Sixers Notes: Gordon, Dowtin, Edwards, Grimes
Veteran guard Eric Gordon can get guaranteed money if he exercises his player option before free agency. However, Gordon might have a limited role if he returns to the Sixers.
Gordon holds a $3.4MM player option but he’s coming off a disappointing and injury-marred season. The veteran wing 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%), Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. He only appeared in 39 games before undergoing season-ending arthroscopic right wrist surgery on Feb. 26.
“It was tough, because I wanted to play as many games as I can,” Gordon said.
Here’s more on the Sixers:
- Jeff Dowtin remained on a two-way contract as the season ended even though he appeared in 41 games, including three starts. Dowtin averaged 7.0 points in 15.1 minutes per night. “I’m just a hard worker, a go-getter no matter what,” he told Pompey, who considers whether there’s a place for the guard in Philadelphia going forward. “There’s always going to be obstacles that come in front of you. There’s always going to be things that you don’t like. Things are never going to always go your way. But it’s just how I’m built for different things, different obstacles.”
- Undrafted rookie forward Justin Edwards was one of the few pleasant surprises in an otherwise disappointing season for the Sixers. Edwards had his two-way contract converted to a standard deal after he emerged as a regular contributor — he averaged 10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 44 games, including 26 starts. Philadelphia holds a $2MM option 0n his contract for next season, but he’s positioned himself to be a part of the long-term future, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I was able to get an opportunity early,” he said. “I just made the best out of the opportunity, and it all worked out for me.” The 76ers could sign Edwards to a longer-term deal by turning down his option and making him a restricted free agent.
- Quentin Grimes thrived after being acquired from Dallas in midseason. What kind of contract could Grimes receive in restricted free agency? Spotrac contributor Keith Smith believes a four-year, $80MM deal might work for both sides, unless the Nets — who will have ample cap space — decide to blow the Sixers out of the water with a much bigger offer.
Spurs’ Stephon Castle Wins Rookie Of Year Award
Stephon Castle won a national championship with the University of Connecticut in his lone college season. The 20-year-old guard has now earned a major individual accolade – the NBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, , the league announced in a press release.
Castle is the second consecutive San Antonio player to earn Rookie of the Year recognition. Victor Wembanyama captured the award last spring.
Castle appeared in all but one of the Spurs‘ games this season after being selected with the No. 4 overall pick last June. He averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 26.7 minutes per game. Castle, who started 47 games, shot 42.8% from the field.
Castle became a consistent offensive force as the season progressed and reached the 20-point mark 26 times. His post-All-Star averages were 17.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 5.0 APG in 30 games.
That was enough for him take down the top prize by a landslide over the two other finalists.
Top pick Zaccharie Risacher appeared in 75 games, including 73 starts, for the Hawks. The 6’8″ forward finished the season with averages of 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, shooting 45.8% from the field overall and 35.5% from long range. Risacher scored 30 or more points in four games.
Jaylen Wells proved to be a diamond in the rough for the Grizzlies. The 39th overall pick started 74 of the 79 games in which he played. Wells wasn’t a big part of Memphis’ offense but still averaged 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per night while taking on challenging defensive assignments.
Castle received 92 of a possible 100 votes from a global media panel and accumulated 482 points, according to the league (Twitter link). Risacher had five first-place votes and 245 points, while Wells received three first-place votes and 123 points.
Alex Sarr, Zach Edey, Kel’el Ware, Matas Buzelis, and Jared McCain also received votes. The required 65-game minimum doesn’t apply to Rookie of the Year voting, which is why a player like McCain, who suffered a season-ending injury after just 23 outings, was eligible.
Castle’s scoring average is the second lowest among ROY winners in the last 22 seasons. Only Malcolm Brogdon (2017) had a lower average (10.2 PPG) during that span.
Scotto’s Latest: Hawks, Green, D’Antoni, Suns, Nogues Gonzalez
As the Hawks seek a new head of basketball operations, their top targets are believed to be Tim Connelly of the Timberwolves and former Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms.
However, as previously reported, Connelly is expected to sign a new deal to remain in Minnesota. As for Myers, people around the NBA believe it would take a “significant” salary and the perfect fit for the current ESPN analyst to return to an NBA front office, Scotto writes.
Other candidates on Atlanta’s list of potential replacements for former GM Landry Fields include Magic senior advisor John Hammond and NBA G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim, league sources tell HoopsHype. Abdur-Rahim spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Hawks as a player, earning his lone All-Star nod in Atlanta.
