Mavericks Sign Cooper Flagg To Rookie Contract
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg has officially signed his first NBA contract, the Mavericks announced on Wednesday (via Twitter).
The rookie scale deal will pay Flagg a $13.8MM salary in his rookie year and a total of $62.7MM across his first four NBA seasons.
[RELATED: Rookie Scale Salaries For 2025 NBA First-Round Picks]
The top prize of the 2025 NBA draft class, Flagg is coming off a wildly successful freshman season at Duke, where he was earned ACC Player of the Year and AP Player of the Year honors, among several others awards. The 6’9″ forward was the driving force behind the Blue Devils’ 35-4 record and helped the team reach the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
Flagg stuffed the stat sheet in his first and only college season, leading a stacked Duke team in points (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.4) per game, with a strong shooting line of .481/.385/.840. He made 37 appearances in 2024/25, averaging 30.7 minutes per contest.
Dallas had just a 1.8% chance of claiming this year’s top pick, jumping up from No. 11 to No. 1 when the team won the draft lottery in May.
Lakers Rumors: LeBron, Kessler, Richards
Although ESPN’s Brian Windhorst still isn’t expecting the Lakers to trade LeBron James, he said on Wednesday’s episode of First Take (YouTube link) that he doesn’t consider it quite as unlikely as he did a few days ago when reports of the star forward opting in for 2025/26 were accompanied by a “nebulous” statement from agent Rich Paul.
“When the idea of a trade came up, I slammed the door on it,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “I said, first off, LeBron wants to be a Laker. If he didn’t want to be a Laker, he could have opted out. He has a no-trade clause. Over the last three days, I have unlocked the door. I wouldn’t say that I’m opening the door. I would just say I’ve unlocked the door. The door I slammed and locked on Sunday, I’m not 100 percent sure.
“That is because my conversations over the last three days have crystalized that the Lakers are essentially viewing LeBron as an expiring contract. And that may sound like a toss-off statement, but that’s not insignificant. LeBron has never been an expiring contract. Quite literally. Never in his 23-year career, over the nine contracts he has signed, over all the different teams he has been on, he has never been on the last year of his contract. He has never been 40 years old. He has never not been the franchise player on his team.”
As has been previously reported, James and the Lakers didn’t have any serious discussions about a new contract that would extend beyond 2025/26. That may signal that LeBron isn’t sure whether he’ll continue playing beyond 2026 — either way, it means he’ll become an unrestricted free agent next summer, since his contract can’t be extended before then.
“What happens to expiring contracts in the NBA? They are viewed as trade pieces,” Windhorst said. “For all those reasons (a trade still seems unlikely)—the money, the fact that LeBron and Luka (Doncic) are still a very formidable duo. The fact that the Lakers are not done with their offseason. The fact that trading him is crazy. The fact that this is being built around Luka and they have to maintain their cap sheet and all of those things. Everything in that makes sense. I’m just unlocking the door because I’m not as convinced as before of it’s impossibility.”
We have more on the Lakers:
- If James did want to be traded, there are teams “who would step up and make offers,” Windhorst said during an ESPN segment on Tuesday evening (YouTube link). With that in mind, Fred Katz of The Athletic considers what it might look like if teams like the Cavaliers, Mavericks, Warriors, Knicks, and Clippers were to try to make a play for the four-time MVP. Cleveland looks like the longest shot out of that group, since the Cavs are operating far above the second tax apron and would have to gut their roster to aggregate contracts and shed enough salary to make a legal trade.
- Addressing the idea of the Lakers trading for Jazz center Walker Kessler, Jovan Buha (YouTube link) reiterates that Utah’s asking price would have to come down for it to be a viable possibility for Los Angeles. “I’ve just heard nothing but they want two picks plus a young player for Kessler,” Buha said. “So the Lakers cannot do that trade. They can give one pick and one young player and a swap. You could throw in a couple swaps. … Take off the protections on the top-four pick in 2027. But I just don’t know if that’s going to be enough for Utah.” Because they’ve traded away their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks already, the Lakers can’t put more than one first-rounder (2031 or 2032) in a trade offer due to the Stepien rule.
- Phoenix big man Nick Richards is reportedly among the veteran centers the Lakers have expressed some level of interest in. The Suns have gotten inquiries from a few teams about Richards, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), but it’s unclear if they’ll actually move him. As Gambadoro explains, they like Richards as a player and like the idea of having a reliable insurance policy behind Mark Williams, who has battled injuries in recent years.
- In case you missed it, our check-in on the top remaining free agents this morning included Lakers-related items on Deandre Ayton and Damian Lillard.
Free Agency Notes: Cancar, Nuggets, Turner, Middle Class, Spending Power
Veteran forward Vlatko Cancar is expected to leave the Nuggets and head to Europe next season, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com reports. The Italian team Olimpia Milano has emerged as the leading candidate to sign Cancar, Urbonas adds, with a report from Aris Barkas of Eurohoops suggesting the two sides are on track to complete a two-year deal.
Cancar, 28, has spent the past five seasons with Denver. He has battled health problems in recent years, having missed all of 2023/24 due to a torn ACL and then undergoing another knee surgery this past season. In 13 total appearances in 2024/25, he averaged 1.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 11 minutes per contest.
Cancar is an unrestricted free agent after playing on a one-year veteran’s minimum deal.
Here’s more news on the free agent front:
- Nikola Jokic lamented the Nuggets’ lack of depth after the team was eliminated by the Thunder in the playoffs. That issue has been addressed, as The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando notes (subscription required). Denver agreed to trade Michael Porter Jr. and replace him with Cameron Johnson from the Nets, made another agreed-upon trade for big man Jonas Valanciunas, and reached agreements with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown in free agency.
- Despite a report from the Indianapolis Star’s suggesting they went higher, both The Athletic and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) contend that the Pacers’ best offer to Myles Turner was in the $20-22MM per year range. Turner agreed to a four-year, $107MM deal with Central Division rival Milwaukee on Tuesday. According to Spencer Davies of RG.org, Turner would have stayed in Indiana for $25MM per year, but the organization held firm, offering a three-year, $66MM contract, with no player option on year four.
- The Athletic’s John Hollinger notes that the league “middle class,” solid rotation players but not superstars, are doing surprisingly well in free agency. He points out that eight such players received some or all of a team’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception on the first day of free agency.
- Factoring in all the reported moves prior to Wednesday, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith examines the remaining spending power of all the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Undergoes Procedure On Turf Toe
July 2: As expected, Jackson has undergone a procedure to repair the turf toe injury in his right foot, the Grizzlies announced on Wednesday (Twitter link). According to the team, he’ll be reevaluated in approximately 12 weeks. That will be just a few days before training camps get underway.
July 1: Just over 24 hours after word broke that the Grizzlies and Jaren Jackson Jr. had agreed to a long-term deal that will pay him $240MM over the next five seasons, the team offered a more sobering update on its star big man.
According to the Grizzlies (Twitter link), Jackson sustained a turf toe injury in his right foot while participating in a “live basketball run offsite.” After evaluation, it was determined that the injured will require a procedure to address.
The Grizzlies haven’t yet provided a recovery timeline for Jackson, indicating that they’ll share another update once he has had the procedure. However, the recovery process from a turf toe procedure is measured in months, not weeks. Ajay Mitchell of the Thunder, for instance, missed more than three months after having a turf toe sprain addressed in January.
The hope in Memphis will be that Jackson is ready to go for training camp, or at least the start of the season, but the team certainly won’t rush the process.With a new mega-deal in hand and fresh off his second All-Star season, Jackson will be a crucial part of the Grizzlies’ postseason aspirations in 2025/26.
The 25-year-old averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 29.8 minutes per game this past season, recording a shooting line of .488/.375/.781. In addition to his All-Star berth, he earned a spot on the All-Defensive second team.
Jackson is the second member of the Grizzlies’ frontcourt to undergo a procedure since the end of the season. Center Zach Edey is expected to miss the start of the 2025/26 campaign after undergoing ankle surgery in June.
Second-Round Pick Exception Details For 2025/26
As we first outlined in 2023 when it was introduced as a new addition to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the second-round pick exception allows NBA teams to sign their second-round picks to standard contracts without requiring cap room or another exception (such as the mid-level) to do so.
Like the rookie scale exception, the second-round pick exception isn’t limited to a single use. It can be deployed as many times as needed in a given league year.
The second-round exception can be used to sign a player to either a three-year contract that includes a third-year team option or a four-year contract that features a fourth-year team option.
Teams have made good use of the new exception over the past couple years, with nearly every second-round pick who gets a standard contracts now being signed using the second-round exception.
The values of the second-round pick exception change every year along with the NBA’s minimum salary scale, so with this year’s second-rounders starting to sign, it’s worth updating the numbers to ensure they’re accurate for 2025/26
Here are the details for ’25/26:
Three-year deal
- The first year can be worth up to the minimum salary for a player with one year of NBA experience.
- The second and third years are worth the second- and third-year minimum salaries for a rookie.
- The third year is a team option.
As our chart of minimum salaries shows, in 2025/26, the maximum three-year salary for a contract with this structure would be about $6.7MM. Here’s the year-by-year breakdown (option year in italics):
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2025/26 | $2,048,494 |
| 2026/27 | $2,150,917 |
| 2027/28 | $2,525,901 |
| Total | $6,725,312 |
While the second- and third-year salaries will remain static in any three-year contract signed using the second-round exception, the first season can be as low as the rookie minimum ($1,272,870). A three-year deal that starts at that minimum amount would be worth a total of $5,949,688.
Four-year deal
- The first year can be worth up to the minimum salary for a player with two years of NBA experience.
- The second year can be worth up to the second-year minimum salary for a player with one year of experience.
- The third and fourth years are worth the third- and fourth-year minimum salaries for a rookie.
- The fourth year is a team option.
In 2025/26, the maximum four-year salary for a contract with this structure would be nearly $10MM. Here’s what it looks like from year to year (option year in italics):
| Year | Salary |
|---|---|
| 2025/26 | $2,296,274 |
| 2026/27 | $2,411,090 |
| 2027/28 | $2,525,901 |
| 2028/29 | $2,735,698 |
| Total | $9,968,963 |
As with the first year of the three-year deal, the first two seasons of the four-year contract don’t necessarily have to start this high. They could be as low as $1,272,870 for year one and $2,150,917 for year two, for a four-year total of $8,685,386.
In any deal that uses this four-year contract structure, the salary increase between the first and second season can’t exceed 5% if the second season is above the minimum. For instance, a team wouldn’t be permitted to negotiate a contract that starts at the rookie minimum ($1,272,870) and jumps to $2,300,000 in year two, even though that second-year salary comes in below the maximum allowed.
Players who are signed using the second-round pick exception don’t count against a team’s cap between July 1 and July 30 of their first season.
That rule allows teams to preserve all the cap room they need until July 31 without having to worry about their second-rounders cutting into it, as well as positioning those players to sign their first NBA contracts before taking part in Summer League games.
And-Ones: Kokoskov, Luxury Tax Payments, 2026 Mock, Injuries, NBA TV
Hawks assistant Igor Kokoskov is leaving his position to become head coach of Turkish League team Anadolu Efes, according to Eurohoops.net. Kokoskov has signed a three-year contract.
Kokoskov has been an assistant in the NBA for 19 years, along with a stint as the head coach of the Suns during the 2018/19 season. He was also a head coach in the EuroLeague with Fenerbahce during the 2020/21 season.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- How much did NBA teams who stayed below the luxury tax get rewarded for keeping their salaries below the line? Non-tax teams collected $11,530,235 from the taxpaying clubs, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets.
- Is it too early to talk about the 2026 draft class? Not for draft experts like The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie. He’s posted his first 2026 mock with Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke forward Cameron Boozer and BYU wing A.J. Dybantsa occupying the top three spots.
- Thunder executive Sam Presti believes there’s a direct correlation between the number of games played and injuries. Presti mentioned the NBA’s 65-game rule to qualify for certain awards, the condensed schedule due to the in-season tournament and the recent uptick in physicality allowed by the league, according to an ESPN story.“I think the one thing we have to do is get away from the defensive nature of trying to convince people, players and teams that there’s no connection between the loads and the injuries,” Presti said. “I think it’s — we’re kind of bordering on a level of like, it’s almost insulting.”
- TNT Sports will cease production efforts on NBA TV at the end of the league’s calendar year in September, according to the Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp. The league will begin operating the network starting Oct. 1. It will continue to carry some regular-season games during the 2025/26 season, plus WNBA, G League and other games from international leagues. One key element is that there will be far fewer live games on NBA TV once the new media-rights deal kicks in this fall with ESPN/ABC, NBC Sports and Prime Video, Karp adds.
Rookie Scale Salaries For 2025 NBA First-Round Picks
With the NBA’s salary cap set at $154,647,000 for the 2025/26 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.
In each NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure.
While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks almost always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.
Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2025’s first-round picks. If a first-round pick signs a rookie scale contract in 2025/26, it will be for the amount below, unless he accepts a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120% (in which case, we’ll update these numbers).
These salary figures will only apply if the player signs in 2025/26. If a player doesn’t sign an NBA contract this year, his rookie contract will look a little different in future seasons.
Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.
Here’s the 2025 breakdown:
| No. |
2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $13,825,920 | $14,517,480 | $15,208,680 | $19,178,145 | $62,730,225 |
| 2 | $12,370,320 | $12,989,040 | $13,607,760 | $17,172,993 | $56,140,113 |
| 3 | $11,108,880 | $11,663,880 | $12,219,840 | $15,445,878 | $50,438,478 |
| 4 | $10,015,680 | $10,516,560 | $11,017,560 | $13,937,213 | $45,487,013 |
| 5 | $9,069,840 | $9,523,080 | $9,976,560 | $12,640,302 | $41,209,782 |
| 6 | $8,237,640 | $8,649,600 | $9,061,680 | $11,490,210 | $37,439,130 |
| 7 | $7,520,040 | $7,896,240 | $8,271,960 | $10,505,389 | $34,193,629 |
| 8 | $6,889,200 | $7,233,720 | $7,578,240 | $9,639,521 | $31,340,681 |
| 9 | $6,332,520 | $6,649,560 | $6,966,000 | $8,874,684 | $28,822,764 |
| 10 | $6,016,080 | $6,316,680 | $6,617,160 | $8,436,879 | $27,386,799 |
| 11 | $5,715,120 | $6,001,080 | $6,286,920 | $8,342,743 | $26,345,863 |
| 12 | $5,429,520 | $5,701,200 | $5,972,760 | $8,230,463 | $25,333,943 |
| 13 | $5,157,960 | $5,416,080 | $5,673,840 | $8,107,917 | $24,355,797 |
| 14 | $4,900,320 | $5,145,360 | $5,390,640 | $7,983,538 | $23,419,858 |
| 15 | $4,655,040 | $4,887,720 | $5,120,400 | $7,849,573 | $22,512,733 |
| 16 | $4,422,360 | $4,643,520 | $4,864,920 | $7,462,787 | $21,393,587 |
| 17 | $4,201,080 | $4,411,200 | $4,621,200 | $7,098,163 | $20,331,643 |
| 18 | $3,991,320 | $4,190,520 | $4,390,320 | $6,752,312 | $19,324,472 |
| 19 | $3,811,560 | $4,002,000 | $4,193,040 | $6,457,282 | $18,463,882 |
| 20 | $3,658,800 | $3,841,680 | $4,024,440 | $6,205,686 | $17,730,606 |
| 21 | $3,512,520 | $3,688,320 | $3,864,000 | $6,155,352 | $17,220,192 |
| 22 | $3,372,240 | $3,540,600 | $3,709,320 | $6,101,831 | $16,723,991 |
| 23 | $3,237,480 | $3,399,480 | $3,560,880 | $6,042,813 | $16,240,653 |
| 24 | $3,108,120 | $3,263,400 | $3,418,800 | $5,979,481 | $15,769,801 |
| 25 | $2,983,320 | $3,132,360 | $3,282,000 | $5,910,882 | $15,308,562 |
| 26 | $2,884,560 | $3,028,560 | $3,172,920 | $5,720,775 | $14,806,815 |
| 27 | $2,801,280 | $2,941,440 | $3,081,840 | $5,559,639 | $14,384,199 |
| 28 | $2,783,880 | $2,923,560 | $3,062,640 | $5,528,065 | $14,298,145 |
| 29 | $2,763,960 | $2,902,080 | $3,040,320 | $5,487,778 | $14,194,138 |
| 30 | $2,743,800 | $2,880,960 | $3,018,480 | $5,448,356 | $14,091,596 |
2025’s first-round picks:
- Cooper Flagg (Mavericks)
- Dylan Harper (Spurs)
- VJ Edgecombe (Sixers)
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
- Ace Bailey (Jazz)
- Tre Johnson (Wizards)
- Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans)
- Egor Demin (Nets)
- Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors)
- Khaman Maluach (Suns)
- Cedric Coward (Grizzlies)
- Noa Essengue (Bulls)
- Derik Queen (Pelicans)
- Carter Bryant (Spurs)
- Thomas Sorber (Thunder)
- Yang Hansen (Trail Blazers)
- Joan Beringer (Timberwolves)
- Walter Clayton (Jazz)
- Nolan Traore (Nets)
- Kasparas Jakucionis (Heat)
- Will Riley (Wizards)
- Drake Powell (Nets)
- Asa Newell (Hawks)
- Nique Clifford (Kings)
- Jase Richardson (Magic)
- Ben Saraf (Nets)
- Danny Wolf (Nets)
- Hugo Gonzalez (Celtics)
- Liam McNeeley (Hornets)
- Yanic Konan Niederhauser (Clippers)
Checking In On Top Remaining NBA Free Agents
The NBA’s free agent period officially opened less than 40 hours ago, but the list of this year’s top available players has already been pretty picked clean, with 35 of the players from our list of 2025’s top 50 free agents having already agreed to terms with a team.
Here are the players from our list remain available:
- Josh Giddey, G, (Bulls RFA)
- Jonathan Kuminga, F, (Warriors RFA)
- Cam Thomas, G, (Nets RFA)
- Quentin Grimes, G, (Sixers RFA)
- Deandre Ayton, C (waivers)
- Chris Paul, G
- Russell Westbrook, G
- Al Horford, C
- Malcolm Brogdon, G
- Moritz Wagner, F/C
- Chris Boucher, F/C
- De’Anthony Melton, G
- Amir Coffey, G/F
- Precious Achiuwa, F/C
- Ryan Rollins, G
While four of our top 10 free agents are still on the board, all four are restricted, which means it may take some time for their situations to play out. Sign-and-trades are always a possibility, but few clubs are in position to make an aggressive play for any of these restricted free agents, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN pointed out during a TV appearance on Tuesday evening (Twitter video link).
“If this isn’t the worst market for restricted free agents in the last generation, I don’t want to see it,” Windhorst said. “There’s just no money out there for cap space, and sign-and-trades are very tough to pull off…with restricted free agents, because the team that has the rights isn’t motivated to play ball.”
There have essentially been no rumors linking Giddey, Thomas, or Grimes to any rival suitors since free agency began, so there’s still a widespread expectation that those three players will ultimately end up returning to their current teams.
That may happen with Kuminga too, but there has certainly been more chatter about alternative landing spots for the Warriors forward. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) checked in on Kuminga’s market late on Tuesday night, suggesting that the Heat, Bulls, Pelicans, and Kings are still being monitored as teams to watch for the 22-year-old, despite an apparent absence of traction on any of those fronts so far.
According to Fischer, Miami has also been linked to potential forward trade targets like DeMar DeRozan and John Collins; Chicago still has Giddey’s own restricted free agency to resolve, and Golden State appears to have “moved away” from past trade interest in Nikola Vucevic; New Orleans doesn’t have an obvious path to make a realistic offer for Kuminga; and while Sacramento would have interest in sending out Malik Monk as part of a sign-and-trade, no momentum has developed there.
With those top four RFAs in limbo for the time being, Ayton – who will clear waivers at 4:00 pm Central time on Wednesday – may be the most intriguing option on the board. According to Fischer, a number of front offices around the NBA expect the former No. 1 overall pick to end up with the Lakers, but the Pacers have also shown interest, as did the Bucks before they agreed to a surprising deal with Myles Turner. Indiana, notably, is the team that signed Ayton to a maximum-salary offer sheet in free agency three years ago, and the same decision-makers are still running that front office.
Paul and Westbrook are two of the most accomplished NBA point guards of the last two decades. Paul is known to want to play close to his home in Los Angeles, so while the Bucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in him, per Chris Haynes on NBA TV (Twitter video link), a team like the Clippers or Suns may be a more realistic landing spot. Haynes adds that he thought Westbrook would land with the Kings, but as long as Monk remains on Sacramento’s roster, that looks like a long shot.
It’s worth noting there’s one big name who was not on our pre-free-agency top 50 because he has only become available since then: Damian Lillard.
The Bucks haven’t officially waived Lillard yet, but he’s expected to reach the open market in the near future, and according to Eric Nehm, Sam Amick, and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, many teams – including the Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors – have reached out and registered interest in signing him even while he recovers from his Achilles tear.
Still, Jamal Collier of ESPN hears that there’s no guarantee that Lillard will sign anywhere for the 2025/26 season, which he’ll likely miss most or all of. He’s reportedly expected to remain based in Portland while doing his rehab work.
