Basketball Wiretap

Nikola Jokic confirmed that he plans on waiting until the 2027 offseason to sign a long-term contract with the Denver Nuggets. 

Jokic can sign a four-year contract worth $278 million this offseason, or he can sign a five-year, $359.5 million max contract with a no-trade clause if he waits until 2027. Jokic has a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season. 

Jokic has reiterated that he would like to remain with the Nuggets for his entire career despite waiting two consecutive offseasons to sign an extension. In 2025, Jokic could have signed a three-year, $200 million extension.

"My idea and desire is to stay in Denver. I'll probably sign next year," Jokic told reporters in Serbian following a FIBA World Cup qualifying game Monday. "... My desire is to play the rest of my life in Denver."

Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists in 34.8 minutes over 65 games in his age-30 season as he finished second in MVP voting. Jokic has finished first or second in MVP voting in six straight seasons dating back to 2021.

The Nuggets haven't advanced out of the second round since winning the championship in 2023.

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said Monday the team traded Jaylen Brown to boost roster flexibility and add draft capital, calling the franchise's forward path "more challenging" than in recent seasons.

Stevens and team owner Bill Chisholm addressed reporters in Boston to discuss the trade, which sent Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George and four draft picks.

"When I looked at our team and where the league was heading, looked at the way that we've finished the last couple years and at the unbelievable way we've played in the regular season in the last couple years, the path looked a little bit more challenging to me," said Stevens. "I might be wrong. I'm not going to stand up here and be defensive about that, but the path looked a little bit more challenging with 70% of our cap and such a high percent of our usage tied into two players [Brown and Jayson Tatum].

"The reality in this day and age at the NBA... you have to do a great job of building out depth that can hopefully replace the irreplaceable individual."

Brown, a five-time All-Star and 2024 Finals MVP, was drafted third overall by Boston in 2016. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season while Tatum recovered from a torn Achilles.

Boston previously pursued a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo before he was dealt to the Miami Heat, leaving Brown's future uncertain for weeks.

Chisholm denied the move was financially motivated.

"No, absolutely not," said Chisholm. "This was all about basically trying to win. Really trusting in our process. I think we have the best front office in the NBA, and they put in their work and they came to the conclusion this was the best way for us to win."

Boston also agreed to a three-year, $47 million deal with center Mitchell Robinson and re-signed Neemias Queta to a four-year, $56 million extension.

The Sacramento Kings will waive DeMar DeRozan, which will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent. The Kings were unsuccessful in their attempts to trade DeRozan, but he is expected to receive interest from multiple contending teams as a free agent.

DeRozan had a partial guarantee on his contract for only $10 million of the total of $26.74 million.

DeRozan, who is represented by Aaron Goodwin, appeared in 77 games last season with the Kings and averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.1 assist. 

DeRozan will be playing in his age-37 season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are not expected to be a potential landing place for DeRozan.

Rui Hachimura has agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year, $28 million deal, reports ESPN's Shams Charania. The Clippers will use their mid-level exception to sign Hachimura, which leaves open the possibility of acquiring Peyton Watson via sign-and-trade.

Hachimura earned $18.3 million last season and posted 17.5 points per game on 54.9% shooting, including 56.9% from three-point range, to go with 4.0 rebounds during the playoffs.

Hachimura received interest from the San Antonio Spurs before they signed Tobias Harris. Hachimura had waited on a possible sign-and-trade involving the Lakers, but they ultimately didn't cooperate on a deal.

According to Marc Stein, Hachimura prioritized remaining in Los Angeles and chose the Clippers over interest from the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks. 

The way the Los Angeles Lakers approached the free agency of LeBron James was the deciding factor in why he decided to leave the franchise this offseason. James remains undecided on which team he will sign with in free agency.

Sources close to James told ESPN that the way the Lakers handled his re-signing process mattered more than the money involved. James reportedly would have accepted less than the $52.6 million he earned last season had the Lakers clearly explained its plan to reallocate that money.

That explanation never came, according to sources, and James never met face-to-face with the organization before making his decision.

One Lakers team source acknowledged the franchise may have fallen short in recognizing what James sacrificed this past season by stepping into a reduced role alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.

"Honestly, I don't know if we did enough to acknowledge the sacrifices he made in being willing to give the keys over to Luka and AR this year," said the staffer. "Of course he has a big ego and people can say what they want about that. But he's also the No. 1 scorer in the history of basketball and he really tried to do what was best for the team to win."

A separate team source described the financial dynamic as a disadvantage tied to James' existing ties with the franchise. Even an offer $10 million to $15 million above market value could have felt like a pay cut, since another team could offer its full allotment, the source explained.

The Lakers held Bird rights that would have allowed them to exceed offers from other teams. Instead, sources indicate the front office spent weeks debating internally how to present a reduced offer without appearing disrespectful toward James' legacy and contributions.

