The Houston Rockets have been busy this offseason: • Trade for Kevin Durant • Re-sign Fred VanVleet • Extend Steven Adams • Work out deals to keep Jae'Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday, Jeff Green
Now they have reached a contract extension with starting forward Jabari Smith Jr. for five years, $122 million ($24.4 million a year on average), reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. This is a straight five-year contract, with no player or team options. This new contract kicks in a year from now, Smith Jr. has one year remaining on his rookie deal at $12.4 million.
Jabari Smith Jr. as a Rocket:
— 13.0 PPG — 7.5 RPG — 1.7 3PG
Joins Luka and Lauri as the only players with those averages in their first three seasons. pic.twitter.com/DkZofq1gw0
Smith is part of the young Rockets' core that broke out and won 52 games this season, reaching the No. 2 seed in the West. In 57 games last season, Smith averaged 12.2 points and 7 rebounds a game, shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc.
Smith, the No. 3 pick in the 2022 class, becomes the first player to sign a contract extension from that group. Three players from that class — Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams — are expected to sign max (or near max) extensions. Other names to watch include the Kings' Keegan Murray, the Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin, the Pistons' Jaden Ivey, the Nuggets' Peyton Watson, the Hawks' Dyson Daniels, the Jazz's Walker Kessler, and the Rockets' Tari Eason.
Former NBA forward Bojan Bogdanović announced his retirement on Sunday.
The sharpshooter played professionally overseas in Europe early on in his career, before he broke into the NBA with the Nets during the 2014-15 campaigns.
He spent the first two years of his three-year pact in for Brooklyn, but with a visit to free agency looming they decided to ship him off to the Washington Wizards ahead of the 2017 trade deadline.
Bogdanović went on to spend time with Indiana, Utah, and Detroit before he landed back in the Big Apple ahead of the 2024 deadline -- this time landing with the Knicks.
He appeared in 29 regular season games for the Knicks, but was limited to just four during the postseason before he ended up being shutdown to undergo surgeries on his left foot and left wrist.
The 36-year-old was then sent back to Brooklyn as part of the Mikal Bridges trade, but he didn’t appear in a game due to the injuries -- which have now forced him to decide to hang up the sneakers.
“Sometimes in life, you don't choose the moment,” he wrote on social media. “The moment chooses you. After 14 months of battling a foot injury, two surgeries, and countless efforts to get back on the court, the time has come to close a chapter.”
Bogdanović averaged 15.6 points on 39.4 percent shooting from three in his NBA career.
James Harden had an All-NBA season for the Clippers, carrying their offense — with Paul George on the East Coast and Kawhi Leonard hurt the first part of the season — averaging 22.8 points and 8.7 asissts a game, leading the team to 50 wins and a tie for the 3/4/5 seeds in the West (the Clippers were the fifth seed based on tie breakers and lost in the first round to Denver).
Harden also had a $36.7 million player option for next season, but he is turning that down to sign a two-year, $81.5 million contract to remain with the Clippers, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN and quickly confirmed by others. The second year of that contract is partially guaranteed and includes a mutual option, which means that if Harden exercises the option (which seems likely), the Clippers can waive him but incur a dead cap hit for the guaranteed portion.
This was expected. They needed each other and had nowhere else to turn. Harden was the heart of the Clippers' offense last season and they need him to play at that level again to be competitive next season. For Harden, there wasn't a free agent market for him (only Brooklyn would have the cap space to sign him near the price he is asking, and it is rebuilding, not looking for players who will be 36 by the start of next season).
The Clippers wanted him back, but on a short-term deal. Now, Harden and Kawhi Leonard each have two years left on their contracts, as does every other rotation player on the roster, outside of Ivica Zubac, who has three years remaining. The Clippers have set themselves up for a pivot in a couple of seasons (possibly one, as they could start trying to trade players with expiring deals next summer).
The Clippers have more business to do this summer: Nicolas Batum opted out of his $4.9 million player option for next season. The Clippers would like to and expect to re-sign him, but that will cost a little more than what he was going to make.
Clippers guard James Harden is expected to sign a two-year, $81.5 million deal with the Clippers after declining his player option. (Brandon Dill / Associated Press)
Clippers executives were serious when they said they had not soured on James Harden's future with the franchise after an underwhelming postseason performance.
Harden declined his player option for $36 million with the Clippers on Sunday and intends to sign a two-year deal with the team for $81.5 million, league sources with knowledge of the deal not authorized to discuss it publicly said. The second year is a player option and is partially guaranteed.
