Pelicans Sign Trey Alexander, Hunter Dickinson To Two-Ways
The Pelicans have filled their open two-way slots, having signed guard Trey Alexander and center Hunter Dickinson to two-way contracts, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
New Orleans had carried over Lester Quinones from last season on a two-year, two-way deal, so all three of their two-way slots are now occupied.
Alexander, 22, joined the Nuggets on a two-way deal last offseason after going undrafted out of Creighton. He had an excellent G League season, earning NBAGL Rookie of the Year honors after racking up 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in 37.0 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .462/.395/.817, across 30 total appearances in the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season.
However, he played sparingly at the NBA level for Denver and wasn’t issued a two-way qualifying offer this past weekend, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Dickinson, meanwhile, reached an agreement on a two-way deal with the Pelicans last week, shortly after going undrafted.
The two-time consensus AP All-American averaged 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game over the course of his college career, while shooting 55.5% from the field. He spent three years at Michigan before playing for Kansas for the past two seasons.
A two-way deal allows a player to be active for up to 50 NBA regular season games and carries a salary of roughly $636K, which becomes guaranteed if the player remains under contract through January 7.
Lakers, Jaxson Hayes Finalize One-Year Deal
July 6: Hayes is officially back under contract with the Lakers, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), Hayes actually got a slight raise to 120% above his minimum, so he’ll earn about $3.45MM in 2025/26.
July 3: Free agent center Jaxson Hayes is returning to the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are in agreement on a one-year contract.
Hayes, 25, signed a two-year contract with the Lakers in 2023 and has appeared in 126 games for the team since then, averaging 5.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks with a 72.1% field goal percentage in 15.6 minutes per night.
The former eighth overall pick took on an increased role during the second half of last season following Anthony Davis‘ abdominal injury and the subsequent trade sending Davis to Dallas. Hayes’ last 32 outings of the regular season were starts, as he boosted his averages to 8.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 21.9 MPG during that stretch.
Hayes’ starting role carried over to the postseason, but he struggled in the Lakers’ first-round series vs. Minnesota and was limited to single-digit minutes in each of the first four games before being removed as the starter for Game 5. While he was perhaps miscast as a starter, the seven-footer is a solid reserve option behind presumed starter Deandre Ayton in the middle.
Charania’s report doesn’t include any financial details on the deal, but it will likely be a minimum-salary contract, given that Hayes was earning the minimum for each of the past two seasons.
The Lakers now project to have 15 players under contract, assuming No. 36 pick Adou Thiero gets a standard roster spot, notes Jovan Buha (Twitter link). However, Shake Milton‘s $3MM salary is non-guaranteed, so the team has a little flexibility with that 15th spot. Jordan Goodwin also doesn’t have a guaranteed salary, though the expectation is that he’ll return after playing rotation minutes down the stretch last season.
Bulls Sign Lachlan Olbrich To Two-Way Contract
Australian big man Lachlan Olbrich has officially signed his first NBA contract, according to the Bulls, who announced (via Twitter) that the 55th pick in this year’s draft has finalized a two-way deal.
Olbrich, 21, spent one year playing college ball at UC Riverside from 2022-23, but has primarily been competing in Australia’s and New Zealand’s National Basketball Leagues for the last several seasons, including stints with the Adelaide 36ers, Illawarra Hawks, and Canterbury Rams.
In 29 games for Illawara in 2024/25, the 6’9″ forward/center averaged 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 16.7 minutes per game.
Olbrich’s two-way deal will make him eligible to appear in up to 50 NBA regular season games in 2025/26 and will pay him $636,435 if he remains under contract through the league-wide salary guarantee deadline in January.
The Bulls have now filled all three of their two-way slots, with Emanuel Miller and Jahmir Young occupying the others.
Pelicans Waive Antonio Reeves
One year after drafting him with the 47th overall pick, the Pelicans have waived guard Antonio Reeves, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Reeves, 24, appeared in 44 games as a rookie in New Orleans, averaging 6.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game, with a solid shooting line of .456/.395/.800. He also excelled at the G League level, putting up 24.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG on .470/.416/.800 shooting in 11 appearances for the Birmingham Squadron.
However, the Pelicans’ front office has undergone several changes since Reeves was drafted in 2024, so the new group of decision-makers – led by executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars – have decided not to retain the former Kentucky standout.
Reeves’ $1.96MM salary for the 2025/26 season was non-guaranteed until July 23, so the Pelicans will create some minor cap savings as a result of the transaction.
Thunder Sign Thomas Sorber, Brooks Barnhinzer
The Thunder have signed first-round pick Thomas Sorber to his rookie scale contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Sorber, who stands 6’9″ with an impressive 7’6″ wingspan, was selected 15th overall last Wednesday by Oklahoma City a strong freshman year for Georgetown in 2024/25. He served as the team’s starting center and filled up the stat sheet with 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game in 24 outings (31.3 MPG) before his season ended early due to a toe injury.
As this year’s No. 15 pick, Sorber is expected to earn $4.66MM in the first year of his contract and a four-year total of $22.51MM. His deal will be guaranteed for the first two seasons, with team options on years three and four.
The Thunder also issued a separate press release confirming that they’ve signed Northwestern’s Brooks Barnhizer to a two-way contract. That had been the anticipated move, since Oklahoma City doesn’t have room on its standard 15-man roster for the No. 44 overall pick.
