortly thereafter that the two sides were in “deep discussions” about a contract and that Lillard was “strongly considering” a return to Portland.

Lillard is expected to miss the entire 2025/26 campaign after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in late April during Milwaukee’s first-round playoff series vs. Indiana. The Bucks waived the 35-year-old guard earlier this month and used the stretch provision on his previous contract in order to create the cap space necessary to sign Myles Turner.

It’s a stunning turn of events considering the contentious way in which Portland’s all-time leading scorer exited the franchise after he requested a trade two years ago.

According to Charania, Lillard met with general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups multiple times in recent weeks to “bond” and hash out a new deal. Lillard’s family and children live in Portland and he considered it to be of the utmost importance to reunite with the organization and city, says Charania.

Lillard drew interest from several teams on the open market and had multiple offers for both the mid-level exception and the veteran’s minimum, sources tell Charania. The Timberwolves were among the teams that checked in on Lillard, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, though it’s unclear how serious those talks were.

NBA insider Chris Haynes hears (Twitter link) that Cronin and Lillard “made amends” at the nine-time All-Star’s house “weeks ago.” The goal is for Lillard to retire as a Trail Blazer, Haynes adds.

As Marc Stein of The Stein Line observes (via Twitter), despite not playing for the Trail Blazers for the past two seasons, Lillard is eligible for a full no-trade clause because he has at least eight years of NBA service time and spent at least four years with Portland. He spent his first 11 NBA seasons as a Blazer after being selected No. 6 overall back in 2012.

Lillard remained highly productive last season when healthy, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 58 regular season contests (36.1 minutes per game). Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf in March, and suffered the major Achilles injury in his third game back after a remarkably fast recovery from the deep vein thrombosis.

Lawrence Frank: Clippers ‘Strongly Considering’ Chris Paul

July 19th, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters over Zoom on Saturday, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team is “strongly, strongly considering” signing free agent point guard Chris Paul (Twitter video link via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints).

While the Clippers still have two open spots on their projected 15-man roster, they only have about $3.57MM in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap, which wouldn’t be enough to fit more than one veteran minimum contract before the season begins. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets, the expectation is that adding ball-handling and play-making will be a goal for the Clippers as they consider options for that 14th roster spot.

Assuming he continues his career and plays a 21st NBA season in 2025/26, Paul is known to be prioritizing proximity to his family in Los Angeles, so the Clippers would be a logical match for him in that regard.

At least one report indicated he’d also like to continue to be a starter after starting all 82 games for San Antonio last season — that kind of role might be harder to come by with the Clippers in the wake of their Bradley Beal addition.

Here are a few more of Frank’s noteworthy comments from today’s presser:

Frank spoke at length about the signing of Beal, which became official on Friday, noting that the team had twice tried to trade for the veteran shooting guard in the past (Twitter link via Law Murray of The Athletic). Secondary play-making and ball-handling are among the reasons the Clippers targeted Beal, according to Frank, who said he also believes the 32-year-old can be a positive contributor on defense (Twitter links via Murray). Additionally, Frank repeatedly referenced a desire to get Beal involved in hand-off actions, which was a strategy the Clippers used frequently with Norman Powell, tweets Murray.
Mark Bartelstein, Beal’s agent, spoke to many people within the Clippers’ organization before his client committed to the team, including having a half-hour conversation with James Harden, according to Frank (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
Frank credited Harden for signing a contract that gave the Clippers enough wiggle room below the first apron to use their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which allowed them to sign both Beal and free agent center Brook Lopez (Twitter link via Murray). The Clippers are one of just three teams – along with the Pistons and Lakers – to have used every dollar of the $14,104,000 MLE so far in 2025/26 (Portland could become the fourth, assuming Damian Lillard‘s deal is worth the full amount).
Addressing the acquisitions of Lopez and John Collins, Frank explained that the Clippers made it a priority to add size in their frontcourt and wanted to bring in players with more diverse skill sets that could complement one another (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
Pointing out that the Clippers have 10 players who project to be rotation players, Frank acknowledged that head coach Tyronn Lue “usually” plays just nine. As the Clippers weigh their options for their 14th roster spot and set their rotation this fall, role definition and communication will be key, Frank said (Twitter link via Murray).

More Details Emerge On Rozier Federal Investigation

July 18th, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

Terry Rozier‘s status in conjunction with a federal probe into suspicious bets gained some clarity today, thanks to a report from ESPN’s David Purdum.

