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.
Wizards To Sign Keshon Gilbert To Exhibit 10 Contract
Iowa State point guard Keshon Gilbert will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wizards, according to Sean Cunningham of KCRA in Sacramento (Twitter link).
Gilbert, 21, transferred in 2023 after playing his first two collegiate seasons at UNLV. He was a second team All-Big 12 selection in 2024 and a third-team choice this year, averaging 13.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 29 games as a senior.
Gilbert suffered a late-season groin injury that forced him to miss the Cyclones’ final seven games and the NCAA Tournament. He recovered in time to participate in May’s G League Elite Camp and the rest of the pre-draft process.
He was ranked 84th by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic on his list of this year’s top 100 draft prospects.
Gilbert is the second undrafted player to agree to terms with Washington since the draft ended, joining St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond.
With an Exhibit 10 deal, Gilbert can earn a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals.
Cavaliers, Norchad Omier Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal
Baylor forward Norchad Omier has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, sources tell Sean Cunningham of KCRA in Sacramento (Twitter link).
Omier, 23, played for the Bears this season after spending two years at Miami (Florida) and two at Arkansas State. He averaged 15.7 points and 10.8 rebounds in 35 games and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection, as well as a member of the conference’s All-Newcomer Team.
Omier collected various honors during his five years of college basketball, including being named Sun Belt Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He was the first native of Nicaragua to earn a Division I basketball scholarship when he signed with Arkansas State in 2020. He’s also a member of the Nicaraguan national team.
The Exhibit 10 language means Omier could earn a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate. Exhibit 10s can also be converted into two-way deals if Omier makes a strong impression in training camp.
Knicks To Sign Dink Pate
G League guard Dink Pate has reached an agreement with the Knicks, sources tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). No details are provided, but it appears likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal.
Pate, 19, played this season with the Mexico City Capitanes, averaging 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34 games. He was selected to participate in this year’s Next Up event at All-Star Weekend.
Pate was the fourth-best player remaining among undrafted free agents, according to ESPN’s big board. He was listed as the 71st-best draft prospect by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
A five-star player coming out of high school, Pate opted to sign a two-year deal with G League Ignite rather than play college basketball. When the Ignite shut down after last season, he tried to enter to the 2024 NBA draft but was denied a waiver due to his age.
Pate will join the Knicks next month for the Las Vegas Summer League, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Las Vegas Summer League Schedule Set
The NBA has announced the schedule for the annual Las Vegas Summer League, which will run from July 10-20. All 76 games will be televised either on one of ESPN’s platforms or on NBA TV, the league stated in a press release.
New Orleans and Minnesota will tip things off with a game starting at 2:30 p.m. CT July 10. The Pelicans have a pair of lottery picks in point guard Jeremiah Fears and big man Derik Queen, while the Timberwolves will feature French center Joan Beringer.
The main attraction in Las Vegas will be No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who will make his debut when the Mavericks face the Lakers at 7 p.m. CT July 10. According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link), Flagg is expected to play in Dallas’ first two games, which will include a matchup with No. 2 selection Dylan Harper and the Spurs at 3 p.m. CT July 12.
“I want to put him at point guard,” coach Jason Kidd said. “… I’m excited to give him the ball against the Lakers and see what happens.”
All 30 teams will participate in the Las Vegas tournament, which has become the NBA’s premier summer showcase, both for on-court action and off-court meetings. Established players, agents and team executives gather in the city, and deals often get done during the event.
After each team plays four times, the top four will advance to the playoffs, while the others will be given one more game. ESPN will televise the semifinal doubleheader at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. CT July 19, along with the championship game at 9 p.m. CT July 20.
Sixers’ Andre Drummond Opting In For 2025/26
Sixers center Andre Drummond has decided to pick up his $5MM player option for the 2025/26 season, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The move locks in Drummond’s salary for next season and lines up him to return to the unrestricted free agent market in the summer of 2026.
Drummond initially signed a two-year, $10MM contract with Philadelphia last offseason. The Sixers made him a priority in free agency after coming to terms with Paul George on a maximum-salary contract because they wanted to make sure they had a reliable veteran backup for Joel Embiid.
As it turned out, Embiid played just 19 games in 2024/25 due to a knee issue, but Drummond battled health problems of his own, with a nagging toe injury limiting him to 40 appearances, including 23 starts. He averaged 7.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 18.8 minutes per game.
