2026 NBA Offseason Tracker

I guess it's that time of year already! I typically make this post after the NBA draft, but now that deals started pouring in over the weekend, I'm starting now and will just add draft day moves in here.

This will be constantly updated throughout the summer, so I'll be adding the latest news at the top to be readily available upon revisiting the page instead of always having to scroll down. Or in other words, it goes in chronological order from the bottom up.

As usual, players already under contract have their figures listed based on Keith Smith's work at Spotrac.com while salaries in bold italics are my own estimates based on reported numbers and the standard 5% or 8% raises that the teams could give. Salaries are also color coded if they are a player option, a team option, not fully guaranteed, or a "mutual option" (a player option that's not fully guaranteed) based on the reporting, with parentheses to credit whoever broke the news and when.

6/30 update: The NBA officially announced that the salary cap for this season is $164,961,000, which is slightly lower than the $165 million that was projected. The luxury tax line, First Apron, and Second Apron are subsequently $200,428,000, $209,015,000, and $221,686,000, respectively. 

That means these are the maximum starting salaries and total possible contracts based on years of experience:

• 6 or fewer years (25% of the cap): $41,240,250 for up to 4 years, $177,333,075 with a new team or 5 years, $239,193,450 with their previous team.
• 7-9 years (30%): $49,488,300 for up to 4 years, $212,799,690 with a new team or 5 years, $287,032,140 with their previous team.
• 10+ years (35%): $57,736,350 for up to 4 years, $248,266,305 with a new team or 5 years, $334,870,830 with their previous team.

And the amount available for the various exceptions can go up to the following starting salaries and totals:

• Full Mid-Level Exception (MLE): $15,044,000 for up to 4 years, $64,689,200
• Taxpayer MLE: $6,064,000 for up to 2 years, $12,431,200
• Room Mid-Level Exception: $9,366,000 for up to 3 years, $29,502,900
• Bi-Annual Exception: $5,477,000 for up to 2 years, $11,227,850 (can only be used every other year)
• Minimum Exception: a $2,449,421 cap hit, aka the minimum for players with two years of experience, as long as it's a one year deal. The league subsidizes the cap hit and pays the difference between that and their actual salary that they earn based on years of experience.

Now back to the deals:

Marshall extends with the Mavericks: 3 years, $52.2 million (team announcement, Shams the details 8/2)

Naji Marshall

$9,428,571

$18,195,000

$17,285,250

$16,675,500

Stein reported that it will be a declining structure with figures of $18.2, $17.3 million, and $16.7 million, and Gozlan pointed out that $18,195,000 (120% of the Estimated Average Salary) is the most that a player could be extended for and not have to wait six months for a trade. Thus, I'm going with a 5% decline from there and a slightly smaller decrease after that to match Stein's reporting. Signing Marshall for part of the MLE two years ago has turned out to be a nice value for Dallas, and now they're rewarding the 28 year old wing with a new deal that nearly doubles his average salary.

Sochan signs with the Trail Blazers: 1 year deal (Shams 8/1)

Jeremy Sochan

$2,449,421

Given the lack of financial details and how San Antonio waived Sochan in the last year of his rookie contract, I'm projecting a minimum contract here. Having just those four years of experience, the backup forward would make just over $2.6 million with the subsidized cap hit above. While Portland has too many guards, they lacked forward depth, so taking a shot on the 23 year old makes sense, even if he didn't really do anything while finishing the season in New York.

Payton re-signs with the Warriors: 1 year, minimum contract (Stein the news, Shams the details 8/1)

Gary Payton II

$2,449,421

Having 10 years of experience, the defensive specialist will make $3,876,529 with the subsidized cap hit above on another one year minimum like last year. Given Payton's offensive limitations, his best fit has always been with Stephen Curry and the Warriors, where he knows how to leverage off ball action in a way that some of their pickups don't always understand. After re-signing Green in a way that's like he just picked up his player option, Golden State will be just making minimum signings like this as they fill out their roster and stay under their Second Apron hard-cap from the Melton deal.

Clips take a chance on Broome (Shams 7/28)

Clippers receive:

Johni Broome

$2,150,917

$2,525,901

$2,735,698

2027 2nd round pick (2nd best of the three that the 76ers own)

76ers receive:

Cash considerations

I mentioned before how Philly needs to clear salary to fit their new signings under their First Apron hard cap, and this accomplishes that. Broome was the 35th overall pick just a year ago after being the SEC Player of the Year at Auburn, so now LA gets a look at him to help out their big man depth as Yanic Konan Niederhauser recovers from his foot injury. His salary could fit into either their Kobe Brown or Chris Paul Trade Exception, and it will likely be the latter since it's smaller. The Clippers didn't previously have a 2nd round pick, so this is well worth whatever cash amount they're sending out.