Rozier has not been charged with or accused of wrongdoing by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but neither has he been cleared, as reports this week indicated.

According to Purdum, the investigation stems from a game Rozier played with the Hornets on March 23, 2023. Ahead of the game, one bettor placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes on the “unders” on Rozier-related prop bets. All 30 bets won after the guard only played 10 minutes in the game before leaving with a foot issue, despite not being on the injury report prior to tip-off. The game was Rozier’s last of the season.

These bets were placed at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, which flagged them as suspicious but ultimately paid out the winnings of $13,759. At the same time, there was a rush on multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans of “under” bets on Rozier props, which led to a halt being placed on those bets later in the day.

Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, said that Rozier is not the subject of the investigation, though that was not confirmed nor denied by the U.S. Attorney’s office.

“My hope and expectation is that at some point that they’ll be done with their investigation and will be professional enough to let us know that it’s 100 percent over and that they reached the same conclusion that was reached in 2023,” Trusty said, referencing Rozier’s initial meetings with the FBI and NBA in 2023, which Trusty said resulted in an initial decision of no wrongdoing.

The federal investigation surrounding Rozier is the same one that led to Jontay Porter‘s ban from the NBA, and Purdum reports that there was overlap in the betting accounts that wagered on the two players, though Trusty stated that Rozier has no connections with any of those implicated in Porter’s case.

Bradley Beal Signs With Clippers

July 18th, 2025 at 5:20pm CST by Eli Cohen

Bradley Beal has officially signed with the Clippers, reports Law Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). Beal cleared waivers at 4:00 pm Central time on Friday after having been officially waived by the Suns on Wednesday.

As previously reported, Beal’s deal with L.A. uses the remainder of the team’s mid-level exception. It’s worth $5,354,000 in year one, followed by a $5,621,700 player option for 2026/27.

“Players of this caliber are very rare, and they’re hard to come by,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said in a press release announcing the deal. “You can put him in so many different spots and he’ll find ways to score: out of pick-and-roll, coming off screens, catch-and-shoot. He can create his own or he can play off the ball. He’s a great cutter. He’s also a great playmaker who is going to make everybody else better. I’m excited he’s with us.”

In a conversation with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Beal’s agent Mark Bartelstein said, “The Clippers want the most aggressive and dynamic version of Brad. That’s music to his ears.”

Beal averaged 17.0 points and 3.7 assists per game last season for the Suns while splitting time between the starting lineup and a reserve role. The career 37.6% three-point shooter will join a Clippers team that has loaded up its bench with accomplished veterans like John Collins and Brook Lopez as they look to cement themselves as a contender around star Kawhi Leonard.

Derik Queen Undergoes Wrist Surgery, Will Be Reevaluated In 12 Weeks

July 18th, 2025 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans rookie Derik Queen has undergone surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist, the team announced today in a press release.

Queen sustained the injury in Tuesday’s Summer League game vs. Portland in Las Vegas and underwent the procedure days later in Los Angeles. He’s expected to be reevaluated in approximately 12 weeks, according to the Pelicans. Training camp is scheduled to get underway in about 10-and-a-half weeks.

Queen was selected with the 13th overall pick last month after the Pelicans sent Atlanta this year’s No. 23 selection and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder (the most favorable of New Orleans’ and Milwaukee’s picks) for the right to draft the Maryland big man, who was highly productive in his freshman season with the Terrapins. He averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30.4 minutes per contest across 36 total games, helping guide Maryland to a 27-9 record and a spot in the Sweet 16.

In three Summer League appearances for the Pelicans this month, Queen averaged 14.0 points per game and ranked first among players in Vegas in both rebounds (11.0) and turnovers (5.7) per contest.

A torn scapholunate ligament isn’t an uncommon injury among NBA players, with Thunder forward Jalen Williams the latest player to undergo surgery to address the issue. The timeline the Pelicans provided for their next update on Queen also doesn’t come as a surprise, since the ailment generally requires a few months to come back from — when Hornets forward Brandon Miller underwent surgery on January 23 of this year to repair the torn scapholunate ligament in his wrist, for instance, he was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Still, it’s a disappointing setback for New Orleans and for Queen, who won’t be ready for the start of training camp and whose availability for the start of the regular season is also very much up in the air.

Queen is one of several key Pelicans players who is now in the process of recovering from a major surgery. Dejounte Murray is coming off an Achilles tear, while Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy underwent procedures to repair labrum/rotator cuff tears during the second half of the 2024/25 season.

