Jonas Valančiūnas will sign with Wizards: Source (2024)

LeBron James plans to sign a two-year, $104 million maximum deal to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources said Wednesday. The Athletic previously reported that James intended to opt out of his $51.4 million player option for next season.

The new deal comes after news that James’ son Bronny, who was drafted at No. 55 by the Lakers last month, is planning to sign a standard NBA roster contract with multiple guaranteed seasons.

Read more here.

The three-year, $30 million contract agreement between Jonas Valančiūnas and the Washington Wizards will not include any player or team option, a league source told The Athletic.

ESPN was first to report the news.

Chris Paul intends to sign a one-year, $11 million contract with the San Antonio Spurs, a league source confirmed.

The Warriors waived Paul today before his $30 million salary's guarantee date.

Bleacher Report was first to report the signing.

In their statement announcing Paul George's departure, the Clippers acknowledged his All-Star appearances and strong play in the 2021 postseason that led the franchise to their only conference finals appearance. But they also acknowledged several other challenges: the age of the stars, the annual postseason disappointments, the new collective bargaining agreement that would hamstring the team's flexibility if George got what he wanted in his next contract, and the team and George being unable to close the gap on a new contract. The Clippers also acknowledged that they explored opt-in scenarios to trade George, but that the situation would not improve in those circ*mstances.

The new era of Intuit Dome, which was also acknowledged by the Clippers, will have Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. But today's events mean that George and Russell Westbrook will move on. It is a nice gesture from the Clippers, but George is leaving the team he rooted for growing up and wanted to be drafted by.

After five NBA seasons, the LA Clippers have conceded that Paul George will move on to another team.

"Heading into the offseason, our roster was constructed three (sic.) great players 33 and over, two of whom could become free agents," the team said in a statement. "We wanted to retain them on contracts that would allow us, under the constraints of the new CBA, to continue building the team. We negotiated for months with Paul and his representatives on a contract that would make sense for both sides, and we were left far apart. The gap was significant. We understand and respect Paul's decision to look elsewhere for his next contract."

With the signing of two-time NBA champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic, that clears the way for the Philadelphia 76ers to sign George outright.

The Detroit Pistons and Cade Cunningham are discussing a five-year, $226 million maximum rookie extension that would be the richest contract in franchise history, league sources confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday.

The deal is not finalized and could take time to iron out the details, but both sides are optimistic something will get done in the near future. Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has been one of the few bright spots for an organization that has spent the last few years in the gutter.

Read more here.

Fresh off a narrow first-round playoff exit, the Orlando Magic upgraded their defense, durability and outside shooting on Sunday when they agreed to a three-year deal worth a reported $66 million with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, league sources confirmed to The Athletic.

Caldwell-Pope, 31, almost certainly will slot as the Magic’s new starting shooting guard, replacing Gary Harris, whose tenure in Orlando was marred by injuries.

Caldwell-Pope may be the ideal role player to add to a young nucleus that includes All-Star power forward Paolo Banchero, small forward Franz Wagner and combo guard and defensive standout Jalen Suggs.

Read more on the acquisition here.

In May, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank alluded to the team's willingness to sign talented younger players with off-the-floor troubles, due to the team's lack of resources to otherwise add talent to the roster. Joshua Primo, a 2021 lottery pick, was on the team for most of the 2023-24 season after being suspended by the NBA for exposing himself to women while with the San Antonio Spurs in 2022. Primo was waived while injured in the last week of the season so that the Clippers could sign 2021 first-round pick Kai Jones, who the Hornets waived in October after multiple instances where Jones criticized teammates on social media and requested a trade.

"We have to take some swings on young players. Maybe right, maybe wrong, but we developed that kind of third line of players... some fallen angels, guys that may have been lottery picks that showed in the NBA minutes that they can do it."

Now, the Clippers have Kevin Porter Jr. on the roster and back in the league.

The Magic add Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and based on his recent track record, that makes them the title favorites in 2026. (He has won championships with the Lakers in 2020 and the Nuggets in 2023).

But in all seriousness, that's a smart signing by the Magic. KCP is a perfect fit for them. He gives Orlando 3-point shooting (a 40 percent shooter over the last four seasons) without compromising its defense, which was a strength this past season. The Magic also got KCP at a little less annually than the Pacers gave Bruce Brown last offseason, based on the reported numbers right now. Will be curious to see how Orlando structured that deal and if they frontloaded it so the contract is declining as it starts to sign its core players to their extensions.

Russell Westbrook has interest in playing for the Denver Nuggets, and that interest appears to be mutual, league sources told The Athletic.

Westbrook, the mercurial 35-year-old LA Clippers point guard, recently opted into the final year of his contract. He and the Clippers are actively exploring trade scenarios, according to league sources.

The Nuggets are in the market for a backup point guard after trading Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets. Westbrook's pace, athleticism and ability to provide energy offer an intriguing contrast to their starting lineup, which relies more on cerebral skill. Westbrook also offers rim pressure off the dribble that the Nuggets lost when Bruce Brown departed in free agency last summer.

Denver is preparing to lose starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. The Nuggets have offered him a three-year deal, but it's unclear if that will be enough to convince him to stay in Denver.

We mentioned yesterday on The Athletic that Russell Westbrook's opt in decision did not mean he was certain to return to the Clippers

Now, the other shoe has now dropped.

Luke Kornet is returning to the Celtics on a one-year deal, team sources confirmed to The Athletic. This will be Kornet’s fifth season in Boston after a brief hiatus away in 2022, where he has been a reliable backup center and a valued part of the locker room culture. Beyond the fact that this was the first signing to break once the clock struck 6 p.m., it’s peculiar signing because the Celtics want to retain Xavier Tillman Sr., who cost them two second-round picks at the trade deadline in February.

GM Brad Stevens said last week that Boston made trades for Tillman and Jaden Springer at the deadline in part because the second apron would drastically limit their free agency tools this summer. Tillman has a chance to drum up a market beyond the minimum, so locking Kornet in now gives the Celtics a safety net if Tillman gets other offers. With the team retaining Neemias Queta on a multi-year deal, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Boston has some options here to fill out a center rotation that is going to see the floor plenty with Kristaps Porziņģis out for the first few months of the season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in Eugene, Ore. to meet with free-agent center Isaiah Hartenstein, league sources say.

Among cap space teams, Orlando is focused on wing free agents and Utah on current roster decisions. The Knicks, Hartenstein's current team, are working to un-hardcap themselves.