Lakers Sign Coach J.J. Redick To Contract Extension
The Lakers have extended the contract of head coach J.J. Redick, president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka announced today (Twitter link via Dan Woike of The Athletic).
Pelinka cited the team’s “confidence” and “belief” in Redick as primary factors in the deal being reached, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic.
Redick, 41, compiled a 50-32 record in 2024/25 as a first-time head coach with Los Angeles. The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Minnesota in five games.
Redick reportedly received a four-year contract worth about $8MM annually last summer when he was initially hired by the Lakers. It’s unclear how many new years were added as part of his extension.
A former NBA sharpshooter who played 15 seasons in the league from 2006-2021, Redick had preexisting connections to the L.A. area, having spent four seasons with the Clippers during his playing days.
Redick was long viewed as the frontrunner for the Lakers’ head coaching job after they fired Darvin Ham in 2024 following a first-round playoff exit. The Lakers reportedly made a lucrative contract offer to UConn coach Dan Hurley last summer, but he decided to stay with the Huskies.
Heat Sign Precious Achiuwa To One-Year Deal
September 25: Miami has signed Achiuwa, the team announced in press release. In a corresponding move, Gabe Madsen has been waived, per the Heat.
September 24: The Heat have agreed to a one-year contract with big man Precious Achiuwa, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter). It’s a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary deal, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Achiuwa was one of the top remaining frontcourt players on the free agent market. He appeared in 57 games with the Knicks last season, including 10 starts, and averaged 6.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per night. Achiuwa also saw limited minutes in eight postseason games.
Miami’s interest in signing him was reported earlier this month.
It’s the second stint for Achiuwa in the Heat organization. They drafted him with the No. 20 overall pick in 2020 and he played 61 games as a rookie.
Miami then traded him to Toronto in a deal that sent Kyle Lowry to the Heat. He played two-and-a-half seasons with the Raptors before getting traded to the Knicks during the 2023/24 season.
Achiuwa will provide depth at the power forward and center spots, assuming he makes the 15-man roster. Miami had a full camp roster and will have to shed a player to make the signing official.
If Achiuwa does stick with the Heat for the regular season, the team’s salary would move slightly above the luxury tax line. However, since luxury tax penalties are based on salaries at the end of the season, Miami would have until the trade deadline to duck back below that threshold.
Bulls Re-Sign Josh Giddey To Four-Year Deal
September 25: Giddey’s four-year contract is now official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
September 9: The Bulls and restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey are in agreement on a four-year, $100MM contract, agent Daniel Moldovan tells Shams Charania of ESPN. It’s a fully guaranteed contract with no player or team option, Charania adds.
Giddey, who was one of four top restricted free agents still unsigned when September began, will get the most lucrative contract any RFA has signed so far this summer and will become one of just five free agents to receive at least $100MM this offseason, joining Naz Reid, Kyrie Irving, Myles Turner, and Julius Randle.
The sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Giddey spent his first three NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, but wasn’t an ideal fit on a Thunder roster that featured star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 6’8″ Australian guard was traded to the Bulls during the 2024 offseason straight up for defensive ace Alex Caruso.
Chicago faced plenty of criticism for its decision to send out one of its most valuable trade chips for a player who had just been benched by the Thunder in the postseason, without getting any sort of draft compensation in the deal. But the Bulls were confident in Giddey’s ability to thrive in more of a primary ball-handling role, and he responded with the best year of his career, setting new personal highs in rebounds (8.1) and assists (7.2) per game, as well as three-point percentage (37.8%).
While Giddey had an up-and-down first half in Chicago, he thrived in the second half, particularly after the team traded away Zach LaVine. Between the All-Star break and the end of the season, the 22-year-old nearly averaged a triple-double, with 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game and a .500/.457/.809 shooting line. His usage rate, which had been 20.2% prior to the All-Star break, was 24.9% the rest of the way, and the Bulls won 12 of those 19 games.
The year-to-year details of Giddey’s new deal aren’t yet known, but the Bulls will have a significant amount of cap flexibility going forward – including a big chunk of cap room in 2026 and/or 2027 – no matter how it’s structured. Prior to Giddey’s agreement, Patrick Williams had been the only player on the roster owed guaranteed money beyond the 2026/27 season.
The Bulls put out a press release announcing Giddey’s new deal shortly after Charania reported it, but have since removed that announcement from their website and their Twitter account. That’s likely a case of the team’s PR staff jumping the gun on the official announcement, not a sign that the agreement has fallen through.
With Giddey re-signing and Nets guard Cam Thomas having accepted his qualifying offer, just two notable restricted free agents still don’t have deals in place: Jonathan Kuminga of the Warriors and Quentin Grimes of the Sixers. They have until October 1 to accept their respective qualifying offers.
