Heat’s Tyler Herro Optimistic About Potential Extension
Heat guard Tyler Herro isn’t participating in training camp this week as he recovers from ankle surgery, but October 1 is an important date for him — he’ll become eligible to sign a veteran contract extension that could be worth a maximum of $149.7MM over three years.
Herro will have a window of about three weeks this fall to sign a new deal. If he and the team don’t have an agreement in place by Oct. 20, he won’t be eligible to sign an extension until the 2026 offseason, as he enters the final year of his current contract.
However, Herro expressed optimism on Monday about his odds of working something out with the Heat before opening night, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays.
“I expect to get something done. But we’ll see what happens,” Herro said. “I think they’re supposed to meet on Wednesday.
“… It is important for me,” he continued. “I’ve been here six years. I feel like I’ve earned it. I’m not saying what I’ve earned, but I’ve earned something. I think I deserve it, and I want to be here ultimately. I’ve vocally said that.”
Herro, who will earn $31MM this season and $33MM in 2026/27, is coming off the best season of his NBA career. He earned his first All-Star nod and set new career highs in points (23.9) and assists (5.5) per game, along with games played (77) and field goal percentage (47.2%).
That big year doesn’t mean the Heat are prepared to reward him by offering that full $149.7MM, but Herro suggested on Monday that he won’t necessarily be pushing for that maximum extension either. The 25-year-old told reporters that it’s not “$50 million (per year) or nothing,” and added that he has “a number in my mind,” but if he and the team don’t agree to terms, he won’t be frustrated by that outcome.
“I’m not going to hinder this season on getting an extension or not. I’m not going to lose my joy,” Herro said, jokingly referencing a comment former teammate Jimmy Butler made last season. “… I’m excited to play. At the end of the day, I have two years on my contract. And if we don’t get something done, I’m not going to be a problem throughout the organization. I’m happy to be here. … I would love to get something done, like I said, but we’ll see what happens.”
And-Ones: NBC, Amazon, Gay, Jackson, CBA, Darlan, More
With the regular season now just weeks away, the NBA’s new broadcast partners continue to fill out their coverage rosters. NBC Sports issued a press release on Monday announcing that veteran reporter Chris Mannix – who had been writing for SI.com – is joining the network as a digital insider and will appear on NBC’s and Peacock’s studio show to report on and discuss breaking news.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video is hiring NBA reporter Chris Haynes as a league insider and has tabbed Marcus Thompson of The Athletic to report feature stories, according to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports. Haynes has been working independently this offseason ahead of his stint with Amazon, while Thompson will continue in his role at The Athletic while pulling double duty for Prime Video.
Amazon also recently added former NBA players Rudy Gay and Jim Jackson to its list of analysts, Glasspiegel notes. They join Kyle Lowry, Dell Curry, Brent Barry, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, and Steve Nash as current and former players who will have game or studio analyst roles with Prime Video.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Within a look at how the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and tax apron system have diminished free agency, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) reports that multiple teams have lobbied the league to implement some sort of discount for homegrown players — for instance, if a player drafted by a team goes on to become a maximum-salary player for that club, perhaps his cap hit could be 30% of the cap instead of the 35% salary he’s actually earning. However, the NBA hasn’t seriously weighed that possibility to this point, Fischer writes.
- Thierry Darlan has spent the past two seasons in the G League but was ruled eligible by the NCAA to spend the 2025/26 season at Santa Clara, agent Todd Ramasar tells ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. The 6’8″ guard will enter college as a junior, with two years of eligibility available. Michael McCann of Sportico digs into the decision, writing that it’s the latest defeat for “amateurism,” as the NCAA becomes increasingly open to welcoming players who have already played professionally.
- ESPN’s NBA insiders take a look at the biggest question facing each of the league’s 30 teams this fall, including where Jaden Ivey‘s fits in for the new-look Pistons, whether the Timberwolves‘ young players are ready to step up, and whether the Spurs can overcome a lack of three-point shooting around Victor Wembanyama
- The Knicks (53.5 wins), Celtics (42.5), and Trail Blazers (34.5) are among the teams that John Hollinger of The Athletic believes will fall short of their projected win totals this season.
