Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nets Officially Re-Sign Ziaire Williams

September 8th, 2025 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

10:30 am: As we speculated below, the Nets did in fact increase Williams’ two-year deal to $12.5MM, confirms Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The contract still features a second-year team option.

9:54 am: Over two months after their agreement was first reported, the Nets have officially finalized their deal with free agent swingman Ziaire Williams, the team confirmed today (Twitter link via Erik Slater of Clutch Points).

While the Nets didn’t provide any details on the contract besides referring to it as a “multiyear” arrangement, reporting on June 30 indicated that Williams would be signing a two-year, $12MM deal, with a second-year team option.

For what it’s worth, Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe reportedly agreed to the same terms, and when he officially re-signed last week, the total value of his contract was bumped slightly from $12MM to $12.5MM. It’s possible Brooklyn will do the same for Williams.

A former No. 10 overall pick who was acquired from Memphis in a trade during the 2024 offseason, Williams averaged 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game across 63 outings (45 starts) for Brooklyn in 2024/25.

While his 34.1% three-point percentage wasn’t great for a wing, it was a noticeable step up from the 30.1% mark he posted in his first three NBA seasons, and he showed off impressive defensive versatility, even handling center duties in a pinch. The former Stanford standout came at No. 43 on our list of this summer’s top 50 free agents.

Assuming Williams’ first-year salary comes in around $6MM, Brooklyn will still have just over $16MM in cap space available after officially re-signing Williams, Sharpe, and Cam Thomas. The team, which will also have the $8.8MM room exception at its disposal once it uses up its room, could increase its cap space by waiving one or more players who have non-guaranteed salaries.

It’s also worth noting that a player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract or a two-year deal that includes a second-year team option typically has the right to veto a trade during the following season. However, a player can agree to give up that right as part of the contract negotiation. I expect the Nets asked Williams to waive his trade veto rights, but we don’t have confirmation on that yet.

Grizzlies Sign Lawson Lovering, Tyler Burton To Camp Deals

September 6th, 2025 at 8:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies have announced (via Twitter) the signings of center Lawson Lovering and forward Tyler Burton. No details were provided on the contracts, but they’re likely Exhibit 10 deals for G League purposes.

Lovering, whose expected signing was first reported in late July, went undrafted after playing three years at Colorado and the past two seasons at Utah. He appeared in seven combined games with Memphis’ Summer League team in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, averaging 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes while making 62.5% of his field goal attempts.

Burton spent last season with the G League’s Memphis Hustle, appearing in eight games and averaging 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12 minutes per night. He played three years at Richmond and two years at Villanova before going undrafted in 2024.

The Grizzlies have 15 players with guaranteed contracts, and all three of their two-way slots are filled with this week’s addition of Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Today’s signings bring their roster to 20 players, one short of the offseason maximum.

Exhibit 10 contracts can be converted into two-way deals prior to the NBA’s regular season. A player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract also becomes eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with his team’s G League affiliate.

Lovering would qualify as an affiliate player for Memphis, while Burton would be a returning-rights player.

Suns Waive Alex Schumacher

September 5th, 2025 at 8:01pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Suns have waived Alex Schumacher, reports Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The move, which was not unexpected, came just a day after the team officially signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract.

Phoenix already held Schumacher’s G League returning rights, since he finished last season with the Valley Suns. Signing him to an Exhibit 10 deal and then waiving him will allow the organization to give him a bonus on top of his standard NBAGL salary for rejoining the Suns’ G League affiliate this fall.

Schumacher, who played two seasons at Seattle University before going undrafted in the 2024 draft, split time between the Valley Suns and the Windy City Bulls last season, averaging 9.2 points and 3.1 assists per game in his G League rookie year.

The sign-and-waive is a common move for teams to retain the ability to keep players in their programs by creating a pathway to more money than a standard G League contract. If the player spends at least 60 days with the team’s affiliate, he can earn a bonus worth as much as $85,300.

Magic To Sign Phillip Wheeler To Exhibit 10 Deal

September 5th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Magic are signing Phillip Wheeler to an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, according to The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer (via Twitter).

Wheeler, 23, played five games for the Sixers last season, averaging 1.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per night. The 6’9″ forward played 19 games for the Texas Legends G League team and averaged 16.9 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 36.2% from three.

Orlando had previously signed four players to Exhibit 10 deals: Justin Minaya, Reece Beekman, Lester Quinones, and Colin Castleton. The Magic currently have one open two-way contract slot, so they may have their training camp invitees compete for that final spot.

If any of the five Magic players are cut ahead of the season and spent at least 60 days with the club’s NBAGL affiliate, the Osceola Magic, they’ll be eligible to earn bonuses worth up to $85,300 on top of their standard G League salaries.

