Latest On Kawhi Leonard, Clippers
Following up on Pablo Torre’s report on the possibility of salary cap circumvention involving the Clippers and star forward Kawhi Leonard, John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal provides some fascinating additional details, citing a “high-level” source who says Leonard made a side deal with the company Aspiration to receive an additional $20MM in company stock on top of the $28MM from his original endorsement agreement.
Co-founder Andrei Cherny didn’t run the $28MM endorsement deal Leonard signed by the company’s board of directors, according to Karalis, who says the agreement was presented to Aspiration’s executive team “as is,” without consulting them or giving them an opportunity to be involved in negotiations. If the executive team had been privy to the talks, it would have advised against the deal, Karalis explains, since management viewed it as a “poor use of cash resources.”
While Cherney signed the deal against the wishes of management, Aspiration’s marketing and management teams saw “no brand synergy” with Leonard and and opted against using his services, preferring to work with climate-focused influences, Karalis continues.
Regarding the $50MM that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer invested in Aspiration, Karalis says that investment was described as having been made with “light-to-no diligence” and came at a rate higher than the one Oak Tree Capital Management had paid during the company’s rounds of fundraising. As Karalis observes, it wouldn’t have been unusual for a well-known investor like Ballmer to be offered a discounted share price, since his involvement would create positive buzz for the company. Instead, the $11 he paid per share was a dollar higher than what Oak Tree paid.
Here’s more on the Leonard situation:
- Although the Clippers asserted in a statement on Wednesday night that there’s “nothing unusual or untoward about team sponsors doing endorsement deals with players at the same time,” rival executives who spoke to Sam Amick of The Athletic pointed out that Ballmer’s investment in Aspiration and the size of Leonard’s endorsement deal are red flags on their own, even before taking into account the fact that the star forward did no promotional work for the company. “This (sort of endorsement deal) does not happen,” one general manager told Amick.
- Executives who discussed the issue with Chris Mannix of SI.com conveyed a similar sentiment. “If this is what it looks like, I think (commissioner) Adam (Silver) has to make an example of them,” one team executive said.
- It’s worth noting that the Clippers were previously investigated in 2019 due to rumors that Leonard’s uncle Dennis Robertson was asking teams for improper benefits during Kawhi’s free agency negotiations that summer. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link) hears that Leonard was seeking an extra $15MM in endorsement money from the Raptors that offseason, while Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star cites sources who say “Uncle Dennis” was asking for an ownership stake in the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs during talks with the Raptors.
- Nate Jones, who works as an agent and marketer at Goodwin Sports, shared some insights into the situation in a Twitter thread, explaining why the Clippers, Ballmer, and Leonard may all have plausible deniability if there’s no smoking gun laying out a quid pro quo arrangement. Still, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays, citing Zach Lowe’s podcast, the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows for cap circumvention to be proven by circumstantial evidence if the terms of a deal “cannot rationally be explained in” another way.
And-Ones: Carmelo, Howard, 2026 Draft, Raveling, Armani
Ahead of Carmelo Anthony‘s induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend, Dave McMenamin of ESPN revisits the forward’s impressive career at the college, NBA, and international levels, laying out why he was a “no-brainer” choice to make the Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Zach Kram makes a similar case for another of this weekend’s inductees, detailing why center Dwight Howard, a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is a worthy first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. In Kram’s view, Howard has actually become somewhat underrated, since his drop-off in production during his 30s made it easy to forgot how high his peaks were in his prime.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- With the start of the 2025/26 college basketball season around the corner, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his 2026 NBA mock draft, running through all 60 hypothetical picks, from Kansas guard Darryn Peterson at No. 1 to Connecticut big man Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 60.
- After longtime college basketball coach and Nike sports marketing director George Raveling died on Monday at age 88, NBA commissioner Adam Silver put out a statement lauding Raveling for his “influence on the game of basketball at every level” and sending condolences to his family and friends (Twitter link).
