Lakers To Sign Matisse Thybulle To One-Year Contract
The Lakers are signing forward Matisse Thybulle on a one-year, $3.3MM contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.
That’ll be a veteran’s minimum deal for Thybulle, whose minimum salary this season is $3,286,399. He’ll earn that amount while the club carries a cap hit of $2,449,421.
As Lakers reporter Jovan Buha points out (Twitter link), the addition of Thybulle will bring Los Angeles to 16 players on standard guaranteed contracts. The team will have to waive or trade at least one of them by opening night to reach the 15-man limit. The Lakers’ interest in signing Thybulle was reported by multiple outlets.
Since entering the league in 2019 in Philadelphia, Thybulle has established himself as a defensive ace, though his offensive contributions are modest. During his 377 career games, he’s averaged 5.0 points and 1.1 assists in 20.6 minutes per game. He made the All-Defensive second team in 2021 and 2022.
Thybulle has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with the Trail Blazers, though he hasn’t played much the past two campaigns. He was limited to 45 games due to ankle, knee and thumb injuries. He was healthy to finish the 2025/26 campaign and was playing rotation minutes for Portland down the stretch.
Thybulle joins a revamped Lakers roster with a number of options at the wing positions, led by Austin Reaves and free agent addition Quentin Grimes. Since its flurry of moves early in free agency, the team has focused on upgrading its perimeter defense, finalizing a deal with Ziaire Williams over the weekend before reaching an agreement with Thybulle.
Ziaire Williams Signs One-Year Contract With Lakers
July 19: The signing is official, per the NBA’s transaction log.
July 13: Free agent wing Ziaire Williams has agreed to a one-year, $3MM contract with the Lakers, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Williams has spent the past two seasons in Brooklyn following a three-year run in Memphis. He’s entering his sixth season in the NBA.
It appears as though the $3MM figure Charania cited is rounded up. After using all their cap room on Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes and then signing Collin Sexton using the room exception, the Lakers can only offer the veteran’s minimum. For Williams, that would work out to $2,845,883, while Los Angeles will carry a $2,449,421 cap hit.
The Pelicans were also interested in signing Williams, who was selected 10th overall in the 2021 draft, per Dan Woike of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, the California native preferred to play closer to home and also wanted to be in a “winning situation,” Woike adds.
Williams, who played high school basketball with Bronny James at Sierra Canyon, averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 22.9 minutes per game across 56 appearances in 2025/26 with the Nets. His shooting slash line was .425/.343/.850.
While Williams has been pretty erratic on offense to this point in his career (.422/.322/.824 shooting splits in 269 games), he provides plus length for a small forward at 6’9″ and developed into a solid defender with the Nets.
Brooklyn declined its $6.25MM option on Williams at the end of June, making him an unrestricted free agent. Woike subsequently linked the 24-year-old to the Lakers.
According to Charania (Twitter link), the Lakers continue to “strongly pursue” Jonathan Kuminga, whom the team views as a potential starter at forward. Woike suggests (via Twitter) Williams’ addition wouldn’t preclude the team from making a run at Kuminga, though it would almost certainly have to happen via sign-and-trade.
As Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets, Williams will be the 15th player under standard contract with the Lakers. The team also has all three of its two-way slots filled, notes Law Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter).
In other Lakers news, Jovan Buha reports that Austin Reaves‘ new four-year contract actually came in slightly lower than anticipated (Twitter link). Rather than signing a full max deal worth about $185MM, Reaves’ contract came in at $180MM, giving the team a little bit more financial flexibility in future seasons.
McMenamin (Twitter link) confirms Buha’s reporting and says the marginal discount could enable to the Lakers to use the non-taxpayer mid-level exception in the 2027 offseason. ESPN’s Bobby Marks adds (via Twitter) that Reaves will earn the full $41.2MM max in 2026/27, but he received a 4% raise in year two rather than the maximum allowable 8%. Next season’s cap is projected to rise by 5.5%.