While Drummond, one of the NBA’s all-time best rebounders, continues to grab boards at an elite level, the Sixers struggled during mightily during his minutes this past season, posting a net rating of -15.5 when he was on the court. Of course, Philadelphia had a poor season all around in ’24/25, but the team had a more respectable -4.3 net rating when Drummond didn’t play.
Drummond is one of three Sixers veterans holding player options for next season. The team is still waiting on decisions from Kelly Oubre ($8.4MM) and Eric Gordon ($3.5MM).
Philadelphia now has five players on guaranteed salaries for 2025/26. Those five players – Embiid, George, Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Drummond – will earn a combined $154MM, which is right around where the salary cap is projected to come in.
Knicks Notes: Free Agency, Diawara, Borrego, Coaching Search
Memphis shooting guard Luke Kennard and Detroit point guard Dennis Schröder are among the targets the Knicks could pursue in free agency, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Those are probably the best-case scenarios for New York given its limited resources, and there should be league-wide demand for both players, so the team may have to consider other options.
As Edwards explains, assuming they pick up Ariel Hukporti‘s $1.96MM option and decline a $3.5MM option on P.J. Tucker, the Knicks will have 10 players under contract with a total payroll of $196.3MM, which is already above the first apron and a little more than $10MM away from the second apron.
That leaves New York with the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception and minimum-salary contracts to fill out the roster, possibly along with second-round pick Mohamed Diawara.
Other free agents Edwards mentions as MLE possibilities are Cleveland guard Ty Jerome, Phoenix guard Tyus Jones and former Orlando guard Gary Harris. He adds that Knicks free agents Landry Shamet and Delon Wright could return on minimum salaries and points to Charlotte guard Seth Curry and Indiana center Thomas Bryant as other potential minimum-salary additions.
There’s more from New York:
- The Knicks haven’t decided if Diawara, a 20-year-old French power forward, will be with the team next season or if he’ll be stashed overseas, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. A league source tells Bondy that the Frenchman is expected to play in the Las Vegas Summer League next month. Diawara didn’t put up great numbers in France this season, but Bondy notes that the Knicks are intrigued by his athleticism and his 7’4″ wingspan. Bondy also hears that New York attempted to trade up for the top pick in the second round to grab St. Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming, who went to Phoenix instead.
- Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego‘s interview for the Knicks’ coaching vacancy will take place this weekend, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). He’ll be the fourth candidate to interview, joining Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown and Micah Nori.
- Andy Miller, an NBA agent who represents several members of the Mavericks‘ coaching staff, recently criticized the Knicks for their unusual approach to their coaching search, which included asking permission to interview five head coaches who are already under contract, per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. “I don’t really know where Jason Kidd is in his process with the Knicks,” Miller said on Sirius XM Radio, “because I don’t really know what the process is with the Knicks. … I don’t even know if the Knicks know what their process is.”
Suns’ Booker Considered Likely To Sign Two-Year Extension
After predicting during ESPN’s draft broadcast on Thursday that Devin Booker and the Suns would come to an agreement on a contract extension this offseason, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reiterated that point in stronger terms during a Friday appearance on Get Up (YouTube link).
“We have big positive news potentially coming here for the Suns,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “Devin Booker is in position to sign a two-year, $150MM extension. … He is expected to get that offer and to sign it.
“The Suns have some work to do on this roster, but Booker has been highly engaged with them this offseason on their coaching search and their Kevin Durant trade.”
While there was some speculation from outside the organization that the Suns might consider the idea of trading Booker this offseason, it doesn’t sound like that was an option the front office ever considered. The Suns stressed both publicly and privately that they planned to continue building around the four-time All-Star guard going forward.
As Windhorst notes, reporting at the time of Jordan Ott‘s hiring as Phoenix’s new head coach indicated that Booker was heavily involved in the process and gave the former Cavaliers assistant his stamp of approval.
Booker still has three years and $171MM left on his current super-max contract, but he’s eligible to sign another extension as of July 6, since it will have been three years since he finalized that previous deal. A new contract would begin at a projected $72MM in 2029/30, based on 10% annual cap increases, with an 8% raise to $77.8MM in ’30/31. It would cover his age-32 and age-33 seasons.
Asked about his contract situation in April, Booker didn’t explicitly state he would sign that extension if it were put on the table, but certainly suggested he’d welcome it. He told reporters it’s “nice to be up for an extension” and that it’s “always a pleasure” to be wanted for more years.
If Booker finalizes that two-year extension this offseason, it would set a new NBA record for the highest annual salary of any single contract, though the exact value would remain up in the air until the ’29/30 cap is officially set in four years.