Bucks Push Back Guarantee Date On Andre Jackson’s Contract
The Bucks and guard Andre Jackson Jr. have agreed to push back the guarantee date on Jackson’s contract for the 2025/26 season, Eric Nehm of The Athletic reports.
Milwaukee previously had until Monday to make that decision. Jackson got a de facto bonus for agreeing to move back the date — a portion of his $2,221,677 salary is now guaranteed, per Nehm. The new guarantee date and the amount of Jackson’s partial guarantee have not yet been disclosed.
The Bucks benefit by gaining more flexibility as they attempt to fill out the rest of their roster.
It would be somewhat surprising if Milwaukee let Jackson go. The 2023 second-round selection out of UConn appeared in 67 games last season, including 43 starts. He didn’t shoot much — 2.9 attempts per game — and made 47.7 percent of his attempts while averaging 3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.6 minutes per game.
Jackson is capable at backing up at both guard spots and small forward. He’s signed through the 2026/27 season with the final year of the deal including a club option.
Clippers Sign First-Rounder Yanic Konan Niederhauser
The Clippers have signed center Yanic Konan Niederhauser to a rookie scale contract, according to the NBA transactions log.
Niederhauser was the 30th and final first-round selection in last month’s draft. As our rookie scale salary table shows, he’ll make $14,091,596 over the next four seasons with a starting salary of $2,743,800, assuming he received the maximum allowable 120% of his rookie scale amount. The third and fourth year of rookie contracts include team options.
Niederhauser played one season at Penn State after two seasons at Northern Illinois. With the Nittany Lions, he averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game while making 29 starts.
Niederhauser improved his draft stock this spring by shining during the pre-draft process, particularly at the G League Elite Camp — his performance there earned him an invitation to the full-fledged combine.
The 6’10” rookie projects as L.A.’s third-string center entering camp behind starter Ivica Zubac and free agent addition Brook Lopez. He’s on the team’s Summer League roster.
NBA Transactions Becoming Official: July 7, 2025
The July moratorium is over and teams are now permitted to officially finalize all the free agent signings and trades they’ve agreed to since the new league year began (or earlier, in some cases).
Rather than bumping all of our previous stories on those free agent and trade agreements, we’ll be tracking all the previously reported moves that become official on Monday in the space below. We did the same in a separate article on Sunday.
To be clear, we’ll still be publishing new stories on breaking free agent and trade agreements. This space is just to track the moves we knew about before today if they’ve now been formally completed. In other words, if news of a deal breaks for the first time on Monday and is also finalized today (such as the three-team trade involving the Heat, Clippers, and Jazz), we won’t include it here.
These lists will be in chronological order, so we’ll add the most recent items to the bottom throughout the day.
Trades:
- Hawks, Celtics, Nets complete three-team trade involving Kristaps Porzingis, Terance Mann, Georges Niang, and Drake Powell (story).
- Celtics trade Jrue Holiday to Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons (new story).
- Update: The Celtics didn’t end up receive two second-round picks along with Simons due to minor concerns about Holiday’s physical from Portland’s end.
- Heat sign-and-trade Duncan Robinson to Pistons for Simone Fontecchio (story).
- Pistons sign-and-trade Dennis Schröder to Kings (story).
- Update: The Kings also acquired a 2029 second-round pick, while the Pistons acquired a top-55 protected 2026 second-round pick.
Free agent signings:
- Rockets sign Dorian Finney-Smith to four-year contract (story).
- Update: Finney-Smith’s contract includes a non-guaranteed third year and a non-guaranteed player option, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
- Rockets re-sign Fred VanVleet to two-year contract (story).
- Timberwolves re-sign Joe Ingles to one-year contract (story).
- Magic re-sign Moritz Wagner to one-year contract (story).
- Bucks re-sign Bobby Portis to three-year contract (story).
- Bucks sign Myles Turner to four-year contract (story).
- Spurs sign Luke Kornet to four-year contract (story).
- Update: Kornet’s contract includes a partially guaranteed third year and a fourth-year team option, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.
- Celtics sign Josh Minott to two-year contract (story).
- Celtics sign Luka Garza to two-year contract (story).
- Knicks sign Jordan Clarkson to one-year contract (story).
- Bucks re-sign Kevin Porter Jr. to two-year contract (story).
- Heat re-sign Davion Mitchell to two-year contract (story).
- Jazz sign RJ Luis to two-way contract (story).
