REPORT: HARDEN DECLINES PLAYER OPTION TO SIGN 2-YEAR, $81.5M DEAL
Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden has declined his $36.3-million player option for the 2025-26 campaign and intends to sign a new two-year, $81.5-million deal with the team, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Harden averaged 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in his second season with the Clippers in 2024-25 to earn All-NBA third-team honors and the eighth All-NBA selection of his career.
Los Angeles acquired the former MVP from the Philadelphia 76ers in November 2023. Harden signed a two-year, $70-million deal last offseason with the Clippers, which included a 2025-26 player option that he ultimately declined.
At 35, the three-time scoring leader is past his prime but continues to find new ways to impact games. Now an elite playmaker, Harden has averaged at least 8.5 assists per contest over the last five seasons.
An 11-time All-Star entering his 17th NBA campaign, Harden ranks second in NBA history for 3-pointers made (3,175) behind Stephen Curry.
Harden has also made the postseason every year he’s been in the league but hasn’t won an NBA title. However, remaining in L.A. keeps him paired with two-time champ Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers fell in Round 1 in seven games to the Denver Nuggets this past postseason.
LEBRON PICKS UP $52.6M OPTION, STILL GAUGING LAKERS’ FUTURE
LeBron James exercised his $52.6-million player option and will return for a record-breaking 23rd NBA season in 2025-26, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
However, Paul acknowledged that James, in tandem with the organization, could explore a possible exit from the Los Angeles Lakers if he doesn’t consider a title a realistic target for the squad next season.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told Charania. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive, and want what’s best for him.”
The 2025-26 campaign will be James’ first full year alongside five-time All-NBAer Luka Doncic, whom the Lakers stunningly acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in February. The move purportedly set the table for the Lakers’ future after James, though the star duo is certainly capable of bringing postseason success to L.A. with the right supporting cast.
James, 40, will enter the campaign second on the league’s all-time regular-season games played list with 1,562. Boston Celtics icon Robert Parish holds the record with 1,611, meaning James would need to appear in 50 games next season to exceed that mark.
On his first appearance, he will break a tie with Vince Carter for the most NBA seasons by one player.
The four-time MVP averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal in 70 regular-season games in 2024-25 and was named to the All-NBA second team – his 21st consecutive All-NBA honor.
James reportedly intended to speak with Lakers brass about roster improvements before officially exercising his option. The franchise’s shocking acquisition of Doncic still cost them 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, an interior presence the club missed during its first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said following the series-deciding Game 5 defeat that the team would look to add a center in the offseason. L.A. rescinded a deadline-day move for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams after the third-year big man failed his physical.
However, Los Angeles could be buoyed in a search for reinforcements thanks to a pending ownership change. Billionaire Mark Walter, the controlling owner of baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, reportedly agreed to purchase the Buss family’s majority stake in the historic NBA franchise earlier in June at a record $10-billion valuation. Jeanie Buss will reportedly continue in her role as governor of the team after the sale.
REPORTS: BLAZERS C DEANDRE AYTON TO BE FREE AGENT AFTER BUYOUT
The Portland Trail Blazers will buy out the final year of center Deandre Ayton’s contract and make him a free agent, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday night.
Ayton, 26, is owed $35 million for the coming season to complete a four-year, $132 million contract that he had signed while with the Phoenix Suns.
Instead, he will hit free agency on Monday and be in much higher demand than in Portland, which picked centers Donovan Clingan (No. 7 in 2024) and Yang Hansen (No. 16 in 2025) in the first round of the two most recent drafts and also has veteran Robert Williams III.
Ayton averaged 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 40 games (all starts) last season, his second with Portland that was shortened by a season-ending left calf injury.
He is averaging for his career 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 398 regular-season games (391 starts) for the Phoenix Suns (2018-23) and Blazers.
He was third in NBA Rookie of the Year voting in the 2018-19 season, when he made the All-Rookie first team. The Suns selected Ayton with the first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona.
Portland acquired him as part of a three-team trade with Milwaukee and Phoenix that sent All-Star guard Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers to the Bucks on Sept. 27, 2023.
ESPN first reported news of the buyout on Sunday night.
BOBBY PORTIS AGREES TO 3-YEAR, $44 MILLION DEAL TO REMAIN WITH MILWAUKEE BUCKS
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bobby Portis, one of the league’s top reserves, declined his player option for next season and instead agreed to a three-year, $44 million contract to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks, agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed Sunday.