The deal gave Harden a raise and the Clippers some salary flexibility going forward.
“He’s our No. 1 priority,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, told the media after the first round of the draft Wednesday night. “We’re super hopeful that James is here and he’s here for a long time. He has a player-option, so he can opt-in … or he can opt-out and hopefully we can do a deal that makes sense for both sides. But James, as you guys know, was phenomenal and we hope to continue to see his play.”
Though the Clippers drafted a center in the first round with the 30th pick, getting Yanic Konan Niederhauser of Penn State, Frank said his team “probably will have at least three centers.”
The Clippers can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception that’s projected to be about $14.1 million on a player or two, and perhaps even find a center.
Harden played in 79 games this past season, played the fifth-most total minutes in the NBA (2,789), was fifth in the league in assists (8.7), averaged 22.8 points per game and was the only player with 1,500 points, 500 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.
Harden, however, struggled during the postseason, averaging 18.7 points per game in the series the Clippers lost to the Nuggets. He scored just 33 points combined in Games 4, 5 and 7 losses, including seven points in Game 7.
Clippers guard James Harden looks to shoot during the team's win over San Antonio Spurs on April 8 at Intuit Dome. (Carrie Giordano / Associated Press)
Harden turns 36 in August and was not made available to speak with media during traditional exit interviews every team typically hosts to close out a season.
“When it was James this year with no Kawhi, with Norm [Powell] and [Ivica] Zubac and the rest of the group, we really asked James to do a lot,” Frank said shortly after the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs.
“And at his age to deliver what he did…[He played in] 79 games, and he does that time and time and time again. We have a deep appreciation for that sort of availability and to be able to deliver and do what he did…We have a great level of appreciation for what James did this year.”
The Knicks are exercising the team option on center Ariel Hukporti and they are planning to decline the team option on veteran PJ Tucker, league sources told SNY.
Declining Tucker’s team option decreases the Knicks’ payroll by $3.5 million.
The Knicks currently are above the first apron in total team salary and have access to the $5.6M taxpayer exception (they have roughly $196 million in team salary). Contracts signed with this exception can be no longer than two years and contain five percent raises -- you can split the exception to sign multiple players.
By declining Tucker’s option, the Knicks also have the flexibility to sign-and-trade their free agents to bring back a player under contract who makes up to the $5.6 million exception.
If you use the exception to sign a free agent, you are hard-capped at the second apron -- this means you can’t spend more than $207.8 million in team salary.
The Knicks can also use the veteran’s minimum exception to sign free agents.
New York has decisions to make on its own veteran free agents in Delon Wright, Precious Achiuwa, Landry Shamet and Cam Payne.
The team will monitor the backup guard market.
The Knicks are among the teams who will have interest in Shamet once free agency opens at 6 PM on Sunday, per SNY sources. Contending teams in both conferences are expected to have interest in Shamet, league sources say.
The 28-year-old returned from a dislocated shoulder during the 2024-25 season and shot 40 percent from beyond the arc across 50 games in the regular season. He was out of the rotation for much of the postseason but was reinserted to the rotation in Game 3 of Knicks-Pacers.
Shamet delivered, hitting 7-of -13 threes during the series and defending well. The Knicks were plus-21 when he was on the court against Indiana (52 minutes).
The Knicks also on Sunday extended qualifying offer to Kevin McCullar Jr., league sources confirm, as first reported by the New York Post.
LeBron James' NBA career began with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 [Getty Images]
LeBron James is set to play in a record 23rd NBA season after his agent said the 40-year-old has exercised an option to extend his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rich Paul said James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, was targeting a fifth Championship after activating a $53m (£41m) player option for the 2025-26 season.
"He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all," he told ESPN.
"We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."
James currently shares the NBA season record with eight-time All-Star Vince Carter. His tally of 1,562 regular-season appearances is just 50 short of breaking former Boston Celtics star Robert Parish's NBA record.
In 2023 he broke Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing points record of 38,387 to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer. His current tally stands at 42,184.
James' NBA career began in 2003 when he was drafted first overall by hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The forward joined the Miami Heat in 2010, winning two titles, before returning to lead Cleveland to their only NBA title with a 2016 success.
He has been with the Lakers since 2018 and helped them win the 2020 title, which was also the fourth time James was named NBA finals MVP.
His 20-year-old son Bronny was drafted by the Lakers in the summer of 2024 and they became the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game in October.
