Al Horford

Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Horford, Green, Podziemski, Butler

September 30th, 2025 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Jonathan Kuminga‘s restricted free agency remained unresolved when the Warriors took part in their media day on Monday, but it was a major topic of discussion. Stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler all addressed the standoff in their respective media sessions, with Green predicting that “everyone will forget (the situation) and move on” if Kuminga signs a contract and “plays great” in 2025/26 (Twitter video link).

“As leaders on the team, you have to acknowledge what’s going on and don’t make it more than what it is, other than a team trying to figure out the situation that’s front of us and the challenge that’s front of us,” Curry said, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Knowing JK’s situation, knowing the new faces that we’re adding to the roster, we talk about it every year going into a training camp what it’s going to take for that particular team to win.

“This is a little different because you have a guy that’s trying to figure out his situation, and we respect that process. It’s going to play out, and when he’s here, ready to work, like we expect him to be locked in on doing what he needs to do to help us win.”

Although the Warriors have reached a multiyear contract agreement with Al Horford, that deal almost certainly won’t be finalized until after Kuminga’s free agency wraps up, which will allow the team can maximize its cap flexibility. That meant Horford wasn’t in attendance at media day either, though Golden State’s veterans expressed excitement about the impending addition — without mentioning Horford by name.

“If we’re talking about a guy like that, he’s won it, which I really, really respect,” Butler said, per Poole. “And he’s been in this league for a long time for a reason. Elite defender. Can make shots. Plays basketball the right way. Super smart. More than anything, he wins. So, wherever that guy ends up, I know he’s going to help that team.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Only five players in NBA history – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Scottie Pippen – have made at least 10 All-Defensive teams, Green, who has earned the honor nine times, will be looking to join that group in 2026, Poole writes for NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s my motivation,” Green said. “To go and try to make another All-Defensive team and join that list. It’s an amazing list. All first-ballot Hall of Famers. To try to put myself, my name, in the hat with those guys … that would be a dream come true.”
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski underwent procedures on his wrist and his core in the spring. However, Podziemski is not expected to miss time this fall as a result of those surgeries — he was back on the court as of August 1 and was fully cleared for all basketball activities a couple weeks ago, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
The Warriors are looking forward to their first full season with Butler on the roster, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, who looks at the mini-camp the star forward hosted at his home in San Diego earlier this month. “It was important for me to welcome those guys, like my family, into my home and have a good time and let them in a little bit of my life,” Butler said.
While it has taken a while to set the roster for the coming season, Curry is optimistic about the Warriors’ ability to compete in 2025/26, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “We’re just trying to carry the momentum that we have from last year,” the two-time MVP said. “Getting through an 82-game season is a challenge for every team, but especially a veteran team. But the way that we finished and the record that we had — obviously, before I got hurt during the second round (of last year’s playoffs), we were a relevant threat, and I think we’ve gotten better.”

Celtics Notes: Simons, Pritchard, Tatum, Boucher, Hauser

September 30th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

Anfernee Simons was a member of some playoff teams in Portland early in his career, but the Trail Blazers finished at least 10 games below .500 in each of his four seasons as a regular starter. The 26-year-old guard is joining a Celtics team coming off back-to-back seasons of 60-plus wins, and while expectations are lower in 2025/26 with Jayson Tatum recovering from an Achilles tear, Simons is enthusiastic about “contributing to winning games” in Boston.

“I was super excited to come here and join a culture that’s already been set,” Simons said at media day on Monday, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “It’s something that’s going to help my career out tremendously, playing at the highest level of winning basketball. That’s what I was excited about and being part of it.”

A talented offensive player who has averaged 20.7 points per game in 178 outings over the past three seasons, Simons has a reputation as a below-average defender. He’s aware of that label and is determined to do what he can to change it.