Portis has gotten votes for the league’s sixth man of the year in three of the last five seasons.
ESPN first reported the deal, which replaces an option where Portis could have made $13.4 million.
The 30-year-old Portis has been a fan favorite since joining the Bucks for their 2020-21 championship season. He averaged 13.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 49 games last season, one that included a 25-game suspension after he violated the league’s anti-drug program by testing positive for a banned substance. Portis insisted he did so inadvertently, saying he thought he was taking an approved substance while treating an elbow injury.
The season was trying for Portis in other ways as well. He missed time while grieving the death of his grandmother, and his home was burglarized.
In his five seasons with Milwaukee, Portis has averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 53.8% from the floor and 39.7% from 3-point range. He entered the NBA in 2015 and played for the Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards and New York Knicks before joining the Bucks.
Portis’ decision comes as 7-footer Brook Lopez heads into unrestricted free agency. Lopez, 37, has played for the Bucks since 2018 and averaged 13 points, 5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 80 games last season.
JULIUS RANDLE, TIMBERWOLVES FINALIZING 3-YEAR CONTRACT THAT COULD REACH $100 MILLION, AP SOURCE SAYS
Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves are finalizing a new deal that could keep him with the club through the 2027-28 season, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Sunday.
The final year of the deal will be at Randle’s option and, if it is exercised, could push the total value of the contract to $100 million, the person said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side announced the agreement. ESPN and The Athletic first reported the agreement.
Randle had a $30.9 million player option for this coming season and could have been an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
He averaged 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this past season, his first with the Timberwolves, and helped the team make the Western Conference finals. Randle was one of the primary pieces in the trade last fall that sent Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota to New York. Randle had spent five seasons with the Knicks before that trade.
A three-time All-Star, Randle has averaged 19 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in 11 seasons with the Timberwolves, Knicks, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers.
REPORT: JAZZ LAND C JUSUF NURKIC IN TRADE WITH HORNETS
The Utah Jazz are set to acquire center Jusuf Nurkic from the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton and a 2030 second-round draft pick, ESPN reported Sunday.
Nurkic, 30, averaged 8.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in 51 games last season with the Phoenix Suns and Hornets. He was traded to Charlotte in February for Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic.
In 11 NBA seasons, Nurkic has averaged 11.8 points with 8.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 590 games (490 starts) for the Denver Nuggets (2014-17), Portland Trail Blazers (2017-23), Suns (2023-25) and Hornets.
Sexton, 26, averaged 18.4 points with 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 63 games (61 starts) with the Jazz last season. In seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2018-22) and Jazz, he has averaged 18.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 407 games (335 starts). Sexton is also a 38.7 percent shooter on 3-pointers for his career.
REPORT: HEAT’S DUNCAN ROBINSON DECLINES OPTION, HITS FREE AGENCY
Miami Heat guard/forward Duncan Robinson declined his $19.9-million early termination option in order to become a free agent, but remains open to a new deal to remain with the team, ESPN reported Sunday.
Robinson, 31, averaged 11.0 points with 2.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 74 games (37 starts) for the Heat last season. In seven NBA seasons, all in Miami, he has averaged 11.3 points while hitting 1,202 3-pointers in 423 games (283 starts). Robinson is a lifetime 39.7 percent shooter from 3-point range and has attempted 3,026 of his 3,751 career shots from beyond the arc.
If Robinson had opted into his deal for 2025-26, only $9.9 million was guaranteed.
Undrafted out of Michigan after starting his career at Div. III Williams College, the 6-foot-7 sharpshooter averaged 24.1 minutes per game for the Heat last season while shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range. He played in the 2018 NCAA Tournament championship game as a member of the Wolverines.
REPORT: 76ERS PICKS UP $8.4M OPTION ON F KELLY OUBRE JR.
The Philadelphia 76ers picked up the one-year, $8.4 million contract option for forward Kelly Oubre Jr. in 2025-26, ESPN reported Sunday.
Oubre, 29, averaged 15.1 points with 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 60 games (57 starts) with the 76ers last season. He has produced at least 15.0 points per game in each of the last seven seasons.
In 10 NBA seasons, Oubre has averaged 13.3 points with 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 655 games (311 starts) for the Washington Wizards (2015-19), Phoenix Suns (2019-20), Golden State Warriors (2020-21), Charlotte Hornets (2021-23) and 76ers.
