Here’s how I’m once again handling free agency this year. I’ll use this space to provide quick thoughts on most (if not necessarily all) of the signings that get reported this week, as they come. This post will be free and unlocked for all to read.
Before we get started, keep in mind that I am once again offering a 25% discount on the first year of all paid subscriptions between now and then end of free agency. I'm an independent grinding on my own, and that's not easy, so I'd really appreciate your support if you enjoy reading my work.
Update: July 8, 9:26 p.m.
Larry Nance Jr.: 1 year, Minimum (Pacers)
Nance is perfectly fine for an end-of-bench big. He's no great shakes, but he can shoot a little bit, pass a little bit, and defend a little bit, which makes it manageable if he's pressed into rotation minutes here or there. He's had issues staying healthy, though, and aging into his mid-30s probably won't help on that front. (I know from experience.)
Mo Bamba: 2 years, ?M (Jazz)
Okay, sure.
Update: July 8, 11:48 a.m.
Khris Middleton: 3 years, $17.6M (Wizards)
I'm assuming this is one of those "three-year" deals where only the first season is guaranteed. This sign-and-trade is going to be looped into what is now a six-team deal featuring the Mavericks, Wizards, Clippers, Pistons, Bucks, and Grizzlies. John Collins is headed to Detroit, as are Gary Harris and Taurean Prince, Isaiah Stewart is going to Memphis, Santi Aldama is headed to Dallas, and Caris LeVert is bound for Milwaukee. The Wizards are certainly building one of the weirdest rosters of all time, with Middleton, Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton, and Trae Young surrounding their young core. I am, I have to admit, mildly interested in seeing what the hell that all looks like on the court.
Update: July 7, 6:23 p.m.
Kevon Looney: 1 year, Minimum (Lakers)
This is technically a solution to the Lakers' backup center issue insofar as Looney is a center who will be a backup, but Looney is no longer the quality of player who will actually be a solution to the Lakers' backup center issue. (He was quickly cut out of the Pelicans' rotation last year, and that was the Pelicans.) If he were, he would probably still be on the Warriors. The contract New Orleans signed him to last offseason was pretty inexplicable given the way his play had fallen off the last couple seasons in Golden State and this one is much more reasonable because minimum guys are minimum guys, but L.A. certainly still needs to keep searching for quality backup center play.
Update: July 6, 11:31 a.m.
Quinten Post: 3 years, $30M (Grizzlies) (Offer Sheet)
This is an interesting gambit by the Grizzlies, who already have Zach Edey starting at center and also traded for Isaiah Stewart earlier this offseason. Having insurance for Edey makes sense given his injury issues, but Post is obviously a much different kind of player than either him or Stewart. He can shoot a little bit (36.4% from three through two NBA seasons) and improved defensively last season, but he hit at a much higher rate from deep as a rookie (40.8%) than he did as a sophomore (33.6%, and last year's sample size is about 100 shots larger) and it's not like he's now a defensive stopper — he's still probably a net negative on that end of the floor. (He can protect the rim but get taken advantage of in space.) He's also not an elite rebounder for the center spot, though he is a pretty decent passer. Either way, having some variety in the frontcourt makes a degree of sense, though I do think it's hard to envision Post playing much alongside Cameron Boozer unless one of them is going to be a better rim protector than expected. Having Boozer's post game and passing alongside the best version of Post's shooting would be pretty fun, though. Whatever the plan is, Memphis is likely to sign Post using a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and is thus hard-capped at the first apron (with plenty of room to spare underneath it), while the Stewart trade will likely be roped into the Santi Aldama deal that sends him to Dallas. Because of Golden State's own finances, though, I'd expect the Warriors to decline matching this offer sheet and for Post to end up in Memphis.
Rui Hachimura: 2 years, $28M (Clippers)
The size of this deal makes me think it's for a good portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which would mean the Clippers are operating as an over-the-cap team and probably not making an offer sheet for Peyton Watson, which would be good news for the Nuggets because he's probably running out of realistic suitors. The Clippers could still be signing Hachimura to this deal using cap space, but I they wouldn't have nearly enough left over to sign Watson to an offer sheet that Denver wouldn't match. L.A. could of course still pursue Watson in a sign-and-trade, but the Nuggets would have to cooperate for that to work itself out. (Edit: This is exactly what is happening, per Jake Fischer.) The Clips also hold a team option for the second year of this Hachimura contract, per Law Murray, helping them maintain flexibility for next summer.
Meanwhile, Rui gets to stay in Los Angeles, which is nice for him, and I'll be interested to see what he looks like on the other L.A. team, because he will no longer be playing with hyper-elite passers gifting him the best looks of his career like he was with LeBron James and Luka Doncic. He turned into one of the best shooters in the NBA while playing for the Lakers (albeit on only medium-ish volume), but we know that guys tend to shoot better when they're playing alongside talents like James and Doncic than they do once they're playing elsewhere. Hachimura can play both forward spots and hold his own defensively, though, which will make for a snug fit on a Clippers front line that needed some help, especially at the four. I'll be interested to see which of him, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kris Dunn is in the starting lineup, or whether two of them start and Keaton Wagler comes off the bench to begin his career.
Update: July 4, 12:02 p.m.
Josh Okogie: 2 years, $12M (Jazz)
Utah could certainly use defense on the wing, which Okogie brings in spades. (The Jazz are going to need to prevent opponents from getting into the paint in the first place because the center duo of Jusuf Nurkic and Jaxson Hayes isn't going to provide much in the way of resistance when they get to the basket.) Okogie can pressure up the floor against smaller guards, which he's often been asked to do in the past, and that might be a good strategy for the Jazz to employ in the hopes that they can cut off driving lanes before they even open. Still, Okogie is likely to be a 15-ish minutes-per-game role player as he's been throughout his career, so the Jazz are going to need Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey to be pretty good defensively ahead of the presumptive Jaren Jackson Jr.-Lauri Markkanen frontcourt that could face a relative struggle against opponents with size and/or who hit the offensive glass with any regularity.
Update: July 3, 6:25 p.m.
