Basketball Wiretap

Gary Trent Jr. and the Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal. Trent will earn $15.2 million in Year 1 of the deal. 

Trent spent the past two seasons with the Bucks, which allowed him to sign for a larger contract with early Bird rights. Last season, Trent averaged 8.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.2 minutes in 65 games. 

Trent will be entering his age-27 season.

Nikola Jokic plans to wait until unrestricted free agency in 2027 to resolve his contract status, leaving the Denver Nuggets to manage that uncertainty over the next year.

Nuggets general manager Jon Wallace addressed the situation directly.

"We feel confident," said Wallace on ESPN's Summer League broadcast via Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. "We trust him. We've got no choice but to."

Jokic can sign a four-year, $278 million contract with Denver this offseason. Waiting until 2027 would make him eligible for a five-year, $359.5 million max contract that includes a no-trade clause.

Jokic also holds a player option worth $62.8 million for the 2027-28 season.

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.

Caleb Wilson scored 35 points in his summer league debut Friday night, the second-highest total in a Las Vegas debut since the event started in 2004. The Chicago Bulls, who selected Wilson with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, loss 97-96 to the Memphis Grizzlies.

It marked Wilson's first competitive game since Feb. 10, when his lone college season at North Carolina ended due to a broken wrist. He said he cried before tipoff given the emotional weight of returning to the court.

"It's been five months to the day since the last time I played," said Wilson. "I've just been really emotional because I haven't been able to play. I felt terrible because my team lost in the [NCAA] tournament and my coach got fired. It just was a lot for me at that point. So, coming out today, it just felt like I've been waiting so long for this opportunity. I'm just glad I got to come out here and play."

Wilson displayed a broad offensive game, knocking down seven 3-pointers, matching his total made threes across his entire 24-game college career.

"I've been working on it hard for a long time," said Wilson. "I'm not shocked at all. I've been putting the work in."

He also finished with three blocks, two steals and six rebounds, though six turnovers reflected an at-times erratic performance. Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said he welcomed the aggressive approach in Wilson's first outing.

"We're getting to know him," said Splitter. "The first game, of course, he played extremely well shooting the ball and doing different things, but this is a long road. Repetition of everything. But I'm proud of the effort they put in. Boxing out, crashing every offense rebound."

Wilson's 35 points trailed only Marco Belinelli's 37-point summer league debut in 2007. 

The performance came against fellow rookie standout Cam Boozer of the Grizzlies, who finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists.

"He's a great player," said Wilson of Boozer. "One of the few guys I respect out of my class. He played a great game and he won."

Boozer returned the compliment after the game.

"He's a great player. Great players make a lot of shots," said Boozer. "It was something maybe he didn't showcase a lot in college, but he's a great player and he started getting hot."

Gonzaga starting point guard Mario Saint-Supery is departing the program to sign with EuroLeague club Valencia. The Spanish squad announced the long-term deal Saturday.

Saint-Supery earned all-West Coast Conference freshman honors last season, averaging 8.6 points per game in his lone year with the Bulldogs. Before arriving at Gonzaga, he had built a reputation in Spain's Liga ACB, earning the nickname "El Principito," or "The Little Prince."

Valencia referenced that nickname in its announcement.

"The Little Prince will make the Roig Arena his new palace," Valencia said in a release, adding that Saint-Supery would "continue his development at a high competitive level."

The departure comes at a difficult time for coach Mark Few's roster, which is set to compete in the new Pac-12 during the 2026-27 season. With the transfer portal closed, Gonzaga has limited options to replace a starting point guard in July.

Saint-Supery, a 6-foot-4 guard, shot 40 percent from three-point range last season and started Gonzaga's final eight games. That stretch included a 21-point performance against Santa Clara in the WCC tournament championship game, along with 13 assists and four turnovers across two NCAA tournament appearances.

Saint-Supery had been expected to serve as Gonzaga's point guard alongside returning players Braden Huff and Davis Fogle and Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop as the Bulldogs prepare to compete outside the WCC for the first time since 1979.