Green re-signs with the Warriors: 1 year, $27.7 million (Shams 7/28)

Draymond Green

$27,678,571

This is the amount that was the player option that Green originally declined to open up flexibility. Since their LeBron James efforts didn't work out, Golden State is simply giving him back the money that he was due. There was an argument to made for a multiyear deal at a lower starting salary for more total money, especially since the 36 year old probably isn't worth this much per season anymore, but this is a fair compromise after he tried to help them keep options open. This now takes them back past the First Apron, so that means that Melton's deal, which hasn't been made official yet as they waited to see their options, will now come out of the Taxpayer MLE that hard-caps them at the Second Apron. Any other signings will have to be for just the minimum, barring any trades that shed salary.

Hezonja signs with the Cavaliers: 1 year, minimum contract (Shams 7/26)

Mario Hezonja

$2,449,421

Having five years of NBA experience, the European wing will make just under $2.85 million with the subsidized cap hit above on the one year minimum in his return to the league. Hezonja has played the past six years overseas and excelled the past four seasons in particular with Real Madrid, where he just won the MVP of the Spanish ACB league. His Euroleague numbers weren't quite as efficient, but overall in 80 games across all competitions last season, he averaged 15.04 points , 4.35 rebounds, 2.15 assists, and 0.84 steals against 1.76 turnovers in only 23.15 minutes with 44.39%/33.41%/84.82% shooting while getting up 5.5 threes.

It's worth keeping in mind that even the stars don't typically high minutes in those leagues, but he had similar stats the prior year. Hezonja shot a little better in his first two years when he wasn't as heavily relied upon, and in total over his 324 games with Real Madrid these last four years, he averaged 12.88 points, 4.37 rebounds, 1.43 assists, and 0.85 steals against 1.44 turnovers in 22.87 minutes with 45.32%/36.23%/84.55% shooting while attempting 5.04 threes. Now 31, taking a chance on the former #5 overall pick could be well worth it on just a minimum contract like this.

Bufkin signs with the Pelicans: 1 year deal (Scotto 7/25)

Kobe Bufkin

$2,449,421

There were no financial details reported, so I'm just going with the minimum for now. Having three years of experience, the backup guard will make just over $2.5 million with the subsidized cap hit above on the one year minimum. Bufkin has disappointed since being the 15th overall pick three years ago but only turns 23 in September, and New Orleans needs to try to add any talent that they can get.

Caldwell Pope to sign with the 76ers: 1 year, minimum contract (Haynes that it was coming, Shams 7/26)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

$2,449,421

Having over 10 years of experience, the 3+D wing will make $3,876,529 with the subsidized cap hit above on the one year minimum, and I'd expect that to be the amount that he is giving up in his buyout with Memphis. After Haynes reported yesterday that Caldwell-Pope was negotiating with the Grizzlies on such a move in order to rejoin LeBron on the Sixers, the details of such have not been revealed by neither he nor Shams today now that the agreement has been reached. Nor has it been reported yet who Philadelphia will be moving on from in order to stay under their First Apron hard cap.

Set to make $21,621,500 in the last year of his 3 year, $66 million deal, Caldwell-Pope is now 33 and had no use in Memphis after he was the salary ballast in the Desmond Bane trade a year ago. His 31.6% on threes last year were his worst in a decade, but he owns a 36.5% career mark and made 38.4% on 4.6 attempts per game in his previous eight seasons. If he can still bring the pesky defense he's been known for, he could be a useful and willing role player on a roster that's suddenly full of stars.

7/27 update: Scotto confirms that the nearly $3.9 million that KCP will earn here is the amount that he gave up in his buyout with Memphis, which brings his dead cap hit for them down to $17.74 million.

Jones signs offer sheet with the Thunder: 2 years, $12 million (Scotto 7/25)

Spencer Jones

$6,064,000

$6,367,200

Since OKC is using the Taxpayer MLE for this offer sheet, I'm projecting the full $12.4 million value of it, and after the Dort trade, they'd still have some breathing room under the Second Apron if this addition goes through to fill their roster. Denver now has 48 hours to match these terms or lose Jones for no compensation. The 25 year old restricted free agent emerged in his second season on a Two-Way contract last year to be a solid forward who can fill in as a starter at times. He made 39.6% of his threes, albeit on relatively low volume with 3.7 attempts per-36 minutes, and won't kill you on defense, so this is a fair price to try to lure him away. If the Nuggets were to match, they'd have basically be sure to go into the Second Apron with Peyton Watson's own restricted free agency still to deal with. 

7/26 update: Shams reports that the Nuggets have matched the offer sheet and retained Jones to secure their wing depth, which increases their tax bill from $36.4 million to $68.6 million, per Marks. That's one restricted free agent forward down for them, one to go, and keeping Watson would increase that number further. Despite owning multiple sports teams, Stan Kroenke hasn't been known for his willingness to pay the tax, so we'll see how much they're willing to spend. It's not like they have a three-time MVP in the prime of his career or anything...oh wait.

