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NBA Names Kyle Filipowski Summer League MVP, Announces All-SL Teams

July 22nd, 2025 at 3:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz forward/center Kyle Filipowski has officially been named the Summer League Most Valuable Player for 2025, the NBA announced today (via Twitter). Filipowski is also one of five players who earned a spot on the All-Summer League first team.

Here are the full All-Summer League teams, per the league (Twitter links):

First Team

Kyle Filipowski (Jazz)
Nique Clifford (Kings)
David Jones-Garcia (Spurs)
Jordan Miller (Clippers)
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves)

Second Team

Ron Holland (Pistons)
Isaac Jones (Kings)
Kon Knueppel (Hornets)
Ajay Mitchell (Thunder)
KJ Simpson (Hornets)

Filipowski, who is entering his second NBA season after playing 72 games as a rookie, appeared in a total of six Summer League contests (Salt Lake City and Las Vegas). He averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game. He especially excelled in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG in three outings.

Clifford, a rookie drafted with the No. 24 pick last month, posted averages of 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in six contests. Jones-Garcia, who is seeking a contract, finished an eight-game summer campaign with averages of 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He posted averages of 21.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in a handful of games in Vegas.

Miller (22.0, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists) racked up impressive number in five summer games after being waived earlier this month by the Clippers. Entering his second season with Minnesota, Shannon (22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists) excelled in three contests.

After competing in the Summer League championship game on Sunday, both the Hornets (Knueppel and Simpson) and Kings (Clifford and Jones) had multiple players recognized for their play in Las Vegas. Knueppel was named the MVP of the championship game.

And-Ones: Summer League, Clifford, Barton, Apron Teams

July 18th, 2025 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings and Raptors will square off in one of the semifinal matchups at the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday, while the Thunder and Hornets will match up in the other semifinal, according to an announcement from the NBA (Twitter link).

Those clubs are four of the six who have gone undefeated in Vegas and earned spots in the final four due to their point differential edge over the 4-0 Timberwolves and Hawks. The winners of Saturday’s semifinals will play in the Summer League championship game on Sunday night before the event wraps up.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

As impressive as No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was during his brief stint with the Mavericks‘ Summer League team, Kings guard Nique Clifford beat Flagg out as the best rookie in Las Vegas, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. Pelton also names Trail Blazers big man Yang Hansen the “most intriguing” rookie in Summer League, Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears as the slowest-starting rookie, and Jazz big man Kyle Filipowski as the best second-year performer.
Veteran guard Will Barton, who spent 11 seasons in the NBA from 2012-23, is joining the DMV Trilogy in the BIG3 and will make his debut for the 3×3 team this Sunday, according to a report from Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Barton hasn’t been on an NBA roster since finishing a rest-of-season contract with Toronto in 2023. The 34-year-old has played in Spain, Puerto Rico, and China since then.
In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a look at which teams are members of the NBA’s “apron club” this season and which clubs are positioned to cross that threshold within the next year or two if they don’t end up shedding salary.
The Pistons‘ acquisition of sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, the Heat‘s trade for swingman Norman Powell, and the Pacers‘ addition of big man Jay Huff are a few of the top “under-the-radar” moves that have been made so far this offseason, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.

Free Agent Notes: Thomas, Wong, Walker, Theis

July 18th, 2025 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

Expanding on his earlier reporting on restricted free agent guard Cam Thomas, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) says he has heard from three sources that there may not be resolution on the situation anytime soon. The Nets are the only NBA team with cap room remaining and continue to explore options for how to use that space. Until that happens, they’ll likely be in no rush to lock up Thomas to a new deal, and his camp isn’t pressing the issue either.

On top of that, there may be a substantial gap between how the two sides value Thomas. As Lewis writes, a source familiar with the guard’s thinking believes he could be seeking $30MM per year, since he doesn’t consider himself to be a lesser player than Immanuel Quickley (who is earning $32.5MM per year going forward), Tyler Herro ($32MM per year), or RJ Barrett ($28.7MM per year).

However, the Nets likely won’t consider a deal anywhere near that lucrative, especially with no rival suitors in position to offer Thomas a significant offer sheet. Two league sources who spoke to Lewis wondered if the 23-year-old might ultimately accept his $6MM qualifying offer in order to reach unrestricted free agency in 2026, though that would likely be a last resort.

