17 Players Remain Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions
Players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts were permitted to sign rookie scale extensions as of early July. Those players, who were all 2022 first-round selections, will have until the day before the 2025/26 regular season starts (October 20) to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.
Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in 2026/27. If they don’t sign extensions during the offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2026.
As our tracker shows, four players — Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams — have already signed rookie scale extensions with their respective teams this offseason. A fifth — Blake Wesley — is no longer eligible after reaching a buyout agreement with Washington and subsequently signing a one-year deal with Portland.
Eight other 2022 first-round picks are ineligible rookie scale deals for various reasons.
That leaves 17 players — including Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Dyson Daniels — who remain eligible for rookie scale extensions this offseason:
Ochai Agbaji (Raptors)- Malaki Branham (Wizards)
- Christian Braun (Nuggets)
- Dyson Daniels (Hawks)
- Ousmane Dieng (Thunder)
- Jalen Duren (Pistons)
- Tari Eason (Rockets)
- Jaden Ivey (Pistons)
- Nikola Jovic (Heat)
- Walker Kessler (Jazz)
- Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers)
- Keegan Murray (Kings)
- Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers)
- Jeremy Sochan (Spurs)
- Dalen Terry (Bulls)
- Peyton Watson (Nuggets)
- Mark Williams (Suns)
While some of these players almost certainly won’t sign new deals, we should still see several more extensions signed before the October 20 deadline. There has been an uptick in rookie extensions over the past several offseasons as more teams look to lock up their promising young players in advance of free agency. Since 2020, at least 10 players have signed rookie extensions every year, topping out at a record-setting 14 in 2023.
Jeremy Lin Announces Retirement
Former NBA guard Jeremy Lin announced today on Instagram that he’s retiring as a basketball player following a lengthy professional career (hat tip to RealGM).
“As athletes, we are always aware that the possibility of retirement is never far away,” Lin wrote as part of a longer statement. “I’ve spent my 15-year career knowing that one day I would have to walk away, and yet actually saying goodbye to basketball today has been the hardest decision I’ve ever made.
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to compete against the fiercest competitors under the brightest lights and to challenge what the world thought was possible for someone who looks like me. I’ve lived out my wildest childhood dreams to play in front of fans all around the world. I will forever be the kid who felt fully alive every time I touched a basketball.”
After starring in college at Harvard, Lin went undrafted in 2010 but quickly caught on with Golden State. He didn’t play much as a rookie, only making 28 NBA appearances for the Warriors (9.8 minutes per game) and spending a good chunk of 2010/11 in the G League (then known as the D-League).
Lin, now 37, was cut by both Golden State and Houston (which claimed him off waivers) before the lockout-shortened 2011/12 season began. A couple days after being released by Houston, he was claimed again, this time by the Knicks.
While his time with New York was relatively brief, he was a major contributor during a 26-game stretch from February-March 2012, memorably averaging 18.5 points, 7.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 34.2 minutes per contest and helping the team turn its season around.
As a restricted free agent in the 2012 offseason, Lin signed a lucrative Arenas provision contract with the Rockets, which New York declined to match. Lin spent two seasons in Houston but bounced around the league over the following five years, playing for the Lakers, Hornets, Nets, Hawks and Raptors, winning an NBA title as a role player with Toronto in 2019.
Overall, Lin appeared in 480 NBA regular season games — including 221 starts — from 2010-19. He held career averages of 11.6 PPG, 4.3 APG, 2.8 RPG and 1.1 SPG in 25.3 MPG, with a shooting slash line of .433/.342/.809.
Lin has mostly played in China and Taiwan over the past six years, though he did attempt an NBA comeback during the ’20/21 campaign with the G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors.
Four Countries Advance To EuroBasket Round Of 16
There are still five days left of group phase play at EuroBasket 2025, but four countries — Finland, Germany, Serbia and Turkey — have already advanced to the round of 16, according to FIBA.
As the group phase standings show, both Finland and Germany have 3-0 records in Group B, while Serbia and Turkey are each 3-0 in Group A.
None of the other 20 national teams have been officially eliminated, though Czechia (Group A), Great Britain (Group B) and Montenegro (Group B) aren’t in a great position after starting 0-3 in their respective groups.
A handful of additional teams could advance to the knockout round on Sunday, with Greece (2-0 in Group C), France (2-0 in Group D) and Poland (2-0 in Group D) off to solid starts.