James signs with the 76ers: 2 years, minimum contract (player announcement, Shams the details 7/24)

LeBron James

$3,876,529

$4,070,355

 

The Decision Part 4 is finally over. I think the only somewhat surprising thing is that a player with an argument for the GOAT conversation will actually be playing for a minimum contract, but given that he turns 42 in December and teams weren't sure about his availability this summer, no one was setting aside cap space for him this time around. Because James is a 1+1 deal, his full salary amount will count towards his cap hit instead of a usual one year, veteran minimum, but they can slide just under the First Apron with one non-guaranteed salary (I'd guess Dalen Terry) waived. The player option allows him to get a new deal next summer or, if he decides to retire, pick up some extra salary to make up for this huge discount.

LeBron has said that being a fan of Julius Erving was part of the reason that he switched to #6 earlier in his career, and now he'll be playing for Dr. J's NBA team. It is somewhat ironic since going to New York was always talked about as the big move for James going back to his first free agency in 2010, and his agent Rich Paul said on his podcast that if the Knicks hadn't just won the title, that would be a done deal already. Now the rival city of Philadelphia will be where LeBron will tries to restore past glory to a historic franchise instead.

It's easy to see how the 76ers became an appealing option. There was already the obvious connection with Maxey, a fellow Klutch client under Paul, and then the hiring of Gansey added a top basketball decision maker that James knows from their time in Cleveland together, as mentioned in the Simons section below. Then the trade for Jaylen Brown helped move them up the totem pole as possible contenders in the East (talk about a ripple effect from Boston). At the beginning of the month, Brian Windhorst, who has covered James since high school, suggested on ESPN's free agency special that the teams contending for his signature needed to make a splash to show that they mean business and speculated about a possible Evan Mobley trade for Brown. Now James will in fact be lining up next to the former Celtic, just for the Sixers and not the Cavs.

Philly's new starting lineup of Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, James, and Embiid will be one of the most formidable lineups in the league, and the additions of Wade, Simons, Philon, and Hukporti help fortify what they already had on the bench. Whether or not Embiid, whom James played with on Team USA, can stay healthy is always the question for their playoff hopes, and Hukporti isn't exactly a proven backup option to go with Adem Bona. However, adding a star of this caliber, even at his age, of course adds some insolation to help fill the talent void if needed, and having another wing could unlock some small ball lineups with their power forwards. Last year with Luka showed once again that LeBron has the ability to blend his skills to play next to anyone, and his playmaking on this team could take them a long way.

7/26 update: Terry's non-guaranteed contract was indeed cut today. With the KCP news, Jabari Walker's partially guaranteed deal could be the next one on the way out once the former clears waivers.

Tate re-signs with the Rockets: 1 year, minimum contract (team announcement 7/23)

Jae'Sean Tate

$2,449,421

Having six years of experience, the backup wing will make just under $3.1 million with the subsidized cap hit above on the one year minimum. Right after the team announcement, Scotto reported that this is only partially guaranteed for $1.04 million, so the longest tenured Rocket may need to fight to keep his spot. This takes Houston into the tax now with 15 players on standard contracts, but they could skirt it by waiving Davison's non-guaranteed salary that I've mentioned before.

Walsh extends with the Celtics: 3 years, ~$16 million (Haynes 7/23)

Jordan Walsh

$2,406,207

$4,783,951

$5,166,667

$5,549,383

Since Shams reported it as $15 million right after Haynes, I'm splitting the middle with this projection of $15.5 million. Walsh's offensive development has taken some time, but he brings nice energy off the bench as a defensive wing to make this price of equivalent to about the BAE pretty team friendly. As a former 2nd round pick, it's a solid move to lock in this money that's worth twice as much as he made in his first four seasons. Scotto also adds that the last year is a team option.

Crawford re-signs with the Rockets: 4 years, minimum contract (team announcement 7/22)

Isaiah Crawford

$2,449,421

$2,664,402

$2,888,190

$3,272,765

After the team announced the deal, Rockets cap expert David Weiner reported the details on what is a classic "Hinkie special" type of deal that's designed for flexibility. Being on Two-Way contracts in his first two years, Crawford has only played 29 total NBA games so far without any standout numbers, but his G-League production in promising. In 57 total games at that level, the 24 year old forward averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks with 1.5 turnovers in 32.7 minutes with 49.3%/39.5%/72.3% shooting. 20 of those games were with the Houston affiliate last year with higher numbers across the board and 18.3% defensive rebounding percentage standing out, but I think the larger overall sample size is more informative. He most likely won't turn into the next Robert Covington, another Rio Grande Valley alum, but these kind of no risk moves are always enticing when you can get them done with Non-Bird Rights like this.

2026 NBA Lottery Reaction & the Results of Traded Picks

This is always one of my favorite posts to write every year because I have a funny fascination with the NBA Draft Lottery. Carefully crafted strategies by the smartest minds in the sport are at the whim of 14 ping pong balls, and that's wonderfully absurd in a way. I have some mixed feelings on the league's proposed changes to the format, especially rushing them to go into effect next year already, but that's a topic for another time. 

Today's results weren't nearly as crazy as last year's, but there was still some drama at the top. As usual, I'll run through quick thoughts on the fallout, with tidbits about the odds of picks landing where they did, before a breakdown of how high all of the previously traded 1st rounders ended up. A whopping 12 picks are already not in the possession of their original teams, and I'll explain how each of them got there.