Confirming a report from NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Scotto says the Hawks are parting ways with VP of pro personnel Grant Liffmann. Atlanta also isn’t expected to retain executive advisor Chris Emens, Scotto adds.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- The “prevailing expectation” is that Willie Green will keep his job as the Pelicans‘ head coach entering the 2025/26 season, league sources tell Scotto. However, he hears that New Orleans won’t be retaining coaching advisor Mike D’Antoni, who has been with the organization in that role since 2021.
- The “strong belief” around the NBA is that the Suns will be seeking a young, first-time head coach to replace Mike Budenholzer, according to Scotto, who identifies Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott and Thunder assistant Dave Bliss as two candidates expected to receive consideration. Ott was a finalist a year ago for the head coaching opening in Charlotte, while Bliss is the coordinator of an Oklahoma City defense that was the league’s best in 2024/25.
- After earning All-Defensive honors in the G League this season with the Rip City Remix, guard Isaac Nogues Gonzalez – one of 106 early entrants in the 2025 NBA draft – intends to keep his name in the draft pool, Scotto reports. He turned down a multiyear offer to play for Club Joventut Badalona in Spain, agent Michael Naiditch informs HoopsHype.
Jimmy Butler Talks Pelvic Injury, Back-And-Forth With Brooks
After missing Game 3 of the Warriors‘ first-round series vs. Houston due to a pelvic contusion, Jimmy Butler was back on the floor for Game 4 on Monday and played a key role in Golden State’s narrow victory. Speaking to reporters after the game, the star forward admitted he was in “a lot of pain,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“Did you see me on that chase-down of Dillon Brooks?” Butler asked Anthony Slater of The Athletic, referencing a second-quarter play when he had to sprint after Brooks to stop the Rockets forward from finishing an easy break-away layup (video link).
Butler got there and committed a foul to prevent the basket, but his mobility looked compromised and he wasn’t running full-speed, as he acknowledged after the game.
As Slater relays, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Butler would “probably miss another week or two” as a result of his injury if this were the regular season, which Butler didn’t dispute. “But it’s the playoffs and he’s Jimmy Butler,” Kerr said. “This is what he does.”
“He played through the injury,” teammate Draymond Green added, per Youngmisuk. “Was beautiful. But what his presence does for this team is humongous. The first three quarters, he couldn’t move. Not sure how he started moving in the fourth quarter, but he never complained. He stuck with it.”
Butler, who finished with a team-high 27 points, also recorded six assists and five rebounds while getting to the free throw line 12 times. He came up big defensively too, soaring in to grab a crucial rebound off a missed shot by Alperen Sengun that would’ve given the Rockets the lead with five seconds left in the game (video link).
As Green observed, Butler seemed to get better as the game progressed, scoring 14 of his points in the fourth quarter and not spending any team on the bench during that final frame.
“Your body starts to warm up. You start to feel a little bit better. You gain confidence,” Butler explained. “People start talking to you. Then good things happen.”
Asked whether his reference to “people talking” to him was about Brooks, Butler confirmed as much. When a reporter asked a follow-up question about whether he and Brooks were having “fun” going back and forth at each other, Butler made it clear that wasn’t how he viewed it.
“No, we’re not having fun,” Butler said (Twitter video link). “Get me on the record with this: I don’t like Dillon Brooks. We’re never having fun. I’m a fierce competitor. He’s a fierce competitor. There ain’t nothing fun about that. … I don’t think anybody is trying to be friends with anybody on either team, that’s for sure.”
Central Notes: Hunter, Giannis, Mathurin, Nesmith, Pistons
The Cavaliers‘ 55-point blowout victory in Miami on Monday sent them to the second round and established a new NBA record — Cleveland’s +122 margin in the four-game sweep made it the most lopsided playoff series in league history, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
There was plenty to like about the Cavaliers’ dominant first-round performance against the Heat. One major positive, Vardon writes, was the strong play of reserve forward De’Andre Hunter, who bounced back in impressive fashion after he “looked a little lost” in Game 1, when he went scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting in 16 minutes.
Hunter scored double-digit points in each of the next three games, including 20.0 PPG on 63.2% shooting (66.7% on three-pointers) in the two road victories in Miami. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said the Cavaliers didn’t make any specific adjustments after Game 1 and that Hunter’s strong play in his next three outings was about him “gaining more confidence and being more comfortable.”
The Cavs led the NBA in offensive rating during the regular season (121.0) and are doing so again in the playoffs (136.2). As Vardon observes, having Hunter scoring and shooting that effectively off the bench is one significant reason why Cleveland’s offense is so dangerous.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- In the wake of Damian Lillard‘s Achilles tear, Michael Pina of The Ringer argues that it would be in the Bucks‘ best interests to trade superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sooner rather than later. With no clear short-term path to contention and no control of their own draft picks for the next several years, the Bucks’ best path to long-term success would be to build around the massive haul they could get in return for their two-time MVP, Pina contends.
- Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin, who missed Game 4 due to an abdominal contusion, had a hard time eating and sleeping after sustaining the injury in Game 3, head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters, including Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Mathurin has reportedly improved in recent days, but he’s not a lock to play in Game 5 on Tuesday — he’s listed as questionable.
[Update: Mathurin will be available for Game 5.] - Another Pacers wing, Aaron Nesmith, is considered probable to play on Tuesday due to a lower back bruise he suffered in Game 4 after a chase-down block on a Bobby Portis layup attempt (Twitter video link). Nesmith was lauded by his teammates for his willingness to put his body on the line, Dopirak writes for the Indianapolis Star. “That’s who Double-A is,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “What he brings doesn’t always show up on the scoresheet. Some people say, like, they’re willing to die for this. Double-A is willing to die for this. He gives it his all every night and I think every team in the NBA wants a guy like Aaron Nesmith. Every team who wins big and ultimately wins it all always has a guy like Aaron Nesmith.”
- It’s not uncommon for young teams making their first playoff appearance to experience growing pains as they adjust to the heightened intensity of the NBA postseason. The Pistons are going through that process during their first-round series vs. New York, as Hunter Patterson of The Athletic details. “We are learning our way through every challenge that’s in front of us,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think our guys have done a great job of learning from one moment to the next.”
Michael Porter Jr. Won’t Be Suspended For Game 5
Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. won’t face a suspension for leaving the bench area during an altercation that took place in Game 4 of the team’s series vs. the Clippers, a league spokesperson confirmed to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) and Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (subscription required).
As we outlined on Saturday night, Porter left the bench and came onto the court when Nuggets and Clippers players began to push and shove one another just before halftime after James Harden took exception to a reach-in foul committed by Christian Braun near the half-court line (Twitter video link via Joey Linn of SI).
Porter apologized after the game and explained that he didn’t know about the NBA’s rule that prohibits players who aren’t in the game from leaving the “immediate vicinity” of the bench area during an on-court altercation.
As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets, the rule states that a player can be subject to a one-game suspension and a fine of up to $50K, but the league takes into account “the distance the player traveled from his team’s bench, and the extent to which he entered the immediate proximity of the altercation.” Porter didn’t go far before he was pulled back by an assistant coach and didn’t come close to entering the fray.
Porter was held out of Denver’s closing lineup in Game 1 of the first-round series, injured his shoulder in Game 2, and was a -25 in 35 minutes during a Game 3 blowout loss. However, the veteran forward played an important role in the Nuggets’ Game 4 win, which evened the series at 2-2, scoring 17 points and making four three-pointers in 42 minutes.
Porter is still listed on the injury report due to his left shoulder sprain, but is considered probable to play on Tuesday. Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, who missed Saturday’s contest with left foot inflammation, is questionable.
Steve Nash, Stan Van Gundy To Join Amazon’s NBA Coverage
Amazon Prime Video is hiring Steve Nash and Stan Van Gundy as part of NBA coverage team for the 2025/26 season, according to reports.
Longtime NBA insider Marc Stein has the scoop on Nash, writing (via Substack) that the two-time MVP will be part of Amazon’s NBA studio and game coverage. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that Van Gundy will be joining Amazon as a game analyst.
Nash, a former NBA point guard and head coach, only recently forayed into the media space, joining LeBron James as a co-host on the recently relaunched Mind The Game podcast. Van Gundy, on the other hand, is a veteran broadcaster, having spent time with both ESPN and TNT as an NBA analyst. The former head coach of the Heat, Magic, Pistons, and Pelicans will be making the move to Amazon with TNT set to lose its broadcasting rights at the end of this season.
Amazon previously reached deals with former NBA stars Blake Griffin and Dirk Nowitzki, who will be part of the streamer’s studio show hosted by Taylor Rooks, so it will be a reunion for former Mavericks teammates – and close friends – Nash and Nowitzki.
Ian Eagle is set to be Prime Video’s top play-by-play announcer, though it remains unclear whether Van Gundy will join Eagle on that No. 1 team, Marchand writes.
According to Marchand, Amazon has also shown interest in ESPN’s Richard Jefferson as an analyst, and has spoken to TNT’s Kevin Harlan and Timberwolves broadcaster Michael Grady about possible play-by-play roles. Dwyane Wade is among Prime Video’s other candidates for potential color commentator positions, Marchand adds.