Andre Drummond: 1 year, Minimum (Knicks)
Drummond fills a huge need at backup center for the Knicks after the departures of Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti. He remains an excellent rebounder, including and especially on the offensive side of the floor, which should help him replace some of what Robinson brought to the table. He also experimented with taking threes for the first time last year and hit them at a pretty respectable rate of 35.6%. He's a very solid screener and somewhat better passer than you might think, but not as good a finisher around the rim or as effective a pick-and-roll player as Robinson, and he's not close to as proficient on defense, either around the basket (opponents have converted at least 60% of their shots when Drummond was within five feet of both the shooter and the basket in each of the last six seasons, and at least 68% in each of the last two) or especially on the perimeter. The Knicks probably weren't going to do better at this spot given what they had to work with, though, so bringing in Drummond is a fine outcome.
Update: July 3, 3:27 p.m.
Trey Lyles: 1 year, Minimum (Timberwolves)
Lyles was out of the NBA last season playing for Real Madrid, where he apparently shot over 40% on threes. He can shoot a little bit and rebound a little bit and is decent enough for a deep bench guy, but Minnesota certainly needs to keep searching for more answers as it looks to build out frontcourt depth.
Jordan Miller: 3 years, $15M (Clippers)
MY GUY!!!!! Miller was an All-Dubin Team member this year for obvious reasons, ranging from his alma mater to his crafty lefty style to his actual play on the court. Once he permanently entered the rotation for L.A. in January, he averaged 11.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 0.9 steals in 25 minutes a night. He made 61% of his two-point shots and got to the line 3.3 times a game. He's a good bench player and deserving of the multi-year deal at this valuation, though apparently only the first year is guaranteed, which is obviously a beneficial structure for the Clippers, who may be looking to use cap space next offseason.
Update: July 3, 9:53 a.m.
Tari Eason: 5 years, $91M (Rockets)
The version of Eason that started the season like gangbusters last year is worth quite a bit more than this. Alas, he wasn't going to shoot 46% from three forever, like he did before the All-Star Game. The version of Eason that shoots only 21.8%, as he did after the break, probably isn't worth this much. But that's probably not going to be his future, either, considering he's hit right at 35% for his career. Splitting the difference makes the deal seem just about right, but it has a ton more upside for Houston than it does for Eason. There's a chance that he dramatically outplays this contract and not much of one that it dramatically overpays him. Even if he stays the same quality of player that he is right now, it's probably a fair-market deal. But if he gets better, it's going to look really good for the Rockets. Eason remains a terrorizing defender (though I think he was probably more of one in the earliest days of his career), he's a very good offensive rebounder, and there is still upside for him as a shooter. He can slide between multiple spots in the frontcourt depending on with whom the Rockets want to play him. There is some concern about injuries (he's played 221 of 328 possible games in his career), but I think it's mitigated by the potential upside when he's actually on the floor. Locking in a role player for five years is potentially nerve-wracking, but when you get a price that is potentially a discount, I think it's worth it.
Neemias Queta: 4 years, $56M (Celtics)
This is an extension tacked onto the one year and $2.7M remaining on Queta's current contract, and it's a nice deal for both sides. Queta, who was a two-way guy that turned himself into an All-Dubin Team member this season, gets a nice payday after having made less than $5M in his first five seasons combined, while Boston gets him for five years and $59M total.
The Celtics will pay Queta and Mitchell Robinson approximately $30-31M combined for the final two seasons of Robinson's three-year deal, which seems like a nice sum for 48 minutes of rim protection and rebounding. Not that this was an option available to the Lakers or anything, but I'd rather have that duo for that amount, plus keep all of my draft capital, than trade all of it for Walker Kessler and pay him $32.5M per year alone.
Anyway, here's what I wrote about Queta for the All-Dubin Team. It all still stands:
Queta is just delightful. He's one of the best screen-setters in the NBA. He does this crazy thing where he actually makes contact with the defender when he's setting a pick, and he creates a ton of space for Boston's ball-handlers when he does. He's also a terrific rebounder. He protects the basket. He finishes well around the rim. He makes his free-throws at a respectable rate. He does the dirty work without asking questions, because that's his role. There is something to be said for knowing what you're good at, and then doing those things — and only those things — at a high enough level that you become a quality starter. That's what Queta's done this year.
Queta did struggle a little bit in the playoffs, which is a concern, but it was also his first real action there, and the Celtics won't be as dependent on him with Robinson also in tow. I like this move a lot.
Javonte Green: 1 year, $3.9M (Pistons)
Green is a competent rotation forward. He can do a little bit of everything (and he just had the best three-point shooting season of his career, on higher volume than ever) and play both the three and the four depending on how you want to construct your lineups. He's getting a non-Bird raise above the minimum contract here, so good for him.
Update: July 2, 7:15 p.m.
Tyus Jones: 1 year, Minimum (Nuggets)
Jones is a capable set of hands as a backup point guard. Like everyone who signs with the Magic, he forgot how to shoot last season, but he'd been at 37% or better from three in each of the previous four seasons and that's where he's been throughout his career. He's also a very low-turnover player, which helps in the possession game. Denver probably still needs another ball-handler, though. Jones is also not much as a defender these days and the Nuggets still need some help on that end, but they weren't likely to get the kind of help they need at the backup point guard spot anyway. We now to continue to wait with baited breath on Peyton Watson's restricted free agency.
Daeqwon Plowden: 2 years, $5.1M (Kings)
This is a well-deserved deal for a guy who played well when given an opportunity while on a two-way contract. Plowden entered Sacramento's rotation just before the All-Star break and remained in it for the rest of the year. The Kings were a disaster, but he was pretty good, playing 27.5 minutes a night and averaging 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. He got up a bunch of threes (6.1 per night) and hit them at a decent rate (about 35%). He has really good length with his 6-10 wingspan and he plays hard defensively. Good for him.
Update: July 2, 5:16 p.m.
Kyle Anderson: 1 year, Minimum (Raptors)
Anderson is a back-end rotation player at this point, but he's solid enough to fill in for 15 minutes or so when you're in a pinch. He's never been able to shoot and doesn't really try to do so anymore anyway, but he moves the ball well and he's a really smart, instinctive player on both ends of the floor, so he should fit well within what Darko Rajakovic wants to do. Toronto probably needs shooting more than it needs a player like him so this is an interesting signing on that level, but it's not a bad one for the minimum.
