Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hayden Gray Signs Exhibit 10 Contract With Celtics

July 21st, 2025 at 7:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rookie Hayden Gray has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Celtics, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

Gray led Division I in steals last season, averaging 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game in 35 starts for UC San Diego. Gray, a 6’4” guard, shot 47.9 percent overall and 41.8 percent on 3-point attempts. He was a two-year starter for the Tritons.

Gray was a member of the Celtics’ Summer League team and appeared in one game, posting seven points, two assists and two steals in 20 minutes.

“I’ve got pretty good anticipation, reading the ball-handler’s eyes, knowing where they want to go with it,” Gray told Noa Dalzell of CelticsBlog. “I take pride in defense. A lot of teams are really focusing on creating more possessions, and I think I can do that by causing turnovers and also just being a floor general, handling the ball, and setting the table for everyone.”

If Gray is waived, he would be in line for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he joins the G League’s Maine Celtics and spends at least 60 days with Boston’s affiliate.

Clippers Sign Chris Paul To One-Year Deal

July 21st, 2025 at 5:49pm CST by Luke Adams

5:49pm: The signing is official, according to a Clippers press release relayed by Mark Medina of Sportskeeda (Twitter link).

“He is joining us as a reserve point guard and is excited to fill whatever role (coach Tyronn Lue) asks him to play,” president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in the statement.

10:13am: Chris Paul is returning to Los Angeles, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), who hears from the point guard’s representatives at CAA that Paul has agreed to sign with the Clippers for what will likely be his last season.

It will be a one-year, minimum-salary deal for Paul, per NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Paul received interest from a number of teams during free agency, but was known to be prioritizing an opportunity to play close to his family in Los Angeles. He reportedly rebuffed interest from Eastern Conference suitors like the Bucks and Hornets, as well as non-West Coast clubs like the Mavericks. The Clippers and Suns were long viewed as the most likely landing spots for the future Hall of Famer.

Paul, who turned 40 in May, spent six seasons with the Clippers from 2011-17 during what was arguably the most successful stretch of his NBA career. He received MVP and Defensive Player of the Year votes in each of his first five seasons in Los Angeles and was an All-Defensive first-teamer in all six years. He also made five consecutive All-Star teams and earned five All-NBA nods (three first-team and two second-team) in his first go-round as a Clipper.

While Paul is no longer in his prime, he started every game for San Antonio last season, marking just the second time in his 20 NBA seasons that he has made 82 regular season appearances. The former Wake Forest standout averaged a career-low 8.8 points per game for the Spurs, but contributed 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per night while making 37.7% of his three-point attempts and 92.4% of his free throws.

Paul has started 1,314 of his 1,354 career NBA games, with all 40 of those appearances off the bench coming in Golden State in 2023/24. It’s unclear if he’ll get a chance to be part of the starting five in L.A. next season, with James Harden, Bradley Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and defensive ace Kris Dunn all in the backcourt mix as well.

Still, having Paul on the roster further solidifies the depth chart for a Clippers team that has made several notable veteran additions with limited resources this offseason. The club split its mid-level exception on Beal and Brook Lopez, traded Norman Powell for John Collins, and will now bring Paul aboard on a minimum-salary contract.

Once their signing of Paul is complete, the Clippers will have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts. They won’t have enough breathing room below their first tax apron hard cap to add another veteran-minimum player before the season begins.

Lakers Waive Two-Way Player Trey Jemison

July 21st, 2025 at 4:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers have waived two-way player Trey Jemison III, the team announced in a press release (hat tip to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register).

The Lakers have completely revamped their two-way roster. They reportedly are signing Christian Koloko and Chris Manon to fill two of those spots. Jemison held the third and final slot, so the Lakers are now free to sign another player to take his place.

That may have already been determined. The Lakers reportedly agreed to a two-way deal with former Villanova forward Eric Dixon shortly after he went undrafted in June, though the signing isn’t yet official.

Jemison signed a two-year, two-way contract in January. The 25-year-old center had some productive moments in his 22 games with the Lakers, averaging 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per night while shooting 61.9% from the field. He also spent time with New Orleans during the 2024/25 season and had brief stints with Washington and Memphis in ’23/24.

Overall, Jemison has 63 games of NBA experience (14 starts), averaging 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game.

Nuggets Sign Curtis Jones To Two-Way Deal

July 21st, 2025 at 3:12pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

July 21: The Nuggets have officially signed Jones to a two-way contract, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

July 20: Undrafted free agent former Iowa State guard Curtis Jones has agreed to a two-way deal with the Nuggets, his NEXT Sports agent Austin Walton tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

As Charania notes, Jones’ Summer League performance for Denver’s Summer League squad clearly inspired the signing. The 6’4″ swingman notched averages of 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks in just 20.2 minutes per game, with shooting averages of 54.9% from the floor and 46.7% on three-pointers.