The top four teams from each six-team group qualify for the round of 16, which is the start of a single-elimination tournament.
Germany, which won the 2023 World Cup and finished fourth at the 2024 Olympics, defeated Lithuania on Saturday. The Germans had a balanced attack, spearheaded by Dennis Schröder (26 points, six assists, four steals), Franz Wagner (24 points, seven rebounds, four assists) and Daniel Theis (23 points, six rebounds), notes Eurohoops.
Unfortunately, German captain Schröder was subjected to racial abuse while walking to the locker room at halftime, per The Associated Press.
“Making monkey noises, that’s something I don’t respect,” Schröder told reporters in German after the game. “No matter what status, insults, that’s all fine. But racism simply doesn’t belong in this sport. That’s something that’s not OK.”
FIBA announced in a statement that one spectator has been banned from attending the rest of the tournament after being identified by video. The group also said it would meet with the Lithuanian delegation to discuss the incident and try to prevent it from occurring again in the future.
“FIBA unequivocally condemns hate speech, discriminatory conduct, and racist language in any form. Creating an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for players, teams, and fans remains a fundamental priority of our sport. FIBA has provided the relevant footage and information to local law enforcement authorities, who are continuing to investigate the matter.”
Yongxi “Jacky” Cui Signs With Chinese Team
Yongxi Cui, also known as Jacky Cui, has signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Zhang Duo (Twitter link).
Cui announced the news on his Weibo channel, notes NetsDaily (via Twitter). The 22-year-old’s deal with the Tigers will reportedly cover the 2025/26 season, per Albert De Roa of HoopsHype.
A 6’6″ guard/forward, Cui suffered a torn ACL last December while playing for the Nets‘ G League affiliate in Long Island. He had been on a two-way contract with Brooklyn but was released a couple days after the unfortunate injury.
Cui, who went undrafted in 2024, made five NBA appearances as rookie for the Nets in ’24/25, playing just 10 total minutes. He also played in five games for Long Island, averaging 6.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.2 APG in 16.9 MPG.
Cui graduated from the NBA Global Academy and spent a couple of seasons with the CBA’s Guangzhou Loong Lions before catching on with the Nets.
Brian Lewis of The New York Post provided an update on Cui’s recovery progress a few days ago, stating that the young wing had been working out at the Nets’ practice facility but was recently playing 5-on-5 in Los Angeles. Now the Chinese national team member will be heading back to his home country for the upcoming season.
EuroBasket Notes: Sengun, Markkanen, Jokic, Poland
All-Star Rockets big man Alperen Sengun nearly notched a triple-double during Turkey’s 92–78 win over Czechia on Friday, writes Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. Sengun finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Turkey head coach Ergin Ataman, who previously expressed a belief that there’s not a significant difference in the levels of play in the NBA and EuroLeague, doubled down on that assertion after Sengun’s big game.
“I saw on social media, both in the United States and in Europe, people writing about my statement on the difference between the EuroLeague and the NBA,” Ataman said post-game, per Jablonskis. “Give me Alperen Sengun at Panathinaikos and we will beat the Houston Rockets.”
Sengun followed up that Herculean effort with a 20-point, seven-rebound, five-assist showing in a 95-54 blowout of Portugal Saturday, per Sportando’s Alessandro Maggi. Turkey will now square off against Serbia for their group’s top spot in the Round of 16.
There’s more out of EuroBasket:
- Jazz star forward Lauri Markkanen has been in the midst of a superlative tear throughout EuroBasket and in the tournament’s warm-up games so far. The seven-footer notched 43 points in just 23 minutes for his native Finland in a 109-79 blowout of Great Britain, per Eurohoops. He followed that up with a double-double in an 85-65 victory against Bulls center Nikola Vucevic‘s Montenegro on Saturday, reports Maggi.
- Three-time MVP Nuggets center Nikola Jokic helped propel Serbia to an 80-69 win against Portugal with a 23-point, 10-rebound double-double, writes Semih Tuna of Eurohoops. Heat forward Nikola Jovic chipped in 18 points of his own. Serbia followed that up by beating Kristaps Porzingis‘ Latvia on Saturday, 84-80, and clinching its place in the round of 16, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Jokic logged a 39-point, 10-board effort.
- Home team Poland vanquished Israel, led by Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, 66-64, maintaining its perfect record in EuroBasket competition on Saturday, writes Maggi.
