NBA free agency is well underway, and while most of the big names are now off the board, there are still several dominoes left to fall, with Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Jonathan Kuminga, Quentin Grimes and more still undecided for next season. (Check out Yahoo Sports’ NBA free agent big board here.)
The action continued on Monday, as the Magic and Paolo Banchero agreed to a max contract that’s worth up to $287 million. The deal secures Orlando’s core of Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, who are each now signed through the next five seasons.
Earlier Monday, the Clippers, Jazz and Heat reportedly pulled off a three-team trade that will send Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to L.A., and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 second-round pick from the Clippers to the Jazz.
To recap the rest: Deandre Ayton agreed to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’ll reportedly make $34 million in the coming season, with $25.6 million from his reported buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers and another $8.1 million from the Lakers on this new deal. But does Ayton make the Lakers legit contenders?
Last week, reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reportedly signed a four-year, $285 million supermax extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and shortly after, former Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner reportedly agreed to a four-year, $107 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. With Turner in the fold, the Bucks waived Lillard, using the stretch provision in the CBA to wipe the final $113 million of his contract off their books.
Other deals included Dennis Schröder signing with the Sacramento Kings, Jakob Poeltl agreeing to an extension with the Toronto Raptors and the Nuggets trading for Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Dario Saric. But the latter deal hit a snag, as Valanciunas considers an offer to play in Greece.
When free agency opened last Monday, the NBA had officially set its salary cap at $154.647 million for the 2025-26 season. That’s up 10% from last season, which was the expected jump.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Grizzlies agreed on a five-year, $240 million max extension, and the Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. to the Nets in exchange for Cam Johnson. Dorian Finney-Smith agreed to a deal with the Rockets, Ty Jerome and the Grizzlies agreed on a three-year contract and the Mavericks struck a two-year deal with point guard D’Angelo Russell.
Elsewhere, LeBron James picked up his $52.6 million option for the 2025-26 season, stating his hopes of competing for a championship while the Lakers build for the future. James Harden will also stick in Los Angeles, signing a new deal with the Clippers. Julius Randle will also remain in Minnesota.
All this comes after the Phoenix Suns traded superstar Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the 10th pick (Khaman Maluach) in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Boston Celtics also began a refresh by trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trailblazers and Kristaps Porziņģis to the Atlanta Hawks.
