Celtics Explore Flipping Anfernee Simons, Georges Niang
Neither Anfernee Simons nor Georges Niang is technically a member of the Celtics yet, as the deals sending them to Boston won’t become official until July. However, the Celtics have explored the idea of flipping Simons to a new team, according to Jay King of The Athletic, who reports that Niang is also a candidate to be moved before the 2025/26 season.
Brian Robb of MassLive.com has published a similar report, citing sources who say Boston is expected to remain active in the trade market and will explore its options with players like Simons and Niang.
As both King and Robb explain, a desire to retain free agent centers Al Horford and Luke Kornet is one reason why the Celtics are motivated to continue making moves to create more cap flexibility.
After agreeing to send out Jrue Holiday to Portland in a deal for Simons and Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta in a trade for Niang, Boston projects to operate a little below the second tax apron, but would almost certainly have to go back above that threshold in order to re-sign Horford and Kornet.
The Celtics also appear hopeful about the possibility of moving below the luxury tax line entirely, writes King, since that would be a first step toward taking the team out of repeater taxpayer territory for future seasons (two years out of the tax are required to reset the repeater clock).
Getting below the tax line would require shedding at least $15MM-ish in additional salary, and more than that in order to re-sign Horford and Kornet.
As King observes, it likely wouldn’t be difficult to move off Sam Hauser, whose $10MM salary for 2025/26 would neatly fit into a team’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception. However, the Celtics have been more focused on scenarios that would allow them to hang onto the sharpshooting wing.
A trade involving Jaylen Brown or Derrick White could provide an avenue to significant cap savings, but multiple reports have suggested the Celtics would need to be blown away to consider moving either player. VP of basketball operations Mike Zarren told reporters on Thursday “there hasn’t been anything close to serious about trading” Brown or White, adding that “those guys are key parts of our team, and we’re lucky to have them here.”
Thunder To Sign Zack Austin, Chris Youngblood
The 2025 champion Thunder have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal with Pitt forward Zack Austin, reports Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress (Twitter link). They will also sign Alabama guard Chris Youngblood to an Exhibit 10 deal, Blake Byler writes for BamaOnLine.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed agreement that could be converted to a two-way deal before the season or puts the player in line for a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.
Austin is a 6’7″ forward who played the last two seasons for Pitt after transferring from High Point University in North Carolina. He was named to the ACC All-Defensive team this season after averaging 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. He also contributed 9.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest while making 38.1% of his three-point attempts and 90.2% of his free throws. Those numbers were significantly up from his career averages of 33.5% from three and 78.2% from the line.
A high-level athlete with a great motor, Austin’s block percentage of 6.1% ranked 7th in the ACC, and was first among players shorter than 6’10”.
Youngblood is a 6’4″ fifth-year senior who is a career 39.3% three-point shooter with Kennesaw State, South Florida, and Alabama. He averaged 10.3 points per game for the Crimson Tide after starting slow due to an ankle injury. His defining performance for Alabama came in the Round of 16 against BYU, where he scored 19 points and made five three-pointers, helping the team advance to the Elite Eight.
The Thunder previously agreed to a deal with Iowa shooting wing Payton Sandfort.
Southwest Notes: Flagg, Wells, Rockets, Tanke
Most No. 1 picks go to teams that are completely reliant on their transcendent play, but that’s not the case for Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks. That’s something Flagg is excited to take advantage of, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who notes that the former Duke star referred to it as a “blessing” not to be the immediate centerpiece of a rebuilding franchise.
In his introductory press conference on Friday, Flagg discussed how much he’s looking forward to learning from champions and veterans like Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson.
“I’m just looking forward to being a sponge. Just getting down here, I’m excited to just learn, soak it all in, and learn from the guys that are older and have been through it all before,” he said. “Those guys have so much knowledge. They’ve been through so much, and they have so much experience that it’s just going to be an incredible opportunity for me to learn and grow under them.”
Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison is excited about Flagg’s ability to work as a two-timeline linchpin.
“We’re in win-now mode, and so he adds to that, but he’s also the future of the franchise,” Harrison says.
We have more from the Southwest division:
- Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is looking forward to taking advantage of Flagg’s impressive versatility, which he says will be tested in summer league, as Kidd plans on possibly using him as a point guard to see what he can do, writes Grant Afseth for Dallas Hoops Journal. “I want to put him at the point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts,” Kidd says. “It is all right to fail. It is all right to turn the ball over.” Kidd sees Flagg’s development unfolding in a similar manner to how he approached the development of Giannis Antetokounmpo during Kidd’s time as the Bucks’ head coach.