Kenrich Williams: 1 year, $5M (Thunder)
I'm a little bit surprised that Williams got more than the minimum to return to OKC considering the Thunder's second-apron crunch, but this deal at least gives them a couple million dollars worth of savings compared with the $7.1M team option they held for the 2026-27 season. Williams himself is a valuable player capable of doing more than the Thunder typically ask him to because they have so much depth, but he seemingly always contributes when they dust him off and ask him to play rotation minutes in important games — even if he hasn't been on the floor in a while. Given the way Mark Daigneault runs the rotation, Williams' level of buy-in to the program is really important. He's also basically the new-age version of Nick Collison, where it seems like he will and should be on the Thunder forever. I am very interested to see how OKC handles the apron issues, but I like bringing Williams back in isolation for reasons relating to both the team culture and the flexibility he gives the Thunder in the frontcourt.
Update: July 2, 2:32 p.m.
Anfernee Simons: 2 years, $12M (76ers)
This is a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception for Simons, use of which hard-caps the Sixers at the first apron — but they were already hard-capped there thanks to the Jaylen Brown trade and Dean Wade signing. I've never been the biggest Simons guy because of his considerable defensive limitations, but I really like this fit in Philadelphia. The Sixers need backup ball-handlers behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and basically only had Labaron Philon for that role before making this move. Simons can really shoot the ball (38% from deep on 9 attempts per 36 minutes for his career), though he's considerably better off the catch than off the dribble despite taking a whole bunch of off-the-dribble treys. He's coming off one of the best driving seasons of his career (he shot 54% on the drive, per NBA Advanced Stats), too, and that'll be valuable for Philly. The Sixers will have to find a way to insulate him defensively, though, and they still have work to do on that front when it comes to filling out their roster.
Update: July 2, 8:35 a.m.
Jevon Carter: 1 year, Minimum (Magic)
Carter played fairly well upon arrival in Orlando, though he wasn't in the regular playoff rotation. (He got just 17 minutes across three blowout losses during the series against the Pistons.) He's an acceptable third point guard who can play some pressure defense and set the table. For the minimum, that's probably fine. The Magic might still be backsliding in the East due to other teams loading up and their mostly standing pat, though.
Marvin Bagley III: 1 year, Minimum (Nuggets)
Bagley has turned himself into a cromulent backup center. With Jonas Valanciunas seemingly not long for the NBA, the Nuggets needed one of those. Bagley is often injured, though. Before playing 60 games last year, he was at 31, 50, and 42 in the previous three seasons. In other words, Denver probably still needs another center.
Update: July 1, 4:30 p.m.
Walker Kessler: 4 years, $130M (Lakers)
Sandro Mamukelashvili: 4 years, $52M (Lakers)
Quentin Grimes: 4 years, $60M (Lakers)
Collin Sexton: 2 years, $19M (Lakers)
Woah boy! Check out the latest episode of the Double Dribble podcast for my (and Mo's) extended thoughts on the Kessler signing, as well as brief thoughts on all the others. Still, with L.A. truly splashing the pot, I'd like to dig in here as well.
The Kessler move is a sign-and-trade, with the Lakers sending out first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030 to acquire their center of the future. They're also giving him $32.5M per year, making him (if my math is correct) the ninth-highest paid center in the NBA in terms of average annual value, and giving him both a player option and a trade kicker. That is a STEEP price to pay, especially when you consider that the unprotected first-round picks don't even head out the door until after the expiration of both Kessler and Luka Doncic's contracts. (I'd obviously expect Luka to be on a new extension by then, but you never know what might happen.) To my mind, they simply gave up way too much to get him, regardless of what you think of the fit.
And Kessler himself is a good fit for what the Lakers needed — especially on defense. Specifically, he's one of the small handful of best rim protectors in the league, allowing opponents to convert just 54.8% of their shots when he was within five feet of both the shooter and the basket during the 2024-25 season, as well as a mere 50.9% in 2023-24 and 51.5% in 2022-23. Those figures ranked seventh, third, and third, respectively, among players who challenged five-plus shots per game at the basket in those seasons. The Lakers are going to need all the rim protection they can get behind a Doncic-Austin Reaves guard tandem; Kessler is going to have a lot to clean up, but he's capable of doing it when healthy.
He's also finished at a very high level throughout his career, shooting 77.7% at the basket and 55.9% on shots 3-10 feet from the rim. (He does get reluctant at times, but it hasn't affected the finishing numbers themselves.) He doesn't really have any range outside of that: He's experimented with taking the occasional three, but has hit only 17 of 64 career attempts. (He was 6 of 8 in five games before getting hurt last year, but it's hard to put any real stock in that small a sample.)
The pick-and-roll efficiency numbers for Kessler during his career aren't great, largely because he's never played with a guard who was a high-level orchestrator. The best he's worked with is an injured pre-trade Mike Conley, Keyonte George before he actually got good, Isaiah Collier, and Sexton. Playing with Doncic and Reaves will be a significant change, and given his ability to set screens (he's made contact on picks at the 10th-highest rate among the 73 players who have set 2,500 or more since he entered the league, per GeniusIQ tracking) and finish at the basket, he should generate much more efficient offense in pick and rolls than what we've seen to date in his career. Of course, that's largely going to be due to the proficiency of his partners rather than anything specific that he brings to the table.
I've always been a big Mamu guy. (See: Last year.) He can shoot (38.9% from deep last season) and has flashed some playmaking chops at times. And his teams have been quite a bit better with him on the floor than off over the last few years: 12.7 points per 100 possessions (in only 451 minutes) in 2023-24, 2.2 points per 100 (681 minutes) in 2024-25, and 4.1 points per 100 last season, his first as a full-time rotation player. (He only played around 400 more minutes in his first four years combined than he did last year in Toronto.) I probably like him more as a stretch five than at the four (where he's likely to play with Rui Hachimura seemingly moving on and Deandre Ayton still in town as the backup center) because he can't really defend in space, but he's a good player. The $13M per year price tag seems steep, but I think he can live up to it if given the opportunity to play real minutes. (I'm more concerned about the years than the dollars when it comes to role players like this, really, and I probably would have tried to hold the line a bit more on that front.)
