Cap Observations: KD Trade, Valanciunas, Kings, H. Gonzalez
As we catch our breath on the Fourth of July and await updates on the top remaining free agents - including an intriguing group of restricted free agents and veteran unrestricted free agents like Al Horford, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook - we're taking a look back at a few of the intriguing stories from the past few days.
In the space below, we're exploring what the seven-team Kevin Durant figures to look like, why the Nuggets and Kings are still moving forward with their Jonas Valanciunas/Dario Saric swap amid rumors about Valanciunas wanting to play in Greece, what the rumors about Sacramento's interest in Jonathan Kuminga suggest, and more.
Let's dive in...
Celtics Sign First-Round Pick Hugo Gonzalez
The Celtics have officially signed first-round draft pick Hugo Gonzalez, the team announced today in a press statement.
Gonzalez, a 6’6″ wing formerly with Real Madrid, was selected with the No. 28 pick at the end of the first round last Wednesday. On Monday, Real Madrid announced in its own press release that it had officially parted with Gonzalez, clearing the way for him to sign with Boston.
The Celtics noted in their statement that Gonzalez is the first Spanish player ever drafted by the 18-time world champs.
Gonzalez appeared in 69 total games for Real Madrid in 2024/25, splitting those tilts between the Spanish ACB league (Liga ACB), the Spanish Cup and the EuroLeague.
In 29 Spanish ACB league outings last season, the 19-year-old averaged 5.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. He’s not much of a long-range shooter yet, as he’s averaging just 27.1% on 1.1 three-point attempts per game across his three Real Madrid seasons.
If Gonzalez signs for the full 120% of his rookie scale amount, he’d make $2.83MM in year one and $14.3MM over the life of his four-year contract. However, it’s worth noting that Boston had been hoping to find a player at No. 28 who was willing to accept less than that maximum allowable 120% for cap reasons. Gonzalez may not have agreed to do so, but until we get the official numbers, it may be premature to lock in his salary figures.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Pacers, Mathurin, Raptors, Bucks
As the Celtics considered how to navigate the tax aprons for the 2025/26 league year entering this offseason, one option they explored was to try to identify prospects who might be willing to accept 80% of the rookie scale amount for the No. 28 pick, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
After the NBA sets its rookie scale for first-round picks each year, a player is permitted to sign for as little as 80% and as much as 120% of that amount. Almost every player receives the full 120%, to the point that the league sets the default cap hold for a first-round pick at that 120% figure.
However, it’s not unheard of for a player to settle for less, especially in his first season — a year ago, for instance, the Knicks were able to sign No. 25 pick Pacome Dadiet for 80% of his typical rookie scale amount. That helped New York navigate a hard cap for the rest of the season, and Dadiet will receive 120% of the rookie scale for the remainder of his deal, starting in 2025/26.
The player that Boston ultimately selected at No. 28, Spanish forward Hugo Gonzalez, didn’t agree to accept that 80% rate, Fischer notes. It remains to be seen whether he’ll receive the full 120%.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- After expressing a willingness during their NBA Finals run to enter the luxury tax next season for the first time in two decades in 2025/26, the Pacers may rethink that approach with Tyrese Haliburton expected to miss all of next season while recovering from Achilles surgery. League sources tell Fred Katz of The Athletic that the Pacers are “still deciding how to handle their financial future.”
- Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required) considers Bennedict Mathurin‘s case for a rookie scale extension this offseason, pointing out that – with Haliburton out for next season – the fourth-year Pacers guard may get an opportunity to play more of a featured role, which could boost his value ahead of restricted free agency in 2026.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca evaluates what’s next for the Raptors in the wake of their split with longtime top executive Masai Ujiri and suggests some potential candidates for the newly opened president role.
- Bucks assistant general manager Milt Newton said on Thursday night that the team was “really ecstatic” about Bogoljub Markovic still being on the board at No. 47, adding that the team had been scouting the Serbian forward for four years. As Eric Nehm of The Athletic writes, when asked about the Bucks’ decision to draft a teenager with their only 2025 pick after taking a pair of them in last year’s draft, Newton noted that Markovic has been playing professionally overseas and might not be more than a year or two away from playing an NBA role. “We also look at upside,” Newton added. “To have a player with that length, who can do the things that he can do, those are all transferable, translatable things that you can do in the NBA.”
