NBA Player News

Butler missed practice on Saturday, but reports indicate that he’ll play against Dallas, even though he is still questionable on the injury report. He likely won’t officially be cleared until closer to tipoff, but managers should expect him to suit up. That means that players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Alec Burks won’t be in line for extra minutes.

Kuminga is one of the restricted free agents who remain on the board, and he and the Warriors have failed to come to an agreement on a deal. While it has been reported that the franchise has offered a two-year, $45 million contract with a team option, Kuminga and his representation feel that he would be little more than a “pawn” if he were to accept that deal. “Now, if you’re talking about a three-year deal, if you’re talking about something with a player option that shows him a little bit more commitment, that’s something he’d be interested in,” Slater said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “But as of now, the Warriors have been hesitant to do that, and because of that, Kuminga is signaling to those around him that he’s very willing – and prefers – (to sign) the qualifying offer over the two-year, $45MM deal. That’s dangerous for the Warriors. They can try to call his bluff, but right now, it seems to be trending toward the qualifying offer.” While accepting the qualifying offer would not protect Kuminga from being traded during the season, it would give him more say in his long-term future than accepting the two-year deal the Warriors have reportedly offered.

Highsmith has been a solid rotation piece for the Heat in recent seasons and will now head to Brooklyn in what appears to be a cost-cutting move for Miami. Highsmith underwent knee surgery earlier this month and is set to be sidelined until October. If the Nets keep him around, he may not be available for the start of the season.

Slovenia is still playing their preparation games ahead of Eurobasket, and there is no reason for Doncic to play both legs of their exhibition back-to-back. Doncic will play against his former teammate Kristaps Porzingis on Saturday. Eurobasket will begin on August 27, with Slovenia’s first game coming against Poland on August 28.

Williams, the 46th overall pick in June’s draft, will occupy the Celtics’ third and final two-way contract slot this season. The 7-footer, who began his college career at Drexel before transferring to Kentucky for the 2024-25 season, is a capable defender and facilitator. Last season, Williams led the Wildcats in assists, and his playmaking potential was also on display during summer league action.

Initially reported as a one-year agreement, Coffey has agreed to a non-guaranteed training camp deal. Not selected in the 2019 draft, he spent his first six seasons with the Clippers, averaging 6.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 three-pointers in 18.4 minutes per game. Last season, Coffey shot nearly 41 percent from three on 3.4 attempts per game while also averaging a career-best 9.7 points.

The 76ers will get a head start on training camp due to their two preseason games against the Knicks in Abu Dhabi. However, whether Embiid will be ready to go after undergoing knee surgery in April is unknown. “I know he’s working very, very hard and I think things look good,” Nurse told talkSport’s Brian T. Smith. “Whether he’s ready for training camp or not, I think there’s maybe a lot more decisions than that to make before we get there. But our main thing is that he’s healthy to play and play to his nearest capabilities, because he’s awesome, no doubt about that.” Embiid has totaled 58 games in the two seasons since he won Most Valuable Player honors in 2023, and the 76ers are a vastly different team when their 7-footer is on the floor and playing at full strength.

Hayes, the 7th overall pick in the 2020 draft, struggled for most of his four years in Detroit before appearing in six games with the Nets last season. Due to Brooklyn’s many injuries, he started five of the six games he appeared in, averaging 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 27.2 minutes. According to BeBasket’s Gabriel Pantel-Jouve, Hayes is focused on landing another NBA opportunity despite receiving interest from multiple Europe-based clubs, which included an offer from ASVEL that the guard rejected. Hayes is no longer eligible for a two-way contract, so he must earn a standard contract to stick in the NBA for the 2025-26 season.

It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out. Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman and Willy Adames aren’t much for routine days off. The Giants are certainly committed to those three and probably Jung Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos and Patrick Bailey as 2026 regulars, leaving openings at second, in right field and at DH. But the first two of those spots are currently occupied by younger players anyway in Casey Schmitt and Drew Gilbert. We wouldn’t expect much to change with the core group going forward. Marco Luciano, Luis Matos and maybe Wade Meckler could get looks between the outfield and the DH spot.

Edwards, who spent last year on a two-way with Dallas, will now join the Nuggets, though the official terms of the deal weren’t reported. However, with Denver already having 14 players under contract and all three two-way spots filled, this could be just a training camp deal for Edwards that isn’t guaranteed. Still, he’s been a solid player through the first four years of his career after being a second-round pick and could certainly work his way into a role with Denver, though it likely won’t be a large one.

The older brother of Cavaliers standout Evan Mobley, Isaiah has appeared in 23 games across three NBA seasons. The 6-foot-10 power forward, the 49th overall pick in the 2022 draft, spent most of the 2024-25 season in the G League, making one appearance with the 76ers. Mobley most recently played for the Warriors at the NBA 2K26 Summer League in Las Vegas.