Mavs Notes: Starters, Kyrie, Smith, Robinson-Earl, Coaches, Lively
The Mavericks made one very significant roster addition over the summer, drafting No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg out of Duke. But the club’s starting five has yet to be determined heading into training camp, per Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
“This is competition,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re going to look at a lot of combinations.”
Kidd has indicated that everyone aside from All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is expected to fully participate in practice, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. For now, free agent signing D’Angelo Russell is expected to start in Irving’s stead.
There’s more out of Dallas:
- Irving continues to improve from the ACL tear he suffered last March. Kidd, however, offered a measured take on his recovery to date, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “He is doing quite well, as we can see, but he’s not ahead of schedule, and so let’s not say that,” Kidd said. “That’s unfair to him and to the Mavs because it’s not true. Is he on schedule? It looks like it.” Mavs president of basketball operations Nico Harrison had suggested in July that the star guard was “ahead of schedule” in his rehab process.
- New Mavericks additions Dennis Smith Jr. and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl signed non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 agreements, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The agreements protect the team in the event that either player sustains an injury in training camp or the preseason and don’t count against the cap unless they carry over to the regular season.
- Kidd weighed in on Dallas losing assistant coaches Sean Sweeney, Jared Dudley, and Alex Jensen to other teams this summer, Curtis tweets. “The guys who left will be missed,” Kidd said. “Sweeney, Duds and Alex… It’s a compliment that we must be doing something right. Not wrong.”
- Third-year Mavericks center Dereck Lively II indicated during his media day session that he has grown this summer, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Lively, who was listed at 7’1″ last season, claims he is currently 7’2″ or 7’3″.
New York Notes: Brown, Shamet, Clowney, MPJ, Muoka
New Knicks head coach Mike Brown wants to empower his players to let loose from long range, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.
As Winfield notes, only one expected rotation player — center Mitchell Robinson — won’t be able to connect on at least an NBA-average three-point conversion rate, provided both Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are on the club’s standard roster come the regular season.
“I mean if we get 40 [threes] I’m cool with it,” Brown said following a team practice on Friday. “We’ve got a couple of guys that we’ll allow to dance with it and let it go, and they know who they are. But if we play like we’re capable of — with pace, especially spacing, and the paint touches — we should generate a lot of catch-and-shoot threes.”
There’s more out of New York:
- During his media day session, Brown spoke positively about Landry Shamet‘s two-way upside. Shamet was rostered with the Knicks last year, but for now is signed to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 training camp deal. “Offensively, his pace in the full court, he does a great job sprinting the floor, and he’ll sprint to the corner every single possession,” Brown said when asked about Shamet by Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link via New York Basketball). “And when you do that with the ability he has to shoot the ball from deep, it puts a lot of pressure on the defense, and also flattens the defense, because you gotta go with him. And if the defense gets flattened by a shooter, that means the driving lanes [expand].… And then defensively, he’s not afraid, he’ll stick his nose in it and guard whoever he has to guard.”
- Nets big man Noah Clowney took the offseason to bulk up, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The 6’9″ big man has packed on added muscle to improve his abilities as a driver, but is hoping not to sacrifice any of his explosiveness. “Yeah, [Clowney] looks great,” coach Jordi Fernández said of the change. “Credit to him and the work he’s put in the whole summer. He looks like a grown man at just 21… His ability to shoot, his size and getting better at playing off two feet in the paint, limiting turnovers and fishing better at the rim. So those things are important for him.”
- After dealing with major health issues earlier in his career, new Nets wing Michael Porter Jr. admitted he can’t necessarily count on a lengthy stint in the NBA. “Because of the injuries and stuff, I don’t know how much longer I really want to play,” Porter told Justin Laboy on the Respectfully The Justin Laboy Podcast (YouTube video link; hat tip to Lewis for the transcription). “Like, I want to play as long as I can, but people don’t understand the things I’ve got to go through on a daily basis just to get out on the court and play with the best athletes in the world.” Porter had already undergone three back surgeries by the end of his first three pro seasons and has since dealt with lingering nerve damage even as other health issues pop up. He is owed $78MM across the next two seasons. “I decided all I’m going to do is take it a year at a time,” Porter said. “So I’m committed to basketball and putting my all into it for the next year and then after that, I’m gonna reevaluate.”
