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Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Complete Four-Year Super-Max Extension

July 1st, 2025 at 9:06am CST by Luke Adams

July 8: Gilgeous-Alexander’s lucrative new four-year mega-deal is now official, the Thunder confirmed in a press release.

July 1: The Thunder and reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have agreed to a four-year, super-max contract extension, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The contract will begin in 2027/28, adding four years to the two left on Gilgeous-Alexander’s current deal and locking him up through at least the ’29/30 season, with a player option for ’30/31, per Charania (Twitter video link).

While Charania refers to it as a $285MM payday for the Thunder star, the exact value of the contract will depend on where the 2027/28 salary cap ends up — Gilgeous-Alexander’s super-max extension will start at 35% of that season’s cap, with 8% annual increases from there. Charania’s projection assumes a 7% cap increase for next year, as projected by the NBA on Monday, followed by a 10% increase in 2027.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who will turn 27 later this month, is coming off one of the most successful seasons in NBA history. He racked up 32.7 points per game on a shooting line of .519/.375/.898 while also contributing 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 block per contest.

He followed up that regular season performance this spring by averaging 29.9 PPG during the postseason and leading the Thunder to their first title in Oklahoma City.

Those performances earned Gilgeous-Alexander MVP honors in both the regular season and the NBA Finals, making him the 16th player in league history to win both awards in the same year. It hadn’t happened since LeBron James pulled off the feat during the 2012/13 season.

Gilgeous-Alexander actually met the performance criteria for a super-max contract (also known as a “designated veteran” deal) in 2024 by making an All-NBA team for a second straight season, but wasn’t permitted to sign his extension until this summer because he hadn’t yet met the service-time criteria.

A player with between seven and nine years of experience typically has a maximum salary of 30% of the cap, but can qualify for 35% by being named MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or All-NBA in the most recent season or in two of the previous three seasons.

Gilgeous-Alexander had the option of waiting another year to sign his super-max extension — at that time, he could’ve added a fifth year, increasing the total projected value to nearly $370MM. However, it doesn’t come as a surprise that he opted not to leave this sort of payday on the table for another year.

The Thunder will now shift their focus to two other key extension candidates, as both Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are eligible this offseason for rookie scale extensions as they prepare to enter their fourth year in the NBA.

NBA 2025 Free Agency: June 30 Recap

July 1st, 2025 at 12:40am CST by Luke Adams

Even after several of this year’s top free agents – including James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Naz Reid, Julius Randle, and Fred VanVleet – reached contract agreements with their respective teams well before the first day of free agency, it was still an eventful June 30 in the NBA, with news of deals coming in both before and after the free agent period officially got underway at 5:00 pm Central time.

Listed below are all the free agent agreements and other notable news items from the first day of free agency.

Free agent agreements

These deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on July 6.

Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hawks agree to four-year, $62MM contract (sign-and-trade).
Dorian Finney-Smith, Rockets agree to four-year, $53MM contract.
Santi Aldama, Grizzlies agree to three-year, $52.5MM contract.
Luke Kornet, Spurs agree to four-year, $41MM contract.
Caris LeVert, Pistons agree to two-year, $29MM contract.
Ty Jerome, Grizzlies agree to three-year, $27.7MM contract.
Tre Jones, Bulls agree to three-year, $24MM contract.
Clint Capela, Rockets agree to three-year, $21.5MM contract (sign-and-trade).
Brook Lopez, Clippers agree to two-year, $18MM contract.
Kevon Looney, Pelicans agree to two-year, $16MM contract.
Jake LaRavia, Lakers agree to two-year, $12MM contract.
Day’Ron Sharpe, Nets agree to two-year, $12MM contract.
Ziaire Williams, Nets agree to two-year, $12MM contract.
D’Angelo Russell, Mavericks agree to two-year, $11.7MM contract.
Nicolas Batum, Clippers agree to two-year, $11.5MM contract.
Paul Reed, Pistons agree to two-year, $11MM contract.
Luke Kennard, Hawks agree to one-year, $11MM contract.
Kevin Porter Jr., Bucks agree to two-year, $10.5MM contract.
Gary Trent Jr., Bucks agree to two-year, $7.6MM contract.
Tyus Jones, Magic agree to one-year, $7MM contract.
Luka Garza, Celtics agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
Taurean Prince, Bucks agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
Cam Spencer, Grizzlies agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
Trendon Watford, Sixers agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
Bruce Brown, Nuggets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Jeff Green, Rockets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Nigel Hayes-Davis, Suns agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Aaron Holiday, Rockets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Joe Ingles, Timberwolves agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Mason Plumlee, Hornets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Jae’Sean Tate, Rockets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
Collin Gillespie, Suns agree to one-year contract.