Grimes, meanwhile, makes a lot of sense to me here. He's perhaps not quite as good a shooter as his reputation suggests (36.6% from deep for his career and just 33.4% last year), but he's also been above 38% on threes in three of his five NBA seasons, and he's experienced at beating closeouts from the second side, which is where I think his real value lies. He also showed during that end-of-season stretch in Philly a couple years ago that he has more on-ball juice than he's been asked to provide during his career. I think he'll work nicely with Reaves in hybrid lineups. He's more of a small guard defender than a true three-and-D guy who can guard the apex predator wings, but the Lakers also need someone who can defend point-of-attack guards, and that will likely be his role here. There's going to be a lot of pressure on him to guard the perimeter, and we'll see if he's up for it. I do think the $15M per year price tag for the full four years is probably more than I would have gone, but I get the vision here, at least.
Conversely, I don't get the Sexton thing quite as much. He can shoot (39% from deep for his career and over 40% in each of the last two years) and finish on the drive (over 50% in each of the last five seasons), and you can really never have enough ball-handlers, but I think a better use of the room exception would have been to sign someone who can credibly defend big wings. The Lakers still have multiple holes defensively, but that's the most obvious one. I'm curious why they preferred Sexton to Marcus Smart, for example, unless Smart just decided to leave of his own volition for less money than L.A. could have offered.
Realistically, though, the Lakers appear to have gone all-in on a team that likely comes up well short of championship contention, or even contention with the top teams in the West. They're not nearly good enough defensively, and they probably still don't have enough shooting surrounding their perimeter stars. And they have essentially cleared the coffers of assets to add to the team in the future. For all the capital they used to put the team together, that's really disappointing.
Mitchell Robinson: 3 years, $47M (Celtics)
Robinson gets the full mid-level exception here, and I love it for Boston. Mitch is a terrific rim protector and the best offensive rebounder in basketball. He's also gotten better at defending in space over the last few years and isn't as much of a block-chaser as he used to be. He's just solid in every way. I'm not sure whether he starts ahead of Neemias Queta or comes off the bench behind him, but either way, I think the Celtics have a solid center pairing for the next few years. (Queta should probably get an extension this offseason.) We'll have to see what happens with Jaylen Brown over the next few days but at the moment the Celtics are definitively better next season than they were this past year, and they took one of the Knicks' most important players away from them by getting Mitch to take the hike up I-90. Going out to three years fully guaranteed with the final season being a player option is a risk for a player with Robinson's injury history, but I think it's a worthwhile one given all he brings to the table. This is probably my favorite use of the mid-level exception so far.
De'Anthony Melton: 2 years, $11M (Warriors)
I've always liked Melton, but over the last few years he has just not played very often as he's dealt with various injuries. (He's appeared in 38, 6, and 49 games over the last three seasons.) He also didn't shoot it well from outside last year (29.4% on 5 attempts per game), and his defense isn't what it once was due to those injuries. Still, this is a low-cost signing on a player the Warriors like and who theoretically makes sense, especially on a team that brings in LeBron James. I don't have a problem with it at all.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: 2 years, $17M (Pacers)
I've also always liked Oubre — probably more so than many of the teams that have employed him. I think he makes sense with Indiana due to his cutting, screening, and driving ability, all of which should help him mesh especially well with Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Ivica Zubac. On the other end, he's got good size and length and has shown an ability to especially defend smaller perimeter players, though he can also occasionally guard up the positional spectrum if the opposing forward doesn't have too much in the way of bulk. The defense isn't consistently good (which is part of why this deal is what it is and not worth a lot more money); but when he locks in, he has the ability to defend at a high level. He's also coming off the best shooting season of his career, and he should be gifted some of the best looks he's ever had courtesy of Haliburton. The Pacers go into the luxury tax with this signing, so I'd expect some kind of cost-cutting move to come at some point between now and the deadline, if not sooner.
Jaxson Hayes: 2 years, $12M (Jazz)
Hayes is a fine screen-and-dive backup, but let's just say I am not enthused about the pairing of him and Jusuf Nurkic as Utah's two primary centers.
Tobias Harris: 2 years, $31M (Spurs)
This is a signing at the mid-level exception, which hard-caps the Spurs at the first apron. (They have plenty of room underneath it.) This is exactly the kind of player they needed, though, with Harris bringing shooting, credible defense, some post-up ability against mismatches, and physicality at the four spot, presumably behind Julian Champagnie. Victor Wembanyama, meanwhile, is the perfect player for him to play alongside as he ages further and that defense declines. This is a really nice fit on a short-term deal.
Update: July 1, 10:59 a.m.
Nikola Vucevic: 1 year, Minimum (Magic)
This makes sense given that Moe Wagner is headed to Brooklyn (see below), and Vucevic has talked before about how he'd like to retire in Orlando as well. Vuc will be 36 this season and his shooting has waxed and waned over the last few years (though he's been at 40% and 37% from deep in the last two) and he's basically a zero on defense at this point in his career, but the Magic have plenty of defensive talent to insulate him (and now have Sean Sweeney to build the scheme) and could desperately use shooting to space the floor. For the minimum, you could do a lot worse.
Mike Conley: 1 year, Minimum (Celtics)
This will be Mike's 20th NBA season and I'm just so happy to see him back for another year. Is he likely to help the Celtics all that much in his current state? Probably not. But he's an elite vibes guy and the Celtics might need that if they're going to have to mend the fences in the Jaylen Brown situation, and you can certainly do worse when looking for deep depth at the point guard spot behind Derrick White and Payton Pritchard.
Moe Wagner: 2 years, $19M (Nets)
Shams is reporting that this deal has the same structure as the one Keon Ellis agreed to yesterday, where Wagner and the Nets essentially have dueling opt-ins for next season. (Basically, if Wagner plays really well and Brooklyn wants to keep him around, the Nets can opt in for the 2027-28 season. If Wagner plays poorly and he doesn't think he'd get as much on the open market next offseason, he can opt in and pocket the "extra" cash. I still am not sure if this is actually a thing under the current CBA and kind of assume that it's just a non-guaranteed player option, but we'll find out soon enough.) Wagner is a solid enough backup center who can theoretically space the floor (he's actually only around a 33-34% three-point shooter) and provides a much different look than presumptive starter Day'Ron Sharpe. He's only played 66 combined games over the last two seasons after a knee injury ended his 2024-25 campaign and he wasn't exactly a picture of health early in his career, but he did play 63, 57, and 80 games from 2022 through 2024. The Nets are obviously still deep in rebuild mode, but having both this contract and Ellis' deal on hand could be useful in matching salaries for trades at the deadline and if either of them plays really well, they could be valuable outgoing pieces on their own given the structure of the option for the second year.
