Jordan McLaughlin Re-Signs With Spurs
July 12: McLaughlin has officially re-signed with the Spurs, the team announced today in a press release.
July 9: Jordan McLaughlin will return to the Spurs on a one-year, $3MM contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
It will likely be a veteran’s minimum deal for McLaughlin, whose minimum salary this season based on his six years of NBA service would be $2,874,436.
The 29-year-old point guard was acquired from Sacramento in February as part of the De’Aaron Fox deal. He saw limited playing time in 18 games after the trade, averaging 2.5 points and 1.5 assists in 6.9 minutes per night with .536/.450/1.000 shooting numbers.
McLaughlin spent his first five NBA seasons with Minnesota after signing a two-way contract in the summer of 2019. He moved on to the Kings as a free agent last July, but didn’t see consistent playing time with them either before being traded.
McLaughlin will be the 13th standard contract for San Antonio, which opened an extra roster spot earlier today by sending Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley to Washington in exchange for Kelly Olynyk.
Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Warriors, Horford, Melton, CP3, Beal, Knicks
While the Warriors are one of the only teams in the NBA that have yet to reach a contract agreement with a free agent this offseason, they’re viewed by numerous rival clubs as the “overwhelming favorite” to land Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Golden State already has over $170MM in guaranteed money on its books for nine players, so the outcome of Jonathan Kuminga‘s free agency will likely dictate what sort of offers the club can make to Horford and Melton.
Signing either of those veteran free agents with the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception likely won’t happen until there’s a resolution on Kuminga, since using that exception would hard-cap the Warriors at the $207.8MM second apron. That could open the door for a rival team to find a way to give Kuminga an offer sheet featuring a starting salary too high for Golden State to match without cost-cutting moves.
Here’s more from Stein and Fischer:
- Chris Paul would still like to play as close to his home in Los Angeles as possible, and the Clippers and Suns continue to weigh the possibility of signing him, per Stein and Fischer. However, if those clubs ultimately go in a different direction, it’s unclear what the 2025/26 season might hold for Paul. The Bucks have interest in the veteran point guard, but he has shown “little inclination” to entertain the idea of signing with an Eastern Conference team so far, according to The Stein Line duo. For what it’s worth, when Paul was asked recently how much longer he plans to play, he replied, “At the most, a year,” which suggests that retirement may not be entirely off the table.
- Bradley Beal is owed a 25% advance payment on his 2025/26 salary on July 15, Stein and Fischer say. While the veteran guard would get that money (roughly $13MM) even if he and the Suns agree to a buyout before then, it’s possible he’ll wait until after he receives that payment an agreement that would see him exit Phoenix.
- After missing out on James Borrego, the Knicks are also unlikely to land Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as they seek a lead assistant for Mike Brown‘s new staff, Stein and Fischer report. Stein noted last weekend that New York has interest in Ham, but Milwaukee appears unwilling to give the Knicks permission to speak to him for what would be a lateral move. Jay Triano, another Knicks target, is also off the table since he just signed a new contract with Dallas, Stein and Fischer add.
- The Bucks are considered likely to bring back forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo if Giannis Antetokounmpo remains in Milwaukee, according to Stein and Fischer. Thanasis missed all of the 2024/25 season due to an Achilles tear, but said in May that he has been medically cleared to return to action.
Top 45 Picks From 2025 Draft Have Signed NBA Contracts
It has been 16 days since the NBA’s 2025 draft wrapped up and just 11 days since those draftees were permitted to start signing contracts, but the majority of the ’25 draft class have already put pen to paper, finalizing standard or two-way deals with their respective teams.
As our tracker shows, all 30 first-round picks have signed their rookie scale contracts, and the top 15 picks in the second round are now under contract too. Outside of the top 45, four additional players – No. 48 pick Javon Small, No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor, No. 50 pick Kobe Sanders, and No. 55 pick Lachlan Olbrich – have formally inked their first NBA contracts.
That leaves the following players who don’t yet have an NBA contract in place for the 2025/26 season:
Boston Celtics: Amari Williams- Milwaukee Bucks: Bogoljub Markovic
- New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara
- Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey
- Utah Jazz: John Tonje
- Indiana Pacers: Taelon Peter
- Golden State Warriors: Will Richard
- Boston Celtics: Max Shulga
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Saliou Niang
- Memphis Grizzlies: Jahmai Mashack
A number of these players are expected to end up on two-way deals — Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links) reported on draft night that both of these Celtics picks – Williams and Shulga – would be signing two-ways with Boston, for instance.
