Atlantic Notes: Simons, Jokubaitis, Sixers TV Schedule
The Celtics have been seeking out a trade partner for Anfernee Simons but haven’t had any success, Grant Afseth reports for FastbreakJournal.com.
The cost-cutting club shed Jrue Holiday and his three-year contract in exchange for Simons this offseason. Simons has averaged 19.9 points and 4.5 assists per game with a .436/.381/.901 shooting line over the past four seasons for Portland.
Simons has an expiring $27.7MM contract and there’s been speculation since the trade was made that Boston might flip him. Last week, the Celtics traded Georges Niang to Utah and are now operating about $4MM above the first tax apron and $12MM above the luxury tax line. Dealing Simons could help them move out of the apron and take another step toward escaping the tax entirely.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Draft-and-stash player Rokas Jokubaitis, whose rights are owned by the Knicks, has joined Bayern Munich on a three-year deal, according to a Bayern press release. Jokubaitis, a second-round pick in 2021, has seven years of EuroLeague experience. He played last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv, averaging 12.6 points per game in the EuroLeague, after three years with FC Barcelona. “Rokas is still so young, one of Europe’s biggest talents, yet he has already established himself as one of the leading point guards in the EuroLeague,” Bayern Munich’s sporting director Dragan Tarlac said.
- For the first time in four seasons, the Sixers were excluded from the league’s annual Christmas slate. They also don’t have a national TV game during opening week or Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That comes as no surprise, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. They wound up tanking due to injuries last season and won only 24 games. While they lucked out in the lottery and selected VJ Edgecombe, the Sixers need Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey to stay relatively healthy. Alarm bells went off when George underwent knee surgery last month. He will be reevaluated prior to training camp.
- In case you missed it, the Nets are taking a hard-line approach with restricted free agent Cam Thomas. Get the details here.
Community Shootaround: Eastern Conference Favorites
Looking at the Eastern Conference, two teams stand out among the pack – at least in the betting lines.
In the NBA futures odds posted by FanDuel for next year’s championship, the Cavaliers (+750) and Knicks (+800) are the clear favorites.
That seems to be more of a process of elimination, rather than those teams dramatically improving this offseason.
The Celtics have spent the offseason shedding salary since star forward Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles during the playoffs.
Another perennial playoff contender, the Bucks, lost Damian Lillard in similar fashion and then waived him, allowing them to sign free agent Myles Turner. However, the oddsmakers peg them just eighth among Eastern Conference teams with even Boston ahead of them.
The defending conference champions, the Pacers, sit below both of them after losing Turner, as well as star guard Tyrese Haliburton for all of next season due to his Game 7 Achilles tear.
The Magic (+1700) rank third in the conference, followed by the Hawks (+3000), Sixers (+3500) and Pistons (+4000).
The merits of the favorites are obvious. Cleveland won 64 regular season games but couldn’t get past Indiana in the postseason. New York suffered a similar fate in the conference finals.
The Knicks made a head coaching change, but otherwise the rosters of the two conference favorites remained pretty much intact.
Orlando was snake-bit by injuries last season but have two star forwards in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The Magic made arguably the biggest trade among Eastern teams this offseason, adding Desmond Bane to their backcourt. The Hawks also made a major deal, acquiring Kristaps Porzingis to upgrade their frontcourt.
That brings us to today’s topic: Do you agree with the oddsmakers that the Cavaliers and Knicks are the top teams in the East? If not, which team or teams do you believe can challenge them for conference supremacy?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Western Notes: Topic, Beal, Abdelfattah, Holsopple
Nikola Topic, a 2024 lottery pick, spent his entire first season in the NBA rehabbing a partially torn ACL in his left knee that required surgery. The Thunder guard took some positives from his long road to recovery, he told Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman.
“I didn’t play a basketball game for a very long time, and that was really hard,” Topic said. “But as you go through that process, you learn something about yourself that you didn’t know you had. … I took positives from it and learned from it.”
Topic returned to action during the Summer League. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 27.3 minutes per game in five appearances.