Bulls Notes: Front Office, Rose, Buzelis, Williams
The Bulls have been mired in mediocrity for the past three seasons, finishing with middling records a shade below .500 and failing to advance out of the play-in tournament each year.
With that in mind, Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (subscriber link) takes stock of whether or not Chicago has an actionable strategy for lifting the club out of its plight long-term. Cowley calls out president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley for having “no real plan” for bringing in an All-Star-caliber player this summer, either through free agency or a trade.
There’s more out of the Windy City:
- On January 24 this season, the Bulls will retire the No. 1 jersey of former 2011 MVP guard Derrick Rose, who called it a career last summer. Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic asserts that Rose is worthy of such an honor despite only spending eight seasons — including two years almost entirely lost due to injury from 2012-14 — in Chicago. Lorenzi observes that Rose, a Chicago native and former MVP, will be just the fifth Bulls player to have his jersey retired, along with Michael Jordan‘s No. 23, Scottie Pippen‘s No. 33, Jerry Sloan‘s No. 4, and Bob Love‘s No. 10.
- In lieu of landing an established star, the Bulls are counting on 2025 All-Rookie Second Team forward Matas Buzelis to emerge as their star of the future, Lorenzi observes in the same story.
- Just a year after being signed to a five-year, $90MM deal, Bulls forward Patrick Williams finds himself in a tenuous standing with Chicago, Lorenzi writes as he considers what the next step is for the Bulls and the former No. 4 overall pick. The club’s lone trade this summer, for another defense-first young forward in Isaac Okoro, could make Williams somewhat expendable if he doesn’t take a step forward this fall.
Southeast Notes: Badji, Young, Riley, Arison
The Hornets’ G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, has traded for the rights to center Ibou Badji in a deal with the Bucks’ NBAGL squad, the Wisconsin Herd, Greensboro announced via Twitter.
In the exchange, Wisconsin acquired the No. 31 pick in the 2025 G League draft and the rights to center Jeremiah Tilmon and guard Lindell Wigginton.
Badji, 22, led the G League in blocks in 2024/25, and was named to the G League All-Defensive Team for his play with Wisconsin. The big man inked a two-way deal with the Blazers in 2023/24, appearing in 22 contests (one start). He averaged 1.5 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 10.3 MPG.
Across 34 games for the Herd in 2024/25, Badji averaged 6.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 3.4 BPG. He joined the Spanish squad La Laguna Tenerife in April.
Wigginton last played in the Chinese Basketball Association, while Tilman has been with clubs in Kuwait, the Dominican Republic, and Korea since 2024.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Hawks guard Trae Young is eligible for a standard veteran extension and could decline his 2026/27 player option to begin a new deal sooner rather than later. Keith Smith of Spotrac previews what a possible contract might look like for Young, though he observes that Atlanta appears to be waiting to see how the four-time All-Star performs with the team’s new-look roster before committing to a lengthy extension. Young, an undersized guard, would need to make an All-NBA in 2026 to qualify for a super-max contract, worth up to 35% of the cap’s max in the first season.
- Heat owner Micky Arison is headed to the Hall of Fame this week as a contributor. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel examines why Pat Riley, who has made the Hall of Fame before as a coach, has yet to make the cut as a contributor. Riley is one of the great modern executives, having overseen three very different rosters en route to seven NBA Finals appearances since 2005/06, winning three championships.
- In case you missed it, Miami opted not to waive and stretch the $26.7MM contract of guard Terry Rozier ahead of this season. The deadline to do so was Friday.
Heat Notes: Stretch Provision, Rozier, Jovic, Fontecchio, Larsson
The Heat could have created more flexibility below the luxury tax line for the upcoming season by using the waive-and-stretch provision, but they passed on that option prior to Friday’s deadline, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes.
The most obvious candidate would have been Terry Rozier, as his contract carries a $26.7MM cap hit. The Heat could have stretched that to $8.9MM over each the next three seasons. However, there was no real urgency to take that route once they traded Haywood Highsmith to the Nets.
Miami is approximately $1.7MM under the luxury tax threshold and around $7.2MM below the first apron. The Heat have 15 players signed to standard deals, including one training camp contract, but only 12 have fully guaranteed salaries, as our roster counts display.
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Speaking of Rozier, it’s unlikely he’ll be part of the rotation if he remains on the roster, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat will likely go with younger players like Pelle Larsson, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and/or rookie Kasparas Jakucionis off the bench, rather than Rozier. The veteran could find his way into the mix if one of their wing scorers gets injured, suggests Winderman.