Jones spent his first two NCAA seasons with Buffalo, which included a 2023 All-MAC honor, before transferring to Iowa State. Last year, he was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and to the All-Big 12 first team for his play. In 34 bouts, he averaged 17.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 2.3 APG, with shooting splits of .430/.374/.845.

Reporting after last month’s draft indicated that Jones had agreed to sign with Denver, but no further details were provided at that time, so it was presumed to be a training camp agreement. His strong Summer League showing lined him up to join Tamar Bates and Spencer Jones as the Nuggets’ two-way players.

Magic Sign Orlando Robinson To Two-Way Contract

July 21st, 2025 at 2:50pm CST by Rory Maher

The Magic have signed free agent center Orlando Robinson to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel was the first to report Robinson’s new deal.

The 25-year-old big man spent his first two NBA seasons with Miami after going undrafted out of Fresno State in 2022. He started 2024/25 — his third campaign — with Sacramento, was released in January, then spent the final three months of the season on various contracts with Toronto. The Raptors released Robinson on April 10, making him an unrestricted free agent.

In 44 combined games with the Kings and Raptors last season, Robinson averaged 6.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.5 minutes per contest, with all of those figures representing career highs. He posted a shooting line of .444/.327/.771.

As our tracker shows, Robinson will join Ethan Thompson as players on two-way contracts with the Magic. They still have a two-way opening even after adding Robinson.

Robinson will earn $636,435 in 2025/26, half of the rookie minimum, and can be active for up 50 games if the Magic carry a full standard roster.

Lakers Waive Jordan Goodwin

July 20th, 2025 at 8:57pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Lakers have waived Jordan Goodwin, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). The move was necessary to create room below the first tax apron to sign Marcus Smart following his buyout from the Wizards.

The Lakers had recently picked up the $2.3MM team option on Goodwin’s contract, but only $25K of the deal was guaranteed.

As the only remaining Laker with a non-guaranteed contract following the team’s decision to waive Shake Milton earlier today, Goodwin’s place on the roster became tenuous once it was clear the Lakers were bringing in Smart on a two-year, $11MM deal that necessitated multiple cost-cutting moves. Smart’s salary for next season is expected to be worth the full bi-annual exception of $5.1MM.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, once Smart signs, the Lakers will be operating about $1MM below the first apron, so they won’t have enough breathing room to sign a 15th man before the season begins without further cost-cutting moves.

Marks adds (via Twitter) that because Goodwin has played in the league for four seasons, he’s ineligible for a two-way deal. The 26-year-old defensive-minded guard played 29 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 18.7 minutes per night. He shot 38.2% from three and appeared in four of the five Lakers’ playoff games against the Timberwolves, averaging 7.8 minutes per game in the postseason.

Goodwin will now hit waivers and then become an unrestricted free agent if no one claims him (the priority order is determined by the reverse order of last season’s standings). The Athletic’s Tony Jones speculates (via Twitter) that Goodwin is likely to have a number of suitors on the open market.

Marcus Smart To Join Lakers After Buyout With Wizards

July 20th, 2025 at 5:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

July 20: Smart has officially reached a buyout agreement with the Wizards and been placed on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

July 19: Marcus Smart has reached an agreement on a buyout with the Wizards and plans to join the Lakers once he clears waivers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Smart’s new contract will be worth $11MM over two years and will contain a player option for the second season.

Sources tell Charania that Luka Doncic played a large role in recruiting Smart to L.A. He adds that the Lakers, Suns and Bucks all received permission from Washington to contact Smart, and he had “positive conversations” with all three teams.

The Lakers can use their full bi-annual exception to add Smart, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). They’ll have to clear about $4.2MM in salary to have access to the full amount, which may mean parting with Shake Milton, who has a $3MM non-guaranteed salary, and Jordan Goodwin, who only has a $25K guarantee on his $2.35MM salary.

If that happens, L.A. wouldn’t have enough available apron space to sign a 15th man before the start of the season, as Gozlan notes (Twitter link).

Milton’s salary for 2025/26 will become fully guaranteed after Sunday, so the Lakers will have to act fast if they plan to waive him.

If Smart gives back the equivalent of the bi-annual exception in his buyout, the Wizards will be more than $30MM below the luxury tax, Gozlan adds. Washington has its full $14.1MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception remaining, along with $13.4MM and $9.9MM trade exceptions.

Smart, 31, was named Defensive Player of the Year with Boston in 2022, but his career took a downturn after a trade to Memphis in the summer of 2023. Injuries limited him to 39 total games in a year and a half with the Grizzlies before he was sent to Washington in a three-team deal at this year’s trade deadline.

If Smart can stay healthy, he’ll bring much-needed defensive help to the Lakers’ backcourt. He appeared in 19 games with Memphis and 15 games with the Wizards last season, averaging 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 20 minutes per night with .393/.348/.761 shooting numbers.

The Wizards have added numerous young players to their roster this summer, so there likely wouldn’t have been regular playing time for Smart, who had a $21.6MM expiring contract. There were rumors last month that Smart was on the trade market, but the Wizards evidently couldn’t find a team willing to take on his salary.

Grizzlies Sign PJ Hall To Two-Way Contract, Waive Zyon Pullin

July 20th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

4:00 pm: Hall’s signing is now official, per a Grizzlies press statement (Twitter link). Memphis has announced that Pullin has been waived, meaning the team will still have an open two-way roster slot.

3:52 PM: Free agent center PJ Hall has agreed to sign a two-way deal with the Grizzlies, his ProMondo Sports agent Matt Bollero informs Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

Hall went undrafted out of Clemson in 2024, but inked a two-way deal with Denver for the 2024/25 season. The 6’8″ big man split his minutes between the Nuggets and their NBAGL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.

Hall appeared in 19 contests for Denver proper last season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in just 3.5 minutes per game. In 20 total outings for the Gold, however, he posted some impressive numbers, averaging a double-double (18.9 PPG, 11.8 RPG) along with 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32.0 minutes per game.

Hall has been plying his trade this month for the Hornets’ Summer League team. Across five Summer League contests for Charlotte, the 23-year-old averaged 9.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.0 APG.

He’ll join fellow two-way signings Zyon Pullin and Javon Small in Memphis. As a two-way player, Hall is eligible to suit up for as many as 50 contests with the Grizzlies’ standard roster. He’ll likely be transferred back and forth between the Grizzlies and the team’s G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle.

Lakers Waive Shake Milton

July 20th, 2025 at 12:52pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers are waiving guard Shake Milton, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Milton’s $3MM salary for the 2025/26 season would have become guaranteed if he had remained under contract through Sunday. Charania notes that L.A. is carving out room below the first tax apron for forthcoming new addition Marcus Smart.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the move now puts Los Angeles $3.9MM below the league’s first luxury tax apron. Another transaction will be necessary in order for the team to sign Smart to a deal worth the full bi-annual exception ($5.1MM).

Los Angeles recently picked up its club option on the $2.3MM contract of young, defense-first guard Jordan Goodwin, but only $25K of Goodwin’s salary is guaranteed as of now. He’s the only other Laker on a non-guaranteed deal, so he would likely be the odd man out unless the club trades or waives-and-stretches a player with a guaranteed salary.

Milton was a minimal contributor to head coach JJ Redick‘s rotation after being acquired as part of L.A.’s midseason trade for Dorian Finney-Smith.

Across 30 contests after being traded to Los Angeles, the 6’5″ SMU alum averaged 3.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.3 APG in 11.5 MPG. The 28-year-old wasn’t in Redick’s rotation in the postseason, appearing in just two games for 2.0 MPG.

Damian Lillard Returns To Trail Blazers On Three-Year Deal

July 19th, 2025 at 5:40pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 19: Lillard’s new contract is official, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release.

JULY 17: Star point guard Damian Lillard is finalizing a three-year, $42MM contract to return to the Trail Blazers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports that the deal is expected to feature a player option for the 2027/28 season and a no-trade clause.

Zach Lowe of The Ringer first stated (Twitter link) that the Blazers and Lillard had mutual interest in a reunion, with Bill Oram of The Oregonian reporting shortly thereafter that the two sides were in “deep discussions” about a contract and that Lillard was “strongly considering” a return to Portland.

Lillard is expected to miss the entire 2025/26 campaign after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in late April during Milwaukee’s first-round playoff series vs. Indiana. The Bucks waived the 35-year-old guard earlier this month and used the stretch provision on his previous contract in order to create the cap space necessary to sign Myles Turner.

It’s a stunning turn of events considering the contentious way in which Portland’s all-time leading scorer exited the franchise after he requested a trade two years ago.

According to Charania, Lillard met with general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups multiple times in recent weeks to “bond” and hash out a new deal. Lillard’s family and children live in Portland and he considered it to be of the utmost importance to reunite with the organization and city, says Charania.

Lillard drew interest from several teams on the open market and had multiple offers for both the mid-level exception and the veteran’s minimum, sources tell Charania. The Timberwolves were among the teams that checked in on Lillard, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, though it’s unclear how serious those talks were.

NBA insider Chris Haynes hears (Twitter link) that Cronin and Lillard “made amends” at the nine-time All-Star’s house “weeks ago.” The goal is for Lillard to retire as a Trail Blazer, Haynes adds.

As Marc Stein of The Stein Line observes (via Twitter), despite not playing for the Trail Blazers for the past two seasons, Lillard is eligible for a full no-trade clause because he has at least eight years of NBA service time and spent at least four years with Portland. He spent his first 11 NBA seasons as a Blazer after being selected No. 6 overall back in 2012.

Lillard remained highly productive last season when healthy, averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 58 regular season contests (36.1 minutes per game). Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right calf in March, and suffered the major Achilles injury in his third game back after a remarkably fast recovery from the deep vein thrombosis.