Doncic Gets Injury Scare During Slovenian Exhibition Game
2:23pm: Doncic has a right knee contusion, Marc Stein tweets. He’ll remain with the Slovenian national team and compete in EuroBasket, Woike tweets.
1:30pm: Lakers superstar Luka Doncic apparently avoided a serious injury after a Slovenian teammate landed on his right leg during an exhibition game on Saturday, Dan Woike of The Athletic tweets.
Early in the second half, Gregor Hrovat fell on Doncic’s knee during a defensive play, according to Eurohoops.net. Doncic was able to head to the locker room on his own power but did not return to the game. Doncic, who scored 26 points against Latvia during the first half, did return to the bench to watch his Slovenian teammates collect a 100-88 victory.
It remains to be seen how this will impact Doncic’s status for the EuroBasket tournament. Slovenia is scheduled to play its tourney opener against Poland on Aug. 28. They’ll also face France, Belgium, Iceland and Israel.
Doncic signed a three-year max extension with the Lakers earlier this month.
Hawks Signing N’Faly Dante To Two-Year Offer Sheet
The Hawks are signing restricted free agent center N’Faly Dante to a two-year, $4.5MM offer sheet, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
The Rockets — Dante’s incumbent team — will have two days to match the offer sheet. However, Houston doesn’t currently have enough room under its first-apron hard cap to match the contract Dante agreed to with Atlanta, according to Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
As Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter), the Rockets already have three players signed to two-way contracts, so evidently they were prepared for Dante’s departure.
A native of Mali who went undrafted in 2024 after a standout college career at Oregon, Dante signed a two-way deal with Houston last summer. The 23-year-old only made four NBA appearances for the second-seeded Rockets as a rookie, with three occurring during the final three contests of the regular season. The 6’11” big man averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game.
While his NBA contributions were limited, Dante had an excellent season for Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 15.1 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG and 2.2 BPG while shooting 74.3% from the field in 42 games (26.8 MPG).
As our Luke Adams recently outlined, two-way restricted free agents rarely sign offer sheets with other teams. But clearly the Hawks like Dante, who will provide frontcourt depth behind Onyeka Okongwu and Kristaps Porzingis — assuming the Rockets don’t make additional moves to position themselves to match.
Dante’s deal will likely be for the veteran’s minimum, which would be worth $4,459,584 across two years.
Heat Reportedly Eyeing Big Men, Including Trey Lyles
After sending Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah in a three-team deal last month, the Heat traded Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday in a salary-dump move. Those transactions have left Miami thin in the frontcourt, with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic figuring to receive the bulk of the minutes at the four and five.
According to Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com, Miami is exploring ways to add at least one more big man ahead of the 2025/26 season, with free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones among the players the team has expressed interest in. Jones impressed the Heat with his “energy and activity” during his workouts this week, sources tell Afseth.
A ten-year NBA veteran who was a lottery pick (12th overall) back in 2015, Lyles has spent the past three-plus seasons in Sacramento. In 69 appearances with the Kings last season, the 6’9″ power forward averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 34.0% from three-point range in 19.6 minutes per game.
Jones, meanwhile, played 40 games for the Clippers and Mavericks in ’24/25, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 79.8% from the field in 11.7 MPG. The 24-year-old center was the 19th pick of the 2021 draft.
As Afseth observes, Lyles and Jones provide different skill sets, with the former being a more proven depth piece and the latter offering more athleticism and upside. But either player could theoretically help the Heat as they prepare for the upcoming season.
In addition to moving below the luxury tax line, trading Highsmith also created an opening on the standard roster. Lyles or Jones could fill that 14th spot (Miami is unlikely to add a 15th man to open the season due to its proximity to the tax), but Afseth states multiple times that the Heat are considering other options as well.
Latest On Jonathan Kuminga
There has been “renewed” dialogue between the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga‘s camp during the last week as the two sides continue to propose contract concepts, ESPN’s Anthony Slater said during a Friday appearance on NBA Today (YouTube link).
As he has reported previously, Slater says that Kuminga and his representatives are seeking a contract that positions him to be more of a building block than simply a trade chip.
“The word I’ve heard used from the Kuminga side is ‘pawn,'” Slater said. “He doesn’t want to sign this two-year, $45MM deal with a team option where he is clearly just being used to be traded mid-season. That’s not something he wants to sign up for.
