Newsstand Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Blazers Buy Out Deandre Ayton

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

JUNE 30: The Trail Blazers put out a press release officially confirming that Ayton has been bought out and placed on waivers. He’s on track to become a free agent on Wednesday evening.

According to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Twitter link), the big man gave up enough money in the buyout that Portland should be able to use the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM) without going into luxury tax territory.

Meanwhile, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports (via Twitter) that the Blazers had trade talks about Ayton with a number of teams, but they didn’t want to take back multiyear salary in any deal, which made it difficult to find a match that made sense for both sides.

JUNE 29: The Trail Blazers have reached an agreement on a contract buyout with veteran center Deandre Ayton, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).

Ayton had been about to enter the final season of a four-year, maximum-salary contract, which was set to pay him $35.5MM in 2025/26. The amount he’s giving up in the buyout has not yet been reported.

The Blazers have drafted centers in the first round of both 2024 (Donovan Clingan) and 2025 (Hansen Yang) and will use this opportunity to clear rotation minutes for their young big men. Portland also still has Robert Williams and Duop Reath under contract, though Williams has only played 61 games over the last three seasons due to health issues.

Ayton averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds, both of which were below his career rates, in 30.2 minutes per night this past season. He only made 40 appearances while dealing with a calf strain that kept him out of the lineup for much of the second half of the season.

Once he clears waivers, Ayton will become an unrestricted free agent and will have the ability to sign with any NBA team. The Collective Bargaining Agreement includes a rule prohibiting teams operating above either tax apron from signing a waived player who had been earning more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, but that restriction only applies during the regular season.

Ayton joins a free agent center group headlined by Myles Turner, Brook Lopez, Clint Capela, and Al Horford. The Lakers are the team most consistently linked to free agent centers and will likely become a top team to monitor for Ayton.

One team that will not be pursuing a partnership with Ayton is Phoenix, according to Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports. Bourguet reports, via Twitter, that the Suns have no interest in a reunion with their 2018 first overall pick, who helped them reach the 2021 NBA Finals.

Jazz Trade Collin Sexton To Hornets For Jusuf Nurkic

June 29th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Luke Adams

8:44 pm: The trade is official, according to press releases issued by both the Jazz and Hornets.

2:15 pm: The Jazz and Hornets have agreed to a trade that will send guard Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round pick to Charlotte, with center Jusuf Nurkic headed to Utah, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 2030 pick headed to Charlotte will be the most favorable of the Jazz’s and Clippers’ second-rounders, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

Sexton, 26, spent four years in Cleveland before being signed-and-traded to Utah in 2022’s Donovan Mitchell deal. He has played for the Jazz for the past three seasons, averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game in 63 contests (61 starts) in 2024/25.

The Hornets had reportedly been on the lookout for a veteran guard to back up point guard LaMelo Ball. While Sexton is more of a combo guard than a traditional point guard, he can handle the ball and is a pretty efficient scorer — he posted a shooting line of .480/.406/.865 this past season.

The move does further deplete Charlotte’s frontcourt after the club previously agreed to trade Mark Williams to Phoenix. That position figures to be an area the Hornets focus on in free agency, since they’re unlikely to enter the season with Moussa Diabate and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner as their top two options in the middle.

As for the Jazz, they’ll be adding a physical veteran center to their frontcourt, with Charania suggesting (via Twitter) that Nurkic is a player they like. The 30-year-old appeared in a total of 51 games last season for Phoenix and Charlotte, averaging 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 20.8 minutes per night.

Nurkic will join Walker Kessler and Kyle Filipowski on Utah’s depth chart at center. Meanwhile, moving Sexton may open up more playing time for the Jazz’s young guards, including newly drafted rookie Walter Clayton Jr.

Both Sexton and Nurkic are on expiring contracts in 2025/26. They’ll both be eligible for extensions in July and would become unrestricted free agents in 2026 if they don’t sign new deals before then. Sexton will earn approximately $18.98MM (with another $500K in unlikely bonuses) next season, while Nurkic will make about $19.38MM.

Rockets Sign Jabari Smith Jr. To Five-Year Extension

June 29th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Eli Cohen

July 6: Smith’s deal is now official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.

June 29: The Rockets intend to sign Jabari Smith Jr. to a five-year rookie scale extension worth $122MM, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).