Celtics Notes: Stevens, Horford, Kornet, Mazzulla, Gonzalez, Tatum, Brown
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens had a new first-round pick to discuss in Hugo Gonzalez, but there were more pressing issues to address as he met with the media following Wednesday’s draft, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. After agreeing to separate trades this week involving Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, Stevens talked about their contributions to the franchise and whether any more cost-cutting measures might be on the way.
“The biggest thing is there clearly is a need to prioritize regaining our flexibility,” Stevens said. “Maximizing from an assets standpoint what we can. As far as whatever moves those are a part of, those are all separate, hard, and things that you’re going to have to do your best to make sure you’re in the right position. We knew this was coming. We’ve got to prioritize flexibility.”
Parting with Holiday and Porzingis enabled the Celtics to move below the second apron, freeing them up to aggregate salaries in future trades, send out cash in deals and use trade exceptions. They’re projected to save nearly $200MM in luxury tax penalties, but Stevens emphasized that flexibility rather than frugality was the main motivation for trimming salary.
“Our owners are committed to spending,” Stevens said. “There’s a lot of things that go into these moves and a lot of things that are really important. The second apron basketball penalties are real and I’m not sure I understood how real until they were staring me in the face in the last month. I do think that can’t be overstated.”
There’s more from Boston:
- Without a reliable center currently on the roster, Stevens said the team hopes to re-sign free agents Al Horford and Luke Kornet, per Brian Robb of MassLive. Horford made $9.5MM this season while Kornet played for the league minimum and has a chance to get a significant raise on the open market. “I think the biggest thing is, as you look at the rest of the team and what we’re trying to do, there is no question our priorities would be to bring Al and Luke back,” Stevens said. “Those guys are huge parts of this organization,” Stevens said. “They’re going to have, I’m sure, plenty of options all over the place, and that’s well-deserved, but I think that would be a priority. At the same time, I don’t want to put pressure on them. It’s their call ultimately. But, yeah, we would love to have those guys back.”
- Stevens revealed that Joe Mazzulla received a contract extension at some point since he was promoted to head coach two years ago, Robb adds in a separate story. “I keep any of those discussions in house,” Stevens said. “But we’ve got Joe under contract for multiple years right now. So, we certainly want Joe to be around here for a long time.”
- Regarding Gonzalez, Stevens confirmed the 19-year-old Real Madrid wing won’t be a draft-and-stash project, according to Souichi Terada of MassLive. “Just a big fan of how he plays,” Stevens said. “He’s tough, he’s hard playing, he cuts, he goes after the ball, he competes. He’s got all the intangibles of a winning basketball player. There’s things he can get better at just like everybody else at that age, but competitiveness is at a high level.”
- Stevens also provided updates on injured stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, relays Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press. Stevens is pleased with Tatum’s progress since undergoing Achilles surgery and emphasized that the team won’t do anything to rush his rehabilitation process. “We won’t put a projected timeline on him for a long, long time,” Stevens said. “… It’s baby steps right now. He’s actually progressed great, but I don’t know what that means in regard to projected timelines. But that will be in consultation with him … and everybody else to make sure when he hits the court he is fully ready, and fully healthy. And that will be the priority.” Brown, who recently had a minimally invasive procedure on his right knee, has already returned to the Celtics’ facility to do some light ball-handling and work around the rim, Stevens adds.
Celtics Select Hugo Gonzalez At No. 28
The Celtics have drafted Spanish guard/forward Hugo Gonzalez with the 28th pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
A source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that Boston intends to keep the pick and plans to have Gonzalez on the roster in 2025/26 (Twitter link).
Gonzalez, 19, had a limited role off the bench in 2024/25 with Real Madrid, which competes in both the EuroLeague and Liga ACB. In 29 domestic appearances, he averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .444/.271/.773.