“Now if you’re talking about a three-year deal, if you’re talking about something with a player option that shows him a little bit more commitment, that’s something he’d be interested in. But as of now, the Warriors have been hesitant to do that, and because of that, Kuminga is signaling to those around him that he’s very willing – and prefers – (to sign) the qualifying offer over the two-year, $45MM deal. That’s dangerous for the Warriors. They can try to call his bluff, but right now, it seems to be trending toward the qualifying offer.”
A handful of Warriors free agent targets – including big man Al Horford – are awaiting resolution on the Kuminga situation before they can potentially finalize deals with Golden State. However, with training camps not scheduled to start until the end of September and no crucial dates coming up for restricted free agents until the October 1 deadline to accept a qualifying offer, Slater wouldn’t be surprised if the standoff extends into September.
“August is a lot easier for people to just be like, ‘OK, we’ll get to you when we get to you,'” Slater said. “September’s where it starts to get a little bit more uncomfortable. I don’t know if there will be movement or a little bit more angst on the Warriors’ or Kuminga’s side, but September is where this could get a little bit dicier.”
As Slater acknowledges, it would be somewhat surprising if Kuminga gives up $14MM in 2025/26 salary and signs his $8MM qualifying offer instead of taking a two-year, $45MM offer from Golden State. But accepting the QO would put him in a better position to dictate his future, since it comes with a no-trade clause for ’25/26 and the ability to reach unrestricted free agency next summer.
[RELATED: Details On Qualifying Offers For Remaining RFAs]
“You talk to people around him and he’s pretty dug in,” Slater said. “If two for $45MM with the team option is going to be the best offer, he will see them in training camp on an ($8MM) expiring qualifying offer which includes a no-trade clause. Because he wants either to be viewed as more of a building block or he wants his freedom, his control of his future. And the qualifying offer, while less money, gives him control of his future.”
Bulls Have Reportedly Rebuffed Trade Interest In Coby White
The Bulls have received a number of trade inquiries about guard Coby White this offseason, but there has been no indication that they’re looking to move him as he enters a contract year, according to Ashish Mathur of Dallas Hoops Journal.
“I know multiple teams tried to trade for Coby this summer,” an NBA executive told Mathur. “There was some chatter that he was almost traded on draft night. The Bulls love him though. He’s not going anywhere. They have shot down trade inquiries for him.”
The idea that the Bulls may have nearly traded White on draft night and have also “shot down” inquiries on him seem to be at odds, but the executive’s remarks may indicate that the team hasn’t been willing to seriously engage on trade discussions regarding White since draft night.
The seventh overall pick in 2019, White was a regular rotation player off the bench for the Bulls for his first four seasons before taking on an increased role as a full-time starter over the past two years.
He set a career high with 19.1 points per game in 2023/24, then topped that figure with 20.4 PPG in ’24/25. The 25-year-old has also put up 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest while making 37.3% of his three-pointers since the start of the ’23/24 season.
White emerged as Chicago’s go-to scoring option down the stretch this past spring after the team traded away Zach LaVine. The 6’5″ guard averaged 25.0 PPG in his final 25 outings and led the Bulls to a 17-8 record in those games.
While the Bulls did well to re-sign White to a three-year, $36MM contract as a restricted free agent in 2023, that team-friendly deal has made it virtually impossible to sign him to an extension before he reaches unrestricted free agency in 2026. Chicago could go up to about $87MM over four years, but White likely believes he’ll receive more lucrative offers on the open market next summer, either from the Bulls or another suitor (or both).
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Veteran Contract Extension]
There has been some speculation that an inability to extend White ahead of free agency might make the Bulls more inclined to consider trading him rather than risk losing him for nothing next summer, and Chicago may still consider that route before February’s trade deadline. But for now it sounds like the team is confident about its ability to re-sign White next July.
The Bulls will hold White’s full Bird rights and have a pretty clean cap sheet going forward, so they’re well positioned to make a strong offer in free agency, but they wouldn’t have the right of first refusal if the guard decides he wants to play elsewhere.
Heat Trade Haywood Highsmith To Nets
The Heat and Nets have agreed to a trade that sends wing Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn along with a 2032 second-round pick in exchange for a protected 2026 second-rounder, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).
