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.
Larry Nance Jr. Returns To Cavaliers
July 6: Nance has officially finalized his new deal with the Cavaliers, per a press release from the team.
July 1: Veteran forward Larry Nance Jr., who finished the season with the Hawks, is signing a free agent contract with the Cavaliers, Marc Stein of The Stein Line tweets.
It’s a one-year agreement, per ESPN. As a second-apron team, the Cavaliers can only offer Nance a veteran’s minimum deal.
The journeyman, an Ohio native, will enter his second stint with Cleveland. He played for the Cavaliers from 2017-21.
Nance, 32, appeared in just 24 games in his lone season with Atlanta after two-plus years with New Orleans. The big man underwent surgery for a broken bone in his right hand in January and had his season cut short by a knee ailment. He averaged 8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.
Nance has long been valued for his toughness, rebounding and locker room leadership. He could see action at both power positions behind starters Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Nance is taking a significant pay cut, as he made $11.2MM last season.
He had been the No. 44 free agent on our top-50 list.
Clippers Waive Drew Eubanks, Who Will Sign With Kings
The Clippers are waiving big man Drew Eubanks, whose $4.75MM salary for the coming season is non-guaranteed, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Eubanks has been officially placed on waivers, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
According to Charania, Eubanks intends to sign a one-year contract with the Kings once he clears waivers.
Eubanks, 28, opened the 2024/25 season with the Jazz and appeared in 37 games for the club, averaging 5.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 15.4 minutes per contest.
His playing time dropped off after being sent to the Clippers in a deadline deal — the 6’10” center averaged just 2.7 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 7.4 MPG across 24 appearances in Los Angeles and only saw garbage-time action in the playoffs for the Clippers.
Based on his nearly nonexistent role in L.A., Eubanks was always expected to be waived this offseason rather than seeing his $4.75MM salary become guaranteed.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Clippers now have a pair of roster spots open and are projected to operate about $5MM below the tax line and $12.5MM below the first tax apron. If they fill out their roster with a pair of minimum-salary players, they’ll remain out of tax territory, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).
As for the Kings, they’ll add some frontcourt depth after having agreed to trade backup center Jonas Valanciunas to Denver. I’d expect Eubanks’ new deal to be worth his minimum salary. A one-year, minimum deal would pay him about $3.08MM while carrying a $2.3MM cap hit for Sacramento.
Celtics Sign First-Round Pick Hugo Gonzalez
The Celtics have officially signed first-round draft pick Hugo Gonzalez, the team announced today in a press statement.
Gonzalez, a 6’6″ wing formerly with Real Madrid, was selected with the No. 28 pick at the end of the first round last Wednesday. On Monday, Real Madrid announced in its own press release that it had officially parted with Gonzalez, clearing the way for him to sign with Boston.
The Celtics noted in their statement that Gonzalez is the first Spanish player ever drafted by the 18-time world champs.
Gonzalez appeared in 69 total games for Real Madrid in 2024/25, splitting those tilts between the Spanish ACB league (Liga ACB), the Spanish Cup and the EuroLeague.
In 29 Spanish ACB league outings last season, the 19-year-old averaged 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. He’s not much of a long-range shooter yet, as he’s averaging just 27.1% on 1.1 three-point attempts per game across his three Real Madrid seasons.
If Gonzalez signs for the full 120% of his rookie scale amount, he’d make $2.83MM in year one and $14.3MM over the life of his four-year contract. However, it’s worth noting that Boston had been hoping to find a player at No. 28 who was willing to accept less than that maximum allowable 120% for cap reasons. Gonzalez may not have agreed to do so, but until we get the official numbers, it may be premature to lock in his salary figures.
FA Rumors: Rollins, Kings, Westbrook, Robinson, Pistons, Lakers, Horford
The Bucks are rescinding their qualifying offer to free agent guard Ryan Rollins, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Rollins opened the new league year as a restricted free agent, but this decision will make him unrestricted.
The move is probably more about maximizing the Bucks’ cap room than an indication the team no longer has no interest in retaining Rollins. Milwaukee is making a series of moves in order to open up the space necessary to sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $107MM contract.
Still, it means that the Bucks will no longer have the right of first refusal on Rollins, so he could sign outright with a new team without Milwaukee having a chance to match.
Rollins had a bit of a breakout season in 2024/25, registering averages of 6.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game, along with a shooting line of .487/.408/.800. He had only made 25 appearances across two NBA seasons prior to ’24/25.
We have several more items of interest relating to free agency:
- After reportedly discussing a deal with the Pistons, the Kings won’t be sending out Malik Monk as part of their Dennis Schröder addition, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter links). Schröder could still be acquired via sign-and-trade, since Sacramento has a trade exception large enough to accommodate his three-year, $45MM deal, but it sounds like he may end up just going into the team’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
- With Monk staying in Sacramento, the Kings are less likely to sign free agent point guard Russell Westbrook, Stein adds (via Twitter).
- After opting out of his contract on Sunday, free agent forward Duncan Robinson appears unlikely to return to the Heat, multiple league sources tell Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami is exploring sign-and-trade opportunities and the Pistons are among the interested teams, an Eastern Conference source tells the authors. Robinson is the franchise leader for most made three-pointers, but his playing time declined this season and the Heat may consider it too costly to bring him back. A contract agreement with Davion Mitchell gives Miami $173.8MM committed to 14 players for next season, about $14MM away from the luxury tax. Chiang and Jackson suggest the team might re-sign free agent Alec Burks to fill Robinson’s role as a three-point specialist.