Dort To Hawks, Risacher To Mavericks In Three-Team Trade
4:47 pm: The Dort trade is official, all three teams have announced. In addition to the trade compensation outlined below, the Mavs will receive a top-55 protected 2027 second-round pick from the Hawks.
11:17 am: The Thunder are trading Luguentz Dort to the Hawks in a three-team deal that will net Oklahoma City three second-round picks, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Hawks will send Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, to the Mavericks, while Dallas will trade Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta, sources tell ESPN.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), Oklahoma City will receive Chicago’s 2027 second-round pick (via Dallas) and two most favorable second-rounders in 2031 and 2032 (via Atlanta). The Thunder will also create a $17.7MM trade exception equivalent to Dort’s outgoing salary.
As Charania notes, the trade will put the Thunder comfortably beneath the second tax apron and save the team a significant amount of money toward their projected luxury tax bill. Oklahoma City exercised its $17.7MM option on Dort last month and will add three more second-round picks to send him to Atlanta.
The Thunder also traded Isaiah Joe (to the Pistons for two second-round picks) and Aaron Wiggins (to the Hawks for two second-rounders) earlier this month in cost-cutting moves.
Charania suggests Dort could have a long-term future with the Hawks. The 27-year-old small forward has been a fixture in the Thunder’s starting lineup over the past seven seasons, earning a spot on the All-Defensive first team and helping the team win the championship in 2025.
Atlanta was on the lookout for help on the wing and explored other options before agreeing to acquire Dort, Charania reports. The Hawks now have three premier perimeter defenders in Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dort, who will be extension-eligible throughout the 2026/27 league year.
Dort, 27, is coming off a down statistical season in which he averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 steals on .385/.344/.759 shooting in 69 games (26.8 minutes per game). The Montreal native averaged just 5.5 PPG and 2.7 RPG on .366/.308/.500 shooting (he was 2-of-4 on free throws) in 15 playoff outings (22.3 MPG).
Still, the barrel-chested wing will provide much-needed toughness to a Hawks team that often lacked in that department last season. Dort, who went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2019, will be an unrestricted free agent next year if he doesn’t sign an extension in ’26/27.
Nembhard, who’s entering his second season, could provide depth at point guard behind rookie Kingston Flemings and veteran CJ McCollum, who’s more of a scorer than a facilitator. However, it’s possible the 23-year-old Canadian may not make the final roster, as Atlanta will have 17 players on standard deals after the trade. Nembhard is owed a guaranteed $2.15MM in ’26/27.
The Mavericks will use their existing $20.8MM traded player exception to take on Risacher’s $13.8MM contract, tweets Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron. Risacher will be owed $17.4MM in ’27/28 if the Mavs pick up his fourth-year option by October 31.
Gozlan projects Dallas to be $2.3MM under the luxury tax line after the trade is complete. The team will still have 16 players under standard contract after the move is official, Gozlan adds.
It’s a buy-low opportunity for the Mavs, who essentially gave up a second-round pick and Nembhard to acquire Risacher, a French small forward who was the top pick in a relatively weak draft class. He averaged 11.1 PPG and 3.7 RPG on .457/.360/.686 shooting in 142 games over his first two seasons (23.6 MPG), though his role was reduced in year two — he barely played for Atlanta in the 2026 playoffs (7.7 MPG in three appearances).
Mavericks To Match Offer Sheet, Keep Moussa Cisse
The Mavericks will match the Knicks‘ offer sheet for restricted free agent big man Moussa Cisse, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Agents Yann Balikouzou and Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management confirmed Dallas’ decision to Charania.
Under the terms of the offer, Cisse’s salary will be $2,185,116 for the upcoming season and $2,571,895 in 2027/28. However, as we noted earlier, his tax/apron hit for 2026/27 will be $2,449,421, equivalent to a veteran’s minimum for a player with two years of experience (rather than one).