Amazon is one of three broadcasting partners – along with Disney (ESPN/ABC) and NBC – that are part of the NBA’s new media rights agreement, which will go into effect for the ’25/26 season.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/29/2025
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Heat's future after their playoff collapse, a summer of change for the Bucks, another roadblock for expansion, a new All-Star Game format and more! Use the link below to read the transcript.
NBA Announces Initial Early Entrant List For 2025 Draft
The NBA has officially released the initial list of early entrants for the 2025 NBA draft, announcing in a press release (Twitter link) that 106 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 73 are from colleges, 30 had been playing for teams internationally, and three were playing non-college ball stateside (in the G League).
While that early entrant total exceeds the number of players who will be selected in this year’s draft (59), it’s down significantly from the figures we’ve seen in recent years. A record 353 early entrants initially declared for the draft in 2021, but that number dropped to 283 in 2022, 242 in 2023, and 201 a year ago.
The NCAA’s NIL policy, which allows college athletes to be paid based on their name, image, and likeness, has been a major factor in that downward trend — fewer prospects feel the need to go pro as soon as possible when they’re earning big money at the college level.
The huge dip this year can also be attributed in large part to the fact that most college seniors are now automatically draft-eligible. In recent years, most fourth-year seniors faced an “early entrant” decision because they were granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility due to COVID-19 and didn’t have the 2020/21 season count toward their typical limit.
This year’s total of 106 early entrants figures to decline significantly by May 28 and again by June 15, the two deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool. The leftover early entrants will join the college seniors with no remaining eligibility and other automatically eligible players in this year’s draft pool.
Our tracker of early entrants for the 2025 draft is fully up to date and can be found right here.
Here are the changes we made to our tracker today:
Newly added players
College players:
These players either didn’t publicly announce that they were entering the draft or we simply missed it when they did.
- Chad Baker-Mazara, G/F, Auburn (senior)
- Quincy Ballard, C, Wichita State (senior)
- Jaden Bradley, G, Arizona (junior)
- Tayton Conerway, G, Troy (senior)
- Melvin Council Jr., G, St. Bonaventure (senior)
- Jerry Deng, F, Florida State (sophomore)
- Isaiah Evans, G/F, Duke (freshman)
- Dominick Harris, G, UCLA (senior)
- Chris Howell, G, UC San Diego (junior)
- Camron McDowell, G, Northwestern Oklahoma State (junior)
- Devin McGlockton, F, Vanderbilt (junior)
- Kebba Njie, F, Notre Dame (junior)
- AK Okereke, F, Cornell (junior)
- Omar Rowe, G, Morehouse (senior)
- Bruce Thornton, G, Ohio State (junior)
- Brandon Walker, F, Montana State (junior)
- Money Williams, G, Montana (sophomore)
International players:
These players weren’t previously mentioned on our list of international early entrants. The country listed here indicates where they last played, not necessarily where they were born.
- Alec Anigbata, F, Germany (born 2004)
- Asim Djulovic, G/F, Serbia (born 2005)
- Lazar Gacic, C, Serbia (born 2005)
- Ben Henshall, G/F, Australia (born 2004)
- Muodubem Muoneke, G, Spain (born 2003)
- Eli Ndiaye, C, Spain (born 2004)
- Zaion Nebot, G, France (born 2004)
- David Torresani, G, Italy (born 2005)
- Rocco Zikarsky, C, Australia (born 2006)
Players removed
Despite reports or announcements that the players below would declare for the draft, they didn’t show up on the NBA’s official list.
That could mean a number of things — they may have decided against entering the draft; they may have entered the draft, then withdrawn; they may have had no NCAA eligibility remaining, making them automatically draft-eligible; they may have incorrectly filed their paperwork; or the NBA may have accidentally omitted some names.
Because they’re absent from the NBA’s official list, we’ve removed the following names from our own early entrant list.
Note: Some of these players may also be transferring to new schools.
- Abdi Bashir, G, Monmouth (sophomore)
- Terrence Brown, G, FDU (sophomore)
- Christian Coleman, F, UAB (senior)
- Jason Edwards, G, Vanderbilt (junior)
- Keyshawn Hall, G/F, UCF (junior)
- Nate Johnson, G, Akron (junior)
- Duncan Powell, F, Georgia Tech (junior)
- Nick Pringle, F, South Carolina
- Oziyah Sellers, G, Stanford (junior)
- Daniel Skillings, G/F, Cincinnati (junior)
- Marquel Sutton, F, Omaha (senior)
- Lamar Wilkerson, G, Sam Houston State (senior)
- Kam Williams, G/F, Tulane (freshman)
- Shelton Williams-Dryden, F, West Georgia (junior)
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link), two-time national champion Alex Karaban of UConn also initially filed paperwork to test the draft waters, but withdrew from the pool before the NBA put out today’s early entrant list. He’ll return to the Huskies for his senior season.
