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Jazz, Matthew Murrell Agree To Deal

June 27th, 2025 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell has agreed to sign with the Jazz, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link).

Givony doesn’t provide any specifics on the contract agreement, but it will likely be an Exhibit 10 deal, which could be converted into a two-way contract or would put Murrell on track to earn a bonus if he’s waived by Utah and then spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.

After testing the draft waters in 2023 and again in 2024, Murrell was automatically draft-eligible this year. Unfortunately, he had a down year for the Rebels in his final college season, averaging just 10.8 points per game with a 31.9% mark on three-point tries. Both marks were below his career rates.

However, Murrell finished the season strong with a series of productive performances in the NCAA tournament as Ole Miss earned a spot in the Sweet 16. He had 15 points, four rebounds, and a pair of steals in a round-of-32 win over Iowa State.

Murrell, who racked up 1.8 steals per contest as a “super senior,” is known as an excellent defender and is one of the most explosive athletes in the 2025 draft class, says Givony. The 23-year-old ranked 93rd overall on ESPN’s pre-draft big board.

Sixers Declining Jared Butler’s Team Option

June 27th, 2025 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers will turn down Jared Butler‘s $2.35MM team option for the 2025/26 season, reports Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Friday represented the deadline for the club to make its decision.

Butler, a 6’3″ point guard who will turn 25 in August, was the 40th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has played for four teams – Utah, Oklahoma City, Washington, and Philadelphia – since entering the NBA. He was traded from the Wizards to the Sixers in February along with four second-round picks in a deal that sent Reggie Jackson and a “least favorable” 2026 first-round pick to Washington.

Butler had his best NBA season in 2024/25 in Washington and Philadelphia, appearing in 60 total games for the two teams and averaging 9.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .448/.355/.824.

It’s unclear whether Butler will still be in the 76ers’ plans after the team declines his option. Because he has four years of NBA service, the former Baylor standout is ineligible for a qualifying offer and will become an unrestricted free agent.

That doesn’t mean Philadelphia can’t or won’t re-sign him, but the club added No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe this week to an increasingly crowded backcourt, so the front office will likely have other priorities in free agency.

The 76ers also hold team options on Lonnie Walker ($2.94MM) and Justin Edwards ($1.96MM). Those decisions are due by Sunday.

Rockets Plan To Re-Sign Aaron Holiday, Jae’Sean Tate, Jeff Green

June 27th, 2025 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

2:43 pm: Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle (subscription required) confirms that the Rockets will decline Holiday’s option and have tentative agreements in place to retain Holiday, Tate, and Green.

She adds that the team expects to have its full non-taxpayer mid-level exception available, which points toward Landale being waived before his $8MM salary becomes guaranteed, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet.

12:26 pm: The Rockets don’t intend to let guard Aaron Holiday, swingman Jae’Sean Tate, or forward Jeff Green walk in free agency, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Charania reports that Houston’s plan is to bring back all three players, re-signing them to new contracts.

While Tate and Green are headed for unrestricted free agency, the Rockets hold a team option on Holiday worth roughly $4.9MM. Charania’s report suggests Houston plans to turn down that option in order to bring back the 28-year-old on a new deal.

Holiday, Green, and Tate have all spent multiple seasons with the Rockets, but played fewer minutes in 2024/25 than they had in the past as the team’s young core continued to come into its own.

Holiday averaged 5.5 points and 1.3 assists in 12.8 minutes per game across 62 appearances, with a .437/.398/.829 shooting line; Tate logged a career-low 11.3 MPG in 52 games, contributing 3.6 PPG and 2.3 RPG; and Green put up 5.4 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 12.4 MPG across 32 outings (three starts).

Despite their modest roles, it seems as if Holiday, Tate, and Green still hold real appeal to the Rockets, though I wouldn’t be surprised if all three players return on minimum-salary contracts. Tate’s deal will be for one year, likely at the veteran’s minimum, confirms Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link).

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan tweets, bringing back the trio on minimum deals would allow Houston to hang onto Jock Landale‘s $8MM contract and stay out of tax territory. The big man’s salary is scheduled to become guaranteed if he remains under contract through Sunday.

If Landale is let go, the Rockets could use a chunk of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception without going into the tax.

Nets Waive Maxwell Lewis

June 27th, 2025 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets announced on Friday that they have requested waivers on forward Maxwell Lewis, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).

The 40th pick in the 2023 draft out of Pepperdine, Lewis spent his rookie season with the Lakers and then opened the ’24/25 campaign in Los Angeles before being sent to Brooklyn in December as part of the D’Angelo Russell/Dorian Finney-Smith trade.

Lewis was limited to 21 appearances for Brooklyn after fracturing his tibia in his first game as a Net. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game, with a .422/.380/.700 shooting line.

Lewis’ contract called for a $2,221,677 salary for 2025/26, but only $100K of that amount was guaranteed. Brooklyn had to waive him before Sunday in order to avoid locking in the full guarantee.

Unless Lewis is claimed on waivers this weekend, the Nets will carry that $100K on their cap for the 2025/26 season, which will cut into their projected room by a very small amount when the new league year begins.

Wizards To Sign Keshon Gilbert To Exhibit 10 Contract

June 27th, 2025 at 1:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Iowa State point guard Keshon Gilbert will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wizards, according to Sean Cunningham of KCRA in Sacramento (Twitter link).

Gilbert, 21, transferred in 2023 after playing his first two collegiate seasons at UNLV. He was a second team All-Big 12 selection in 2024 and a third-team choice this year, averaging 13.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 29 games as a senior.

Gilbert suffered a late-season groin injury that forced him to miss the Cyclones’ final seven games and the NCAA Tournament. He recovered in time to participate in May’s G League Elite Camp and the rest of the pre-draft process.

He was ranked 84th by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic on his list of this year’s top 100 draft prospects.

Gilbert is the second undrafted player to agree to terms with Washington since the draft ended, joining St. John’s guard Kadary Richmond.

With an Exhibit 10 deal, Gilbert can earn a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted into two-way deals.

Cavaliers, Norchad Omier Agree To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 27th, 2025 at 1:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Baylor forward Norchad Omier has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cavaliers, sources tell Sean Cunningham of KCRA in Sacramento (Twitter link).

Omier, 23, played for the Bears this season after spending two years at Miami (Florida) and two at Arkansas State. He averaged 15.7 points and 10.8 rebounds in 35 games and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection, as well as a member of the conference’s All-Newcomer Team.

Omier collected various honors during his five years of college basketball, including being named Sun Belt Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. He was the first native of Nicaragua to earn a Division I basketball scholarship when he signed with Arkansas State in 2020. He’s also a member of the Nicaraguan national team.

The Exhibit 10 language means Omier could earn a bonus worth up to $85K if he’s waived before the season starts and spends at least 60 days with the Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate. Exhibit 10s can also be converted into two-way deals if Omier makes a strong impression in training camp.

Knicks To Sign Dink Pate

June 27th, 2025 at 12:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

G League guard Dink Pate has reached an agreement with the Knicks, sources tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). No details are provided, but it appears likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal.

Pate, 19, played this season with the Mexico City Capitanes, averaging 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 34 games. He was selected to participate in this year’s Next Up event at All-Star Weekend.

Pate was the fourth-best player remaining among undrafted free agents, according to ESPN’s big board. He was listed as the 71st-best draft prospect by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.

A five-star player coming out of high school, Pate opted to sign a two-year deal with G League Ignite rather than play college basketball. When the Ignite shut down after last season, he tried to enter to the 2024 NBA draft but was denied a waiver due to his age.

Pate will join the Knicks next month for the Las Vegas Summer League, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

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.