Update: July 1, 10:13 a.m.
Ariel Hukporti: 1 year, $3.4M (76ers)
Hukporti is getting a piece of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception that the Sixers have left over after signing Dean Wade last night. This probably rules out a return for Andre Drummond, unless they're paying Hukporti more than the minimum to be their fourth center instead of the third guy behind Joel Embiid and Adem Bona. (Maybe he competes with Bona for the direct backup job.)
Hukporti himself is a very good rebounder (10.6 per 36 minutes, 3.5 of them offensive, in 715 career minutes) and showed in brief playoff minutes that he could at least survive on the floor. He had one of the best defensive plays of the series in Game 5 of the Finals, for example. He's only going to be 24 this year, so maybe there's something there.
This signing is actually more interesting when it comes to what it means for the Knicks. If they're losing Mitchell Robinson (which seems likely unless James Dolan reverses course on his pledge to not go over the second apron) AND Hukporti, what the hell are they doing at backup center? They probably still need two guys there. Something to keep an eye on, for sure.
Update: July 1, 9:31 a.m.
Marcus Smart: 2 years, $13M (Rockets)
Bogdan Bogdanovic: 1 year, ?M (Rockets)
Smart played a lot better last season in L.A. than I thought he would. He didn't shoot it well (39.5% from the field and 33.1% from deep) but the defense was fantastic against both bigger and smaller players, and he held up for 62 out of 82 games after playing just 54 in the previous two years combined. He's still "only" 32 years old and he obviously fits the type of basketball the Rockets want to play under Ime Udoka, but he's yet another guy who can't really shoot — and he is only technically a guard because it's not like he's much of a creator off the dribble, either. Houston still needs to add more on both of those fronts.
Bogdanovic is technically an attempt at getting more shooting, though he has dropped off on that front over the last few years and is heading into his age-34 season after having played just 23 games this past year and 54 the year before. He's also not much of an off-the-dribble threat at this stage of his career. We also don't yet know how valuable this contract is, so it's hard to say how much I like it.
John Collins: 3 years, $51M (Pistons)
Well, this is an interesting twist. Rather than chasing a shooter/driver like Norm Powell (see below), the Pistons instead pivoted to Collins to presumably replace Tobias Harris.
Collins brings more dynamism as an athlete and especially as a lob threat on the roll, and he's shot it really well over the last few seasons. (He's been over 37% from deep in six of the last seven, and at or better than 40% in each of the last two.) Harris probably gets treated as more of a shooter by opposing defenses, though, so I'm interested to see how this swap will impact Detroit's already-cramped spacing. We still don't know what's going to happen with Jalen Duren, but a front line with Collins, Duren, and Ausar Thompson doesn't exactly spread the floor for Cade Cunningham to go to work. They'll grab a ton of offensive rebounds, though, which is nice. Collins could also be insulated defensively by Thompson's presence, but the Pistons will need Duren (if he sticks around) to progress on that end to remain among the best defenses in the league, because Isaiah Stewart was a huge part of what the team did on that end of the floor, and he now plays for the Grizzlies.
There's also the question of identity. Both Harris and especially Stewart were significant factors in establishing Detroit's toughness. (And the Pistons have been very open about the importance of Harris' presence from a leadership and locker room standpoint.) Does Collins have the same kind of shit to him? We haven't really seen that throughout his career. Are the Pistons going to be as good as they were if they don't have the same degree of physicality? Does getting more athletic help make up for it? Is Collins enough of an athleticism upgrade to justify the significant changes? Those are all questions we obviously can't know the answers to until the Pistons actually take the floor.
This deal comes in at more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, so the Pistons will either have to work out a sign-and-trade with the Clippers (in which case they'd be hard-capped at the first apron) or else get under the salary cap by (I think) waiving Duncan Robinson and renouncing Harris' cap hold. (They might be able to do it without waiving Robinson — perhaps by executing the rumored Marcus Sasser to Dallas trade.) The mechanics there are going to be important, especially if they waive Robinson and cost themselves another shooter. (They did acquire Isaiah Joe via trade the other day, and he makes for a handy Robinson replacement, but there's no requirement that you only have one elite shooter on the roster at a time. I don't count Kevin Huerter as a second elite shooter because he doesn't shoot at an elite level.) The contract, though, is only fully guaranteed for the first year, per Omari Sankofa, which makes it similar in structure to the one Robinson himself signed with Detroit last offseason.
Norm Powell: 2 years, $45M (Bulls)
Good for Powell. He's turned himself into one of the best microwave scorers in the NBA, capable of lighting it up from outside or getting to the rim with straight-line drives. I'm not sure he'll ever find an offensive system as obviously perfect a fit for him as the one he played in with Miami last year, but getting $22.5M per year helps make up for that. The Bulls really needed some shooting and scoring punch in the backcourt to go along with Josh Giddey and their flexible-but-shaky-ish-shooting forwards in Matas Buzelis and No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson, and Powell fits like a glove for the next couple years. Chicago is in a rebuild stage, but you still want to build a beneficial environment for your young players to develop and succeed, and bringing in a player like Powell can be part of that. This deal evaporates almost all of Chicago's remaining cap space, but it's a good use of that money. I like it considerably better than the moves the Bulls made at center with Nic Claxton and Zach Collins. The second year of this deal is also apparently a team option, which is a great structure for Chicago and makes Powell a very valuable trade-deadline chip this season.
Update: June 30, 11:01 p.m.
Dean Wade: 4 years, $39M (76ers)
Wade is a solid, if relatively unspectacular two-way player. I'm not sure how he's actually topped 50 games in each of the last three years because I feel like he is always out with some sort of nagging issue, but apparently he's been out there more than I can recall. In any case, he's a 5-8th man type who can start in a pinch but it's probably better if he comes off the bench as a rotational shooter and defender. He's pretty good at both, but not that great at either, though he has at least shown the flexibility to defend multiple positions (including some guards), which is nice. I guess he'll probably start between Paul George and Joel Embiid on the front line, and that seems... fine, though I probably liked Kelly Oubre better for that role on this particular team even though he's historically a shakier shooter. The Sixers are using part of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception to make this signing, which hard-caps them at the first apron. They have around $6M left of the MLE and around $16.5M in space under the apron. The fourth year here is only partially guaranteed, which makes me feel better about the deal than if it was a straight four-year contract.
