Lakers, Deandre Ayton and NBA
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Even if Gilgeous-Alexander won't reach that milestone, the NBA's richest players grow even richer. When former MLB pitcher Nolan Ryan became the first professional athlete to sign a contract that would pay him a million dollars per year in 1979, it was the day's top sports story in The New York Times.
Jonathan Kuminga has been linked to the Kings in a potential three-team sign-and-trade which would also involve the Warriors and Pistons. Dennis Schröder (who is heading to the Kings) and Malik Monk (who was on the Kings when free agency started) could also reportedly be involved.
The San Antonio Spurs are acquiring Kelly Olynyk from the Washington Wizards for Malaki Branham, Blake Wesley and a 2026 second-round pick, a team source confirmed to The Athletic.
The NBA announced that the salary cap has been set at $154.647 million for the 2025-26 season, while the tax level is $187.895 million. The first apron level is set at $195.945 million, and the second apron level is $207.824 million. The salary cap and tax level went into effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
As a result of Kuminga's free agency saga, one NBA writer has suggested that the Warriors missed out on a golden opportunity to sign an impactful free agent before he was eventually taken off the market by the New York Knicks on a team-friendly contract.
As detailed in a recent feature story by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, the news sent the Association into a "tizzy," with executives around the league doing their best to "decode" the message released by James's agent, Rich Paul.
NBA free agency in the summer of 2025 felt like it was over as soon as it started. The first 48 hours of free agency brought a rash of signings and a few big trades, but things quieted down quickly with almost zero available cap space around the league.
Horford has been heavily linked to the Warriors on the open market as Golden State star Stephen Curry also hinted as much recently. Per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Curry sounds optimistic about Horford joining the Warriors for next season. “He’s a champion, great player,” Curry said. “When…if, when all that stuff happens, I’ll talk about it.”
This free agency period has several of those kinds of signings. Here are four of the best fits from NBA free agency 2025. The Rockets landing Kevin Durant via trade was the headline acquisition of NBA free agency, but stealing Finney-Smith away from the Los Angeles Lakers may prove nearly as important.
As the Knicks look to complete filling out their roster, one former All-Star has been discussed as a possible target.