“It’s a matter of if I want to do it or not; it’s really that simple,” Simons said, according to Washburn. “Coming into a culture like this you really have to be able to adapt or you’re not going to be in the position you want to be. To me, it’s really that simple, and that’s the honest conversations [head coach Joe Mazzulla and I] had about it. He always says that you’re not as bad as people think you are. That’s good to hear, but also I’ve got to do the work of getting better at that end and get focused on exactly what we need to do on the defensive end. I’m pretty excited about being pushed to a new level, which I can reach.”

There has been a sense that either Simons or Payton Pritchard could start for the Celtics, with the other coming off the bench. However, as Washburn tweets, Mazzulla sought to dispel that notion on Monday, suggesting that it’s not an either/or proposition.

“I’ll nip that in the bud immediately,” the Celtics’ coach said, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “Those two don’t go hand-in-hand. They’re completely different.”

Here’s more on the Celtics:

Tatum has made it clear that he isn’t ruling out the possibility of returning from his Achilles tear at some point before the end of the 2025/26 season, and he raised eyebrows on Sunday when he posted a video of his on-court workouts (Instagram link). Still, he stressed on Saturday that he’s being mindful of not rushing the recovery process. “There’s no pressure to return back any sooner than when I’m 100 percent healthy,” Tatum said, according to Himmelsbach. “No pressure from [president of operations Brad Stevens], [Mazzulla], the team, the organization. The most important thing is that I’m 100 percent healthy whenever I do come back.”
New Celtics big man Chris Boucher, who said on Monday that Stevens told him the team has had interest in him for a while, explained why he viewed Boston as an ideal fit for him in free agency, as Brian Robb of MassLive.com relays. “I’ve been in Toronto for seven years. Obviously we had a great year with a championship and all, but also years where we’re not winning at all and it impacted my time and playing and all that,” Boucher said. “I also feel like I still have a lot to give to the game, so I wanted to go somewhere where I felt like, there’s a winning culture, winning energy and also felt like I wanted to see something different. I wanna be able to show what what I’m capable of doing in multiple ways in the game.”
Although he didn’t end up going anywhere, Celtics wing Sam Hauser was at the center of trade speculation this offseason for several weeks. He admitted on Monday that it was hard to ignore that chatter. “You try to block it out but you really can’t, to be honest with you,” Hauser said, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive.com. “But I know it’s part of the business. I was prepared for whatever. If I was gonna get shipped, great. I stayed, thankfully. I’m glad to be here. But even if I were shipped, I had no hard feelings here. They gave me an opportunity when no one else did. They extended me. They had to do what they had to do and I understood it, but I’m glad I’m here, to say the least.”
According to Himmelsbach, Stevens said on Monday that the Celtics made offers to both Al Horford and Luke Kornet in free agency in the hopes of retaining them, but admitted that the contracts they got from the Warriors and Spurs respectively are more player-friendly than what Boston could realistically have offered.
With Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis gone and Tatum recovering from his torn Achilles, Jay King of The Athletic explores the Celtics’ efforts to reestablish their culture with a new set of veteran leaders.

Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Horford, Richard, Financial Picture

September 29th, 2025 at 8:32am CST by Arthur Hill

Jonathan Kuminga won’t join the Warriors for media day as his contract standoff with the team drags on, sources tell Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN. Kuminga didn’t make the trip to San Francisco for today’s event, and it doesn’t appear he’ll be with the team when practice begins on Tuesday.

Slater and Charania report that Golden State general manager Mike Dunlevy Jr. reached out to Kuminga’s agent, Aaron Turner, on Sunday, but it doesn’t seem that a deal is any closer to being finalized.

The three contract offers the Warriors made this summer all remain on the table, but Kuminga hasn’t shown an inclination to accept any of them. They are two years at $45MM and three years at $75.2MM, which both contain team options on the final season, or three years with no team option at the reduced rate of $54MM.

Kuminga is hoping for a player option, and sources tell the authors that he sent a message to the team saying he would consider that a sign of goodwill after “years of confusion” about his role. He also cited an expectation that he will continue to have uneven playing time and will likely be put on the trade market if he re-signs with Golden State.

