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Lawrence Frank: Clippers ‘Strongly Considering’ Chris Paul

July 19th, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters over Zoom on Saturday, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team is “strongly, strongly considering” signing free agent point guard Chris Paul (Twitter video link via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints).

While the Clippers still have two open spots on their projected 15-man roster, they only have about $3.57MM in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap, which wouldn’t be enough to fit more than one veteran minimum contract before the season begins. As Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets, the expectation is that adding ball-handling and play-making will be a goal for the Clippers as they consider options for that 14th roster spot.

Assuming he continues his career and plays a 21st NBA season in 2025/26, Paul is known to be prioritizing proximity to his family in Los Angeles, so the Clippers would be a logical match for him in that regard.

At least one report indicated he’d also like to continue to be a starter after starting all 82 games for San Antonio last season — that kind of role might be harder to come by with the Clippers in the wake of their Bradley Beal addition.

Here are a few more of Frank’s noteworthy comments from today’s presser:

Frank spoke at length about the signing of Beal, which became official on Friday, noting that the team had twice tried to trade for the veteran shooting guard in the past (Twitter link via Law Murray of The Athletic). Secondary play-making and ball-handling are among the reasons the Clippers targeted Beal, according to Frank, who said he also believes the 32-year-old can be a positive contributor on defense (Twitter links via Murray). Additionally, Frank repeatedly referenced a desire to get Beal involved in hand-off actions, which was a strategy the Clippers used frequently with Norman Powell, tweets Murray.
Mark Bartelstein, Beal’s agent, spoke to many people within the Clippers’ organization before his client committed to the team, including having a half-hour conversation with James Harden, according to Frank (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
Frank credited Harden for signing a contract that gave the Clippers enough wiggle room below the first apron to use their full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which allowed them to sign both Beal and free agent center Brook Lopez (Twitter link via Murray). The Clippers are one of just three teams – along with the Pistons and Lakers – to have used every dollar of the $14,104,000 MLE so far in 2025/26 (Portland could become the fourth, assuming Damian Lillard‘s deal is worth the full amount).
Addressing the acquisitions of Lopez and John Collins, Frank explained that the Clippers made it a priority to add size in their frontcourt and wanted to bring in players with more diverse skill sets that could complement one another (Twitter link via Youngmisuk).
Pointing out that the Clippers have 10 players who project to be rotation players, Frank acknowledged that head coach Tyronn Lue “usually” plays just nine. As the Clippers weigh their options for their 14th roster spot and set their rotation this fall, role definition and communication will be key, Frank said (Twitter link via Murray).

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Luka, Koloko, Suns, Collins

July 11th, 2025 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Within an in-depth feature for ESPN.com, Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst take a closer look at the Lakers‘ efforts to “delicately” transition from their LeBron James era to the Luka Doncic era and the challenges they’ve faced along the way.

As Shelburne and Windhorst detail, James wasn’t surprised by the fact that the Lakers have prioritized Doncic in recent months and understands the team has to set itself up for the future. However, “it also did not go down easily,” according to ESPN’s duo, who point out that LeBron specifically chose the Lakers as a free agent back in 2018, whereas Doncic never asked to be a Laker and had been planning to remain in Dallas for his entire career.

Shelburne and Windhorst suggest the Lakers have signaled their shift to Doncic with a “series of microaggressions” that started with not giving James any advance warning about the February trade for the Mavs star. Those microaggressions also included letting Doncic – but not LeBron – know ahead of time about the sale to Mark Walter so that he had a message of congratulations ready to go on social media, as well as not offering to extend James’ contract beyond the 2025/26 season.

James has responded to the Lakers’ decisions with a series of “cryptic hints” of his own, with agent Rich Paul‘s statement in late June representing the most notable one. According to Shelburne and Windhorst, Paul’s comments about LeBron wanting “to make every season he has left count” were interpreted in many different ways by teams around the NBA — some executives saw the statement as James pushing the Lakers to go all-in on this year’s roster, some viewed it as a soft trade request, and at least one considered it an “elaborate pout” due to the lack of contract extension.