The Charlotte Hornets have LaMelo Ball under contract and just drafted Kon Knueppel. Now they are adding another ball handler to the backcourt.
The Utah Jazz are trading Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Jusuf Nurkic, a deal first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN and subsequently confirmed by other reports.
Sexton will make $19.2 million next season and is eligible for a veteran extension off his own contract, if Charlotte wants to lock him up long-term.
Charlotte has been looking for backup guard depth. They likely will start with Ball and Knueppel as the guards and Brandon Miller at the three (Miles Bridges is the four). Sexton comes in off the bench as a rock-solid combo guard who can play the one or the two behind the starters and fill in should injuries strike. It's a quality pickup, and it's not exactly clear why the Jazz needed to throw in a second-round pick to make this trade happen.
The Jazz are a rebuilding team that had a glut in the backcourt and just drafted Ace Bailey (a wing who can play the two guard) and Walter Clayton Jr. This trade clears out some minutes for those guys.
The Jazz are now deep at center (and in the frontcourt in general). Walker Kessler is the center of the future and the player who should start and get a lot of run at the five next season as the Jazz look for him to develop his game. He has Nurkic and Kyle Filipowski behind him, plus Collins can play some small-ball five if needed. Nurkic is on an expiring $19.4 million contract and could well be traded again before February's deadline (if not much sooner).
Fresh off their champagne-soaked victory parade, the Oklahoma City front office got to work on next season. They locked up a long-time part of their bench in big man Jaylin Williams, while trading away a rookie who played a limited role in guard Dillon Jones.
Williams and the Thunder agreed to a three-year, $24 million contract extension, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. Williams, a second-round pick out of Arkansas who has been with the Thunder for three years, is a power forward/center who came off the bench for 47 games last season for OKC. While minutes were limited when both Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein were healthy, when called upon Williams stepped up with 5.9 points and 5.6 rebounds a game while shooting 39.9% from beyond the arc (in about three attempts a game).
Williams came of age with the young core of the Thunder and is a part of their chemistry. The Thunder retained him on a fair contract for both sides — the third year is reportedly a player option.
The Thunder also traded Dillon Jones and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Colby Jones. Once the trade is complete, OKC will waive Colby Jones. The second-round pick in this deal is the 2029 Houston Rockets' second-round pick, which the Wizards controlled.
Oklahoma City needed to open up a roster spot with 15 players under contract for next season, and having just drafted Thomas Sorber out of Georgetown with the No. 15 pick in this week's NBA draft.
The Wizards initially selected Dillon Jones at No. 26 in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, then traded him on draft night to New York, which flipped him to Oklahoma City. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 54 games last season, playing 10.2 minutes a night. In Washington, Jones joins a very young team trying to find and build around a young core, and there Jones should get an opportunity to prove himself.
The Warriors released their roster for the NBA Summer League and the California Classic on Sunday, and while there are some notable names, there is one notable omission.
Warriors 2025 second-round draft picks Alex Toohey (No. 52 overall) and Will Richard (No. 56 overall) both will be playing for the team.
Toohey is a 6-foot-8 forward who previously played for the Sydney Kings and was looked at as a jack of all trades.
The 21-year-old played in the NBA Academy for three seasons before committing to play college ball at Gonzaga. However, he changed his mind and decided to stay in Australia where he played for the Sydney Kings for three seasons before entering the NBA draft.
Richard played his sophomore through senior seasons at Florida and won a national championship with the Gators earlier this year – he had 18 points while knocking down four 3-pointers, and eight rebounds in that victory.
The 22-year-old averaged 10 or more points per season with Florida and wrapped up his collegiate career averaging 13.3 points per game in his senior year.
The name that is noticeably absent from the roster is second-year center Quinten Post.
Quinten Post is not on the Warriors’ summer league roster. He will not be playing summer league for the Warriors anymore I’m told, but likely will be around the team working out @NBCSWarriors
The 23-year-old guard also played for Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence, a team that former Warriors center Andrew Bogut played for when it was known as the Australian Institute of Sport.
The other three players were all undrafted free agent signings following the draft.
Cryer played three seasons with Baylor before transferring to Houston for his final two seasons of college ball.
The 23-year-old signed an Exhibit 10 – a one-year, minimum salary — contract with Golden State following the draft.
As for Hawkins, his return to Northern California comes after four years in Illinois as well as a single season, his final in college, at Kansas State.