- According to general manager Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies‘ somewhat unexpected trade of Desmond Bane was influenced in part by contributions from an unexpected source, per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commerical Appeal (via Twitter). “Jaylen’s emergence was a significant part of it,” Kleiman said of rookie wing Jaylen Wells. After being drafted 39th in the 2024 draft, Wells emerged as a primary wing defender and off-ball shooter, helping stabilize a lineup that was looking for answers at the wing position.
- The Rockets have hired Ryan Tanke as their chief operating officer, writes Danielle Lerner for the Houston Chronicle. Tanke was the COO for the Timberwolves and WNBA affiliate Lynx for the past six years, and had been in the organization for 27 years in total before stepping down as the franchise transitions to a new ownership group. One of his responsibilities in Houston will be overseeing the upcoming renovations to the Toyota Center, which Lerner writes is estimated to require $635MM in maintenance over the next 20 years.
Sixers Re-Sign Justin Edwards To Three-Year Deal
July 6: Edwards has officially re-signed with the 76ers, according to NBA.com’s transaction log. Edwards’ deal includes a third-year team option, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
June 27: The Sixers will decline their minimum-salary team option on forward Justin Edwards in order to sign him to a new three-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Charania, the new deal will pay Edwards roughly $2MM in 2025/26 and will be fully guaranteed for the first two years.
Edwards, who will turn 22 this December, joined the Sixers last summer as an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky. He opened the season on a two-way deal before being promoted to the standard roster after the trade deadline in February.
The 6’7″ forward had an impressive rookie year in Philadelphia, averaging 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.0 steal in 26.3 minutes per game across 44 outings (26 starts). He registered a shooting line of .455/.363/.696.
The Sixers will have the ability to complete this deal with Edwards using his Non-Bird rights. While it sounds like it might be worth the veteran’s minimum (which is projected to start at $2,048,494 for a second-year player in ’25/26), the minimum salary exception can only be used for deals of up to two years.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Edwards’ deal includes a team option in year three, since that would give the Sixers the ability to make him a restricted free agent in 2027 instead of having to take him to unrestricted free agency in 2028.
Coleman Hawkins Expected To Attend Warriors’ Training Camp
Former Illinois and Kansas State forward Coleman Hawkins is expected to attend training camp with the Warriors, a source tells Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 (Twitter link). He’ll also play for the Warriors’ Summer League team, tweets Bryan Kalbrosky of USA Today.
While Goodman doesn’t provide any specifics on Hawkins’ potential contract with Golden State, a training camp invitee would typically receive an Exhibit 10 deal, which is a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum contract that doesn’t count toward the cap unless the player makes the regular season roster.
After spending four years with the Fighting Illini, Hawkins transferred to Kansas State in 2024 ahead of his final college season. He filled up the stat sheet as a full-time starter for the Wildcats, averaging 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game, though he did struggle to score efficiently, shooting 40.1% from the field (30.3% on three-pointers) and 57.7% from the free throw line.
Hawkins, who wasn’t ranked among this year’s top 100 draft-eligible prospects by ESPN or The Athletic, is the third undrafted rookie reported to have a potential camp deal in place with Golden State, joining LJ Cryer and Chance McMillian.
Former No. 2 Pick Jabari Parker Signs With KK Partizan
Jabari Parker, who was selected between Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid in the 2014 NBA draft, has signed a new two-year contract with KK Partizan, the Belgrade-based club announced today in a press release.
Parker’s deal will include NBA outs, according to his agency, Priority Sports (Twitter link). The veteran forward hasn’t been on an NBA roster since being waived by Boston in January 2022, but if an opportunity does arise, it sounds like he’ll have the ability to pursue it.
Parker appeared in 310 regular season games from 2014-22 for Milwaukee, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Sacramento, and Boston, averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 27.5 minutes per night, with a .494/.326/.743 shooting line. Injuries were an issue for the former Duke star during his time in the NBA, as he tore his left ACL twice — once as a rookie in 2014, then again in 2017.
Parker, who is still just 30 years old, has spent the last two seasons playing for FC Barcelona in Spain. He made the All-Liga ACB second team in 2025 after averaging 13.0 PPG and 3.8 RPG with an .514/.483/.784 shooting line in 33 Liga ACB (Spanish League) games. He was also productive in EuroLeague play, with averages of 13.9 PPG and 4.1 RPG on .489/.386/.837 shooting.