• The big thing at the top of the order is that in likely the last year of the current lottery odds that began with the 2019 draft, this is the first time that the team with the worst record won the #1 pick. The fact that the Wizards did it with John Wall, the franchise's #1 pick the last time they won the lottery in 2010, as the representative on the dais was fitting. Maybe the basketball gods enjoyed that the team just had a John Wall Night to celebrate him a few months ago.
  
  
• This ended a run of three straight years that the worst team dropped to their lowest possible slot, #5. I noted that streak and the drought of #1 picks in last year's piece, along with a note on the previous format from 2005-2018. It began with 10 straight years of the team with the best odds not getting the #1 pick and then ended with four straight lottery wins.
  
  
• If this current format changes at the end of the month as expected, it will go down as having five instances that one of the three worst teams, who all have the same 14% chance, won the #1 pick. The other three winners had likelihoods of 6%, 3%, and 1.8%.
  
  
• I've written in previous editions how the lowest number drawn is often key since the the vast majority of them are assigned to the worst teams, so the 4 and 2 coming up at the start of the drawing really narrowed the field. That especially applies to a 1 popping up, and in fact, Brett Siegel reports that once those three numbers were drawn, it was guaranteed to be one of Washington's four-digit combinations. It's always cool to watch the footage from inside the secret drawing room that occurs before the television production, and you can even see Pacers assistant GM Ted Wu react to the third number before saying something to Wizards president Michael Winger. Unfortunately for Wu, he can also be seen looking a bit dejected partway through the final drawing because...
  
  
  
  

2026 NBA Trade Summaries

Now that the NBA Trade Deadline is officially in the rear view mirror, I wanted to put together a quick summary of every team's net result. Only three teams didn't make any in-season trades while some had a lot to process, so this is a high level view of where everyone ended up. I noted some players that were released in conjunction with moves and even a couple of immediate signings that followed.

Full details of every deal is of course in my tracker if you want to know the contracts, draft picks, trade mechanics involved, and a little bit about why each move was made. Basically, I combed through reports and press releases so that you don't have to and put it all in one place. Lastly, "fake" 2nd rounders are those that are top-55 protected and thus unlikely to convey, and teams are listed in order of championship odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. I find it interesting to see how active teams were relative to how much of a contender they are, along with the differences in title odds when compared to those with similar records.

Oklahoma City Thunder, 40-12. +135

In: Jared McCain, Mason Plumlee (released), draft rights to Balsa Koprivica (57th pick in 2021)

Out: Ousmane Dieng, one 1st round pick, four 2nd round picks, cash considerations

Denver Nuggets, 33-19. +450
In: one 2nd round pick

Out: Hunter Tyson, one 2nd round pick

Cleveland Cavaliers, 31-21. +1,100
In: James Harden, Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis, Emanuel Miller (Two-Way), cash considerations

Out: Darius Garland, De'Andre Hunter, Lonzo Ball, Luke Travers (Two-Way, released), four 2nd round picks

New York Knicks, 33-18. +1,300
In: Jose Alvarado

Out: Guerschon Yabusele, two 2nd round picks, cash considerations

Boston Celtics, 33-18. +1,500
In: Nikola Vucevic, John Tonje (Two-Way), one 2nd round pick, one fake 2nd round pick, cash considerations

Out: Anfernee Simons, Xavier Tillman, Josh Minott, Chris Boucher, two 2nd round picks, cash considerations (twice)

Detroit Pistons, 37-13. +1,600

In: Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, 1st round swap rights

Out: Jaden Ivey, Isaac Jones (released)

San Antonio Spurs, 35-16. +1,600

In: None

Out: None

Houston Rockets, 31-19. +2,200

In: None

Out: None

Minnesota Timberwolves, 32-20. +2,800
In: Ayo Dosunmu, Julian Phillips, Cash considerations

Out: Mike Conley Jr., Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, 1st round swap rights, four 2nd round picks

Back in after waivers: Mike Conley Jr.

2025-2026 NBA Trade Tracker

It took a while, but the NBA trade season is officially here now that the Trae Young deal came together rather quickly. As usual, this post will be constantly updated to serve as a one-stop shop for every trade that happens up until the deadline. 

Like last year's edition, the confirmed salaries come from Keith Smith's work at Spotrac, previously traded draft pick details come from RealGM, and I always make sure to list which reporter was first on the news. The latest deals will be added at the top of the post so that you don't have to keep scrolling to the bottom for updates, and salaries are color-coded based on whether they're player options, team options, or non-guaranteed.

Boston ducks the tax at the buzzer (Shams 2/5)

Hornets receive:

Xavier Tillman

$2,546,675

Cash considerations

Celtics receive:

TBD but likely a fake 2nd, old draft rights, or minimal cash

2030 Hornets 2nd round pick (protected 31-55)

I was wondering why Boston would do the Minott deal and not have a follow up trade lined up to get out of the luxury tax completely, but it turns out there was one last deal to be reported an hour after the deadline passed. As long as the teams were in the queue to make the trade call into the league office by noon PST today, trades can go through.