- Giorgio Armani passed away on Thursday at the age of 91, as Eurohoops relays. While he’s more known for his role in the fashion world than for his contributions to basketball, Armani had owned the EuroLeague club Olimpia Milano since 2008. In a statement issued on Thursday, the EuroLeague credited the Italian fashion designer for “ushering in a new golden era” for Olimpia Milano during his tenure as owner, which included six Italian League championships and the team’s first EuroLeague Final Four appearances in nearly three decades.
Free Agent Notes: Giddey, Lyles, Bacot, Gallinari
The Bulls‘ have increased their offer to restricted free agent guard Josh Giddey since they reportedly proposed a four-year deal worth $20MM annually the start of free agency, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (YouTube link). However, it remains well below the price that Giddey and his camp are reportedly seeking.
“He was offered four years, $80 million when free agency started,” Marks said. “That number has gone up to four years, $88MM.”
As Marks points out, that $22MM-per-year figure would be at the low end of the spectrum for starting point guards. Giddey’s representatives have reportedly been seeking $30MM annually since they discussed a potential rookie scale extension with the Bulls last fall. While Giddey may not ultimately get that sort of commitment from Chicago, Marks believes the team should be willing to further increase its offer if it views the 22-year-old as an important long-term building block.
“If you think that he’s your point guard of the future, then you sign him to what point guard money is,” Marks said. “And I’m not saying you sign him to Immanuel Quickley money at $32.5MM (per year) or five years, $160MM. But you sign him in that $26-28MM (per year range) and you do it for three years or four years. And if it’s four years, $100MM or four years, $110MM, it’s still good value going forward.”
Some sort of resolution is expected within the next few weeks for Giddey and the Bulls, since training camps open by the end of the month and October 1 is the deadline for a restricted free agent to accept his qualifying offer.
Here are a few more notes on free agents from around the basketball world:
- While the exact terms are unclear, veteran forward Trey Lyles has an NBA out clause in his new deal with Real Madrid that “ensures he retains flexibility should an opportunity arise to return during the 2025/26 season,” Grant Afseth writes for RG.org. Before agreeing to sign a one-year contract reportedly worth $3MM with the Spanish club, Lyles drew interest from the Heat, Kings, and other EuroLeague teams, including Fenerbahce, sources tell Afseth.
- Speaking of Fenerbahce, the Turkish club has signed former North Carolina standout Armando Bacot to a one-year contract, according to a press release. Bacot, who inked an Exhibit 10 contract with the Grizzlies and then played for the Memphis Hustle last season after going undrafted out of UNC, will be paid more than $1MM on his deal with Fenerbahce, per Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link).
- Although Danilo Gallinari has stated his intention to retire from the Italian national team after this year’s EuroBasket tournament, the longtime NBA forward is leaving his options open when it comes to extending his professional career beyond this summer, as Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops relays. “I said anything is possible,” Gallinari replied when asked about the possibility of playing in the EuroLeague again. “I’m not thinking about anything. I didn’t think about anything yet. I didn’t make any plans, so we’ll see.” The 37-year-old, who has made 777 career regular season appearances, recently expressed some interest in the idea of joining an NBA team as a veteran leader.
Longest-Tenured NBA Head Coaches
For the first time since we began taking an annual look at the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches a decade ago, Gregg Popovich‘s name doesn’t sit atop the list.
The longtime Spurs head coach had been on the sidelines in San Antonio for nearly three decades, having taken over coaching duties in December 1996. However, he gave way to assistant Mitch Johnson last November after suffering a stroke and then announced this spring that he had decided to end his coaching career at age 76.
Popovich retires from NBA coaching as the league’s all-time leader in regular season wins (1,390) and overall victories (1,560). He was also the oldest coach in league history and was the NBA’s longest-tenured coach by over a decade.
The shake-up at the top of our list starts with Popovich, but definitely doesn’t end there. In total, four of the NBA’s six longest-tenured head coaches have been replaced since we checked in last summer, with Michael Malone of the Nuggets (June 2015), Taylor Jenkins of the Grizzlies (June 2019), and Tom Thibodeau of the Knicks (July 2020) having been dismissed by their respective teams in recent months.
While the total number of coaching changes in the past year – six – isn’t abnormally high, it’s unusual for us to be removing so many names at the top of our list.
