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Signed Second-Round Picks Now Count Against Cap

July 31st, 2025 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Between July 1 and July 30 of each NBA league year, a player signed using the second-round pick exception doesn’t count toward his team’s cap, but that changes as of July 31. Beginning on Thursday, each of the second-rounders signed using that exception will begin carrying 2025/26 cap hits.

[RELATED: 2025 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

The effect this will have on teams around the league is negligible. The only club still operating below the cap is Brooklyn, but the Nets didn’t make any second-round picks in this year’s draft and haven’t signed any second-rounders that were stashed from previous drafts, so this change won’t reduce their cap room at all.

The Nets are far from the only NBA team that hasn’t signed a second-round pick to a standard contract this offseason. In fact, only 11 of the league’s 30 clubs have done so.

The Suns, Magic, Hornets (two picks), Sixers, Lakers, Pistons, and Pacers made the top eight selections of the 2025 second round and have signed those players to standard deals, while the Pelicans (No. 40 pick Micah Peavy), Kings (No. 42 pick Maxime Raynaud), Cavaliers (No. 49 pick Tyrese Proctor), and Hawks (2024’s No. 43 pick Nikola Djurisic) have joined them. The rest of this year’s second-rounders are either still unsigned, will play overseas, or agreed to two-way contracts.

None of those 11 teams surpassed an apron threshold as a result of their second-rounders’ new cap hits. For example, the Cavs would be well over the second apron with or without Proctor on their books.

Since none of those teams will see their ability to make other roster moves affected by the new cap charges, this is really more of a housekeeping note than anything.

Grizzlies, Magic To Play In Berlin, London In January

July 30th, 2025 at 8:10am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Grizzlies and Magic will play regular season games in Berlin on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, and London on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, according to an NBA press release.

Additionally, the league announced that it will play regular season games in Manchester, England and Paris in 2027 and in Berlin and Paris in 2028. The dates and participating teams for the games in 2027 and 2028 will be announced prior to those seasons.

The NBA has not previously held a regular season contest in Germany. The matchup in England will be the league’s 10th regular-season game in London.

The 2027 contest in France will be the NBA’s sixth regular season game in Paris; the Manchester game will be the league’s first in the city.

The Grizzlies will be playing their fifth and sixth games in Europe, while the Magic will be playing its fourth and fifth games in Europe.

The game in Germany will be a special treat for the Magic’s brother duo of Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, who are natives of Berlin.

“To have the Orlando Magic and the NBA play a regular-season game in our hometown of Berlin means everything to us. Growing up here, we dreamed of moments like this,” they said, according to the press release. “It’s a huge honor to represent Berlin and Germany and show how much the city and country love basketball. We hope we can inspire kids the way we were inspired watching games from afar.”

Berlin, London, Paris, and Manchester are some of the cities that have been rumored as potential markets for the new European league that the NBA is exploring.

Magic Sign Jamal Cain To Two-Way Contract

July 25th, 2025 at 7:10pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Magic have signed free agent forward Jamal Cain to a two-way contract, reports Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).

Orlando confirmed the signing in a press release (via Twitter).

Cain played 37 games for the Pelicans last season, averaging 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .430/.325/.680.

The 26-year-old spent the previous two seasons with the Heat after going undrafted in the 2022. Over 44 games in Miami (11.3 MPG), Cain averaged 4.4 PPG and 2.0 RPG on .490/.353/.778 shooting splits.

After previously signing Orlando Robinson to a two-way deal, the Magic have one more two-way spot open. Orlando recently had Ethan Thompson on a two-way deal, but waived him earlier in the week.

Magic Waive Two-Way Player Ethan Thompson

July 23rd, 2025 at 7:33am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic have waived two-way player Ethan Thompson, the team’s PR department tweets.

Thompson signed a two-way deal with Orlando in February but never appeared in an NBA game. The 6’5” guard played 31 games with the Magic’s G League affiliate in Osceola, averaging 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.2 minutes per contest.

Thompson, 26, has made 127 G League outings in total, including 33 with the Mexico City Capitanes during the 2023/24 season. He went undrafted in 2021 out of Oregon State and had a couple of training camp deals with Chicago but was waived during camp both times. Thompson also signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Magic last year and was waived during training camp.

The Magic signed center Orlando Robinson to a two-way contract earlier this week. As a result of waiving Thompson, they now have two open two-way slots.

Southeast Notes: Da Silva, Wagner, Bitadze, Knueppel, McNeeley, Heat

July 21st, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Magic forwards Tristan Da Silva and Franz Wagner have been named to Germany’s preliminary roster for this summer’s EuroBasket tournament, according to Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel.