- Signing Deandre Ayton once he clears waivers remains a possibility, but the Lakers are also exploring other options in free agency and trades, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Al Horford is getting “serious consideration” from both the Lakers and Warriors.
Arthur Hill contributed to this story.
Raptors Finalize Murray-Boyles, Hepburn Signings
The Raptors have officially signed No. 9 overall draft pick Collin Murray-Boyles and finalized their reported agreement with two-way player Chucky Hepburn, per a pair of team press releases.
An All-SEC second teamer during his 2024/25 sophomore season at South Carolina, Murray-Boyles notched averages of 16.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 2.4 APG across 32 contests. His 58.6% field goal percentage paced the conference.
Murray-Boyles, a 6’7″ forward, will earn $6.33MM during the first season of his rookie scale deal and a total of $28.82MM across his first four pro years.
Despite being the 2025 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-ACC First Teamer at Louisville as a senior last year, Hepburn went undrafted last week. The 6’2″ guard was quickly snagged by Toronto. Across 34 games in 2024/25, Hepburn averaged 16.4 PPG, 5.8 APG and 3.5 RPG.
As a two-way player, Hepburn will likely split his time between Toronto and the team’s G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He’ll be eligible to suit up for 50 regular season contests with Toronto before the team would need to elevate him to its standard roster.
Celtics Sign Josh Minott To Two-Year Deal
July 7: The Celtics have officially signed Minott, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
July 1: The Celtics and free agent forward Josh Minott have agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth $5MM, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The contract includes a team option, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets.
It’s the second time in two days the Celtics have agreed to a two-year, minimum-salary contract with a former Timberwolf who had his team option declined by Minnesota over the weekend — Boston also struck a deal with big man Luka Garza on Monday.
Minott, 22, was the 45th overall pick by Charlotte in 2022 and was traded to Minnesota on draft night. He was never able to earn a rotation spot with the Wolves, appearing in 93 total games in three seasons, including 46 this year, with career averages of 2.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.0 minutes per night.
The addition of Minott brings the Celtics’ roster to 15 players and pushes their projected team salary slightly back over the second tax apron, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). Boston won’t ultimately operate in second-apron territory and could duck back under by simply waiving a player on a non-guaranteed salary, though additional moves are likely.
Latest On Knicks’ Head Coaching Search
2:29 pm: The Knicks have been telling potential free agent targets that they’re nearing a resolution in their coaching search, per Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
8:54 am: Mike Brown‘s second interview for the Knicks‘ head coaching vacancy will take place on Tuesday, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who reports (via Twitter) that team owner James Dolan will be part of that meeting.
As Begley observes, it’s common for a team’s owner to sit in on interviews during the late stages of a head coaching search, so Dolan’s involvement may suggest the Knicks are getting close to making a decision.
NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link) confirms that the Knicks’ interest in hiring Brown has “intensified,” though Begley cautions that it remains possible that other candidates could come in for second interviews. In particular, the club is considering bringing back Pelicans assistant James Borrego and Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for second meetings, reports James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
One scenario that has emerged as a possibility, according to Stein, is Borrego joining the Knicks as Brown’s top assistant if the former Kings head coach gets the job. As Begley notes (via Twitter), there would be some hurdles to clear in that scenario, since Borrego is already under contract as the associate head coach in New Orleans.
Outside of Brown, Borrego, and Nori, the only other candidate confirmed to have interviewed for the job was former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins. The Knicks haven’t ruled out the possibility of interviewing him a second time, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
Interestingly, Jeremiah Donati, the athletic director at the University of South Carolina, confirmed that the Knicks reached out to the Gamecocks’ women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley to touch base about their head coaching position, per Talia Goodman of On3 Sports (Twitter link). That development was first reported by Knicks Fan TV (Substack link).
It’s unclear if Staley had a formal interview for the job, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. According to Edwards, she isn’t considered a finalist for the Knicks’ position, even though she “impressed” in their conversation.
Cavaliers Sign Tyrese Proctor
Second-round pick Tyrese Proctor has signed with the Cavaliers, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
It’s a four-year, $8.69MM contract with full guarantees for the first two seasons, a partial guarantee for the third and a team option in the final year, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Proctor was a third-team All-ACC selection this year at Duke, where he averaged 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 38 games. The native of New South Wales is a product of the NBA Global Academy, which he attended in 2021, and a member of the Australian national team.
Proctor, who was selected at No. 49, is Cleveland’s highest draft pick this season. Having him fill a standard roster spot on a rookie contract rather than giving him a two-way deal will provide financial benefits for a Cavs team that is hovering near the second apron.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams Undergoes Wrist Surgery
July 1: Williams underwent surgery to address a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, the Thunder confirmed in a press release on Tuesday. According to the team, he’ll be reevaluated in about 12 weeks. That would be roughly a week before training camp begins.
June 30: Thunder guard Jalen Williams will undergo surgery to fix a torn ligament in his right wrist, according to Rylan Stiles of the Locked on Thunder podcast (Twitter links).
General manager Sam Presti made the announcement today, revealing that Williams played two months with the injury. Presti added that the surgery was expected once the playoffs ended and said it’s impressive that Williams “kept moving along with no excuses and obviously played his best basketball down the stretch of the season.”
He added that Williams should be ready when next season tips off.
Williams made his first All-Star appearance this year and turned in the best season of his career, averaging 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 69 games. He was a third-team All-NBA selection and a second team All-Defensive honoree.
He was also one of the stars of Oklahoma City’s championship run, contributing a 40-point outburst in a Game 5 win over Indiana in the NBA Finals and averaging 23.6 PPG for the series.
Williams will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer that could cement his long-term future with the Thunder. He’ll make $6.58MM next season.