- Pelicans sign Kevon Looney to two-year contract (story).
- Update: Looney’s contract includes a second-year team option, tweets Scotto.
Cuts:
- Bucks waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard and buy out Vasilije Micic (new story).
- Update: Micic gave up $6.1MM in his buyout agreement.
Isaiah Stevens Signs Two-Way With Kings
July 8: Stevens’ two-way deal with Sacramento is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, it’s a two-year contract.
July 7: Isaiah Stevens will sign a two-way deal with the Kings, according to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee and Sean Cunningham of KRCA News (Twitter links).
Stevens finished the season on a two-way with the Heat but didn’t receive a qualifying offer, which landed him in the unrestricted free agent pool.
Stevens, 24, appeared in three games with Miami last season. The point guard saw action in 33 regular season G League games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s affiliate, and averaged 12.8 and 9.4 assists in 36.9 minutes per contest.
The six-foot Stevens, who went undrafted out of Colorado State, signed his two-way with Miami in late December.
Former Auburn center Dylan Cardwell signed one of the other two-ways from Sacramento. The third one remains unclaimed for the time being.
Magic Sign Paolo Banchero To Five-Year Max Extension
7:04 pm: Banchero’s five-year, maximum-salary extension is official, the Magic announced in a press release (Twitter link).
“We are thrilled to keep Paolo in a Magic uniform for years to come,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in a statement. “At just 22, he has won NBA Rookie of the Year, been named an NBA All-Star and is widely regarded as one of our league’s brightest young stars.
“This commitment reflects our belief in Paolo’s talent, character and desire to win at the highest level. It also reflects Paolo’s belief in our organization, our fans and the city of Orlando. We are excited to continue this journey together.”
5:31 pm: Magic star forward Paolo Banchero has agreed to a five-year maximum rookie scale contract extension that be worth as much as $288MM, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The contract will include a player option in the final year, the first time that’s happened in a rookie scale maximum-salary extension since 2021, when Luka Doncic and Trae Young each received one.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan points out (Twitter link), the extension is technically worth a projected $240MM but it could rise another $48MM if Banchero meets the Rose Rule performance criteria, which includes making an All-NBA team or winning the Most Valuable Player Award.
The salary projections are based on a 7% cap increase for 2026/27.
Banchero will now be signed through at least 2030, with a ’30/31 player option. The five-year extensions for Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs kick in this coming season and recently acquired Desmond Bane has a contract that runs through the 2028/29 season. That means that four members of the starting lineup are signed for at least the next four seasons.
Orlando’s decision to make Banchero the top pick of 2022 draft was somewhat surprising at the time, but he has lived up to that billing. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2023 and an All-Star in 2024.
An early-season oblique injury marred Banchero’s third NBA season, but he still averaged 25.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in 46 starts. The 22-year-old has averaged 28 points per game in 12 postseason contests over the past two seasons.
Back in May, Banchero told Marc J. Spears of ESPN he wasn’t sure if he’d sign an extension but was hopeful it would come to fruition.
“I was in over my head when I signed my rookie (contract). So, I really haven’t thought much about that. … But it’s a blessing and hopefully all that stuff works out if I’m able to sign with the team and lock in my future,” he said. “That’s every young player’s goal coming into this league, establishing yourself early, get a second contract. So, when (the) time comes, I’m sure all that stuff we can figure out. I don’t know. They say more money, more problems. So, we’ll see what happens.”
Bucks Officially Stretch Lillard, Buy Out Micic
6:56 pm: Micic gave up $6.1MM in his buyout agreement with the Bucks, who stretching his remaining $2MM across three seasons for annual cap hits of $667K, reports Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
5:09 pm: The Bucks have officially waived point guards Damian Lillard and Vasilije Micic, according to the transaction log at NBA.com. Both moves had been anticipated as Milwaukee looked to clear the cap space necessary to sign free agent center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107MM contract.
Reports last Tuesday indicated that Lillard would have his remaining $112.6MM salary spread across five seasons instead of two using the stretch provision in order to create immediate cap relief for Milwaukee.
Lillard is expected to miss most or all of the 2025/26 season while he recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered during the first round of the playoffs in April. The nine-time All-Star has reportedly drawn interest already from many teams around the NBA, but hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll sign a new contract this offseason and is said to be in no rush to make that decision.
