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And-Ones: Fall, F. Jackson, Z. Simpson, ESPN

August 28th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Ningbo Rockets of the Chinese Basketball Association have added a trio of former NBA players for the 2025/26 season, according to Alberto De Roa of HoopsHype. Center Tacko Fall and guards Frank Jackson and Zavier Simpson have reportedly joined the CBA team.

Fall, a 7’6″ big man who appeared in 37 NBA games for the Celtics and Cavaliers from 2019-22, is no stranger to China’s basketball league, having spent time with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and Nanjing Monkey Kings since he last played in the NBA. He also had a stint with the New Zealand Breakers last season.

Jackson has also played in the CBA with the Shanxi Loongs and Jiangsu Dragons, while Simpson will be playing in the country for the first time after spending last season in Romania. Jackson, a 2017 second-round pick, has appeared in 214 NBA regular season games, but has been out of the league since March 2023. Simpson made seven appearances for the Grizzlies on a pair of 10-day contracts near the end of the 2023/24 season after playing four times for Oklahoma City in ’21/22.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

ESPN is making a change to its top broadcasting team for the 2025/26 NBA season and 2026 NBA Finals, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, who reports that Tim Legler will replace Doris Burke alongside Mike Breen and Richard Jefferson. However, Burke has signed a multiyear extension with ESPN and will be on ESPN’s No. 2 NBA broadcast team with play-by-play man Dave Pasch.
An ESPN panel of NBA experts is forecasting the Cavaliers to win an Eastern Conference-high 59 games in 2025/26, with the Knicks (54-28), Magic (50-32), Hawks (47-35), and Pistons (47-35) rounding out the top five. ESPN’s projections have the Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Heat, and Pacers battling for the final playoff spot and play-in seeding. Over in the West, ESPN’s forecast calls for the Thunder (64 wins) to repeat as the conference’s No. 1 seed, followed by the Rockets (54-28), Nuggets (53-29), Timberwolves (51-31), Clippers (50-32), and Lakers (50-32).
Unsurprisingly, in a separate story predicting next season’s conference and NBA champions, ESPN’s panel picks the Cavaliers and Thunder as the favorites to meet in the NBA Finals, with Oklahoma City repeating as champions. For what it’s worth, the Nuggets received the second-most votes as potential champs, followed by Cleveland, the Rockets, and the Knicks.

Four 2025 NBA Draft Picks Remain Unsigned

August 28th, 2025 at 7:16pm CST by Luke Adams

As our tracker shows, 55 of the 59 players selected in June’s 2025 draft have either signed their first NBA contracts or are confirmed to be playing overseas for the upcoming season. John Tonje (Jazz) and Amari Williams (Celtics) recently became the latest 2025 draftees to sign with their respective teams, having finalized two-way deals.

That leaves four players – all second-round picks – who remain unsigned. Those players are as follows:

Mohamed Diawara (Knicks)
Alex Toohey (Warriors)
Will Richard (Warriors)
Jahmai Mashack (Grizzlies)

NBA insider Jake Fischer provided an update on Richard today, writing that the former Florida wing is expected to sign with Golden State once Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency is resolved. Fischer didn’t say whether Richard would be signing a standard contract or a two-way deal, but his wording suggested the former Florida guard is a candidate for a 15-man roster spot.

Signing Richard to a contract that begins at the rookie minimum could help the Warriors manage their cap/tax/apron situation, since he’d only count for about $1.27MM (compared to roughly $2.3MM for a veteran minimum deal).

Fischer didn’t mention Toohey, who was selected four picks ahead of Richard. That doesn’t necessarily mean Toohey isn’t a candidate for a 15-man roster spot — in certain hard-cap scenarios, it could make sense for the Warriors to carry two rookie-minimum players. But it might be a signal that Richard is the better bet for a standard deal, while Toohey could end up on a two-way contract or as a draft-and-stash prospect.