Kuminga’s main leverage throughout negotiations has been the threat that he will accept the team’s one-year, $8MM qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. That option is set to expire after Wednesday, and there reportedly haven’t been any discussions about moving the deadline.

The Warriors have kept numerous roster moves on hold throughout the offseason while trying to reach a new deal with Kuminga, but several upcoming signings were reported on Sunday.

There’s more on the Warriors:

The addition of Al Horford in free agency gives Golden State a starting center who’s a consistent three-point threat for the first time in recent memory, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Horford shot 36.3% from beyond the arc last season and made 114 three-pointers, the second-highest total of his career, even though he only played 60 games. Johnson sees Horford as a positive influence on Quinten Post, who displayed a reliable three-point shooting stroke once he began getting consistent playing time in January.
The Warriors will save some money by signing 2025 second-round pick Will Richard to a standard deal, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Richard’s new four-year contract will only count $1.3MM toward the salary cap, while an undrafted rookie or a free agent with a year of service would have been $2.3MM.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks offers a detailed look at Golden State’s finances, noting that the team can only offer Kuminga up to $23MM this season if it plans to carry 15 standard contracts (Twitter link).
The Warriors announced several promotions and additions in their basketball operations department, including making Nicholas Kerr an assistant coach after he spent the past two seasons as head coach of the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

Stein’s Latest: Warriors, Kuminga, Wizards, Bailey, THT, Davis

September 23rd, 2025 at 7:24am CST by Luke Adams

As Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack article for The Stein Line, the Warriors‘ training camp will tip off a week from today (September 30), while the deadline for Jonathan Kuminga to accept his qualifying offer arrives one day later (October 1).

That means that if Kuminga’s decision goes down to the wire, the Warriors may open camp with a significant portion of their eventual roster missing. The club is currently carrying just nine players on standard contracts and has opted not to fill the five remaining non-Kuminga roster spots until the restricted free agent’s situation is resolved in order to maximize cap flexibility.

According to Stein, the expectation around the NBA is that the five players who eventually fill the remaining third of Golden State’s roster will be Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Seth Curry, and second-round pick Will Richard. In that scenario, Horford would be signed using the taxpayer mid-level exception, while the others would receive minimum-salary deals.

As for what happens with Kuminga, Stein says he’d be surprised if the 22-year-old sacrifices $40MM-ish in guaranteed money by signing his one-year, $8MM qualifying offer instead of accepting a reported three-year, $75MM proposal that includes a third-year team option, though he cautions that’s just informed speculation rather than sourced information.

Here’s more from Stein:

The belief around the NBA since June’s draft is that the Wizards – who held the No. 6 overall pick – were Ace Bailey‘s preferred landing spot, says Stein. Utah ultimately drafted Bailey at No. 5. Given their apparent interest in Bailey, it raised some eyebrows when the Wizards signed Sharife Cooper to a two-way contract last week, according to Stein. Cooper, who had been out of the NBA since the 2021/22 season, is the son of Bailey’s manager Omar Cooper.
Although six-year NBA veteran Talen Horton-Tucker officially signed a two-year contract with the Turkish team Fenerbahce over the weekend, the expectation is that he’ll try to return to the NBA next summer if his first year in Europe goes well, per Stein. That suggests Horton-Tucker’s deal includes an opt-out clause after year one.
After reporting on Saturday that Mavericks star Anthony Davis had taken part in some five-on-five scrimmages for the first time since undergoing eye surgery in July, Stein cautions that Dallas will likely take a cautious approach with the big man once camp officially gets underway, since “pickup game intensity cannot compare to training camp intensity.”

Agent: Jonathan Kuminga Willing To Accept Qualifying Offer

September 19th, 2025 at 8:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Appearing on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link), agent Aaron Turner said accepting the $8MM qualifying offer is a realistic option for restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga unless the Warriors‘ offers improve, relays Anthony Slater of ESPN.

“There’s a lot of upside,” Turner told the hosts. “He wants to pick where he wants to go. So the QO is real for sure.”