- Nikola Jovic had another solid outing in the EuroBasket tournament on Friday. He made all six of his field goal attempts while scoring 18 points during Serbia’s win over Portugal, Chiang tweets. Jovic added six rebounds in 31 minutes.
- Simone Fontecchio, acquired from Detroit in the Duncan Robinson sign-and-trade, continued to struggle for Italy in its win over Georgia on Saturday. Fontecchio scored four points on 1-for-11 shooting in Italy’s opening game in EuroBasket. In Italy’s second tournament game, Fontecchio scored 14 points but missed all five of his three-point attempts and committed six turnovers, Chiang relays (Twitter link).
- Larsson missed Sweden’s second EuroBasket game on Friday due to an illness but quickly bounced back. Larsson had 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and two steals with five turnovers in a 78-59 victory over Great Britain on Saturday, Winderman tweets.
And-Ones: Top Wings, Expectations, Hughes, G League Trade
LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard stand atop The Bounce’s ranking of the NBA’s top 40 wins, according to The Athletic’s Zach Harper, who classifies those three stars as all-time legends who are still elite. Harper’s second tier, comprised of All-NBA level performers, includes Jimmy Butler, Jaylen Brown, Paul George and Jalen Williams.
We have more from the basketball world:
- Which NBA teams will exceed their predicted win total? Which will fall below expectations? ESPN’s Tim Bontemps makes his selections on five teams for each side of the ledger, with the Thunder and Clippers among the clubs on the plus side and the Pistons and Mavericks that won’t reach their projected records.
- Former NBA player and coach Kim Hughes has died, according to an Instagram post from former NBA center Meyers Leonard. Hughes, 73, played in the ABA and NBA from 1975-81. Following his playing career, Hughes worked as a scout and assistant coach, most recently with the Trail Blazers through the 2014/15 season. He also had a 33-game stint as the Clippers‘ head coach during the 2009/10 season.
- The Noblesville Boom, the Pacers‘ NBA G League affiliate, recently acquired the returning player rights to forward Jalen Slawson from the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans‘ G League affiliate, in exchange for returning player rights to center Garrison Brooks, according to a team press release. Slawson played for the Osceola Magic last season, averaging 11.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Brooks has played in Lithuania the past two seasons.
Rivers, Ham, Spanoulis Discuss Antetokounmpo At EuroBasket
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Team Greece to a win in their EuroBasket opener against Italy on Thursday, scoring 31 points in a 75-66 victory. In attendance for that victory were Bucks general manager Jon Horst, head coach Doc Rivers, and assistant coaches Vin Baker and Darvin Ham, writes Michalis Gioulenoglou of EuroHoops.
After the game, Rivers spoke about the experience of watching his star compete for the Greek national team.
“I love watching the movement and how they play,” he said, as relayed by Giorgos Kyriakidis of BasketNews. “I always steal plays, I watch it, and I take some of these plays back home and I run them. Yeah, I love all the movement, all the elbow action.”
Rivers, who is planning on staying to watch at least one more of Antetokounmpo’s games, noted that the two-time MVP tends to operate out of the post more at EuroBasket than in the NBA. Ham elaborated on some of the other differences he’s seen.
“He’s trying to involve his teammates and allow his teammates to help him help them,” said Ham. “It’s more team-oriented, more sets, and all of that here is different. They don’t play as fast as we do in the NBA, but in the NBA, his usage rate is off the charts. He constantly has the ball in his hands, so a little bit different role for him over there.”
While Ham was clear that Antetokounmpo is an unselfish player regardless of the situation, he summed it up in a simple sentence: “With us, he has to be Superman.”
Antetokounmpo’s Greek team coach, Vassilis Spanoulis, also answered questions about the star player and whether he’d be load-managed during games that might not be as crucial for the Hellas, according to Gioulenoglou.
“Giannis can play as much as I want him to play, we are in the official games now and there’s no limitations anymore,” Spanoulis said.
When asked about the experience of coaching Antetokounmpo this year versus prior years, Spanoulis saw a clear difference in approach despite the same personality he’s used to.
“He is more vocal this year. He is very humble for his status and the kind of player he is, and that extends off the court,” he said. “He wants to win, he wants to get this team to another level. He listens, but he can also lead the team in his own way.”
Team Greece, which most recently won the EuroBasket tournament in 2005, will next face off against Cyrpus on Saturday, followed by a matchup with Georgia on Sunday.