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Justin Edwards Gets Standard Contract From Sixers

February 9th, 2025 at 11:30am CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 9: Edwards’ new contract is official, the Sixers announced (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 8: Rookie forward Justin Edwards, who has been a standout for the Sixers on a two-way contract, will be promoted to a standard deal, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Edwards’ new contract will run through the rest of the season with a team option for 2025/26. Both sides have interest in possibly reaching a longer deal during the offseason, sources tell Pompey.

Philadelphia is currently limited to a two-year contract because it only has the minimum salary exception available. The Sixers could decline their option this summer and make him a restricted free agent as a way to sign him to a longer deal.

Edwards, 21, agreed to the two-way contract in July after going undrafted out of Kentucky. He’s averaging 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists through 22 games with shooting splits of .469/.375/.647.

The Philadelphia native recently moved into the starting lineup and appears to be part of the team’s foundation moving forward. He played briefly in the G League at the start of the season, but has been used in all but one Sixers game since January 1.

Philadelphia had three open roster spots following Thursday’s trade deadline, so another move won’t be needed to clear room for Edwards. March 4 is the last day to sign another player to a two-way contract.

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Heat Rumors: Wiggins, Butler, Anderson, Tax

February 8th, 2025 at 6:48am CST by Luke Adams

After declining to comment on the Jimmy Butler situation in recent weeks, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the subject on Friday after the team’s four-team deal sending the star forward to Golden State had officially been processed, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

Spoelstra admitted that he doesn’t “completely understand” how the relationship deteriorated to the extend that it did, but expressed gratitude to Butler for his time in Miami.

[RELATED: Inside Jimmy Butler’s Final Weeks With Heat]

“It was a great partnership and corroboration for five years,” Spoelstra said. “Some deep core memories. I’m grateful for them and grateful for the time of being able to coach a player like Jimmy.”

As for the outcome of the trade, Spoelstra praised the front office for bolstering the roster “in a way that was really creative,” expressing enthusiasm about the players the team added. The coach lauded Andrew Wiggins for his ability to fit in and make an impact on both ends of the court; cited Davion Mitchell‘s “competitive spirit” and toughness as traits the club has long admired; and referred to Kyle Anderson as one of the league’s most unique role players whose “IQ is off the charts.”

“(General manager) Andy (Elisburg) just did a tremendous job,” Spoelstra said. “Obviously (team president) Pat (Riley) with this vision of all this stuff. And to be able to get a draft pick, we were able to do a lot of different things.

“We have clarity now. This could have looked a lot worse if you had to go through a lot of different changing situations. All things considered, it’s a good spot for this stretch run. We feel good about turning the page of the direction of our franchise. It’s exciting. [And] Jimmy will be in a great place in Golden State.”

Here are a few more items of interest related to the Heat’s trade talks leading up to Thursday’s deadline:

  • The Bucks and Sixers were mentioned a couple times in recent weeks as possible suitors for Butler, but neither team had substantive discussions with the Heat, Jackson reports in another Miami Herald story. Jackson believes a trade centered around Butler and Paul George would’ve been of greater interest to Philadelphia than Miami.
  • As they engaged Golden State in recent weeks about a Butler trade, the Heat never seriously considered the idea of flipping Wiggins to Toronto or another team, according to Jackson, who says Miami really likes the former No. 1 overall pick and views him as a good two-way fit.
  • The Heat would have ducked out of luxury tax territory if they’d completed a rumored side deal to send Anderson to the Raptors, but Toronto’s front office changed its mind about bringing the veteran forward aboard when the team got the chance to acquire Brandon Ingram from New Orleans, says Jackson. The Heat weren’t angry at the Raptors about that pivot, Jackson adds, because they understood their talks were fluid and they hadn’t gotten a firm commitment from Toronto.
  • Even though that aspect of the trade fell through, the Heat moved forward with another side deal – sending Dennis Schröder, a second-round pick, and cash to Utah for P.J. Tucker – even though it no longer moved them below the tax line, Jackson writes, because they didn’t want to renege on their agreement with the Jazz. Schröder and Tucker ultimately ended up in Detroit and Toronto, respectively, when the dust settled.
  • The Heat, who remained about $2.8MM over the tax line following the Butler blockbuster, received three trade offers in the hours leading up to Thursday’s deadline that would’ve made them a non-taxpayer, per Jackson. However, they decided that all three proposals would make the team worse and opted to remain in the tax rather than accept one of them. Miami is still below the first tax apron, giving the club the ability to pursue any player who hits the buyout market, regardless of the player’s previous salary.
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Chuma Okeke Joins Sixers On 10-Day Contract

February 7th, 2025 at 8:42am CST by Arthur Hill

February 7: Okeke’s 10-day contract is now official, the 76ers announced in a press release.