Diawara is in a similar boat to Richard and Toohey, seemingly stuck in limbo while the Knicks mull their options with their remaining roster spots. It looks like the Knicks will have to carry at least one draft-rights player on a rookie minimum contract in order to navigate their own hard cap, and Diawara is one of two leading candidates to fill that spot — 2023 second-rounder James Nnaji is the other.

If Nnaji signs a standard contract or if the Knicks find a way to create enough cap flexibility to fill out their roster with veteran minimum signings, Diawara is probably ticketed for a two-way deal. As a European-born player who was playing overseas prior to be drafted, the 20-year-old forward would typically be a strong draft-and-stash candidate, but his French team, Cholet Basket, announced last month that Diawara was headed to the NBA.

That leaves Mashack, whose next step remains unclear. It’s not uncommon for one or two players selected near the end of an NBA draft to end up as domestic draft-and-stash prospects, signing directly with their teams’ G League affiliates. But Mashack probably deserves better than that after a strong five-game Summer League showing in which he filled up the box score by averaging 9.0 points, 4.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 23.7 minutes per contest while making 41.7% of his three-point attempts.

The Grizzlies have a two-way contract slot open alongside PJ Hall and Javon Small, so signing Mashack to fill that opening would make the most sense to me — if that’s the plan, I’m not sure why it hasn’t happened yet.

Heat Notes: Jovic, Larsson, Fontecchio, Dragic

August 28th, 2025 at 5:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat forward Nikola Jovic got off to an excellent start at the EuroBasket tournament in Latvia on Wednesday, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Jovic was Serbia’s leading scorer – with 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting – and was an eye-popping plus-36 in just 16 minutes of action in a blowout victory over Estonia.

As impressive as Jovic was a scorer and shooter (3-of-4 on three-pointers), his passing was perhaps even more noteworthy — he racked up six assists while committing just one turnover. The 22-year-old has averaged 2.2 assists per game in 107 regular season outings through three NBA seasons.

A pair of Jovic’s Heat teammates who are also competing at EuroBasket weren’t as productive in their respective 2025 debuts. Pelle Larsson battled foul trouble and scored just 10 points while missing all four of his three-point tries in Sweden’s loss to Finland on Wednesday. On Thursday, Simone Fontecchio made just 1-of-11 shots from the field and was a minus-11 across 34 minutes in Italy’s nine-point loss to Greece.

We have more on the Heat:

In a mailbag for The Sun Sentinel, Winderman explores the Heat’s expectations and projected roles for Jovic and Larsson in 2025/26, suggesting that Jovic will likely be a top frontcourt reserve while Larsson would be doing well to show he can be a “quality ninth man.”
Although former Heat point guard Goran Dragic may one day take on a more formal role with the club, there’s no indication that he’s joining Erik Spoelstra‘s coaching staff at this point, despite social media posts that showed him in attendance at practice, Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel. For now, it appears Dragic is just informally “looking to pass on knowledge to the next generation,” including rookie point guard Kasparas Jakucionis, Winderman explains.
With the deadline for teams to use the stretch provision on 2025/26 salaries now less than 24 hours away, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald hears from a league source that the Heat are “leaning against” stretching anyone’s salary on Thursday or Friday. A waive-and-stretch move likely would’ve received more serious consideration if Miami hadn’t moved under the luxury tax line by trading Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn earlier this month.

Veteran Nuggets Executive Martynas Pocius Joining Real Madrid

August 28th, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran Nuggets executive Martynas Pocius is leaving the NBA to become a deputy general manager for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, reports Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

Pocius has spent the past eight years working in Denver’s front office, most recently holding the title of assistant director of pro personnel, Urbonas writes. The 39-year-old has also served as a Nuggets scout both in the NBA and around the globe.

Pocius played college basketball for — and graduated from — Duke and competed in the EuroLeague for several years prior to retiring in 2017, as Kendra Andrews wrote for The Athletic in 2020. Pocius, who was a guard, played for Zalgiris Kaunas in his native Lithuania as well as Real Madrid and Galatasaray (Turkey).