REPORTS: ROCKETS REWARD JABARI SMITH JR. WITH 5-YEAR, $122M EXTENSION
The Houston Rockets and forward Jabari Smith Jr. agreed to a five-year, $122 million extension of his rookie contract, ESPN and The Athletic reported Sunday.
Smith, 22, has averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds across three NBA seasons since the Rockets selected him third overall in the 2022 draft. He put up 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over 57 games (39 starts) in 2024-25.
Smith helped the Rockets earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, though Houston then lost a seven-game series to the Golden State Warriors in the first round.
The Rockets responded by making a blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. Durant joins a Houston core that includes Smith, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet, with VanVleet reported to receive a two-year, $50 million contract to remain with the Rockets
–Field Level Media
BOJAN BOGDANOVIC RETIRES AFTER 10 NBA SEASONS
Bojan Bogdanovic announced his retirement Sunday after 10 NBA seasons with six teams, citing injury.
“Sometimes in life, you don’t choose the moment. The moment chooses you,” the 6-foot-7 forward wrote in a social media post.
“After 14 months of battling a foot injury, two surgeries and countless efforts to get back on the court, the time has come to close a chapter.”
Bogdanovic, who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and played for Croatia internationally, was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He chose to play professionally in the Euro League until 2014 until he joined the Brooklyn Nets, who held his draft rights.
He spent the first 55 games of the 2016-17 season with the Nets, then finished the campaign with the Washington Wizards after a trade-deadline deal. He also played with the Indiana Pacers (2017-19), Utah Jazz (2019-22), Detroit Pistons (2022-24) and New York Knicks (2024).
He missed the 2024-25 season due to the foot injury. The Knicks traded him to the Nets as part of a multi-player deal before the 2024 season, and the Nets eventually waived him.
Now 36, Bogdanovic has career averages of 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 719 regular-season games (572 starts). He averaged 39.4 percent from 3-point range.
His younger brother, Bogdan Bogdanovic, is on the roster of the Los Angeles Clippers.
REPORT: THUNDER, C/F JAYLIN WILLIAMS AGREE TO 3-YEAR EXTENSION
The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder have taken the first step toward keeping their roster together, agreeing with center/forward Jaylin Williams on a three-year, $24 million contract extension, ESPN reported Sunday.
Sunday is Williams’ 23rd birthday.
The Thunder held a $2.1 million option for the 2025-26 season, which it declined in favor of the extension. ESPN reported the third year of the new deal also is a team option.
Williams was entering the final season of a four-year, $8.2 million contract.
The Thunder selected Williams in the second round (No. 34 overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft out of Arkansas. The 6-foot-8 Williams was limited because of injuries to 47 games (nine starts) in the recently completed season, in which he averaged 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
He has career averages of 5.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 165 games (46 starts).
DISTRICT ATTORNEY INVESTIGATING PISTONS’ BEASLEY ON GAMBLING ALLEGATIONS
The United States District Attorney’s office is investigating gambling allegations against Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley relating to bets placed on NBA games and prop bets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The allegations involving Beasley are from the 2023-24 season when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks, sources told Charania.
An NBA spokesperson told Charania that the league is “cooperating with the federal prosecutors’ investigation.”
“An investigation is not a charge,” Steve Haney, Beasley’s attorney, said in a statement to Charania. “Malik is afforded the same right of the presumption of innocence as anyone else under the U.S. Constitution. As of now, he has not been charged with anything.”
Beasley, a pending free agent, was reportedly in serious talks with the Pistons about re-signing on a three-year, $42-million deal. However, those discussions have been paused amid the investigation, Charania adds.
The Atlanta native appeared in 79 games (77 starts) during the 2023-24 season, his lone year with Milwaukee. He averaged 11.3 points and 3.7 boards that year while shooting 44.3% from the field and 41.3% from behind the arc. Beasley had signed a one-year deal worth around $2.7 million with the Bucks ahead of that campaign.
The 28-year-old moved from Milwaukee to Detroit last summer on a one-year, $6-million contract. He helped the Pistons end a six-year playoff drought as the team’s sixth man, averaging 16.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting over 41% from three-point range across 82 regular-season games in 2024-25.
Beasley has played for six teams during his nine-year NBA career. The Denver Nuggets drafted Beasley 19th overall in 2016.