February 6: The Sixers will sign Chuma Okeke to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 26-year-old forward is currently playing with the G League’s Westchester Knicks, where he’s averaging 17.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 16 regular season games.

He was in training camp with New York on an Exhibit 10 contract, but was waived before the start of the season.

Okeke was taken by Orlando with the 16th pick in the 2019 draft and spent four seasons with the Magic. He appeared in 189 games, made 55 starts and averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per night.

If Okeke’s signing is finalized in time for Friday’s contest at Detroit, he will be eligible for four games before next week’s All-Star break. He will be able to sign a second 10-day deal with Philadelphia when this one expires.

The Sixers will have multiple open roster spots after their series of deadline deals are official, so no corresponding move will be necessary to bring Okeke aboard.

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NBA Announces 2025 All-Star Game Rosters

February 6th, 2025 at 6:33pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The 24 players selected for the 2025 All-Star Game were drafted on a Thursday pre-game TNT show by coaches Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, and later announced by the NBA (Twitter link).

The players were previously sorted into groups of starters and reserves, but that had no bearing on their team placement for the new mini-tournament in this year’s game.

Below are each team’s selections, sorted in order of pick:

Team Shaq

O’Neal had the first overall pick in the televised draft, selecting James, who holds the record for most All-Star appearances in a career. For the most part, O’Neal opted for the “old guard” of the NBA, so to speak. His team has a whopping 87 All-Star appearances (including this year) among its eight players.

The roster also unites a handful of players. Durant spent this week in trade rumors, with reports indicating he didn’t want to be traded to Curry’s Warriors. The two players were teammates for three seasons. This also will mark the first time James and Davis will play together since the blockbuster move that brought Doncic to L.A. Additionally, Curry, James, Durant, Tatum and Davis all played together on the 2024 U.S. men’s Olympic Team.

Team Kenny

In contrast to O’Neal’s roster, Smith opted for some of the younger stars across the league. Smith’s team has a combined 13 All-Star nods to their name — Williams, Mobley, Cunningham and Herro are all first-timers. Smith united a pair of Cavaliers, with Mobley and Garland joining forces.

Team Chuck

Barkley went for a mix of experience in his group. He secured the top three expected players in the MVP race this season between Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander. He also landed Wembanyama with the 12th overall pick. Barkley’s group has a combined 35 All-Star honors, with Sengun and Wembanyama as first-time All-Stars and Antetkounmpo (nine) and Jokic (seven) leading the way.

A fourth team coached by Candace Parker will play in the tournament. She’ll be coaching whichever team wins this year’s Rising Stars Challenge — those rosters were announced earlier this week. Two teams will meet in a semifinal (game one) while the other two also play each other (game two). The winning team from each game moves on to the final round.

The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Each player on the team that wins the final will receive $125,000, while members of the second-place team earn $50,000. Players on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.

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Trade Deadline Notes: Martin, Draft Pick Details, Cash

February 6th, 2025 at 5:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2025 NBA trade deadline is now behind us.

It was a wild week leading up to the trade deadline, with Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Jimmy Butler, Zach LaVine, and Brandon Ingram among the accomplished stars reported to be on the move even before deadline day arrived on Thursday.

Several more deals were agreed upon in the hours before the deadline, with the East-leading Cavaliers striking a deal for Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter and established vets like Marcus Smart, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Jusuf Nurkic also changing teams.

The full list of in-season trades – both official and still pending – can be found right here. We’ll continue to update that tracker as more details are reported and more details are officially processed.