Other notable headlines

Nuggets agree to trade Michael Porter Jr., unprotected 2032 first-round pick to Nets for Cameron Johnson.
Grizzlies agree to renegotiate, extend Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s contract (five years, $240MM).
Suns, Hornets officially finalize Mark Williams trade.
Lakers, Bulls officially finalize draft-night trade.
Thunder wing Jalen Williams to undergo wrist surgery.
Mike Brown to interview a second time for Knicks‘ head coaching job.
Kings expected to sign Dennis Schröder, with a sign-and-trade scenario involving Malik Monk going to the Pistons potentially in play.
Jazz buy out Jordan Clarkson; he’s expected to sign with Knicks.
Jazz guarantee Svi Mykhailiuk‘s 2025/26 salary.
Suns waive Cody Martin.
Jazz waive Johnny Juzang.

Notably, five of the first 10 players in our list of this year’s top 50 free agents are still on the board as of late Monday night: Myles Turner, Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Cam Thomas, and Quentin Grimes don’t yet have deals in place.

The full list of available free agents can be found right here.

Jordan Clarkson Signs With Knicks

June 30th, 2025 at 8:51pm CST by Eli Cohen

July 7: Clarkson has officially signed with the Knicks, according to the NBA’s transaction log.

June 30: Jordan Clarkson will sign with the Knicks after he clears waivers, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (via Twitter).

The Knicks had been expected to target Clarkson since news broke that he would be waived by the Jazz, writes Steve Popper of Newsday Sports (Twitter link). The veteran guard agreed to a buyout with Utah and was officially waived earlier today.

Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link) confirms Popper’s report, saying that Clarkson had been considered a priority signing for the Knicks. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported (via Twitter) that the deal would likely be for the veteran’s minimum, around $3.6MM.

Clarkson averaged 16.2 points and 3.7 assists per game for the Jazz last season while shooting 36.2% from three. He played a career-low 37 games, with his season impacted both by injuries and by Utah’s tanking efforts.

The 2021 Sixth Man of the Year has been in Utah for over five years, with his best statistical season occurring in 2022/23, when he averaged 20.8 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per contest. While he holds a career average of 2.9 assists per game, he became a better play-maker with the Jazz, whose point guard rotation was up-and-down during his tenure. He has averaged 4.5 assists to 2.7 turnovers over his last three seasons.

Clarkson brings a much-needed dose of ball-handling off the bench to the Knicks, whose reliance on star point guard Jalen Brunson at times left the team vulnerable to intense ball-pressure. A capable shot-creator, Clarkson will pair with fifth-year guard Miles McBride to firm up the Knicks’ depth as they look to build on last year’s Eastern Conference Finals run.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker Heads To Hawks In Sign-And-Trade

June 30th, 2025 at 7:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

July 6: The sign-and-trade deal sending Alexander-Walker to Atlanta is complete, according to press releases from the Hawks and Timberwolves.

June 30: Free agent guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has agreed to a four-year, $62MM deal with the Hawks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

The contract includes a fourth-year player option and a trade kicker, according to Charania (Twitter link).

The Hawks will acquire Alexander-Walker via a sign-and-trade using the $25MM trade exception created by last year’s Dejounte Murray trade, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). This will generate a trade exception for the Timberwolves worth half of Alexander-Walker’s starting salary.

The Timberwolves are also receiving cash considerations and a future second-rounder, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. The pick is the Cavaliers’ 2027 second-rounder, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

By going the sign-and-trade route, Atlanta will be able to preserve its non-taxpayer mid-level exception and still has room under the luxury tax line to make use of it.

The Hawks were considered the frontrunners to acquire Alexander-Walker after the Timberwolves reached agreements with two of their other prominent players, Naz Reid and Julius Randle. According to insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Trae Young was instrumental in recruiting NAW to Atlanta.

Alexander-Walker emerged as one of the biggest names on the free agent market due to his three-and-D skills. He had a 23-point, six-assist outing against OKC in the Western Conference Finals.

The 26-year-old appeared in every regular season game this season, including 10 starts, averaging 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He made 38.1 percent of his threes and has knocked down 36 percent of them in his career. He now slots in as the Hawks’ sixth man, backing up Dyson Daniels at shooting guard.

Clint Capela Agrees To Three-Year Contract With Rockets

June 30th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:12pm: The Rockets are acquiring Capela in a sign-and-trade with the Hawks, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), who reports that Houston is giving Atlanta a second-round pick swap in 2031 and cash to complete the deal.

7:03pm: The Rockets continued to retool their frontcourt by agreeing to a three-year, $21.5MM contract with Hawks free agent Clint Capela, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The contract is fully guaranteed, Charania adds (Twitter link).