Suns Sign Alex Schumacher To Exhibit 10 Contract

September 5th, 2025 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have signed free agent guard Alex Schumacher to a training camp contract, per Paul Garcia of Spot Up Shot (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Schumacher, who went undrafted out of Seattle University in 2024, spent his first professional season in the G League, appearing in a total of 48 games for the Windy City Bulls and the Valley Suns, who acquired his rights in a March trade. The 24-year-old averaged 8.2 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game for the two teams, posting a shooting line of .395/.241/.825.

The Suns’ signing of Schumacher is almost certainly designed to ensure that he receives a bonus for returning to the Valley Suns this fall. His Exhibit 10 deal will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his standard NBAGL salary as long as he spends at least 60 days with Phoenix’s affiliate.

With Schumacher on the roster, the Suns are carrying 19 players, two shy of the offseason limit.

Grizzlies Sign Olivier-Maxence Prosper To Two-Way Deal

September 4th, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Rory Maher

3:59pm: Prosper’s two-way deal with the Grizzlies is official, the team announced (via Twitter).

11:48am: Free agent forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper intends to sign a two-way contract with the Grizzlies, agents Todd Ramasar and Mike Simonetta tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, Prosper mulled multiple contract offers before ultimately choosing Memphis. The Grizzlies were among the teams that conveyed interest in acquiring Prosper via trade before Dallas decided to waive and stretch his contract last Friday, Charania adds (via Twitter).

However, the Mavericks were said to be reluctant to part with one of their two remaining second-rounders to shed Prosper’s salary, and instead stretched it over three years, with annual cap hits of about $1MM through 2027/28.

Dallas needed to open up room under the second tax apron — at which the team is hard-capped — to re-sign Dante Exum.

Prosper has been an unrestricted free agent for a handful of days after being cut by the Mavs. The 6’8″ Canadian spent one year at Clemson and two seasons at Marquette prior to being selected No. 24 overall in the 2023 draft.

Prosper played a very modest role over his first two NBA seasons, averaging just 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game across 92 regular season outings, with a .396/.260/.658 shooting line.

He also played 25 G League games with the Texas Legends as a rookie in 2023/24. The 23-year-old averaged 18.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.9 SPG on .498/.418/.762 shooting in those contests.

As our tracker shows, Prosper will fill the Grizzlies’ third and final two-way spot.

Nets’ Cam Thomas Signs Qualifying Offer

September 4th, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

12:02 pm: Thomas has officially signed his qualifying offer, the Nets announced (via Twitter).

6:59 am: Nets restricted free agent Cam Thomas has decided to sign his one-year qualifying offer worth just under $6MM to return to the team, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Reporting since late July indicated that Brooklyn was willing to give Thomas a multiyear deal but that the team wasn’t going beyond two years at roughly $14-15MM per season, with a second-year team option. According to Charania, the Nets also proposed a one-year, $9.5MM contract that could have been worth up to $11MM in incentives, but it would’ve required Thomas to waive his right to veto a trade.

Rather than accepting either of those team-friendly proposals, Thomas will take his chances on a more modest one-year contract that will give him a de facto no-trade clause for the 2025/26 season and will put him on track to become an unrestricted free agent next July.

As Charania points out, while the Nets were the only team to enter this offseason with significant cap room, there could be 10 or more cap-space teams in 2026, creating more options on the open market for a free agent like Thomas.

The 27th overall pick in the 2021 draft out of LSU, Thomas has increased his scoring average in each of his four NBA seasons and put up career highs of 24.0 points and 3.8 assists per game in 2024/25.

However, he was limited to just 25 games last season due to hamstring issues and has been up and down from an efficiency standpoint, with career averages of 43.9% from the floor and 34.9% on three-pointers. He’s also not considered an above-average defender.

As talented as Thomas is as a scorer, his shortcomings in other areas limited his appeal in restricted free agency, and the Nets’ favorable cap position allowed the team to play hardball in negotiations. Having agreed to re-sign other free agents like Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams to contracts that aren’t guaranteed beyond 2025/26, Brooklyn was clearly prioritizing its ability to maintain cap flexibility next offseason and wasn’t interested in making a longer-term commitment to the 23-year-old at this time.

If Thomas plays out the 2025/26 season with the Nets, the team will maintain his Bird rights entering next summer. However, if he approves a trade to another club before February’s deadline, his Bird rights wouldn’t go with him — that’s presumably the reason why he turned down Brooklyn’s one-year, $9.5MM offer, which would’ve required him to essentially “pre-approve” a trade. Even if the Nets decide not to re-sign Thomas next July, his Bird rights could be useful in sign-and-trade scenarios.

If Thomas OKs a trade during the season, his new team would have his Non-Bird rights and wouldn’t be able to offer him a starting salary higher than about $7.2MM (120% of his previous salary) next offseason without using cap room or another cap exception.

The Nets will actually open up some cap room as a result of Thomas signing his qualifying offer, since the team had been carrying a cap hold of approximately $12MM for him — that cap hit will be cut in half once he officially puts pen to paper, creating an extra $6MM in spending flexibility for Brooklyn.

