NBA Player News

  • Oshae Brissett SF | BOS

    Oshae Brissett: Declines player option Sunday

    Brissett declined his $2.5 million player option with the Celtics on Sunday, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

    Brissett will become an unrestricted free agent after declining his player option Sunday. The 26-year-old spent one season with the team, and he averaged 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.3 steals across 11.5 minutes in 55 regular-season games. Brissett was a non-factor for Boston in the playoffs, and his departure likely signals a desire for a larger role elsewhere.

  • Vlatko Cancar SF | DEN

    Vlatko Cancar: Bound for free agency

    The Nuggets declined Cancar's (knee) $2.35 million team option for the 2024-25 season Sunday, Bennett Durando of The Denver Post reports.

    Cancar will thus be eligible to begin negotiating with teams as an unrestricted free agent beginning July 30. The 27-year-old missed the entire 2023-24 season after undergoing surgery in August to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, but Cancar is expected to return to game action for the Slovenian national team in a 2024 Summer Olympics qualifying tournament in July. According to Durando, the Nuggets haven't closed the door on re-signing Cancar on a minimum contract. During his last healthy season with Denver in 2022-23, Cancar appeared in 60 games and averaged 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 14.8 minutes.

  • Ja Morant PG | MEM

    Grizzlies' Ja Morant: Will be cleared in near future

    Morant (shoulder) said Saturday he will be medically cleared for basketball activities in about two weeks, CBSSports.com reports.

    Morant played only nine games last year due to a 25-game suspension and a major shoulder injury. He averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals across 35.3 minutes. The All-Star had successful surgery on his right shoulder in mid-January and will be able to practice soon, meaning he should be 100 percent for next season's training camp. Morant hopes to take the Grizzlies back to the playoffs after a year ruined by injuries saw them finish with a 27-55 record.

  • Drew Eubanks C | PHO

    Drew Eubanks: Set to hit free agency

    Eubanks announced Friday he is declining his $2.6 million player option from the Suns for 2024-25 and will become an unrestricted free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Eubanks will hit free agency after averaging 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15.6 minutes across 75 appearances, including six starts, for Phoenix in 2023-24. Eubanks will likely continue to operate as a backup center for a different team if he finds a new destination in free agency.

  • Malik Monk SG | SAC

    Kings' Malik Monk: Will stay with Sacramento

    Monk (knee) intends to sign a four-year, $78 million deal with the Kings, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Monk continues to recover from a knee injury, but that hasn't stopped him from reaching an agreement with the Kings. The sharpshooter averaged career-high marks in points (15.4) and assists (5.1) per game en route to finishing second in the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award voting. Even though Monk was expected to be a sought-after player in the open market, instead, he chose to sign with the Kings and is expected to make the deal official once the league year begins July 1.

  • Josh Giddey PG | OKC

    Bulls' Josh Giddey: Dealt to Chicago

    The Thunder traded Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    After receiving a significantly reduced role in the playoffs, averaging just 12.5 minutes across six games against Dallas, Giddey's long-term future in Oklahoma City seemed uncertain. As such, it is not surprising to see the 21-year-old guard dealt for Caruso, who can offer better perimeter defense for the Thunder. Giddey could receive an opportunity to have the ball in his hands more often now that he is no longer playing alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 25.2 minutes across 80 games in 2023-24. However, he will be competing for playing time in a crowded backcourt with Coby White, Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball (knee).

  • Alex Caruso SG | CHI

    Thunder's Alex Caruso: Traded to Oklahoma City

    Caruso was traded from the Bulls to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    After spending the first four years of his career with the Lakers, Caruso played in Chicago over the past three seasons. He had a career-best year during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per game while making 71 regular-season appearances. The 30-year-old will join a talented Thunder squad that finished last season as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and he'll provide a solid shooting presence as long as he can remain healthy during the 2024-25 season. Caruso is entering the final year of his contract, but the Thunder hope to sign him to a long-term extension at some point, per Wojnarowski.

  • Warriors' Gary Payton: Picks up player option

    Payton exercised his $9.1 million player option for the 2024-25 season Wednesday, Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com reports.

    By exercising his player option, Payton will be on the books for the upcoming season and will now be able to negotiate a possible contract extension with the Warriors. Payton has had some tough luck with injuries in recent seasons, but he's invaluable to the Warriors for his perimeter defense. In 44 regular-season appearances in 2023-24, Payton averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 15.5 minutes per contest while shooting 56.3 percent from the field.

  • Pascal Siakam PF | IND

    Pacers' Pascal Siakam: Stays in Indiana on four-year deal

    Siakam agreed Wednesday with the Pacers on a four-year, $189.5 million maximum contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

    Siakam plans to officially sign the contract once the free agency moratorium ends July 6. After coming over from Toronto in Jan. 17 trade, Siakam proved to be an ideal fit in the Pacers frontcourt and was instrumental in helping lead Indiana to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. Over his 41 regular-season appearances with the Pacers following the trade, Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 three-pointers and 0.8 steals in 31.8 minutes per contest while shooting 54.9 percent from the field.

  • Mavericks' Daniel Gafford: Limited minutes in Game 5 loss

    Gafford recorded six points (3-5 FG) and three rebounds in 11 minutes during Monday's 106-88 loss to the Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

    Gafford was efficient in his limited playing time in the Mavericks' Game 5 loss. However, the 25-year-old did see a massive decline in minutes in the Finals, during which he averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks across only 14.8 minutes. In comparison, during the final two Western Conference playoff series, Gafford averaged 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 67.1 percent from the field. The big man was a crucial addition for Dallas at the trade deadline, and he will remain under contract with the team until 2026-27, as the Mavericks will attempt to make it back to the Finals with their core group next season.

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