- The Nets‘ NBAGL affiliate, the Long Island Nets, obtained center David Muoka‘s returning player rights from the Windy City Bulls, Lewis tweets. Long Island surrendered a 2025 G League first-round draft pick and a 2026 second to Windy City, Chicago’s G League affiliate. Muoka was signed and waived earlier this month by Brooklyn and is now on track to join Long Island for the NBAGL season.
Kings Notes: Murray, Coaches, Staff Changes, DeRozan
Kings forward Keegan Murray has two primary goals this season: making at least 40% of his three-point tries and being in the running for the Most Improved Player award, per Matt George of ABC 10 Sacramento (Twitter link).
The 6’8″ pro started all 76 of his games with Sacramento last year, but failed to improve upon his career-best scoring output of 15.2 PPG from 2023/24. In ’24/25, Murray averaged 12.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals per game, with a shooting line of .444/.343/.833. Murray has connected on over 40% of his threes once, nailing 41.1% of 6.3 attempts per night as a rookie in 2022/23. He’s a career 37.2% shooter from distance.
Murray is eligible for an extension of his rookie-scale contract until October 20. He said on Monday that he isn’t worried about those negotiations and is deferring to his agent.
There’s more out of Sacramento:
- After taking over as the Kings’ interim head coach last season, Doug Christie has now built out his supporting staff with several new faces. According to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), Christie said on Monday that assistant coach Mike Miller will handle the club’s offense and Bobby Jackson will be entrusted to command Sacramento’s defense.
- The Kings have announced several new basketball operations staff updates in a press statement. As Michael Scotto of HoopsHype observes (via Twitter), Sacramento has added multiple former Knicks staffers who previously worked with Kings general manager Scott Perry in New York. That group includes new director of pro player personnel Fred Cofield, new director of college scouting John Halas, and new vice president of data science and planning Tom Perry.
- Veteran Kings forward DeMar DeRozan acknowledged that the club’s chaotic 2024/25 — which saw a coaching regime transition and trades involving several rotation players, including All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox — was difficult to handle for Sacramento players, per KCRA 3 Northern California (Twitter video link). “Just being honest with you, there was just a lot of s–t that was going on that, you know, internally we tried to fight through as players,” DeRozan said. “So I think this time around you’ll see a much different team.” DeRozan, 36, is embarking on the second season of a three-year, $73.9MM deal. He submitted a fairly steady performance during his inaugural Kings season, averaging 22.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 77 games on .477/.328/.857 shooting splits.
Warriors Re-Sign Pat Spencer To Two-Way Deal, Announce Six Camp Signings
6:35 pm: The Warriors have waived Francis, Moni and McMillian, the team announced (Twitter link).
3:15 pm: The Warriors have officially confirmed Spencer’s two-way contract (Twitter link).
3:09 pm: Free agent point guard Pat Spencer is back under contract with the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Spencer signed a new two-way deal with the team on Monday.
Spencer, 29, spent parts of the last two seasons on a two-way deal with Golden State before being promoted to the standard 15-man roster in March. He appeared in 39 games for the Warriors in 2024/25, averaging 2.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 6.4 minutes per contest and posting a shooting line of .406/.227/.733.
With Spencer back under contract and second-rounder Alex Toohey officially signed earlier today, the Warriors now have all three of their two-way slots filled, as Spencer and Toohey join Jackson Rowe. The club still has a two-way qualifying offer on the table for Australian guard Taran Armstrong, but reporting from MozzartSport indicates Armstrong is in talks with the Serbian club KK Partizan.
If Armstrong signs with a non-NBA team, the Warriors would have the ability to continue issuing him qualifying offers in future seasons to retain his RFA rights — the club has done the same thing with Nico Mannion in recent years.
While the Warriors haven’t put out a formal press release confirming Spencer’s deal yet, the team did announce several other non-guaranteed signings today. Golden State published a press release (via Twitter) announcing deals for forwards Ja’Vier Francis and Jacksen Moni, along with guard Chance McMillian, then issued a second statement (via Twitter) to confirm it has also signed center Marques Bolden and guards LJ Cryer and Taevion Kinsey.