The actual money saved here probably won't be a lot more than the reported $3.5 million that Charlotte is receiving now that so many teams got out of the tax to lower the league distribution. However, Boston making these moves could be important since it starts the path towards resetting the repeater penalty. They were taxpayers in each of the last three seasons to trigger that, so they'll need to also avoid the tax next season in order to not be penalized at such harsh rates in '27-28. The fact that they were able to get all the way from the Second Apron to this point and still be tied for 2nd in the East with no Jayson Tatum is pretty remarkable.

Update: The Hornets' official press release is out to confirm that it's a 2nd rounder with maximum protections that they're sending out, as expected.

Milwaukee re-routes Richards (Shams 2/5)

Bulls receive:

Nick Richards

$5,000,000

Bucks receive:

Ousmane Dieng

$6,670,882

This will technically end up being a three-way trade with Phoenix's involvement below, but the main point is that Milwaukee is ending up with Dieng instead of Richards, who provides some much needed center help to Chicago.

Charlotte and Dallas flip new guards (Shams 2/5)

Mavericks receives:

Tyus Jones

$7,000,000

Charlotte receives:

Malaki Branham

$4,962,033

Even with both of these guards being acquired just yesterday, they can be traded here since it's a one for one deal without being aggregated. It makes sense, too, since Dallas could really use a set up man and now have more financial flexibility than over the summer. Fischer added that Jones was their main target over Russell but couldn't afford him at the time.

Charlotte didn't really have a need for another point guard, so this was probably to save a little bit of salary and get a look at the younger Branham, whom I liked as a mid-1st rounder coming out of Ohio State. Still only 22, he brings more size at guard to help replace Connaughton, who was waived as part of the Jones trade.

Update: Reading the press release, this technically got looped into the Mavs-Wizards trade that originally landed Branham in Dallas. I don't think that changes the trade mechanics, and Mavericks' Trade Exception worth Hardy's $6,000,000 should stay intact.

Indiana gets their center (Fischer that it was close, Shams and Siegel the deal 2/5)

Pacers receive: $20,756,880 total

Ivica Zubac

$18,102,000

$19,550,160

$20,998,320

Kobe Brown

$2,654,880

Clippers receive: $16,787,573 total

Bennedict Mathurin

$9,187,573

Isaiah Jackson

$7,600,000

$7,000,000

$6,400,000

2026 Pacers 1st round pick (protected 1-4 and 10-30, then becomes 2031 1st)

2029 Pacers 1st round pick

2028 Mavericks 2nd round pick

I don't think we've ever seen so many lottery teams be buyers (and all for big men), but since Zubac is on such a great contract, I get it in this case. Including this year's protected pick is fascinating since Indiana currently has the third-best lottery odds. If they stay in that position, then L.A. will have a 47.86% chance of the pick dropping to #5, #6, or #7, otherwise it will become an unprotected 1st five years from now instead of just rolling over to next year like most protections. I suppose the Clippers preferred it this way to try to maintain lottery upside given the uncertainty of the team that far down the line compared to them likely returning to playoff status next season. The back-end protections don't seem likely to come into play since the Pacers would have to drop to the 6th spot in the lottery standings to even have a 0.15% chance of dropping to #10. The 7th spot would have a 1.33% chance of the pick dropping far enough and then 7.13% if in the 8th position, but it is still a pretty creative set up to have here just in case. 

The Pacers aren't like the Jazz or Wizards, of course, since they were just a game away from winning the Finals last season before having to take this gap year due to Tyrese Haliburton's torn Achilles. Now they've locked in his new pick and roll partner with a 28 year old (29 next month) who also made 2nd team All-Defense. And they could still add a top-4 pick (in a great draft) to this core with their odds basically coming down to a coin flip pending any big movement in the standings. Gozlan did point out the nearly $800K bonus that Zubac will get from his trade kicker, so I think this is how his salaries will now look:

Ivica Zubac

$18,893,980

$20,342,140

$21,790,300

The Clippers 1st rounder that the Thunder own just got dangerously good again after they had been on a hot streak, but that was a sunk cost for them anyway. After making the Harden trade, cashing in on Zu at the likely peak of his value makes sense with the upside of this return. 

In addition to the draft picks, Mathurin is nice get since he's only 23, averaging a career-high 17.8 points, and will be a restricted free agent. He didn't fit into Indy's long-term plans with the other money that they owe and the luxury tax basically acting as a hard cap for them, but he has a ton of talent and had his moments in their Finals run. I've never been particularly high on Jackson, but he does have strong rebounding rates. His shot blocking has seen big a dip in this first year back from his torn Achilles, though, so the money owed to him could be seen as negative.

2025 NBA Offseason Tracker

The buzz around this year's NBA offseason is that the action could happen earlier than usual, so I'm just going to start my annual tracker now. This way I can list any players under contract that get traded during the draft here instead of having those in my separate post about every team's picks. 

