NBA offseason watch: Remaining free agents, extension-eligible stars, EuroBasket and, of course, LeBron drama
- - NBA offseason watch: Remaining free agents, extension-eligible stars, EuroBasket and, of course, LeBron drama
Dan DevineJuly 29, 2025 at 10:13 PM
As the calendar creeps toward August, the bulk of the business of the 2025 NBA offseason has already been concluded. More than $8.2 billion worth of contracts signed over the past month, with the 2025 NBA Draft, the initial rush of free agency and a whole mess of trades resulting in a whole bunch of reformatted rosters — and a whole lot of folks across the league ready to step away from the grind and enjoy what’s left of their summers.
Not everything has been sewn up tight, though. Here’s what’s left to be resolved on the league’s ledger as the lion’s share of the NBA gets set for a hopefully restorative period of hibernation:
The last drips and drabs of unrestricted free agency
We ran through a handful of the top remaining big-man, ball-handler and wing options last week, headlined by recognizable veterans like Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons. Some lower-wattage types might wind up overseas — former Pacers center Thomas Bryant is reportedly close to joining Panathinaikos in Greece — and some might wind up snagging increasingly scarce roster or two-way contract spots. It wouldn’t be totally stunning to see some pretty familiar faces end the summer without a seat in the annual game of musical chairs, though.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
The thawing of the restricted free-agent market
We covered the state of affairs for the four most prominent RFAs — Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes and Cam Thomas — last week. Despite increased attention on their respective circumstances as the offseason has dragged on, there’s reportedly been precious little progress in their plights:
Kuminga is reportedly “in no rush” to agree to the Warriors’ offers — which, according to Marc Stein, have topped out “in the two-year, $40 million range” — and would-be sign-and-trade suitors, most notably the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings, remain “on the fringes” of any real discussions over where the 22-year-old might play next season;
Giddey and the Bulls “have remained active in discussions,” but reportedly remain “somewhere between $8 million to $10 million apart” in the average annual value of a new deal;
The gap might be even larger in Brooklyn, where Thomas reportedly sees himself in the $30 million-plus tier of playmakers, while the Nets reportedly haven’t offered him anything more than a two-year deal starting at the $14.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception — with a team option for Year 2;
According to Jake Fischer, while it remains most likely Grimes and the 76ers will reach an agreement, it’s also most likely that it’ll be a short-term deal — and one that will take some time to consummate.
Luka Dončić's future in L.A. will become clearer in the coming days. But what about LeBron's? (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) (David Berding via Getty Images)The veteran extension market
We’ve already seen a number of vets agree to multi-year extensions this summer, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Devin Booker, among others, inking lucrative new deals. They could soon have even more company, headlined by the central figure in the most jaw-dropping transaction of last season … and, really, of the last many, many seasons.
On Aug. 2, Luka Dončić will become eligible to sign a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. He could also choose not to extend, in favor of playing out next season, opting out of the final year of his current deal, and hitting unrestricted free agency next summer. But based on the financial incentives at play, on reports that Dončić had been clued into the impending sale of the Lakers franchise, and on his role in recruiting new arrival Marcus Smart, it seems like Luka intends on sticking around L.A. for awhile.
The Lakers are an amazing organization. I’m looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future. I am also grateful to Jeanie and the Buss family for welcoming me to LA, and I’m happy that Jeanie will continue to be involved. I look forward to working with both of them…
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) June 19, 2025
We covered the options available to Dončić back in May, after the Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs. The most likely one remains signing a three-year, $160 million deal now with a player option for 2028-29, which would allow him to re-enter the market after accruing 10 years of service time.
At that point, Dončić would be eligible for a five-year deal with a maximum salary starting at 35% of the salary cap. Based on current projections, that re-up would pay him $370 million through 2033, bringing him to a grand total of nearly a half-billion dollars over a seven-year stretch — the sort of payday that’ll motivate you to squeeze in an extra set or two.
Five other extension-eligible vets worth keeping an eye on:
Kevin Durant, Rockets: After the landmark seven-team mega-deal that landed him in Houston, Durant is eligible to sign a new two-year, $120 million extension to remain with the Rockets through the end of the 2027-28 season. Given how big a swing Houston took to bring KD on board, and how intent Ime Udoka and Co. are on building on last season’s breakthrough by entering a championship-contending window immediately, it seems a solid bet that we’ll see a deal get done … but with Durant entering his age-37 season and every dollar spent mattering more than ever under the current collective bargaining agreement, the devil could be in the details.
