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Plumlee To Join Hornets Again On One-Year Deal

June 30th, 2025 at 8:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Journeyman center Mason Plumlee is joining the Hornets on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Plumlee will make $3.6MM in 2025/26, though his cap hit will only be approximately $2.3MM.

This will be his second stint in Charlotte. Plumlee also played there for two seasons from 2021-23. The 35-year-old has also played for Brooklyn, Portland, Denver, Detroit, the Clippers and Phoenix in a career that began in 2013.

Plumlee was a rotation big for the Suns this past season. He appeared in 74 games, including 21 starts, averaging 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.6 minutes per game. He has appeared in 860 games over the course of his 12 NBA seasons.

After adding Mark Williams via trade and Khaman Maluach via the draft, there was no role for Plumlee next season in Phoenix. He could get ample playing time in the Hornets’ depleted frontcourt, depending on their other offseason moves.

Bucks To Re-Sign Taurean Prince

June 30th, 2025 at 8:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks and free agent forward Taurean Prince have reached an agreement on a two-year, minimum-salary contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links). The second year of the deal will be a player option.

Prince started 73 of the 80 games he played for the Bucks in 2024/25, averaging 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 27.1 minutes per night.

Prince’s ability to guard multiple positions on defense and knock down three-pointers on offense makes him a valuable rotation player on the wing. He made a career-high 43.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc in 2024/25.

Still, it’s worth noting that the 31-year-old struggled badly in the playoffs, scoring just six points on 2-of-10 shooting in 61 total minutes during the first-round series vs. Indiana. He lost his starting job after the first two games of the series and likely won’t be assured of reclaiming that role heading into training camp this fall.

Prince is the third Bucks free agent who has reached an agreement to re-sign with the team, joining Bobby Portis and Kevin Porter. However, Brook Lopez is leaving Milwaukee for the Clippers, so the club figures to be in the market for additional frontcourt help.

Hawks To Sign Luke Kennard On One-Year Contract

June 30th, 2025 at 8:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks are signing free agent wing Luke Kennard on a one-year, $11MM contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

Quite a few teams were rumored to be interested in Kennard and he chose to go to the Hawks, who also agreed to a sign-and-trade on Monday to acquire another prominent wing, Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

The Hawks will use a majority of their mid-level exception to sign Kennard. The 29-year-old has long been regarded as one of the top 3-point shooters in the league. He has knocked down 43.8 percent of his 3s during his 460-game career.

Kennard appeared in 65 games with the Grizzlies this past season, the most action he’s seen since he played 70 games with the Clippers in 2021/22. He averaged 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists while making 43.3 percent of his long-range shots in 2024/25.

Kennard will provide guard/forward depth to a Hawks team that’s clearly looking to move up in what appears to be a wide-open Eastern Conference.

Give Trae Young an assist: He helped recruit Kennard to Atlanta, Charania adds in another tweet.

Suns To Sign Nigel Hayes-Davis To One-Year Deal

June 30th, 2025 at 7:42pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Suns have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent forward Nigel Hayes-Davis, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter). The deal is fully guaranteed.

Hayes-Davis is coming off being named Final Four MVP as he helped Turkish club Fenerbahce win the 2025 EuroLeague championship. He averaged 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 42.3% from three-point range in 34 EuroLeague contests in 2024/25 (31.1 MPG).

After starring at Wisconsin in college, Hayes-Davis played nine total NBA games during the 2017/18 season, bouncing between the Lakers, Raptors, and Kings. He has been out of the league ever since.

While the 6’7″ forward’s first NBA stint was brief, he has been one of the top players in the EuroLeague over the past three seasons with Fenerbahce. With the Suns loaded with shooting guards and centers, the 30-year-old will provide forward depth alongside Royce O’Neale.

Fenerbahce’s GM said Hayes-Davis was drawing serious NBA interest shortly after the team won the title and was preparing for his potential departure.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker Headed To Hawks In Sign-And-Trade

June 30th, 2025 at 7:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has agreed to a four-year, $62MM deal with the Hawks, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

The contract includes a fourth-year player option and a trade kicker, according to Charania (Twitter link).

The Hawks will acquire Alexander-Walker via a sign-and-trade using the $25MM trade exception generated by last year’s Dejounte Murray trade, according to cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link). This will generate a trade exception for the Timberwolves worth half of Alexander-Walker’s starting salary.

The Timberwolves are also receiving cash considerations and a future second-rounder, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. The pick is the Cavaliers’ 2027 second-rounder, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).

By going the sign-and-trade route, Atlanta will be able to preserve its non-taxpayer mid-level exception and still has room under the luxury tax line to make use of it.

The Hawks were considered the frontrunners to acquire Alexander-Walker after the Timberwolves reached agreements with two of their other prominent players, Naz Reid and Julius Randle. According to insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Trae Young was instrumental in recruiting NAW to Atlanta.

Alexander-Walker emerged as one of the biggest names on the free agent market due to his three-and-D skills. He had a 23-point, six-assist outing against OKC in the Western Conference Finals.

The 26-year-old appeared in every regular season game this season, including 10 starts, averaging 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He made 38.1 percent of his threes and has knocked down 36 percent of them in his career. He now slots in as the Hawks’ sixth man, backing up Dyson Daniels at shooting guard.

Magic To Sign Tyus Jones To One-Year Deal

June 30th, 2025 at 7:25pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Magic have agreed to a one-year, $7MM deal with free agent point guard Tyus Jones, Shams Charania reports for ESPN (Twitter link).

Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron notes (via Twitter) that if the Magic intend to stay under the luxury tax, they will need to shed salary elsewhere.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Jones’ contract will come out of Orlando’s non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will hard-cap the Magic at the first apron.