NBA Team Option Decisions For 2025/26
Having already created a space to track this offseason’s player option decisions, we’re turning our attention today to team options. Over the next couple months, we’ll use the space below to keep tabs on all the team options for 2025/26, making note of whether they’re exercised or declined.
True team options are different than non-guaranteed salaries, which aren’t listed in the space below. Non-guaranteed salaries are less restrictive and provide a little more flexibility than team options, which clubs must act upon by a specific date (June 29) each year.
However, team options can be useful at the end of a contract, since turning down that option allows the team to retain some form of Bird rights on the player — waiving a player with a non-guaranteed salary doesn’t present that same opportunity. Additionally, a handful of contracts still don’t become fully guaranteed once an option is picked up, giving teams an extra level of flexibility.
The list below doesn’t include rookie scale team options for 2025/26, since those third- and fourth-year options function differently than team options on standard veteran contracts. Those ’25/26 rookie scale team option decisions were made during the 2024 offseason, and can be found here.
The standard team options for 2025/26 are listed below. This list – which can be found anytime under the “Hoops Rumors Features” menu on the right sidebar on our desktop site or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu – will be updated throughout to note the latest decisions as they’re reported and/or announced.
Unless otherwise indicated, a player’s salary will become guaranteed once his team option is exercised.
Atlanta Hawks
- Dominick Barlow ($2,270,735): Declined
Boston Celtics
- JD Davison ($2,270,735): Exercised
- If Davison’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
Brooklyn Nets
Keon Johnson ($2,349,578): Exercised
- If Johnson’s option is exercised, his salary would be partially guaranteed for $271,614.
- Jalen Wilson ($2,221,677): Exercised
- If Wilson’s option is exercised, his salary would be partially guaranteed for $88,075.
- Tyrese Martin ($2,191,897): Exercised
- If Martin’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
- Drew Timme ($1,955,377): Exercised
- If Timme’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Chuma Okeke ($2,546,675): Declined
- Note: If Okeke’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
Golden State Warriors
- Gui Santos ($2,221,677): Exercised
- Note: If Santos’ option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
- Quinten Post ($1,955,377): Exercised
Houston Rockets
- Fred VanVleet ($44,886,930): Declined
- Aaron Holiday ($4,901,400): Declined
Indiana Pacers
- Tony Bradley ($2,940,876): Exercised
- Note: If Bradley’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Jordan Goodwin ($2,349,578): Exercised
- If Goodwin’s option is exercised, his salary would be partially guaranteed for $25,006.
Miami Heat
- Keshad Johnson ($1,955,377): Exercised
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Luka Garza ($2,349,578): Declined
- Josh Minott ($2,187,699): Declined
- Note: If Minott’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed until June 28.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Elfrid Payton ($3,153,598): Declined
- Note: If Payton’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
- Brandon Boston Jr. ($2,349,578): Declined
New York Knicks
- P.J. Tucker ($3,468,960): Declined
- Note: If Tucker’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
- Ariel Hukporti ($1,955,377): Exercised
- Note: If Hukporti’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Ajay Mitchell ($3,000,000): Declined
- If Mitchell’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
- Jaylin Williams ($2,187,451): Declined
- Note: If Williams’ option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
Orlando Magic
- Moritz Wagner ($11,000,000): Declined
- Gary Harris ($7,500,000): Declined
- Cory Joseph ($3,468,960): Declined
- Caleb Houstan ($2,187,451): Declined
- Note: If Houstan’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed until June 30.
Philadelphia 76ers
- Lonnie Walker ($2,940,876): Declined
- Jared Butler ($2,349,578): Declined
- Decision due by June 27, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
- Justin Edwards ($1,955,377): Declined
Phoenix Suns
- Vasilije Micic ($8,109,150): Exercised
- Note: Micic has been traded to the Hornets as part of the option pick-up.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Rayan Rupert ($2,221,677): Exercised
- Note: If Rupert’s option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed until July 1.
Sacramento Kings
- Keon Ellis ($2,301,587): Exercised
- Note: If Ellis’ option is exercised, his salary would remain non-guaranteed.
- Isaac Jones ($1,955,377): Exercised
- Note: There have been conflicting reports on whether or not Jones’ salary would remain non-guaranteed if his option is exercised.