Clippers Sign Kobe Sanders To Two-Way Contract
8:00 pm: The deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
3:50 pm: The Clippers and second-round pick Kobe Sanders have agreed to a two-way contract, agent Shaun Hickombottom tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Law Murray of The Athletic confirms the news (via Twitter).
The Clippers traded up one spot in last month’s two-day draft to acquire Sanders’ rights. He was selected 50th overall.
After spending four years at Cal Poly, the 23-year-old guard/forward transferred to Nevada for his fifth and final college season. In 33 games for the Wolf Pack in 2024/25, Sanders averaged 15.8 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 31.7 minutes per contest, posting a shooting slash line of .460/.342/.795.
As our tracker shows, the Clippers will have all three of their two-way slots filled once Sanders’ deal is official, with Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Trentyn Flowers holding the other two spots.
Sanders will earn $636,435 in 2025/26, half of the rookie minimum, and is eligible to be active for up to 50 regular season games.
Grizzlies Second-Round Pick Javon Small Signs Two-Way Contract
The Grizzlies signed 2025 No. 48 overall pick Javon Small to a two-way contract, according to a team release (Twitter link).
Small played college basketball at East Carolina, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, averaging 18.6 points and 5.6 assists in his final collegiate season with the Mountaineers. The 6’3″ guard shot 35.3% from three on 7.3 attempts per game last season.
Memphis signing Small to a two-way deal was an expected agreement. Once they complete reported deals with Santi Aldama, Ty Jerome, Cam Spencer and Jock Landale, they will have a full 15-man standard roster, which would have left no space for Small.
The Grizzlies also have Zyon Pullin on a two-way contract as a returning player, giving them one more two-way contract slot to offer. Spencer and free agent guard Yuki Kawamura ended last season on two-way contracts with Memphis, but Kawamura didn’t receive a qualifying offer.
Jahmai Mashack is Memphis’s only remaining unsigned draft pick. It’s possible he’ll be auditioning for a two-way spot himself during the Las Vegas Summer League.
Devin Booker Signs Two-Year Max Extension With Suns
July 10: Booker’s new extension with the Suns is official, the team confirmed in a press release.
“Devin Booker is the embodiment of the Phoenix Suns, representing the best of our organization, our community and our future,” Ishbia said in a statement. “As the team’s all-time leading scorer, his on-court achievements are unparalleled and the result of his relentless preparation and unwavering pursuit of excellence. His character, leadership and ‘I’ll do it’ mentality define the standards and culture we uphold.
“Moreover, his connection with our fans is unique – his impact resonates across the Valley, and his tireless efforts in supporting Arizona’s youth and families reflect the deep community bond we cherish.”
July 9: Devin Booker has reached an agreement with the Suns on a two-year maximum-salary extension that could be worth more than $145MM, agents Jessica Holtz and Melvin Booker of CAA tell Shams Charania of ESPN. The deal, which will run through the 2029/30 season, was finalized tonight in a meeting with owner Mat Ishbia in Las Vegas.
Booker’s annual extension salary of $72.5MM would be the largest in NBA history, Charania adds, slightly surpassing the projections on the new deal Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed with Oklahoma City last week ($71.25MM). Booker now has five years and an estimated $316MM left on his contract with the Suns.
Booker’s deal will be worth 35% of the salary cap in 2028/29, with an 8% raise for ’29/30. Charania’s figures are based on presumed cap increases of 7% next year and 10% each of the following two years, so there’s no guarantee the extension will actually come in that high.
If it does, Booker would make $70,077,350 in 2028/29 and $75,683,530 in 2029/30, giving him a total of $145,760,880.
This is the third contract extension for Booker, who has spent the past 10 seasons in Phoenix after being selected with the 13th pick in the 2015 draft. He has talked frequently about wanting to play his entire career with the same franchise and working to make the Suns contenders again. The new deal, which will take him past his 33rd birthday, is a major step toward accomplishing that.
There was trade speculation surrounding Booker and virtually all the Suns in the midst of a frustrating 36-46 season that saw them fall short of the play-in tournament. That prompted Ishbia to issue a strong statement in March vowing that he would never part with Booker and referring to him as the sort of “superstar” that’s necessary to win a title.
