And-Ones: International Players, Salaries, Petrusev, 2025 RFAs
The NBA’s 30 opening night rosters boast 125 internationally-born players, which ties a league record, per an NBA press release. Those 125 players hail from 43 different nations, which also ties a league record. Canada leads the way among those 43 nations for the 11th straight year, with 21 NBA players. France, Australia, Germany and Serbia round out the top-five most-represented international countries in the NBA, with 14, 13, eight and six players, respectively.
The Thunder and Pelicans have seven international players apiece, the most such tally this year.
The three most recent league Most Valuable Players are all international stars: three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, 2023 winner Joel Embiid, and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Last year’s runner-up to Jokic for MVP honors was Canadian point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Slovenian-born guard Luka Doncic is a five-time All-NBA First Teamer, while three-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis is Lithuanian.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- With the NBA’s 2024/25 season tipping off this week, Keith Smith of Spotrac takes a look at where all 30 NBA clubs stand relative to this year’s salary cap and luxury tax aprons, ranging from the Suns ($31.5MM over the second apron) to the Pistons ($10.2MM under the cap).
- While it didn’t happen when originally reported in September, NBA center/forward Filip Petrusev is now returning to Serbian club KK Crvena Zvezda, on a loan out from current club Olympiacos BC, Crvena Zvezda has announced (Twitter link). In a statement, agent Misko Raznatovic thanked Olympiacos and its owners for their flexibility with Petrusev, who sought a more significant role (via Twitter). The 6’11” big man was selected with the No. 50 pick in 2021. He didn’t play in the NBA until 2023/24, which he split between Philadelphia and the Kings before being waived and returning to Europe.
- Not every talented young player entering the final year of a rookie scale contract agreed to an extension with his team by the October 21 deadline. Accordingly, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report previews the 2025 restricted free agent class, with Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga topping Pincus’ list of the best RFAs hitting the market next summer.
Mavericks Exercise 2025/26 Options On Lively, Prosper
The Mavericks have exercised the third-year rookie scale team options on center Dereck Lively and combo forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Dallas revealed (Twitter link).
The two players now have guaranteed contracts through at least the next two seasons, with Lively assured of earning $5.25MM in ’25/26 while Prosper will make $3MM.
[RELATED: Decisions On 2025/26 Rookie Scale Team Options]
Though both were first-round draft picks last summer, there was a significant difference between the roles the two rookies played on the Finals-bound Mavericks in 2023/24.
A 7’1″ big man out of Duke, Lively was the No. 12 overall pick and played regular minutes in the Mavs’ frontcourt from day one. Though he didn’t close the year as the team’s starting five, he made 42 regular season starts and was arguably just as important as veteran Daniel Gafford.
Both Gafford and Lively are athletic, rim-rolling big men with high motors who became easy lob partners for All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Across 55 regular season bouts as a rookie, Lively averaged 8.8 points on 74.7% shooting from the field, plus 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 assists per night. He contributed 7.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.0 BPG off the bench in 21 playoff games.
Prosper was drafted with the No. 24 pick out of Marquette, but didn’t emerge as a rotation piece for Dallas in his first year. The 6’8″ forward appeared in just 40 contests for the Mavericks, averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game.
Central Notes: Lillard, Nembhard, Thompson
Bucks All-Star point guard Damian Lillard is gearing up for his second season in Milwaukee, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. The 6’2″ vet had a disappointing start to his tenure with the team in 2023/24.
The 34-year-old, on the cusp of his 13th season officially tipping off Wednesday, reflected on his reputation around the league and spoke about how winning a title alongside All-NBA Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo could affect his legacy.
“You would think if I won it, there would be nothing that they could say, but I think people know how f—ing good I am,” Lillard said. “People know — at least the people who know what they’re watching — or I wouldn’t have been on the 75th anniversary team. If you’re talking about fans and people that are on TV just randomly saying their opinion, it’s like, ‘All right.’”
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Versatile Pacers combo guard Andrew Nembhard, who signed an extension with the team this offseason, has been happy to slot in as an jack-of-all-trades role player in Indiana, toggling between the bench and the starting lineup throughout his two seasons thus far, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscriber link). “He’s our Swiss Army knife. He can play point guard when Ty [Tyrese Haliburton] is getting pressured,” reserve guard T.J. McConnell said. “He can be the two. He can even be the three and he can guard any position. He’s been incredible and he continues to get better.”