Still, not all of these guys will be on NBA rosters when the 2025/26 season begins. For example, the expectation is that Niang will spend next season in the EuroLeague with Virtus Bologna.
Players born outside the U.S. and/or ones who already have experience in non-NBA leagues are typically the best candidates to become overseas draft-and-stash players, so that could be an option for late second-rounders like Markovic, Diawara, and Toohey too. It’s hardly a given though. Post-draft reporting indicated that the Bucks and Knicks weren’t yet sure if Markovic and Diawara, respectively, will be stashed in Europe or if they’ll play stateside in ’25/26. Diawara, in particular, might have a chance to earn a standard contract for a New York team with little breathing room below its hard cap.
The other option for draft-and-stash players is to spend the season in the G League rather than in a league outside the U.S. Typically, at least one or two players go that route each season. That’s what Nikola Djurisic, the Hawks’ No. 43 overall pick a year ago, did in 2024/25 before signing his first NBA contract with Atlanta earlier this week.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on these players in the coming days and weeks, as many of them could end up finalizing their plans for 2025/26 either during the Las Vegas Summer League or shortly thereafter.
Sixers Notes: Morey, Embiid, Grimes, Yabusele, Edwards
After making the playoffs for seven straight years, the Sixers bottomed out in 2024/25 amid injuries to several key players, going just 24-58. With a little luck in the draft lottery, Philadelphia kept its protected first-round pick and moved up to No. 3, selecting former Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe.
As challenging as last season was, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey thinks the 76ers have an opportunity to make a significant move up the Eastern Conference standings in ’25/26 due to major injuries to star players and roster changes to rival teams, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic.
“I do think it’s open in the East,” Morey said in an extensive interview with select media from the Las Vegas Summer League. “I do think that’s a fair characterization. I do, obviously, think that we weren’t the only team that’s unfortunately gone through a lot of tough injuries. That’s opened some things up. But we’re going to have to prove that we’re with those upper-echelon teams in the East. But we do feel like if all things come together, we can be right there, and we’ve given ourselves a lot of flexibility to upgrade the team during the year, if things are going as well as we hope.”
Here’s more on the Sixers:
- While Morey says star center Joel Embiid is “on track” to be ready for the start of training camp, league sources tell Jones that the 31-year-old big man has not yet resumed on-court basketball activities. Still, Morey and the rest of the front office are optimistic that Embiid will be ready to suit up for the regular season opener.
- In his same session with reporters, including Jones, Morey seemed to confirm that Philadelphia offered Guerschon Yabusele a contract above the minimum using his Non-Bird rights, as our Luke Adams had previously speculated. Yabusele wound up signing a two-year deal with New York for part of the mid-level exception. Morey suggested the 76ers didn’t want to hard-cap themselves by using any portion of their taxpayer MLE before Quentin Grimes‘ restricted free agency is resolved.
- “Yeah, that sucked,” Morey said of losing Yabusele. “We offered Guerschon the most that we could that wouldn’t limit us and our ability to retain Quentin. That was above the minimum. I’ve seen reports saying that we only offered the minimum, and that wasn’t true. But it was definitely below what he ended up getting. We knew it would create a challenge for us. So we wanted to retain Quentin. We hope to work that out with his representation, and our focus was on making sure that happens. So, that did impact what we could offer Guerschon.”
- Philadelphia native Justin Edwards was one of the bright spots for the Sixers last season. After a solid rookie campaign, he re-signed with his hometown team on a new three-year deal. “I definitely think this has been a full-circle moment for me, playing in the place I grew up in,” Edwards told Jones of The Athletic. “What I want to do is continue to grow my game and to keep getting better. I want to be in the Rising Stars game next season.”
International Rumors: Walker, Gill, Micic, Brown, Kamagate
Seven-year veteran Lonnie Walker spent most of last season in Lithuania with EuroLeague club Zalgiris Kaunas prior to signing a two-year deal with the Sixers in February. Philadelphia declined its team option on the 26-year-old at the end of last month, making him an unrestricted free agent, and he has yet to be linked to another NBA team.
Could another international stint be in the works for Walker?