Here are a few more notes on free agents from around the basketball world:

CSE, an agency representing basketball players, held a pro day in Las Vegas on Tuesday of this week, according to Spencer Davies of RG.org, who says a number of teams were in attendance to watch players with past NBA experience, like Isaiah Wong, Izaiah Brockington, and Chasson Randle. G League and international veterans like center Garrison Brooks and wing Pedro Bradshaw also took part and have drawn some interest as potential NBA training camp signees, Davies adds.
Wong has had “productive” discussions with the Jazz, Davies reports. The 24-year-old guard was in camp with Utah last fall and opened the season with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League before catching on with Charlotte.
After missing out on Vasilije Micic, who reached an agreement with Hapoel Tel Aviv, the EuroLeague club Real Madrid has its eye on a couple other NBA veterans. Relaying a report from the Spanish outlet Marca, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops notes that veteran guard Lonnie Walker and big man Daniel Theis are on Real Madrid’s radar. Walker finished last season with the 76ers, while Theis played for AS Monaco after being waived by Oklahoma City in February.

Summer League Notes: Filipowski, Harper, Pelicans, Labissiere, Huntley

July 16th, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Kyle Filipowski has turned in a series of impressive performances for the Jazz‘s Summer League team in Las Vegas, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who wonders whether Utah might consider starting the second-year big man this fall. As Larsen points out, the team’s most-used starting lineup featured Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and John Collins, so Filipowski could theoretically slot into Collins’ old role.

Last year’s No. 31 overall pick has been shut down for the rest of Summer League, Larsen tweets, after averaging a Vegas-best 29.3 points in 28.6 minutes per game with a .561/.391/.625 shooting line in the Jazz’s first three contests.

This year No. 2 pick, Dylan Harper, has also been shut down for the rest of Summer League, according to the Spurs (Twitter link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN). Harper struggled with his shot in the two games he played, making just 10-of-28 shots from the field (35.7%), including 1-of-8 three-pointers (12.5%), but he contributed 16 points in both outings.

Here are a few more notes from Summer League:

After going undrafted out of Washington in 2024, Keion Brooks spent most of his rookie season on a two-way deal with the Pelicans, but he appeared in just 14 NBA games and didn’t get a qualifying offer in June. Still, he’s making a case with his Summer League play – including a 16-point showing on Tuesday – that he deserves to be re-signed, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). “I’m just trying to get better at the things I was already kinda good at already,” Brooks said. “I know much isn’t going to be expected of me as far as creating my own shot. So it’s just about being a real good glue guy.”
It has been an up-and-down Summer League so far for Pelicans lottery picks Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. While Queen had 17 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday, with Fears scoring 14 points in 23 minutes, the duo combined to commit 14 of New Orleans’ 25 turnovers on the night.
A first-round pick way back in 2016, big man Skal Labissiere is the oldest member of the Magic‘s Summer League team at age 29, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Labissiere tells Beede that he doesn’t feel like he has “anything to prove to anyone,” but is hoping the Summer League showcase will help him earn another NBA job. “We talk about opportunity … It only takes one,”Magic Summer League coach Ameer Bahhur said. “For him, he’s been doing it at a high level for a long time. He knows who he is and now it’s just continuing to show that he’s progressed.”
Rookie forward CJ Huntley, who is on a two-way contract with Phoenix, has reminded Suns Summer League head coach DeMarre Carroll a little of Jarrett Allen with his play in Las Vegas, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “Just with his force to the rim. Anytime he gets it in the paint, he’s putting it in the rim,” Carroll said. “He’s just got to continue to keep rolling with force, keep playing with that force and keep developing and I think he’ll be OK.”

Jazz Have No Plans To Trade Markkanen

July 15th, 2025 at 9:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have been aggressively purging their roster of established veterans since Austin Ainge was hired as the team’s president of basketball operations last month, buying out Jordan Clarkson and trading Collin Sexton to the Hornets and John Collins to the Clippers for extremely limited returns.

However, while there has been a good deal of speculation from rival scouts and executives about whether Lauri Markkanen could be the next veteran on the move, Utah has no plans to trade its star forward at this point, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

As MacMahon explains, Markkanen shouldn’t necessarily be considered “untouchable,” but the Jazz continue to view the 28-year-old as part of their long-term core and hope he’s still on the roster by the time the club becomes competitive again.

Markkanen, who was sent from Cleveland to Utah as part of the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster in 2022, made an All-Star team and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in his first year with the Jazz. Over the course of his first two seasons in Utah, he averaged 24.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with an excellent shooting line of .490/.395/.885.

The Finnish forward battled injuries last season and was limited to just 47 appearances. His production also dropped off, as he put up just 19.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG with a more pedestrian shooting line of .423/.346/.876.

Coming off that down season and with four years and nearly $196MM left on his contract, Markkanen’s trade value appears diminished, so it makes sense that the Jazz aren’t eager to entertain offers, MacMahon writes.

