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Kings Sign Precious Achiuwa, Waive Isaac Jones

November 4th, 2025 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

4:52 pm: The Kings have officially signed Achiuwa and waived Jones, according to a team press release.

9:17 am: The Kings have reached an agreement with free agent forward/center Precious Achiuwa on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. According to Charania, Sacramento is expected to waive second-year forward Isaac Jones in order to make room on the roster for Achiuwa.

NBA insider Jake Fischer first reported on Monday that the Kings were eyeing Achiuwa, with Brett Siegel of Clutch Points stating at the time that Jones would likely be the odd man out if the team made a roster move.

The Kings have been shorthanded in the frontcourt after losing Keegan Murray to a thumb injury last month. With their starting power forward sidelined, the Kings have had to use smaller lineups while also leaning on rookies Nique Clifford and Dylan Cardwell more than expected in the early going.

Achiuwa, 26, began his career with the Heat as the No. 20 overall pick in 2020. He was sent to the Raptors as part of the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade during the 2021 offseason and spent two-plus seasons in Toronto before being traded to the Knicks along with OG Anunoby in December 2023. Achiuwa was in New York for a season-and-a-half, then signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Heat this fall but didn’t make Miami’s regular season roster due to luxury tax concerns.

Achiuwa is a bit undersized for a center and isn’t a threat as an outside shooter, but he’s an athletic, high-energy player who rebounds well and is a versatile, switchable defender. In 57 games in 2024/25, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest, with a .502/.278/.594 shooting line.

As for Jones, the former Washington State standout caught on with the Kings as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and appeared in 40 games off the bench for the team, earning a promotion from his two-way deal to a standard contract in March. While he exceeded expectations during his time in Sacramento, Jones played a very limited role, averaging 7.6 minutes per game last season and logging just 17 minutes in three contests so far in 2025/26, even with Murray sidelined.

There were some conflicting reports on Jones’ contract when the Kings exercised his ’25/26 team option in June, but ESPN’s Bobby Marks confirms (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old’s minimum salary was non-guaranteed. That means Sacramento will only be on the hook for a $191,043 dead-money cap hit if Jones is cut on Tuesday — for the purposes of evaluating whether the team finishes the season in luxury tax territory, he’ll count for $214,151 due to tax variance.

Assuming Achiuwa officially signs on Tuesday, a prorated minimum deal would pay him $2,453,285, with the Kings carrying a cap charge of $2,111,516. I would expect his contract to be non-guaranteed, though that hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Pacers Add Jeremiah Robinson-Earl On 10-Day Hardship Contract

November 1st, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

2:00 pm: Robinson-Earl’s 10-day hardship contract with the Pacers is now official, per a team press release.

11:11 am: The Pacers are planning to sign forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day contract via the hardship exception, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets.

Indiana’s star player, Tyrese Haliburton, is out for the season after suffering a right Achilles tendon rupture during the Finals. The Pacers are also currently without guards T.J. McConnell (hamstring), Kam Jones (back), Bennedict Mathurin (toe), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) and Johnny Furphy (foot). Additionally, forward Obi Toppin just underwent a procedure on his foot that will keep him out of action for at least three months.

A team qualifies for a hardship exception when it meets all of the following criteria:

It has at least four players unavailable due to injury or illness.
All four of those players have missed at least three consecutive games.
All four of those players are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.

Robinson-Earl played 66 games with the Pelicans last season, including nine starts. He averaged 6.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.8 minutes per game. He was waived by Dallas prior to the season opener after signing an Exhibit 9 contract with the team during the offseason.

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd praised Robinson-Earl during training camp and expressed hope that he could find another NBA opportunity.

“When you talk about him being a pro — he should be on an NBA roster,” Kidd said. “When you look at what he does, he’s consistent. He comes to work every day and does his job. He can shoot it, he can pass it, he can defend. It’s really sad that he’s not on an NBA roster for whatever reason.”

His G League rights are held by the Texas Legends.

Knicks Exercise 2026/27 Option On Pacome Dadiet

October 31st, 2025 at 10:06pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks have exercised their third-year team option on Pacome Dadiet, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (via Twitter).

Dadiet, the 25th overall pick in last year’s draft, will now earn a guaranteed $2,983,680 in 2026/27. New York will have until the end of next October to decide whether to pick up its fourth-year option on Dadiet.

A 6’7″ guard/forward, Dadiet only played 111 minutes in 18 games with the Knicks as a rookie last season. He has yet to make an appearance in year two.

The French wing received more playing time at the G League level in ’24/25, averaging 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23 games (31.8 minutes per contest) for the Knicks’ affiliate team in Westchester. Scoring efficiency was an issue for the 20-year-old, who posted a shooting line of .402/.296/.826.