The move also reflects a broader shift in how international prospects approach college basketball. The NCAA's 5-for-5 rule now starts a player's academic clock upon enrollment or the academic year after turning 19, whichever comes first, reducing the window for older international players to compete at the Division I level.

Tyler Herro spoke positively about the Miami Heat and just minutes before news broke of his altercation with former teammate Bam Adebayo.

Asked whether he holds any ill will toward the Heat after being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Herro was direct.

"Never," said Herro. "They drafted me from Kentucky, and they gave me a platform. They gave me an opportunity. They believed in me, and it was a great seven years. Not many guys in my draft class are still on their teams or anything like that. So, again, I'm just excited and appreciative for everything that's kind of happened and transpired."

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the altercation began when Adebayo confronted Herro over social media comments criticizing the center following the end of their seven-year run together in Miami. Screenshots of an Instagram direct message conversation, shared on X in recent days, appeared to show an account run by Herro expressing frustration with Adebayo's contract value.

"Why are Heat fans so worried about me and what I do? But I'm not the best player on the team right?" the account wrote, according to the screenshots. "I didn't say any names. I'm just saying, should an elite defender be making 60 million a year? Answer that."

Adebayo was Miami's highest-paid player last season and is due $49.5 million this season. He has earned NBA All-Defensive honors in six different seasons. Herro also posted an Instagram graphic last week ranking the league's worst midrange shooters, which listed Giannis Antetokounmpo as the worst and Adebayo 10th-worst.

Asked directly about the social media posts Friday, Herro offered little elaboration.

"You've seen it," said Herro.

Herro also addressed the trade itself, saying he had anticipated the move to Milwaukee for some time.

"I saw it coming," said Herro. "If any summer, it was going to be this summer, so I was anticipating this. And obviously not knowing Milwaukee, but I kind of figured I was going to get traded this summer. I'm excited and happy it's Milwaukee."

Herro said he plans to keep his home base in Miami despite the trade, with his children remaining in the city for school. He did not have a visible mark on his face during Friday's summer league game, which he watched courtside without Adebayo in attendance.

Malachi Smith has been waived by the Brooklyn Nets. Smith signed a multi-year contract with the Nets in April and Brooklyn picked up their team option before the start of free agency.

Smith appeared in 15 games last season, averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 23.9 minutes.

Smith went undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023 and has accrued 127 total games in the G League over the past three seasons. In 2025-26, Smith averaged 14.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 28.7 minutes across 39 games with the Long Island Nets.

The Los Angeles Clippers operated under the belief that the NBA's ongoing investigation into alleged cap impropriety involving Kawhi Leonard and business sponsor Aspiration would not affect the completion of his trade. That impression shaped weeks of trade discussions before the Clippers agreed to terms with the Toronto Raptors.

The league later informed the Raptors that any sanctions tied to Leonard personally would fall solely on them, separate from any penalties the Clippers may still face. 

Possible sanctions against Leonard could include a suspension or, in a worst-case scenario, voiding the remaining $50.3 million on his contract.

One source briefed on the process said Toronto had an understanding of the potential risk attached to acquiring Leonard before trade terms were verbally agreed. Toronto declined to comment beyond its Thursday statement when asked to respond Friday.

The proposed deal would send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft capital to the Clippers in exchange for Leonard.

Leonard and the Raptors plan on signing an extension after the trade becomes official, which could now be several weeks away after the NBA's findings on Aspiration are finalized. 

The Portland Trail Blazers have claimed forward/center Micah Potter off waivers, shortly after he was waived by the Indiana Pacers.

Potter appeared in 47 games with seven starts for the Pacers during the 2025-26 season and averaged career highs of 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.

The forward shot 51.5 percent from the field last season, along with 42.3 percent from three-point range and 84.2 percent from the free throw line.

Over five NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz and Pacers, Potter has appeared in 111 career games with 17 starts. He holds career averages of 6.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.0 minutes per game.