Given that it would require a substantial haul for Ainge and his front office to consider moving the seven-footer, Markkanen may need a bounce-back performance this season to restore his value to the point where a potential suitor might be willing to make that sort of offer.

In the meantime, hanging onto Markkanen is unlikely to compromise the Jazz’s rebuilding efforts as they look to hang onto their top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick. His contract is the only sizable deal on the team’s books beyond this season, and there’s probably not enough established veteran talent on the roster for Utah to contend for a play-in spot in the West in 2025/26 even if Markkanen returns to All-Star form.

Top 45 Picks From 2025 Draft Have Signed NBA Contracts

July 12th, 2025 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been 16 days since the NBA’s 2025 draft wrapped up and just 11 days since those draftees were permitted to start signing contracts, but the majority of the ’25 draft class have already put pen to paper, finalizing standard or two-way deals with their respective teams.

As our tracker shows, all 30 first-round picks have signed their rookie scale contracts, and the top 15 picks in the second round are now under contract too. Outside of the top 45, four additional players – No. 48 pick Javon Small, No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor, No. 50 pick Kobe Sanders, and No. 55 pick Lachlan Olbrich – have formally inked their first NBA contracts.

That leaves the following players who don’t yet have an NBA contract in place for the 2025/26 season:

Boston Celtics: Amari Williams
Milwaukee Bucks: Bogoljub Markovic
New York Knicks: Mohamed Diawara
Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey
Utah Jazz: John Tonje
Indiana Pacers: Taelon Peter
Golden State Warriors: Will Richard
Boston Celtics: Max Shulga
Cleveland Cavaliers: Saliou Niang
Memphis Grizzlies: Jahmai Mashack

A number of these players are expected to end up on two-way deals — Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter links) reported on draft night that both of these Celtics picks – Williams and Shulga – would be signing two-ways with Boston, for instance.

Still, not all of these guys will be on NBA rosters when the 2025/26 season begins. For example, the expectation is that Niang will spend next season in the EuroLeague with Virtus Bologna.

Players born outside the U.S. and/or ones who already have experience in non-NBA leagues are typically the best candidates to become overseas draft-and-stash players, so that could be an option for late second-rounders like Markovic, Diawara, and Toohey too. It’s hardly a given though. Post-draft reporting indicated that the Bucks and Knicks weren’t yet sure if Markovic and Diawara, respectively, will be stashed in Europe or if they’ll play stateside in ’25/26. Diawara, in particular, might have a chance to earn a standard contract for a New York team with little breathing room below its hard cap.

The other option for draft-and-stash players is to spend the season in the G League rather than in a league outside the U.S. Typically, at least one or two players go that route each season. That’s what Nikola Djurisic, the Hawks’ No. 43 overall pick a year ago, did in 2024/25 before signing his first NBA contract with Atlanta earlier this week.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on these players in the coming days and weeks, as many of them could end up finalizing their plans for 2025/26 either during the Las Vegas Summer League or shortly thereafter.

Cap Observations: Mutual Options, DFS, Incentives, Nuggets, BAE

July 11th, 2025 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

After NBA teams spent the week officially finalizing many of the trades and free agent signings they'd agreed to during the July moratorium (or earlier), we're starting to get a clearer sense of trends emerging among the contracts signed in 2025/26, as well as a better idea of how teams are managing their cap exceptions and apron-related restrictions.

With that in mind, we're taking a closer look today at some of those contract trends, as well as a unique trade kicker, a cap-related decision facing the Nuggets, and a new use of the bi-annual exception.

Let's dive in...

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Longtime Jazz Coach, GM Frank Layden Passes Away

July 9th, 2025 at 7:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Jazz coach and general manager Frank Layden has died at 93, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Layden began his NBA coaching career in 1976 as an assistant to Hubie Brown in Atlanta, but he’s best known for his time with the Jazz, whom he joined as GM in 1979 while they were still in New Orleans. He took over as head coach in 1981 and became famous for his colorful personality while leading the franchise to its first taste of NBA success.

Layden was named Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in 1984 as the Jazz captured their first division title. He built an enduring foundation by drafting John Stockton that year and Karl Malone in 1985, teaming up one of the NBA’s longest-running and most accomplished duos.

Layden continued coaching until 1989, when he turned over the team to assistant Jerry Sloan, who guided Utah to its only two NBA Finals. Layden, who finished with a career record of 277-294 and five playoff appearances, briefly resumed his coaching career in 1998 and 1999 with the Utah Starzz in the WNBA.

“Frank brought relevance to Utah,” said Gordon Chiesa, who worked as an assistant under Layden. “He was unique, he was authentic, he was an original. He treated everyone the same, from a custodian to the mayor of New York City.”