There were rumors that the Knicks might look to trade Dadiet this fall to clear enough room below their second-apron hard cap to keep two veterans on their roster to open the season instead of one. However, Malcolm Brogdon‘s surprise retirement likely ended any speculation on that front, and now Dadiet will be under contract through at least next season.

Today was the deadline for teams to make decisions on rookie scale team options for 2026/27. All of those decisions can be found here.

Chris Livingston Signs Two-Way Contract With Cavaliers

October 31st, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Rory Maher

8:00 pm: The deal is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

3:26 pm: Free agent wing Chris Livingston will be signing a two-way contract with the Cavaliers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

The 58th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Livingston spent his first two NBA seasons on a standard deal with Milwaukee, the team that drafted him. He rarely played for the Bucks, averaging just 4.7 minutes per game across 42 total appearances over that span.

Livingston, who turned 22 earlier this month, has showed some promise in the G League. In 18 outings for the Wisconsin Herd in 2024/25, he averaged 18.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals in 29.5 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .485/.301/.828.

The 6’6″ small forward also played well for the Bucks’ Summer League team this July, earning a new one-year, minimum-salary contract in Milwaukee after having been waived two weeks earlier. His new deal was fully guaranteed, but the Bucks decided to release him again ahead of the regular season due to a roster crunch.

As our tracker shows, the Cavaliers and Nets are the only teams in the NBA with an open two-way spot — no corresponding move will be necessary for Cleveland to add Livingston.

Livingston will earn a prorated portion of a full two-way salary, which is worth half the rookie minimum. If his deal is finalized on Friday, that would work out to just under $600K, a figure that is non-guaranteed until January.

It’s a homecoming for Livingston, who was born nearby in Akron, Ohio.

Hornets Exercise 2026/27 Options On Miller, Salaun

October 31st, 2025 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have picked up their rookie scale team options on wing Brandon Miller and forward Tidjane Salaun, the team announced today in a press release.

The club’s decision to exercise Miller’s fourth-year option and Salaun’s third-year option ensures that both players are guaranteed to receive their full salaries for the 2026/27 season. Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, will make $15,104,626 in the final year of his rookie contract, while Salaun, 2024’s sixth overall pick, will earn $8,237,880.

Miller had a terrific rookie season for Charlotte in 2023/24, averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game in 74 outings (68 starts) and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting behind star big men Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. However, he has been limited to just 29 appearances since then due to health issues, including wrist surgery last season. He’s currently sidelined as a result of a left shoulder subluxation.

Salaun didn’t make the same sort of impact as Miller in his own rookie season in 2024/25, posting an underwhelming shooting line of .330/.283/.713 in 60 games and averaging just 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per contest. The 20-year-old Frenchman has played 13.8 minutes per night off the bench so far this fall, but the Hornets remain confident enough in his longer-term outlook to lock in his $8.2MM salary for next season.

While Miller will become eligible for a rookie scale extension in 2026, Charlotte will have to make one more decision on Salaun’s rookie contract, either exercising or declining his 2027/28 option (worth about $10.45MM) next fall.

Rockets Pick Up 2026/27 Options On Thompson, Sheppard

October 31st, 2025 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets have exercised their team options for the 2026/27 season on guards Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, reports Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

While Houston waited until deadline day to pick up those options, there was never a doubt that they’d be exercised. Both players project to be major parts of the team’s future and will have relatively team-friendly cap hits for ’26/27, with Thompson earning $12,258,609 and Sheppard making $11,108,880.

It’s a fourth-year option for Thompson, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and is line for a lucrative second contract after earning All-Defensive first team honors as an NBA sophomore in 2024/25. So far this season, he’s averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game through four outings (33.5 MPG).

Sheppard, the third overall pick in 2024, played a very limited role as a rookie, averaging just 12.6 minutes per night in 52 games. However, he’s being counted on to take on more responsibilities this season in the wake of Fred VanVleet‘s ACL tear. In his first four games, he he averages of 10.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per contest, with a 36.4% mark on three-point attempts.

Because Sheppard is having his third-year option picked up, the Rockets will have one more decision to make on his rookie scale contract — his $14.04MM option for 2027/28 will have to be exercised next fall.

With Houston’s moves complete, we’re only awaiting word on Charlotte’s and New York’s ’26/27 rookie scale option decisions, as our tracker shows.

Hawks Exercise 2026/27 Option On Zaccharie Risacher

October 30th, 2025 at 5:31pm CST by Rory Maher

As expected, the Hawks have exercised their 2026/27 rookie scale team option on second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher, ensuring 2024’s No. 1 overall pick will earn $13,826,040 next season.