Trae Young, Hawks: Atlanta’s had a stellar summer, remaking its roster by adding size, athleticism, shooting and defensive acumen with a slew of moves that have the Hawks looking poised to climb the Eastern Conference standings. Making the most out of all those new additions would seem to require Young — now 26 and seven years into his career, coming off leading the league in assists (11.6 dimes per game) and finishing 14th in scoring (24.2 points per game) — remaining entrenched as the straw that stirs the drink. Will he demand a full-freight max-level commitment? Or will player and team be able to agree to a lower number that’s both commensurate with Young’s standing in the league and affords the Hawks some financial flexibility in the years ahead?
Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks: The two new additions helped New York reach the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. They had pretty different maiden voyages at Madison Square Garden, though, with Towns immediately earning All-Star and All-NBA selections while Bridges struggled somewhat to find his footing in the offense (though, quiet as it’s kept, he did average 17.6 points per game on 50/35/81 shooting) and under Tom Thibodeau. Bridges has one year left on the rookie-scale extension he signed with the Suns back in 2021; Towns has two years left on the supermax re-up he reached with the Timberwolves in 2022. Will a Knicks team with its sights set on the Finals under new head coach Mike Brown — and that got its financial ducks in a row last summer, thanks to Jalen Brunson’s hometown discount — reach new agreements with one or both of Bridges and KAT before training camp? Or could uncertainty surrounding their status — particularly Bridges, who’s ticketed for unrestricted free agency after the season — linger as a looming issue for Leon Rose’s front office?
De’Aaron Fox, Spurs: After shipping out Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks and four second-round picks in a three-team deal to land Fox at February’s trade deadline, the assumption around the league was that, as soon as they were able to do so on Aug. 3, the Spurs would agree to an extension — which could be worth as much as $222 million over four years — to lock Fox in as the point guard and pick-and-roll partner for Victor Wembanyama for the foreseeable future. But then San Antonio lucked out in the lottery, moving up to No. 2 in the 2025 NBA Draft and selecting premier playmaking prospect Dylan Harper. Does the presence of Harper alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle at all impact San Antonio’s thinking on Fox — or, at least, its willingness to pony up a full-freight four-year max for his services? Or does the idea of securing a lightning-quick All-NBA-caliber lead guard who can give Castle and Harper more time and a longer developmental runway strike Spurs brass as a pretty good problem to have?
What about rookie-scale extensions?
Several members of the 2022 draft class received long-term extensions of their rookie contracts right at the start of the offseason, with top selections Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. all quickly agreeing to new deals, and No. 12 pick Jalen Williams landing a five-year max after his stellar performance in the NBA Finals. For the rest of the class, though, negotiations might stretch through the remainder of the summer all the way through training camp and right up to the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. (Players who don’t reach a deal before the start of the season will be headed for restricted free agency in the summer of 2026.)
Five rookie-extension-eligible candidates worth keeping an eye on:
Keegan Murray, Kings: It’s been a wild ride for 2022’s fourth overall pick, who immediately secured a starting spot as a sweet-shooting forward on the beloved Beam Team that ended the NBA’s longest postseason drought … and then wound up having to become Sacramento’s No. 1 perimeter defender and a fourth/fifth offensive option on teams that plummeted from that peak. As Murray’s defensive responsibilities have increased, his shooting efficiency has decreased, and he hasn’t shown much to suggest a leap as a complementary playmaker is in the offing. But he’s a durable, dependable, versatile high-level defender who has shown the ability to knock down 3s on volume when given opportunities in a functional offensive system. The big questions: Is he likely to get those opportunities on a Kings team where Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and now Dennis Schröder will all be commanding possessions? And if not, how high will Sacramento go to keep him in the fold?
Jaden Ivey, Pistons: The Purdue product was on pace for a breakout third season, averaging 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per game on career-best shooting — including a 40.9% mark from 3-point range — before suffering a season-ending fractured fibula. The version of Ivey that can consistently drill catch-and-shoot triples and slice through gaps in the defense while playing off the ball and efficiently assume a larger playmaking role in second units, profiles as a perfect fit alongside All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham on an improving and evolving Pistons team; the size and length of Detroit’s offer to Ivey should tell us a lot about how confident Trajan Langdon and Co. are in his chances of becoming that version.
Christian Braun, Nuggets: After playing a key reserve role on a championship team as a rookie and solidifying that position in his second year, Braun took a major step forward last season, stepping into Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s spot in Denver’s starting lineup and cementing himself as a dogged two-way wing who fits beautifully between Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. There’s no question about whether the Nuggets want to be in the Braun business for years to come; the sticking point, as ever, could be the cost of doing that business. If Denver’s willing to offer a deal in the neighborhood of $30 million a year — the same average annual value that 2021 draftees Jalen Suggs and Jalen Johnson landed on their rookie-scale extensions last year — then Braun’s pact might be a no-muss, no-fuss agreement. If new Nuggets personnel chiefs Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace take a firmer line, though, things could get stickier.