According to Matteo Andreani of Basketball Sphere and Tomer Givati of Israel Hayom, Hapoel Tel Aviv is in advanced talks with Walker and has offered the 6’4″ shooting guard a two-year contract. Andreani says the Israeli club is “confident the deal will be finalized soon.”
Here are a few more rumors and notes from across the pond:
- Free agent forward Anthony Gill is drawing interest from multiple EuroLeague teams, particularly Real Madrid, per Javier Maestro of Spanish outlet Encestando and Israeli reporter Givati. The 32-year-old was waived by the Wizards last month before his contract became guaranteed and there is reportedly mutual interest in a reunion. However, Washington is also facing a roster crunch and Gill could potentially earn more money and have a larger role with Madrid. It’s not yet known which opportunity would hold more appeal to Gill, per Maestro, who points out that the Virginia product played three EuroLeague seasons with Russia’s Khimki prior to signing with the Wizards in 2020/21.
- Serbian guard Vasilije Micic agreed to a buyout with the Bucks, but he won’t be signing with reigning EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce, according to European insider Chema de Lucas (Twitter link), who says the Turkish powerhouse has pulled the contract offer it presented about a month ago (hat tip to Eurohoops). The 31-year-old won back-to-back EuroLeague titles with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes in 2021 and 2022.
- Former NBA guard Lorenzo Brown has signed a multiyear contract with Olimpia Milano, the Italian team announced in a press release. The 34-year-old spent parts of five seasons in the NBA from 2013-19 and has had a lengthy international career. He played for Panathinaikos in Greece last season.
- French center Ismael Kamagate, whose NBA rights are controlled by the Clippers, has signed with Turkish club Besikas (link to press release). The 24-year-old former second-round pick spent the 2024/25 campaign in Italy with Derthona.
Myles Turner Discusses Signing With Bucks
After publishing a farewell to Pacers fans on Thursday, Myles Turner was formally introduced as a member of the Bucks at a Friday press conference in Las Vegas, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Indiana’s longtime starting center has been the top free agent to switch teams so far this offseason.
“For me, ultimately it was about just staying competitive,” Turner said of signing with Milwaukee. “Two years ago, (the Pacers) got to the conference finals. Obviously, last year we got to the Finals. Being a big part of winning basketball just changed my entire perspective on this league. I saw a chance to remain competitive here.”
The 29-year-old big man said the chance to join forces with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was a significant factor in his decision, Wright notes. Turner said he briefly exchanged text messages with the Greek superstar.
“I was tired of taking damned shoulders and elbows to the chest all the time,” Turner joked of playing with Antetokounmpo. “It’s a rarity to be alongside him. He’s a generational player, arguably one of the greatest players to play this game. I’m sure we’re going to talk here in the weeks to come. I’ve played against Giannis for quite some time now. Very familiar with his game and what he’s capable of. I do see a seamless fit. He’s someone that is able to push the ball, get out in transition, create for people. He’s developed a jumper.
“Defensively, his intangibles are there. I think our fit is going to be a pretty cohesive fit. But not even that, I just look at this roster and I’ve competed against these guys. There’s a respect from afar of just how they go about their business. There’s a reason why guys are there. Gary Trent just signed. Bobby Portis just signed. Taurean Prince just signed. Ryan Rollins just signed. Everybody sees the vision. They didn’t sign just to do it. I just think that there’s a real belief in this organization. I’ve aligned myself with that.”
According to Wright, Bucks general manager Jon Horst and head coach Doc Rivers flanked Turner at the presser and said they view him as an optimal fit for both Antetokounmpo and the way the team wants to play. Rivers also tried to put any speculation to rest that Antetokounmpo might request a trade at some point before the season begins.
“Giannis came to me the day after the season and we were talking about next season already,” Rivers said. “So, there’s far more talk outside of Milwaukee than there is inside of Milwaukee. Giannis loves Milwaukee. We love Giannis, and it’s been a great relationship. We’ve had some of our young guys in Greece already playing with him. I think we had six or seven guys go down (to Greece), several coaches. So, we are communicating a lot. It’s about next year, and it’s about winning.”
Northwest Notes: Valanciunas, Nuggets, Thunder, J. Gentry
The agreed-upon trade between the Nuggets and Kings that will send Jonas Valanciunas to Denver and Dario Saric to Sacramento will likely be completed this weekend, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter links).