- Second-year Pistons wing Ausar Thompson has been ruled out for the club’s 2024/25 regular season opener Wednesday night as he continues his comeback from a blood clot that ended his rookie season prematurely, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Detroit is still waiting for official clearance from the league regarding when Thompson will be permitted to return to action, Sankofa tweets. The 6’7″ swingman appeared in 63 contests for Detroit, averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
- In case you missed it, the Bulls opted not to sign newly acquired point guard Josh Giddey to a contract extension in time for the preseason deadline. He will become a restricted free agent next summer.
Injury Notes: Kawhi, Vassell, Sharpe, Huerter, Grizzlies, Livers
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard won’t be making his season debut anytime soon, ESPN’s Shams Charania said during Wednesday’s episode of NBA Today (Twitter video link). According to Charania, Leonard’s absence will be measured in weeks rather than days.
“I’m told Kawhi Leonard will be missing weeks,” Charania said. “This is not an injury that’s going to be measured by a week (or) two weeks, potentially. Not days, obviously. This will be an extended period of time that the Clippers are starting this season without him.”
Leonard battled inflammation in his right knee at the end of the 2023/24 season that flared up again during the summer. While it’s obviously problematic that he’s not ready for the start of the season, Charania suggests there’s optimism that once the two-time Finals MVP gets back on the court, he won’t be in and out of the lineup.
“I’m told they feel they have a plan and a protocol in place that will allow him, when he is ready to return, to actually sustain his play on the court,” Charania said.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Spurs guard Devin Vassell still hasn’t been cleared to take contact, but the team remains hopeful that he’ll be ready to return from foot surgery sometime in early November, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Vassell is scheduled to be reevaluated on Nov. 1.
- Shaedon Sharpe is making good progress in his return from a labral tear in his left shoulder, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report (Substack link), who says the Trail Blazers guard has been cleared for non-contact basketball activities and is shooting and going through ball-handling drills in practice. A return in early- to mid-November return still seems realistic, Highkin adds.
- Kings wing Kevin Huerter, who missed the preseason and hasn’t played since March 18 due to shoulder surgery, will be available to suit up on Thursday vs. Minnesota, tweets Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento. Head coach Mike Brown previously told reporters that Huerter would “probably start” if he’s ready to go for Thursday’s regular season opener.
- The NBA’s most injury-plagued team last season, the Grizzlies will open the 2024/25 campaign with five players sidelined. The team has officially confirmed (via Twitter) that GG Jackson II (foot), Jaren Jackson Jr. (hamstring), Luke Kennard (foot), Cam Spencer (ankle), and Vince Williams (leg) are all unavailable for Wednesday’s regular season opener in Utah.
- Free agent forward Isaiah Livers announced on Instagram that he underwent a hip resurfacing surgical procedure last Friday after playing through a hip injury for the past two seasons (hat tip to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). It’s unclear how long the recovery process will take, but it seems safe to assume Livers won’t be an option for an NBA team until at least sometime in 2025.
Sixers Facing NBA Investigation Over Embiid’s Early-Season Absence
The NBA is expected to launch an investigation into Joel Embiid‘s absence from the Sixers‘ lineup this week to determine whether the team is violating the league’s player participation policy, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The player participation policy requires stars (defined as players who have made an All-Star or All-NBA team in the past three seasons) to suit up for nationally televised games. If they’re held out of action without an injury or without the league granting an exception, the team is subject to a fine.
The Sixers have already stated that Embiid will miss the first three games of the season, including Wednesday’s home opener vs. Milwaukee, which is being nationally broadcast on ESPN.
Embiid dealt with a left knee injury last season and the Sixers have referred to his absence this fall (he also sat out the preseason) as “left knee injury management.” However, Embiid played in the postseason and in the Olympics and head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Tuesday that the star center hasn’t suffered any setbacks, so the league clearly has questions about whether there’s legitimate cause for him to be held out for the start of the season.
Leading up to the season, the Sixers have repeatedly and publicly made it clear that they’ll handle Embiid extremely cautiously this season in the hopes of having him healthy for the playoffs. According to Charania, the club’s plan is expected to include “periodic time off during the regular season and routine evaluations from doctors and the 76ers medical staff.”
There’s enough wiggle room within the player participation policy (which also discourages teams from resting more than one star in the same game, frequently resting a star during road games, or resting a star during an in-season tournament game) for the Sixers to adhere to its rules and still get Embiid plenty of off-days during the season. But if they want to manage the former MVP’s participation on their own terms rather than on the NBA’s terms, the 76ers may have to prepare to pay some fines.