Golden State’s agreements with Francis, McMillian, Cryer, and Kinsey were previously reported. Moni is an undrafted rookie out of North Dakota State who played with San Antonio’s Summer League team in July, while Bolden is a three-year NBA veteran who has appeared in games for Cleveland, Charlotte, and Milwaukee since debuting in 2020. Bolden’s G League rights were acquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League team, in August.
All six of those players figure to end up with Santa Cruz, either as affiliate players or returning rights players. They almost certainly all received Exhibit 10 contracts, which will make them eligible for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with the Warriors’ NBAGL squad.
The order of the signings is worth noting. After officially adding Gary Payton II and Will Richard earlier today, the Warriors had 11 players on their standard roster, which means Francis, Moni, and McMillian got them to 14. Teams aren’t permitted to sign contracts with Exhibit 9 language until they have at least 14 players on standard contracts, so those three players presumably didn’t get Exhibit 9 clauses, whereas Bolden, Cryer, and Kinsey probably did.
Since Exhibit 9 deals give teams injury protection in the event of an injury in training camp or the preseason, I’d expect Francis, Moni, and McMillian to be waived before they suit up in any preseason games for the Warriors, so that the team doesn’t risk a major injury that would require them to pay any of those players’ full salaries.
Golden State now officially has 20 players under contract, with Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Jonathan Kuminga still to sign, so some of those cuts figure to happen within the next day or two.
Cavaliers Notes: Lonzo, Strus, Garland, Hunter
New Cavaliers point guard Lonzo Ball technically hasn’t played in back-to-back games since 2020/21 with Chicago. The 6’6″ pro missed two-and-a-half seasons recovering from three knee surgeries, and when he did return last year he was held out of at least one game in every back-to-back slate.
According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link), Ball told reporters during his media day availability that he may be able to suit up for both ends of back-to-back sets at some point this season, his first with Cleveland. Ball cautioned, however, that he has not discussed that possibility with the Cavaliers’ medical staff yet.
Cleveland followed up a 64-18 run in 2024/25 with a disappointing second-round playoff ouster last spring, felled in part by health issues. Backcourt depth was clearly an area of need in the offseason, and so this summer the Cavaliers swapped out former lottery disappointment Isaac Okoro to the Bulls in exchange for Ball, who – when healthy – is a versatile 3-and-D guard still capable of ball-handling and defending along the perimeter at a high level.
There’s more out of Cleveland:
- Cavaliers starting wing Max Strus has provided an update on his recovery from an offseason Jones fracture, Bontemps writes for ESPN.com. Strus indicated that he is five weeks removed from his surgery and is now able to walk without a boot. He remains several months away from returning to the hardwood. “I’m in a good spot right now,” Strus said, “and everything seems to be healing.” According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the veteran sharpshooter refused to establish an exact timeline for his comeback. “I’m not going to put a timetable on my return,” Strus said, revealing that he has a six-week check-up at some point next week. “Hopefully start the recovery and get-back process from there. I’m in a good spot right now. Everything seems to be healing.”
- All-Star Cavaliers guard Darius Garland had offseason surgery to address a turf toe ailment that affected him during Cleveland’s playoff run in the spring. He has resumed his workouts, but is unsure of when exactly he’ll get the green light to play, per Bontemps. “Everything is good,” Garland said on Monday. “Summer went really well. Rehab has been going really well. I’m back on the court, moving around, I’m ramping up for the season. So everything’s been good. It’s been a really good offseason. Everything’s been looking great, the doctors have been saying everything’s been looking great, so I’m happy where I’m at right now.” Garland also hinted that he does have a target return date, albeit not one he would divulge, Fedor adds. “I don’t have a date yet — that I’m going to tell y’all,” Garland said. “But I do have a date in mind.”
- After finishing the 2024/25 season as a reserve for the Cavaliers, forward De’Andre Hunter is gearing up for a starting role to tip off this season, Fedor tweets. “I feel like that’s a role I will probably have,” Hunter said. While Hunter looks like the leading spot to take Strus’ spot in the starting five, it’s unclear whether the Cavs would want Strus to reclaim that spot once he’s fully healthy.