It’s no surprise that Capela, who lost his starting job in the second half of this past season, was leaving Atlanta. The Hawks are acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics to be their starting big man, at least for next season.

Going to the Rockets, where he started his career, is somewhat of a surprise, given they already have one of the league’s top young big men in Alperen Sengun.

Houston also signed Steven Adams to a three-year extension in mid-June. Where Capela fits on the depth chart remains to be seen.

As for the contract terms, how they’ll acquire Capela is another mystery. Houston also agreed to a four-year deal with forward Dorian Finney-Smith on Monday, apparently via their non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That would mean the Rockets would have to work out a sign-and-trade to bring in Capela.

This past season, Capela started 41 of 55 games and averaged 8.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in 21.4 minutes. That was the first time in eight seasons Capela didn’t average a double-double. He was the Hawks’ regular starting center the previous four seasons after a six-year stay with Houston.

Clippers Sign Brook Lopez To Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Eli Cohen

July 6: Lopez is officially a Clipper, according to a press release from the team.

“Brook is an elite rim protector and range shooter who will bring a different dimension to our frontcourt,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He is also a former champion and a genuine pro who will be a great addition to our group.”

The second year of Lopez’s contract is a team option, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

June 30: After spending seven seasons in Milwaukee, center Brook Lopez is headed back to Los Angeles, having agreed to sign a two-year, $18MM contract with the Clippers, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

The Clippers were known to be in the market for a reliable veteran big man to back up Most Improved Player runner-up Ivica Zubac. Based on the terms, it looks like they’ll be using a majority of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to add Lopez.

Using the non-taxpayer mid-level will trigger a first-apron hard cap for the Clippers, who are about $8MM below that threshold, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The club should also still have more than $5MM of its mid-level remaining, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).

Lopez had one of his better shooting seasons for the Bucks this year, hitting 37.3% of his 4.7 three-point attempts per night. However, his overall production was slightly down in terms of rebounding and rim protection as the Bucks dealt with a litany of injuries and chemistry issues.

The 37-year-old big man will slot in next to newly retained Nicolas Batum to form a heady, skilled defensive bench pairing. The center duo of Zubac and Lopez should provide the Clippers with a solid defensive anchor at all times, while Lopez will give the club a different look offensively than Zubac, who has made one three-pointer since entering the NBA in 2016.

The Bucks agreed to re-sign Bobby Portis yesterday and reached a new deal with Kevin Porter Jr. earlier today, but the loss of Lopez raises more questions about the direction of a team that will already be without its second star in Damian Lillard, who will miss most or all of 2025/26 with an Achilles tear.

Pistons Add Caris LeVert On Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2025 at 6:41pm CST by Rory Maher

July 8: LeVert has officially signed with the Pistons, according to a press release from the team (Twitter link).

June 30: The Pistons are signing free agent wing Caris LeVert to a two-year, $29MM contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

It’s a straight two-year deal with no player or team option for the 2026/27 season, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.

The signing could be completed using either the full mid-level exception or cap room, depending on whether the Pistons operate over or under the salary cap.

A nine-year veteran, LeVert split last season between Cleveland and Atlanta after the Cavaliers traded him to the Hawks in February as part of the De’Andre Hunter deal. He made 64 combined appearances in 2024/25, averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds on .467/.373/.710 shooting in 24.9 minutes per game.

LeVert, who played four years of college ball in Michigan with the Wolverines, will be 31 years old in late August.

In addition to his familiarity with Michigan, LeVert also played under Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff for two-plus seasons while they were members of the Cavs.

Grant Afseth first reported that Detroit was viewed as the frontrunner to land LeVert, with The Stein Line later confirming the rumor. The Hawks are reportedly targeting Nickeil Alexander-Walker as their primary free agent addition, though it might take a sign-and-trade to land him.

LeVert will bring versatile offense and play-making to the Pistons and will likely come off the bench behind Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. He could also slot in as a small forward in certain lineups.

The Pistons pivoted to signing LeVert in the wake of the Malik Beasley gambling allegations.

Mavericks Sign D’Angelo Russell To Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2025 at 6:12pm CST by Rory Maher

July 6: Russell’s deal is official, according to the Mavericks (Twitter link).

June 30: The Mavericks are signing free agent guard D’Angelo Russell to a two-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The second year will be a player option, Charania notes (via Twitter).

While Charania states that Russell’s deal is worth $13MM, veteran reporter Marc Stein hears (via Twitter) it’s just shy of $12MM.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms (Twitter links) that Russell will be signed using the taxpayer mid-level exception, which will hard-cap the Mavs at the second tax apron. Dallas is about $1.6MM below the second apron, Marks adds.