While Paul George has also been ruled out for Philadelphia’s regular season opener on Wednesday, he recently sustained a knee injury that he’s still recovering from, so there’s no potential violation of the participation policy there.
Thunder Pick Up 2025/26 Options On Four Players
The Thunder have exercised their 2025/26 rookie scale team options on four second- and third-year players, the team announced today in a press release.
All four players were already on guaranteed contracts for 2024/25 and have now had their salaries locked in for the following season too. Those players – and their ’25/26 salaries – are as follows:
- Chet Holmgren, C (fourth year, $13,731,368)
- Ousmane Dieng, F (fourth year, $6,670,882)
- Jalen Williams, F (fourth year, $6,580,997)
- Cason Wallace, G (third year, $5,820,240)
Holmgren and Williams were full-time starters in the frontcourt last season for a Thunder team that won 57 games, claimed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and won a playoff series.
The runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting, Holmgren played all 82 regular season games and averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks in just 29.4 minutes per contest. The 22-year-old also posted a strong shooting line of .530/.370/.793.
Williams, 23, took a significant step forward across the board after finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. The former No. 12 overall pick registered averages of 19.1 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 4.0 RPG on .540/.427/.814 shooting in 71 games (31.3 MPG) in his second NBA season.
Wallace, 20, immediately emerged as a rotation player for Oklahoma City as a rookie, earning regular minutes with his strong perimeter defense. Like Holmgren, he appeared in all 82 games during the regular season, averaging 6.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.5 APG with a .491/.419/.784 shooting line in 20.6 MPG.
Dieng, 21, is the only one of these four players whose option decision wasn’t a mortal lock. The 6’10” forward, who was drafted 11th overall in 2022, has yet to emerge as a regular contributor in OKC, having appeared in just 33 games off the bench last season. However, the Thunder remain encouraged by Dieng’s play in the G League, where he averaged 17.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 5.4 APG in 33 Showcase Cup and regular season outings in 2023/24.
Holmgren, Dieng, and Williams will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions in the 2025 offseason, and it’s safe to assume the Thunder will make an effort to lock up at least Holmgren and Williams at that time. The team’s decision on Wallace’s fourth-year option for 2026/27 will be due next fall.
Next Thursday (October 31) is the deadline for teams to exercise rookie scale options for 2025/26. We’re tracking those decisions right here.
Atlantic Notes: Bridges, Towns, Tatum, Thomas, Shead
Neither of the Knicks‘ two major offseason acquisitions got off to the sort of start they were hoping for this season on Tuesday night in Boston.
While Mikal Bridges salvaged his night to some extent by making 7-of-8 shots for 16 points in the second half, he went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting in the first two quarters, didn’t grab a single rebound in his 35 minutes on the court, and was a team-worst minus-33 in his Knicks debut, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Bridges also admitted he wasn’t at his best defensively against Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who poured in 37 points.
“I definitely could have done better. I think my performance at the defensive end wasn’t that (good) for me personally, as well as our team,” Bridges said. “Me personally, I think I just could have been better, especially (against) a guy getting it and having that rhythm from the three, just getting up a little bit more (on Tatum).”
Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns had a relatively quiet night in his first game as a Knick, scoring 12 points and recording seven rebounds. The Celtics also frequently targeted him in screening actions, as Botte writes in a separate New York Post story. Like Bridges, Towns didn’t express concern about New York’s offense, but said the defense needs to be better.
“I just think that we just didn’t do enough defensively to give ourselves a chance to win the game,” the four-time All-Star said. “We’ve just gotta do a better job of executing on that end. Our defensive identity is what’s gonna give us a chance to do something great. Offensively, I think we showed tonight we can score, we’ve just gotta play defense.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Ahead of Tuesday’s regular season opener, Tatum spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about what it means to have won his first title and why he believes the Celtics are well positioned to win another championship.
- None of the three Nets players eligible for rookie scale extensions signed a new contract before Monday’s deadline, but that was expected, since Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams have played limited roles in their first three NBA seasons and extending Cam Thomas would’ve eaten into Brooklyn’s projected 2025 cap room. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays, Thomas said on Tuesday he’s not bothered by not having completed a deal, while head coach Jordi Fernandez told reporters he didn’t feel the need to discuss the guard’s contract situation with him. “Yeah, conversations have been great. I think he’s in a good place, and I didn’t see anything that I should go and talk to him about it, the way he feels,” Fernandez said. “I think he’s been great. He’s done his job, and we have a clear path and direction for what we’re trying to do.”