Wagner is one of the top players for Germany, which finished third at the competition in 2022. NBA veterans Dennis Schröder and Daniel Theis are also on the 16-man roster, which must be cut down to 12 for the tournament. Magic assistant coach Randy Gregory will serve as an assistant coach.

Orlando center Goga Bitadze will play for the Republic of Georgia at the event. The tournament will take place Aug. 27-Sept. 14 in Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

The Hornets won the Las Vegas Summer League title and Kon Knueppel was named the tourney’s MVP. In doing so, Knueppel proved he had much to offer than just his ability to knock down jumpers, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes. Late first-round pick Liam McNeeley played with a chip on his shoulder and he could prove to be a steal at No. 29 overall, Boone adds.
The Heat essentially have one two-way contract available. Did any of the unsigned players on their Summer League roster earn that deal? The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang identifies five players — center Dain Dainja, forwards Javonte Cooke and Myron Gardner and guards Erik Stevenson and Bryson Warren — who deserve consideration for that spot.
How does the current Heat roster stack up against their Eastern Conference peers? Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald believes that Miami could finish anywhere from fifth to 10th in the East and identifies Cleveland and New York as the only clubs clearly better than the Heat, unless Philadelphia’s top players are healthy.

Magic Sign Orlando Robinson To Two-Way Contract

July 21st, 2025 at 2:50pm CST by Rory Maher

The Magic have signed free agent center Orlando Robinson to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel was the first to report Robinson’s new deal.

The 25-year-old big man spent his first two NBA seasons with Miami after going undrafted out of Fresno State in 2022. He started 2024/25 — his third campaign — with Sacramento, was released in January, then spent the final three months of the season on various contracts with Toronto. The Raptors released Robinson on April 10, making him an unrestricted free agent.

In 44 combined games with the Kings and Raptors last season, Robinson averaged 6.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.5 minutes per contest, with all of those figures representing career highs. He posted a shooting line of .444/.327/.771.

As our tracker shows, Robinson will join Ethan Thompson as players on two-way contracts with the Magic. They still have a two-way opening even after adding Robinson.

Robinson will earn $636,435 in 2025/26, half of the rookie minimum, and can be active for up 50 games if the Magic carry a full standard roster.

Wendell Moore Jr. Makes Case For NBA Roster Spot

July 21st, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Duke shooting guard Wendell Moore Jr. has yet to establish himself as a reliable rotation player at the NBA level, having appeared in just 90 total games since being drafted 26th overall in 2022. However, he believes he showed during his time with the Magic‘s Summer League team this month that he belongs on an NBA roster, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays (subscription required).

“I showed that I deserved to be in this league,” Moore said. “I showed I can be one of the best defenders out here. I can make shots, I can get downhill (and) play secondary lead guard, if needed. I showed I can do a bunch of things on the floor that can help teams win.”

Moore averaged 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steal in 22.7 minutes per game across five outings for the Magic in Las Vegas. While he made a modest 44.0% of his shots from the field and 28.6% from beyond the arc, he earned 4.4 free throws per game and knocked down 86.4% of them while also providing defensive versatility.

The 6’5″ guard spent his first two seasons in Minnesota and barely got off the bench for the Timberwolves, logging just 228 total minutes across 54 appearances. He played a little more last season for Detroit and Charlotte, with averages of 4.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 13.9 minutes per game across 36 outings. He had a shooting line of .468/.341/.818.

Moore, who will turn 24 in September, finished the season on a two-way contract with the Hornets and wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer, so he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

As Beede points out, Moore still qualifies for a two-way deal for one more season and has made a strong case for consideration with his play in Las Vegas. However, Orlando has a loaded backcourt already, so it’s unclear if the club would be willing to use one of its remaining two-way openings on him. Ethan Thompson is currently the Magic’s only two-way player.

Young Magic Players Shine At Summer League

July 19th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Even though the Magic were winless in Summer League play, they’re encouraged by the performances of rookies Jase Richardson and Noah Penda, as well as second-year player Tristan Da Silva, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Richardson, a first-round pick out of Michigan State, served as Orlando’s lead ball-handler and averaged 16.5 points and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 50% from three-point range. “He played two really tough, physical teams and he did a heck of a job commanding our offense, getting his teammates involved when he needed to and looked to score when he needed,” coach Ameer Bahhur said. “Defensively, for his first taste of NBA minutes, he did a great job of matching physicality and battling.”