The 6-foot-10 forward, who was born in Sacramento, averaged 10.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
McMillian is also no stranger to the Bay Area having been born in Vallejo – the 6-foot-3 guard played high school ball at Golden State Prep in Oakland before moving on to Grand Canyon for three seasons and Texas Tech for his final two.
The 23-year-old was a sniper from beyond the arc during his collegiate career, shooting better than 40 percent over his five seasons. He posted his best statistical season his senior year, averaging 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
One name not mentioned above, Isaiah Mobley, is also on the summer league roster; he’s the older brother of Cleveland Cavaliers star Evan Mobley.
On a final note, Santa Cruz Warriors coach Lainn Wilson will lead the summer league teams in both San Francisco and Las Vegas.
The Timberwolves and Randle have agreed to a three-year, $100 million new contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The third year is a player option. Randle is opting out of the $30.9 million he is owed for next season to sign this new deal (which is why this is not an extension), which keeps him at about the same pay level and with a couple more years of security.
Randle came over to Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade and there was considerable skepticism around the league about Randle's fit with his new team. While it took a while, he started playing well as a complementary player alongside Anthony Edwards and next to Rudy Gobert, taking over when matchups dictated. Randle averaged 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds a game this past season, but more impressive was his consistently quick decision-making. When needed, Randle could return to the bully ball that is at the core of his game to get buckets.
Minnesota had a +8.2 net rating in the playoffs when Edwards, Randle and Gobert were on the court together. It was +8.4 when focusing on just Randle and Gobert.
With Reid and Randle in place, the Timberwolves will not have much room to operate under the luxury tax's second apron.
Signing Randle and Reid means Nickeil Alexander-Walker will not be back with the Timberwolves — Minnesota can't afford to bring all three back with raises. Alexander-Walker will be a free agent, likely making around the mid-level exception ($14.1 million next season). The Clippers, Pistons and Magic are the teams he's been most linked to.
The proliferation of legalized gambling has had plenty of unintended consequences. In the NBA, another serious set of consequences could be playing out.
The case traces to the 2023-24 season, when Beasley played for the Milwaukee Bucks. A prominent sportsbook detected "usually heavy betting" on Beasley's stats in January 2024.
"An investigation is not a charge," attorney Steve Haney told ESPN.com. "Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. As of now he has not been charged with anything."
The NBA told ESPN.com that it is cooperating with the investigation.
Last year, Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA for his role in a gambling scheme based on Porter's "under" propositions in multiple games.
The NFL has managed to avoid a major gambling scandal since the U.S. Supreme Court opened the floodgates for states to adopt spots betting in 2018. It feels as if it's just a matter of time before it happens in America's most popular sport.
Though Eric Gordon is declining his player option, the Sixers and the veteran shooting guard have mutual interest in him returning to Philadelphia, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported that Gordon was declining his $3.5 million option to “explore free agency” and PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson first reported the mutual interest between Gordon and the Sixers.
The team values the 36-year-old’s fit as a proven shooter, a source said. Gordon indeed has extensive credentials on that front. He was frigid to begin last season but ended up at 40.9 percent beyond the arc.
Gordon played in 39 games before undergoing season-ending right wrist surgery. He averaged 19.7 minutes and posted 6.8 points and 1.7 assists per game.
“It’s tough,” Gordon said at his exit interview after the Sixers’ 24-58 season. “I’ve been playing for so long and injuries are part of the game. Throughout a long season, you’ve got to figure out ways to win when guys are out or whatnot. It’s very challenging for an organization to have so many guys out at the same time … couldn’t really build chemistry.
“It was really hard to learn. This is a talented team … but we never had a real shot to show how good we could really be.”
The Sixers on Wednesday drafted a prospect that Gordon knows well. Both Gordon and No. 3 overall pick VJ Edgecombe represented the Bahamas last summer in Olympic qualifying play.
“It’s crazy that me and EG are teammates now,” Edgecombe said with a smile on his draft-night Zoom press conference. “EG’s old, man. I tell him all the time, he’s old, man. But nah, it’s a great thing. … It’ll be someone I already know on the team that can help me with longevity or how to play your role … just teaching me life on and off the court “
Gordon was the sixth and final piece of Sixers option news leading into free agency.
JD Davison is still a part of the Boston Celtics’ plans — for now.