Even if nothing comes of that statement and James spends the 2025/26 season with the Lakers without incident, it has had an impact. According to ESPN’s sources, veteran center Brook Lopez was strongly considering the Lakers in free agency due to their open starting spot at center, but was “wary of the uncertainty” surrounding James’ future and ultimately opted for a backup role with the Clippers instead.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Christian Koloko is still a restricted free agent, having not yet accepted his two-way qualifying offer from the Lakers, but there have been no indications to this point that he’ll be changing teams this offseason. The big man was added to the Lakers’ Summer League roster before the club’s Las Vegas opener on Thursday, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
If and when the Suns finalize a buyout agreement with Bradley Beal, the expectation is that they’ll use that roster spot on a point guard or possibly a combo guard, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.
The Clippers haven’t really deployed a traditional power forward in recent years, but they got exactly that sort of player when they acquired John Collins from Utah earlier this week, which will change the makeup of their roster, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. “Sometimes you have to make a decision between getting a great athlete who may struggle shooting the ball from range, versus getting the really skilled player who just maybe is just an average functional athlete,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said of the move. “John has shown the ability to be both, which is huge.”

Norman Powell To Heat, John Collins To Clippers In Three-Team Trade

July 7th, 2025 at 4:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:21 pm: The three-team trade is official, according to a press release from the Jazz.

9:27 am: The Clippers, Jazz and Heat have reached an agreement on a three-team trade, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will send Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to L.A. and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 Clippers second-round pick to Utah.

Powell is coming off the best scoring season of his career and will bring more offensive punch to Miami’s backcourt. After finishing fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year balloting in consecutive seasons, Powell was moved into the starting lineup and responded by averaging 21.8 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.

Powell, 32, will make $20.5MM next season before becoming a free agent in 2026. He’s eligible for a three-year extension worth $77.4MM. Those limits would increase to $128.5MM over four years in six months.

The Clippers were reluctant to give Powell a long-term extension, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden both signed through 2026/27, the team is preserving cap space for 2027 free agency.

Miami will use the expanded traded player exception to acquire Powell, Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link), hard-capping them at the first tax apron, and will be $1.3MM over the luxury tax line once the deal is complete.

Miami will be just $3.9MM away from that first-apron threshold once the trade is complete, so it won’t be able to use the full taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.7MM, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link), who also speculates that acquiring Powell means the team is probably no longer a logical fit for Bradley Beal, who is believed to be nearing a buyout with Phoenix.

Collins, 27, will bring more frontcourt depth to a Clippers team that recently added Brook Lopez in free agency. Collins has been a starter in Utah since being acquired from Atlanta two years ago, but he was limited to 40 games last season. He has one year left on his contract at $26.6MM and can sign an extension worth up to $100.5MM over three years, per Marks. While a massive payday is unlikely for Collins, it’s worth noting those extension limits would increase six months after the trade to $166.7MM over four years.

L.A. is now $6.7MM below the first apron with $5.3MM of its mid-level exception remaining, according to Gozlan (Twitter link). With their top three-point shooter now gone, Gozlan expects the Clippers to be in the market for Beal.

Anderson, 31, has been a useful contributor on contending teams throughout his career, but it’s not clear how he fits in with the rebuilding Jazz. His contract covers two more seasons at $9.2MM and $9.7MM, but 2026/27 is non-guaranteed. Love, who’ll turn 37 in September, has a $4.15MM expiring deal and will likely become a buyout candidate.

Gozlan notes that Utah can create a $26.6MM trade exception by using the mid-level exception to take on Anderson and Love (Twitter link). Alternatively, the Jazz could create roughly $22MM in cap space by waiving the non-guaranteed contracts of KJ Martin ($8MM) and Jaden Springer ($2.4MM) and could be in position to make a play for one of the remaining free agents.

It sounds like Utah will continue operating over the cap, going the trade exception route, tweets Marks.