Summer League Notes: Filipowski, Harper, Pelicans, Labissiere, Huntley

July 16th, 2025 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Kyle Filipowski has turned in a series of impressive performances for the Jazz‘s Summer League team in Las Vegas, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune, who wonders whether Utah might consider starting the second-year big man this fall. As Larsen points out, the team’s most-used starting lineup featured Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and John Collins, so Filipowski could theoretically slot into Collins’ old role.

Last year’s No. 31 overall pick has been shut down for the rest of Summer League, Larsen tweets, after averaging a Vegas-best 29.3 points in 28.6 minutes per game with a .561/.391/.625 shooting line in the Jazz’s first three contests.

This year No. 2 pick, Dylan Harper, has also been shut down for the rest of Summer League, according to the Spurs (Twitter link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN). Harper struggled with his shot in the two games he played, making just 10-of-28 shots from the field (35.7%), including 1-of-8 three-pointers (12.5%), but he contributed 16 points in both outings.

Here are a few more notes from Summer League:

After going undrafted out of Washington in 2024, Keion Brooks spent most of his rookie season on a two-way deal with the Pelicans, but he appeared in just 14 NBA games and didn’t get a qualifying offer in June. Still, he’s making a case with his Summer League play – including a 16-point showing on Tuesday – that he deserves to be re-signed, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com (subscription required). “I’m just trying to get better at the things I was already kinda good at already,” Brooks said. “I know much isn’t going to be expected of me as far as creating my own shot. So it’s just about being a real good glue guy.”
It has been an up-and-down Summer League so far for Pelicans lottery picks Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. While Queen had 17 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday, with Fears scoring 14 points in 23 minutes, the duo combined to commit 14 of New Orleans’ 25 turnovers on the night.
A first-round pick way back in 2016, big man Skal Labissiere is the oldest member of the Magic‘s Summer League team at age 29, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (subscription required). Labissiere tells Beede that he doesn’t feel like he has “anything to prove to anyone,” but is hoping the Summer League showcase will help him earn another NBA job. “We talk about opportunity … It only takes one,”Magic Summer League coach Ameer Bahhur said. “For him, he’s been doing it at a high level for a long time. He knows who he is and now it’s just continuing to show that he’s progressed.”
Rookie forward CJ Huntley, who is on a two-way contract with Phoenix, has reminded Suns Summer League head coach DeMarre Carroll a little of Jarrett Allen with his play in Las Vegas, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “Just with his force to the rim. Anytime he gets it in the paint, he’s putting it in the rim,” Carroll said. “He’s just got to continue to keep rolling with force, keep playing with that force and keep developing and I think he’ll be OK.”

Eastern Notes: Robinson, Richardson, Embiid, Dadiet

July 14th, 2025 at 7:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons defeated the Heat three times last season in hotly contested games and that made a strong impression on Duncan Robinson, who was acquired from Miami by Detroit in a sign-and-trade.

“Heat versus Pistons, it feels like every single one had some sort of crazy finish,” he told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “The thing that sticks out about this group is the physicality, the toughness and how hard they play. And honestly how they share the ball. That’s the type of system you want to play in, those are the types of guys you want to be around.”

Robinson will be joining forces with Caris LeVert, who was signed to a two-year deal as a free agent. They were teammates at the University of Michigan.

“Caris and I were really good friends in college and we’ve kept up that way pretty much across our entire careers,” Robinson said. “He’s an incredible player obviously. One of the best people I’ve ever been around in terms of a teammate. I’m excited to be back with him. Outside of competing against him I didn’t really know any of these guys too well and they’ve been super welcoming. It is nice to have somebody joining me who also will be new who I do know really well. So that’ll be good.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Jase Richardson is making his presence felt in Summer League competition. The Magic rookie guard has averaged 16.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds in two games. Richardson slipped to the No. 25 pick after some believed he might go in the lottery. “I can do a lot of things in that [position],” Richardson said about driving downhill, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel. “I can score for myself, I can get my teammates involved and a lot of different ways I can get a bucket for the team.”
The Sixers‘ roster is being built with the notion that the team will have to overcome inevitable absences of superstar center Joel Embiid, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. That includes the drafting of VJ Edgecombe in the lottery, the addition of free agent power forward Trendon Watford and the injury return of Jared McCain. Those additions should provide additional offensive versatility to complement star guard Tyrese Maxey.
Knicks 2024 first-rounder Pacome Dadiet had an injury scare in Summer League. The 19-year-old wing departed a contest with left foot soreness. It turned out to be a big toe issue but there was no structural damage, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets.