Eric Gordon Re-Signs With Sixers On One-Year Deal
The Sixers have officially re-signed veteran guard Eric Gordon, according to team press release. It’s a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal worth $3.6MM, Sixers beat reporter Derek Bodner tweets.
Gordon declined his $3.47MM option in order to become a free agent but there was reported interest in a reunion and it has come to fruition.
Turning down that option and re-signing on a one-year, minimum-salary deal is a win-win for Gordon and the Sixers. He’ll earn a slightly higher minimum salary ($3.63MM) by inking a new contract, and because the deal just covers one year, the NBA will reimburse the team for a portion of that salary, meaning Philadelphia’s cap hit will be just $2.3MM.
Gordon, who turns 37 on Christmas Day, is coming off an injury-marred season. He posted career-low averages of 6.8 points and 19.7 minutes per game, though he shot it well from three-point land (40.9%). He only appeared in 39 games before undergoing season-ending arthroscopic right wrist surgery on Feb. 26.
Gordon has appeared in 925 regular season games during his career, which began in 2008 with the Clippers. He’s averaged 15.3 points during his career and never averaged fewer than 11 points per game until this past season.
Minimum-salary contracts are among the types of deals that can be officially completed during the July moratorium, which is why the 76ers were able to formally announce Gordon’s new contract.
Western Notes: Kidd, Collins, Bailey, Harper
The Mavericks are expected to extend head coach Jason Kidd‘s contract again before the start of next season, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report (via Substack). Kidd received an extension after last season and general manager Nico Harrison indicated last week that Kidd would remain the team’s head coach next season.
Of course, the Knicks were interested in talking to Kidd about their head coaching vacancy. Although the Mavericks denied the Knicks’ request to speak to their head coach, there has been persistent speculation that Kidd would wind up in New York unless he received an extension.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Jazz big man John Collins picked up his $26.5MM option last week. That probably means he’ll remain on Utah’s roster entering next season, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who tweets that there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for Collins, who averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds this past season, but he was limited to 40 games and didn’t return after suffering a left ankle sprain on March 12.
- Jazz lottery pick Ace Bailey didn’t work out for the team amid reports that his preferred destination was Washington. Bailey expressed surprise when Utah drafted him but he claims he never considered not reporting to the club. “Not at all,” Bailey said in a press conference on Sunday, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I mean, just blessed to be in this position. Not a lot of people sit in these chairs and have great teammates as I got on (here). So I’m just blessed to be here.”
- No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, Bailey’s teammate at Rutgers, predicts the Spurs will make the postseason next season, according to ESPN’s Michael C Wright. “That’s going to change really quick,” Harper said of San Antonio’s recent struggles. “We’re going to make the playoffs. I think for the Spurs fans and everyone else, our group is very exciting. There’s a lot to look forward to. The sky’s the limit for this group we’ve got.” Harper could become the team’s third consecutive Rookie of the Year Award winner. “I don’t think I feel no pressure [to win ROY], but I definitely want to keep that going,” Harper said. “That’s definitely a goal of mine.”
Free Agency Notes: Turner, Lillard, Kuminga, Clarkson, Beasley
According to Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required), the Pacers offered up to $95MM over four years for Myles Turner before he agreed to sign with the Bucks. Earlier reporting suggested Indiana didn’t go above roughly $60MM over three years.
Doyel shares that tidbit within a column defending the Pacers and castigating Turner’s camp for referring to Indiana’s “aversion to the tax” in leaks to ESPN, portraying the four-year, $95MM bid as a strong offer. Given the slant of the piece, it’s worth taking the report with a grain of salt.
Even if the Pacers did get up to $95MM, that offer would have come in quite a bit below the $107MM deal Turner is getting in Milwaukee and would also fall well short of the going rate for quality starting centers in recent years — Jarrett Allen and Jakob Poeltl have gotten $30MM and $28MM annually on their most recent extensions, for example. Even Naz Reid, who has been a reserve in recent years, received $25MM per year over the weekend.
Here are a few more notes and rumors related to free agency:
- During a TV appearance on ESPN (Twitter video link), Marc J. Spears of Andscape says star point guard Damian Lillard intends to rehab his Achilles tear in Portland to be close to his family, whether or not he signs with a team in the near future. Spears also says that at least 10 clubs – including the Warriors (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN) – have touched base with Lillard since word of his release broke, and adds that there’s “speculation” the 34-year-old could be back around the All-Star break. Given that Lillard just sustained the injury in late April, that timeline feels a little aggressive to me, but it sounds like he might aim to make it back before the end of the 2025/26 season.