As Slater reported on Monday, Golden State recently engaged in another negotiating session with Kuminga and Turner, submitting its latest offer of $75.2MM over three years with a team option for the final season. That would give him two fully guaranteed seasons at a total of $48.3MM.

Earlier in the summer, the team offered a two-year, $45MM contract that contains a team option in the second season. The only offer without a team option limits his salary to $54MM over three years, an average of $18MM per season.

Kuminga has refused to accept any of those scenarios, but Turner said this week that he would be agreeable to the latest offer if the Warriors replace the team option with a player option. The team has refused to put a player option on the table, which is why Kuminga finds the QO so appealing. Although he would be playing for far below his market value for one season, Kuminga would become unrestricted next summer and would have the power to choose his next team.

“If (the Warriors) want to win now, if you want a guy that’s happy and treated fairly who is a big part of this team, we believe, moving forward, you give him the player option,” Turner said on the podcast. “You do lose a little of that trade value (giving that up). But if it’s about the here and now, you give him that. You don’t get a perfect deal, but you get a pretty good deal and he gets to feel respected about what he gets and we all move on and worry about winning, helping Steph (Curry).”

The Warriors’ offseason has been on hold while they work toward a solution with Kuminga. They reportedly have deals lined up with free agents Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II, but those can’t be finalized because using any portion of the mid-level exception would hard-cap the Warriors at the second apron. That creates the risk that another team could open enough cap room to give Kuminga an offer that Golden State wouldn’t be able to match.

“If JK wants to take (the qualifying offer), it does have upside, right?” Turner said. “We’ve talked about that. You’re not getting traded. You’re going to have unrestricted free agency (next summer). People are going to say, ‘Well, Aaron, there’s not going to be 10 or 12 teams (with cap space).’ Fine, there’ll be six teams with cap space for the clear-cut under-35 top wing on the market. So there’s a lot of upside.”

The Suns and Kings both expressed interest in Kuminga this summer before Golden State shut down sign-and-trade talks. Sacramento was reportedly offering a contract worth $63-66MM over three years, while Phoenix was willing to pay him between $80-88MM over four seasons. However, neither team made a trade offer that enticed the Warriors.

“He’s gotten a chance to hear from other teams,” Turner said. “You know, Sacramento, he’s spent some time with them, got to meet (general manager) Scott Perry, (head coach) Doug Christie, the Suns and what they’ve offered him. There’s been other teams, too, maybe planting seeds for (2026 or 2027). But they’re saying, ‘Hey, we want you to be you. We don’t want you to change anything. We want to put the ball in your hands. We want to give you a huge opportunity to play.'”

Turner added that Kuminga isn’t opposed to staying with the Warriors, but that would mean putting his personal ambitions aside, and Turner believes his client should be financially compensated for that decision. He called Golden State “as first-class as you get,” but pointed out that other teams would be giving Kuminga a chance to play full-time starter’s minutes, while staying put means he would be coming off the bench and battling for playing time with Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Horford.

“No guarantees he starts any games,” Turner said. “He may, but we don’t know. Finishing games, night to night, who knows? It depends if (coach Steve Kerr) has a combination he likes and it’s working. Maybe he sticks with it. Maybe he doesn’t. You’re going to have to not have the ball as much. You’re going to have to stay away from developing certain parts of your game, or wanting to lean into certain parts of your game, especially shooting any type of mid-range jump shots, which is something JK does work on. But in the Golden State offense and the role he’s in, that’s not going to be a big shot that he’s really going to be able to take much.”

With media day just 10 days away, there’s a growing urgency on both sides to get the matter resolved. Turner indicated that Kuminga would take the two-year offer if he’s allowed to keep an inherent no-trade clause that would come with it, but the team hasn’t budged on that point. He added that Kuminga would want to be compensated for accepting a team option — something in the neighborhood of $30MM per year.

“Two years from now, if you want to keep him, you’ll have his Bird rights (even if you give him a player option),” Turner said. “You treat him good and you show him the plan, then maybe you keep him. (The player option contract) is not perfect, but I don’t think anybody can get everything they really want.