With all that in mind, here’s the current breakdown of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches by team:
- Erik Spoelstra, Heat: April 2008
- Steve Kerr, Warriors: May 2014
- Billy Donovan, Bulls: September 2020
- Tyronn Lue, Clippers: October 2020
- Mark Daigneault, Thunder: November 2020
- Chris Finch, Timberwolves: February 2021
- Rick Carlisle, Pacers: June 24, 2021
- Chauncey Billups, Trail Blazers: June 27, 2021
- Jason Kidd, Mavericks: June 28, 2021
- Jamahl Mosley, Magic: July 11, 2021
- Willie Green, Pelicans: July 22, 2021
- Will Hardy, Jazz: June 2022
- Joe Mazzulla, Celtics: September 2022
- Mazzulla became the Celtics’ interim head coach in September 2022 and was named the permanent head coach in February 2023.
- Quin Snyder, Hawks: February 2023
- Ime Udoka, Rockets: April 2023
- Nick Nurse, Sixers: June 1, 2023
- Darko Rajakovic, Raptors: June 13, 2023
- Brian Keefe, Wizards: January 25, 2024
- Keefe became the Wizards’ interim head coach in January 2024 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2024.
- Doc Rivers, Bucks: January 26, 2024
- Jordi Fernandez, Nets: April 2024
- Charles Lee, Hornets: May 2024
- J.J. Redick, Lakers: June 24, 2024
- Kenny Atkinson, Cavaliers: June 28, 2024
- J.B. Bickerstaff, Pistons: July 2024
- Mitch Johnson, Spurs: November 2024
- Johnson took over as the Spurs’ acting head coach in November 2024 after Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke; he was named the permanent head coach in May 2025 when Popovich stepped down from the position.
- Doug Christie, Kings: December 2024
- Christie became the Kings’ interim head coach in December 2024 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2025.
- Tuomas Iisalo, Grizzlies: March 2025
- Iisalo became the Grizzlies’ interim head coach in March 2025 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2025.
- David Adelman, Nuggets: April 2025
- Adelman became the Nuggets’ interim head coach in April 2025 and was named the permanent head coach in May 2025.
- Jordan Ott, Suns: June 2025
- Mike Brown, Knicks: July 2025
Spoelstra is the new name at the top of the list of longest-tenured coaches, with a comfortable six-year margin between him and second-place Kerr. Incredibly, the gap of six-plus years between Kerr and third-place Donovan is larger than five-year gap between Donovan and Brown, the head coach most recently hired.
In other words, Spoelstra and Kerr are now the only coaches in the NBA who have been with their respective teams for longer than five years, which is a testament to just how difficult it is for a head coach to stick in one place.
Knockout Round Set For EuroBasket; Spain Fails To Qualify
Led by a double-double from Jazz center Jusuf Nurkic (15 points, 12 rebounds), Bosnia and Herzegovina defeated Georgia by a score of 84-76 on Thursday morning to become the 15th team to qualify for the EuroBasket knockout round, as Michalis Gioulenoglou of Eurohoops writes.
Raptors big man Sandro Mamukelashvili finished with a game-high 20 points for Georgia.
Despite the loss, Georgia became the 16th and final team to qualify for the round of 16 later in the day after Spain fell to Greece, FIBA announced (via Twitter). Led by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a team-high 25 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists, Greece eked out a 90-86 victory to claim the top spot in Group C.
Spain and Georgia finished with identical 2-3 records in Group C and Spain had a far better point differential (+43 vs. -19), but the Georgians defeated the Spaniards in their head-to-head matchup, earning the tiebreaker.
It’s a disappointing exit for the defending champions — the Spanish national team has been a perennial powerhouse in both European and international competitions, having won four of the previous six EuroBasket tournaments, including the most recent one in 2022. According to Armando Caporaso of Sportando (Twitter link), it has been nearly 50 years since Spain failed to advance past the first stage of the tournament (1977).