It’s also worth noting that several notable trade candidates remained with their current teams through Thursday’s deadline. The Nets made multiple trades earlier in the season, but didn’t move Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe, or anyone else this week. The Trail Blazers, another potential seller, stood pat, with Robert Williams, Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, and Deandre Ayton all remaining in Portland.

The Jazz and Bulls each made deal, but rumored trade chips like John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, and Lonzo Ball weren’t involved in them.

The Knicks only made a minor move, preferring to stick with Mitchell Robinson and bet on his return to health rather than acquiring another center. The Magic, Timberwolves, and Nuggets were among the few teams who stood pat, opting not to make a single in-season deal.

The Pacers, Celtics, Rockets, and Thunder all had pretty quiet deadlines too, only taking part in salary-dump deals (either sending or receiving).

Here are a few more deadline-related notes that we didn’t want to slip through the cracks as we look to stay on top of all the roster moves being made and trade details still being reported:

  • The Mavericks had the option to void their Caleb Martin trade with the Sixers after his return from a right hip sprain was determined to be a little further off than anticipated, tweets NBA insider Marc Stein. However, the Mavs were comfortable moving ahead with the deal after Philadelphia added a second-round pick, since they don’t expect Martin to be out too long. They’re optimistic he’ll be back in action within about two or three weeks, sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link).
  • The second-round pick the Pistons are acquiring in the multi-team Butler deal is a 2031 second-round pick from the Warriors, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Golden State previously gave Minnesota swap rights on that pick, so Detroit will receive the least favorable of the Warriors’ and Timberwolves’ 2031 second-rounders.
  • The Grizzlies‘ 2025 first-rounder headed to the Wizards in their Smart trade includes top-14 protection, reports David Aldridge of The Athletic (Twitter link). Given Memphis’ current 35-16 record, it’s a pretty safe bet that pick won’t land in its protected range.
  • The Bucks are sending cash to all three of the other teams involved in their Khris Middleton/Kyle Kuzma deal, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Wizards are getting $1MM from Milwaukee, the Knicks are getting $2MM, and the Spurs are receiving $4.13MM. The Bucks were only able to trade cash because they’re moving below the second tax apron as part of that deal.
  • The Pelicans received $1MM in cash from the Thunder in the trade that sent Daniel Theis and a future second-round pick to Oklahoma City, reports Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Oklahoma City has since waived Theis.
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Sixers Trade KJ Martin, Two Second-Rounders To Pistons

February 6th, 2025 at 2:53pm CST by Rory Maher

FEBRUARY 6: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Sixers, who received cash considerations in the deal. Martin was acquired using the Pistons’ cap room and will be flipped to Utah as part of the Jimmy Butler multi-team trade, as we outlined in a separate story.

FEBRUARY 5: The Sixers are trading forward KJ Martin and a pair of second-round picks to the Pistons, sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), Philadelphia is sending Detroit a 2027 second-rounder via Milwaukee, as well as Dallas’ 2031 selection.

Martin, 24, was listed as out on Tuesday due to trade pending. Subsequent reports indicated that he was expected to be moved on Wednesday, which has now come to fruition.

Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that the Pistons are expected acquire Martin using their room exception. The room exception is worth $7,983,000 in 2024/25, while Martin makes just under that total ($7,975,000).

Detroit would have to use its remaining $14MM in cap space before dipping into the room exception, so this presumably won’t be the only trade the team makes. This deal suggests the front office is focused more on the future than the present, but it’s possible Detroit could thread the needle and find win-now help while still acquiring draft assets in the process.

The No. 52 pick of the 2020 draft, Martin spent his first three NBA seasons in Houston prior to being traded to the Clippers in a five-team deal in the 2023 offseason. He only played two games for Los Angeles, having been sent to Philadelphia in November 2023 as part of the James Harden blockbuster.

After playing a modest role for the Sixers in 2023/24, Martin re-signed with the club on a two-year, $16MM deal that was widely viewed as being completed for future trade purposes. The second year is fully non-guaranteed, so the high-flying forward certainly isn’t a lock to remain with Detroit going forward.

However, since the 76ers have struggled in ’24/25 – they currently sit outside of the East’s play-in tournament at 20-29 – they ended up dumping Martin’s contract instead of using it as a way to try and improve the roster, making the decision to bump up his salary last summer look like a mistake in retrospect.