The Nets have officially confirmed the deal, announcing that they’ve acquired Miami’s unprotected 2032 second-round selection and Highsmith in exchange for their own top-55 protected 2026 second-rounder.
It’s a financially motivated deal for the Heat, who will move under the luxury tax line as a result of the move. Miami entered the day operating about $1.6MM above the tax threshold with 14 players under contract.
Sending Highsmith’s expiring $5.6MM contract to Brooklyn will give the Heat nearly $4MM in breathing room below the tax, with at least one standard roster spot to fill before the season begins — the club will likely keep its 15th roster spot open to start the season to avoid going back above the tax line.
The Heat were always considered likely to duck the tax this season in order to reset their repeater clock.
When I identified Miami earlier this month as a good bet to make a cost-cutting move, I mentioned Highsmith as a potential trade candidate and speculated that he should have a little value based on his play as a three-and-D wing last season. The 28-year-old made 74 appearances (42 starts) for the Heat, averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game and posting a .458/.382/.721 shooting line.
However, word broke last Friday that Highsmith had sustained a torn meniscus during an offseason workout and underwent surgery to address the injury. The recovery process is expected to sidelined him for at least eight-to-10 weeks, jeopardizing his availability for the start of the season and reducing his value as a trade chip, which is why the Heat had to give up a second-round pick to move him.
Miami will create a trade exception worth Highsmith’s outgoing salary ($5,616,000), which the club will have one year to use.
As for the Nets, they continue to use their cap room to stockpile draft assets, having acquired a pair of first-round picks in separate deals for Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann earlier this summer. It’s unclear whether or not Highsmith will be part of their plans for the 2025/26 season, given that there may be a roster crunch in Brooklyn, but taking on his contract puts only a small dent into their remaining cap space.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Brooklyn still has $22MM in room after accounting for Cam Thomas‘ $12.1MM cap hold, though that figure doesn’t include reported two-year, $12MM deals with Day’Ron Sharpe or Ziaire Williams, which aren’t yet official. One of those signings could be completed using the room exception, but at least one will have to use the Nets’ cap space.
Celtics Sign Amari Williams To Two-Way Contract
The Celtics have signed second-round pick Amari Williams to a two-way contract, according to the NBA’s official transaction log (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
Williams, who spent his first four college seasons at Drexel, transferred to Kentucky in 2024 for his super-senior year. In 36 games (all starts) last season, the 6’11” forward/center filled up the box score with averages of 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks in just 22.8 minutes per game.
The Celtics traded down from No. 32 on draft night in June and used their newly acquired 46th overall pick to select Williams. At the time, then-ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony reported that the big man would be signing a two-way contract with Boston, but it took a while for the deal to actually come to fruition.
The Celtics carried over Miles Norris from last season on his two-year, two-way contract, signed 57th overall pick Max Shulga to a two-way deal in July, and acquired two-way player RJ Luis in a trade with Utah earlier this month. The club subsequently waived Norris in order to open up a two-way slot for Williams.
Williams will earn a salary of $636,435 if he spends the full season on his two-way contract and will be eligible to appear in up to 50 NBA regular season games. He’ll likely be transferred back and forth between the NBA and the G League many times over the course of his rookie year.
With Williams now under contract, the Celtics are carrying 18 players on their offseason roster, including their three two-ways. Twelve of the other 15 players have guaranteed standard contracts, while Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta are on partially guaranteed deals and Hayden Gray has an Exhibit 10 contract.
The top 50 players from this year’s draft have now signed NBA contracts for 2025/26 or are committed to playing in a non-NBA league, as our tracker shows.
Sixers Unsure About Joel Embiid’s Status For Start Of Training Camp
With training camp about six weeks away, the Sixers aren’t certain if Joel Embiid will be ready to participate. Head coach Nick Nurse discussed the health status of his star center and the team’s misfortunes from last season in an interview with Brian T. Smith of TalkSport.
Speaking Tuesday at the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders Europe camp in Manchester, England, Nurse said he’s “not sure” if Embiid will be cleared to participate when camp begins next month. However, he added an encouraging spin by saying “all the news is positive” so far.