NBA Reportedly Concludes Kevin Porter Jr. Investigation

July 17th, 2025 at 1:25pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has concluded its investigation of Kevin Porter Jr.‘s domestic violence incident from September 2023, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old guard received a four-game suspension but won’t actually have to miss any games during the upcoming season.

As Murray tweets, Porter missed the entire 2023/24 season as a result of the incident, having been traded from Houston to Oklahoma City and subsequently cut by the Thunder in October 2023. Due to those circumstances and the information discovered in the league’s investigation, the four-game suspension will be considered already served, says Murray.

Porter was arrested in September 2023 following an altercation with his then-girlfriend, ex-WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, and was originally charged with felony counts of assault and strangulation. He reached a plea deal in Manhattan in January 2024, agreeing to reckless assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor, as well as harassment in the second degree, which is considered a violation.

Several weeks after Porter’s arrest that September, Gondrezick disputed Manhattan prosecutors’ characterization of the incident that took place on September 11, telling Priscilla DeGregory and Emily Crane of The New York Post that Porter “never balled his fists up and hit me” and “definitely didn’t punch me in the face numerous times.”

A second-degree assault charge against Porter was dropped at that time after it was determined that Gondrezick’s vertebra fracture was a congenital defect and not caused by the former Rocket.

“It happened very fast, not to the degree of what was reported,” Gondrezick said of the altercation. “And it was an argument that occurred in the room for not even 10 seconds.”

The NBA put the Porter investigation on hold while he played in Greece during the ’23/24 campaign, but resumed it when he signed with the Clippers last July. Porter was traded to the Bucks in February and re-signed with Milwaukee on a two-year deal earlier this month.

Suns Show ‘Exploratory Interest’ In Jonathan Kuminga

July 17th, 2025 at 10:57am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns have expressed “exploratory interest” in a sign-and-trade acquisition of Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

After buying out Bradley Beal and using the stretch provision to gain some cap flexibility, the Suns contacted both Kuminga’s representation and the Warriors regarding a potential transaction. However, the Suns — who dropped under both tax aprons via Beal’s buyout — still face major obstacles in pulling off a deal for Kuminga.

Golden State wants some level of first-round draft compensation in any Kuminga trade and the Suns are lacking in draft capital, Fischer writes. The current Suns roster also doesn’t appear to feature the type of player that would interest the Warriors front office.

Phoenix’s interest in Kuminga stems back to the February trade deadline when the Warriors sought a potential trade for Kevin Durant.

It’s not out of the question that Kuminga could remain with Golden State, but one side or the other would have to blink. Agent Aaron Turner has held numerous discussions with Warriors officials in Las Vegas this month trying to secure a contract that pays at least $25MM in average annual salary, even in the short term, according to Fischer. The Warriors have been reluctant to meet that price in a long-term agreement.

In terms of other possible destinations for Kuminga, the Kings have seemingly shown the most interest but Kuminga’s camp has also held out hope for a potential sign-and-trade with the Bulls. That scenario has yet to materialize, as Chicago has its own concerns about trying to re-sign restricted free agent and starting point guard Josh Giddey.

Bucks Sign Cole Anthony

July 16th, 2025 at 3:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have officially signed free agent guard Cole Anthony, the team announced today in a press release. The move had been expected since Anthony reached a buyout agreement with the Grizzlies, who waived him over the weekend.

Anthony, 25, spent the first five years of his NBA career in Orlando, appearing in a total of 320 regular season games (125 starts) with the Magic. He saw his role cut back in 2024/25, however, setting new career lows in points (9.4) and minutes (18.4) per game, among other categories.

Prior to last season, Anthony had career averages of 13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 26.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .418/.343/.851.

The Magic sent Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Memphis last month in a trade for Desmond Bane, but the former UNC guard wasn’t in the Grizzlies plans after they agreed to sign Ty Jerome in free agency. Memphis’ buyout of Anthony – who gave up $2MM of his $13.1MM expiring contract – helped the club create the cap room necessary to renegotiate Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s contract.

In Milwaukee, Anthony should have a path to rotation minutes in a backcourt that no longer features star point guard Damian Lillard. Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins figure to be Anthony’s top competition for playing time at the point this fall.

While Anthony’s agreement with the Bucks was reported to be a one-year deal, it’s unclear if he signed for the minimum or if he’ll get the remainder of the team’s room exception — Milwaukee still had about $3.65MM left on that exception after using a portion of it to re-sign Porter.