- There’s very little money available on the open market for this summer’s top restricted free agents, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated during a TV appearance (Twitter video link). Windhorst went on to say that it might be in the Warriors‘ and Jonathan Kuminga‘s best interests to work out a deal and possibly revisit the trade market down the road. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter video link) says he hasn’t heard “any traction” about a sign-and-trade deal to the Bulls, who have been rumored as a potential suitor for Kuminga.
- As first reported by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), veteran guard Jordan Clarkson gave up the exact amount of his minimum salary (roughly $3.6MM) when he agreed to a buyout with the Jazz, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. That will reduce his cap hit on Utah’s books from about $14.3MM to roughly $10.7MM, and he’ll make up the difference when he signs his new contract with the Knicks.
- In another troubling report on free agent sharpshooter Malik Beasley, who is under federal investigation for gambling allegations, Robert Snell of The Detroit News takes a deep dive into court records that paint a picture of Beasley’s financial issues in recent years. According to Snell, Beasley owed debts to his landlord, barber, and dentist, and pledged his current and future NBA contracts as collateral last August when he signed a deal with a Florida firm for a bridge loan.
Jaxson Robinson To Sign Exhibit 10 Deal With Cavs
Undrafted rookie Jaxson Robinson has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express tweets.
The well-traveled Robinson played for four Division I teams during his college career. He suited up for Texas A&M, Arkansas and BYU before winding up at Kentucky last season.
He started 24 games for the Wildcats, averaging 13 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 28 minutes per game. He shot 43.2 percent from the field and 37.6 percent on 3-point tries.
Robinson’s season was cut short by an injury. He suffered a torn ECU tendon in his right wrist during a practice collision in February and underwent surgery in early March.
Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed but include bonuses of up to $85K if the player is waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate. In Robinson’s case, that G League team would be the Cleveland Charge. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals, so Davis will try to make his case for a promotion during Summer League and training camp.
Trentyn Flowers Accepts Two-Way QO From Clippers
Clippers forward Trentyn Flowers has accepted the two-way qualifying offer tendered to him over the weekend, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Flowers logged just 27 total minutes in six games at the NBA level as a rookie in 2024/25, but played a more significant role in the G League. In 42 outings last season with the San Diego Clippers, L.A.’s NBAGL affiliate, Flowers registered averages of 17.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest while connecting on 47.5% of his field goal attempts and 38.5% from distance.
Accepting the qualifying offer from the Clippers locks in a $85K partial guarantee for Flowers, but his two-way deal doesn’t count against the cap and teams often juggle those roster spots during the offseason, so it’s not a lock that he’ll open the season on the 18-man roster.
For now though, Flowers joins fellow Clippers Patrick Baldwin and Seth Lundy in occupying the club’s three two-way slots.
Mike Brown Considered Frontrunner For Knicks Job
Former Cavaliers, Lakers and Kings head coach Mike Brown is considered the favorite to become the Knicks‘ head coach, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
The New York Post reported on Monday that Brown would be the first candidate to receive a second interview. Brown has been in New York for the past two days, according to The Stein Line. They also report that the Knicks have been telling free agents since the market opened on Monday that their lengthy search to replace Tom Thibodeau is nearing an end.
However, Brown still needs a solid endorsement from Knicks owner James Dolan before he’ll get the job.
Taylor Jenkins, Micah Nori and James Borrego are also known to have interviewed for the head coaching position. Jenkins was let go by the Grizzlies late in the regular season. Nori is one of the Timberwolves top assistants, while Borrego is New Orleans’ associate head coach after a stint as the Hornets head coach.
One scenario that the Knicks are considering is hiring Brown as their new head coach and adding Borrego as Brown’s top assistant.
The Stein Line has also hears that Rick Brunson, father of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, is expected to remain part of the Knicks’ coaching staff, as well as some of Thibodeau’s other assistants.
Heat Sign Kasparas Jakucionis To Rookie Contract
The Heat have signed 2025 first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis to his rookie scale deal, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The former Illinois guard, selected with the No. 20 pick, will earn $3.66MM in 2025/26, and $17.7MM over the course of his first four pro seasons in the league.
The 19-year-old out of Lithuania began his career playing for his native Perlas Vilnius in 2020/21, before suiting up for FC Barcelona of the EuroLeague and Spanish ACB league (Liga ACB) from 2022-24. During his one year at Illinois, Jakucionis was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team.
Across 33 contests for the Illini in 2024/25, the 6’6″ wing averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.7 APG. He posted shooting splits of .440/.318/.845.