Among the other names in the back half of our top 50, Horford is the most intriguing. He has been linked to several teams, including – most consistently – Golden State. The Warriors are still a leading contender to land the veteran big man, per Fischer.
Finally, we should mention Malik Beasley, who ranked 15th on our initial top-50 list before word broke that he was under investigation for gambling allegations. Beasley was reportedly discussing a three-year, $42MM deal with Detroit prior to that news, but it’s hard to imagine any team signing him until that legal situation is resolved, which is why we took him off our list entirely. Since that investigation was reported, a pair of follow-up reports have detailed Beasley’s financial issues, though it’s crucial to note that he doesn’t currently face any charges.
All of the free agent deals agreed upon so far can be found within our 2025 free agent tracker. The full list of free agents still available can be found right here (or here, if you prefer to sort by team rather than by position/type).
NBA 2025 Free Agency: July 1 Recap
After a number of this year’s top free agents came off the board on Monday or in the days leading up to June 30, the Bucks nearly singlehandedly made sure there was still plenty of NBA news to talk about on Tuesday.
Milwaukee agreed to terms on two-year deals with big man Jericho Sims and veteran wing Gary Harris. They also agreed to a deal that will send Pat Connaughton to the Hornets.
But the main event for the Bucks was reaching a four-year, $107MM contract agreement with Myles Turner, the starting center for the division-rival Pacers for the past decade. After the deal between Turner and the Bucks was reported, we spent about 10 minutes wondering how the over-the-cap club was going to pull off the move before another bombshell dropped: Milwaukee was waiving injured star Damian Lillard with two years left on his contract and stretching the $112.6MM owed to him across the next five seasons in order to help create the cap room necessary to sign Turner.
It’s a shocking move that will allow the Bucks to land one of the summer’s top free agents in the short term while potentially creating major cap-related complications in the long term.
Given that the front office is dead-set on building a contender around Giannis Antetokounmpo, it wasn’t ideal that one report referred to the two-time MVP as “not pleased” about Lillard being waived just over two months after tearing his Achilles.
But Lillard, at least, didn’t seem to mind, with another report describing him as “elated” to get to have control over his future while still getting paid by the Bucks.
Here are several more of the major headlines from July 1, along with links to our stories:
Free agent deals
- Duncan Robinson, Pistons agree to three-year, $48MM contract to be completed as a sign-and-trade deal sending Simone Fontecchio to Heat (story)
- Dennis Schröder, Kings agree to three-year, $45MM contract (story).
- Tre Mann, Hornets agree to three-year, $24MM contract (story).
- Guerschon Yabusele, Knicks agree to two-year, $11.7MM contract (story).
- Sandro Mamukelashvili, Raptors agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract (story).
- Josh Minott, Celtics agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract (story)
- Eric Gordon, Sixers finalize one-year, minimum-salary contract (story).
- Tim Hardaway Jr., Nuggets agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract (story).
- Larry Nance Jr., Cavaliers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract (story).
Other top headlines
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder agree to four-year, super-max extension (story).
- Jakob Poeltl, Raptors agree to extension that will add $84MM over three new years after 2026/27 opt-in (story).
- Grizzlies‘ Jaren Jackson Jr. to undergo procedure on turf toe (story).
- Mike Brown reportedly considered frontrunner for Knicks‘ head coaching job (story).
- Kings to trade Jonas Valanciunas to Nuggets for Dario Saric (story).
- Clippers to waive Drew Eubanks, who will sign with Kings (story).
- Mavericks expected to sign head coach Jason Kidd to contract extension before season (story).
- Nuggets to hire J.J. Barea as assistant coach (story).
Cavs Re-Sign Luke Travers On Two-Way Contract
The Cavaliers have re-signed forward Luke Travers on a two-way contract, according to the NBA transactions log.
Travers received a qualifying offer and apparently accepted that offer to remain on a two-way deal. The qualifying offer is equivalent to another one-year, two-way deal, with a portion (approximately $85K) guaranteed.
Drafted 56th overall in 2022, Travers played 12 games with the NBA club this past season, averaging 1.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes. Travers was an Australian draft-and-stash prospect and joined the Cavs on a two-way deal last offseason, though he has been part of their Summer League team for three seasons.
Travers appeared in 21 regular season games with the G League’s Cleveland Charge, averaging 17.0 points, 9.9. rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks in 34 minutes per game.
The Cavs now have a pair of players on two-way contracts, with Travers joining Nae’Qwan Tomlin.