According to Stein, the delay was due to the Nuggets needing additional time to finalize “all aspects” of their Michael Porter Jr./Cameron Johnson trade with the Nets. Both of those players have extensive injury histories, so that may have played a factor, though Stein didn’t explicitly say that.
Denver had to formally complete the Porter/Johnson deal before it could acquire Valanciunas due to the way the trades were structured.
Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:
- Head coach David Adelman believes Valanciunas can be the offensive hub of the Nuggets‘ second unit, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays. “Point center. You can play combo guards. You don’t need a lead point guard (in lineups with Valanciunas),” Adelman said on ESPN’s Summer League broadcast. “You can play five-out offense, play off the elbow, post him up. He’s such a skilled player. … He shoots the ball better than most people realize. So that’s how I envision him. I think you have multiple combination guards. You can get away with that with a guy like that.”
- The Thunder have signed (or are signing) their top three players — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren — to maximum-salary extensions this summer. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports explains why Oklahoma City is uniquely well positioned to manage the punitive aspects of having an expensive payroll in the future, noting that the defending champions may not operate over the second tax apron until the 2027/28 season.
- The Timberwolves are hiring Jack Gentry — a former Lakers coaching associate — to be their new head video coordinator, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Jack is the son of longtime NBA coach Alvin Gentry, who is currently a member of Sacramento’s front office.
And-Ones: Veteran Extensions, Summer League, Rubio, Arcidiacono
This offseason has seen a trio of Thunder players receive maximum-salary contract extensions in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, with Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. and Suns guard Devin Booker among the other veterans who have signed – or at least agreed to – lucrative extensions.
That still leaves several dominoes to fall, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic, many of which are more interesting than your usual run-of-the-mill negotiations. It has already been reported that Nikola Jokic isn’t expected to sign a new deal with the Nuggets, for instance, as he would be eligible for a much higher number if he waits a year.
Another example of a conversation that is more complicated than it would appear is the Lakers and Luka Doncic. Because Doncic was traded while on his second contract, he is not super-max eligible. Because of that, it’s possible that he could negotiate to remove his player option and extend for three years with a player option, which would set him up for a new deal in 2028 that would be worth the 35% max for 10-year veterans.
Kristaps Porzingis and Trae Young of the Hawks, Darius Garland with the Cavaliers, Mikal Bridges with the Knicks, Kevin Durant with the Rockets, De’Aaron Fox with the Spurs, and Toumani Camara with the Trail Blazers are among the other extension candidates Hollinger identifies and examines.
We have more from around the world of hoops:
- The beauty of Summer League is that there’s something for every fan base to find hope in. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and Jeremy Woo go through all 30 rosters to spotlight a player to watch for every team. While some, like Cooper Flagg in Dallas, are obvious, not every team has a top pick. Pelton points to LJ Cryer for the Warriors and Kobe Brown for the Clippers, while Woo looks at Kobe Bufkin for the Hawks and Taelon Peter for the Pacers, among others.
- Ricky Rubio recently opened up about his mental health struggles that have kept him out of basketball for the last year. He spoke with Jorge Quiroga of Marca about his time with the Timberwolves, saying, “I had a rough time in my third year. Things weren’t going well, and I gave an interview to a journalist. My parents came to see me in Minneapolis, and after the game, I talked to my mom and cried, telling her I wanted to leave.” When it comes to his future, he said, “I’d like to play basketball without being Ricky Rubio, but it’s impossible. I want to play basketball, but I can’t. I’m trying my best to see if I can.”
- Former Knicks guard Ryan Arcidiacono has agreed to a deal with Trapani Shark, a Sicilian-based team in Italy’s top league, per a press release. Arcidiacano played seven years in the NBA, averaging 4.0 points and 1.9 assists per game. He most recently played with the Windy City Bulls in the G League, averaging 8.2 PPG and 3.3 APG in 21 minutes a night.
Southwest Notes: Jackson, Flagg, Queen, More
GG Jackson II has had an up-and-down start to his Grizzlies career. After playing over 1,200 minutes his rookie year for a Memphis team ravaged by injuries, a broken foot – and a healthier squad around him – limited him to less than 500 minutes his sophomore season.
Now, with a new head coach in Tuomas Iisalo, Jackson is looking to settle into a role, and Iisalo is looking to help him do exactly that, Damichael Cole writes for Commercial Appeal.