Pacific Notes: Collins, Beal, Warriors, Kuminga, Suns

July 7th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers view John Collins as their likely starter at power forward, according to Law Murray and John Hollinger of The Athletic. Collins, who is being acquired from Utah in a three-team trade, brings an athletic presence to L.A.’s frontcourt and adds more size to a team that had trouble matching up with Denver in its first-round playoff series.

Collins can be effective next to starting center Ivica Zubac, the authors note, and provides a good complement to backup Brook Lopez, a free agent addition who can space the floor for Collins to operate in the low post. Having more reliable big men also means less time at power forward for Kawhi Leonard and less responsibility for James Harden to guard opposing fours.

Norman Powell, who’s being sent to Miami in the deal, put together an outstanding offensive season, but he was less effective after the All-Star break, Murray and Hollinger observe. Some of the decline was because he was slowed by knee and hamstring issues, while Leonard’s return from injury also contributed. The authors state that Powell’s age, availability and fit all made the Clippers hesitant to give him an extension heading into the upcoming season.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers might pursue Bradley Beal if he reaches a buyout agreement with the Suns, but they’ll be limited because they only have $5.3MM of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception left to offer, notes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Scotto lists Malcolm Brogdon and Chris Paul as other free agent guards the Clippers have expressed interest in.
The Warriors are also viewed as a potential landing spot for Beal, league sources tell Grant Afseth of RG. Golden State is still considered a strong candidate to add Boston center Al Horford, while landing Beal would provide another proven scoring threat to ease the Burden on Stephen Curry. The Warriors are also trying to determine how to handle restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, and Afseth echoes a recent report that sign-and-trade talks with the Kings and other teams haven’t resulted in much progress.
Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic looks at how the Suns are planning to rebuild around Devin Booker, who’s expected to receive a two-year, $150MM extension this summer.

Checking In On Top Remaining NBA Free Agents

July 2nd, 2025 at 7:17am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s free agent period officially opened less than 40 hours ago, but the list of this year’s top available players has already been pretty picked clean, with 35 of the players from our list of 2025’s top 50 free agents having already agreed to terms with a team.

Here are the players from our list remain available:

Josh Giddey, G, (Bulls RFA)
Jonathan Kuminga, F, (Warriors RFA)
Cam Thomas, G, (Nets RFA)
Quentin Grimes, G, (Sixers RFA)
Deandre Ayton, C (waivers)
Chris Paul, G
Russell Westbrook, G
Al Horford, C
Malcolm Brogdon, G
Moritz Wagner, F/C
Chris Boucher, F/C
De’Anthony Melton, G
Amir Coffey, G/F
Precious Achiuwa, F/C
Ryan Rollins, G

While four of our top 10 free agents are still on the board, all four are restricted, which means it may take some time for their situations to play out. Sign-and-trades are always a possibility, but few clubs are in position to make an aggressive play for any of these restricted free agents, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN pointed out during a TV appearance on Tuesday evening (Twitter video link).

“If this isn’t the worst market for restricted free agents in the last generation, I don’t want to see it,” Windhorst said. “There’s just no money out there for cap space, and sign-and-trades are very tough to pull off…with restricted free agents, because the team that has the rights isn’t motivated to play ball.”

There have essentially been no rumors linking Giddey, Thomas, or Grimes to any rival suitors since free agency began, so there’s still a widespread expectation that those three players will ultimately end up returning to their current teams.

That may happen with Kuminga too, but there has certainly been more chatter about alternative landing spots for the Warriors forward. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) checked in on Kuminga’s market late on Tuesday night, suggesting that the Heat, Bulls, Pelicans, and Kings are still being monitored as teams to watch for the 22-year-old, despite an apparent absence of traction on any of those fronts so far.

According to Fischer, Miami has also been linked to potential forward trade targets like DeMar DeRozan and John Collins; Chicago still has Giddey’s own restricted free agency to resolve, and Golden State appears to have “moved away” from past trade interest in Nikola Vucevic; New Orleans doesn’t have an obvious path to make a realistic offer for Kuminga; and while Sacramento would have interest in sending out Malik Monk as part of a sign-and-trade, no momentum has developed there.