Ishbia and his new management team have already started the process of reworking the roster around Booker. Kevin Durant was shipped to Houston in a seven-team trade, and the Suns are believed to be nearing a buyout agreement with Bradley Beal. Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks were the main additions in the Durant deal, Mark Williams was acquired from Charlotte in a draft-night trade and Khaman Maluach was selected with the No. 1o pick.
Booker posted typically excellent numbers amidst the chaos of last season, although his shooting percentages declined from his usual standards. He averaged 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 75 games while connecting at 46.1% from the field and 33.2% from three-point range.
Booker will return to being the focus of the offense with Durant and possibly Beal gone, so he’ll need a strong performance next season to push the Suns in the right direction.
David Roddy Signs With Raptors On Exhibit 10 Deal
Free agent forward David Roddy has been signed to the Raptors‘ training camp roster, the team announced via release. Roddy’s agreement is an Exhibit 10 deal, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca reports (via Twitter).
Roddy was most recently part of the NBA record seven-team trade involving Kevin Durant, having been flipped on his two-way deal from Houston to Atlanta. He was subsequently waived by the Hawks.
Roddy, 24, was the 23rd overall pick by the Grizzlies in the 2022 draft. He was part of Memphis’ rotation in his first year-and-a-half in the NBA, averaging 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game across 118 games (17 starts). However, midway through his sophomore season, he was traded from Memphis to Phoenix.
He didn’t break into the rotation in Phoenix and has since bounced around teams on 10-day and two-way contracts.
The Raptors now have 20 players under contract and have reportedly reached agreements to add Tyson Degenhart and Clifford Omoruyi on Exhibit 10 contracts. However, it’s possible those deals will be completed later in the offseason or during training camp, so there’s no immediate roster crunch in Toronto.
The Raptors do have 16 players on standard contracts (not counting Roddy), but two of those salaries aren’t fully guaranteed (Colin Castleton and A.J. Lawson), so one of those players is the most obvious cut candidate down the line. That doesn’t need to happen until closer to the regular season.
Roddy’s Exhibit 10 contract is non-guaranteed and could be converted to a two-way deal before the season. If he is waived, he would be in line for a bonus worth up to $85K if he spends at least 60 days with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate.
Nuggets Sign Tim Hardaway Jr. To One-Year Contract
July 10: Hardaway is officially a Nugget, the team announced in a press release.
July 1: The Nuggets have agreed to a one-year contract with Pistons free agent wing Tim Hardaway Jr., ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). He’s signing for the veteran’s minimum, Bennett Durando of the Denver Post tweets.
Hardaway made 77 starts for vastly-improved Detroit, averaging 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 28 minutes per game. He shot 40.6 percent from the field and 36.8 percent on 3-point attempts.
Denver has been extremely active in recent days, agreeing to deal Michael Porter Jr. and a first-rounder to the Nets for Cameron Johnson, reaching a one-year deal with another wing, Bruce Brown, and adding big man Jonas Valanciunas in an agreed-upon deal with the Kings.
Hardaway figures to be a second-unit player with Denver, unless he supplants Christian Braun at shooting guard or Johnson at small forward. The 33-year-old Hardaway will be playing for the fifth team in his NBA career. He’s also had stints with Atlanta, New York and Dallas.
According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, these moves will push the Nuggets right up against the luxury tax (Twitter link).
Losing Hardaway is a blow to the Pistons, who have been forced to adjust their free agent strategy due to gambling allegations against Malik Beasley. Detroit has also lost backup guard Dennis Schroder, who agreed on a three-year deal with the Kings. The Pistons have secured an agreement with free agent Caris LeVert and are looking at a variety of scenarios to fortify their wing positions.
Tarik Biberovic Re-Signs With Fenerbahce Following NBA Interest
Despite receiving “serious” NBA interest this offseason, wing Tarik Biberovic has decided to stay in Europe, officially re-signing with reigning EuroLeague champion Fenerbahce, the Turkish team announced in a press release.
European insider Yagız Sabuncuoglu reported on Wednesday (Twitter link) that Biberovic declined a contract offer from the Grizzlies, who selected the 24-year-old with the 56th overall pick in the 2023 draft and control his NBA rights.
Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops confirms that report, and adds that three other NBA teams were interested in Biberovic, though those unnamed clubs could not negotiate with him unless they had acquired his rights in a trade with Memphis.