The Celtics are exercising their team option on Davison worth $2.27 million for the 2025-26 season, according to multiple reports. Davison’s salary is non-guaranteed and doesn’t become fully guaranteed until Jan. 10, 2026, so Boston can release him at any point prior to the start of the season without absorbing a salary cap hit.
Davison didn’t play much at the NBA level last season, appearing in just 16 games for the Celtics while averaging 2.1 points over 5.8 minutes per game. He thrived in the G League, however, averaging 25.1 points, 7.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game with the Maine Celtics to earn G League MVP honors.
The C’s rewarded Davison’s strong play by converting his two-way contract to a standard NBA deal in April, just before the end of the 2024-25 regular season. They had until 5 p.m. ET on Sunday to make a decision about his team option.
A second-round pick in 2022 (53rd overall), Davison is just 22 years old and potentially could see more NBA action this season after the departure of fellow guard Jrue Holiday — especially if the Celtics end up flipping Anfernee Simons.
But if Simons stays — or if 2025 first-round pick Hugo Gonzalez shows more promise in the backcourt behind Derrick White and Payton Pritchard — Davison may be the odd man out.
Either way, picking up Davison’s option gives Boston flexibility to decide closer to the regular season whether to carry him on the active roster or part ways with the young guard.
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In what could turn into an incredibly embarrassing and awkward situation for the NBA, the "U.S. District Attorney's office is investigating Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley on allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets," reports ESPN’s Shams Charania. This gambling allegedly took place during the 2023-24 season, when Beasley was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Beasley, 28, was one of the bigger names on the free agent market this summer after averaging 16.3 points a game while shooting 41.6% on 3-pointers for the Pistons last season. Charania reports that the Pistons and Beasley were discussing a new three-year, $42 million contract, but that is now on hold. No team will touch him in free agency, either, until this is resolved.
"An investigation is not a charge. Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. As of now he has not been charged with anything."
While the NBA had to deal with former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter betting on games and tipping off a gambling circuit to fix prop bets on him — he has since been banned for life from the league — Porter was not really in a position to impact the outcome of games. Beasley was. He played in 79 games for the Bucks during the season in question, almost 30 minutes a night, and averaged 11.3 points a night as a floor spacer next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Last season he played in all 82 games for the Pistons.
The Pistons had been linked to multiple free agents this summer (they have or can create some cap space), which makes some more sense now if they knew what was coming with Beasley.
Lakers forward LeBron James (23) is exercising his $52.6-million option and is on track to play his 23rd NBA season. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Lakers superstar LeBron James will once again make NBA history by playing in his 23rd NBA season.
James exercised his player option for $52.6 million to play for the Lakers during the 2025-26 season, his agent and CEO of Klutch Sports Rich Paul told The Times on Sunday morning.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, had been tied with Vince Carter for the most seasons played in the NBA at 22. This will be James’ eighth season with the Lakers.
James, 40, is 50 games away from breaking Hall of Famer Robert Parish’s record for the most games played in the regular season.
James averaged 24.4 points per game last season, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds.
Fellow Laker Dorian Finney-Smith reportedly declined his $15.3-million player option and will pursue free agency, a person with knowledge of his decision told The Times. Finney-Smith, who is coming off a strong season with the Lakers, is expected to be pursued by multiple teams. He could still return to the Lakers. ESPN was first to report Finney-Smith's decision.
Last week, Austin Reaves declined the team’s maximum offer of four years for $89 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
Reaves, 27, still has two years left on his deal, for $13.9 million next season and $14.9 million in the 2026-27 season, and he holds a player option for the last year of his deal.
Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and teammate Austin Reaves react to a referee's call during a 2025 NBA playoff game against Minnesota. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
He was third on the Lakers in scoring last season, averaging career-highs in scoring (20.2), assists (5.8), rebounds (4.5) and minutes per game (34.9). He shot 46% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range.
With the James and Smith player option questions resolved Sunday, the Lakers are focused on filling out their roster. They added an athletic wing player when they acquired Adou Thiero in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who drafted him with the 36th pick in the second round.
The most pressing need for the Lakers remains a center, and they’ll have to look into free agency or via trade to acquire one.
The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about $5.65 million to spend.
“As I said at the end of the year, we know one of the things we have to address is the center position and that’s clearly going to be one of our focuses as we begin the free-agency period,” Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, told Spectrum SportsNet after the second round of the draft Thursday. “... “So, we’re looking forward to just putting in the hard work and making sure we take care of all the needs on the roster to give [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] the tools he needs for this team to be great next season.”