With those top four RFAs in limbo for the time being, Ayton – who will clear waivers at 4:00 pm Central time on Wednesday – may be the most intriguing option on the board. According to Fischer, a number of front offices around the NBA expect the former No. 1 overall pick to end up with the Lakers, but the Pacers have also shown interest, as did the Bucks before they agreed to a surprising deal with Myles Turner. Indiana, notably, is the team that signed Ayton to a maximum-salary offer sheet in free agency three years ago, and the same decision-makers are still running that front office.

Paul and Westbrook are two of the most accomplished NBA point guards of the last two decades. Paul is known to want to play close to his home in Los Angeles, so while the Bucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in him, per Chris Haynes on NBA TV (Twitter video link), a team like the Clippers or Suns may be a more realistic landing spot. Haynes adds that he thought Westbrook would land with the Kings, but as long as Monk remains on Sacramento’s roster, that looks like a long shot.

It’s worth noting there’s one big name who was not on our pre-free-agency top 50 because he has only become available since then: Damian Lillard.

The Bucks haven’t officially waived Lillard yet, but he’s expected to reach the open market in the near future, and according to Eric Nehm, Sam Amick, and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, many teams – including the Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors – have reached out and registered interest in signing him even while he recovers from his Achilles tear.

Still, Jamal Collier of ESPN hears that there’s no guarantee that Lillard will sign anywhere for the 2025/26 season, which he’ll likely miss most or all of. He’s reportedly expected to remain based in Portland while doing his rehab work.

Among the other names in the back half of our top 50, Horford is the most intriguing. He has been linked to several teams, including – most consistently – Golden State. The Warriors are still a leading contender to land the veteran big man, per Fischer.

Finally, we should mention Malik Beasley, who ranked 15th on our initial top-50 list before word broke that he was under investigation for gambling allegations. Beasley was reportedly discussing a three-year, $42MM deal with Detroit prior to that news, but it’s hard to imagine any team signing him until that legal situation is resolved, which is why we took him off our list entirely. Since that investigation was reported, a pair of follow-up reports have detailed Beasley’s financial issues, though it’s crucial to note that he doesn’t currently face any charges.

All of the free agent deals agreed upon so far can be found within our 2025 free agent tracker. The full list of free agents still available can be found right here (or here, if you prefer to sort by team rather than by position/type).

Western Notes: Kidd, Collins, Bailey, Harper

July 1st, 2025 at 9:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks are expected to extend head coach Jason Kidd‘s contract again before the start of next season, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report (via Substack). Kidd received an extension after last season and general manager Nico Harrison indicated last week that Kidd would remain the team’s head coach next season.

Of course, the Knicks were interested in talking to Kidd about their head coaching vacancy. Although the Mavericks denied the Knicks’ request to speak to their head coach, there has been persistent speculation that Kidd would wind up in New York unless he received an extension.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Jazz big man John Collins picked up his $26.5MM option last week. That probably means he’ll remain on Utah’s roster entering next season, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who tweets that there doesn’t seem to be much of a market for Collins, who averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds this past season, but he was limited to 40 games and didn’t return after suffering a left ankle sprain on March 12.
Jazz lottery pick Ace Bailey didn’t work out for the team amid reports that his preferred destination was Washington. Bailey expressed surprise when Utah drafted him but he claims he never considered not reporting to the club. “Not at all,” Bailey said in a press conference on Sunday, per Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. “I mean, just blessed to be in this position. Not a lot of people sit in these chairs and have great teammates as I got on (here). So I’m just blessed to be here.”
No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper, Bailey’s teammate at Rutgers, predicts the Spurs will make the postseason next season, according to ESPN’s Michael C Wright. “That’s going to change really quick,” Harper said of San Antonio’s recent struggles. “We’re going to make the playoffs. I think for the Spurs fans and everyone else, our group is very exciting. There’s a lot to look forward to. The sky’s the limit for this group we’ve got.” Harper could become the team’s third consecutive Rookie of the Year Award winner. “I don’t think I feel no pressure [to win ROY], but I definitely want to keep that going,” Harper said. “That’s definitely a goal of mine.”