Barcelona and Parker mutually agreed to part ways earlier this month, ending a contract that had originally been set to run through the 2025/26 season.
Jazz Say Ace Bailey Will Report To Team On Saturday
3:30 pm: Bailey plans to report to the Jazz on Saturday, a team representative confirms to Givony.
“We’ve had good communication with Ace Bailey and his representatives,” that team rep told ESPN. “We feel good about everything. Ace and his family are coming to Utah tomorrow. We’ll have a press conference Sunday, and a practice Monday.”
2:00 pm: A Thursday report indicated that Ace Bailey‘s representatives advised at least one team with a top-five pick not to draft him. However, Jazz vice president of player development Avery Bradley didn’t sound concerned on Thursday night about the possibility that Utah is that team or that the No. 5 overall pick won’t report for Summer League training camp next week, per Tony Jones of The Athletic.
“For me, it is my understanding that all of our draft picks will be here this weekend and preparing for Summer League,” Bradley said, per Tony Jones of The Athletic, before going on to address the rumors that Utah wasn’t one of Bailey’s preferred landing spots.
“… I think there is always going to be outside noise. But Ace’s dream was to get drafted, and he’s blessed to have been drafted by the Utah Jazz. We are excited to have him. We are excited to get him here and excited to get him a part of our family, so he can begin to show who he is as a player.”
An unorthodox pre-draft process – Bailey was believed to be the only prominent U.S. player who didn’t visit any NBA teams before the draft – led to widespread speculation that representatives for the former Rutgers wing were angling to get him to a certain destination and avoiding certain others — including, possibly, Utah.
That speculation has since been fueled by a couple factors. For one, Bailey’s primary representative and manager Omar Cooper spoke to Jonathan Givony and Tim Bontemps about his client’s lack of pre-draft workouts for ESPN’s story on Thursday, but declined to comment when asked about the Jazz or Bailey’s future with the team.
Comments made by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst during a late-night SportsCenter appearance (YouTube link) after round two on Thursday also raised some eyebrows.
“(Bailey) did not go to Utah today. Walter Clayton, their other first-round draft pick, did go to Utah today,” Windhorst said. “Now the Jazz have said that’s not an issue. They allow their new players to go home. But he will be expected to be there on Monday when their Summer League training camp begins. So, let’s see.
“One thing I will tell you with confidence: (Jazz CEO) Danny Ainge and his son (president of basketball operations) Austin (Ainge) are not going to bend here. They’re not going to get pushed around. They do not care what the situation might bring. So the idea that they are going to pressure the Jazz into something, I don’t think will be successful for Ace Bailey and his operation. But let’s see how the next 72 hours plays out.”
During that SportsCenter hit and in a subsequent appearance on Friday’s episode of ESPN’s Get Up (YouTube link), Windhorst made it clear he believes Bailey will report to the Jazz sooner or later, even if Utah wasn’t at the top of his wish list. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t give the 18-year-old much leverage, and if he were to hold out, he’d be jeopardizing a first-year salary worth a projected $9.07MM.
Appearing on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (YouTube link), Jazz owner Ryan Smith indicated he was sympathetic to Bailey’s desire to end up elsewhere, but believes the young forward will come around on Utah once he visits for the first time and becomes part of the Jazz.
“Naturally, he doesn’t have a lot of experience out west here with Utah,” Smith said (hat tip to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). “That’s our job to make him love it. I’m confident in our state and he’ll feel love like he’s never felt before. And the reality is, there is nothing Ace and others can’t accomplish here.
“… I think the picture is our head can lead us to a really weird spot,” Smith continued. “It limits all the opportunities in front of us. It is natural to feel uncomfortable. I think if you went down the entire draft board and said, ‘What is everyone’s preferred destination?’ It is probably not the right move for them that they think it is in their head.”
For what it’s worth, nothing Bailey said during his draft interviews on Wednesday suggested he was unhappy about being drafted by Utah, so if there’s any resistance to the Jazz pick, it may be coming from his representation — or at least one faction of his representation, since there are a few cooks in the kitchen.
Cooper has been acting as Bailey’s de facto lead rep, but he’s not an NBA-certified agent. Adie Von Gontard (Young Money APAA) and Daniel Green (GSE Worldwide), who work for two different firms, are officially listed as Bailey’s agents.
Another one of Bailey’s representatives, Andrew Witlieb, the president of sports marketing at GSE Worldwide, said on Thursday’s episode of Front Office Sports Today (YouTube link) that his client is “absolutely” excited to play for the Jazz.