- In an in-depth feature for Sportsnet.ca, Blake Murphy takes a closer look at what the Raptors are getting in Jamal Shead, a “high-IQ, high-motor” rookie guard who may have been overlooked this offseason as the third of four players selected by Toronto in the 2024 draft. “Jamal actually should have gone in the first round,” Kelvin Sampson, Shead’s former coach at Houston, said of the No. 45 pick. “There’s such an undervaluing of the things that he does well. … If you’re a coach, you want Jamal. All he does is win.”
Wizards Notes: Arena, Kispert, Carrington, Injury Report
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., has put forth a proposal for the city to buy Capital One Arena from Monumental Sports, the Wizards‘ parent company, according to Michael Brice-Saddler and Sam Fortier of The Washington Post.
The plan proposes the city buy the arena for $87.5MM, with that money coming out of a $515MM fund that city council approved earlier this year for renovations and expansions to the building. The idea would be to lease the arena back to the Wizards, with that lease extending through at least 2050.
D.C. already owns the land under Capital One Arena, Brice-Saddler and Fortier write, and if Monumental maintains control of the building, Ted Leonsis‘ company would be required to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes back to city on the money it receives for arena renovations, which are projected to cost $800MM in total (with at least $285MM being contributed by Monumental). That wouldn’t be the case if the arena is sold to the city.
“This is the deal that was always contemplated when Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Council approved a $515 million improvement in Capital One Arena,” deputy mayor for planning and economic development Nina Albert said in a statement. “This is the best structure to effectuate that; it is what enables an efficient use of public money to be fully reinvested in this project.”
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- Wizards sharpshooter Corey Kispert said on Tuesday that he felt a “huge sense of relief” after finalizing a four-year, $54MM contract extension with the team ahead of Monday’s deadline, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’m excited to get the deal done and secure the future for my family and play for this organization and ultimately now just really focus on the season,” Kispert said. “I tried to think that I was focused here anyways, but the amount of relief that I felt afterwards made me realize that subconsciously it was weighing on me. So I’m happy that’s out of the way now and I can play.”
- Four rival talent evaluators who spoke to The Athletic were “almost universally optimistic” about rookie guard Carlton Carrington‘s long-term outlook, according to Robbins. One of those four scouts expressed confidence that Carrington can become one of the better players from this year’s draft, while another went even further. “I think he’s the best young prospect on the Wizards,” the second scout said. “I think he has a chance to be the best point guard in this previous draft class, and if he’s a 10-year NBA starter, it’s not going to shock me.”
- With the exception of Malcolm Brogdon (thumb) and Saddiq Bey (ACL), the Wizards’ entire roster is expected to be healthy for the team’s regular season opener on Thursday vs. Boston, head coach Brian Keefe said this week (Twitter link via Robbins). That means Alex Sarr (calf) and Bilal Coulibaly (finger) should be good to go after missing Washington’s last two preseason games.
Extension Notes: Giddey, Green, Gobert, Gordon
Noting that Bulls guard Josh Giddey was among the top rookie scale extension candidates who didn’t sign a new contract before Monday’s deadline, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said in the latest episode of The Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that the two sides didn’t seem to gain any real traction in their negotiations ahead of the regular season.
“From what I understand, there were never really any meaningful negotiations there, which was a surprise to me,” Windhorst said. “I thought the Bulls were going to be under some amount of pressure to get him done because they had traded Alex Caruso for him.”
Giddey will now be on track for restricted free agency in 2025, with the Bulls getting the opportunity to evaluate him for a year before deciding how significant an investment they want to make in their new point guard.
Meanwhile, Windhorst and his podcast guest Bobby Marks singled out the unusual extension that Jalen Green signed with the Rockets – which gave him a third-year player option and a 10% trade kicker – and suggested that the unique terms of the deal signal that Green could become a trade candidate before his contract expires.
“This is a contract that a lot of people in the league think was signed for the option to be traded,” Windhorst said, adding that the 10% trade kicker was the biggest one handed out in any of this week’s extensions. “I’m not saying the Rockets are definitely going to trade him. I’m just saying this contract was designed to allow him to be traded.”
Here are a few more notes on the contract extensions that were completed this week:
- Discussing his new three-year, $110MM agreement with the Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert said he didn’t want to be too “greedy” in negotiations and that he wanted the team to maintain some spending flexibility after locking him up, according to Chris Hine of The Minneapolis Star Tribune. As part of the deal, Gobert declined a $46.7MM player option for 2025/26 and will replace it with a cap hit that comes in $10MM+ below that. “It’s about finding balance,” Gobert said. “Every year, every time I sign a contract I always try to leave a little bit for the team, be able to realize that I’m grateful being able to earn what I’m earning coming from where I come from.”