Northwest Notes: Clarkson, Collins, Randle, Thunder

June 29th, 2025 at 9:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Jazz are looking to trade Jordan Clarkson, but are having difficulty finding takers, says Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake City Tribune (via Twitter).

Larsen says that there is “next to no interest” in Clarkson on the trade market after a couple up-and-down seasons following his best years in Utah. Clarkson played a career-low 37 games this season after having his year cut short due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Prior to that, he was averaging 16.2 points and 3.7 assists in 26.0 minutes per night, primarily off the bench.

Larsen adds that the Jazz extended Clarkson in 2023 with the hopes that they could move him later, but the market they expected to be there for him appears to have moved on.

After trading the productive Collin Sexton to the Hornets for Jusuf Nurkic, the Jazz appear to be focusing on opening up rotation minutes for their young players while positioning themselves for the 2026 draft.

We have more from the Northwest division:

Larsen also confirms (via Twitter) that the Jazz are actively attempting to move combo forward/center John Collins this summer, saying he considers it unlikely that either Collins or Clarkson are on the roster going into next season. Collins averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season while shooting 39.9% from three, but his presence may impede great roles for youngsters like Taylor Hendricks and Kyle Filipowski.
Julius Randle is expected to remain trade-eligible after agreeing to a three-year, $100MM deal with the Timberwolves, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski (Twitter links). That suggests his contract will be completed as an extension – not a free agent deal – and that the annual raises won’t exceed 5%. Krawczynski adds that the Wolves aren’t planning on moving Randle, but this deal should allow them the flexibility to do so if the right opportunity presents itself.
The Thunder didn’t change their draft strategy or identity after winning the championship, writes Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated. “Every draft that we have is an opportunity to reflect back on the others and figure out what we can do better,” head of basketball operations Sam Presti said. “But the one thing we’ve never really strayed from, and I don’t think we will, is the focus on drafting people and not players. I think the characteristics of winning players, they multiply at a greater level than just talented players. They scale up better.” After selecting Thomas Sorber and Brooks Barnhizer in the 2025 draft, the Thunder took care of a pair of their previous draftees, signing Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell to three-year extensions.

John Collins Picks Up $26.5MM Player Option

June 25th, 2025 at 4:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz big man John Collins has exercised his $26.5MM player option for next season, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). He faced a Thursday deadline for the decision, as our tracker shows.

Collins averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds this season, but he was limited to 40 games and didn’t return after suffering a left ankle sprain on March 12. Utah held out several veteran players late in the season to improve its lottery odds, so Collins may have been able to play under different circumstances.

The player option represents the final season of a five-year deal Collins signed in 2021 when he was still with the Hawks. Atlanta traded him to the Jazz in 2023, and he has been a consistent starter during his two seasons in Utah.

Trade speculation has been swirling around Collins and other Jazz players, and it’s likely to continue now that his status for next season is certain. His name was also frequently mentioned around February’s trade deadline, including a potential swap with Sacramento.

Collins and Lauri Markkanen ($46.4MM) will be Utah’s highest-paid players next season, and new president of basketball operations Austin Ainge may not want to spend so heavily on two power forwards. The results of tonight’s draft, where the Jazz hold picks No. 5, 21, 43 and 53, could also affect Collins’ future.

Collins, 27, was selected by Atlanta with the 19th pick in the 2017 draft. He has appeared in 472 total games and has career averages of 16.0 points and 8.1 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per night.

Trade Rumors: Brown, White, Holiday, Hawks, NAW, Collins

June 25th, 2025 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

After having agreed to trades that send out Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have moved below the second tax apron. However, they may not be done dealing yet. Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Tuesday night (YouTube link), Shams Charania reported that Boston is fielding calls from teams with interest in Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White.