“Since I played at Duke, I had seven surgeries,” Pocius told Andrews. “It took a toll on my body and I was in this cycle of getting injured, having surgery, trying rehab, all to come back and then have it happen all over again … I was reaching a point where I wasn’t enjoying basketball as much as I used to. I was a gym rat and I loved the gym, and it wasn’t fun being there anymore.”

Pocius also won a pair of medals — a bronze at the 2010 World Cup and a silver at EuroBasket 2013 — with the Lithuanian national team, Urbonas notes.

Pocius will be working alongside former Real Madrid backcourt mate Sergio Rodriguez in running the team’s front office. Rodriguez, a former NBA first-round pick, retired as a player last year.

It’s worth noting that Pocius got his start with the Nuggets due to his connection to childhood friend Tommy Balcetis. According to Andrews, while they were both attending Balcetis’ wedding, former head of basketball operations Tim Connelly offered Pocius a job if he decided to retire, something he wound up doing a year later.

The Nuggets decided not to retain Balcetis in June after the team’s former assistant GM had spent 12 years with the organization.

Thunder Make Changes To Coaching Staff

August 28th, 2025 at 3:14pm CST by Rory Maher

Thunder assistant coach Daniel Dixon has been named head coach of the Oklahoma City Blue, the G League team announced today (Twitter link via Clemente Almanza of Thunder Wire).

As Almanza writes in a full story, Dixon has been with the Thunder organization for the past three years and was previously a video coordinator in Charlotte.

Dixon was initially hired as a Blue assistant before being promoted to a Thunder assistant in 2024/25. He has spent time as head coach of the Summer League squads in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.

In a related move, the Thunder are promoting former Blue head coach Kameron Woods to be an assistant on Mark Daigneault‘s staff.

Woods has been the Blue’s head coach for the past three seasons, including winning an NBAGL title in 2024. He has been with the Thunder for seven years. Woods has also served as the lead coach during Summer League action, Almanza notes.

Fischer’s Latest: Beasley, Warriors, Brogdon, Highsmith, More

August 28th, 2025 at 2:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The status of free agent wing Malik Beasley is somewhat murky at the moment, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

While Beasley’s lawyers told ESPN their client is no longer the “target” of a federal gambling probe, a subsequent report said he was still a “subject” and could still face legal challenges. Beasley is also expected to be investigated by the NBA, Fischer reports.

According to Fischer, the Cavaliers, Knicks, Timberwolves and Pistons are the main teams to touch base with Beasley’s camp in the hope that he’ll eventually be able to play in 2025/26. However, Fischer hears none of those teams have actually discussed signing Beasley with his future seemingly still up in the air.

If Beasley is ultimately cleared of any legal wrongdoing and by the NBA, the 28-year-old will be seeking more than the veteran’s minimum on his next contract, sources tell Fischer. It’s worth noting that of the four suitors, Detroit — his incumbent team — can offer Beasley the highest starting salary ($7.2MM). Cleveland and New York would be limited to minimum-salary deals, while Minnesota could offer a little above the minimum.

Here are a few more rumors from Fischer’s latest story:

Jonathan Kuminga‘s uncertain contract status has had a ripple effect on several free agents still on the market, Fischer notes, including Malcolm Brogdon. Fischer says the Warriors are expected to sign Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and No. 56 overall pick Will Richard once Kuminga’s situation is resolved and have expressed a level of interest in Brogdon as well. The Knicks and Timberwolves have also been keeping an eye on Brogdon, Fischer adds.
While Fischer’s breakdown of prospective Warriors signees includes Richard, he doesn’t mention No. 52 overall pick Alex Toohey at all. That could point to the Australian wing ending up on a two-way contract or as a draft-and-stash prospect rather than being a candidate for the 15-man roster.
Fischer hears that the Timberwolves are “actively trying to work through the financial details” in a new contract for Bones Hyland. That suggests Hyland, who is no longer eligible for a two-way deal, may receive a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contract.
The Heat are still trying to trade Terry Rozier but there’s “scant” interest in the veteran guard, who is also being investigated as part of a federal gambling probe. Miami is also believed to be interested in a buyout, Fischer reports, though nothing is imminent on that front.
Fischer expects new Nets forward Haywood Highsmith to be back on the trade block at some point. Brooklyn has “no plans” to be competitive in 2025/26 and will continue to look to stockpile assets in trades, Fischer adds. The Nets recently acquired Highsmith, who is recovering from knee surgery, from Miami along with a second-round pick. Assuming he’s back to full health, Highsmith should have a chance to rebuild his trade value, and his expiring $5.6MM contract would fit into a team’s mid-level exception.

