NBA Basketball Wiretap

The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a one-year deal with wing Mario Hezonja for $2.8 million. Hezonja returns to the NBA with Cleveland after spending the last six seasons playing for teams in Greece, Russia and Spain.

The 6-foot-8 last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Hezonja started his NBA career with the Orlando Magic and also played for the New York Knicks.

Last season, Hezonja averaged 15 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists for Real Madrid. The 31-year-old helped Real Madrid to the EuroLeague championship game, where they fell to Olympiacos.

Kobe Bufkin and the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to a one-year deal.

Bufkin appeared in 16 games last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 2.9 points and 0.8 rebounds in 7.5 minutes.

Bufkin was the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has agreed to a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and plans to sign a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers once he clears waivers. The Grizzlies and Caldwell-Pope's agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, finalized the buyout Saturday.

The move gives Philadelphia a veteran wing shooter and defender just one day after the team signed LeBron James. Caldwell-Pope, a two-time NBA champion, won his first title with the Lakers in 2020 alongside James during the league's bubble format before capturing a second ring with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

Caldwell-Pope, 33, underwent surgery in February to address a misalignment in his right pinkie finger, sidelining him for the final 31 games of last season. Before the injury, he averaged 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 21.3 minutes across 51 games with Memphis, marking his lowest scoring and minutes averages since his rookie season. He shot 49.5 percent on two-point attempts and 31.6 percent from three-point range.

Caldwell-Pope has long been regarded as one of the league's top 3-and-D players, though his three-point shooting has declined in recent seasons. After shooting at least 39 percent from beyond the arc every season from 2020 to 2024, he has failed to top 34.2 percent over the past two seasons.

Spencer Jones and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a two-year, $12 million offer sheet.

The Denver Nuggets will have the opportunity to match the offer sheet as Jones is a restricted free agent.

Jones appeared in 64 games last season with the Nuggets, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22.1 minutes while shooting 39.6 percent on three-point shooting.

The Nuggets also have Peyton Watson in restricted free agency this offseason.

With their pursuit of LeBron James having come up short, the Golden State Warriors are expected to pivot to re-signing Draymond Green. The expectation is the Green will re-sign at a figure close to the $28 million player option that he opted out of at the beginning of the offseason.

Green has always been expected to stay with Golden State. The question was what kind of contract the veteran forward would re-sign for. The Warriors had been keeping flexibility, in case James chose to sign with them. Now that James has picked the Philadelphia 76ers, Mike Dunleavy Jr. can turn to re-signing Green, De'Anthony Melton and filling out the rest of his roster.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have maintained contact with free agent forward Jonathan Kuminga and his agent throughout LeBron James' free agency, with mutual interest existing between the two sides.

Kuminga, 23, became a free agent after the Atlanta Hawks declined their $24.3 million option on his contract. He averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 33 percent from three-point range across 36 games split between Atlanta and the Golden State Warriors last season.

Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, described his client's affinity for Cleveland in a brief interview.

"Jonathan likes the Cavs, likes (coach) Kenny Atkinson, and (star) Donovan Mitchell likes him," said Turner, noting that Kuminga trained in Cleveland for two months last summer.

Kuminga also has a prior relationship with Atkinson from the coach's time as a Golden State assistant under Steve Kerr.

The financial structure of any deal remains complicated. Cleveland could offer Kuminga roughly $6 million using cap space it would have otherwise directed toward James, or theoretically up to $15 million through a salary cap exception, though doing so would significantly limit what the team could offer unsigned veteran James Harden. The Cavaliers and Harden have intentionally left his new contract unfinalized to preserve roster flexibility, with a two- or three-year deal expected once Cleveland's broader plans take shape.

Kuminga, however, is believed to prefer a sign-and-trade involving Atlanta, which would allow him to earn closer to the $20 million to $23 million range he would have received had the Hawks exercised his option.

Both Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to Kuminga as sign-and-trade candidates, though sources indicated the Lakers' potential trade package is considered underwhelming compared to what Cleveland could offer. The Cavaliers have been connected to possible trades involving veteran forward Max Strus and point guard Dennis Schroder as part of a potential deal. Any sign-and-trade would require Cleveland to remain under the NBA's roughly $209 million first apron, which is part of why Harden's new contract has not yet been finalized. Kuminga could also return to Atlanta on a short-term deal, with the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks mentioned as additional potential destinations.

Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018 last season before being swept by the eventual champion New York Knicks. The team has since lost forward Dean Wade to Philadelphia, guard Keon Ellis to Brooklyn and forward Larry Nance Jr. to Indiana in free agency, in addition to missing out on James.

"There isn't much left out there," said a league source with knowledge of the Cavaliers' thinking. "They have to get their young guys ready to play."

Cleveland's young players include third-year wing Jaylon Tyson, who broke out last season, second-year guard Tyrese Proctor and rookie Meleek Thomas, the team's second-round pick who was named among the top players at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

The Portland Trail Blazers signed John Tonje to a two-way contract, sources told Shams Charania of ESPN.

Tonje averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds for the Celtics last season. 

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is negotiating a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies, sources told Chris Haynes.

Caldwell-Pope intends to join LeBron James and sign with the Sixers.

Caldwell-Pope averaged 8.4 points and 2.5 rebounds last season. 

While LeBron James says he came close to retirement this offseason, he ultimately decided to continue his career and will sign a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. James could play both seasons and put off retirement until at least 2028.

"And my understanding is there's a real chance here he plays both of these years," said Shams Charania.

James said that he was leaning towards retirement when the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs. 

"I thought I was done when the season ended," wrote James on X. "I wasn't ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love truly love this game, and I have more to give."

There have been conflicting reports over the years on whether James would announce his retirement plans in advance to have a farewell tour, or if it would come suddenly.

James will turn 42 in December.

The Miami Heat are expected to renew talks with free agent DeMar DeRozan after LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Miami and DeRozan have held mutual interest in the past, and fresh conversations are anticipated now that James is off the market.

DeRozan averaged 18.4 points on 49.7 percent shooting across 77 starts for the Sacramento Kings last season, adding 4.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.

A veteran Eastern Conference scout offered a candid assessment of DeRozan's potential fit in Miami.

"He's had years in San Antonio where he passed it more," said the scout. "He's a midrange guy and on a given night, he can get you points. He doesn't do much else. If he accepted the role off the bench, and then finishes the game, he could be fine."

DeRozan would give Miami a high-scoring option off the bench, though starting him alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo would create spacing concerns given all three players' limitations from three-point range. If DeRozan signs, the Heat would likely still need to add a dedicated three-point shooter elsewhere on the roster.

Heat president Pat Riley reiterated the team's priorities in comments to Dan Le Batard this week, emphasizing playmaking over shooting as the more urgent need.

"Everybody talks about shooting; that's not the main priority right now," said Riley. "It's another playmaker."

ESPN's Shams Charania indicated Friday that DeRozan and free agent Bradley Beal represent Miami's most realistic remaining targets following James' decision.

"Now they will now shift their focus to players like Demar DeRozan, Bradley Beal," said Charania. "Could you find a player like Klay Thompson on the buyout market?"

Miami currently has 12 players on standard contracts, three shy of the maximum roster size, and operates under a $209 million hard cap that limits its financial flexibility to add multiple significant contributors this offseason.