“If you ask JK, he wants Jalen Green‘s deal. He’s not getting that. He wants Jalen Johnson‘s deal. You’re not getting that. If the Warriors, we feel like, pick the front end (of the contract), if that number needs to be lower to stay under a second apron, (it’s a) player option. Or if it’s about really controlling the back end of the deal, move the number up, shake your roster up and you can have a team option. Or, the hybrid model, let him keep his no-trade clause.”

Stein’s Latest: Banton, Love, Warriors, NBA Europe, Bonga

September 15th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Dalano Banton has received interest from teams overseas but continues to seek an NBA opportunity after spending the past season-and-a-half in Portland, Marc Stein writes for The Stein Line (Substack link).

According to Stein, Banton has recently auditioned for multiple NBA teams, including the Warriors and Pacers, though Indiana decided to pass on him.

Banton, who was traded from the Celtics to the Trail Blazers at the 2024 deadline, has since appeared in 97 games for Portland, averaging 10.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 20.6 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .399/.319/.751. He has been an unrestricted free agent since his contract expired on June 30.

Here’s more from Stein:

The Jazz and Kevin Love have yet to engage in serious discussions about a buyout, per Stein. While it’s “widely known” that Love would like to play for a team closer to contention, it doesn’t sound as if he has a post-buyout spot lined up yet, Stein explains, so there has been no urgency to get out of his contract with Utah.
Stein reiterates that the expectation around the NBA is that veteran free agents Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, and Gary Payton II will sign with the Warriors once Jonathan Kuminga‘s situation is resolved. According to Stein, the latest round of negotiations between the Warriors and Kuminga has “sparked some fresh optimism” that both he and those other vets will be signed prior to the team’s media day on September 29.
After FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa predicted that the NBA’s new European league could tip off in 2027, Stein says his own reporting suggests Garbajosa’s timetable may not be exact but also isn’t far off.
Although Isaac Bonga‘s NBA exit clause for 2025 expired, he drew interest from a few teams earlier in the summer, according to Stein, who says Bonga committed to spending the coming season with Partizan Belgrade after not getting a concrete offer from any of those clubs. Stein anticipates Bonga will receive more serious NBA interest next offseason.

Celtics Notes: Brown, Chisholm, Boucher, Hauser

September 13th, 2025 at 8:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics appear likely to take a step backward in 2025/26 due to Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury and the loss of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who were both shipped out in cost-cutting moves. However, Jaylen Brown expressed optimism about the upcoming season in an interview this week on V-103 FM in Atlanta, relays Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe.

“I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year, but it’s a lot to look forward to,” Brown said. “I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Being in his hometown, Brown received a question about possibly joining the Hawks someday. With four years left on his $304MM super-max extension, it’s not a realistic possibility anytime soon, but Brown left the door open. When host Darian Morgan said he’d like to see Brown in a Hawks uniform, the Celtics star replied, “I feel you. I think my grandma would too.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

New majority owner William Chisholm shares Brown’s outlook about the team’s prospects, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Chisholm believes other players will seize the opportunity to replace the stars who are no longer available. “I think they’re going to surprise some people,” Chisholm said. “I think this is a good team and I think we have a really good coach and a really good president of basketball operations. I think Payton Pritchard said it in an interview, that we’re going to surprise some people, and I think there’s real talent here that hasn’t been fully realized.”
Newly acquired Chris Boucher may be the favorite going into camp to win the starting job at power forward, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Coach Joe Mazzulla’s handling of the four spot should provide an indication of how he plans to approach the season, Robb adds. Using the 6’9″ Boucher alongside Neemias Queta would give the team more size on defense and better rebounding. Another option is to start shooting specialist Sam Hauser, which would satisfy Mazzulla’s tactical reliance on a three-point barrage but would leave the Celtics vulnerable in other areas. Robb mentions Josh Minott as a potential wild card who could wind up earning regular minutes.
Second apron concerns mean Holiday and Porzingis would likely have been traded even if Tatum hadn’t gotten injured, but some other moves might have played out differently, Robb adds in the same piece. He believes Al Horford or Luke Kornet would have been re-signed if Tatum had been healthy, and the Celtics might have made a stronger effort to add low-cost veteran free agent depth.