“I feel more confident,” Topic said. “Going into a game, sleeping before a game and just everything about it, I feel way more confident.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Bradley Beal‘s primary motivation to sign with the Clippers was the opportunity to join another contender. “I need a ring. I want one bad. I feel like I’ve got a new life of rejuvenation, for sure, a new hunger. I’m excited about the opportunity, new city, a new environment but a hungry environment, too,” he told KMOV’s Tamar Sher (video link). After getting bought out by the Suns, Beal signed a two-year, $11MM contract with a player option.
- The Timberwolves are hiring Mahmoud Abdelfattah as head coach of their NBA G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Abdelfattah will also be an assistant coach for USA Basketball’s AmeriCup Qualifying Team. He was previously the head coach of Australia’s Sydney Kings.
- The Lakers are hiring Jeremy Holsopple as their new head strength and conditioning coach, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets. As the Mavericks’ athletic performance director, Holsopple was named as the NBA’s top strength and conditioning coach in March 2021.
George, Miller Head Canada’s Camp Roster For AmeriCup
NBA players Kyshawn George and Leonard Miller are among the 14-man camp roster unveiled by Canada Basketball for this month’s AmeriCup in Nicaragua, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. The tournament will take place from August 22-31.
George, the 24th pick of the 2024 draft, appeared in 68 games with the Wizards last season, including 38 starts. The 6’8” forward averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.5 minutes per game.
The 6’10” Miller, a 2023 second-round pick, has appeared in a combined 30 games off the bench for the Timberwolves the past two seasons.
It’s somewhat of a disappointment that Canada didn’t get a greater turnout from some of their other young NBA players such as Shaedon Sharpe and Bennedict Mathurin, Lewenberg notes, but it will provide a good opportunity for George and Miller (Twitter link). Quincy Guerrier, Kyle Wiltjer, Nate Darling, Charles Bediako and Mfiondu Kabengele are some of the other familiar names on the camp roster.
Nathaniel Mitchell has been named head coach for the AmeriCup, and will be joined by assistant coaches Ashton Smith, Shawn Swords, and Patrick Tatham, according to a Team Canada press release.
Mitchell previously served as head coach at the 2022 FIBA Men’s AmeriCup, where Canada finished fourth in Brazil. Training camp for this summer’s tournament began today in Toronto. Team Canada will hold some exhibition games in Miami prior to the tournament.
Wyc Grousbeck Won’t Continue To Be Celtics’ Governor
3:08 pm: Chisholm and Grousbeck still intend to run the Celtics together for the next few years, according to Shelburne, who reports (via Twitter) that Grousbeck is giving up his governor title because he’ll control less than the 15% minimum stake required for the person who holds that position.
10:50 am: When the Grousbeck family agreed to sell the Celtics to William Chisholm, the stated plan was for Wyc Grousbeck to remain in his role as the team’s governor through the 2027/28 season. The expectation was that Grousbeck would give up his position when Chisholm’s group – which is initially buying a 51% stake – purchased the rest of the shares in the franchise in 2028.
However, Grousbeck will no longer retain the governor title following the first stage of the ownership transfer, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne. According to Charania and Shelburne, Chisholm will immediately become the Celtics’ new governor once his purchase of the team is approved, which is expected to happen very soon.
ESPN’s report doesn’t specify the reason for the change of plans, but it was an unorthodox approach to have Chisholm acquiring majority control of the team while keeping the team’s former majority owner in the top organizational role.
Grousbeck will continue to operate as the Celtics’ CEO and will also serve as an alternate governor once the sale is complete, per Charania and Shelburne.
This isn’t the first time in recent years that a plan to have an NBA owner remain in a prominent position in the organization after he sells the team has fallen through — Mark Cuban was reportedly expected to remain the Mavericks’ top basketball decision-maker after he sold controlling interest in his franchise to the Aldersons and Patrick Dumont, but that didn’t end up happening.
The Lakers announced a similar arrangement when Mark Walter reached an agreement to buy control of the team from the Buss family. The expectation is that Jeanie Buss will stay in her role as governor in Los Angeles for several seasons after Walter assumes control of the franchise.
Given what happened with Cuban and now Grousbeck, we’ll see if that comes to fruition, but it’s worth noting that Walter has been a minority owner in the Lakers for several years and had a preexisting relationship with the Buss family when he agreed to purchase the club, whereas the buyers and sellers in Dallas and Boston hadn’t previously worked together.
