Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Trade Haywood Highsmith To Nets

August 15th, 2025 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat and Nets have agreed to a trade that sends wing Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn along with a 2032 second-round pick in exchange for a protected 2026 second-rounder, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links).

The Nets have officially confirmed the deal, announcing that they’ve acquired Miami’s unprotected 2032 second-round selection and Highsmith in exchange for their own top-55 protected 2026 second-rounder.

It’s a financially motivated deal for the Heat, who will move under the luxury tax line as a result of the move. Miami entered the day operating about $1.6MM above the tax threshold with 14 players under contract.

Sending Highsmith’s expiring $5.6MM contract to Brooklyn will give the Heat nearly $4MM in breathing room below the tax, with at least one standard roster spot to fill before the season begins — the club will likely keep its 15th roster spot open to start the season to avoid going back above the tax line.

The Heat were always considered likely to duck the tax this season in order to reset their repeater clock.

When I identified Miami earlier this month as a good bet to make a cost-cutting move, I mentioned Highsmith as a potential trade candidate and speculated that he should have a little value based on his play as a three-and-D wing last season. The 28-year-old made 74 appearances (42 starts) for the Heat, averaging 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game and posting a .458/.382/.721 shooting line.

However, word broke last Friday that Highsmith had sustained a torn meniscus during an offseason workout and underwent surgery to address the injury. The recovery process is expected to sidelined him for at least eight-to-10 weeks, jeopardizing his availability for the start of the season and reducing his value as a trade chip, which is why the Heat had to give up a second-round pick to move him.

Miami will create a trade exception worth Highsmith’s outgoing salary ($5,616,000), which the club will have one year to use.

As for the Nets, they continue to use their cap room to stockpile draft assets, having acquired a pair of first-round picks in separate deals for Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann earlier this summer. It’s unclear whether or not Highsmith will be part of their plans for the 2025/26 season, given that there may be a roster crunch in Brooklyn, but taking on his contract puts only a small dent into their remaining cap space.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Brooklyn still has $22MM in room after accounting for Cam Thomas‘ $12.1MM cap hold, though that figure doesn’t include reported two-year, $12MM deals with Day’Ron Sharpe or Ziaire Williams, which aren’t yet official. One of those signings could be completed using the room exception, but at least one will have to use the Nets’ cap space.

Celtics Sign Amari Williams To Two-Way Contract

August 15th, 2025 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have signed second-round pick Amari Williams to a two-way contract, according to the NBA’s official transaction log (hat tip to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).

Williams, who spent his first four college seasons at Drexel, transferred to Kentucky in 2024 for his super-senior year. In 36 games (all starts) last season, the 6’11” forward/center filled up the box score with averages of 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks in just 22.8 minutes per game.

The Celtics traded down from No. 32 on draft night in June and used their newly acquired 46th overall pick to select Williams. At the time, then-ESPN draft expert Jonathan Givony reported that the big man would be signing a two-way contract with Boston, but it took a while for the deal to actually come to fruition.

The Celtics carried over Miles Norris from last season on his two-year, two-way contract, signed 57th overall pick Max Shulga to a two-way deal in July, and acquired two-way player RJ Luis in a trade with Utah earlier this month. The club subsequently waived Norris in order to open up a two-way slot for Williams.

Williams will earn a salary of $636,435 if he spends the full season on his two-way contract and will be eligible to appear in up to 50 NBA regular season games. He’ll likely be transferred back and forth between the NBA and the G League many times over the course of his rookie year.

With Williams now under contract, the Celtics are carrying 18 players on their offseason roster, including their three two-ways. Twelve of the other 15 players have guaranteed standard contracts, while Jordan Walsh and Neemias Queta are on partially guaranteed deals and Hayden Gray has an Exhibit 10 contract.

The top 50 players from this year’s draft have now signed NBA contracts for 2025/26 or are committed to playing in a non-NBA league, as our tracker shows.

Pistons Sign Javonte Green To One-Year Deal

August 14th, 2025 at 5:47pm CST by Luke Adams

August 14: Green has signed his one-year contract with the Pistons, according to the official transactions log at NBA.com.

August 11: The Pistons are set to sign free agent swingman Javonte Green, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are finalizing an agreement on a one-year deal.

Green, 32, began his professional career overseas after going undrafted out of Radford in 2015, but eventually earned a look in the NBA and has since established himself as a rotation player for a handful of teams. Since 2019, he has made 263 regular season appearances for the Celtics, Bulls, Pelicans, and Cavaliers, averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game.

Known primarily for his defensive ability and versatility, Green played in New Orleans and Cleveland in 2024/25. He made 18 starts and 50 total appearances for the injury-plagued Pelicans before being bought out in order to sign with the East-leading Cavs. In total, he averaged 5.1 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 18.5 MPG across 68 outings for the two teams, with a shooting line of .429/.326/.724.

