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Sixers’ Andre Drummond Opting In For 2025/26

June 27th, 2025 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Andre Drummond has decided to pick up his $5MM player option for the 2025/26 season, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The move locks in Drummond’s salary for next season and lines up him to return to the unrestricted free agent market in the summer of 2026.

Drummond initially signed a two-year, $10MM contract with Philadelphia last offseason. The Sixers made him a priority in free agency after coming to terms with Paul George on a maximum-salary contract because they wanted to make sure they had a reliable veteran backup for Joel Embiid.

As it turned out, Embiid played just 19 games in 2024/25 due to a knee issue, but Drummond battled health problems of his own, with a nagging toe injury limiting him to 40 appearances, including 23 starts. He averaged 7.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 18.8 minutes per game.

While Drummond, one of the NBA’s all-time best rebounders, continues to grab boards at an elite level, the Sixers struggled during mightily during his minutes this past season, posting a net rating of -15.5 when he was on the court. Of course, Philadelphia had a poor season all around in ’24/25, but the team had a more respectable -4.3 net rating when Drummond didn’t play.

Drummond is one of three Sixers veterans holding player options for next season. The team is still waiting on decisions from Kelly Oubre ($8.4MM) and Eric Gordon ($3.5MM).

Philadelphia now has five players on guaranteed salaries for 2025/26. Those five players – Embiid, George, Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and Drummond – will earn a combined $154MM, which is right around where the salary cap is projected to come in.

Nuggets To Sign Curtis Jones

June 27th, 2025 at 11:04am CST by Arthur Hill

Iowa State guard Curtis Jones will sign with the Nuggets, a source tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s likely to be an Exhibit 10 contract, but Givony doesn’t specify the terms.

Jones, 23, spent two years with the Cyclones after playing his first two seasons at Buffalo. He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection this year and won the conference’s Sixth Man Award. Jones averaged 17.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 34 games as a senior. He’s an effective three-point shooter, connecting at 37.4% this season, and has shown he can provide instant offense off the bench.

Jones conducted more than a dozen interviews and workouts during the pre-draft process, according to Eugene Rapay of The Des Moines Register. He also participated in the G League Elite Camp in May.

Jones was ranked as the No. 90 prospect in the draft by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic and was listed as the 19th-best remaining player on ESPN’s big board.

Jones joins Missouri guard Tamar Bates, who agreed to a two-way contract with Denver shortly after the draft’s second round ended Thursday night. The Nuggets didn’t have any picks in either round this year.

Wizards, Kadary Richmond Agree To Deal

June 27th, 2025 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

After going undrafted this week, St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond has agreed to sign with the Wizards, agent Daniel Hazan tells NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

Richmond spent a year at Syracuse and three seasons with Seton Hall before joining St. John’s ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. As a “super senior,” he filled up the box score by averaging 12.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.0 steals in 32.3 minutes per game across 36 outings (35 starts).

Richmond was named to the All-Big East second team in 2025 after making the first team with Seton Hall in 2024. He was the No. 86 prospect on ESPN’s big board prior to the draft and ranked 29th among the players who went undrafted.

The exact details of Richmond’s contract are unclear. Typically, when the agent for an undrafted rookie doesn’t specify the terms, it’s an Exhibit 10 agreement, which is essentially a non-guaranteed training camp contract. But St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino sent out a tweet today congratulating Richmond and his Red Storm teammate RJ Luis Jr. for their “two-way” deals.

The Wizards won’t be able to officially sign Richmond until after the new league year begins in July, so we should get clarity on his contract details at that point, if not earlier.

Rockets To Sign Cameron Matthews

June 27th, 2025 at 10:08am CST by Rory Maher

Former Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews is signing with the Rockets, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), who says the defensive standout will be given a chance to compete for a two-way contract in training camp after he went undrafted last night. That reporting implies Matthews has agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal.

Matthews spent all five of his college seasons with the Bulldogs, averaging 7.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 steals in 29.4 minutes per game across 34 appearances in 2024/25. While he isn’t a great scorer or shooter (.533/.200/.556 career splits), he does contribute in multiple areas and earned All-Defensive honors in the SEC each of the past two seasons.

The 23-year-old was not ranked on ESPN’s big board, but he came in at No. 83 on Sam Vecenie of The Athletic‘s top-100 guide.

The Exhibit 10 language in Matthews’ contract means that he could earn a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s NBA G League affiliate. As Scotto noted, Exhibit 10s can also be converted into two-way deals.

Thunder Sign Payton Sandfort To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 27th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 1: Sandfort has signed his Exhibit 10 contract, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets.

JUNE 27: The defending champion Thunder have agreed to a deal with former Iowa standout Payton Sandfort, reports Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

While Givony doesn’t specify the terms of the agreement, it will likely be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract. An Exhibit 10 deal would put Sandfort on track to either become an affiliate player for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G League team, or to be converted to a two-way deal before the regular season.

Sandfort, a 6’7″ wing who spent his entire four-year college career with the Hawkeyes, gradually emerged as a featured player for the team, becoming a full-time starter as a junior after being named the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore.

In his senior year in 2024/25, Sandfort started all 33 games he played, averaging 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 31.9 minutes per contest, with a .407/.340/.891 shooting line. That three-point percentage was his worst single-season mark — he was at 36.5% in his first three college seasons.

Sandfort is the first undrafted free agent deal reported for the Thunder, who selected Thomas Sorber in the first round of the 2025 draft and Brooks Barnhizer in the second.

Omoruyi, Degenhart Joining Raptors On Exhibit 10 Deals

June 27th, 2025 at 9:54am CST by Rory Maher

A pair of undrafted free agents are signing non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Raptors for training camp in the fall.

According to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link), Alabama big man Clifford Omoruyi will be joining Toronto. Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com confirms (via Twitter) that Omoruyi is signing an Exhibit 10 deal.

Former Boise State forward Tyson Degenhart tells B.J. Rains of Bronco Nation News that he has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Raptors as well (Twitter link).

A Nigerian center, Omoruyi spent his first four college seasons at Rutgers, earning Big 10 All-Defensive honors in back-to-back years (2023 and 2024) prior to transferring to Alabama. As fifth-year senior in 2024/25, he averaged 7.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 19.2 minutes per game across 37 appearances for the Crimson Tide.

Omoruyi was No. 66 on ESPN’s big board entering the draft, but was not ranked on Sam Vecenie of The Athletic‘s top-100 guide.

As for Degenhart, he spent four years with the Broncos, averaging 18.3 PPG and 6.1 RPG on .526/.349/.797 shooting in 37 games last season as a senior (33.6 MPG). He was unranked by both ESPN and The Athletic.

Exhibit 10 deals enable players to receive a bonus worth up to $85K if they’re waived before the season begins and spend at least 60 days with their team’s G League affiliate (Raptors 905). E10s can also be converted into two-way contracts.

Bulls To Sign Caleb Grill, Wooga Poplar To Exhibit 10 Deals

June 27th, 2025 at 9:25am CST by Rory Maher

Free agent guard Caleb Grill, who went undrafted yesterday, has agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Bulls, according to Taylor Eldridge of The Wichita Eagle (Twitter link).

Another undrafted free agent, guard Wooga Poplar, will sign an Exhibit 10 deal with Chicago as well, reports Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express (Twitter link).

At 25, Grill was the oldest player ranked on Sam Vecenie of The Athletic‘s big board, coming in at No. 93. ESPN was higher on the Kansas native, ranking him No. 67 and 15th among players who went undrafted.

Grill, who also played for Iowa State and UNLV before finishing out his college career with Missouri, had a productive season in 2024/25 for the Tigers, winning the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year award after posting 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 26.2 minutes per contest, with an excellent shooting line of .472/.396/.864.

Poplar, who spent three years at Miami (FL) before transferring to Villanova for the 2024/25 campaign, is also coming off a strong season in which he averaged 15.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 1.3 SPG on .460/.387/.856 shooting in 36 appearances for the Wildcats (31.9 MPG). He was not ranked on ESPN’s or The Athletic’s board.

An Exhibit 10 is a non-guaranteed training camp contract and is typically designed to ensure players can receive a bonus worth up to $85K if they’re waived before the season begins and spend at least 60 days with the club’s NBA G League affiliate — in this case the Windy City Bulls. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals.

Warriors Reach Deals With LJ Cryer, Chance McMillian

June 27th, 2025 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of the 2025 draft, the Warriors have agreed to terms with a pair of guards who weren’t selected this week.

Golden State intends to sign Houston’s LJ Cryer to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston (Twitter link), and have also reached an agreement on a deal with Texas Tech’s Chance McMillian, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link).

Cryer, who won an NCAA title with Baylor back in 2021, spent his first three college seasons with the Bears before transferring to Houston for his final two years of NCAA eligibility. One of the NCAA’s very best shooters, the 6’1″ guard has a career 41.3% success rate on 6.3 three-point attempts per game.

The 23-year-old had his best individual season in 2024/25 for a Houston team that advanced to the championship game. He averaged 15.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game with a .424 3PT%, earning a spot on the All-Big 12 first team and being named a third-team All-American. Among this year’s draft-eligible prospects who weren’t taken on Wednesday or Thursday, Cryer ranked 37th on ESPN’s board.

McMillian placed just behind Cryer on that list, at No. 39. The 6’2″ guard was also a five-year college player, with three seasons at Grand Canyon followed by two with the Red Raiders.

After coming off the bench for Texas Tech in 2023/24, McMillian emerged as a full-time starter in his final season, averaging 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 32.8 minutes per night. He’s another marksman, having knocked down 40.8% of his shots from beyond the arc across five seasons, including 43.3% in ’24/25.

While Cryer’s deal is reported to be an Exhibit 10, Givony doesn’t provide any specifics on McMillian’s agreement. It seems safe to assume at this point that it’s also an Exhibit 10.

Exhibit 10 contracts are non-guaranteed deals that essentially serve as training camp invites. They can be converted to two-way contracts prior to the regular season or put a player in line to earn a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived before the season and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

Izan Almansa To Sign Exhibit 10 Contract With Sixers

June 27th, 2025 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

Undrafted free agent Izan Almansa has agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Sixers, reports Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com.

Almansa just turned 20 earlier this month but has already put together an impressive basketball résumé, having spent time with Overtime Elite, the G League Ignite, and – most recently – the Perth Wildcats in Australia. In 29 games for Perth this past season, he averaged 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per contest, making 51.1% of his field goal attempts but just 53.4% of his free throws.

The 6’10” forward/center has also represented the Spanish national team in several competitions, including at the 2023 U19 World Cup, where the Spaniards won gold and he earned MVP honors.

Almansas was the only one of 12 prospects in the green room for Thursday’s second round who didn’t get drafted, but it didn’t take him long to catch on with an NBA team.

His non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract could be converted to a two-way deal before the season or would put him in line for a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia’s G League affiliate.

Hawks To Sign Lamont Butler To Two-Way Contract

June 27th, 2025 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

After going undrafted this week, Kentucky guard Lamont Butler is headed to the Hawks on a two-way contract, according to reports from Bill O’Rear (Twitter link) and Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).

Butler, known for his defensive acumen, played for San Diego State for four seasons before transferring to Kentucky in 2024. He earned a spot on the Mountain West All-Defensive team for three straight years from 2022-24 and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024.

In 2024/25, as a “super senior,” Butler started all 27 games he played for the Wildcats, averaging 11.4 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 26.0 minutes per game, with a solid shooting line of .498/.391/.735. Those shooting percentages were all well above his previous career rates.

A two-way contract would pay Butler roughly $636K if he remains on the roster long enough for it to become fully guaranteed and would make him eligible to play in up to 50 NBA regular season games.

The Hawks previously agreed to terms on a two-way deal with Eli John Ndiaye and are carrying over Daeqwon Plowden on a two-year, two-way contract, so they’ve tentatively filled all three of their two-way slots. However, those spots often remain in flux up until the start of the regular season, since they don’t count against the cap.