Grousbeck will step down as Boston’s governor after holding the position for over two decades. The Grousbeck family bought the Celtics in 2002 and has since helped guide the organization to a pair of championships (in 2008 and 2024). They bought the team for $360MM and sold it at a valuation of $6.1 billion.
Heat Notes: Jones, Jakucionis, Burks, Powell, Preseason
Kai Jones‘ workout with the Heat on Monday wasn’t just a one-day affair. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the free agent center is actually spending four days working out at Kaseya Center this week as the club considers whether to sign him. No decisions have been made yet, but a source tells Jackson that the Heat have “long shown an appreciation” for the former first-rounder’s skill set.
The Heat have 14 players on standard contracts and could make Jones their 15th man, but the club is just a little over the luxury tax line and may not fill that final roster spot to open the season. The big man is also ineligible to receive a two-way contract.
While Jackson suggests an Exhibit 10 deal could be a possibility, Jones has reportedly drawn serious interest from the Italian team Virtus Bologna, who could offer him guaranteed money and a more significant role, so it’s unclear if a non-guaranteed camp contract would appeal to the 24-year-old.
We have more on the Heat:
- Within that same Herald story, Jackson spoke to a veteran Eastern Conference scout to get his take on the Heat’s place in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, their offseason acquisition of Norman Powell, what they can expect from Simone Fontecchio, and his impressions of first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis. On that last subject, the scout wasn’t especially enthusiastic. “NBA people I talked to in Las Vegas were killing him, didn’t have anything nice to say about him,” the scout said of Jakucionis. “Quickness and shooting were my concern. Can he beat [skilled NBA players] off the dribble? He better be able to make shots. His play was disappointing, but I’m not ready to judge. He’s [very young at 19].”
- While Alec Burks expressed interest at the end of last season in returning to the Heat, a reunion with the veteran guard no longer makes sense after the club added Powell and Fontecchio, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required).
- The Heat have no shortage of players benefiting from international competition this summer, with Powell, Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic, and Pelle Larsson all representing their national teams, as Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Powell led Jamaica to the two wins they needed in order to advance out of the World Cup pre-qualifying round before sitting out the third and final game of this competition window, Winderman adds (via Twitter).
- The Heat and Magic announced on Tuesday that they’ll open their preseason with a game in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 4. In total, the Heat will play six preseason games, as they outlined in a press release.
- Heat Hall-of-Famers Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, and Pat Riley will be the presenters when longtime team owner Micky Arison is inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame next month, per a press release.
Nuggets Sign Kessler Edwards
10:00 pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.
1:32 pm: The Nuggets and free agent forward Kessler Edwards have reached an agreement on a deal, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Edwards, who turned 25 on Saturday, has appeared in at least 36 games in each of the past four seasons after being drafted 44th overall out of Pepperdine in 2021. He played some of his best basketball in the second half of 2024/25 for a Mavericks team beset by injuries.
With several key frontcourt players sidelined for Dallas, Edwards averaged 8.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 24.8 minutes per night with a .538/.486/.900 shooting line from February 10 to March 19. He started in 14 of 16 games during that stretch before reaching his two-way games played limit.
In total, Edwards made 40 appearances (18 starts) for the Mavs, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .496/.407/.923 shooting in 15.2 MPG. He holds career averages of 3.6 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 12.7 MPG across 178 outings for Brooklyn, Sacramento, and Dallas.
Scotto doesn’t provide any details on what sort of contract Edwards and the Nuggets have agreed to, but Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports (via Twitter) it’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal.
The Nuggets are carrying 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, so there could be a path for Edwards to make the team as a 15th man, but Denver is already operating slightly over the tax line and may want to keep that spot open to start the season. Edwards is no longer eligible for a two-way contract.
Suns Officially Announce Jordan Ott’s Coaching Staff
The Suns have officially announced the coaching staff that will work under new head coach Jordan Ott during his first year on the job. Most, but not all, of Phoenix’s new coaches were previously reported — now they’ve formally been hired.
Here’s the Suns’ new team of assistant coaches:
- Jesse Mermuys (story): A longtime NBA assistant who spent the past four seasons with the Magic and has also had stints with the Kings, Lakers, Raptors, Rockets, and Nuggets.
- DeMarre Carroll (story): A former NBA forward who transitioned to coaching following his retirement as a player and has worked for the Bucks, the Lakers, and – most recently – the Cavaliers since 2022.