Charania’s report doesn’t include any additional details on Green’s deal with Detroit beyond the fact that it will be a one-year contract, so it’s unclear whether or not it will be guaranteed. It’s a safe bet it will be worth the minimum salary.

The Pistons are currently only carrying 13 players on standard contracts, so even if Green’s deal isn’t fully guaranteed from day one, he should have a clear path to earning a spot on the 15-man regular season roster this fall.

Heat Sign Ethan Thompson To Exhibit 10 Contract

August 14th, 2025 at 7:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have signed free agent guard Ethan Thompson to an Exhibit 10 contract, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel (subscription required).

While Thompson has yet to appear in an NBA regular season game, he has now signed five NBA contracts since going undrafted out of Oregon State in 2021 and spent the last two-plus months of the 2024/25 season on a two-way deal with the Magic.

A G League veteran, the 6’5″ shooting guard has played in between 43 and 49 NBAGL games in each of the past four seasons, spending time with the Windy City Bulls, Mexico City Capitanes, and Osceola Magic. In 47 outings for Orlando’s G League team last season, he averaged 17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals in 33.4 minutes per game, posting a shooting line of .415/.396/.805. He knocked down a career-high 3.3 three-pointers per contest.

An Exhibit 10 contract can be converted to a two-way deal before the regular season begins, and Miami does have an open two-way slot. However, it appears likely that the Heat are signing Thompson with an eye toward having him join their G League affiliate as a returning rights player — the Sioux Falls Skyforce made a trade with Osceola on Wednesday to acquire Thompson’s rights (Twitter link).

If Thompson is waived before the regular season begins and then spends at least 60 days with the Skyforce, he’d earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300 on top of his standard NBAGL salary.

The Heat now have 17 players officially under contract, including 14 on fully or partially guaranteed standard deals, one on an Exhibit 10, and a pair on two-ways. They also still have a qualifying offer on the table for restricted free agent Dru Smith.

Clippers Sign Jason Preston To Camp Contract

August 13th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have signed guard Jason Preston to a training camp contract, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.

Preston was an early second-round pick by the Clippers in 2021 after a stellar college season at Ohio University. However, he never truly found his footing at the NBA level, partly due to injuries.

Preston was on the Jazz’s roster early last season as a two-way player but was waived in November after suffering a calf strain.

A 6’4″ point guard, Preston missed his entire rookie season with a right foot injury and was cut ahead of the 2023/24 season after appearing in 14 NBA games in ’22/23.

Preston began the 2023/24 season with the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League squad, then caught on with the Jazz in January on a two-way deal. He spent the rest of that season shuttling between the NBA roster and the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s NBAGL affiliate. He only appeared in one G League regular season game last season.

Across 21 career NBA contests with the Clippers and Jazz, Preston has averaged 2.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.

According to our roster count tracker, Preston will be the 20th player on the Clippers’ camp roster. Assuming he signed an Exhibit 10 deal, the 26-year-old would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he’s waived and then spends at least 60 days with the G League’s San Diego Clippers.

Nuggets Sign Kessler Edwards

August 12th, 2025 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

10:00 pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transaction log.

1:32 pm: The Nuggets and free agent forward Kessler Edwards have reached an agreement on a deal, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Edwards, who turned 25 on Saturday, has appeared in at least 36 games in each of the past four seasons after being drafted 44th overall out of Pepperdine in 2021. He played some of his best basketball in the second half of 2024/25 for a Mavericks team beset by injuries.

With several key frontcourt players sidelined for Dallas, Edwards averaged 8.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 24.8 minutes per night with a .538/.486/.900 shooting line from February 10 to March 19. He started in 14 of 16 games during that stretch before reaching his two-way games played limit.

In total, Edwards made 40 appearances (18 starts) for the Mavs, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .496/.407/.923 shooting in 15.2 MPG. He holds career averages of 3.6 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 12.7 MPG across 178 outings for Brooklyn, Sacramento, and Dallas.

Scotto doesn’t provide any details on what sort of contract Edwards and the Nuggets have agreed to, but Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette reports (via Twitter) it’s a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal.

The Nuggets are carrying 14 players on guaranteed standard contracts, so there could be a path for Edwards to make the team as a 15th man, but Denver is already operating slightly over the tax line and may want to keep that spot open to start the season. Edwards is no longer eligible for a two-way contract.

Celtics Sign Chris Boucher On One-Year Deal

August 10th, 2025 at 7:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

August 10: Boucher has officially signed with the Celtics, according to a press release from the team.

August 5: The Celtics are signing free agent forward Chris Boucher on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).

Boston opened up a frontcourt spot for Boucher by agreeing to trade Georges Niang to Utah on Tuesday. Boucher will compete for minutes at both the power forward and center spots for the Celtics, who have been busy shedding salary and revamping their roster throughout the offseason.

Save for one cameo appearance with Golden State in 2017/18, Boucher has spent his entire career with the Raptors. Boucher has played in Toronto for the past seven seasons, winning a title in 2019 and appearing in 406 games, primarily off the bench (23 total starts).

He has averaged 8.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.7 minutes during his NBA career while shooting 48.8 percent overall and 33.9 percent beyond the three-point arc.

Boucher, 32, saw action in 50 games last season, averaging 10.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes. He didn’t appear in a game after Feb. 26 as the Raptors decided to essentially shut down the veteran big man and take a long look at their younger players.

Boucher was the last remaining player from the Raptors’ championship club. He holds the all-time franchise records as a reserve for points, rebounds, blocks, minutes and games played.

Toronto held Boucher’s Bird rights and reportedly was interested in re-signing him but that didn’t come to fruition. He’ll now join an Atlantic Division rival.

As an eight-year veteran, Boucher will earn $3,287,409 on his minimum-salary deal while the Celtics carry a cap hit of $2,296,274.

Celtics Waive Two-Way Forward Miles Norris

August 10th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Celtics have waived Miles Norris, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). He was on a two-way deal.

Norris played three games for the Celtics last season, in which time he averaged 2.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.7 steals in 11.7 minutes per game.

The former UC Santa Barbara standout, who went undrafted in 2023, spent most of the 2024/25 season in the G League, playing for the Memphis Hustle until March and then appearing in several games for the Maine Celtics down the stretch after signing his two-way deal with Boston.

In total, he averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 30.5 minutes per game across 44 total outings for the Grizzlies’ and Celtics’ G League affiliates.

The Celtics currently have Max Shulga and the recently acquired RJ Luis on two-way contracts. No. 46 overall pick Amari Williams looks like the top candidate to fill the team’s newly opened third slot.

Clippers Sign Baldwin, Washington To Exhibit 10 Deals

August 9th, 2025 at 10:32am CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have officially signed Patrick Baldwin Jr. and TyTy Washington Jr. to Exhibit 10 contracts, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Washington (29th overall) was selected directly after Baldwin (28th) in the first round of the 2022 draft. Neither player has found much consistency at the NBA level to this point, and they’ll reportedly be competing for a two-way contract in training camp.

Baldwin, 22, was drafted by Golden State and spent his rookie season with the Warriors. He was traded to Washington in the 2023 offseason and spent a year-and-a-half with the Wizards, who sent him to San Antonio in February.

The 6’9″ forward was released by the Spurs but caught on with the Clippers, inking a two-way contract in March. He was waived in late July to make roster space for Jordan Miller, with Law Murray of The Athletic stating at the time that Los Angeles was interested in re-signing Baldwin to an Exhibit 10 deal.

Washington, 23, played a limited role across 31 outings for the Rockets as a rookie and was traded twice during the 2023 offseason – from Houston to Atlanta to Oklahoma City – before being waived by the Thunder. He subsequently spent his second season on a two-way contract with Milwaukee and his third year on a two-way deal with Phoenix.

Both Baldwin and Washington have three years of NBA experience and one year of two-way eligibility remaining. The Clippers’ two-way spots are currently held by Miller, 2025 second-rounder Kobe Sanders, and 20-year-old wing Trentyn Flowers.

If Baldwin and/or Washington are cut before the 2025/26 season begins and decide to play in the G League, they would be eligible for bonus worth up to $85,300 if they spend at least 60 days with the San Diego Clippers.

The Clippers now have 19 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed standard deals.

Spurs Sign Micah Potter, Adam Flagler

August 9th, 2025 at 9:26am CST by Rory Maher

The Spurs signed free agent big man Micah Potter earlier this week, according to RealGM’s log of official NBA transactions.

While the terms were not disclosed, Potter likely signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract featuring Exhibit 9 language and perhaps Exhibit 10 language as well.

Known for his ability to stretch the floor, Potter has spent the past three seasons on two-way contracts with the Jazz. Because he holds four years of NBA experience, he is no longer eligible for a two-way deal.

The 27-year-old forward/center appeared in a career-high 38 games with Utah last season, averaging 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .422/.316/.850.

San Antonio also recently added free agent guard Adam Flagler to its training camp roster, as first noted by Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot. It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, according to RealGM.

Flagler, a former Baylor standout who won an NCAA title with the Bears in 2021, has been a member of the Thunder’s organization for the past two years. The 25-year-old signed a two-way contract with Oklahoma City in February 2024 and was on a two-way deal for all of 2024/25 as well.

A 6’3″ shooting guard, Flagler made 37 appearances for the defending champions last season, averaging just 5.5 minutes per game. That isn’t surprising, given OKC’s impressive backcourt depth. He also missed several weeks of action with a broken bone in his right hand.

If Flagler is waived before the ’25/26 season begins and spends at least 60 days in the G League with the Austin Spurs, he’d be eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300. Exhibit 10 contracts can also be converted to two-way deals, though the Spurs do not currently have a two-way opening, as our tracker shows.

The Spurs now have 19 players under contract, two shy of the offseason limit.