Agent: Sixers Offered Grimes Four-Year, $39MM Contract
The Sixers‘ first formal offer for restricted free agent Quentin Grimes, which occurred on Wednesday, was a four-year, $39MM contract, agent David Bauman told Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to Mizell, a source familiar with the negotiations “slightly pushed back” on that statement, noting the two sides have had “hours and hours” of contract discussions this offseason while characterizing the team’s offer as tentative rather than firm.
Bauman thinks Grimes should be earning $20-25MM annually on his next deal, which Philadelphia is unwilling to offer, Mizell writes.
Despite the significant gap in Grimes’ perceived long-term value, the Sixers still value the 25-year-old shooting guard, viewing him as a “significant part” of their future, that same source told The Inquirer.
Bauman, who confirmed to Mizell that Grimes won’t attend Friday’s media day or travel with the team for a pair of preseason contests in Abu Dhabi, said Grimes’ absence shouldn’t be viewed as a holdout.
As first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the most likely outcome appears to either be Grimes accepting his $8.7MM qualifying offer or signing a more lucrative one-year deal while waiving his implied no-trade clause, Mizell writes.
According to Mizell, Bauman has asked the 76ers to extend Grimes’ deadline to accept the QO. The current deadline is next Wednesday, October 1, but a team and player can agree to push it back.
Grimes was acquired from Dallas in a February trade, joining a Sixers team that was decimated by injuries and had difficulty fielding a competitive roster. He averaged a career-best 21.9 PPG in 28 contests with Philadelphia, also posting career-best marks of 5.2 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.5 SPG in 33.7 MPG.
Cavs Sign Thomas Bryant To One-Year Deal
September 25, 3:05 pm: Bryant is officially a Cavalier, according to a team press release.
September 23, 5:00 pm: The contract is non-guaranteed, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
September 23, 1:03 pm: The Cavaliers and free agent center Thomas Bryant have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, agents Mark Bartelstein and Zach Kurtin tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
A former second-round pick who entered the NBA in 2017, Bryant has appeared in a total of 333 regular season games for the Lakers, Wizards, Nuggets, Heat, and Pacers. He began last season in Miami, then was traded to Indiana on December 15, the first day he became eligible to be dealt.
Providing depth in a Pacers frontcourt that had lost James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson to season-ending Achilles tears, Bryant appeared in 56 games for Indiana, averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per night.
The 28-year-old didn’t play a major role during the team’s run to the NBA Finals, but made brief appearances in most games, averaging 2.6 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 8.4 MPG across 20 playoff outings.
The terms of Bryant’s agreement aren’t yet known, so it’s unclear whether the Cavaliers envision him being part of the their regular season roster. Cleveland only currently has 13 players on standard contracts, but likely won’t carry a 15th man into opening night due to luxury-tax concerns — it’s possible the team will bring in more veterans besides Bryant to compete for the 14th roster spot.
If Bryant does make the team, he would add depth behind Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and fellow newcomer Larry Nance Jr.
Rockets’ Fred VanVleet Undergoes Surgery For Torn ACL
September 25: VanVleet underwent successful surgery today to repair his ACL tear, reports Iko of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
September 22: Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has sustained a torn ACL, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
According to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), VanVleet suffered the right knee injury at an unofficial team mini-camp in the Bahamas. The one-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion will undergo surgery this week, Iko adds.
It’s a devastating blow for both Houston and VanVleet, who re-signed with the Rockets this summer on a two-year, $50MM contract.
VanVleet will earn $25MM each of the next two seasons, with a player option for 2026/27 he seems likely to exercise now that he appears destined to miss the entire ’25/26 campaign with a major knee injury.
VanVleet, 31, has been one of the keys to Houston’s dramatic turnaround. The Rockets went 17-55, 20-62 and 22-60 in the three years before he signed with the team as a free agent in 2023. With VanVleet as the starting point guard, Houston had a 41-41 record in ’23/24, followed by a 52-30 mark last season.
While VanVleet took a minor statistical step back last season in several categories, averaging 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals while shooting 34.5% on three-pointers in 60 regular season games, the Rockets were consistently better when he was on the court (+6.2) than when he was off it (+2.9).
VanVleet also had a strong playoff showing in Houston’s first-round loss to Golden State, averaging 18.7 PPG, 4.4 APG, 4.1 RPG and 1.1 SPG while shooting 43.5% from long distance in the seven-game series. When he was on the court in the playoffs, the Rockets had a +3.9 net rating in 280 minutes; in the 56 minutes he didn’t play, their net rating was an abysmal -17.1.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the Rockets will likely apply for a disabled player exception in the wake of VanVleet’s injury. However, they’re hard-capped at the first apron and are currently only $1.25MM below that threshold, meaning they’re not in position to use that DPE to add a 15th man to the roster.
Given their position relative to the hard cap, the Rockets won’t be able to even sign a free agent to a minimum-salary contract until January unless they reduce their team salary in a trade.
Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Aaron Holiday are among the candidates to receive more minutes and ball-handling duties for Houston in the wake of VanVleet’s unfortunate injury.