- Brian Randle (story): A Wizards assistant last season who previously worked for the Pistons, Suns, and Timberwolves and had a professional playing career overseas.
- Chaisson Allen: A carryover from Mike Budenholzer‘s staff who previously served as the head coach of the Wisconsin Herd in the G League from 2021-23.
- John Little (story): A veteran G League assistant who was the head coach of the Valley Suns, Phoenix’s NBAGL affiliate, in 2024/25.
- Mike Muscala (story): A longtime NBA forward/center who retired as a player last summer and is taking on his first coaching job.
- Sean Dwyer: A college coach who spent the past four years as an assistant at Loyola University Chicago, including the 2024/25 season as the team’s associate head coach.
The Suns also officially confirmed that they’ve hired former NBA point guard Mateen Cleaves as a player development/leadership assistant, as previously reported.
Both Cleaves and Dwyer share an alma mater (Michigan State) with Ott and Suns team owner Mat Ishbia. General manager Brian Gregory also began his coaching career as a Spartans assistant from 1990-96 and later returned in the same role from 1999-2003, during which time he overlapped with Ishbia.
Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Projections For 2026/27
The mid-level exception and bi-annual exception are the two key tools that an over-the-cap team typically has at its disposal to sign free agents from other clubs — or to re-sign one of its own free agents, if the player’s Bird rights aren’t available or aren’t sufficient.
The values of the mid-level, room, and bi-annual exceptions are tied to the salary cap and the percentage that it shifts in a given year. Here’s how that math works:
- Non-taxpayer mid-level exception: Worth 9.12% of salary cap.
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: Increases at the same rate as the salary cap.
- Room exception: Worth 5.678% of the salary cap.
- Bi-annual exception: Worth 3.32% of the salary cap.
As such, we don’t know yet exactly what those exceptions will be worth in 2026/27, but we can make an educated estimate. The NBA’s most recent projection for ’26/27 called for a cap of $166,000,000, which is the number we’ll use to project next season’s mid-level and bi-annual exceptions.
[RELATED: Maximum Salary Projections For 2026/27]
[RELATED: Minimum Salary Projections For 2026/27]
Based on a $166MM cap, here’s what the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions would look like in 2026/27:
Mid-Level Exception
| Year | Standard MLE |
Taxpayer MLE | Room MLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | $15,139,000 | $6,102,000 | $9,425,000 |
| 2027/28 | $15,895,950 | $6,407,100 | $9,896,250 |
| 2028/29 | $16,652,900 | $10,367,500 | |
| 2029/30 | $17,409,850 | – | – |
| Total | $65,097,700 | $12,509,100 | $29,688,750 |
The standard mid-level exception is available to over-the-cap teams who haven’t dipped below the cap to use room and whose team salary remains below the first tax apron. It can run for up to four years, with 5% annual raises. Once a team uses the standard/non-taxpayer MLE, that team is hard-capped at the first tax apron for the rest of the league year.
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Mid-Level Exception]
The taxpayer mid-level exception is for a team whose salary is between the first and second tax aprons, or teams who want the flexibility to surpass the first apron later. It can run for up to two years, with 5% annual raises. Once a team uses the taxpayer MLE, that team is hard-capped at the second tax apron for the rest of the league year.
The room exception is for teams who go under the cap and use their space. Once they’ve used all their cap room, they can use this version of the mid-level exception, which runs for up to three years with 5% annual raises.
Teams can use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception or the room exception – but not the taxpayer mid-level – to acquire a player via trade or waiver claim. The taxpayer MLE can only be used to sign players to new contracts.
Bi-Annual Exception
| Year | BAE Value |
|---|---|
| 2026/27 | $5,511,000 |
| 2027/28 | $5,786,550 |
| Total | $11,297,550 |
The bi-annual exception – which can be used for contracts up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one – is only available to teams that are over the cap and below the first tax apron.
It can also only be used once every two years, which will disqualify the Lakers, Jazz, and Wizards from using it in 2026/27, since those teams have used their BAEs in 2025/26.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 8/12/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Knicks' options with their open roster spots, the Clippers' omission from the Christmas Day schedule, the Thunder's chances to set the regular season win record, Trae Young's future in Atlanta and more!