Update: June 30, 10:18 p.m.
Keon Ellis: 2 years, $18M (Nets)
I've always liked Ellis more than seemingly any of his coaches have. Each of Mike Brown, Doug Christie, and Kenny Atkinson have eventually seen fit to shunt him toward the end of the bench, even after giving him minutes to start off. His shooting dipped last season in both Sacramento and Cleveland (he was at 36.3% from deep after topping 41% in each of the previous two seasons) but the larger sample size reveals a strong shooter and he can defend. He's a low-usage guy and isn't much of a playmaker so there's not a ton of upside beyond being a nice role player, but I do think he is a nice role player. Shams is reporting this deal as having a mutual option for the second season, which is something I am not sure actually exists in the NBA, but I suppose we'll see the details later on. (Edit: Turns out that yes it is a a thing. Either side can opt into the second year of the deal.)
Luke Kennard: 2 years, $13M (Suns)
Kennard is getting the taxpayer mid-level exception after the Suns opened up a bunch of room under the aprons with the Miles Bridges trade. He's obviously an elite shooter, even if he's been a bit too reluctant to shoot for his various to fully take advantage of his skill in that area. He showed down the stretch of the season and during the first-round series against the Rockets that he might have some on-ball juice if asked to do more with the rock, but that was also pretty temporary and he faded badly once defenses turned up the heat on him. Still, the Suns need shooting after sending Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale out in the Bridges trade, and Kennard is one of the best shooters available.
Zach Collins: 2 years, $17M (Bulls)
Collins plays only 10 games last year and hasn't been particularly effective when on the court over the last several seasons. I'm not sure who the Bulls were bidding against here. And with Nic Claxton and Jalen Smith on board, I'm also not sure they needed to pay a third center this much money either way.
Update: June 30, 8:12 p.m.
Ousmane Dieng: 3 years, $17.5M (Bucks)
This is a great deal for Dieng, who did basically nothing for 3.5 years in Oklahoma City but has now parlayed a pretty decent 30-game stint in Milwaukee into a contract with real value. He averaged 11.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 26.8 minutes a night for the Bucks, and was even better than that as a starter (12.5-5.1-4.7 in 30.6 minutes). There is some skill here, and the Bucks taking a flier for a few years (with a team option on the third season) seems worthwhile as they rebuild in the wake of the Giannis trade.
DeAndre Jordan: 1 year, Minimum (Pelicans)
Elite vibes guy returns for another year. That's 19 now. Good for him.
Tim Hardaway Jr.: 1 year, $6.5M (Heat)
I believe this is our first player to actually change teams in free agency. The Heat needed a guy exactly like this. Hardaway is coming off the best shooting season of his career, which isn't surprising considering he played with Nikola Jokic. He'll get to play off of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo here, which isn't the same, but he should still be able to get a ton of open looks due to the gravity of Giannis specifically as he attacks the paint. Miami now has around $11.5M left to fill out the remaining 3-4 spots on its roster and really needs to hit big on some minimum guys who can dribble and/or shoot. The best path is probably still finding a taker for one of Bobby Portis or Nikola Jovic to create more space and open up better options on the market, but that's a lot easier said than done.
Branden Carlson: 1 year, $2.5M (Trail Blazers)
Carlson played 734 minutes over the last two years and averaged 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists per 36 minutes while shooting 50% from the field and 35% from deep, albeit on only 152 attempts. He seems like a worthwhile flier on this type of deal for a team that needs some frontcourt depth behind Donovan Clingan and Robert Williams III.
Kobe Sanders: 4 years, $11.2M (Clippers)
Sanders is getting the 120% raise on his minimum using the non-Bird exception, I believe. He emerged as a nice rotation piece for the Clippers once they re-jiggered their rotation, even filling in as a starter for 16 games and averaging 10.6 points, 2.6 boards, and 1.8 assists in 27.3 minutes a night in those contests. He also shot it well from deep and showed he can defend a bit on the perimeter. He has great size length and looks like a find after being taken toward the end of the second round last year.
Update: June 30, 3:54 p.m.
Jock Landale: 1 year, $14M (Hawks)
Landale is a solid backup center who played quite well for both the Grizzlies and Hawks this past season. He dramatically increased his three-point volume and hit at a 38.3% clip while averaging essentially 17-9-3-1-1 per 36 minutes. He's also always been a solid offensive rebounder. His rim-protection numbers, though, leave something to be desired. Still, his absence in that first-round series against the Knicks ended up mattering quite a bit, because the Hawks had absolutely nobody else behind Onyeka Okongwu. This one-year balloon payment sure seems like Atlanta intends to use him as both the primary backup and potentially a walking trade exception if it can find an upgrade around the deadline. This deal coming shortly after Robert Williams re-signed in Portland makes me think the Hawks probably wanted to be in on him, and it also makes me think Mitchell Robinson's market is somewhere above the mid-level exception.
Precious Achiuwa: 2 years, $11.5M (Kings)
Sacramento keeps a productive, if not necessarily all that impactful backup center around here. If I'm doing my math correctly, this is a deal at the bi-annual exception, which seems fine. The question is which center Achiuwa will be backing up. The Kings are reportedly still after Jalen Duren in sign-and-trade talks. Duren is also going to meet with the Lakers, though, who have max cap space and can offer the opportunity to play with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, which the Kings... cannot.
Update: June 30, 12:09 p.m.
Robert Williams III: 3 years, $44M (Trail Blazers)
This is a risk because Williams is always a health risk, but on the surface it's very good value for the Time Lord, who when healthy is one of the league's better backup centers. The Blazers should have 48 minutes of plus rim protection and offensive rebounding with Williams playing behind Donovan Clingan, and they're going to especially need that rim protection with Ja Morant apparently starting next to Damian Lillard and Deni Avdija. Yikes. Anyway, Williams is also a great finisher at the rim and even experimented with taking a few threes last year and looked pretty good doing it. (Granted, on only 23 attempts. But he did make 9 of those 23, and then 3 of 9 in the playoffs.) It's probably not a coincidence that this deal comes in right around (and just south of) the value of the mid-level exception, and it likely sets the lower-end baseline for what someone like Mitchell Robinson will get once he hits the market later today.