Kings Rumors: Kuminga, Westbrook, Carter

August 28th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Rory Maher

In an offseason discussion with his colleagues Fred Katz and Marcus Thompson II, Sam Amick of The Athletic states that the Kings have been the “most serious” sign-and-trade suitor for Warriors restricted free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga this summer.

According to Amick, Sacramento has been “resisting the urge” to make “smaller” trades this offseason because the front office has placed a higher priority on trying to acquire Kuminga. Elaborating further, Amick hears the Kings are more likely to sign Russell Westbrook if they know they can’t land Kuminga.

The Kings aren’t expected to sign Westbrook, with whom they’ve been linked throughout the summer, unless they can create a roster opening in the backcourt, Amick notes. Several other reporters have said similarly for several weeks, including Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), whose latest story was released after The Athletic’s.

Sources tell Fischer the Kings “continue to covet” Westbrook, who played for Denver last season. While Sacramento is reportedly no longer actively shopping Malik Monk, people around the league think second-year guard Devin Carter may still be moved, according to Fischer, who observes that the former Providence star was drafted by former GM Monte McNair.

Carter has reportedly been offered to Golden State in sign-and-trade talks for Kuminga, though the Warriors aren’t believed to have interest in that proposal.

Carter, the 13th overall pick of last year’s draft, was limited to 36 games as a rookie due to a shoulder injury. He was dominant in five G League games with the Stockton Kings (26.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.2 blocks on .517/.380/.733 shooting) but didn’t make a major impact in his limited NBA run in 2024/25 (3.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.1 APG on .370/.295/.591 shooting in 11.0 MPG).

Kuminga’s latest Instagram post has the young restricted free agent projecting confidence despite the lengthy contract standoff with Golden State, a situation Amick calls “borderline contentious.” Amick says he wouldn’t be surprised if Kuminga ultimately signs his $8MM qualifying offer instead of accepting the Warriors’ two-year, $45MM deal, which is guaranteed for $21.75MM (2026/27 is a team option).

However, as Amick writes, neither side will really start to feel pressure until mid-September, with training camp and the Oct. 1 deadline to sign a qualifying offer just a couple weeks away at that point.

Mavs’ Jaden Hardy On Trade Block?

August 28th, 2025 at 12:16pm CST by Rory Maher

Following up on his report yesterday with colleague Marc Stein, Jake Fischer reiterates in his latest story for The Stein Line (Substack link) that the Mavericks are actively exploring ways to bring back Dante Exum. Dallas’ primary focus on that front, Fischer writes, has been trying to trade former first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

However, Prosper isn’t the only player Dallas is open to moving. According to Fischer, Jaden Hardy is another candidate to be sent out in a deal, and resolution on the trade front is expected by tomorrow evening.

The reason for that specific timeline is because of the Friday 4:00pm CT deadline for waiving and stretching players — multiple sources have told Fischer the Mavs might be forced to go that route, as they’re reluctant to part with either of their two remaining second-round picks to shed salary and create a roster spot.

Fischer doesn’t state it outright, but Prosper figures be the main candidate to be stretched, as his $3MM contract for 2025/26 could be treated as expiring if his $5.3 team option for ’26/27 is declined. That would spread his $3MM cap hit across three seasons at approximately $1MM per year, opening up an extra $2MM in room below the 2025/26 second tax apron.