Matching the offer gives Dallas 16 players with standard contracts and 15 that are guaranteed. The team also has a surplus of big men with No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr. and trade acquisition Santi Aldama joining Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington as options in the middle.
The Mavericks continue to explore trade opportunities involving Gafford that will include some type of value in return, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link). Siegel believes Gafford will “likely” be moved based on his conversations at the Las Vegas Summer League.
Cisse will receive a $1.1MM guarantee on his $2.2MM salary for 2026/27 if he remains on Dallas’ roster through September 1, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal will become fully guaranteed if he’s not waived before October 1.
Because the offer was matched, Cisse cannot be traded without his consent for a full year, and he can’t be dealt to the Knicks under any circumstances during that time. However, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron points out that Cisse would be permitted to sign with New York if Dallas opts to waive him (Twitter link).
The Knicks are expected to explore other options in their search for a low-cost big man off the bench. They reportedly reached out to the Pelicans about Yves Missi and the Hornets about Moussa Diabate before extending the offer sheet to Cisse.
Cisse, 23, turned in a promising rookie season after going undrafted out of Memphis last summer. He came to Dallas’ training camp on an Exhibit 10 contract and was promoted to a two-way deal before last season began. He appeared in 38 NBA games, averaging 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 13.9 minutes per night. He also got into 16 G League contests with the Texas Legends.
Knicks Sign Mavs RFA Moussa Cisse To Two-Year Offer Sheet
1:45 pm: Cisse signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Knicks, according to reports from Ian Begley of SNY.tv and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter links).
As Marks observes (via Twitter), that means Cisse’s salary will be worth $2,185,116 next season and $2,571,895 in 2027/28. However, his tax/apron hit for next season will be $2,449,421, equivalent to a veteran’s minimum for a player with two years of experience (rather than one).
12:56 pm: The Knicks have signed Mavericks restricted free agent center Moussa Cisse to a two-year offer sheet, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (via Twitter).
Shams Charania of ESPN, who confirms the news, hears Cisse’s salary for the coming season is 50% guaranteed, while 2027/28 is non-guaranteed (Twitter link). Charania’s colleague Bobby Marks reports (via Twitter) that Cisse’s salary for ’26/27 would become fully guaranteed on October 1.
Dallas has until Monday at 11:59 pm ET to decide whether or not to match the offer sheet, Marks adds.
According to Fischer (Twitter link), the Knicks have been in the market for a young backup center. They attempted to trade for Yves Missi of the Pelicans and Moussa Diabate of the Hornets before signing Cisse.
An athletic lob threat and rim protector, Cisse went undrafted last year out of Memphis after playing for three different schools over five college seasons. He initially signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Mavs for training camp, but was promoted to a two-way contract shortly before 2025/26 began.
Cisse, 23, was part of Dallas’ frontcourt rotation for stretches of last season, averaging 4.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 13.9 minutes per game across 38 appearances. He was given a two-way qualifying offer last month, making him a restricted free agent.
The Guinean big man also made 16 total G League appearances with the Texas Legends as a rookie in 2025/26, averaging 14.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game.
While the exact terms of Cisse’s agreement with New York have yet to be reported, the team is close to its second-apron hard cap, so it can’t offer Cisse much more than his minimum salary.
From a financial perspective, there’s nothing preventing the Mavericks from matching the offer sheet. However, the team already has 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, with Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, No. 9 overall pick Morez Johnson Jr., P.J. Washington, and trade acquisition Santi Aldama as options in the middle.
On the other hand, Lively has dealt with significant injury absences in each of his three seasons, Gafford was hampered by a right ankle issue essentially all of last season, Johnson is a rookie, and Washington and Aldama have primarily played at the four. Cisse was one of the more productive two-way players in the NBA last season, so the Mavs may not want to let him go for nothing.
The X-factor that’s difficult to gauge is Dallas has a new front office regime led by president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz. It’s unclear how those two executives view Cisse.