The Rockets got things started already with the first extension reached right in the middle of the Finals, so I may as well get started now! As usual, players already under contract have their figures listed based on Keith Smith's work at Spotrac.com while salaries in bold italics are my own estimates based on reported numbers and the standard 5% or 8% raises that teams could give. Salaries are also color coded if they are a player option, a team option, not fully guaranteed, or mutual option. Since this post will be constantly updated throughout the summer, I'll be adding the latest news at the top to be readily available upon revisiting this page. Or if you want to go in chronological order, start at the bottom.

6/30 Update: The NBA officially announced that this year's salary cap is set at $154,647,000 with the tax line at $187,895,000, which is right at the expected 10% growth from last year. That means the the full Mid-Level Exception can have a starting salary of $14,104,000 and can top out at 4 years, $60,647,200; the Taxpayer MLE can start at $5,685,000 and go to 2 years, $11,654,250; the Room MLE can start at $8,781,000 and go to 3 years, $27,660,150; and the Bi-Annual Exception can start at $5,134,000 and go to 2 years, $10,524,700. Notably, Marks reports that the salary cap is only projected to go up by 7% raises instead of the maximum of 10% like this year, which could throw a wrench into team's budgets.

Nesmith extends with the Pacers: 2 years, $40.5 million (Shams 10/20)

Aaron Nesmith

$11,000,000

$11,000,000

$19,471,154

$21,028,846

This is the highest raise that Nesmith was eligible for based on his current bargain salary, so he locks in some nice security a couple years ahead of free agency.

Daniels extends with the Hawks: 4 years, $100 million (Shams 10/20)

Dyson Daniels

$7,707,709

$22,321,429

$24,107,143

$25,892,857

$27,678,571

10/21 Update: Brad Rowland reports that it is a flat $25 million per year, like how Atlanta structured Jalen Johnson's $30 million each year.

Dyson Daniels

$7,707,709

$25,000,000

$25,000,000

$25,000,000

$25,000,000

Braun extends with the Nuggets: 5 years, $125 million (Shams 10/20)

Christian Braun

$4,921,797

$21,551,724

$23,275,862

$25,000,000

$26,724,138

$28,448,276

Sharpe extends with the Trail Blazers: 4 years, $90 million (Shams 10/19)

Shaedon Sharpe

$8,399,983

$20,089,286

$21,696,429

$23,303,571

$24,910,714

Camara extends with the Trail Blazers: 4 years, $82 million (Shams 10/19)

Toumani Camara

$2,221,677

$18,303,571

$19,767,857

$21,232,143

$22,696,429

Since this replaces the $2,406,205 team option for the '26-27 season, it's almost like a 3 year, $79.6 million deal that's spread out over four years.

Durant extends with the Rockets: 2 years, $90 million (Shams 10/19)

Kevin Durant

$54,708,609

$43,269,231

$46,730,769

Due to the Over-38 Rule, Durant was limited to a two year deal, but he was eligible to sign for up to about $120 million. While I'm not surprised at all that he took less than his max to help the team's roster flexibility like he did with the Warriors, I didn't expect it to be this much of a haircut, even if it is only for one year due to that player option. Still, Shams reports that this now makes Durant the highest career earner in NBA history.

It's been speculated that an extension was being held up because Houston is also trying to finalize a rookie extension with Eason, and now they have a better idea of their position relative to the tax and Aprons. Assuming that VanVleet will now pick up his $25 million player option for '26-27 after his really unfortunate torn ACL during summer workouts that hurts their title odds, they project to be a little over $17 million below the tax, $26 million below the First Apron, and a little under $39 million below the Second Apron with nine players under contract.

Green extends with the Bucks: 4 years, $45 million (Shams 10/16)

AJ Green

$2,301,587

$10,044,643

$10,848,214

$11,651,786

$12,455,357

Another shooter gets paid, and it's a pretty nice development story for the former undrafted player who worked his way up through a Two-Way. Having just turned 26 last month, Green is coming off of his best season in which he played 73 games and averaged 7.4 points on the basis of making 42.7% of his 5 threes in only 22.7 minutes. His per-36 numbers were even better in the smaller sample sizes of his first two years, and now he's actually one of the more tenured players in Milwaukee after their roster overhaul.

Murray extends with the Kings: 5 years, $140 million (Shams 10/15)

Keegan Murray

$11,144,093

$24,137,931

$26,068,966

$28,000,000

$29,931,034

$31,862,069

Although this may feel slightly higher than expected in total, going the full five years with no options keeps it at a reasonable $28 million average, with a starting salary that will likely be actually less than his cap hold would've been as a restricted free agent, $27.9 million. That may not end up being the bargain that Jabari Smith's deal could turn out to be, but it's pretty fair in comparison to the other extensions given in this draft class. Murray hasn't had the chance to spread his wings too much as a primary option and actually saw his usage go down last year, but the 25 year old contributes in a lot of other ways. 6'8" forwards who are career 37.2% 3-point shooters on a high volume (at least 5.9 attempts per game every year), can capably defend multiple positions, and rebound at a solid rate are valuable commodities. Hopefully he'll get more opportunities this season despite the mismatched roster around him that added another older, ball-dominant player today.

Westbrook signs with the Kings: 1 year, minimum contract (Shams first, Siegel details 10/15)

Russell Westbrook

$2,296,274

As a veteran with 10+ years of experience, Westbrook will earn $3.6 million with the subsidized cap hit on the one year deal that's been reported as a possibility by Siegel since July. This is a slight bump up from the $3,468,960 player option that he declined with Denver since the cap went up, but now he's on a team likely to fight for just a Play-In berth instead of the Finals. This will now be his eighth team in the last eight seasons (including getting traded to the Jazz just to be waived...twice) as he approaches his 37th birthday next month.

Jovic extends with the Heat: 4 years, $62.4 million (Shams 10/1)

Nikola Jovic

$4,445,417

$13,928,571

$15,042,857

$16,157,143

$17,271,429

I thought that the last key free agent signing his deal earlier today would mean the end of updating this tracker, but I guess there are still some rookie extensions to work out like this. Jovic hasn't been able to put it together over consistent periods of time for various reasons, but he can be valuable front court option with his versatility. The outside shooting seems legit with a 37.1% mark while increasing the attempts to 4.1 per game after making 39.9% on 3.5 before, so locking in this deal at around MLE money makes sense.

Grimes accepts the Qualifying Offer with the 76ers: 1 year, $8,7 million (Shams 10/1)

Quentin Grimes

$8,741,209

There never seemed to be any momentum in these negotiations given the aforementioned restricted free agent market, so Grimes settling for this before the deadline to accept tonight was the expected outcome. 

Known more as a 3+D wing, he was a revelation with more freedom upon being traded to Philadelphia, where he averaged 21.9 points with 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals on 46.9%/37.3%/75.2% shooting in 33.7 minutes. Those numbers went up even higher in his final 18 games after Tyrese Maxey was lost for the season: 24.8, 5.0, 5.2, and 1.8 in 34.6 minutes with 45.6%/37.1%/78.5% shooting. The team only went 3-15, however, so it'll be interesting to see how Grimes fits in next to their stars...assuming they're ever healthy at the same time.

Kuminga re-signs with the Warriors: 2 years, "$48.5 million" (Shams 9/30)

Jonathan Kuminga

$23,317,308

$25,182,692

Jonathan Kuminga

$22,500,000

$24,300,000

Finally, our long national nightmare is over. There was a lot of agent spin in Shams' reporting, but it would appear that the Warriors pretty much called the bluff of agent Aaron Turner when he went on a podcast tour this month since this basically the offer that's been on the table all summer with the team option on the second season.

Holding out this long only got Golden State to bump it up from a reported $45 million to this $48.5 number, which is about $1.7 million more guaranteed depending on the structure with the option. It never made sense for Kuminga to play on just a $7.9 million Qualifying Offer instead of this pay bump for the same time period just to get an implicit no trade clause, especially if his goal is to get to another team to spread his wings anyway. It could be debated whether this was the better path than the reported 2+1 deal for $75.2 million since that would have around $48.3 million guaranteed, but this allows him to potentially reach unrestricted free agency sooner.

Now the Warriors have a much higher salary slot for trade purposes once he becomes eligible to be moved on January 15th (instead of the typical December due to a pay raise this large). In the mean time they'll have a long runway to see how a forward of his ability fits in next to Butler and Draymond Green in the front court, with Kuminga healthy from the start this time compared to when Butler arrived. Assuming that Horford's deal will now be finalized for the entirety of Taxpayer MLE ($5,685,000 and $5,969,250) as mentioned below, whether or not Melton signs a multiyear deal (as Siegel reported as a possibility) that comes with a higher cap hit will determine how long Golden State will have to wait before they can sign a 15th player to the roster at the prorated minimum.

Update: Shams now reports that Seth Curry is in fact signing with the Warriors now, even after his ESPN article mentioned how the team would need to wait until mid November to fill out the roster to make the math work. Maybe it's a non-guaranteed training camp deal just to have him practice for now before waiving and re-signing, or maybe Kuminga's number is actually lower than what was reported to make the agent look good (again).

2nd Update: Stein confirmed my theory that Seth is only getting a non-guaranteed camp deal to get him acclimated before being cut and re-signed. Marks also provided clarification that Kuminga's starting salary is only $22.5 million, which is the number mentioned in the actual ESPN article about the contract and in one of Siegel's tweets, and the reported "$48.5 million" is based on the Trade Kicker included. So it's really a $46.8 million pact, which means that no matter how much Shams spins it, this long holdout added around $900K more guaranteed than the much discussed $45 million offer...This lower starting salary helps provide some more breathing room under the Second Apron to give Melton the reported two years at the minimum since the prorated cap hits only apply to one year deals. His cap hit will instead count for his full salary as a seven year vet, with Siegel reporting that the second year is a player option:

De'Anthony Melton

$3,080,921

$3,451,780

Horford signs with the Warriors: "multiyear deal" (Shams 9/28)

Shams going with the all caps "BREAKING" on this was unintentionally funny considering everyone has known that this deal, along with the ones with veteran guards De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II coming back to Golden State (per Siegel and Shams), was basically agreed to since July. While the latter two are likely for the veteran minimum, Horford notably still lacks financial details due to the Kuminga situation still being resolved.