Potter's career shooting numbers stand at 49.0 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three-point range and 84.0 percent from the free throw line.

Bam Adebayo struck Tyler Herro during a physical altercation in Las Vegas on Friday, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. The incident occurred at a gym inside Resorts World Casino in front of an AAU team run by Herro.

Multiple sources who witnessed the incident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Adebayo walked onto the court and Herro said something to him. Adebayo then approached Herro and punched him without hesitation. Herro's AAU coach confronted Adebayo, and Herro yelled at his former teammate while being escorted out by security. Both players left the scene separately.

A Las Vegas Police Department spokesperson said officers were not called to the scene. The Heat told The Athletic they were aware of the incident but declined further comment. A Milwaukee Bucks spokesperson said the organization was aware, though coaching staff members said they had not heard about it. Team officials on both sides declined to comment further.

The altercation came hours before Miami and Milwaukee faced off in NBA Summer League action at the Thomas & Mack Center, with the Heat winning 119-86. Herro attended the game, sitting with new teammates Ryan Rollins, Ousmane Dieng, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel'el Ware, all of whom joined Milwaukee in this week's trade. Adebayo did not attend the game.

In an interview during the game's broadcast on Prime, which took place before news of the altercation emerged, Herro spoke positively about his former team.

"It's all love. It's all love in Miami," said Herro. "I've seen a couple of the guys, and the coaching staff. Chris Quinn, Spo, front office guys. We are all good in Miami and just the opportunity for both sides to reset, get a fresh start and we're both super happy for this."

Herro declined to comment on the altercation after the game. Herro and Adebayo played together in Miami for seven seasons before Herro was included in the package the Heat sent to the Bucks to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Following that trade, screenshots purportedly showing direct messages from an Instagram account linked to Herro circulated online, appearing to question Adebayo's game and his contract value with the Heat.

NBPA executive director David Kelly criticized the NBA's second apron system Friday, calling for it to be softened or eliminated. Kelly argued the salary cap mechanism has forced teams into decisions unrelated to basketball.

"We are not fans of the second apron," said Kelly. "We did not propose the second apron. We should have done a better job of fighting back against the second apron. In the future, we will have a much more unified union, and we will do a better job of fighting back. ... We're seeing [the apron system] decimate teams and force decisions to be made that are not basketball decisions."

Kelly, who took over as union head in February after succeeding Andre Iguodala, disputed commissioner Adam Silver's claim that the apron system promotes parity. Kelly argued the mechanism was implemented in 2023 primarily to control cost related to player salaries.

Under the league's current structure, teams face escalating luxury tax penalties and roster-building restrictions once they cross the $209 million first apron or the $221.7 million second apron. The Cleveland Cavaliers were the only team to exceed the second apron during the 2025-26 season.

The Boston Celtics cited second apron concerns in their decision to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers this month. New York Knicks owner James Dolan has similarly said his team will avoid second apron penalties, a stance that preceded backup center Mitchell Robinson's departure in free agency.

"I don't know that fans in Boston would say that everyone's making out fine [in the current system], or that fans in New York would say that everyone is making out fine," said Kelly. "You have a [Celtics] team that just came off of a championship [in 2024] that will not have those guys together. We see that as a problem for our members, but also for the fans and for the game."

Fred VanVleet, president of the NBPA, said concerns extend beyond players to executives and agents across the league.

"We've seen more teams, GMs, front offices, owners and agents have issues and concerns with the apron as well," said VanVleet. "It's almost a consensus that it's something that needs to be addressed."

The union also raised concerns about star players feeling pressured to sign below-market deals to preserve their rosters.

Victor Wembanyama agreed to a five-year, $252 million extension on Friday, well below the five-year $302.8 million maximum he could have signed and was offered by the San Antonio Spurs.

Kelly said any changes to the current system would need agreement between the league and union before the current collective bargaining agreement expires, with the next negotiation window opening after the 2028-29 season.