“I know he’s working very, very hard and I think things look good,” Nurse said. “Whether he’s ready for training camp or not, I think there’s maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there. But our main thing is that he’s healthy to play and play to his nearest capabilities, because he’s awesome, no doubt about that.”
Embiid hasn’t come close to playing a full season since winning MVP honors in 2023. He was limited to 39 games in 2023/24 before having meniscus surgery on his left knee and appeared in just 19 games last season before being shut down in February due to lingering concerns about the knee. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in April.
Nurse’s comments represent the first health update on Embiid since president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said following the draft that he was on track for recovery “right around” the start of camp. Regardless of the condition of his knee by then, the Sixers will be cautious with Embiid and try to gradually prepare him for the season opener.
“When he’s on the floor and any night he’s out there, we’ve got a chance to win, which is amazing,” Nurse said. “We just want to make sure and get him healthy and let him play for a longer period of time.”
Philadelphia plummeted without Embiid available, winning just 24 games after being viewed as a potential title contender when the season began. In addition to Embiid’s injury woes, the team got just 41 games out of Paul George and 52 from Tyrese Maxey. Injuries affected the Sixers throughout their roster, and they spent the last few weeks of the season using a makeshift lineup as losses piled up.
Nurse called it “a really unfortunate season,” but there’s renewed optimism related to better health for the team’s star players and the addition of VJ Edgecombe with the third pick in this year’s draft.
“It was almost four, five, six guys every night,” Nurse said of last season’s injuries. “We just never could get any continuity. We used an incredible 40 different players last year. So let’s put that in the rear-view mirror a little bit. Listen, those guys get healthy. They’re great players, and we get some better health this year. We’ll be right back in the mix and that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Pistons Sign Javonte Green To One-Year Deal
August 14: Green has signed his one-year contract with the Pistons, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.
August 11: The Pistons are set to sign free agent swingman Javonte Green, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are finalizing an agreement on a one-year deal.
Green, 32, began his professional career overseas after going undrafted out of Radford in 2015, but eventually earned a look in the NBA and has since established himself as a rotation player for a handful of teams. Since 2019, he has made 263 regular season appearances for the Celtics, Bulls, Pelicans, and Cavaliers, averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game.
Known primarily for his defensive ability and versatility, Green played in New Orleans and Cleveland in 2024/25. He made 18 starts and 50 total appearances for the injury-plagued Pelicans before being bought out in order to sign with the East-leading Cavs. In total, he averaged 5.1 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 18.5 MPG across 68 outings for the two teams, with a shooting line of .429/.326/.724.
Charania’s report doesn’t include any additional details on Green’s deal with Detroit beyond the fact that it will be a one-year contract, so it’s unclear whether or not it will be guaranteed. It’s a safe bet it will be worth the minimum salary.
The Pistons are currently only carrying 13 players on standard contracts, so even if Green’s deal isn’t fully guaranteed from day one, he should have a clear path to earning a spot on the 15-man regular season roster this fall.
Lakers To Unveil Pat Riley Statue On Feb. 22
The Lakers will honor legendary former coach Pat Riley with a statue that will be unveiled on February 22 against longtime rival Boston, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Riley spent five-plus seasons with the Lakers during his nine-year playing career, winning a championship as a role player during the 1971/72 campaign, the same season in which Los Angeles set the NBA record for longest winning streak at 33 consecutive games. After his playing days ended, he became a broadcaster for the Lakers and an assistant coach prior to becoming head coach in 1981/82.
Riley’s head coaching stint with the Lakers — which covered nine seasons and ended in ’89/90 — was one of the most successful runs of any coach in league history. During the “Showtime” era under Riley, the Lakers won four championships and made seven total NBA Finals appearances. Los Angeles won at least 50 games every year with Riley at the helm, crossing the 60-win threshold five times.
Overall, Riley compiled a 533-194 regular season record (.733 winning percentage) as the Lakers’ coach and went 102-47 (.685) during the playoffs.
Riley, who added another head coaching ring to his collection with Miami in 2006, has been the Heat‘s president and top basketball executive for the past 30 years. The Heat named their home court after the 80-year-old last October.
Riley will be the eighth Lakers legend to be honored with a statue outside the team’s arena, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and broadcaster Chick Hearn.