Layden remained with the Jazz for several years as an executive after he stopped coaching. He later worked as a consultant with the Knicks while his son, Scott Layden, was the team’s general manager.

Brandon Judd of The Deseret News shared a 2014 quote from Layden that summed up his philosophy of coaching and life.

“One thing I try to emphasize is it should be fun,” he said. “Anything you do. If you go to school, it should be fun; if you go to work, it should be fun. And then you work and each day there should be some satisfaction that you accomplished something.”

Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup

July 9th, 2025 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link).

In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the conference’s three groups.

For instance, the top three teams from the West will all be in separate groups, with each of those three groups also featuring one team in the 4-6 range, one in the 7-9 range, and so on.

Here are the groups for the 2025 NBA Cup:

West Group A: Oklahoma City Thunder (1), Minnesota Timberwolves (6), Sacramento Kings (9), Phoenix Suns (11), Utah Jazz (15)
West Group B: Los Angeles Lakers (3), Los Angeles Clippers (5), Memphis Grizzlies (8), Dallas Mavericks (10), New Orleans Pelicans (14)
West Group C: Houston Rockets (2), Denver Nuggets (4), Golden State Warriors (7), Portland Trail Blazers (12), San Antonio Spurs (13)
East Group A: Cleveland Cavaliers (1), Indiana Pacers (4), Atlanta Hawks (8), Toronto Raptors (11), Washington Wizards (15)
East Group B: Boston Celtics (2), Detroit Pistons (6), Orlando Magic (7), Brooklyn Nets (12), Philadelphia 76ers (13)
East Group C: New York Knicks (3), Milwaukee Bucks (5), Chicago Bulls (9), Miami Heat (10), Charlotte Hornets (14)

The round-robin group play games will be starting a little earlier than usual this season and will run from October 31 to November 28. Each team will face the other four clubs in its group once, with the winners of each group and one wild card team from each conference advancing to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

The full schedule of group play games can be viewed right here.

The quarterfinals will be played on December 9-10, with the semifinals and final to follow on Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively, in Las Vegas. The knockout round games will all be aired by one of the NBA’s new broadcasting partners, Amazon Prime.

The Bucks won last season’s NBA Cup, with star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo earning MVP honors after leading Milwaukee to a victory over the Thunder in the championship game.

Jazz Notes: Bailey, Cooper, Luis, Rebuild, Sensabaugh

July 8th, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Jazz No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey has impressed the organization with his energy in his first summer league outings, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon writes. Bailey sealed the Jazz’s victory on Saturday with a free throw and showcased physicality and impressive defensive effort in the game.

“All that stuff isn’t talked about enough,” coach Will Hardy said of Bailey’s willingness to defend and rebound. “The offense will come. He’s learning a new system and new people and has been worked hard the last four days [in practice]. He’s an NBA body and athlete. He’s a great teammate too. I’ve had nothing but positive reviews from all the coaches and his teammates this first week.”

In other news, the Jazz planned to have Omar Cooper Jr., the son of Bailey’s advisor (and Sharife Cooper‘s twin brother), serve as a guest coach during Summer League. However, after the league office contacted Utah to raise concerns, that’s no longer happening, according to MacMahon.

We have more notes from the Jazz:

Although there was outside noise about whether or not he wanted to be in Utah, Bailey told The Athletic’s Tony Jones that he’s focused on being the best player he can be for Utah. “Of course, you have to be aware of the business side of basketball,” Bailey said. “But I didn’t ask for all of this to come with it. I just want to hoop. I want to keep the main thing the main thing and stay focused. During pre-draft, I was surrounded by family and love. I’m big on family and loyalty. They were there for me even before I was Ace Bailey.”
Two-way signee RJ Luis‘ contract covers two years with Utah, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). Luis averaged 18.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for St. John’s last season but went undrafted in June.
By sending out assets or taking back modest returns — or nothing at all — for the trifecta of Collin Sexton, John Collins, and Jordan Clarkson, the Jazz are signaling that they’re resetting the franchise’s foundation, writes Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link). When they traded away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022, the Jazz initially envisioned a two- or three-year rebuild and viewed players like Sexton, Collins, and Clarkson as potential contributors on Utah’s next competitive team, Larsen explains. By trading those players and drafting Bailey and Walter Clayton Jr., new team president Austin Ainge has completed the club’s teardown and fully committed to the rebuild.
Brice Sensabaugh looked like the best player on the floor in the Jazz’s second Summer League game and his improvement on the defensive end is certainly notable, Larsen writes in another Salt Lake Tribune story. While Sensabaugh still playing Summer League games heading into his third year could be looked at as a disappointment, Larsen points out that such a move paid dividends for Walker Kessler.