July 20: Smart has officially reached a buyout agreement with the Wizards and been placed on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter). July 19: Marcus Smart has reached an agreement on a buyout with the Wizards and plans to join the Lakers once he clears waivers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Smart’s new contract will be worth $11MM over two years and will contain a … [Read more...] about Marcus Smart To Join Lakers After Buyout With Wizards
AJ Johnson Becomes Team Leader In Las Vegas
The Wizards limited their top Summer League players to two games, which put a larger spotlight on AJ Johnson, observes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post (subscriber link). Johnson finished the season strong after being acquired from Milwaukee in February, and he welcomed the chance to showcase his skills in Las Vegas. “I think it would be hard for us to find anybody who’s … [Read more...] about AJ Johnson Becomes Team Leader In Las Vegas
Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup
The NBA has officially announced the six groups of five teams apiece for the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup, also known as the in-season tournament (Twitter link). In order to set the groups, the league splits the Western and Eastern Conferences into five three-team tiers based on last season’s regular season standings, with one club from each tier randomly drawn into each of the … [Read more...] about Groups Set For 2025 NBA Cup
Cap Notes: Bulls, Nuggets, Harden, Minott, MLEs
When the Bulls traded Lonzo Ball for Isaac Okoro earlier this month, they had to use a portion of their existing Zach LaVine traded player exception worth $17MM+ to absorb Okoro’s $11MM salary, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac. Chicago couldn’t simply use Ball’s $10MM outgoing salary for matching purposes due to an injury protection clause in his contract, Smith notes. The $10MM … [Read more...] about Cap Notes: Bulls, Nuggets, Harden, Minott, MLEs
Eastern Notes: White, Langdon, Beasley, Johnson, Jakucionis
The Celtics traded away two starters this offseason and Derrick White‘s four-year, $118MM extension has kicked in for 2025/26. But he was reasonably sure he wouldn’t be dealt, he told Chris Forsberg of the Celtics Talk Podcast (hat tip to Brian Robb of Masslive.com). “I think every summer is pretty crazy, especially nowadays,” White said. “But I didn’t feel too worried about … [Read more...] about Eastern Notes: White, Langdon, Beasley, Johnson, Jakucionis