Dyson Daniels, Hawks: Speaking of Johnson and Suggs: Is that the same financial ballpark Daniels will be seeking after a phenomenal first season in Atlanta that saw him lead the NBA in steals, win Most Improved Player, earn a first-team All-Defense selection and finish second in Defensive Player of the Year balloting? Or will the Hawks, who also have Young’s extension talks on the docket and will have some important financial decisions to make after this season, be reluctant to commit so much so soon?
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers: On one hand, Sharpe averaged 18.5 points per game on .551 true shooting last season as a 21-year-old; the list of guys who’ve scored that much that efficiently that young is replete with All-Stars. On the other, he’s rarely looked the part of a full-tilt No. 1 offensive option in waiting, he’s still got a long way to go in his development as a playmaker and defender, and it’s very much an open question as to whether the Blazers should view him as a foundational piece of what — based on the decisions to extend GM Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups, and to trade for Jrue Holiday and re-sign Damian Lillard — they seem to believe should be a competitive team over the next couple of seasons. What’s a fair price tag for a player whose game continues to provide so many unanswered questions? If we don’t find out by October, we’ll have to wait until next summer for our answer.
Who’s playing in EuroBasket?
TL;DR: A lot of NBA dudes!
The 2025 edition of the every-four-years European tournament will tip off Aug. 27, with 24 nations vying for a spot on the medal stand in one of FIBA’s premier international competitions. Plenty of the game’s biggest and brightest stars prioritize suiting up for their national teams at EuroBasket, and this year’s no exception: Mega-stars Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo have committed to leading Serbia, Slovenia and Greece, respectively, in this year’s tournament.
Several participating nations haven’t yet announced their rosters, so TBD on Belgium (which could bring Portland Trail Blazers stopper Toumani Camara and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell), Finland (although Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen has already said he’s in), Georgia (which could feature big men Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic and Sandro Mamukelashvili of the Toronto Raptors) and Great Britain.
As far as the nations that have shared their squads, here are the current NBA players listed on preliminary rosters. They might not all play, but they’re eligible to do so:
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Jusuf Nurkić (Utah Jazz), Luka Garza (Boston Celtics)
Czechia (Czech Republic): Vít Krejčí (Atlanta Hawks)
Finland: Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
France: Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards), Moussa Diabaté (Charlotte Hornets), Ousmane Dieng (Oklahoma City Thunder), Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks), Alexandre Sarr (Washington Wizards), Guerschon Yabusele (New York Knicks)
Germany: Tristan da Silva (Orlando Magic), Dennis Schröder (Sacramento Kings), Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic)
Greece: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Israel: Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers), Ben Saraf (Brooklyn Nets)
Italy: Donte DiVincenzo (Minnesota Timberwolves), Simone Fontecchio (Miami Heat)
Latvia: Kristaps Porziņġis (Atlanta Hawks)
Lithuania: Jonas Valančiūnas (Denver Nuggets)
Montenegro: Nikola Vučević (Chicago Bulls)
Poland: Igor Milicić (Philadelphia 76ers), Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs)
Portugal: Neemias Queta (Boston Celtics)
Serbia: Bogdan Bogdanović (Los Angeles Clippers), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets), Nikola Jović (Miami Heat), Nikola Topić (Oklahoma City Thunder), Tristan Vukčević (Washington Wizards)
Slovenia: Luka Dončić (Los Angeles Lakers)
Spain: Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies), Eli Ndiaye (Atlanta Hawks)
Sweden: Pelle Larsson (Miami Heat), Bobi Klintman (Detroit Pistons)
Türkiye (Turkey): Alperen Şengün (Houston Rockets), Adem Bona (Philadelphia 76ers)
What is LeBron James going to do?
Well, judging by the fact that he has opted into his $52.6 million contract for next season, has reportedly not asked for a trade or buyout, retains a full no-trade clause, showed up to watch the Lakers’ Summer League team (which, in case you forgot, starred his son), I think he’s going to remain gainfully employed by the Los Angeles Lakers heading into next season.
But judging by the eyebrow-raising sight of him and longtime business partner Maverick Carter lounging on a yacht with European agent Miško Ražnatović — who represents Jokić, among other players — in what may or may not be connected to Carter’s reported advisory role in developing a new international professional basketball league …
LeBron James was hanging out on a yacht with Nikola Jokic’s agent/manager Misko Raznatovic & Raznatovic spoke of “big plans” for fall 2026 👀Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zSHRhtcX3w
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) July 27, 2025
… I think he’s also going to keep things a little bit spicy while he enjoys the rest of his summer. May we all follow suit.
Source: “AOL Sports”
