Wed May 29 12:47pm ET
Field Level Media
Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has agreed to a long-term contract that makes him one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Lue, 47, led the Clippers to a 51-31 finish in 2023-24. They fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the first round of the playoffs.
An extension with Lue provides some stability for the Clippers as they enter an uncertain offseason and prepare to move into the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome in 2024-25. Stars Paul George and James Harden are both free agents.
Lue had one year remaining on his previous contract. Terms of the new deal were not immediately available.
Lue has compiled a record of 184-134 with three playoff appearances in four seasons in Los Angeles. He was 128-83 in parts of four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2016-18, reaching the NBA Finals three straight years and winning the franchise's only title in 2016.
His overall record is 312-217 (.590) in the regular season and 54-37 (.593) in the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers have added some depth in the form of forward Jake LaRavia on Monday. According to Shams Charania, LaRavia has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Lakers. The 23-year-old is averaging 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across three NBA seasons. He has spent most of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Sacramento Kings mid-way last season. This is a nice depth move by the Lakers to add a player like LaRavia who can do a little bit of everything. He figures to play a fairly significant role off the bench, but probably won't be anything more than a streaming option in most fantasy formats.
The Orlando Magic added some depth at the point guard position by signing free-agent guard Tyus Jones on Monday. According to Shams Charania, Jones signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the organization. Jones has bounced around quite a bit during his career, but last played with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 26.8 minutes per game in 81 games with the Suns last season. It's unclear if he'll see that much playing time in Orlando, but that is also dependent on the health of Jalen Suggs. Jones figures to be the primary backup point guard, so he'll likely be asked to step up if the oft-injured Suggs goes down. Jones probably won't have standard league fantasy value on draft day.
The New Orleans Pelicans signed free-agent center Kevon Looney on Monday. According to Shams Charania, Looney agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans. Looney has spent each of the last 10 years with the Golden State Warriors. Last season, Looney averaged 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 15.0 minutes per game across 76 contests. Looney is an experienced player who won three championships during his time in Golden State. He doesn't offer a ton of upside outside of his elite rebounding skills. He figures to play a role off the bench, which probably won't result in a ton of fantasy value. He'll probably end up being more of a streaming option than an everyday contributor in fantasy leagues.
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed center Jericho Sims to a new deal on Tuesday. The two sides have come to terms on a two-year deal. Sims was acquired by the Bucks mid-season from the New York Knicks. He didn't do too much damage as he averaged 2.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists across 15.0 minutes per game in a career-high 53 games. It's worth noting that Sims did play in all the postseason games for the Bucks. Despite that, Sims figures to have a minimal role in the rotation behind newly acquired center Myles Turner. Sims is unlikely to bring much to the table while Turner is healthy.
The Denver Nuggets have agreed on a one-year deal with free-agent guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on Tuesday. After one season in Detroit, Hardaway has departed and will try his luck in Denver. Hardaway made 77 starts with the Pistons last season, but saw his offensive numbers take a hit. He averaged 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists and 2.2 three-pointers per game last season. Some of those numbers were the lowest Hardaway has produced in nearly a decade. He's a reliable shooter that should rebound with his new organization. However, Hardaway is unlikely to make 77 starts in Denver. In fact, Hardaway will probably come off the bench, so his fantasy value is uncertain right now.
The Detroit Pistons are having a busy offseason as they've acquired guard Duncan Robinson on Tuesday. The Pistons and Miami Heat have agreed on a sign-and-trade that sends Robinson to Detroit in exchange for Simone Fontecchio. After that, Robinson signed a three-year, $48 million deal with Detroit. The Pistons are aggressively adding talent as they signed Caris LeVert on Monday. The combination of the two figures to help fill the void if Malik Beasley misses time due to gambling allegations. Last season, Robinson averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.6 three-pointers across 74 games with the Heat. Robinson is a reliable three-point shooter, but doesn't offer a ton of upside elsewhere. Fantasy managers know what they're going to get when adding Robinson.
Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann signed a new deal with the organization on Tuesday. The two sides have agreed on a three-year, $24 million deal. Mann was acquired by the Hornets from the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline in 2024. He only managed to play in 13 games last season due to a back issue. Before going down, Mann averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists across 24.5 minutes per game. There is certainly good upside here, but Mann figures to mainly play off the bench behind LaMelo Ball. That being said, Mann probably won't see enough playing time to warrant rostering in most fantasy formats.
On Tuesday, free-agent guard Gary Harris signed a two-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, per Shams Charania of ESPN. Harris joins the Bucks after spending the last five seasons in Orlando. Milwaukee remains active in the offseason, and it is unclear what the team has planned for the 28-year-old. Despite averaging only 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds last season, Harris still provides the Bucks with veteran leadership and depth at guard, as he has demonstrated key rotational contributions throughout his time in the league. However, he is not considered a valuable fantasy asset at this point in his 11-year NBA career.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Charlotte Hornets signed free-agent center Mason Plumlee to a one-year, $3.6 million contract. The veteran big man played in 74 regular-season contests with the Phoenix Suns during the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.6 blocks per game. Going into his 13th NBA season, the 35-year-old will have to battle for minutes with rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate, who are both 23 years old.
Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl has agreed to a four-year, $104 million contract extension with the organization through the 2029-30 season, per Shams Charania of ESPN. Poeltl picked up his 2026-27 player option at $19.5M and adds three more years to his deal. The 29-year-old had an excellent 2024-25 regular season, registering career-highs with 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per contest in 57 games. He will likely continue to be a solid fantasy contributor going into the 2025-26 campaign.
ESPN's Shams Charania reports that the Charlotte Hornets have traded 31-year-old guard Vasilije Micic to the Milwaukee Bucks for guard/forwardPat Connaughton. Charlotte also receives two second picks in 2031 and 2032. Milwaukee has been very active this offseason, so it is unclear what the organization has planned for Micic. During the 2024-25 campaign, the 31-year-old veteran guard suited up for 36 games with the Hornets and five with the Suns, averaging 6.6 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per contest.
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks traded guard/forwardPat Connaughton and two of their second-round picks in 2031 and 2032 to the Charlotte Hornets for guard Vasilije Micic, per Shams Charania of ESPN. Connaughton heads to the Hornets after exercising his $9.42 million player option for 2025-26. Last season, the 32-year-old averaged 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers in 14.7 minutes per game.
Shams Charania of ESPN reports that guardLuke Kennard has agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Kennard lands in Atlanta after spending the past two-plus seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. During the 2024-25 season, he averaged 8.9 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.7 three-pointers while shooting 43.3 percent from three-point range in 22.6 minutes per contest. The 29-year-old brings veteran leadership and depth to the Hawks on the wing.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Sacramento Kings have signed guard Dennis Schroder to a three-year, $45 million deal on Tuesday. After trading De'Aaron Fox, the Kings have added Schroder to provide depth and a veteran presence. The 31-year-old will backup starting point guard Malik Monk. During the 2024-25 regular season, Schroder played for three different teams, suiting up for the Nets, Warriors, and Pistons, while averaging 13.1 points, 5.4 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game in 75 appearances.
The Denver Nuggets acquired frontcourt depth in the early days of free agency, trading forward Dario Saric to Sacramento for center Jonas Valanciunas. The 33-year-old played in 81 games last year for Washington and Sacramento, averaging 10.4 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per game. The former top-five pick has been a productive post scorer throughout his career, and should allow Denver to rest Nikola Jokic without the offense falling apart. The acquisition of Valanciunas is the latest move of Denver's offseason. They also traded Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson and brought back fan-favorite forward Bruce Brown Jr.
Former Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet is heading south to San Antonio. ESPN's Shams Charania reports Kornet and the Spurs have agreed to a four-year, $41 million contract. The deal reportedly includes a team option for the final season. Kornet, one of the league's best rim protectors last season, will serve as the backup to franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama. The pair could also see some spot minutes together. While the Spurs were in desperate need of a backup big man, the change of scenery doesn't move the needle for Kornet's fantasy basketball value. The 7-footer averaged a career-best 18.6 minutes per game last season. That number may stay consistent, barring an injury in San Antonio's frontcourt.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have agreed on a four-year, $285 million super max contract extension. That keeps the reigning NBA MVP under contract through the 2031 season. SGA now has the richest yearly salary in league history, a deserving accolade after becoming one of four players in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Finals MVP, and scoring title. The Thunder's championship core remains intact and will be a strong contender to repeat in 2026. Gilgeous-Alexander will be a top-five pick in upcoming fantasy basketball drafts.
Free-agent center Guerschon Yabusele is moving from Philadelphia to New York, signing a two-year, $12 million contract with the Knicks. The forward returned to the NBA last year after five international seasons and averaged 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 50% shooting from the field. Yabusele brings lineup optionality to the Knicks. While a little undersized, he can play the 5 in a pinch, but he should also seamlessly fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns or Mitchell Robinson. The fit makes more sense for real-life basketball than it does for fantasy basketball. The Knicks, in a wide-open Eastern Conference, are loading up on depth pieces (Yabusele and guard Jordan Clarkson) to try and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Center Myles Turner, Indiana's longest-tenured player, will play for division rival Milwaukee in the 2025-26 season. The Bucks signed the 29-year-old to a four-year, $107 million deal to replace the outgoing Brook Lopez. ESPN's Shams Charania reports the contract has a player option for the final season and a full 15% trade kicker. Turner will start alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, with forward Bobby Portis being the primary big off the bench. Injured guard Damian Lillard will be waived for Milwaukee to afford the contract. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Indiana, one win away from a championship, would bring Turner back. However, with Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury, the Pacers' brass seemed hesitant to enter the luxury tax, and they let Turner walk. Indiana is now in the market for a starting-level center.
The Milwaukee Bucks are waiving guard Damian Lillard and stretching the $113 million remaining on his contract, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. ESPN's Bobby Marks reports that it is the largest waive and stretch in NBA history. Lillard's tenure with the Bucks comes to a surprising end after two seasons. The All-NBA guard was set to miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season after tearing his Achilles tendon in May. Because of his unlikely availability, the soon-to-be 35-year-old became a cap casualty with Milwaukee adding center Myles Turner and guard Gary Harris in free agency, while retaining forwards Bobby Portis and Taurean Prince, and guard Kevin Porter Jr. Lillard, who finished 10th in scoring (24.9) and assists (7.1) last season, will now be on the hunt for a new team.
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