As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (Twitter link), by shedding Martin’s salary and completing a separate trade with Dallas on Tuesday, the 76ers have saved $40MM+ when accounting for payroll, tax payments and dipping below the luxury tax line. They’ll now receive a tax distribution valued at roughly $12-14MM instead of being a taxpayer.

Since they’re well below the first tax apron, they’ll also be able to add players on the buyout market, regardless of the player’s pre-waiver salary.

Martin hasn’t seen action since Dec. 23 due to a foot injury. He has appeared in 24 games this season (seven starts), averaging 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game.

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Wizards Waive Reggie Jackson

February 6th, 2025 at 2:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards are placing veteran guard Reggie Jackson on waivers after acquiring him from the Sixers earlier today, the team announced (via Twitter).

Jackson is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, so Washington won’t be on the hook for any dead money beyond this season after letting him go. Assuming he clears waivers, he’ll be free to sign with anyone except Philadelphia for the rest of the season.

The Wizards were able to acquire a 2026 first-round pick from the Sixers, which was their motivation for the deal. They now have a roster opening, along with a vacant two-way slot after sending Jared Butler to Philadelphia.

The 34-year-old Jackson signed with Philadelphia as a free agent last summer, but he averaged just 4.4 points and 1.5 assists in 31 games while playing 12.4 minutes per night. Still, he may find some interest on the open market from teams looking for veteran backcourt help.

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Sixers Trade Reggie Jackson, First-Round Pick To Wizards For Jared Butler, Four Second-Rounders

February 6th, 2025 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

1:20 pm: The trade is official, according to a press release from the Sixers. Philadelphia waived two-way player Pete Nance in order to complete the deal.

9:19 am: The Sixers and Wizards have agreed to a trade, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who reports (via Twitter) that Washington will acquire a 2026 first-round pick from Philadelphia in exchange for four second-rounders.

A pair of players will also be involved in the deal, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Twitter link), with veteran guard Reggie Jackson headed to the Wizards and two-way player Jared Butler going to the 76ers.

According to Stein (Twitter links), the 2026 first-rounder Washington is acquiring will be the least favorable of the Thunder’s, Rockets’, and Clippers’ picks for that year. Houston’s first-rounder is technically top-four protected, though that’s extremely unlikely to affect which pick the Wizards receive.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, will receive second-rounders in 2027 and 2028, along with two in 2030, Stein adds. Here are the exact details on those four second-rounders, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice (Twitter link):

  • Either the Warriors’ or Suns’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
  • The Warriors’ 2028 second-round pick.
  • The Wizards’ 2030 second-round pick.
  • Either the Suns’ or Trail Blazers’ 2030 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

It’s a consolidation trade for the Wizards, who are taking on a little extra salary (Jackson is on a one-year, minimum-salary contract) and dipping into their huge collection of excess second-round picks in order to add a guaranteed first-round selection. Washington will still have 14 second-rounders at its disposal going forward.

As for the Sixers, they’re sacrificing a first-round pick that will likely end up in the 20s — or even at No. 30, if the Thunder are as good next season as they’ve been this year. They’ll also still control their own first-rounder in 2026 (assuming their top-six protected 2025 pick conveys this year) and have now replenished their collection of second-rounders going forward.

On top of that, Philadelphia will create a little extra financial flexibility below the luxury tax line – they’re now $3.5MM below that threshold, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link) – and will get a chance to take a flier on Butler, who has been solid in a limited role in Washington.

Butler has averaged 6.9 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .483/.366/.778, across 32 appearances off the bench this season. The former No. 40 overall pick could be a candidate for a promotion to the Sixers’ standard roster, since he’s nearing his 50-game NBA limit for the season.

Conversely, I wouldn’t expect Jackson to factor into the Wizards’ rest-of-season plans. The veteran guard is averaging just 4.4 PPG and 1.5 APG in 12.4 MPG (31 games) this season, with a .391/.338/.778 shooting line. Josh Robbins of The Athletic confirms (via Twitter) that Jackson will likely be traded or waived by Washington.