Jakucionis was Miami’s only draft pick last week. Last year’s Heat finished with a middling 37-45 record and the No. 10 seed in the East, but survived both their play-in tournament games to claim the conference’s final playoff spot. Miami was quickly swept by Cleveland in the first round.
Heat Sign-And-Trade Duncan Robinson To Pistons
July 7: The sign-and-trade deal sending Robinson from Miami to Detroit in exchange for Fontecchio is now official, according to a press release from the Pistons (Twitter link).
July 1: Free agent wing Duncan Robinson is headed to the Pistons on a three-year, $48MM contract via a sign-and-trade, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter). Detroit is sending backup forward Simone Fontecchio to Miami in the deal, Charania adds in another tweet.
While there are no options on the third year of the deal, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter links), it’s only partially guaranteed in year two and non-guaranteed in year three. Contracts signed via sign-and-trade must cover at least three seasons.
Robinson terminated his contract with the Heat in order to become a free agent. Had Robinson opted into the final year of his deal, his $19.9MM salary for ’25/26 would have become partially guaranteed for $9.9MM, which would have forced Miami to decide whether to guarantee his remaining $10MM or waive him in order to create $10MM in savings.
He’ll now join a Pistons team in need of shooting after losing Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder in free agency while their top three-point threat this past season and another unrestricted free agent, Malik Beasley, is under investigation on gambling allegations.
Beasley was said to be in serious talks with the Pistons about a three-year, $42MM contract before word broke about the gambling allegations. It seems that money – and potentially a little extra, if he plays out the full contract – is going to Robinson instead.
Detroit secured a two-year agreement on Monday with Hawks free agent wing Caris LeVert, who like Robinson played his college ball at the University of Michigan. The LeVert deal is expected to be completed using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Robinson, 31, brings one major talent to the table — the ability to stretch the floor. He has knocked down 39.7 percent of his three-point tries during his 423-game NBA regular-season career.
Robinson made 74 appearances this past season, half of which were starts. He averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 24.1 minutes per game. He shot 43.7 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from distance.
Fontecchio appeared in 75 games with the Pistons, all off the bench. He averaged 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game but made a disappointing 33.5 percent of his threes after knocking down 40.1 percent in 66 games with Utah and Detroit the previous season. Fontecchio has one year and $8.3MM left on his contract.
Detroit needed to send out at least $7.5MM in matching salary to make the sign-and-trade work and Fontecchio’s contract fits nicely, cap expert Yossi Gozlan notes (Twitter links). The Heat will also come out with a trade exception in the deal, which Gozlan estimates will be worth $6.9MM.
The Heat now have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, while the Pistons are still operating with a few open roster spots and plenty of spending flexibility below the tax threshold.
Missouri’s Tamar Bates Signs Two-Way Deal With Nuggets
July 1: The Nuggets have officially signed Bates to a two-way contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Denver’s other two-way slots remain open, though the club has a two-way qualifying offer on the table to Spencer Jones for one of them.
June 26: The Nuggets are signing Tamar Bates to a two-way contract, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones (Twitter link).
Bates played his first two collegiate seasons with Indiana before transferring to Missouri for his junior and senior years. In 2024/25, he averaged 13.3 points per game while posting an extremely impressive .508/.397/.946 shooting line.
The Nuggets did not make any draft picks, but according to the Denver Gazette’s Vinny Benedetto (Twitter link), there were situations where they looked at trying to get into both the first and second rounds. Bates is their first reported add of the 2025 undrafted class.
On his two-way contract, Bates will be eligible to appear in up to 50 regular season games for the Nuggets and will earn a salary ($636,435) worth half the rookie minimum if he sticks beyond the league-wide guarantee date in January.
Raptors Waive Jared Rhoden
The Raptors have waived guard Jared Rhoden, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. He had been on a two-way contract.
Rhoden, who also spent time with the Hornets in 2024/25, appeared in 10 games as a Raptor, averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .506/.324/.880.
The 6’5″ guard bumped up those averages to 19.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 31.4 MPG on .507/.393/.648 shooting in 26 regular season outings for the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate.
However, Rhoden has spent the past few months in recovery mode, having undergone surgery in April to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The Raptors announced at the time that his recovery timeline would likely be about four to six months, so he won’t be able to play in Summer League, but could catch on with a team for training camp.
Toronto now has a pair of players on two-way contracts, with carryover Ulrich Chomche joined by undrafted rookie Chucky Hepburn, who finalized his deal earlier today. The team still has one two-way slot available.