Dallas reached an agreement to re-sign Exum to a one-year deal way back in July 2, but the transaction still hasn’t been officially finalized. That’s because the Mavericks’ team salary for apron purposes currently sits at approximately $206.2MM, which is about $1.6MM below the second apron ($207,824,000).

The Mavericks hard-capped themselves at the second apron by using the taxpayer mid-level exception to sign D’Angelo Russell last month. That means their team salary can’t surpass $207,824,000 at any point for the rest of the 2025/26 league year. A minimum-salary deal for Exum would carry a $2,296,274 cap hit.

Hardy, 23, was the 37th pick of the 2022 draft after spending one season with the now-defunct G League Ignite. He inked a three-year, $18MM extension with Dallas last October — that deal begins in ’25/26 and includes a flat $6MM per year structure, with a team option in ’27/28.

The 6’4″ shooting guard made 57 appearances for the Mavs last season, averaging 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 turnovers in 15.7 minutes per game. His shooting line was .435/.386/.698.

The Mavs are currently carrying 15 players on guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts for ’25/26, so moving off Prosper, Hardy or another player is also necessary to open up a spot for Exum on their projected 15-man regular season roster.

NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: New Orleans Pelicans

August 28th, 2025 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Free agent signings

Kevon Looney: Two years, $16,000,000. Second-year team option. Signed using non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Jaden Springer: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 9). Signed using minimum salary exception.

Trades

Acquired the No. 23 pick in the 2025 draft and the draft rights to Mojave King from the Pacers in exchange for the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick.
- Note: The Pelicans had acquired the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick (with top-four protection) in a previous trade; the Pacers got it back in this deal.
Acquired the draft rights to Derik Queen (No. 13 pick) from the Hawks in exchange for the draft rights to Asa Newell (No. 23 pick) and either the Pelicans’ or Bucks’ 2026 first-round pick (whichever is more favorable).
Acquired Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the draft rights to Micah Peavy (No. 40 pick) from the Wizards in a three-team trade in exchange for CJ McCollum (to Wizards), Kelly Olynyk (to Wizards), the Bulls’ 2027 second-round pick (to Wizards), and the draft rights to Mojave King (to Rockets).

Draft picks

1-7: Jeremiah Fears
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $34,193,629).
1-13: Derik Queen
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $24,355,797).
2-40: Micah Peavy
- Signed to four-year, $8,685,386 contract. First two years guaranteed. Third year non-guaranteed. Fourth-year team option.

Two-way signings

Trey Alexander
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
Hunter Dickinson
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).
Bryce McGowens
- One year, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season).

Departed/unsigned free agents

Brandon Boston Jr. (Fenerbahce)
Keion Brooks Jr. (unsigned)
Bruce Brown (Nuggets)
Jamal Cain (Magic)
Elfrid Payton (unsigned)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (unsigned)

Other roster moves

Signed Herbert Jones to a three-year, $67,580,892 veteran contract extension that begins in 2027/28. Includes third-year player option.
Waived Antonio Reeves (non-guaranteed contract).
Waived Lester Quinones (two-way contract).

Salary cap situation

Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
Carrying approximately $183.7MM in salary.
Hard-capped at $195,945,000.
Portion of non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($6,104,000) available.
Full bi-annual exception ($5,134,000) available.
Three traded player exceptions available (largest worth $13,445,122).

The offseason so far

The future in New Orleans looked bright during David Griffin‘s first year as head of basketball operations in 2019/20. The Pelicans had just acquired a haul of players and draft picks headlined by Brandon Ingram from the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and had lucked into No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, who looked like a natural successor to Davis as the club’s franchise player.

However, injuries to Williamson, Ingram, and a handful of other key Pelicans players consistently derailed the team’s forward momentum. During Griffin’s six seasons on the job, New Orleans posted a winning record just twice and compiled a total of two playoff victories in a pair of brief postseason appearances.