Thomas was one of four notable restricted free agents around the NBA whose situation remained unresolved as of Labor Day. We can probably expect resolution for Josh Giddey (Bulls), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), and Quentin Grimes (Sixers) at some point this month, since they face an October 1 deadline for accepting their own qualifying offers.

Hawks Sign, Waive Javan Johnson, Dwight Murray Jr.

September 4th, 2025 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

September 4: One day after being signed, both Johnson and Murray have been waived by the Hawks, per a team press release.

As we noted below, the procedural move will make each player eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the College Park Skyhawks to open 2025/26.

September 3: The Hawks have officially signed forward Javan Johnson and guard Dwight Murray Jr. to their offseason roster, the team announced today in a press release.

Johnson, who went undrafted in 2023 after playing college ball at Troy, Iowa State, and DePaul, has spent most of his first two professional seasons in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors. He also had a brief stint in 2024 with the Gladiadores de Anzoátegui in Puerto Rico.

In 49 total appearances last season for Santa Cruz, Johnson averaged 13.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26.9 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .417/.374/.912. The College Park Skyhawks – Atlanta’s G League affiliate – acquired the 26-year-old’s returning rights last month in a three-team trade that also involved the Salt Lake City Stars.

Murray, who went undrafted in 2023 too, played in Montenegro for KK Mornar in 2023/24, then spent last season with the Skyhawks, starting 29 of 43 games for Atlanta’s NBAGL team. A native of Austell, Georgia, the 6’0″ guard put up averages of 9.0 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per contest and a shooting line of .391/.315/.762.

While the Hawks didn’t provide any details on the contracts signed by Johnson and Murray, it’s safe to assume both deals include Exhibit 10 language, which will line them up to earn bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they’re waived by Atlanta and then spend at least 60 days with College Park. Both Johnson and Murray would qualify as returning-rights players for the Skyhawks.

The Hawks now officially have 20 players under contract, one shy of the offseason limit.

Nets Sign Liddell To Two-Way Contract, Finalize Sharpe Deal

September 3rd, 2025 at 4:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have officially announced a pair of signings, adding free agent forward E.J. Liddell on a two-way contract and finalizing their previously reported deal with free agent big man Day’Ron Sharpe (Twitter links).

Liddell, 24, was the 41st overall pick in the 2022 draft but tore his ACL in the Summer League just a few weeks later, wiping out his rookie season. The 24-year-old has since appeared in just 20 total NBA games for the Pelicans and Bulls and has seen extremely limited playing time. In 76 total NBA minutes across the past two seasons, he has scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

However, Liddell has been more productive in the NBA G League, including in 27 outings last season for the Windy City Bulls. He averaged 15.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 32.3 minutes per game for Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate, posting a shooting line of .472/.361/.661.

Despite technically having been in the NBA for three seasons, Liddell still has two years of two-way eligibility left, since he missed one of those three seasons in its entirety due to an injury. He and Tyson Etienne are Brooklyn’s current two-way players, leaving one slot still open.

Meanwhile, Sharpe’s two-year, $12MM agreement with the Nets was reported was back on June 30, before the free agent period officially opened. The club has been putting off completing that deal – and Ziaire Williams‘ similar two-year, $12MM pact – in order to keep its options open with its cap room.

Still, all indications were that at least one of those two contracts would have to be signed using cap space, since the Nets renounced both players and wouldn’t be able to fit both Sharpe and Williams into their $8.8MM room exception. With that in mind, officially re-signing Sharpe doesn’t significantly impact Brooklyn’s flexibility — the team should still have roughly $16MM in room available.

Pelicans Sign Jalen McDaniels

September 3rd, 2025 at 10:17am CST by Arthur Hill

September 3: The signing of McDaniels is official, according to a team press release.

August 18: Jalen McDaniels has agreed to a contract with the Pelicans, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old small forward saw limited time in four games last season after signing a 10-day deal with the Wizards in February. He spent most of the season with Washington’s G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, where he averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 38 total games.

McDaniels played his first three and a half NBA seasons in Charlotte after being selected with the 52nd pick in the 2019 draft, but he has bounced around the league since then. He was sent to Philadelphia in a four-team deal at the 2023 trade deadline, then signed with Toronto that summer. He was traded twice last year, being shipped to Sacramento in June and San Antonio in October. The Spurs waived him a day later, and he remained in the G League until he joined the Wizards.

In total, McDaniels has appeared in 252 NBA games with career averages of 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.1 minutes per night.

Charania doesn’t release any details of McDaniels’ new contract, but it could be an Exhibit 10 deal with an invitation to training camp. With 14 standard contracts, the Pelicans have one roster opening and are roughly $4.2MM below the luxury tax line, so they could carry a 15th man into the regular season without going into the tax.

McDaniels is ineligible for a two-way contract because he has already played six NBA seasons.