Jones played for the Suns last season, averaging 10.2 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 41.4% from three and 89.5% from the free throw line. He spent time as both a starter and a reserve for Phoenix as it searched for answers with an ill-balanced roster.

The 29-year-old Jones joins a rapidly improving Magic team as the backup point guard, bringing stability and depth to the backcourt rotation. He also reunites with former Grizzlies teammate Desmond Bane, having spent three seasons together in Memphis.

Jones provides injury insurance for Jalen Suggs, who has played 53 games or fewer in three of his four NBA seasons. A high-level shooter and decision-maker, Jones can slot into the starting lineup when needed and work as an off-ball player alongside star ball-handlers Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.

Celtics To Sign Luka Garza To Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Celtics have agreed to a two-year deal with center Luka Garza, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Keith Smith of Spotrac confirms (via Twitter) that the deal is a minimum-salary contract, which would come in around $5.3MM across those two seasons.

The 26-year-old Garza is entering his fifth season in the league. He began his career in Detroit before spending the past three seasons with the Timberwolves, with whom he averaged 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per night in 92 total games.

Jon Krawcyznski of The Athletic tweets that the Celtics have had an eye on Garza for a while, having previously inquired about his availability.

After losing Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks and Luke Kornet to the Spurs, and with Al Horford drawing significant interest around the NBA, the Celtics find their frontcourt rotation very thin, with just Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta under contract.

Garza has never averaged more than 8.7 minutes per game, but he brings size, scoring and energy to a team that is looking to remain competitive as Jayson Tatum recovers from his ruptured Achilles.

Clint Capela Agrees To Three-Year Contract With Rockets

June 30th, 2025 at 7:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

9:12pm: The Rockets are acquiring Capela in a sign-and-trade with the Hawks, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link), who reports that Houston is giving Atlanta a second-round pick swap in 2031 and cash to complete the deal.

7:03pm: The Rockets continued to retool their frontcourt by agreeing to a three-year, $21.5MM contract with Hawks free agent Clint Capela, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. The contract is fully guaranteed, Charania adds (Twitter link).

It’s no surprise that Capela, who lost his starting job in the second half of this past season, was leaving Atlanta. The Hawks are acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from the Celtics to be their starting big man, at least for next season.

Going to the Rockets, where he started his career, is somewhat of a surprise, given they already have one of the league’s top young big men in Alperen Sengun.

Houston also signed Steven Adams to a three-year extension in mid-June. Where Capela fits on the depth chart remains to be seen.

As for the contract terms, how they’ll acquire Capela is another mystery. Houston also agreed to a four-year deal with forward Dorian Finney-Smith on Monday, apparently via their non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That would mean the Rockets would have to work out a sign-and-trade to bring in Capela.

This past season, Capela started 41 of 55 games and averaged 8.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in 21.4 minutes. That was the first time in eight seasons Capela didn’t average a double-double. He was the Hawks’ regular starting center the previous four seasons after a six-year stay with Houston.

Clippers, Brook Lopez Agree To Two-Year Deal

June 30th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Eli Cohen

After spending seven seasons in Milwaukee, center Brook Lopez is headed back to Los Angeles, having agreed to sign a two-year, $18MM contract with the Clippers, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

The Clippers were known to be in the market for a reliable veteran big man to back up Most Improved Player runner-up Ivica Zubac. Based on the terms, it looks like they’ll be using a majority of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to add Lopez.

Using the non-taxpayer mid-level will trigger a first-apron hard cap for the Clippers, who are about $8MM below that threshold, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). The club should also still have more than $5MM of its mid-level remaining, notes cap expert Yossi Gozlan (Twitter link).

Lopez had one of his better shooting seasons for the Bucks this year, hitting 37.3% of his 4.7 three-point attempts per night. However, his overall production was slightly down in terms of rebounding and rim protection as the Bucks dealt with a litany of injuries and chemistry issues.

The 37-year-old big man will slot in next to newly retained Nicolas Batum to form a heady, skilled defensive bench pairing. The center duo of Zubac and Lopez should provide the Clippers with a solid defensive anchor at all times, while Lopez will give the club a different look offensively than Zubac, who has made one three-pointer since entering the NBA in 2016.

The Bucks agreed to re-sign Bobby Portis yesterday and reached a new deal with Kevin Porter Jr. earlier today, but the loss of Lopez raises more questions about the direction of a team that will already be without its second star in Damian Lillard, who will miss most or all of 2025/26 with an Achilles tear.

Pistons Adding Caris LeVert On Two-Year Contract

June 30th, 2025 at 6:41pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pistons are signing free agent wing Caris LeVert to a two-year, $29MM contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

It’s a straight two-year deal with no player or team option for the 2026/27 season, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.

The signing could be completed using either the full mid-level exception or cap room, depending on whether the Pistons operate over or under the salary cap.

A nine-year veteran, LeVert split last season between Cleveland and Atlanta after the Cavaliers traded him to the Hawks in February as part of the De’Andre Hunter deal. He made 64 combined appearances in 2024/25, averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds on .467/.373/.710 shooting in 24.9 minutes per game.

LeVert, who played four years of college ball in Michigan with the Wolverines, will be 31 years old in late August.

In addition to his familiarity with Michigan, LeVert also played under Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff for two-plus seasons while they were members of the Cavs.

Grant Afseth first reported that Detroit was viewed as the frontrunner to land LeVert, with The Stein Line later confirming the rumor. The Hawks are reportedly targeting Nickeil Alexander-Walker as their primary free agent addition, though it might take a sign-and-trade to land him.

LeVert will bring versatile offense and play-making to the Pistons and will likely come off the bench behind Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey. He could also slot in as a small forward in certain lineups.

The Pistons pivoted to signing LeVert in the wake of the Malik Beasley gambling allegations.