Lakers Notes: LeBron, Reaves, Ayton, Hachimura, Smart, Thiero
Lakers forward LeBron James didn’t offer any specifics on Monday when asked at media day about his retirement plans, but admitted the end of his record-setting career is coming “sooner than later,” writes Dan Woike of The Athletic.
After making it a priority to play with son Bronny James in the NBA, LeBron made it clear on Monday that he won’t necessarily stick around in an effort to do the same thing with Bryce James, who is a freshman at Arizona this year.
“I am not waiting on Bryce,” James said, per Woike. “I don’t know what his own timeline is. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.”
James also said that the opportunity to play with a superstar like Luka Doncic in his prime provides some additional “motivation,” but he said that won’t have a material impact on his retirement decision, which will be made by LeBron and his family (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- Lakers guard Austin Reaves turned down a four-year, $87MM extension offer from the Lakers earlier this offseason and admitted to Woike that he was nervous that decision might cause the team to move him. “I thought that there was a good chance for, like, a week after I declined the extension that there was a possibility I’d get traded,” Reaves said. “I mean, it’s still a possibility.” The Lakers guard wants to remain in Los Angeles, but will be eligible for a more lucrative deal if he waits until at least 2026, when he could become an unrestricted free agent. Team and league sources who spoke to The Athletic believe Reaves could receive an annual salary of $35MM+ on his next contract.
- New Lakers center Deandre Ayton said on Monday that coming to L.A. represents the “biggest opportunity of my career” and said repeatedly that he’s not taking it for granted (Twitter links via McMenamin and Khobi Price of the Orange County Register). The former No. 1 overall pick has faced questions about his compete level in recent years.
- Forward Rui Hachimura and guard Marcus Smart both told reporters at media day on Monday that it doesn’t matter to them whether they start or come off the bench (Twitter links via Jovan Buha and Khobi Price). James, Doncic, Reaves, and Ayton are probable starters, but that leaves one spot open in the starting five. For what it’s worth, Hachimura did point out that he has established chemistry with James and the starters over the past couple seasons, but stressed that he’s more concerned about his overall minutes than whether he’s on the court to start the game.
- Lakers rookie forward Adou Thiero has experienced swelling in his knee and hasn’t been cleared for the start of training camp, according to McMenamin (Twitter links), who hears from a source that Thiero’s rehab process is on schedule and he should be cleared in another week. The second-round pick didn’t play in Summer League after injuring his knee in his final college season at Arkansas.
Blazers Notes: Lillard, Henderson, Grant, Camara, Clingan, More
Asked at the Trail Blazers‘ media day on Monday if there’s any scenario in which he plays this season, Damian Lillard admitted it’s hard to envision making it back from his Achilles tear before the 2026/27 campaign.
“I don’t plan on it,” Lillard said of playing in ’25/26, per Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link). “I feel like if this team is a one seed (without me), they probably got it. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible.”
Lillard added that the trainers and other players who have sustained Achilles injuries who have spoken to him about the recovery process have stressed patience and suggested that he shouldn’t be trying to make it back “in record time” (Twitter link via Highkin).
Although he almost certainly won’t be suiting up for the Trail Blazers this season, Lillard will still be one of the 15 players on the team’s standard roster, which head coach Chauncey Billups believes puts the longtime star point guard in a unique position when it comes to mentoring Portland’s younger players.
“He’s not a coach. He’s still a player. There’s a different level of connectivity that comes with that,” Billups said, noting that he wants Lillard to “keep a really close eye” on Shaedon Sharpe, Deni Avdija, and Scoot Henderson (Twitter link via Highkin).
Henderson, like Lillard, will be unavailable when the season begins, though his hamstring injury is only projected to keep him out for the start of the season, not all of it. Speaking on Monday to reporters, he referred to the injury as a “freak accident” and “minor setback” and said he’s still feeling positive about the season (Twitter links). Billups noted it’s a disappointing turn of events for the former No. 3 overall pick because he’d had an “incredible summer” prior to the injury (Twitter link).