“He’s thrilled to be going to Utah,” Witlieb said. “… We think he can do a lot of great things out there. He certainly should get a ton of playing time, and he’ll have a lot of chances to show what he can do. We think it’s a great situation for him basketball-wise.”
The Jazz will be participating in the Salt Lake City Summer League beginning on July 5, prior to the Las Vegas Summer League on July 10. So it shouldn’t be long before we find out whether this situation escalates further or turns into a non-story.
Sixers Declining Jared Butler’s Team Option
The Sixers will turn down Jared Butler‘s $2.35MM team option for the 2025/26 season, reports Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Friday represented the deadline for the club to make its decision.
Butler, a 6’3″ point guard who will turn 25 in August, was the 40th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has played for four teams – Utah, Oklahoma City, Washington, and Philadelphia – since entering the NBA. He was traded from the Wizards to the Sixers in February along with four second-round picks in a deal that sent Reggie Jackson and a “least favorable” 2026 first-round pick to Washington.
Butler had his best NBA season in 2024/25 in Washington and Philadelphia, appearing in 60 total games for the two teams and averaging 9.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .448/.355/.824.
It’s unclear whether Butler will still be in the 76ers’ plans after the team declines his option. Because he has four years of NBA service, the former Baylor standout is ineligible for a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent.
That doesn’t mean Philadelphia can’t or won’t re-sign him, but the club added No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe this week to an increasingly crowded backcourt, so the front office will likely have other priorities in free agency.
The 76ers also hold team options on Lonnie Walker ($2.94MM) and Justin Edwards ($1.96MM). Those decisions are due by Sunday.
Rockets Plan To Re-Sign Aaron Holiday, Jae’Sean Tate, Jeff Green
2:43 pm: Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle (subscription required) confirms that the Rockets will decline Holiday’s option and have tentative agreements in place to retain Holiday, Tate, and Green.
She adds that the team expects to have its full non-taxpayer mid-level exception available, which points toward Landale being waived before his $8MM salary becomes guaranteed, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
12:26 pm: The Rockets don’t intend to let guard Aaron Holiday, swingman Jae’Sean Tate, or forward Jeff Green walk in free agency, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Charania reports that Houston’s plan is to bring back all three players, re-signing them to new contracts.
While Tate and Green are headed for unrestricted free agency, the Rockets hold a team option on Holiday worth roughly $4.9MM. Charania’s report suggests Houston plans to turn down that option in order to bring back the 28-year-old on a new deal.
Holiday, Green, and Tate have all spent multiple seasons with the Rockets, but played fewer minutes in 2024/25 than they had in the past as the team’s young core continued to come into its own.
Holiday averaged 5.5 points and 1.3 assists in 12.8 minutes per game across 62 appearances, with a .437/.398/.829 shooting line; Tate logged a career-low 11.3 MPG in 52 games, contributing 3.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG; and Green put up 5.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 12.4 MPG across 32 outings (three starts).
Despite their modest roles, it seems as if Holiday, Tate, and Green still hold real appeal to the Rockets, though I wouldn’t be surprised if all three players return on minimum-salary contracts. Tate’s deal will be for one year, likely at the veteran’s minimum, confirms Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets, bringing back the trio on minimum deals would allow Houston to hang onto Jock Landale‘s $8MM contract and stay out of tax territory. The big man’s salary is scheduled to become guaranteed if he remains under contract through Sunday.
If Landale is let go, the Rockets could use a chunk of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception without going into the tax.
Nets Waive Maxwell Lewis
The Nets announced on Friday that they have requested waivers on forward Maxwell Lewis, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).
The 40th pick in the 2023 draft out of Pepperdine, Lewis spent his rookie season with the Lakers and then opened the ’24/25 campaign in Los Angeles before being sent to Brooklyn in December as part of the D’Angelo Russell/Dorian Finney-Smith trade.
Lewis was limited to 21 appearances for Brooklyn after fracturing his tibia in his first game as a Net. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game, with a .422/.380/.700 shooting line.
Lewis’ contract called for a $2,221,677 salary for 2025/26, but only $100K of that amount was guaranteed. Brooklyn had to waive him before Sunday in order to avoid locking in the full guarantee.
Unless Lewis is claimed on waivers this weekend, the Nets will carry that $100K on their cap for the 2025/26 season, which will cut into their projected room by a very small amount when the new league year begins.