While the 6’6″ wing has a strong frame and showed brief flashes of lottery-type upside, he was hamstrung by his lack of playing time and erratic shooting, writes Givony.
Gonzalez’s offensive calling card is in transition where he’s an aggressive scorer, according to Givony, who says the teenager’s main strengths at this point are his NBA-ready body and versatility on defense.
Assuming the Celtics do bring Gonzalez over immediately, he would bring energy, athleticism and toughness off the bench. Boston has undergone major changes this offseason, trading away starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to get under the second tax apron after Jayson Tatum suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the playoffs.
Scotto’s Latest: Thunder, Pacers, Kings, Barrett, Rockets, Wolves, KD
Their seasons ended less than 24 hours ago, but the Thunder and Pacers will have significant roster decisions to make in the coming days, and executives around the NBA are keeping an eye on both teams to see how they’ll handle them, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
The Thunder have the ability to essentially run it back with their same roster, since 13 of their players are on guaranteed deals for next season, while the team holds cost-effective options on the other two. However, Oklahoma City also has multiple first-round picks at No. 15 and No. 24 and could be facing a roster crunch.
According to Scotto, rival executives believe the Thunder may either trade the No. 24 pick for a future first-rounder or use it to select a potential draft-and-stash prospect like Hugo Gonzalez or Noah Penda. Execs also view former lottery pick Ousmane Dieng as a possible trade candidate as he enters the final year of his rookie scale contract, Scotto notes.
Meanwhile, with Tyrese Haliburton potentially sidelined for all of the 2025/26 season after tearing his Achilles, people in league circles are wondering if the Pacers and team owner Herb Simon are still prepared to go into luxury-tax territory in 2025/26 to re-sign Myles Turner and keep their roster intact, says Scotto. There’s an expectation that rivals will inquire this summer on the trade availability of role players like Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Jarace Walker, Scotto adds.
Here’s more from Scotto:
- Although a Sacramento Bee report over the weekend indicated that the Kings haven’t yet engaged in trade discussions about Malik Monk, Scotto hears from sources that the team has gauged the market on both Monk and Devin Carter as it seeks a potential first-round pick and a point guard upgrade. Sacramento was unwilling to move Carter when the club talked to the Nets about Cameron Johnson prior to the trade deadline, Scotto writes, but Scott Perry has replaced Monte McNair as the Kings’ head of basketball operations since then and may not be as attached to last year’s No. 13 overall pick.
- According to Scotto, the Raptors have continued to gauge the trade market for forward RJ Barrett. The former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t come off the bench since his rookie year in 2019/20, but could be the odd man out of Toronto’s starting five with Brandon Ingram set to make his Raptors debut this fall.
- Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, who spent a season with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, was in favor of the Celtics trading for Durant during his time in Boston and advocated for Houston to acquire the star forward this summer, per Scotto. In addition to reuniting with Udoka, Durant will be teaming up again with friend and fellow Texas alum Royal Ivey — the Rockets assistant interviewed for the Suns‘ head coaching vacancy and turned down interest from the Grizzlies and Spurs for assistant coaching positions, Scotto reports.
- In addition to being concerned about Durant’s lack of enthusiasm for Minnesota, the Timberwolves didn’t want to lose Rudy Gobert, a Suns target in trade talks, which is why the Wolves didn’t end up beating Houston’s offer for the 15-time All-Star, Scotto explains. Giving up Gobert and potentially having Durant play alongside Julius Randle in their frontcourt wasn’t considered an “ideal pairing defensively” for the Wolves, Scotto writes.
Heat Draft Notes: Workouts, Positional Fits
With the Heat still very much in the mix as a Kevin Durant trade partner with the Suns, there’s no guarantee they’ll be selecting at their allotted spot of the 20th pick in the 2025 draft. However, that hasn’t deterred them from approaching their first-round draft preparation as usual, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Winderman adds that there’s a lot of potential volatility in the Heat’s draft range. The 16th pick has already moved from Orlando to Memphis, while Minnesota, at 17, is also firmly in the Durant mix, and the 18th and 19th picks, belonging to Washington and Brooklyn, respectively, will likely be involved in trade discussions too, since both teams have multiple first-rounders and are rumored to be exploring trade-up scenarios.