Here’s more from the Blazers’ media day, via Highkin:
- Billups said on Monday that there are “a lot of ways” the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup could go this fall and that the players who want starting jobs will have to earn them (Twitter link). Interestingly, when forward Jerami Grant was asked about the possibility of coming off the bench, he replied, “I don’t really expect that” (Twitter link). There had been some speculation this offseason that Grant could be asked to accept a reserve role due to the emergence of young forwards Avdija and Toumani Camara.
- Speaking of Camara, he’s eligible to sign a contract extension but said on Monday that he’s leaving that up to his agent. “I’m just focused on basketball,” Camara said (Twitter link). “I’m trying to stay away from that right now. If I take care of my business on the court, everything will work itself out.”
- With Deandre Ayton no longer in Portland, second-year center Donovan Clingan will be looking to play a major role. He said on Monday that he has worked on improving his conditioning and is aiming to average 30-plus minutes per night (Twitter link). Rookie big man Yang Hansen will be among the players vying for minutes in the middle, with Billups referring to the No. 16 overall pick as “right there in the mix” for minutes. “I think Hansen’s done a really good job of getting situated and understanding what we’re doing,” Billups said (Twitter link). “He’s definitely going to play.”
- Big man Robert Williams, who underwent a procedure on his knee in March and has been limited to 26 games in two seasons since arriving in Portland, said he’s not sure when he’ll be cleared to play, though he and the training staff have a target date in mind (Twitter links).
- Jrue Holiday and Matisse Thybulle are among the players who expressed enthusiasm on Monday about the defensive potential of the Blazers’ roster (Twitter links). “Playing games in your mind of what lineups we can put out there is pretty fun,” Thybulle said. “We have a few All-Defense-level players. I think we can put some ridiculous lineups out there.”
Clippers Notes: Ballmer, Aspiration, Frank, Kawhi, Beal, Collins
Through his philanthropic arm, the Ballmer Group, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer donated $1.875MM to the Golden State Opportunity Foundation, a charity whose founder is disgraced former Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg, Pablo Torre reported Monday on his Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast (YouTube link).
Ballmer’s donation came in December 2024, more than a year-and-a-half after the Clippers ended their contract with Aspiration, and nearly a year after it was publicly reported that the now-bankrupt “green bank” company was under federal investigation, Torre observes. It also came a couple months after Sanberg’s co-conspirator was arrested.
It’s the latest update in an ongoing investigation from Torre, other members of the media, and the NBA, which hired a law firm to determine whether the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard circumvented the salary cap through their deals with Aspiration.
In a public statement on Monday, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank reiterated the Clippers “welcome” the league’s investigation and denied the accusations (Twitter video link via Joey Linn of SI.com).
“We feel confident we are on the right side of this,” Frank said in part.
For his part, Kawhi Leonard denied any wrongdoing and said the investigation wouldn’t be a distraction during the season (Twitter links via Law Murray of The Athletic). Leonard mentioned “conspiracies” multiple times, according to Murray.
“This is old… we already knew this was going to happen,” Leonard said.
Here’s more from the Clippers’ media day:
- Bradley Beal had arthroscopic surgery sometime after the season ended, tweets Murray. Beal said he was playing through right knee inflammation last season with Phoenix and had the knee scoped, which helped, as he’s feeling “good” and “ready to go” now. However, the team said he would be a limited training camp participant, according to Murray, who adds (via Twitter) that Bogdan Bogdanovic (torn hamstring) will also be a limited participant. Leonard is considered healthy and a full participant.
- Beal, who signed a two-year deal (second year player option) with the Clippers after being bought out by the Suns, says he loves living in Los Angeles and has talked with Frank about potentially ending his career with the team (Twitter links via Murray). The three-time All-Star knows he won’t be a primary scoring option for the Clippers and is welcoming the challenge of taking on tough defensive assignments.
- Head coach Tyronn Lue views offseason acquisition John Collins as a power forward who can play some backup center at times, per Murray (Twitter link). The Clippers landed Collins in the three-team trade that sent Norman Powell to Miami. The 28-year-old big man will earn $26.58MM this season before hitting free agency next summer.