Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Sign DeAndre Jordan To One-Year Deal

October 24th, 2025 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans and free agent center DeAndre Jordan have reached an agreement on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, agent Jeff Schwartz tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

New Orleans had an open spot on its standard 15-man roster after waiving guard Jaden Springer on Thursday.

Jordan, a three-time All-NBA center who has led the league in rebounding twice and won a title with Denver in 2023, has been in the NBA since 2008 and has appeared in over 1,100 regular season games for a total of seven teams.

The 37-year-old no longer plays the same kind of significant role he did earlier in his career, but he still saw semi-regular minutes for the Nuggets in recent years as one of Nikola Jokic‘s backups. In 2024/25, Jordan made 56 regular season appearances, averaging 3.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest.

The Pelicans, who have 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts and had Springer on a non-guaranteed deal, determined that it made more sense to use that 15th roster spot to carry another big man, since their frontcourt has been hit hard by injuries early in the season.

Presumed starting center Kevon Looney is currently sidelined due to a left knee sprain, while big men Yves Missi (right ankle sprain) and Karlo Matkovic (low back spasms) are considered questionable to play vs. San Antonio on Friday. Rookie forward/center Derik Queen is available, but he missed the entire preseason while recovering from wrist surgery and is unlikely to see a ton of playing time right away — he logged 15 minutes in Wednesday’s opener.

According to NBA.com’s transaction log, Jordan officially signed on Thursday, which means he would earn a prorated minimum salary of $3,592,381, with the Pelicans taking on a cap hit of $2,269,880.

I would expect Jordan’s deal is non-guaranteed, giving the club the flexibility to consider another move with that 15th roster spot if and when its frontcourt gets healthier. However, that’s just my speculation and hasn’t been confirmed.

Pelicans Waive Jaden Springer

October 23rd, 2025 at 2:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have made a roster move just one game into the regular season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived Jaden Springer.

Springer, a defensive-minded guard who made New Orleans’ opening night roster after coming to camp on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, was active for Wednesday’s game, but didn’t see any action. He appeared in a pair of preseason contests, averaging 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 6.3 minutes per game.

Because Springer’s salary was non-guaranteed, the Pelicans will only carry a small dead-money cap hit after waiving him. The 23-year-old will be paid for the three days of the regular season he spent under contract, as well as the two days he spends on waivers.

In total, he’ll earn 5/174ths of his $2,461,463 salary, which works out to $70,732. That’s also the cap hit that will be left on New Orleans’ books, assuming Springer goes unclaimed on waivers.

The Pelicans now have an open spot on their 15-man standard roster and have roughly doubled their breathing room below the luxury tax line, to over $4MM.

Cavs Pick Up Third-Year Option On Jaylon Tyson

October 22nd, 2025 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers have exercised their third-year option on guard Jaylon Tyson for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today in a press release.

The move ensures that Tyson’s contract is guaranteed for at least the next two seasons. He’ll earn $3,492,480 in 2025/26 and $3,658,560 in ’26/27, with the Cavs facing a decision next fall on his $5,641,500 option for the ’27/28 season, the fourth year of his rookie scale contract.

Tyson, who will turn 23 in December, played a limited role as a rookie after being drafted 20th overall in 2024. While he saw the floor in 47 games, he averaged just 9.6 minutes per night and often only got off the bench in garbage time.

The 6’6″ shooting guard contributed 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game while making 43.0% of his shots from the floor (including 34.5% of his three-pointers) and 79.2% from the free throw line.

As our tracker shows, Tyson is the only Cavalier whose contract includes a rookie scale team option for 2026/27, so the team won’t have to make any more contract decisions by the October 31 deadline.

Nuggets Exercising Options On Strawther, Holmes

October 22nd, 2025 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets are picking up their rookie scale team options for 2026/27 on both Julian Strawther and DaRon Holmes, reports Katy Winge of Altitude Sports (Twitter link).