The Heat have declined to make their pre-draft workouts public, unlike many teams, which has led to speculation that they’re focusing more on Durant. But Winderman writes that just because the sessions aren’t being announced doesn’t mean there isn’t due diligence happening behind the scenes.
We have more on the Heat’s draft outlook:
- As for who the Heat could select should they stay at No. 20, Miami Herald writer Anthony Chiang has published a trio of articles detailing potential targets. When it comes to guard options, Chiang writes that some, if not all, of Walter Clayton Jr. (Flordia), Egor Demin (BYU), Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois), Jase Richardson (Michigan State), and Nolan Traore (Saint-Quentin) could be available, though he views Demin and Jakucionis as most likely to be off the board by the time Miami picks.
- If Miami decides to prioritize a wing, Chiang says that the most likely field of candidates include Nique Clifford (CSU), Cedric Coward (Washington State), Liam McNeeley (UConn), Drake Powell (UNC), Will Riley (Illinois), Adou Thiero (Arkansas), Hugo Gonzalez (Real Madrid), and Noah Penda (Le Mans). Coward is considered one of the draft’s major risers and is a real threat to go in the lottery. Clifford’s combination of size, age, and a well-rounded skill set could make him a prospect of interest to teams looking to find a more ready-made contributor.
- Finally, Chiang looks at the draft’s big men prospects. Names that could be on the board at No. 20 include Rasheer Fleming (Saint Joseph), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton), Collin Murray-Boyles (South Carolina), Asa Newell (Georgia), Maxime Raynaud (Stanford), Thomas Sorber (Georgetown), Danny Wolf (Michigan), Joan Beringer (Cedevita Olimpija), and Noa Essengue (Ulm). Of that group, Murray-Boyles and Essengue are the ones viewed as the best bets to be lottery picks, while Beringer has become an increasingly popular name for teams in the middle of the first round after measuring in at an impressive 6’11” barefoot with a 7’5″ wingspan.
Draft Notes: Centers, Luis, Sleepers, Flagg, Richardson, Gonzalez
Ahead of next week’s draft, David Aldridge of The Athletic talked to several college coaches and NBA executives and scouts about the top big men in the 2025 draft class, including Khaman Maluach, Derik Queen, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Thomas Sorber, among others. Interestingly, one of the college head coaches who spoke to Aldridge believes Maluach has “the biggest upside of anybody” in this year’s draft.
“He’s huge. And he’s long. He’s a good athlete. And I think he has natural defensive instincts,” that coach said of the Duke center. “He shoots the ball better than I think, maybe, he was able to show this year. He’s a live body. He’s enthusiastic about playing. It seems he loves the process, is not afraid of it. He’s competitive. He’s not afraid. He’s ready to mix it up if he needs to. His length, size and athleticism, and then when you add those other things, I think the only thing that could stop him is injury.”
Meanwhile, multiple college assistant coaches questioned what sort of players Queen will match up with defensively at the NBA level.
“I don’t worry about him at all on offense. But I don’t think he can guard fives. I don’t think he’s great in pick-and-roll defense, and I don’t think he can move well enough laterally to guard Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Michael Porter Jr., these scorers,” one of those assistants said. “Can he guard (Mikal) Bridges? Can he guard Josh Hart? Can he guard Stew (Isaiah Stewart), the next tier of guys who aren’t the primary offensive option, but they know how to cut, how to go to the glass?”
We have more on the 2025 NBA draft:
- Speaking to Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, St. John’s standout RJ Luis Jr. – a second-team All-American in 2025 – discusses his breakout junior year, what he can bring to an NBA team, and why he believes he can be “even better” in the NBA than he was at the college level.
- CJ Moore of The Athletic surveyed college basketball coaches to get their thoughts on some of this year’s second-round prospects and to have them identify some deeper sleepers who might find their way onto NBA rosters as undrafted free agents. Houston guard LJ Cryer, St. John’s wing Aaron Scott, Butler wing Jahmyl Telfort, Missouri guard Caleb Grill, and San Francisco guard Marcus Williams earned mentions as sleepers.