The matchups and the full bracket for the EuroBasket’s single-elimination round of 16 have now been set. The breakdown is as follows:
- First quarter of bracket:
- Lithuania (B2) vs. Latvia (A3)
- Greece (C1) vs. Israel (D4)
- Second quarter:
- Turkey (A1) vs. Sweden (B4)
- Poland (D2) vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (C3)
- Third quarter:
- Germany (B1) vs. Portugal (A4)
- Italy (C2) vs. Slovenia (D3)
- Fourth quarter:
- Serbia (A2) vs. Finland (B3)
- France (D1) vs. Georgia (C4)
The win-or-go-home games involving teams from Groups A and B will take place on Saturday, while the teams in Groups C and D will square off on Sunday. The full schedule for the weekend, including tip-off times, can be viewed here.
The quarterfinals in the top half of the bracket will be played next Tuesday, followed by the quarterfinals from the bottom half of the bracket on Wednesday. The teams that come out of the first and second quarters will face one another in one of the semifinals next Friday, while the winners of the third and fourth quarters will face off in the other semifinal on the same day. The final will be played on Sunday, September 14.
FIBA has also confirmed the final placement of the teams eliminated prior to the round of 16. Those teams, who were classified based on their group position, overall record, and point differential, were ranked as follows:
- Spain (2-3 record, +43 point differential)
- Belgium (2-3, -40)
- Estonia (1-4, -45)
- Montenegro (1-4, -77)
- Great Britain (1-4, -130)
- Iceland (0-5, -76)
- Czechia (0-5, -96)
- Cyprus (0-5, -165)
While Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama (Spain), Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (Montenegro), and Hawks guard Vit Krejci (Czechia) have been eliminated from the tournament and Wizards center Alex Sarr (France) and Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) have been ruled out due to injuries, the remaining 23 active NBA players in the tournament should all be in action this weekend.
Luke Adams contributed to this story.
Grizzlies Sign Olivier-Maxence Prosper To Two-Way Deal
3:59pm: Prosper’s two-way deal with the Grizzlies is official, the team announced (via Twitter).
11:48am: Free agent forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper intends to sign a two-way contract with the Grizzlies, agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Charania, Prosper mulled multiple contract offers before ultimately choosing Memphis. The Grizzlies were among the teams that conveyed interest in acquiring Prosper via trade before Dallas decided to waive and stretch his contract last Friday, Charania adds (via Twitter).
However, the Mavericks were said to be reluctant to part with one of their two remaining second-rounders to shed Prosper’s salary, and instead stretched it over three years, with annual cap hits of about $1MM through 2027/28.
Dallas needed to open up room under the second tax apron — at which the team is hard-capped — to re-sign Dante Exum.
Prosper has been an unrestricted free agent for a handful of days after being cut by the Mavs. The 6’8″ Canadian spent one year at Clemson and two seasons at Marquette prior to being selected No. 24 overall in the 2023 draft.
Prosper played a very modest role over his first two NBA seasons, averaging just 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game across 92 regular season outings, with a .396/.260/.658 shooting line.
He also played 25 G League games with the Texas Legends as a rookie in 2023/24. The 23-year-old averaged 18.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.9 SPG on .498/.418/.762 shooting in those contests.
As our tracker shows, Prosper will fill the Grizzlies’ third and final two-way spot.
Latest On Nets, Cam Thomas
Cam Thomas‘ decision to sign his one-year qualifying offer (worth nearly $6MM) was a reflection of the fact that he didn’t receive much external interest as a restricted free agent this summer, numerous scouts and league executives told Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
According to Lewis, Thomas has “fans at the highest level in the Nets front office,” but the team clearly wasn’t willing to bid against itself and evidently wasn’t comfortable offering the 23-year-old a long-term deal.
As Lewis writes, there’s risk for both sides now that Thomas is back under contract. From Brooklyn’s perspective, Thomas has an implied no-trade clause, meaning he would have to approve any deal during the 2025/26 season — if that happens, the team that acquires him would only have his Non-Bird rights.
Thomas, meanwhile, reportedly sacrificed short-term money to keep that built-in no-trade clause. General manager Sean Marks targeted multiple play-making guards during the draft, Lewis notes, and the Nets may prioritize their development over more shots for Thomas.