Bradley Beal Agrees To Buyout With Suns, Plans To Sign With Clippers

July 16th, 2025 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Bradley Beal has reached an agreement on a buyout with the Suns and will be placed on waivers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Once he clears waivers and becomes a free agent, Beal intends to sign with the Clippers on a two-year, $11MM deal that will include a second-year player option, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Charania.

A buyout had long been the anticipated outcome for Beal, with John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 suggesting back in April that there was a “zero percent chance” of the three-time All-Star returning to Phoenix for the 2025/26 season. While the Suns explored trade options for Beal, his two-year, $111MM contract and no-trade clause made it virtually impossible for the team to move him, so the two sides began discussing a buyout early in free agency.

As we wrote at that time, in order for the Suns to use the stretch provision on Beal and spread out his remaining salary across five seasons (instead of two), he would have to give back roughly $13.88MM in a buyout agreement — a team isn’t permitted to carry stretched salary totaling more than 15% of the salary cap, and Phoenix had previously used the stretch provision on Nassir Little and E.J. Liddell.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link), Beal will indeed give back that required $13.88MM in the buyout agreement, giving the Suns the option of stretching his $96.9MM in remaining salary. And they’re virtually certain to take that path, tweets Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports.

The Suns had been operating over the second tax apron this offseason, but reducing Beal’s 2025/26 cap hit from about $53.67MM to $19.38MM won’t just move them out of second-apron territory — as cap experts Bobby Marks and Yossi Gozlan detail (all Twitter links), Phoenix can get all the way below the luxury tax line as a result of the buyout. That would eliminate an estimated $176MM in tax penalties and unlock a handful of restrictions related to trades and free agency, including the use of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

As Gozlan notes, the Suns figure to move slightly back over the tax line once they add a 14th man to replace Beal, but they’ll be in position to duck the tax with a minor roster move later in the season. Previous reporting indicated that Phoenix will likely use the roster spot being vacated by Beal on a point guard or combo guard.

As a result of being waived, Beal will no longer hold his no-trade clause, and he won’t immediately make back the money that he’s giving up in his buyout agreement. However, according to Charania (Twitter links), the 32-year-old became increasingly excited about the possibility of reaching free agency after meeting with multiple interested teams in recent weeks, a process spearheaded by Bartelstein with the approval of the Suns.

The Clippers were reported last week to be the favorites to land Beal following the trade that sent Norman Powell to Miami. Beal will take that newly opened spot in L.A.’s backcourt and will be signed using the remainder of the club’s mid-level exception. Brook Lopez received $8.75MM of that $14.104MM exception, leaving $5,354,000 for Beal. That will be his first-year salary, followed by a $5,621,700 player option for 2026/27.

The signing will leave the Clippers roughly $3.5MM below their first-apron hard cap, with 13 players under contract, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. That means, barring cost-cutting moves, the club won’t be able to carrying a 15th man to open the season, since a veteran-minimum deal counts toward the cap for about $2.3MM.

While Beal’s value has taken a hit in recent years due to his maximum-salary contract and some injury issues, he has continued to be one of the NBA’s efficient backcourt scorers when he’s healthy. Across two seasons in Phoenix, he averaged 17.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game on .505/.407/.808 shooting in 106 outings (91 starts).

Julius Randle Signs Three-Year Contract With Timberwolves

July 16th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

July 16: Randle’s new deal with the Timberwolves has been officially finalized, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

June 29: The Timberwolves and forward Julius Randle have agreed to terms on a multiyear deal, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The new contract will replace Randle’s player option for 2025/26 and will be worth $100MM over three years, according to Charania, who reports that it will include a third-year player option for ’27/28.

After being sent from the Knicks to the Timberwolves in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster right at the start of training camp last fall, Randle took some time to adjust to the change of scenery and didn’t score or shoot as much during his first year as a Timberwolf as he had gotten accustomed to during his years in New York.

However, the 30-year-old ultimately had another productive season as a scorer, rebounder, and play-maker in Minnesota, putting up averages of 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in 69 outings, with a shooting line of .485/.344/.806. The Timberwolves were 44-25 during the regular season in games he played and 5-8 in the ones he missed.

Randle’s deal is the second major contract agreement the Timberwolves have reached with a member of their frontcourt between the end of the draft and the official start of free agency. Minnesota also struck a five-year, $125MM deal with Naz Reid.

The two contracts will push the Wolves’ team salary to the brink of the second tax apron for 2025/26, and I expect the club will be reluctant to surpass that threshold again after operating as a second-apron team in ’24/25. That means free agent guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker will end up elsewhere, as Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter).

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