Fischer’s Latest: Beasley, Warriors, Brogdon, Highsmith, More

August 28th, 2025 at 2:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The status of free agent wing Malik Beasley is somewhat murky at the moment, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

While Beasley’s lawyers told ESPN their client is no longer the “target” of a federal gambling probe, a subsequent report said he was still a “subject” and could still face legal challenges. Beasley is also expected to be investigated by the NBA, Fischer reports.

According to Fischer, the Cavaliers, Knicks, Timberwolves and Pistons are the main teams to touch base with Beasley’s camp in the hope that he’ll eventually be able to play in 2025/26. However, Fischer hears none of those teams have actually discussed signing Beasley with his future seemingly still up in the air.

If Beasley is ultimately cleared of any legal wrongdoing and by the NBA, the 28-year-old will be seeking more than the veteran’s minimum on his next contract, sources tell Fischer. It’s worth noting that of the four suitors, Detroit — his incumbent team — can offer Beasley the highest starting salary ($7.2MM). Cleveland and New York would be limited to minimum-salary deals, while Minnesota could offer a little above the minimum.

Here are a few more rumors from Fischer’s latest story:

Jonathan Kuminga‘s uncertain contract status has had a ripple effect on several free agents still on the market, Fischer notes, including Malcolm Brogdon. Fischer says the Warriors are expected to sign Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II and No. 56 overall pick Will Richard once Kuminga’s situation is resolved and have expressed a level of interest in Brogdon as well. The Knicks and Timberwolves have also been keeping an eye on Brogdon, Fischer adds.
While Fischer’s breakdown of prospective Warriors signees includes Richard, he doesn’t mention No. 52 overall pick Alex Toohey at all. That could point to the Australian wing ending up on a two-way contract or as a draft-and-stash prospect rather than being a candidate for the 15-man roster.
Fischer hears that the Timberwolves are “actively trying to work through the financial details” in a new contract for Bones Hyland. That suggests Hyland, who is no longer eligible for a two-way deal, may receive a non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contract.
The Heat are still trying to trade Terry Rozier but there’s “scant” interest in the veteran guard, who is also being investigated as part of a federal gambling probe. Miami is also believed to be interested in a buyout, Fischer reports, though nothing is imminent on that front.
Fischer expects new Nets forward Haywood Highsmith to be back on the trade block at some point. Brooklyn has “no plans” to be competitive in 2025/26 and will continue to look to stockpile assets in trades, Fischer adds. The Nets recently acquired Highsmith, who is recovering from knee surgery, from Miami along with a second-round pick. Assuming he’s back to full health, Highsmith should have a chance to rebuild his trade value, and his expiring $5.6MM contract would fit into a team’s mid-level exception.

Fischer’s Latest: Beasley, Martin, Hyland, Cavaliers

August 22nd, 2025 at 6:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

Following the recent report that Malik Beasley is no longer the target of a federal gambling investigation, it is expected that the sharp-shooting free agent will rejoin the market as one of the more valuable players still available. One of the teams that has shown interest in his services is the Knicks, writes Jake Fischer for The Stein Line, confirming a report from Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

The Knicks currently have an open roster spot, and have been rumored to be considering Landry Shamet or Ben Simmons for the role, though there’s debate as to how real the Simmons interest is. Fischer notes that the Knicks’ interest in Beasley dates back to their first-round playoff series against the Pistons, who still hold his Non-Bird rights.

Begley, in a tweet, adds that it wouldn’t be surprising if Beasley’s market was more than the veteran minimum contract the Knicks would be able to offer. Beasley reportedly had a three-year, $42MM deal on the table from the Pistons before news of the gambling investigation broke and Detroit moved on to signing Duncan Robinson.