The organization still hasn’t given up on Williamson, who has missed more regular season games (258) during his first six NBA seasons than he has played (214) and faced a lawsuit this spring accusing him of rape and abuse. But Ingram was traded in February, and Griffin was subsequently replaced this spring by former Pistons general manager Joe Dumars.

The decision to hire Dumars raised some eyebrows. The longtime executive was the architect of a Detroit team that advanced to at least the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight years during the 2000s, but the second half of his tenure with the Pistons produced underwhelming results, and it has been a while since he has even been involved in personnel decisions for an NBA team — he worked in the league office for the past three years.

Dumars’ first summer in New Orleans has been a fascinating one. On the surface, many of the moves he has made point toward a soft reset for the Pelicans. The club added a pair of rookies in the draft lottery – Jeremiah Fears at No. 7 and Derik Queen at No. 13 – and got younger in a trade that sent CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to the Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and second-round pick Micah Peavy.

With Dejounte Murray still recovering from a torn Achilles that figures to keep him on the shelf for the start of the season, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy III coming off shoulder surgeries, and even Bey still making his way back from an ACL tear, there’s a world in which the Pelicans take a patient approach to the 2025/26 campaign, wait for all their key players to get healthy, and evaluate their core players and rookies to see how they all fit together before pushing forward in ’26/27.

But it doesn’t seem like that approach is the one Dumars and the Pelicans have in mind. The price to trade up from No. 23 to No. 13 for Queen was New Orleans’ 2026 first-round pick, which will be the most favorable of the Pelicans’ own first-rounder and the Bucks’ first-rounder — that unprotected pick was sent to Atlanta for the right to draft Queen, leaving New Orleans without a first-round selection for 2026 and strongly suggesting that tanking won’t be a consideration.

If Queen turns into an impact player and that “most favorable” 2026 pick ends up in the mid- to late-teens, the trade would be a coup for Dumars. But it carries remarkable risk, given that New Orleans is coming off a 21-win season and probably won’t have its starting point guard available when the 2025/26 season tips off. In a competitive Western Conference, they’re far from a lock to make the playoffs. And while it doesn’t look like Giannis Antetokounmpo is going anywhere at this point, the Bucks’ pick has real lottery upside too in the event of an Antetokounmpo injury or trade.

Even if the Pelicans are relatively confident another 21-win season isn’t on tap, the 39-win Mavericks just provided a reminder that the flattened lottery odds open the door for a middle-of-the-pack team to claim a top pick — the Pelicans know this first-hand, having jumped from No. 7 in the pre-lottery order to get Williamson in 2019.

The pressure will be on head coach Willie Green to turn things around after a disappointing 2024/25 season. Dumars, who has long been fond of Green and nearly drafted him for the Pistons in 2003, opted not to make a head coaching change immediately after taking the reins. However, if the Pelicans underachieve again in ’25/26, it’s not to hard to imagine Green being the next NBA head coach who finds himself on the hot seat.

In addition to Fears, Queen, Poole, and Bey, the Pelicans’ other notable newcomer this offseason was longtime Warriors center Kevon Looney. While I have some reservations about the Queen and Poole/Bey trades, I liked the Looney signing — he has long been an underrated defender and rebounder, he’s still just 29 years old, and his new two-year, $16MM contract is only guaranteed for one season. He should bring some added stability to the center position after the Pelicans had to rely on rookie Yves Missi as their starter in ’24/25.

Up next

The Pelicans are carrying 14 players on guaranteed contracts for the 2025/26 season, with Jaden Springer signed to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 contract. Their three two-way slots have been filled.

New Orleans has about $4.2MM in breathing room below the luxury tax line, which is more than enough for a 15th man on a minimum-salary contract. While it’s possible the team will leave that spot open to start the season for the sake of flexibility, it probably makes sense for depth purposes to fill it, given that Murray likely won’t be ready to play and a few other players will be managed carefully as they return from major injuries.