Biberovic has been one of Fenerbahce’s most reliable shooters in recent years. In 2024/25, he averaged 10.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 37 EuroLeague outings (22.5 MPG), converting 43.2% of his 5.0 three-point attempts per game.
The 6’7″ guard/forward, who is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, also helped Fenerbace win another domestic title this past season in the Turkish BSL.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 7/10/2025
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central time (3:00 pm Eastern).
Jesse Mermuys, Mateen Cleaves Joining Suns’ Coaching Staff
The Suns plan to hire Jesse Mermuys as one of the top assistant coaches under new head coach Jordan Ott, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Mermuys has been on Jamahl Mosley‘s staff with the Magic for the past four seasons. He briefly served as Orlando’s acting head coach during the 2021/22 campaign.
Mermuys started his NBA career with Denver (2008-12), initially working as a video coordinator prior to being promoted to an advance scout and then assistant coach/advance scout.
He also had assistant coaching jobs with the Rockets, Raptors, Lakers and Kings before joining the Magic, and was head coach/assistant general manager of the Raptors 905 when the G League (then D-League) team debuted during the ’15/16 season.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), the Suns are also hiring ex-NBA player Mateen Cleaves in a player development role. The former lottery pick spent parts of six seasons in the league (from 2000-06) and has Michigan State ties to owner Mat Ishbia.
Raptors Sign Second-Rounder Alijah Martin To Two-Way Deal
The Raptors have signed guard Alijah Martin to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Toronto selected Martin 39th overall in last month’s draft after the 23-year-old helped Florida win a national championship in 2024/25.
Martin, who spent four years at Florida Atlantic prior to transferring to Florida, appeared in 38 games for the Gators last season, averaging 14.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 30.4 minutes per contest. He posted a shooting slash line of .452/.350/.761.
As our list of 2025 NBA draft pick signings shows, all of the second-round picks who were selected before Martin signed standard contracts with their respective teams. However, four of the six picks who were taken directly after the 6’2″ guard received two-way contracts, and now Martin has joined that group as well.
On his new two-way deal, Martin is eligible to be active in 50 of Toronto’s 82 regular season games next season. He will earn $636,435 in 2025/26, half of the rookie minimum.
Martin fills the Raptors’ third and final two-way spot, joining Ulrich Chomche and Chucky Hepburn.
Lakers Notes: Buss, Ayton, Doncic, LeBron
A statement last month indicated that Jeanie Buss is expected to remain the Lakers‘ governor “for the foreseeable future” even after the team is sold to incoming owner Mark Walter. That “foreseeable future” will span quite some time, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who hears from a source that the agreement between the two sides calls for Buss to remain in her governor role for at least the next five seasons.
We have more on the Lakers:
- Speaking to reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, new Lakers center Deandre Ayton said that signing with Los Angeles “feels like a video game” and that he doesn’t intend to take the opportunity for granted, as Mark Medina of RG.org relays. Ayton called new teammate Luka Doncic a “once-in-a-generation player” and cited Doncic’s and LeBron James‘ career assist numbers as one reason why he expects to thrive in L.A. “They turn (their teammates) into superstars,” Ayton said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “They make them bigger than their roles, they make them very important on the floor.”
- Ayton also said on Tuesday that he’s motivated by critics who have questioned his effort, focus, and maturity, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “It fuels me,” Ayton said. “It fuels me up completely. And it’s a different type of drive that I’ve been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it’s a platform that I cannot run from. I can show what I really am and just be around some greats to really emphasize that for me as well. It is a lot of fuel in me to prove to the whole world.”
- After social media posts revealed that LeBron James visited the Cavaliers‘ practice facility last week, the star forward clarified (via Twitter) that it’s an annual occurrence for him, since he lives and trains in the area during the offseason. Still, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during an appearance on ESPN Cleveland (Twitter video link) that LeBron knew what he was doing when he was photographed in the Cavs’ building amidst speculation about his future. “LeBron absolutely knows that he will cause a wave with these social media things,” Windhorst said (hat tip to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com). “On one hand, he is just coming home for the holiday, he is just doing something that he has done numerous times in the past. On the other hand, by doing what’s he’s doing, he’s absolutely poking the bear and being passive aggressive. And by the way, the Lakers are being passive-aggressive back at LeBron. They did not announce his option pick-up. So they’re both acting in the same way. Now, how is this going to get resolved? And my answer to you, in full honesty, is I don’t know.”