Beasley averaged 16.3 points per game last season while shooting 41.6% from three on 9.3 attempts and earning the runner-up status for Sixth Man of the Year. Despite coming off the bench for all but 18 games, Beasley ranked second in the league in total made three-pointers.

We have more news from Jake Fischer’s latest article:

While rival teams expect the Warriors to sign Al Horford, Gary Payton II, and De’Anthony Melton once their stalemate with Jonathan Kuminga is resolved, they will still have more moves to make. One name that they’re considering, according to Fischer, is Cody Martin. Fischer notes that Martin has interest from multiple playoff teams, and is waiting to determine if Golden State would offer the best situation or if it would be better to make his choice once training camps have started. The 6’5″ wing has struggled with his shot in recent years but is a strong athlete and capable defender.
The Timberwolves are hoping to bring Bones Hyland back with one of their two remaining roster spots, Fischer writes, confirming prior reporting from The Athletic. Hyland, a 24-year-old scoring guard, played just four games with the Wolves last year after starting the season with the Clippers, with whom he averaged 7.2 points and shot 38.8% on three-point attempts in 11.1 minutes per night. Hyland would provide depth for the Wolves’ point guard rotation, which currently features 38-year-old Mike Conley and 21-year-old Rob Dillingham,
The Cavaliers also have two open roster spots, but Fischer writes that they’re not expected to fill the 15th spot heading into the season. With a massive payroll and a punitive luxury tax bill, Fischer instead expects them to sign a a 14th man to a non-guaranteed contract and leave the 15th spot open.

Latest On Al Horford, Other Warriors FA Targets

August 21st, 2025 at 7:44am CST by Luke Adams

As the Warriors‘ standoff with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga extends into late August, the team remains “very confident” about its ability to eventually sign free agent center Al Horford, Jake Fischer said in his latest Bleacher Report live stream on Wednesday (YouTube link; hat tip to Dallas Hoops Journal).

As Fischer outlines, Horford is among several veteran free agents who have expressed a willingness to be patient in waiting for resolution on Kuminga and have been “in full communication” with the Warriors’ front office.

Pointing to veterans like De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Seth Curry, and perhaps even Malcolm Brogdon as candidates to end up in Golden State, Fischer suggests that those players would likely receive minimum-salary contracts if they sign with the Warriors, whereas Horford would probably be in line for a more lucrative deal.

“Al Horford’s situation is a bit different,” Fischer said. “Because, depending on where the Warriors land in a cap/tax situation, I believe he is slated to make upwards of the full taxpayer mid-level exception. There has also been some discussion about whether or not he could potentially be receiving a two-year deal with a player option as well.”

Fischer adds that the Warriors envision Horford having a “pretty major role” in their rotation. That lines up with previous reporting from ESPN’s Anthony Slater, who has indicated that the 40-year-old would likely slot in as the team’s starting center.

Using any portion of the mid-level exception would hard-cap the Warriors at the second tax apron — that could put them at risk of losing Kuminga, since a rival suitor could look to open up cap room to sign the RFA forward to an offer sheet Golden State wouldn’t be able to match. As a result, the Warriors are putting off the rest of their offseason business until they either re-sign or sign-and-trade Kuminga and have a clearer picture of their cap situation.

Depending on what happens with Kuminga, the Warriors should have either the taxpayer or even a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to them.

For instance, if Kuminga accepts the rumored two-year, $45MM offer Golden State has put on the table, the club would be roughly $14.9MM below the second apron with 10 players under contract and would have the ability to offer Horford the full $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception while still filling out the rest of its roster with minimum-salary players.

If Kuminga were to sign his $7.98MM qualifying offer, Golden State would have about $17MM in breathing room below the first apron and could theoretically go a little above the taxpayer portion of the MLE to sign Horford. But that would result in a first-apron hard cap, which the front office may look to avoid.

Fischer warns that Kuminga’s free agency may remain unresolved well into September, since the deadline to accept his qualifying offer won’t arrive until October 1.

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