“On a team that’s not trying to win and doesn’t care, if he signs the qualifying offer he runs the risk they don’t feature him after October,” a league source had told The Post before the move. “A team that isn’t trying to win, you’re stuck.”
According to Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron (Substack link), the Nets will be approximately $7MM below the 2025/26 minimum salary floor if they re-sign Ziaire Williams to the same two-year, $12.5MM contract that Day’Ron Sharpe received and waive a few of their non-guaranteed deals before the season begins. That would put Brooklyn in a good position to add assets in another salary-dump deal before the season begins, but a major trade appears unlikely.
Gozlan hears Sharpe will earn $6.25MM each of the next two seasons. As previously reported, the contract features a second-year team option, so it’s only guaranteed for ’25/26.
Free Agent Ben Simmons Considering Retirement
1:45 pm: Agent Bernie Lee has informed the National Basketball Players Association that he is no longer representing Simmons as the two-time All-Defensive member weighs his next steps, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).
8:06 am: Veteran free agent Ben Simmons remains unsigned, and it’s possible he’ll decide to end his career instead of joining a team before the start of training camp. A source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Simmons is unsure “if he wants to continue” playing in the NBA.
The Knicks are among the teams that have expressed interest in the former No. 1 pick, but they can only offer a veteran’s minimum contract that would be worth a little more than $3MM. That might not be enough to lure Simmons, who is only 29 but has dealt with numerous injuries in recent years. Bondy points out that Simmons has made more than $200MM in his career and may not want to continue pushing his body after undergoing multiple back surgeries.
Another source tells Bondy that along with Simmons, New York is still considering Landry Shamet and at least one other free agent to fill a roster opening. The front office has also contacted representatives for Malik Beasley, Bondy adds, but his status remains uncertain due to his involvement in a federal gambling probe. Beasley may get a more lucrative offer if teams are confident that he’ll be able to play.
Simmons split last season with the Nets and Clippers, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 51 games. It was the most games he has appeared in since 2020/21, which was his last All-Star season.
In addition to their financial limitations, the Knicks may not be able to offer consistent playing time to Simmons, Bondy notes. Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson have already been added in free agency this summer, joining the core of a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
Bondy states that another team still has interest in signing Simmons, but he doesn’t specify who it is. The Kings and Warriors have been mentioned as possibilities, and they both have roster spots available.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 9/4/2025
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat on Thursday at 1:00 pm Central time (2:00 pm Eastern).
Second-Rounder Mashack To Open Season With Memphis Hustle
Former Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack, whose NBA rights were acquired by the Grizzlies after he was selected 59th overall in June’s draft, will open the season with the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian (Twitter link).
Herrington’s report was confirmed by Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter).
According to Cole, the Grizzlies are still high on Mashack, who impressed during a five-game Summer League showing, averaging 9.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks in 23.7 minutes per contest (.462/.417/.600 shooting line). But after reaching an agreement to sign Olivier-Maxence Prosper, the Grizzlies no longer have an open two-way spot, which leaves Mashack as the odd man out for now.
As Herrington notes, Mashack’s NBA rights are still controlled by the Grizzlies — he’ll be a domestic draft-and-stash player of sorts and not a free agent.
Gui Santos (Warriors) and Nikola Djurisic (Hawks) are two other recent examples of second-round picks who spent their first post-draft seasons in the G League — for what it’s worth, both players later signed standard contracts rather than two-way deals.
Mashack, who turns 23 years old in November, spent four college seasons with the Volunteers, mostly in a reserve role until he was a senior in 2024/25. In 38 starts last season (28.2 MPG), the 6’4″ wing averaged 6.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.5 APG and 1.7 SPG, with a shooting line of .454/.351/.723.
Mashack had been one of four 2025 draft picks who remained unsigned, and technically that’s still the case. But it certainly sounds like he’ll sign a G League contract before the season begins rather than an NBA deal with the Grizzlies.
Still, it’s worth noting that two-way contracts are non-guaranteed and don’t count against the salary cap, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Mashack ends up with the Grizzlies at some point in ’25/26. A multiyear standard deal toward the end of the season with subsequent seasons being non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed is another possibility.