As for Micic, the expectation after he was acquired from Charlotte in exchange for Pat Connaughton and a pair of second-round picks was that he would agree to reduce his $8.1MM cap hit in order to become a free agent and generate a little extra cap space for the Bucks. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the two sides did reach an agreement on a buyout, though it’s unclear at this point how much of his salary Micic gave up.
Micic has played a pretty limited role in the NBA during the past couple seasons after starring in Europe for most of his career. In 101 total games for Oklahoma City, Charlotte, and Phoenix, he averaged 6.8 points and 3.9 assists in 19.4 minutes per contest.
Rumors in recent months have linked Micic to multiple EuroLeague teams — while it’s not clear exactly which one he’ll end up with, it seems likely that the 31-year-old Serbian will head back overseas to resume his playing career.
It appears both Lillard and Micic were technically placed on waivers on Sunday evening, as the NBA’s transaction log lists Turner’s deal as having gotten done last night. Still, if those cuts occurred after 4:00 pm Central time, neither player will officially clear waivers until Wednesday.
Kyle Lowry Remains With Sixers On One-Year Deal
4:48 pm: Lowry’s new deal is now official, according to a press release from the Sixers.
“Kyle’s championship experience and Hall-of-Fame resume speaks for itself. He is a proven floor general with tremendous knowledge of the game that is a resource to everyone in the organization,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in a statement. “It’s only fitting that his 20th NBA season will be right here in Philadelphia, the city he calls home.”
4:20 pm: Free agent guard Kyle Lowry has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Sixers, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey predicted last month that Lowry would sign another contract with the team since the Sixers value the Philadelphia native for his leadership and mentorship of young guards like Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain.
Lowry, 39, played on the veteran’s minimum last season and figures to do so again. He only appeared in 35 games last season, including 12 starts, averaging 3.9 points and 2.7 assists in 18.8 minutes per game.
Not too long ago, Lowry was once one of the highest-paid guards in the game. His NBA career dates back to 2006, when he was a late first-round pick with Memphis. He’s a six-time All-Star and won a championship with Toronto in 2019.
He only projects as an insurance policy for next year’s Sixers team with Maxey, McCain and first-round pick VJ Edgecombe likely ahead of him on the depth chart.
He’ll become the 12th player in NBA history to play 20-plus seasons and the second point guard to do so, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets, joining Chris Paul.
Hawks Waive David Roddy
The Hawks have requested waivers on David Roddy, the team announced today in a press release. Roddy, who was on a two-way contract, was sent from Houston to Atlanta in the record-setting seven-team Kevin Durant trade on Sunday.
The 23rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Roddy has bounced around the league since making his NBA debut, appearing in a total of 168 regular season games for Memphis, Phoenix, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Houston. The burly 6’4″ forward holds career averages of 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game, with a .421/.302/.679 shooting line.
Roddy’s two-way contract was partially guaranteed for $85,300, so he’ll receive a small payout and will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, assuming he clears waivers.
While that $85,300 doesn’t count against Atlanta’s cap, it’s probably not a coincidence that that’s the exact amount of cash the Rockets sent to the Hawks in the Durant blockbuster.
The Hawks now have just Eli Ndiaye on a two-way contract, with undrafted rookie Lamont Butler rumored to be filling one of the two remaining openings. The team also has two-way qualifying offers on the table for Jacob Toppin and Keaton Wallace.
This is the second time in 2025 that the Hawks have waived Roddy. They also did so in February to make room for incoming players at the trade deadline.
Norman Powell To Heat, John Collins To Clippers In Three-Team Trade
4:21 pm: The three-team trade is official, according to a press release from the Jazz.
9:27 am: The Clippers, Jazz and Heat have reached an agreement on a three-team trade, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will send Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to L.A. and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 Clippers second-round pick to Utah.
Powell is coming off the best scoring season of his career and will bring more offensive punch to Miami’s backcourt. After finishing fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting in consecutive seasons, Powell was moved into the starting lineup and responded by averaging 21.8 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.
Powell, 32, will make $20.5MM next season before becoming a free agent in 2026. He’s eligible for a three-year extension worth $77.4MM. Those limits would increase to $128.5MM over four years in six months.
The Clippers were reluctant to give Powell a long-term extension, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden both signed through 2026/27, the team is preserving cap space for 2027 free agency.
Miami will use the expanded traded player exception to acquire Powell, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link), hard-capping them at the first tax apron, and will be $1.3MM over the luxury tax line once the deal is complete.