Risacher got off to a slow start during his rookie season in ’24/25, averaging 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in his first 38 NBA games (23.6 minutes contest), with a shooting line of just .400/.283/.707.

However, the French wing was far more efficient from that point on, averaging 14.9 PPG and 3.6 RPG on .518/.418/.717 shooting over his final 35 games of last season (25.7 MPG).

Risacher, 20, has been slowed by a right ankle sprain this fall that caused him to miss two of Atlanta’s five games. He has averaged 8.7 PPG on .400/.300/.750 shooting in the early going of his second season.

We’re still waiting on a handful of decisions from teams regarding 2026/27 rookie scale team options. Those decisions are due by Friday.

Clippers Declining Kobe Brown’s 2026/27 Option

October 30th, 2025 at 4:52pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have decided to decline their 2026/27 rookie scale team option on forward Kobe Brown, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

The move will make Brown an unrestricted free agent during the 2026 offseason, assuming he plays out the current season without being waived. The Clippers – or Brown’s new team, if he’s traded prior to February’s deadline – would not be permitted next summer to offer him a starting salary exceeding $4,792,058, which is the amount of the ’26/27 option being declined.

Brown, who played four years of college ball at Missouri, was the 30th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He will make $2,654,880 this season, which is his third in the NBA.

The 25-year-old combo forward hasn’t received much playing time with Los Angeles to this point in his career, making 84 appearances and averaging 7.9 minutes per game through two seasons. He has appeared in three games with the Clippers so far this fall, averaging just 4.7 MPG.

While his NBA role has been very modest, Brown has been a featured player at the G League level the past two years in the instances when he has been sent down for more reps. In six games (33.3 MPG) with the San Diego Clippers in 2024/25, Brown averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals on .474/.366/.800 shooting.

We’re tracking all of this year’s rookie scale team option decisions right here.

Jazz Pick Up 2026/27 Rookie Scale Options On Five Players

October 30th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Jazz have exercised their 2026/27 rookie scale team options on five players, the team announced in a press release. Those players, whose contracts for next season are now guaranteed, are as follows:

Taylor Hendricks (fourth year, $7,805,900)
Keyonte George (fourth year, $6,563,925)
Cody Williams (third year, $6,015,600)
Brice Sensabaugh (fourth year, $4,862,237)
Isaiah Collier (third year, $2,763,960)

According to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link), there may have been “some degree” of doubt about Williams’ option being exercised after he struggled as a rookie, but obviously the team picked it up. The younger brother of Thunder star Jalen Williams was the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft.

George, Hendricks and Sensabaugh will now be eligible for rookie scale extensions in the 2026 offseason.

George, the 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft, is off to a strong start in his third season, averaging career-bests of 22.3 points, 9.3 assists and 1.0 steal in 34.5 minutes per contest through four games.

Hendricks, the ninth pick of 2023, missed nearly all of last season after suffering a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle a year ago. The 21-year-old forward, who is known for his defense, has received rotation minutes this fall, averaging 5.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG in four appearances (17.3 MPG).

Sensabaugh got a nice birthday present on Thursday, locking in his $4,862,237 salary for next season. The 22-year-old wing has been in the rotation for the second straight season, averaging 10.8 PPG and 3.8 RPG in 17.5 MPG over four contests.

Collier’s second season has been delayed by a hamstring strain, but the 6’3″ point guard is inching closer to making his ’25/26 debut. The 21-year-old was the 29th pick in 2024.

As our tracker shows, Utah picked up all the rookie scale options the team had decisions on. The Jazz will have until November 2, 2026 to determine whether or not to exercise their fourth-year options on Collier and Williams.

Warriors Exercise 2026/27 Option On Brandin Podziemski

October 30th, 2025 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have picked up their rookie scale team option on guard Brandin Podziemski for the 2026/27 season, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The move, which was considered a sure thing to happen prior to Friday’s deadline, locks in Podziemski’s $5,679,458 salary for the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. He’ll now be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2026 offseason and would reach restricted free agency in 2027 if he and the Warriors don’t work out a new deal before then.

Podziemski, 22, has been a regular part of Golden State’s rotation since being drafted 19th overall in 2023. The former Santa Clara star averaged 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game in 64 outings last season, posting a shooting line of .445/.372/.758. He’s off to a solid start this year too, scoring 12.2 PPG and knocking down 42.3% of his three-point attempts through five games, including three starts.

Podziemski is one of six Warriors players whose contract includes an option for 2026/27, but he’s the only one of those six on a rookie scale contract. While rookie scale options must be exercised by October 31, decisions on player options for Draymond Green, Al Horford, and De’Anthony Melton, along with team options for Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis, won’t be due until next June.