Barnhizer became automatically draft-eligible this spring after spending his full four-year college career playing for the Wildcats. He put up his best numbers as a senior in 2024/25, averaging 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 36.9 minutes per contest across 17 starts. However, he didn’t play after January 29 as a result of a foot injury.
Jase Richardson Signs Rookie Scale Contract With Magic
Former Michigan State guard Jase Richardson has officially signed his rookie scale contract with the Magic, the team announced on Thursday.
Richardson had a strong freshman year for the Spartans, coming off the bench in his first 21 games before claiming a spot in the starting lineup starting in early February. In 36 total contests, he averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 25.3 minutes per game, with an excellent .493/.412/.836 shooting line.
If the 19-year-old signs for 120% of the rookie scale amount, which almost all first-rounders do, he will earn approximately $2.98MM next season and a total of $15.31MM over the course of his four-year deal.
Richardson was selected 25th overall in the 2025 draft.
Nets Sign Demin, Saraf, Wolf To Rookie Scale Contracts
The Nets have officially signed No. 8 overall pick Egor Demin, No. 26 pick Ben Saraf, and No. 27 pick Danny Wolf, the team announced in a press release.
Assuming each player signs for 120% of the rookie scale amount, which virtually every first-rounder does, former BYU guard Demin will earn $6.89MM in 2025/26 and a total of $31.34MM over the course of his four-year contract; Israeli guard Saraf will make about $2.89MM next season and $14.81MM across his four-year deal; and ex-Michigan big man Wolf’s salary for next season will be $2.8MM ($14.34 over four years).
The Nets actually controlled five first-round picks in the 2025 draft, with Drake Powell (No. 22) and Nolan Traore (No. 19) being the others. Typically, an NBA team announces all its first-round signings at once, but Powell won’t officially become a Net for a few more days, when the trade sending him to Brooklyn becomes official.
As for Traore, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter links) confirms that his signing is being delayed for clearance-related issues following his exit from Saint-Quentin in France. The Nets paid the maximum buyout ($875K) to the French team in order to free him from his contract — once FIBA formally approves the move, the 19-year-old will be able to complete his deal with Brooklyn.
Spurs’ Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant Sign Rookie Contracts
The Spurs have officially signed lottery picks Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant, the team announced today in a pair of press releases.
Former Rutgers star Harper was the No. 2 overall pick of last month’s draft. Assuming he signs for the maximum allowable 120% of his rookie scale amount, which nearly every first-rounder does, the 19-year-old will earn $12.37MM in his first NBA season and a total of $56.14MM over the course of his four-year contract.
Harper averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 29 games (32.6 minutes per contest) last season for the Scarlet Knights. He is widely considered the second-best prospect in this year’s class.
Bryant, also 19, spent his first and only college season at Arizona. San Antonio selected him 14th overall in the 2025 draft, and assuming he gets 120% of his rookie scale amount, he’ll earn $4.9MM in 2025/26 and $23.42MM in total over his four-year deal.
A 6’7″ combo forward, Bryant averaged 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 37 appearances for the Wildcats in ’24/25 (19.3 minutes per game). He didn’t play a starring role as a freshman, but Bryant was a reliable outside shooter (.371 3PT%) and showed off intriguing defensive versatility.
Rockets Waiving Jock Landale
The Rockets will waive center Jock Landale before his $8MM salary for the 2025/26 season becomes guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
Charania adds that Landale will sign with his “preferred destination” after clearing waivers, while Kelly Iko of The Athletic says (via Twitter) a number of teams have expressed interest in him.
Landale was signed by Houston in 2023 to a four-year, $32MM contract that included just one fully guaranteed season. However, the Rockets – who were operating well below the luxury tax line, hung onto him for the second year of the deal in 2024/25, even though he played a limited role for the team behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams in the frontcourt.
The 29-year-old averaged 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game across 42 outings (three starts) this past season.
With Sengun and Adams returning and Clint Capela joining the frontcourt mix, there was no place in the rotation going forward for Landale, and his $8MM annual salary is no longer palatable for the Rockets to carry with the roster getting more expensive. His release had been expected, even after he and the team reached an agreement over the weekend to push his salary guarantee date back to July 7.
Kings’ Nique Clifford Signs Rookie Contract
Former Colorado State guard Nique Clifford, the No. 24 pick in this year’s draft, has signed his rookie scale contract with the Kings, per the official transaction log at NBA.com.
Assuming he gets the maximum allowable 120% of the rookie scale, which is typical, Clifford will earn a salary of $3.11MM as a rookie and will make $15.77MM across his first four NBA seasons as long as his third- and fourth-year team options are eventually exercised.
The Kings didn’t enter draft day with a first-round pick, but made a deal last Wednesday night to acquire the 24th overall selection from Oklahoma City, sending a protected 2027 Spurs first-rounder to the Thunder in the trade. They used it to draft Clifford, one of the most NBA-ready players in the first round.
While he didn’t post big numbers earlier in his five-year college career, Clifford came on strong over the past couple seasons. In 2024/25, he nearly averaged a double-double, with 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in 35.4 minutes per game across 36 starts, with a .496/.377/.777 shooting line.
The 6’5″ swingman had one of the best rebounding seasons for a wing in NCAA history for the Rams, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, and has earned comparisons to Knicks forward Josh Hart due to his versatility.