According to Charania, the Celtics’ preference is still to hang onto Brown and White, and they’ve set “high price thresholds” for both players. But they’re also not entirely shutting down inquiries on those guys, so it remains possible that there will be a team willing to meet Boston’s high asking price.

“At minimum,” Charania says, the Celtics are still a strong candidate to make additional deals involving role players who are a little less valuable than Brown and White. Charania specifically identifies Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons as players who might fit that bill.

Simons technically isn’t even a Celtic yet, so the agreed-upon deal involving him and Jrue Holiday could be expanded to include more pieces and send Simons to a third team before it’s officially finalized. Even if that trade is completed as currently constructed, Simons could be flipped to another team immediately — his salary simply couldn’t be aggregated with another player’s salary for two months after he’s traded.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

According to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link), he has heard from two sources who refuted the report claiming that Holiday is unhappy about being traded to the Trail Blazers. We passed along that rumor on Tuesday, but suggested taking it with a grain of salt.
As the Hawks continue to mull various scenarios for how they could use the $25MM+ traded player exception they generated in last summer’s Dejounte Murray deal, one possible target to watch is Nickeil Alexander-Walker, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). The Hawks are expected to show interest in Alexander-Walker, who will be a free agent this summer, and could potentially use that TPE to acquire him via sign-and-trade. The Timberwolves have expressed a desire to retain the three-and-D guard, but will also have Julius Randle‘s and Naz Reid‘s contract situations to resolve.
Although John Collins is considered a potential offseason trade candidate, his market is still taking shape, so a deal seems more likely to happen after the draft than before or during it, per Stein and Fischer. Collins also must exercise his $26.6MM player option before he officially becomes trade-eligible. His decision is due on Thursday.
Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, Raptors forward RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley, Jazz guards Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, Wizards guard Marcus Smart, and Bucks wing Pat Connaughton are among the other players viewed as candidates to be on the move this summer, according to Stein and Fischer.

Stein’s Latest: Gafford, Irving, VanVleet, Collins, Thybulle

June 24th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The terms of Daniel Gafford‘s three-year extension will keep him trade-eligible without a six-month waiting period, but that doesn’t mean the Mavericks are looking to deal the 26-year-old center, Marc Stein of The Stein Line writes in his latest column (Substack link). Stein confirms that Gafford’s new contract, which will start with the 2026/27 season and is projected to be worth about $54MM, contains no options for him or the team.

Stein states that Dallas’ front office expects “considerable” trade interest in Gafford, but is reluctant to part with him after injuries limited Dereck Lively to 36 games during his second NBA season. Stein notes that forward P.J. Washington is also eligible for an extension this summer and says the Mavericks plan to hold onto him as well.

This is an important day for the organization, Stein adds, as it’s the deadline for Kyrie Irving to pick up a $43MM player option. If Irving passes on the option, Stein views that as a sign that he has an agreement with the Mavericks on a new long-term deal that will likely be announced early in free agency. It’s also possible that Irving could pick up the option and negotiate an extension after the moratorium is lifted or he could decide to test free agency next summer. A source tells Stein that Irving remained undecided as of Monday night.

Stein shares more inside information from around the league:

The Rockets may decline their $44.9MM option on Fred VanVleet, but Stein states there’s “no scenario” where he won’t be with the team next season. A source tells Stein that Houston and VanVleet would “do a new deal” if the option is turned down by Sunday’s deadline. Stein points out that the original deadline on the team option was five days after the Rockets’ season ended, but VanVleet and the team reached an agreement to push it back to late June. Stein also notes that Kevin Durant will be eligible for a two-year extension once he officially joins the team next month, suggesting it’s possible that VanVleet and Durant will both be signed to new deals that cover the next three seasons.
Stein reports that Jazz center Walker Kessler has been “unavailable for some time” and speculates that could have led to recent rumors that the Lakers are interested in John Collins. Stein calls it a “mischaracterization” to suggest that L.A. is a trade suitor for Collins.
The Trail Blazers expect swingman Matisse Thybulle to pick up his $11.5MM player option by today’s deadline, Stein adds.