Heat Re-Sign Vladislav Goldin To Two-Way Contract
The Heat have re-signed center Vladislav Goldin to a new two-way contract, according to the official NBA transaction log (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
Goldin, 25, initially joined the Heat on a two-way deal last July after going undrafted out of Michigan. The Russian big man spent most of his rookie season in the G League, averaging 12.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 23.6 minutes per game across 31 appearances for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s affiliate.
Although Goldin played sparingly at the NBA level, logging just 24 total minutes in nine games for the Heat, the team issued him a two-way qualifying offer last month to make him a restricted free agent. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel confirms (via Twitter), he simply accepted that QO, which is the equivalent of another one-year, two-way deal with a partial guarantee worth $91K.
Having re-signed Goldin, the Heat have now filled two of their three two-way contract slots. Tre Donaldson, a rookie free agent guard who spent his final college season with the Miami Hurricanes, finalized a two-way deal with the club earlier in July.
The Heat could bring in another free agent to fill their third and final two-way opening prior to training camp or they could hold an open competition in camp for that last slot. Any player with fewer than four years of NBA experience who is on an Exhibit 10 contract can have his deal converted into a two-way, and Miami is expected to sign undrafted free agents Tre White, J’Vonne Hadley, and Keyshawn Hall to Exhibit 10 deals.
Not counting those unsigned Exhibit 10 players, the Heat currently have 14 players under contract — 12 on standard deals, plus Goldin and Donaldson.
Nuggets Sign Marvin Bagley III To One-Year Deal
July 16: The Nuggets have officially signed Bagley, per the NBA’s transaction log.
July 1: Former No. 2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III has agreed to sign with the Nuggets, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides will complete a one-year deal. Charania adds (via Twitter) that Bagley chose Denver after receiving a “handful” of offers in free agency.
An eight-year veteran, Bagley hasn’t lived up to the expectations of being drafted one spot ahead of Luka Doncic, but he has carved out a spot for himself in the NBA in recent years as a reliable frontcourt reserve. After opening the 2025/26 season with the Wizards, the 6’10” forward/center was sent to the Mavericks at the trade deadline in the Anthony Davis blockbuster.
Bagley was productive for both teams, appearing in a total of 60 games (12 starts) and averaging 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 20.0 minutes per night. Although he knocked down just 66.0% of his free throws, the former Duke standout was extremely efficient from the field, hitting 64.1% of his two-pointers and, in a small sample, 46.2% of his threes (24-of-52).
The Nuggets have an excellent starting duo at the four and five, with Aaron Gordon playing alongside three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, but the team’s frontcourt depth has been shaky in recent years.
Zeke Nnaji and DaRon Holmes provided inconsistent contributions in 2025/26, while Jokic’s primary backup Jonas Valanciunas almost certainly won’t have his $10MM salary for ’26/27 guaranteed. Denver used the No. 35 overall pick in June’s draft on power forward Trevon Brazile, but Bagley will add more experience up front.
Bagley’s deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum, confirms Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. While it’s possible the Nuggets will have more flexibility later in the offseason if they make a trade or two, they currently project to be a second-apron team — as long as they remain in that position, they wouldn’t be able to offer more than a minimum-salary contract to an external free agent.
Alpha Diallo Signs One-Year Contract With Nuggets
July 16: Diallo’s deal is now official, according to the transaction log at NBA.com.
July 12: EuroLeague standout Alpha Diallo is signing a one-year contract with the Nuggets, agents Jared Mucha and Javon Phillips tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Charania says the deal is guaranteed and is worth $1.4MM, which means Diallo will earn the rookie minimum of $1,357,763 in 2026/27.
Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reported on Friday that Denver was showing “strong” interest in Diallo, who has spent the past five years with AS Monaco after one season with Lavrio in Greece.
Diallo made the All-Big East second team twice with Providence before going undrafted in 2020 and has since emerged as one of the top defensive players in Europe. In fact, the 29-year-old won the EuroLeague Best Defender award this past season after finishing third in voting a year ago. That award is voted on by EuroLeague head coaches.