Edit: This deal is only guaranteed for $5M in Year 2, but becomes fully guaranteed if he plays 50 games in 2026-27. It's then fully non-guaranteed in Year 3, but becomes fully guaranteed if he plays 50 games in 2027-28. Much less risky for Portland than it appeared on the surface.
Simone Fontecchio: 1 year, Minimum (Heat)
The Heat need guys to sign for the minimum and they need shooters, and Fontecchio qualifies on both of those fronts, even if he's more of an above-average shooter than a good one. They still desperately need to figure out a way to add guards, but they at least have someone here who can credibly loft the ball into the basket from outside the arc.
Update: June 29, 9:18 p.m.
Kevin Huerter: 3 years, $27M (Pistons)
Huerter was referred to as a sharpshooter in the reporting of this deal, but he hasn't been one of those for a few seasons now. That's the reason I wasn't particularly enthused about this pickup at the trade deadline, and it's (part of) the reason I'm not particularly enthused about this re-signing. The third year of the deal is reportedly a team option, at least, which makes things slightly more palatable. But if Landry Shamet is only getting $6M per year from the Knicks (see below), I'm not sure why it's taking 50% more than that to get Huerter to stick around in Detroit — especially after he didn't exactly shower himself in glory during his post-deadline stint with the Pistons. He had an injury during the playoffs but he was already kind of getting phased out of the rotation before that. (He only played 39 combined minutes in the first three games of the Magic series, and got just 6 minutes in the one of those games that Detroit won.) Combined with the reporting around the Jalen Duren situation, I'm not loving the vibes in Detroit right now.
Kristaps Porzingis: 2 years, $40M (Warriors)
This is interesting for several reasons, the most prominent of which is that it potentially prevents the Warriors from using the full mid-level exception, which complicates any pursuit of LeBron James unless he's going to take even less money than that. Porzingis at his best is well worth this type of deal, but he hasn't been at his best since that 2023-24 championship season in Boston, with a mysterious illness keeping him off the court and sapping his effectiveness when he's been out there. Why it's taking this much money to retain him when both of those things are the case is almost as mysterious as the illness itself. I'm fascinated to see what, exactly, is going on in Golden State. This morning, it seemed like The Expendables was happening. With this deal, it seems like all bets are off.
Harrison Barnes: 1 year, $8M (Spurs)
Barnes is a great leader and locker room guy, and bringing him back doesn't necessarily preclude the Spurs from doing anything else on the market this offseason. They have around $33M in space below the first apron, according to Spotrac. Plenty of room to use the mid-level exception, should they want to do that.
Andrew Wiggins: 3 years, $64M (Heat)
Wiggins' extension has an unusual structure in that he's opting into his $30.2M player option for next season and then extending at a much smaller number for the following two years. That structure actually works against the Heat, because they are right up against the first apron and need all the help they can get when it comes to filling out their roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. I like the two years and $34M much better for Miami than the one year and $30.2M, but obviously you can't control whether or not a player accepts his option. If he was determined to do that no matter what, there's really nothing the Heat could have done. Maybe he would have been willing to turn it down and sign for less if the Heat gave him a larger average annual value or more years than they did on this deal, but we obviously don't know. Whatever the case, Wiggins' defense and recently-improved shooting (41.4% from deep last season and 38.7% over the last six after he shot just 33.2% through his first six years in the league) will be important, especially if the Heat lose Norm Powell, which it seems like they will.
Update: June 29, 5:53 p.m.
Landry Shamet: 4 years, $24M (Knicks)
I don't love going out to four years for 7-9th man types, but this is otherwise a very nice piece of business for New York, value-wise, so if that's what it took to get Shamet to apparently turn down more money on a per-year basis elsewhere, then so be it. Shamet's deal likely starts at around $5.5M and gives the Knicks some maneuverability to sign minimum guys and try to stay under the second apron, but presumably means they will be saying goodbye to Mitchell Robinson. I'm not sure where their backup center minutes are coming from in that case unless they do something like trade Pacome Dadiet (or Deuce McBride, if they're not going to extend him) and second-round picks for a big man, but this is about Shamet, who emerged as a valuable shooter and defender and clearly earned Mike Brown's trust during the playoffs. The Knicks needed him back, and now he is back.
Julian Champagnie: 3 years, $45M (Spurs)
This is tremendous for both Champagnie and the Spurs. Champagnie himself goes from a scrap-heap pickup to making $15M per year. And San Antonio retains a player who became an extraordinarily valuable shooter on a team that really needs shooting surrounding Victor Wembanyama and its powerful-but-shot-challenged guards. Champagnie also showed during both the regular season and the playoffs that he can survive defensively in high-leverage moments, even if some of the best guards can take advantage of him in switches when they generate a ton of space. It remains to be seen how the Spurs will fill out their roster and whether they find a bigger player to start in place of Champagnie (or Devin Vassell, I guess), but either way, bringing him back is an excellent move.
Jusuf Nurkic: 2 years, $22M (Jazz)
I don't know who else was clamoring to give Nurkic $11M per year. I honestly thought he might be one of those guys who was available for the minimum as a ring chaser. (Even if he's not exactly a guy who is suited for playoff situations.) Nurk put up numbers starting in place of Walker Kessler and then was a good soldier sitting out games down the stretch with a nose injury, though, so I suppose this is a nice make-good payment. I wouldn't be surprised if the second year of this deal is either partially or non-guaranteed and he was actually being used as a walking trade exception, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough.
Thomas Bryant: 1 year, Minimum (Cavaliers)
Bryant is a cromulent third center.
Update: June 29, 12:11 p.m.
Trae Young: 4 years, $212.9M (Wizards)
Austin Reaves: 4 years, $184.8M (Lakers)
Ayo Dosunmu: 5 years, $112M (Timberwolves)
Check out last week's episode of the Double Dribble podcast for my (and Mo's) thoughts on these three contracts. (Spoiler alert: We are... not kind to the Trae Young deal.)
Isaiah Hartenstein: 3 years, $75M (Thunder)
The Thunder declined Hartenstein's $28.5M team option to sign him to a three-year deal that starts at a lower salary than he would have drawn for the 2026-27 season, giving them more room to operate under the second apron after they traded Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe to shed salary. Shams reported that there is a "unique mutual option" for the final season of this deal, which I'm not sure is actually legal under the CBA, so I'm thinking it's actually something like a partially or wholly non-guaranteed player option with interestingly-timed trigger dates. (Edit: Turns out that yes it is legal. Either party can opt into the final season of the deal.)