Springer may be the leading 15th-man candidate for now, but the Pelicans could bring in a couple more vets on training camp deals to compete for that spot. And since whoever makes the team will likely be on a non-guaranteed contract, New Orleans will have the flexibility to waive that player a month or two into the regular season without paying his full-season salary.

The Pelicans already took care of their top extension candidate this offseason by signing Jones to a three-year, $67.6MM deal. That was a logical move that should pay off, especially if Jones – already one of the NBA’s best defenders – can continue developing and expanding his offensive game.

But that will likely be the last extension the Pelicans sign before the regular season begins. Williamson and Poole will both be eligible to sign new deals, but the club seems extremely unlikely to further invest in the duo at this point, given that they both still have multiple years left on their contracts. Poole has yet to even play a game as a Pelican, while Williamson will, at the very least, need an extended run of good health to warrant another significant commitment from New Orleans.

Deadline Looms For Teams To Stretch 2025/26 Salaries

August 28th, 2025 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Friday, August 29 is the last day that an NBA team will be able to waive a player who has a fully or partially guaranteed salary for 2025/26 and stretch that player’s ’25/26 salary across multiple seasons.

The stretch provision deadline has historically been August 31, and while that’s technically still the case, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement tweaked the wording of the rule. In order to apply the stretch provision to a player’s current-season salary, a team must now ensure the player clears waivers on or before August 31 rather than simply requesting waivers on him by August 31.

The adjusted wording is similar to the CBA language related to the league-wide salary guarantee date in January. In that case, a team must place a player on waivers on or before January 7 in order to have him clear waivers ahead of the league-wide Jan. 10 guarantee date. In the case of the stretch provision rule, a player whose salary is being stretched now must be waived by August 29 at 4:00 pm Central time to ensure he has cleared waivers prior to September 1.

A player who clears waivers between September 1 and the end of the 2025/26 season can still have his cap hit(s) for 2026/27 and subsequent seasons stretched across multiple years, assuming he’s owed guaranteed money beyond this season. But his ’25/26 cap charge would remain unchanged in that scenario, unless he reaches a buyout agreement with his team.

The stretch provision allows teams to gain some short-term relief at the cost of reduced long-term flexibility. It’s used most frequently by teams in the luxury tax who want to lower their projected tax bill (or duck out of tax territory entirely) or by teams who want to create extra cap room to accommodate a specific roster move.

While the stretch provision typically isn’t used all this frequently, it has been deployed this offseason in two very noteworthy instances. The Bucks stretched the two years and $112,583,016 remaining on Damian Lillard‘s contract, while the Suns stretched the two years and $96,915,050 left on Bradley Beal‘s deal after he agreed to a buyout.

Like Beal, Cole Anthony (Grizzlies) and Vasilije Micic (Bucks) agreed to buyouts with their respective clubs and then had the stretch provision applied to their leftover salaries — $11.1MM for Anthony and $2MM for Micic. Both players had just one season of guaranteed salary remaining.

Since the stretch provision allows a team to spread the player’s remaining salary across twice the remaining years on his contract, plus one additional year, the new cap hits for those four players are as follows:

Lillard (Bucks): $22,516,603 for five seasons (through 2029/30)
Beal (Suns): $19,383,010 for five seasons (through 2029/30)
Anthony (Grizzlies): $3,700,000 for three seasons (through 2027/28)
Micic (Bucks): $666,667 for three seasons (through 2027/28)

The Suns’ moves significantly reduced their projected luxury tax payment and moved them well below the second tax apron, while the Bucks’ and Grizzlies’ moves helped create the cap room necessary for other transactions.

We likely won’t see a flurry of cuts today and tomorrow in order to take advantage of this rule, but the deadline is still worth keeping in mind for the possibilities it will take off the table. Any player on a guaranteed expiring contract who is waived after August 29 without a buyout agreement or a waiver claim will have his remaining salary count entirely against his team’s ’25/26 books.

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