- Applying his stats-based model to some of this year’s top prospects, Kevin Pelton of ESPN finds that Kon Knueppel (No. 2) and Noa Essengue (No. 5) are among the players whom that model likes a little more than draft experts do, while Ace Bailey (No. 22) and Tre Johnson (No. 24) are among those who don’t fare nearly as well. Interestingly, Pelton notes that his projection for Cooper Flagg is the third-best in his overall database, which dates back to 2005, behind only Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic.
- With green room invitations sent out to a total of 24 prospects for next week’s draft, the only players in ESPN’s top 25 who didn’t get invites are Jase Richardson (No. 18) and Hugo Gonzalez (No. 22), notes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Gonzalez is still playing in the Spanish League postseason.
Top International Prospects Staying In 2025 Draft
Several of the top international prospects among this year’s early entrants have decided to keep their names in this year’s draft pool.
Noa Essengue, Joan Beringer, Hugo Gonzalez, Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf, Noah Penda, Hansen Yang, Alex Toohey, Bogoljub Markovic, Rocco Zikarsky, Izan Almansa, Saliou Niang, Mohamed Diawara, and Eli Ndiaye are all staying in the 2025 NBA draft, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (via Twitter).
That player group represents 14 of the 15 international players who were ranked on ESPN’s top-100 prospect board coming into the day, with Essengue the highest-ranked prospect at No. 9, and Ndiaye the lowest at No. 97. The lone ranked prospect to withdraw from the draft today was Neoklis Avdalas, ranked No. 51.
While their withdrawals from the draft haven’t been officially confirmed, it sounds like Asim Djulovic, Lazar Gacic, Muodubem Muoneke, Ousmane N’Diaye, and Zaion Nebot also pulled out, since Givony refers to the above list as the “final tally” of international prospects in the draft.
[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
Dink Pate, who played for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League this past season, is also keeping his name in the draft pool, Givony notes. Pate is the No. 56 prospect on ESPN’s board.
With a bigger-than-usual amount of lower-ranked NCAA prospects returning to school thanks to NIL deals, the international class has a chance to gain ground with strong pre-draft showings. Essengue, in particular, has seen his draft stock rise following a strong playoff run for Ratiopharm Ulm.
And-Ones: European Prospects, Extension Candidates, Dynasties
As we outlined last month when we passed along the list of prospects invited to the NBA’s draft combine, a player who is invited to the combine and declines to attend without an excused absence becomes ineligible to be drafted.
Many of the prospects who were granted excused absences from the combine in Chicago were international players whose teams were still playing. According to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), the NBA is holding pre-draft activities (measurements, drills, etc.) this week in Treviso, Italy for those players whose commitments overseas prevented them from traveling to Chicago.
That group, Slater says, includes Noa Essengue (who is playing in Germany), Joan Beringer (Slovenia), Nolan Traore (France), Ben Saraf (Germany), Hugo Gonzalez (Spain), Bogoljub Markovic (Serbia), and Noah Penda (France).
It’s unclear whether all of those players will be able to attend the event in Treviso, since some of their seasons still aren’t over. Essengue and Safar, for example, both play for Ratiopharm Ulm, which is currently competing in the semifinals of the Basketball Bundesliga playoffs in Germany. Game 2 of that series will be played on Wednesday.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- While the free agent class of 2025 isn’t particularly star-studded, there will be no shortage of veteran extension candidates to monitor this offseason, as Bobby Marks details for ESPN. Marks takes an in-depth look at which players seem likely to sign new deals in the coming months, including Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and which players are longer shots for new contracts. That latter group includes players who would benefit financially from waiting, like Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and some who are unlikely to get an offer from their current team, such as Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
- Is it bad for business that the NBA’s age of dynasties appears to be over? Tania Ganguli of The New York Times considers that topic in an in-depth story open to non-subscribers.
- Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposes a complex three-team deal involving the Celtics, Mavericks, and Nets that would save Boston a projected $230MM+, fortify Dallas’ backcourt, and send a pair of draft assets to Brooklyn along with mostly expiring contracts.