Strawther, the 29th overall pick in the 2023 draft, emerged as a regular part of Denver’s rotation last season, averaging 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 21.3 minutes per game across 65 appearances, with a shooting line of .432/.349/.822. The 23-year-old wing was already under contract for roughly $2.67MM this season — now his $4,826,931 salary for next season is locked in as well.

The Nuggets traded up in the 2024 draft to land Holmes with the 22nd overall pick, but the former Dayton forward missed his entire rookie season after tearing his right Achilles in his Summer League debut. He has made a full recovery from that injury and should be available when Denver’s season tips off on Thursday. After earning about $3.22MM this season, the 23-year-old will make $3,372,120 in 2026/27 on his newly exercised option.

Strawther’s option is for the fourth year of his rookie contract, so he’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer. The Nuggets will have to make one more decision on Holmes’ rookie deal next fall — his fourth-year option for ’27/28 is worth about $5.55MM.

We’re tracking all of the rookie scale team option decisions for 2026/27 right here.

Nets Pick Up Noah Clowney’s 2026/27 Option

October 22nd, 2025 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have exercised their fourth-year team option on big man Noah Clowney for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of NJ.com).

Clowney, who is earning roughly $3.4MM in 2025/26, will now have his $5,414,034 salary for next season guaranteed as well. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and would reach potential restricted free agency in 2027 if he doesn’t sign a new contract before that point.

The 21st overall pick in the 2023 draft, Clowney didn’t play much at the NBA level as a rookie, appearing in just 23 games. He earned more regular minutes in 2024/25, but was limited to 46 outings due to various injuries, including sprains affecting both ankles.

In those 46 games, Clowney averaged 9.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per contest, shooting just 35.8% from the floor, including 33.3% on three-pointers. Although he’s a 6’10” forward/center, the 21-year-old attempted 261 shots from beyond the arc last season, compared to 111 two-point tries.

The Nets also would have had decisions to make on 2026/27 rookie scale team options for Kobe Bufkin and Dariq Whitehead, but they waived both players, automatically declining those options in the process.

Grizzlies Exercise 2026/27 Option On Zach Edey

October 21st, 2025 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies have exercised their 2026/27 option on Zach Edey‘s contract, the team’s PR department tweets. The cap hit on Edey’s third season in the league will be $6,332,760.

Memphis had until the end of the month to exercise that option but it was foregone conclusion that would happen. Edey was the ninth pick of last year’s draft and started a majority of the team’s games. He appeared in 66 overall (55 starts) and averaged 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.o assists and 1.3 blocks in 21.5 minutes per contest.

The two-time National College Player of the Year at Purdue was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Edey underwent ankle surgery in June and is still several weeks away from returning to action.

Pacers Exercise 2026/27 Options On Walker, Sheppard

October 21st, 2025 at 5:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers have exercised their 2026/27 options on the contracts of Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, according to a team press release.

Walker’s fourth-year option carries a cap hit of $8,478,542, while Sheppard’s cap hit on his fourth year will be $5,031,669. Walker was the eighth pick of the 2023 draft, while Sheppard was chosen at No. 26.

The team had until the end of the month to exercise those options.

Walker appeared in 75 regular season games last season (five starts) and averaged 6.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15.8 minutes. Sheppard appeared in 63 games (nine starts) and averaged 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in 21 postseason contests.

Both players are expected to be key bench contributors once again this season.

Raptors Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter

October 21st, 2025 at 4:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have exercised their 2026/27 options on the contracts of Gradey Dick and Ja’Kobe Walter, according to a team press release.

Dick’s fourth-year option will carry a cap hit of $7,131,511, while Walter’s third-year option will carry a cap hit of $3,811,800. The team had until the end of the month to exercise those options.

Dick started 54 games last season, averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 29.4 minutes per night. He was the 13th pick of the 2023 draft.

Walter, who won’t play in the team’s opener due to an illness, averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 21.2 minutes per game while appearing in 52 contests during his rookie season. He was the 19th overall pick in 2024.