Either way, this makes for an excellent deal for both sides, with Hartenstein locking in additional years and guaranteed money beyond what he would have gotten this year and the Thunder keeping an important player for probably less than he's actually worth on the open market. Hartenstein gets $48-50M over the next two years, depending on the structure of the deal, with the ability to opt out and get back into the market at 30 years old in 2028; while the Thunder get him for only $25M per year when, for example, John Hollinger's BORD$ formula had him valued at over $32M per year and Steph Noh's DARKO-based model has him around $29M. It's the type of mutually-beneficial arrangement that championship-contending teams can make with high-quality role players who are in the best possible situation for individual and team success.
Coby White: 3 years, $74M (Hornets)
White is presumably going to start in place of the departed LaMelo Ball. He's obviously a much different player than his predecessor; he won't bring nearly the same type of playmaking to the table, obviously, so the Hornets will have to pretty dramatically change their style of play unless he, Kon Knueppel, and/or Brandon Miller makes a rather significant ball-handling/playmaking leap. But White is a good player, and especially a good shooter off the catch (40.3% last year), and he seems to fit with what the Hornets are trying to build in the post-LaMelo world, where they're apparently just all in on shooting at every spot except center (and maybe even at center when they play Naz Reid there in five-out looks). I think a contract that pays White just shy of $25M annually is probably a bit of an overpay on a per-year basis, but the Hornets still have plenty of cap maneuverability over the next few years thanks to the relatively low salaries of their other core players and the mountain of draft-pick assets they've accumulated over the last few years.
Collin Gillespie: 4 years, $48M (Suns)
Mark Williams: 3 years, $38M (Suns)
Jordan Goodwin: 3 years, $19M (Suns)
Gillespie was one of the most pleasant surprises in the league last season. He's a good starting point guard who can really shoot it. Going four years for a player like him — with only a one-year track record of quality play — is risky, but the annual salary is low enough that I'm fine with the risk because if it doesn't work out, it's pretty easy to use him as matching salary in a deal down the line. And that's before considering the fact that $12M per year could end up being a dramatic underpay. If he plays anything like he did this past season, that's exactly what it'll be.
Williams in a vacuum is probably worth more than $12.67 million per year, but last year was the first time he ever stayed on the court — and he still missed 22 games. In his first three seasons, he played only 43, 19, and 44 games. He's only played 166 of 328 possible games in his career. Williams is a really good rebounder and finisher, though, and the Suns desperately rebounding and finishing inside. They probably still need more size even after re-signing Williams, honestly. But they have some room to play with to get it.
I've always liked Goodwin as a defense and energy guy. I'm glad to see finally get a real, long-term contract. He's a good rotation player.
I'm not sure I like the version of the team the Suns are going in on moving forward, but these three deals themselves are solid in a vacuum. And after executing the (gross for several reasons) Miles Bridges trade, they have plenty of room under the aprons to fill out their team for next season despite the fact that they're still carrying a $19.3M dead cap hit for Bradley Beal.
Jose Alvarado: 3 years, $14M (Knicks)
Mohamed Diawara: ? years, $10M (Knicks)
Getting Alvarado back for three years and $14M is a great bit of business for the Knicks. He had a $4.5M player option for next season that he declined, and he apparently took a smaller starting salary here, which gives New York more room to operate under the second apron, which James Dolan apparently will not cross. (Which is its own can of worms, but whatever.) Alvarado is a solid backup point guard who can orchestrate the offense and bother everybody on defense, and as we saw in Game 4 of the Finals, he can also play alongside Jalen Brunson, which has value as well. Good deal.
Diawara is back on a "multi-year" contract that pays "around $10M," according to several reports. We don't yet know if this means he's being re-signed with non-Bird rights on a four-year deal (which would be great value for the Knicks) or a two-year deal using part of the taxpayer mid-level exception (which would be great value for Diawara), but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Either way, he showed during his rookie season that he has some interesting two-way potential, and the Knicks need to fill out their roster with cheap young guys who can get better over the course of their contracts, given the constraints set by New York's highly-paid, in-their-prime starters. Depending on how things shake out with the likes of Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson, among others, Diawara could be a consistent rotation guy as soon as this season.
Al Horford: 2 years, $14M (Warriors)
I unabashedly love Al Horford. I'm not sure how much he has left in the tank for what will be his age-40 and 41 seasons and I'm not sure what the Warriors' plan is for their center spot in the wake of reports that they want to bring Kristaps Porzingis back and that they have issued a qualifying offer to Quinten Post, but I'm happy to see Horford remain in the league.
Jaylen Clark: 3 years, $10M (Timberwolves)
Minnesota declined Clark's team option for next season and signed him to a longer-term deal here. He's shown that he can shoot a little bit and defend a little bit, though he shot much better in a smaller sample last year (43.1% on 51 attempts) than he did this year (32.7% on 101 attempts). But Minnesota needs bodies and espeically needs guys who can play on the wing and potentially in the frontcourt. Clark is a little too small (6-5, 205) to play the four but he can be a three in some smaller lineups.
Ron Harper Jr.: 3 years, $9M (Celtics)
Harper showed during his short stint with the Celtics that he has something to bring to the table on both ends of the floor. (Especially in a 20-game stint post-All-Star break, where he shot 38% from deep.) It was a mistake to start him in Game 7 of that series against the Sixers, but that's not his fault. Getting him on a cheap, three-year deal covering his ages-26 through 28 seasons is a nice bit of business by the Celtics.
Day'Ron Sharpe: 2 years, $20M (Nets)
Josh Minott: 2 years, $9M (Nets)
Sharpe has been a really good backup center who is one of the best (specifically offensive) rebounders in the league. He could get a chance to start now that Nic Claxton has been traded. He gets a raise here off the $6.25 million team option the Nets had on him for the 2026-27 season. (He's likely getting the room exception after the Nets use all their cap space.) If the Nets want, he'll also likely be eminently tradable on this deal, and could fetch some real assets from a team that needs center help.
Minott can defend multiple spots and shot it really well last year, both in Boston and in Brooklyn. He didn't have much of a track record prior to last year so it's hard to know how much to buy into what we saw, but this deal will cover his age-24 and 25 seasons and seems like a worthy flier on the cheap.