In 42 total EuroLeague outings for AS Monaco in 2025/26, Diallo averaged 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes per game. His 57 total steals ranked first in the league, and Urbonas noted he also placed first among forwards in points allowed per possession (0.844).
Diallo won domestic championships with Monaco in France’s top league (LNB Élite) in 2023, 2024, and 2026, and helped lead the team to the EuroLeague final four in 2025.
The Nuggets currently only have nine players on standard contracts, though they’ve reportedly reached minimum-salary deals with Diallo, Tyus Jones and Marvin Bagley III, and they continue to negotiate with restricted free agents Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. Denver also has an unsigned second-round pick in Bryce Hopkins.
Celtics Officially Sign Milos Uzan, Tucker DeVries
As expected, the Celtics have officially signed rookie free agents Milos Uzan and Tucker DeVries (Twitter links via The Spot Up Shot). Both players agreed to terms on Exhibit 10 deals with Boston last month after going undrafted and are now listed on the team’s official roster.
A four-year college player, Uzan spent two years at Oklahoma before spending the past two at Houston. As a Cougar, the 6’4″ combo guard appeared in 77 games (all starts), averaging 11.3 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .416/.377/.763. He has registered 8.0 PPG, 5.0 APG, and 4.3 RPG in three Summer League outings for the Celtics.
A 6’7″ guard/forward, DeVries was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in his three seasons at Drake, then followed his father (and head coach) Darian DeVries to West Virginia in 2024/25, when he was limited to just eight games due to an injury, and Indiana in 2025/26.
DeVries averaged 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.2 minutes per game across 32 appearances during his lone season with the Hoosiers. He has averaged 11.0 PPG with a .400 3PT% in two Summer League contests (19.6 MPG) for Boston in Las Vegas.
An Exhibit 10 deal is a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract that can be converted into a two-way deal before the regular season begins. If a player on an Exhibit 10 contract is waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate, he’s eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $91K.
The Celtics now have 17 players under contract, including 14 on standard deals, two on Exhibit 10s, and one on a two-way.
Tyus Jones Re-Signs With Nuggets On One-Year Deal
July 15: Jones’ new contract with the Nuggets is now official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.
July 2: Free agent guard Tyus Jones is re-signing with the Nuggets on a one-year contract, Shams Charania of ESPN reports (via Twitter).
While Charania doesn’t specify the terms of the agreement, it’s likely to be a veteran’s minimum deal for the cap-strapped Nuggets. It also wouldn’t be surprising if the contract is partially or non-guaranteed.
The 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft, Jones spent his first four seasons in Minnesota and then played four years with Memphis. He was once regarded as one of the top backup point guards in the NBA, but he has bounced around the league in recent seasons and really struggled in 2025/26.
Jones made 67 total appearances (14.6 minutes per game) with Orlando, Dallas and Denver this past season, averaging 3.0 points, 2.4 assists and 1.1 rebounds on .349/.292/.778 shooting splits. He also made three playoff appearances with the Nuggets, who were eliminated in the first round by the Wolves in six games.
After choosing to decline their option on Jalen Pickett, the Nuggets didn’t have a backup point guard behind Jamal Murray until they decided to re-sign Jones. As Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette tweets, head coach David Adelman is a fan of the 30-year-old guard and liked what he brought to the table in the postseason.
Although Jones didn’t play up to his usual standard last season, he has a long track record of being a solid role player, especially on offense, having averaged 10.2 PPG, 5.3 APG, 2.4 RPG and 0.9 SPG on .448/.414/.895 shooting in 81 games with Phoenix in ’24/25 (26.8 MPG).
At 6’0″, Jones has clear defensive limitations and is one of the smaller players in the league. But he’s also a steady hand at the point, who’s known for his ability to take care of the basketball — he has lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio multiple times.
Assuming he received a minimum-salary contract as expected, Jones will make about $3.88MM next season, while the Nuggets will carry a $2.45MM cap hit.