Sixers’ Kyle Lowry Joins Amazon Prime Video As Analyst
Sixers guard Kyle Lowry has signed a contract to be an analyst with Amazon Prime Video, the new NBA broadcaster announced today (via Twitter).
According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Prime Video’s press release specified that Lowry signed a multiyear deal and that he will make “select appearances” this season in addition to having “increased responsibilities in the future.”
“I’m excited to start the next chapter of my basketball journey with the Prime Sports team,” Lowry said. “The talent they’ve assembled is incredible, and together we’ll deliver something fresh and special for basketball fans worldwide. It’s an honor to be part of this from Day One, and I’m committed to sharing the insights I’ve gained from my career through NBA on Prime for years to come.”
A Philadelphia native who played two seasons of college ball at Villanova prior to being selected 24th overall in the 2006 draft, Lowry is entering his 20th season in the league, and will soon become the second point guard in NBA history (Chris Paul was the first last season) — and just 12th player overall — to reach that mark of longevity, Reynolds notes.
Lowry is highly regarded by both players and coaches, Reynolds writes, adding that it “seemed inevitable” the 39-year-old would transition to a television role at some point.
A six-time All-Star and 2019 champion with the Raptors, Lowry is entering his second full season with his hometown 76ers after an injury-plagued 2024/25 campaign. Lowry was a diminished version of his past self last season from a production standpoint, putting up career-worst statistics in most major categories (3.9 PPG, 2.7 APG, 1.9 RPG) in just 35 games (18.8 MPG).
Jazz Sign Mo Bamba
1:10pm: Bamba has officially signed with the Jazz, according to a press release from the club.
11:38am: The Jazz intend to sign free agent center Mo Bamba, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Scotto doesn’t specify what type of contract Bamba will sign, but given the timing and the fact that Utah has 15 players on guaranteed standard deals, it seems likely to be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract that may contain Exhibit 10 language as well.
The Jazz currently have 20 players on their roster (two on Exhibit 10 deals and three on two-way contracts in addition to the other 15), one shy of the offseason limit. Signing Bamba will put them at 21.
Bamba, 27, was the sixth overall pick of the 2018 draft after one college season at Texas. He holds seven years of NBA experience, mostly with Orlando.
After signing a minimum-salary deal with Philadelphia in 2023/24, Bamba hit free agency again last summer and signed another veteran’s minimum contract, this time with the Clippers. He appeared in 28 games with L.A. before being traded to Utah in a salary-dump deal involving P.J. Tucker. The Jazz waived him the following day.
Bamba spent some time in the G League with the Pelicans’ affiliate while looking for another NBA opportunity and found one on March 10, when he signed a 10-day deal with New Orleans. Bamba has been an unrestricted free agent since that contract expired.
In 32 appearances last season with the Clips and Pels, Bamba averaged 4.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 13.2 minutes per game. He holds career averages of 6.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 1.3 BPG in 364 games (16.8 MPG).
Bamba reportedly drew interest from multiple EuroLeague teams this offseason, but we hadn’t seen him linked to an NBA club until now.
Magic Sign Alex Morales To Exhibit 10 Contract
The Magic have filled the 21st and final spot on their training camp roster by signing free agent wing Alex Morales, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
While Orlando’s announcement doesn’t specify what type of contract Morales received, Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel hears it’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal (Twitter link), making Morales eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived before the season and spends at least 60 days with the G League’s Osceola Magic.
Morales, who starred in college at Wagner, went undrafted in 2022 and has spent each of the past three years with the Magic’s G League affiliate while also suiting up for Osos de Manati in Puerto Rico during the NBA offseason. This is his fourth straight offseason of signing a training camp deal with Orlando.
A 6’6″ guard/forward, Morales averaged 9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals on .510/.333/.657 shooting in 42 games with Osceola last season (29.1 MPG). The 27-year-old also averaged 14.7 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.7 APG and 2.3 SPG on .572/.296/.813 shooting in 15 games with Osos de Manati, per RealGM.
Heat Expect Terry Rozier To Participate In Training Camp
While there’s plenty of uncertainty surrounding Terry Rozier, the Heat expect the veteran guard to join them at training camp, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports.
Despite internal discussions regarding his contract, the Heat still plan to begin training camp on Tuesday with Rozier on the roster.
Rozier is unlikely to give up any money in a buyout due to the fact that he remains linked to an ongoing federal gambling investigation, which limits his options outside of Miami. Trading him would require sacrificing future draft capital and possibly salary cap flexibility beyond this season, which Miami is reluctant to do.
If the Heat decide to remove Rozier from their roster, the most likely scenario is that he’ll simply be waived. The team could create $1.7MM in cap savings – moving its salary below the luxury tax line – because only $24.9MM of Rozier’s $26.6MM salary for this upcoming season is currently guaranteed. The waive-and-stretch provision is no longer an option because the deadline to do so expired last month.
However, Rozier might even work his way into a rotation role, at least early on, due to Tyler Herro‘s ankle injury.