Smith was in and out of the Rockets’ starting lineup this season, but is presumed to be in line to take the starting power forward role following the Rockets’ trade for Kevin Durant.

The No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft, Smith posted a career-low in points per game as his role fluctuated and he dealt with injuries, but the appeal of his skill set in the modern game is clear. Smith has averaged 13.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks while shooting 35.9% on 4.9 three-point attempts per game over the previous two seasons.

A tough-minded defender with a capable jump shot and some untapped potential as a shot creator, Smith will slot into a primarily off-ball role offensively next to Fred VanVleet, Alperen Sengun, and Durant, while helping create a defensive infrastructure as a skilled weak-side rim protector next to Sengun and Amen Thompson.

This contract will lock up the talented young power forward through the 2030/31 season. The Athletic’s Kelly Iko confirms (via Twitter) that the deal is fully guaranteed and contains no team or player options.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks expressed some surprise at how early the deal got done, as typically the first week of free agency remains the providence of players receiving max contracts, which Smith did not.

The Rockets still have Tari Eason‘s extension eligibility to consider, so whether the Smith deal impacts Eason’s candidacy remains to be seen. Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron writes (via Twitter) that with the Smith extension, the Rockets are still $80MM below the 2026/27 luxury tax line, giving them room to extend both Durant and Eason.

There has been speculation that Houston might extend one Smith or Eason and wait until next year’s restricted free agency to decide on the other’s future, but outside of Durant, the Rockets have clearly prioritized continuity with the team that won 52 games last season, retaining VanVleet and Steven Adams while reportedly planning on bringing back Aaron Holiday, Jae’Sean Tate, and Jeff Green.

Bucks Re-Sign Bobby Portis To Three-Year Deal

June 29th, 2025 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

July 7: The Bucks have put out a press release officially confirming that Portis is back under contract.

June 29: The Bucks and forward/center Bobby Portis have worked out a multiyear contract agreement, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that Portis intends to sign a three-year, $44MM pact that includes a third-year player option.

The contract will replace Portis’ $13.4MM player option for 2025/26, which he declined today in order to sign his new deal.

A reliable part of the Bucks’ frontcourt for the last five seasons, Portis earned Sixth Man of the Year votes in three of those years — he started too many games to qualify in one of the other two seasons, then only suited up a total of 49 times last season due to a 25-game suspension that cost him much of the second half.

In the suspension-shortened season, Portis averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 25.4 minutes per game, with a .466/.365/.836 shooting line.

Portis recently spoke about a desire to be “compensated fairly” after accepting what he views as team-friendly contracts in recent years. While his new contract won’t give him a huge raise, it will pay him a higher annual salary than the four-year, $48.6MM deal he signed with Milwaukee in 2022.

Portis was one of two key members of the Bucks’ frontcourt eligible for free agency and had been considered more likely than fellow big man Brook Lopez to return to the team.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo trade speculation has run rampant since Milwaukee’s season ended, the two-time MVP hasn’t requested a change of scenery, so the Bucks are reportedly approaching their offseason as if he’s staying and are looking to make moves to complement him.

The terms of Portis’ contract suggest it could be finalized an extension in June rather than as a free agent deal in July. If that happens, he would remain trade-eligible rather than becoming ineligible to be dealt until December.

James Harden Declines Option, Signs New Two-Year Deal With Clippers

June 29th, 2025 at 4:04pm CST by Rory Maher

July 6: Harden’s new contract with the Clippers is official, per a team press release.

“James takes on a tremendous workload for our team, as a play-maker and a scorer, and he does it with consistency and dependability,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “The NBA season is grueling, and James has proven he is built for it, in a way few are.

“He loves to play. He works on his game. He positions his teammates to succeed and his team to win. He’s a true partner, as shown by this agreement, which allows us to reward James and continue building in the present and future.”

The partial guarantee on Harden’s second-year player option is worth $13.3MM, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

June 29: Clippers guard James Harden will turn down his $36.3MM player option for the 2025/26 season in order to sign a new two-year, $81.5MM contract with the team, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

According to Charania, the second year will be a player option and will be partially guaranteed if Harden opts in.

Dating back to 2022 free agency, this is the third consecutive time that Harden has inked a one-plus-one contract (two-year deal with a player option). The value of his cap hit for ’25/26 will determine how much financial flexibility the Clippers will have as they look to upgrade their roster this offseason.