Having waived Sidy Cissoko earlier today, Washington has an open spot on its standard roster to take in Jackson. The move will create an open two-way slot for the Wizards.

The Sixers will create another opening on their 15-man roster – they’ll have three once this deal and their KJ Martin trade are official – but will need to cut a two-way player to acquire Butler.

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Sixers Sending Second-Rounder To Mavs In Caleb Martin Deal

February 6th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Rory Maher

The Sixers are amending their trade with the Mavericks and will now send Dallas a second-round pick in 2030 in addition to Caleb Martin, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), the 76ers are trading their own 2030 second-rounder to the Mavs. Philadelphia will control multiple 2030 second-round picks after officially completing its trade with Washington.

As Stein explains, Martin has been dealing with a right hip sprain and was believed to be nearing a return, but his physical was flagged due to the injury (Twitter links). Both teams consulted with the league office and Philadelphia agreed to send Dallas a second-round pick as a result.

Stein clarifies that the Mavericks don’t have any long-term concerns about Martin’s hip, though a return timeline for the veteran swingman has yet to be established.

Dallas sent impending restricted free agent Quentin Grimes and Philadelphia’s 2025 second-rounder, which the Mavs controlled from a previous deal, to the 76ers in the trade.

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Mavericks Notes: Davis, Irving, Christie, Martin

February 6th, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Davis could make his Mavericks debut tonight at Boston, tweets Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. Davis, who has been sidelined for the past week with a strained abdominal muscle, was upgraded to questionable in the team’s latest injury report. He was able to participate in this morning’s shootaround, and a decision on his status will be made closer to tipoff.

[Update: Davis is more likely to make his Mavericks debut on Saturday, per NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link).]

Davis met with the media on Tuesday for the first time since the shocking deal that sent him from the Lakers to the Mavs, Afseth writes in a full story. He told reporters that his long-standing relationship with Dallas general manager Nico Harrison has made the experience of changing teams much easier.

“Nico’s known me since I was in high school,” Davis said. “Obviously, one of the guys I got close to when I signed with Nike. And then, to stay close throughout the years, we remained good friends. And now to come back kind of full circle and be together here in Dallas, it’s going to be fun.”

Davis also expressed excitement about being able to return to his preferred position of power forward on a team that’s stocked with centers. Although he may see some time in the middle while Dereck Lively is injured, that should be temporary.

“Obviously, Dereck is dealing with an injury, but Gaff (Daniel Gafford) is playing phenomenal. So I think that’s the plan, but we’ll see how it goes,” Davis said. “Right now, I’m just excited to get back to playing basketball. Given the whole trade thing but also the injury, each time I’m on the floor, I feel better. But I haven’t played power forward in a long time, since I was first in LA. To be back at the four, I’m excited to see how it goes.”

There’s more on the Mavericks:

  • Davis is also thrilled to finally reunite with Kyrie Irving, Afseth adds. They both played for Team USA in the 2014 World Cup and have been interested in joining forces in the NBA for several years. “Me and Kai talked about this, I think, in 2018 when I asked for a trade from New Orleans,” Davis said. “He was in Boston at the time, and he ended up leaving for Brooklyn. We’ve been wanting to play alongside each other for a very long time. Now we got that opportunity to do so.”
  • Max Christie had an impressive first game for the Mavs in Tuesday’s loss at Philadelphia, Afseth states in a separate story. He scored 15 points while hitting all four of his three-point attempts, added nine rebounds and played high-level defense. “Christie was great. With 30 minutes on the floor and no practice, he was better than advertised,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He showed his skills as a basketball player on both sides of the floor for us tonight.” Christie said he enjoyed his debut, even though he’s still learning the sets that Dallas runs.
  • Because the Mavericks were playing in Philadelphia, Caleb Martin was able to join his new team right away when he got traded to Dallas before Tuesday’s game, notes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Martin signed with the Sixers in free agency last summer, but injuries have limited him to 31 games and he hasn’t played since January 10 due to a strained right hip. “It’s kind of disappointing to see him gone,” Joel Embiid said. “True professional. Obviously, we’ve had a tough season — all of us. We just haven’t been healthy. He’s been part of this. I feel like we never really got to see what we all envisioned about all of us.”
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