With the addition of Brandon Ingram, Dick will likely come off the bench this season. Dick and Walter will have to fight hard for their rotation minutes.

Blazers Exercise Options On Henderson, Clingan, Murray

October 21st, 2025 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

A busy week of roster moves continues for the Trail Blazers, who announced in a press release that they’ve exercised their rookie scale team options on three players for the 2026/27 season. Those options are as follows:

Scoot Henderson (fourth year, $13,585,523)
Donovan Clingan (third year, $7,519,920)
Kris Murray (fourth year, $5,315,004)

Henderson, the third overall pick in the 2023 draft, hasn’t made the immediate impact that many experts anticipated, but he took a positive step forward in his second NBA season, averaging 12.7 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game on .419/.354/.767 shooting in 66 contests. The 21-year-old point guard currently recovering from a hamstring tear and will miss the start of the season.

Clingan, last year’s seventh overall pick, will take on an increased role in his second NBA season following the offseason departure of center Deandre Ayton. The former UConn standout averaged 6.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game last season, starting 37 of his 67 total outings.

Murray, the 23rd overall pick in 2023 out of Iowa, hasn’t done much offensively in two seasons for Portland, averaging 5.1 PPG and 1.1 APG on .406/.251/.558 shooting in 131 appearances (18.2 MPG). However, the 6’8″ forward is a versatile defender who could still have more room to grow.

Henderson and Murray will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2026 offseason, while the Blazers will have to decide on Clingan’s fourth-year option for 2027/28 (worth $9,550,298) by October 31, 2026.

The Blazers finalized a pair of four-year contract extensions on Monday for two key pieces of their long-term core, announcing new deals with Toumani Camara ($81MM) and Shaedon Sharpe ($90MM). Today’s moves ensure that all of Portland’s most important young players are under contract for at least the next two seasons.

Pacers Sign Aaron Nesmith To Two-Year Extension

October 21st, 2025 at 11:17am CST by Rory Maher

October 21: The Pacers have formally announced their extension with Nesmith, confirming the news in a press release.

“Aaron Nesmith embodies our team’s selfless, fast-paced style of play while also playing a key role in defining our culture, all of which is a testament to his talent, dedication, and commitment to this organization and our fans,” president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said in a statement. “We look forward to Aaron’s continued growth and contributions to both our team and our community, and we’re proud to have reached an agreement that will keep him here in Indiana.”

October 20: The Pacers and starting small forward Aaron Nesmith have agreed to a two-year, $40.4MM extension, agent Mike Lindeman tells ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a trade kicker, Charania adds.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Nesmith will earn $11MM each of the next two seasons. His extension, which begins in two years, will pay him a projected $19.4MM in 2027/28 and $21MM in 2028/29.

Nesmith, who turned 26 years old last week, has developed into one of the NBA’s top 3-and-D players in Indiana. He was selected 14th overall in the 2020 draft and spent his first two seasons with the Celtics, who traded him to the Pacers in the 2022 offseason.

Over the past two regular seasons, the 6’5″ wing has averaged 12.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per contest, posting an excellent shooting line of .500/.423/.829. Nesmith played an integral role in the Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals earlier this year, appearing in all 23 playoff games (28.3 MPG) while averaging 12.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.9 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .472/.492/.861 shooting.

Charania, citing ESPN research, says Nesmith’s 49.2% mark from long distance was the best percentage of any player who has attempted at least 100 threes in the playoffs.

Nesmith was among a handful of players our Luke Adams identified last week as an under-the-radar veteran extension candidate. Two others from his list — Toumani Camara and A.J. Green — have inked new deals as well.

The maximum the Pacers could have offered Nesmith was a three-year deal worth up to $62.9MM — what he agreed to was the maximum he could have received on a two-year extension.

The deadline for veteran extensions for players on non-expiring contracts is at 10:59 pm CT tonight.