Harden, who turns 36 years old at the end of August, appeared in 79 games last season, averaging 22.8 points, 8.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals on .410/.352/.872 shooting in 35.3 minutes per contest. The former NBA MVP was selected to his 11th All-Star team in 2024/25 and was also named to the All-NBA Third Team, marking the eighth time he’s been an all-league performer.

With Kawhi Leonard out for the first half of the season, Harden was the primary offensive engine for a Clippers team that performed better than expected after losing Paul George. He also had impressive chemistry with starting center Ivica Zubac, who had a career year with Harden orchestrating pick-and-rolls.

The Clippers went 50-32 last season, good for the No. 5 seed in the West, but lost their first-round playoff series against Denver in seven games.

Harden, a native of Los Angeles, was widely expected to return to the Clips in some fashion, whether by exercising his option or declining it and re-signing on a new deal. He opted for the latter route this summer, and could be a free agent again in 2026.

The move makes sense for both sides. The Nets are the only team projected to have a significant amount of cap room this offseason, and they were never going to be interested in a reunion with Harden at back end of his career, reducing his negotiating leverage.

But the Clippers also had no viable way to replace Harden’s scoring and play-making, and he has been pretty durable during his 16-year career. His contract for 2026/27 being partially guaranteed gives L.A. a little protection in the event of an injury or a decline in Harden’s play.

Harden was ranked No. 3 on on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.

Heat’s Duncan Robinson Opting Out Of Contract

June 29th, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat forward Duncan Robinson is opting out of his contract for 2025/26 in order to become an unrestricted free agent, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who says the veteran sharpshooter will work with the team to either figure out a new deal or accommodate a move elsewhere.

Robinson held an early termination option ahead of the ’25/26 season rather than a traditional player option. They have similar functions, but in order to become a free agent, Robinson will technically exercise the option to terminate his contract early, rather than declining that option and playing out his contract. If it were a traditional player option, exercising it would mean opting in.

Had Robinson opted into the final year of his deal, his $19.9MM salary for ’25/26 would have become partially guaranteed for $9.9MM, which would have forced Miami to decide whether to guarantee his remaining $10MM or waive him in order to create $10MM in savings.

Now that Robinson has opted out, he’s not guaranteed any of that money. But he the Heat could potentially work out a multiyear deal that features a more team-friendly cap hit and ensures that the 31-year-old still earns that $9.9MM — and then some.

The possibility of a new three-year deal to keep Robinson in Miami is one idea that has been floated, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

One of the NBA’s best three-point shooters, Robinson has fired up 7.2 attempts per game from beyond the arc in 423 regular season appearances and has knocked down 39.7% of them. In 2024/25, he averaged 11.0 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .437/.393/.887, across 74 outings (37 starts).

As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets, Robinson’s decision takes the Heat from $8MM over the projected luxury tax line to $12MM below it. That gives the team enough breathing room below the tax to either bring back the forward on a new contract or perhaps add a replacement via trade/sign-and-trade or the mid-level exception.

Pistons Eyeing LeVert, Alexander-Walker Amid Beasley Gambling Allegations

June 29th, 2025 at 12:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Amid a probe by the U.S. District Attorney’s office into alleged gambling activities by Pistons free agent guard Malik Beasley, Detroit is mulling a different approach this offseason, Grant Afseth reports in an RG.org story.

Talks between the Pistons and Beasley have stalled, despite previous momentum on a multiyear deal, according to Afseth’s sources. Beasley, who was one of the league’s premier three-point shooters and reserves this past season, had been in “serious talks” on a three-year, $42MM contract to remain in Detroit, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Along with the gambling allegations, Beasley is also dealing with lawsuit by his former agent, Daniel Hazan, over a financial dispute tied to a marketing advance, according to Afseth.

The Pistons are gauging the trade market on Simone Fontecchio, who has an expiring $8.3MM contract, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. A Fontecchio trade could allow the Pistons to open up $24MM in cap space if they lose two of their other top free agents, Dennis Schröder and Tim Hardaway Jr.

Opening up that cap room would help the Pistons pursue two other free agents they like — the Timberwolves’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the Hawks’ Caris LeVert. However, the Hawks are also pursuing Alexander-Walker and exploring a possibility of retaining LeVert. Afseth hears that the Hawks are the favorite to land the Minnesota free agent, while the Pistons are trending toward being the favorite to land LeVert. Atlanta is also among the teams in the mix for Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard.

Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon has a history with LeVert, Afseth notes (Twitter link). Langdon served as assistant GM for the Nets in 2016 when they drafted LeVert.

Thunder Sign Jaylin Williams To Three-Year Extension

June 29th, 2025 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

11:37 am: Williams’ new contract is official, the Thunder announced today in a press release. The team completed the deal as a veteran extension, which is why it could be formally finalized now instead of having to wait until July.

9:47 am: The Thunder declined their minimum-salary team option on big man Jaylin Williams in order to negotiate a new deal with him, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a three-year, $24MM contract.

The third and final season of the deal will be a team option, Charania adds (via Twitter).

A valuable frontcourt reserve in recent years for the newly crowned NBA champions, Williams was limited to 47 appearances in 2024/25 due in large part to a hamstring injury that delayed his regular season debut until December 23. However, he was effective when healthy, averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 16.7 minutes per night, with a .439/.399/.767 shooting line.

Williams, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday on Sunday, didn’t have a major role during the postseason, but he played rotation minutes off the bench against Denver in the second round and appeared in 17 of the Thunder’s 23 total playoff games.

While the Thunder could have kept Williams on the roster at a bargain price for another season by simply picking up his $2.2MM option for 2025/26, doing so would have put him on track for unrestricted free agency in 2026. By declining the option, Oklahoma City had the ability to make the former No. 34 overall pick a restricted free agent this summer, improving the team’s negotiating position.

The Thunder have taken this route on team-option players like Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins within the past few years, declining their options in order to sign them to multiyear contracts as RFAs.

Oklahoma City’s minor salary-dump trade of Dillon Jones on Saturday will allow the team to stay out of luxury tax territory while giving Williams a pay bump for 2025/26. The tax line is projected to come in at $187.9MM, while the Thunder currently have a projected team salary of $186MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Lakers’ Dorian Finney-Smith Opting Out Of Contract

June 29th, 2025 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith has decided to turn down his player option for the 2025/26 season, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The option would have been worth $15.4MM.

Finney-Smith’s decision will make him an unrestricted free agent and multiple teams are expected to pursue him when the free agent period officially opens on Monday evening, per Charania. However, a return to the Lakers remains in play for the 32-year-old as well.

Having been traded from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in December, Finney-Smith appeared in 43 games for the Lakers, 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 Finney-Smith’s box-score numbers certainly don’t jump off the page, his 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.

If Finney-Smith doesn’t return to the Lakers, they’ll have more spending power in free agency, with the ability to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1MM) and perhaps the bi-annual exception ($5.1MM) too, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). However, it would mean losing a key member of their rotation.

Finney-Smith was the No. 20 free agent on our top-50 list entering the offseason. This summer may represent his best chance at one last big-time payday.

Malik Beasley Under Investigation For Gambling Allegations

June 29th, 2025 at 11:03am CST by Arthur Hill

Pistons guard Malik Beasley is under investigation by the U.S. District Attorney’s office for gambling allegations involving NBA games and prop bets, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

“An investigation is not a charge,” Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, told Charania. “Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. As of now he has not been charged with anything.”

During a SportsCenter appearance (Twitter video link), Charania states that Beasley is being investigated for allegedly gambling on games during the 2023/24 season.

The Pistons have acknowledged that an investigation is ongoing and are deferring any comment to the NBA office, according to Coty M. Davis of The Detroit News (Twitter link).

Beasley is one of the top free agents on the market, and Charania reports that he was in “serious talks” on a three-year, $42MM contract to remain in Detroit (Twitter link). However, sources tell Charania that those negotiations are now on hold.

As Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports points out (Twitter link), Beasley made just $6MM this season and the Pistons only hold his Non-Bird rights, which means they were planning to use cap space or the mid-level exception for the new deal.

Beasley, who joined the Pistons as a free agent last summer, finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. He was a potent weapon off the bench as Detroit made a surprise playoff appearance, averaging 16.3 PPG in 82 games.

The Pistons have been mentioned as a leading contender to sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the Minnesota shooting guard could become the focus of their offseason plans if they determine that Beasley’s legal issues make him too risky.

The situation with Beasley and the expected loss of Dennis Schröder in free agency may open enough cap space to allow Detroit to make an offer to Alexander-Walker that exceeds the $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). The Pistons could have $17MM available by renouncing Tim Hardaway Jr.