“He told me last year when I was stuck in my head a lot that I’m (going to) coach you the hardest because I don’t want to be that guy that looks back in 20 years like, ‘Ah, that GG Jackson kid could have been something,'” Jackson said of his new coach. “He lets me know that he’s not going to let me fall, so that’s why I rock with him so much.”
Iisalo has emphasized Jackson attacking the basket more aggressively rather than settling for jumpers, and so far it’s worked. Jackson has averaged 21 points through three Summer League games as he vies for one of the remaining spots in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup.
We have more from around the Southwest division:
- Cooper Flagg scored 10 points on 21 shots in his Mavericks debut. “That might be one of the worst games of my life,” he said, per The Athletic’s Christian Clark (via Twitter). “But we got the win. So that’s what really matters to me.” According to ESPN’s insider crew, Flagg’s performance showed his value even when the shot wasn’t falling, as his size and athleticism shone through, especially on the fast break, and his all-around game on both sides of the floor makes him look like a potential game-changer when paired with Dallas’ veterans. Although he didn’t score in the second half, he was able to contribute six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block to the final box score.
- Derik Queen made his Pelicans debut on Thursday. According to Rod Walker of NOLA.com, there’s a lot for him to take away from the experience, both good and bad. Queen finished the game with seven turnovers after a particularly rough first half, but he also registered a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. Those numbers don’t satisfy Queen, though, who knows there are a lot of eyes on him after the Pelicans traded an unprotected 2026 pick to draft him. “Twitter and Instagram are probably going crazy right now,” he said. “I have to redeem myself for me and all the outside noise.” Despite the self-effacing comment, Queen was ultimately encouraged by his play. “I think I flipped the switch in the second half. I feel like I got the hang of it now,” he said.
- Pelicans 2025 lottery pick Jeremiah Fears and last year’s first-rounder Yves Missi had similarly hit-and-miss debuts, Walker writes. Fears scored 14 points, but had just two assists to seven turnovers. Missi shot 5-of-14 from the field and 3-of-9 from the free throw line, but ended with a strong 13-point, 13-rebound double-double. “[Missi] looks like he’s stronger,” said Summer League head coach Corey Brewer. “I think we are going to see a different Yves this year.”
- Nate Williams‘ contract with the Rockets doesn’t become guaranteed until opening night, but he’s not letting that bother him as he heads into his fourth Summer League, writes Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle. “I really don’t worry about all that stuff,” Williams said. “I just work hard and come to play and have fun.” Rockets Summer League coach Garrett Jackson said that he’s going to lean on Williams, as well as Reed Sheppard, throughout the team’s time in Las Vegas. As for Williams, he’s focused on controlling what he can control. “We gonna put on a show tomorrow,” he said on Thursday ahead of the team’s Summer League opener on Friday. “We just gonna show everything: gonna shoot, gonna get to the basket, gonna make the right plays. Just have fun.”
Dylan Harper Discusses First Spurs Impressions
After missing the Spurs‘ first game of the Las Vegas Summer League, Dylan Harper is expected to make his debut on Saturday, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (via Twitter).
The minor groin injury Harper is dealing with also caused him to miss the team’s games in the California Classic. However, just because he hasn’t been playing in games doesn’t mean his education has been on hold. According to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Harper’s training in San Antonio has included becoming acquainted with franchise legends like Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan.
“It caught me off guard,” Harper said about seeing those two walk into the practice facility. “I was like, ‘What are they doing here?’ I was like, ‘Maybe they’re just here this one day?’ And they’re like, ‘No, they are here all the time.’ And so, when they talk about the Spurs’ organization and their culture, that’s really what culture is.”
Perhaps the most interesting part of Harper’s first offseason education has been his work with fellow lefty guard Manu Ginobili, with whom Harper says he has spent every day asking questions.
“I talk to him the most,” Harper said. “More about just the game and the speed and just how he adapted to it from a FIBA standpoint to coming over here. What was his biggest changes being a player and being professional outside of basketball? What kept you locked in? Just all little things I think that every NBA player goes through.”
Coming from a basketball family, with a father, Ron Harper Sr., who was a 15-year NBA veteran, a mother who was a college basketball player, and a brother (Ron Harper Jr.) entering his fourth year in the league, Harper is coming into the league with a strong basketball foundation. The Spurs are clearly committed to ensuring that it is only a starting point for the young guard with sky-high potential.