That's what has held up the Warriors from making any moves since they didn't want to make anything official until they knew whether they had to operate with a hard cap at one of the Aprons or not. I've been guessing that Horford is getting the Taxpayer MLE on a 1+1 deal for $11.65 million, which would trigger the Second Apron, but if Kuminga ends up taking the qualifying offer, Golden State could offer some or all of the full MLE while staying under a subsequent First Apron hard cap. I do wonder if 2nd round pick Will Richard also getting a standard deal today as opposed to a Two-Way could be a sign that they needed to sign a cheaper rookie contract like his instead of the veteran minimum in order to fit a Kuminga deal under an Apron. If these four players get the amounts that I expect, then the estranged restricted free agent could get a starting salary up to around $25 million on whatever contract structure that both sides end up agreeing to before Wednesday's QO deadline if they leave the 15th roster spot open. If cool heads prevail and they do reach a deal, keeping it to about $23 million for this season is what is needed to still sign another veteran such as rumored target Seth Curry.

9/30 Update: Scotto reports what's been expected: it's "$12 million" over two years with the second year a player option (as seemingly every Taxpayer MLE deal ends up being). 

Al Horford

$5,685,000

$5,969,250

The big man may have just turned 39 this summer, but he's still very effective on both ends in limited minutes. And one skill that should age well is Horford's outside shooting that is key to have next to a non-shooter like Green. Upon his return to Boston four years ago, Horford has managed to increase his 3-point percentage to 39.2% even while also pumping up the volume to 4.5 attempts in only 28.5 minutes.

Also as an aside, everyone remembers the famous "Tobias Harris over ME?!" line, but the 76ers signing Horford in that big summer of 2019 also played a big role in Butler's departure from Philly. Now they'll be playing together in Golden State instead.

Brogdon signs with the Knicks: 1 year deal (Shams 9/11)

Malcolm Brogdon

$2,296,274

This will also be for the minimum like Shamet, and I believe that New York will actually need to make another move in order to even fit that under the Second Apron since they could only sign one of their 2nd rounders to the minimum as things were. As a nine-year veteran, Brogdon is set to earn $3.3 million, and although health is always the question mark with him, this is an absolute bargain for the former Sixth Man of the Year if he is able to play. Funnily enough, he won that award over Immanuel Quickly...who was on the Knicks at the time.

Now that we're fully in minimum contract-only signings, this tracker is just about done. I'll update it whenever we finally get resolution with the big restricted free agents, Kuminga and Grimes, but that'll likely be it.

Shamet re-signs with the Knicks: 1 year deal (Shams 9/11)

Landry Shamet

$2,296,274

This is almost assuredly a minimum contract given New York's proximity to the Second Apron, and at that price, you could do a lot worse than a veteran shooter like Shamet. He even got some minutes off the bench in the playoffs last year, which is saying something considering how much they rode their starters. As a veteran with seven years of experience, he'll make $3.08 million with the subsidized cap hit above on the one year minimum.

Giddey re-signs with the Bulls: 4 years, $100 million (Shams 9/9)

Josh Giddey

$22,321,429

$24,107,143

$25,892,857

$27,678,571

Finally, a restricted free agent gets an actual deal done. Based on previous reporting, this $25 million average looks to be right in the middle of what Giddey was hoping for and what Chicago was offering, so it's nice to see cooler heads prevail and reach an agreement that makes sense.

Thomas accepts the Qualifying Offer with the Nets: 1 year, $6 million (Shams 9/4)

Cameron Thomas

$5,993,172

With the restricted free agent market so frigid this summer, Thomas will just bide his time for this season before becoming unrestricted next year.

Washington extends with the Mavericks: 4 years, "$90 million" (Shams 9/3)

P.J. Washington

$14,152,174

$19,813,044

$21,398,087

$22,983,131

$24,568,174

A new deal between these sides had been rumored for a little while, but going the full $88,762,435 that I believe is the most that Washington could extend for is a bit much. Dallas is almost comically invested in the front court now between trading Doncic for Davis, miraculously winning the Flagg lottery, extending Gafford, and now this extension, while also still having Lively as a core piece.

Smith to sign with the Heat: 3 years, $7.9 million (Shams first, Scotto details 8/16)

Dru Smith

$2,378,870

$2,584,538

$2,934,743

Smith has had to overcome both a torn ACL and Achilles the last couple of years but has been a nice developmental guard in the Miami machine. He was a restricted free agent coming off of his Two-Way contracts, so they were able to lock him down for the minimum amount for a player with three years of experience like him. I wouldn't be surprised if there are partial guarantees or a team option at the end given his injury history, but it appears to be some nice guaranteed money for the former undrafted 27 year old.

9/2 Update: Keith Smith reports that the latter two years are non-guaranteed with late June guaranteed dates. Having those that early in the calendar could be helpful for him getting his deals picked up.