Miami will be just $3.9MM away from that first-apron threshold once the trade is complete, so it won’t be able to use the full taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.7MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), who also speculates that acquiring Powell means the team is probably no longer a logical fit for Bradley Beal, who is believed to be nearing a buyout with Phoenix.
Collins, 27, will bring more frontcourt depth to a Clippers team that recently added Brook Lopez in free agency. Collins has been a starter in Utah since being acquired from Atlanta two years ago, but he was limited to 40 games last season. He has one year left on his contract at $26.6MM and can sign an extension worth up to $100.5MM over three years, per Marks. While a massive payday is unlikely for Collins, it’s worth noting those extension limits would increase six months after the trade to $166.7MM over four years.
L.A. is now $6.7MM below the first apron with $5.3MM of its mid-level exception remaining, according to Gozlan (Twitter link). With their top three-point shooter now gone, Gozlan expects the Clippers to be in the market for Beal.
Anderson, 31, has been a useful contributor on contending teams throughout his career, but it’s not clear how he fits in with the rebuilding Jazz. His contract covers two more seasons at $9.2MM and $9.7MM, but 2026/27 is non-guaranteed. Love, who’ll turn 37 in September, has a $4.15MM expiring deal and will likely become a buyout candidate.
Gozlan notes that Utah can create a $26.6MM trade exception by using the mid-level exception to take on Anderson and Love (Twitter link). Alternatively, the Jazz could create roughly $22MM in cap space by waiving the non-guaranteed contracts of KJ Martin ($8MM) and Jaden Springer ($2.4MM) and could be in position to make a play for one of the remaining free agents.
It sounds like Utah will continue operating over the cap, going the trade exception route, tweets Marks.
Knicks Hire Mike Brown As Head Coach
July 7: The Knicks have officially named Brown their head coach, issuing a press release to confirm the news.
“After a thorough and extensive search process, we are pleased to announce Mike Brown as the head coach of the New York Knicks,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement. “Mike has coached on the biggest stages in our sport and brings championship pedigree to our organization. His experience leading the bench during the NBA Finals, winning four titles as an assistant coach, and his ability to grow and develop players will all help us as we aim to bring a championship to New York for our fans.”
“I would like to welcome Mike Brown to New York and the Knicks organization,” Knicks owner James Dolan added in a statement of his own. “Leon and our staff ran a thorough and thoughtful process that led our organization to Mike, and I’m pleased to see him on the sideline for us next season.”
As we relayed on Saturday, Brown has reportedly signed a four-year contract worth an estimated $40MM.
July 2: The Knicks are expected to hire Mike Brown as their new head coach, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) confirms Brown has been offered the job and says the two sides are working “expeditiously” on finalizing the terms of a contract.
Brown, who began his coaching career as an assistant with the Wizards, Spurs, and Pacers, has since held head coaching positions with the Cavaliers (twice), Lakers, and Kings, as well as spending six years on the Warriors’ staff as Steve Kerr‘s top assistant.
He holds a career regular season record of 454-304 (.599), with a 50-40 (.556) mark in the postseason.
A Coach of the Year in Cleveland in 2009 and again in Sacramento in 2023, Brown helped the Kings snap a 16-year playoff drought two seasons ago, but after the team missed the playoffs in 2024 and got off to a slow start this past fall, he was let go and replaced with Doug Christie.
The Knicks’ decision to hire Brown caps off an eventful head coaching search that began with the team requesting permission to speak to several coaches already under contract with teams. The Mavericks (Jason Kidd), Timberwolves (Chris Finch), Rockets (Ime Udoka), Hawks (Quin Snyder), and Bulls (Billy Donovan) all declined the Knicks’ requests, prompting the club to turn to candidates who didn’t currently hold head coaching jobs.
Brown was one of at least four candidates interviewed by the Knicks, along with Taylor Jenkins, James Borrego, and Micah Nori. The team also reached out to South Carolina’s Dawn Staley to discuss the job, though it’s unclear if she had a formal interview.
Brown had a second interview that included team owner James Dolan on Tuesday, with reporting later in the day indicating he was the frontrunner for the job. He was the only candidate confirmed to get a second meeting.
In his new role, Brown will be tasked with helping a Knicks team that advanced to the conference finals this spring make it over the hump and win its first championship since 1973. He’ll take over a roster headlined by All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.