James ultimately made the decision before the Lakers could formalize their approach, ending an eight-year tenure that included an NBA championship in the 2020 Florida bubble.

This represented a sudden change of mind as a few weeks before the start of free agency, James told Rich Paul that he was "80 percent" sure he would stay with the Lakers for another season. 

LeBron James is nearly a week into his free agency and there have been little tangible indictors with where he is at regards to his decision. When the decision by James to leave the Los Angeles Lakers was revealed, he was most closely tied to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat. The list has now expanded to include the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

The teams involved in the pursuit of James are believed to know no additional details from James and Rich Paul than what has been released publicly. 

James followed a similar pattern during his free agencies in 2010, 2014 and 2018 where he kept his decision-making private until he notified his next team that he would sign.

"But the last I heard, the teams had not heard anything," said ESPN's Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collective. "The teams were interested in LeBron—like, they had, they had made contact and whatever—and they hadn't heard anything. And they're like, 'Well, we don't know what to make of it.' And this is what happened with the previous LeBron free agency when he switched teams.

"They didn't know. LeBron called in and was basically like, 'Yep, I'm coming.' And they're like, 'Oh, okay.' Like, it wasn't like—maybe they, maybe they felt good. Like they said, 'Oh, I think the vibe is good.' But like, the Heat didn't know he was coming. The Cavs didn't know he was coming back."

Quinten Post and the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed upon a three-year, $30 million offer sheet in restricted free agency. The Warriors will have until 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday to match.

The Warriors gave Post a $2.6 million qualifying offer and had interest in re-signing him, but the size of the contract could be difficult for the team to match. The Warriors are hard-capped at the second apron after signing De'Anthony Melton and they still must re-sign Draymond Green.

Post fell behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in Steve Kerr's rotation.

Post would give the Grizzlies depth at center behind Zach Edey. 

The Boston Celtics had no contingency plan after failing to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. Boston then pursued an aggressive trade market for Jaylen Brown, reportedly seeking four unprotected first-round picks, a demand that ultimately drove potential trade partners away.

Multiple executives said the steep asking price backfired on the Celtics as the trade market cooled.

"The asking price for Brown was so high that teams got scared away and moved on to other business," said an executive from a team that held brief discussions with Boston. "There was no need to circle back."

Several teams interested in Brown made other significant moves while Boston waited for a stronger offer to emerge.

The Celtics had initially targeted Antetokounmpo, engaging the Milwaukee Bucks in trade talks before finishing as runner-up to the Miami Heat. Boston reportedly refused to include young prospects Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez in its offer, which centered on Brown and two first-round picks.

After missing on Antetokounmpo, the Celtics broadened their search across the league, continuing to push for an aggressive package in return for Brown. That approach discouraged teams from staying engaged in negotiations.

Boston ultimately traded Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers on July 1 for Paul George, one unprotected first-round pick, an additional first-round selection or swap, and two second-round picks. 

Brown, a five-time All-Star, averaged career highs of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists last season.

Free agent forward LeBron James hasn't made a decision about where he'll play next season. We know it won't be with the Los Angeles Lakers. James' agent Rich Paul said 27 of the other 29 teams have reached out. Of those 27 teams, six believe they have a real shot at landing the NBA's all-time leading scorer for next season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors have been mentioned as landing spots for James, since before he announced he was moving on from the Lakers. The Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets all believe they are still in the running for the superstar forward's services for the 2026-27 season.

All six of those teams are likely offering James the opportunity to compete for a title, but he might have to play on a veteran minimum contract for next season. The Cavaliers and Warriors still have moves they can make to free up spending power to offer James a contract for greater than the minimum. The other four teams would have to do something unexpected.

Darryn Peterson had 28 points in his first Summer League game as the Utah Jazz defeated the Atlanta Hawks 103-102 in overtime. Peterson showcased the variety of his scoring ability with step-back three-pointers, transition baskets and out of the pick and roll.

The Jazz selected Peterson at No. 2 ahead of Cameron Boozer, whose father Carlos Boozer, works for the team as a scout. The Jazz believed Boozer was worthy of the first overall pick but chose Peterson due to his tremendous upside.

"I had [a] scout tell me—and I think, I think this is an aggressive statement, but it was said to me—'He'll be a top 10 player in the league within two years'" said ESPN's Tim MacMahon during Monday's episode of the Hoop Collective Podcast.

"That's aggressive, but there's a pretty strong consensus that this guy has, like, the ceiling of leading the league in scoring. Like, that type of potential."

Peterson entered his freshman season at Kansas as the projected top overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, but was eventually surpassed by AJ Dybantsa who went to the Washington Wizards at No. 1. Dybantsa was viewed as the safer choice after Peterson had some injury concerns while with the Jayhawks.