- Aaron Gordon made a similar concession in his extension with the Nuggets, picking up a $22.84MM player option for 2025/26 as part of the deal and allowing the team to put off his 40% raise until ’26/27. Gordon, who said he was “ecstatic” to finalize a long-term deal with Denver, referred to the extension as a “win-win” for him and the team, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. “Playing alongside Joker (Nikola Jokic), Jamal (Murray), MPJ (Michael Porter Jr.), and being coached under Mike Malone, what more can you ask for?” Gordon said. “From the moment that I got here, Mike Malone has put me in a position to succeed and flourish. He’s put me in the right place, and he’s encouraged me to just be myself, and he’s coached me and allowed me to be myself. So to be coached under him is a great thing. And then just playing alongside these great players and continuing to build a friendship, a bond, a brotherhood, and a team, I’m really excited for it.”
- John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a deep dive into the extensions signed this week and considers which teams made out the best and which clubs were smart to hold the line. Hollinger called the Rockets‘ five-year, $185MM deal with Alperen Sengun a “home run” for Houston and lauded the Pelicans for locking up Trey Murphy on a four-year, $112MM extension.
Community Shootaround: 2024/25 NBA Predictions
The 2024/25 NBA season tipped off on Tuesday night, with the defending-champion Celtics opening the season in impressive fashion by knocking down a record-tying 29 three-pointers en route to a blowout win over the new-look Knicks.
While teams like the Knicks and the Sixers, who are incorporating new stars, will need some time to jell and could become greater threats to Boston later in the season, the Celtics’ performance on Tuesday was a convincing reminder of why they’re considered a good bet to become the first NBA champion to go back-to-back since Golden State in 2017 and 2018. The Bucks, Cavaliers, Pacers, Magic, and Heat are among the other clubs hoping to give the C’s a run for their money in 2024/25.
Over in the Western Conference, the Thunder are widely considered the favorites to finish the season with the best record after claiming the No. 1 seed in 2023/24 and then upgrading the roster by adding Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso over the summer. But the growth of young teams isn’t always linear and Oklahoma City will face plenty of competition in a stacked Western Conference.
The last two teams to win the West – the Nuggets and Mavericks – should be among the conference’s top teams again in ’24/25. The Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals in the spring and appear poised to contend again despite an opening-night loss. The Lakers, Suns, and Warriors will be leaning heavily on older stars, but could certainly make some noise if things break right. The Grizzlies won 50-plus games for two consecutive years before being hit hard by injuries last season; they’re hoping to bounce back. And longer-shot contenders like the Pelicans, Kings, and Rockets are all determined to take a step forward this season too.
In terms of award races, will voter fatigue work against three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert? If so, it could open the door for a first-time winner for each award, with Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander among the top MVP candidates and Victor Wembanyama considered the frontrunner for DPOY.
The Rookie of the Year field is an interesting one, with this year’s No. 1 pick (Zaccharie Risacher) not expected to make the same sort of immediate impact that Wembanyama did last season. Risacher is still a Rookie of the Year contender, but the favorite may be Zach Edey, given the significant role he’s expected to play for a Grizzlies team without a ton of depth at center.
Oddsmakers have pegged Wembanyama as the frontrunner for Most Improved Player in addition to making him the DPOY favorite, but there’s no shortage of breakout candidates around the league — Jalen Williams, Jalen Johnson, Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Franz Wagner, and Cade Cunningham are among the Most Improved Player picks that bettors have favored this fall.
Last year’s top two finishers in Sixth Man of the Year voting – Naz Reid and Malik Monk – are primed to contend for that award again, though Reid isn’t the Timberwolves’ only potential candidate, as Donte DiVincenzo could be in the mix too. Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook and Pelicans wing Trey Murphy are a couple more possibilities I have my eye on, while Pacers swingman Bennedict Mathurin and Knicks guard Miles McBride are among those ranked highly by oddsmakers.
We want to know what you think. Are you predicting a Celtics repeat or do you expect another team to win the 2025 title? What team are you taking to come out of the West? Who are your picks for this year’s major awards? Who will be the biggest star to change teams at the trade deadline?
Do you have any other bold predictions to share for the upcoming season? Head to the comment section below to weigh in!