Stein reported multiple times leading up to free agency that Dallas was the frontrunner to sign Russell to a two-year deal using the taxpayer version of the MLE. Assuming he received the full amount, he will earn $11,654,250 over the next two years.

Russell is a one-time All-Star who is taking a steep pay cut, having earned $18.7MM in 2024/25.

The second overall pick of the 2015 draft, Russell is coming off a down season in which he averaged 12.6 points, 5.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 58 combined appearances with the Lakers and Nets (25.5 minutes per game). 12.6 PPG and 25.5 MPG represented career lows for Russell, who also posted career-worst percentages from the field (39.0%) and from three-point range (31.4%).

While he is a talented scorer and play-maker who is capable of carrying an offense for stretches, Russell tends to be quite streaky and is a subpar defender. The 29-year-old will likely be the starting point guard for the Mavs until Kyrie Irving is able to return from the torn ACL he sustained in early March.

Nuggets Trade Michael Porter, First-Round Pick To Nets For Cam Johnson

June 30th, 2025 at 6:09pm CST by Luke Adams

July 8: The trade is official, the Nets announced in a press release.

June 30: The Nuggets and Nets have agreed to a trade that will send Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to the Nets in exchange for Cameron Johnson, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The move will create significant cap flexibility for Denver. Porter is owed a little over $79MM across the next two seasons, while Johnson’s contract has a base value of $44MM over those same two years (he also has some unlikely incentives that count toward the tax aprons).

It also looks like a potential on-court upgrade for the Nuggets. While Porter is an extremely talented scorer and shooter who averaged 18.2 points per game on a .504/.395/.768 shooting line in 77 games for Denver in 2024/25, Johnson is considred a strong defender and is a pretty good scorer and shooter in his own right.

Johnson scored a career-high 18.8 points per game on .475/.390/.893 shooting in 57 outings for the Nets this past season. He also set a new career high with 3.4 assists per contest.

The trade will move the Nuggets’ team salary more than $13MM below the first apron, potentially opening up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to use in free agency, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). That could be a valuable tool for a Denver team looking to add quality depth to support a strong starting lineup.

The Nets, meanwhile, will use a chunk of their cap room to accommodate Porter’s incoming salary — if they had been operating over the cap, they wouldn’t be able to swap Johnson straight up for MPJ and his $38.3MM cap hit.

The move will reduce their cap room to about $17MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks, though that number is fluid, depending on how the team handles its non-guaranteed contracts and whether either of the reported deals for Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams go into the room exception.

The unprotected 2032 first-round pick is clearly the prize of the deal for Brooklyn. Nikola Jokic will be 37 years old in 2032, and there’s no guarantee he’ll still be a Nugget anyway, so that pick has a good deal of variability and could turn into a very valuable asset.

Still, the Nets don’t view Porter as a mere salary dump. They’re excited about the former lottery pick – who celebrated his 27th birthday on Sunday – and intend to keep him, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

Dorian Finney-Smith Signs Four-Year Contract With Rockets

June 30th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

July 7: The Rockets have officially signed Finney-Smith, the team confirmed in a press release.

The deal is fully guaranteed for two seasons, with a non-guaranteed third year and a non-guaranteed fourth-year player option, per Scotto (Twitter link).

June 30: Free agent forward Dorian Finney-Smith is leaving the Lakers in order to sign a four-year, $53MM contract with the Rockets, sources tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The agreement includes a trade kicker and a mutual option (ie. a non-guaranteed player option) in year four, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Finney-Smith will likely be signed using Houston’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception. A full mid-level deal, starting at the maximum $14.1MM, would be worth $60.6MM, so the Rockets should still have a small portion of the exception left over after signing Finney-Smith, assuming the contract has a standard ascending structure.

Finney-Smith, who was traded from Brooklyn to Los Angeles last December, appeared in 43 games for the Lakers in 2024/25, making 20 starts. He averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 28.8 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .442/.398/.714.

While his box-score numbers certainly don’t jump off the page, Finney-Smith’s midseason arrival helped fuel a defensive turnaround in L.A. and his reliable three-point shooting helped space the floor on offense.

His impact was reflected by his on/off-court numbers — no Lakers rotation player had a better regular season net rating than Finney–Smith’s +11.1 mark in 1,239 minutes. The club had a -3.5 mark in the 1,214 minutes he didn’t play after the trade.

In Houston, he’ll serve as the type of three-and-D wing the Rockets lost when they agreed to trade Dillon Brooks to Phoenix in the Kevin Durant blockbuster.

It’s a major loss for the Lakers, given the role Finney-Smith both on and off the court for the franchise. As Dan Woike of The Athletic tweets, the 32-year-old was a popular presence in the locker room and was well-liked by Luka Doncic. However, a four-year deal for Finney-Smith didn’t fit into L.A.’s long-term plans.

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