Cap implications of Julius Randle's new contract

New York Times

a day ago

LeBron is staying put in L.A., while Julius Randle and James Harden agreed to new contracts to stay with the Timberwolves and Clippers, respectively. Imagn Images
It appears Julius Randle's first-year salary on his new three-year, $100 million contract will be almost identical to the salary he was scheduled to make if he had opted into the final year of his old deal. The reason Minnesota is doing this as a new contract and not an extension, however, is to wipe away the $1.4 million in unlikely incentives from his last deal, which count toward the second apron regardless of whether Randle achieves them.
The Wolves will have $5.9 million in room below the second apron if they decline Luka Garza's team option (or $5.7 million if they decline Josh Minott's instead), which is exactly enough room to sign a player to the $5.685 million taxpayer midlevel exception to replace Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The New Orleans Pelicans plan to decline the $3.15 million team option for veteran point guard Elfrid Payton, a league source confirmed.
The Gretna native will become an unrestricted free agent.
Since a Detroit free agent is in the news right now ...
If the Pistons renounce Malik Beasley, Dennis Schröder, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Paul Reed, they will have $16.9 million in cap room and the $8.8 million room exception. The former figure could give them a leg up in free agency on every other team pursuing free agents with their $14.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception.
Of course, the Pistons could also continue to operate as an over the cap team, re-sign one or more of Schröder, Hardaway and Reed with Bird Rights (they have no Bird rights on Beasley), and use their $14.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception in the market. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
The U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York has opened a federal investigation into free-agent guard Malik Beasley related to gambling, his lawyer, Steve Haney, confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday.
Haney said that Beasley, who spent last season with the Detroit Pistons, is a person of interest in the investigation, but that no formal allegations had been made and no charges filed.
'This is simply an investigation,' Haney said. 'At this point, Malik has not been charged with any crime and there has been no formal accusation of wrongdoing. Hopefully everyone will afford him that same presumption of innocence that everyone else deserves.'
A spokesman for the Eastern District declined to comment, as did Beasley's agent. A spokesperson for the Pistons confirmed the existence of a federal investigation but deferred further comment to the NBA.
'We are cooperating with the federal prosecutors' investigation,' NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.
The investigation was first reported by ESPN. More below.
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Malik Beasley under gambling investigation by U.S. District Attorney Alika Jenner / Getty Images
Anfernee Simons is smooth with the ball in his hands. He has proven himself as a big-time shot maker. He will likely fill up the basket next season.
He just might do that somewhere away from Boston.
Looking to continue shedding salary, the Celtics have explored the idea of flipping Simons' $27.7 million expiring contract, according to league sources. In such a move, they would be aiming to accomplish two organizational directives Brad Stevens emphasized after the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday: regaining more roster flexibility and setting up a path to retain free agents Luke Kornet and Al Horford.
Even after offloading the contracts of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis in a pair of trades this week, the Celtics have significant work left to do if they aim to escape the luxury tax entirely. At the moment, they appear hopeful of accomplishing that goal, which would help them initiate the process of resetting the repeater tax. Though they currently sit about $15 million above the luxury tax threshold, they would need to cut more salary than that to position themselves far enough under the threshold also to afford to keep Kornet and Horford. Stevens, who called the veteran big men 'huge parts of this organization' on Wednesday night, has stated he would like to re-sign both players.
Read more here.
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Another Anfernee Simons trade coming? Celtics looking at ways to shed more salary
The Rockets and Jock Landale have agreed to push back the guarantee date on Landale's $8 million contract to July 7, a league source tells The Athletic.
Landale's original guarantee date was previously supposed to be today. Megan Briggs / Getty Images
If you're wondering why Duncan Robinson would opt out of $19.9 million, as reported by ESPN, it's not so he could get more in the open market. That isn't happening.
Only $10 million of the money was guaranteed, however, so this is likely a chance for Robinson and the Miami Heat to re-up on a re-worked deal.
For instance, if Miami signed him on a two-year, $25 million deal with a player option for next summer, it would very conveniently leave the Heat with just enough room below the luxury tax line to sign a veteran minimum deal with their 15th roster spot ... and still give Robinson the money he would have made if Miami had waived him and he signed for the minimum elsewhere.
The other alternative pathway for Robinson would be if Miami wanted to involve him as matching salary in a sign-and-trade for a free agent, most notably Jonathan Kuminga. Putting Robinson and another small salary into a deal (such as Nikola Jović or Haywood Highsmith) would allow the Heat to take back roughly $22 million in 2025-26 salary and stay below the first apron, a requirement in sign-and-trades.
Working backwards, the mystery of why Miami picked up Keshad Johnson's player option may be a similar story. He can immediately be included as an extra $1.95 in matching salary in a bigger trade. Tyler McFarland / Clarkson Creative / Getty Images
The Phoenix Suns want to find Bradley Beal a new home. The situation — from a winning standpoint, from a personality one, from a financial one — continues to dive. Beal, whom the team traded for two summers ago, still has a couple of seasons and $110 million remaining on his contract.
Every possibility has floated to the surface.
Phoenix could try to trade Beal, as it did this past season, but his no-trade clause remains. The same that was true before the 2025 trade deadline is the case today, according to a league source familiar with Beal's thought process: Beal would be open to the right trade that sends him the right destination, but his preference is to remain in Phoenix, even if the team won only 35 games a season ago and just downgraded from Kevin Durant, who it dealt to the Houston Rockets last weekend.
Since leaving Washington in 2023, Beal's wife and kids have moved from D.C. to Los Angeles and then, before the start of this season, to Phoenix full time. Playing for another team would leave him with two options: He would have to either pull his kids out of school, moving them again, or leave his family altogether, neither of which excites him.
So the Suns have tried another strategy.
Read more about it here.
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NBA offseason themes to watch: Pacers' roster-building, second-apron fears and more
Saturday afternoon, in a move first reported by The Athletic , the Philadelphia 76ers tendered Quentin Grimes an $8.7 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. That will allow Philadelphia to match any offer Grimes gets on the open free-agent market.
The Sixers have been in contact with Grimes and his camp, although the price may end up being steep. Grimes, 25, is looking for a contract that averages $25 million per season, league sources tell The Athletic. He has emerged as a dynamic scoring guard, and he gives the Sixers a mix of the ability to shoot from the perimeter and get to the basket and put pressure on the rim off the dribble. Last season, Philadelphia had too little of both skill sets on its roster.
Grimes is important to the Sixers because they need to retain all the talent they can — and he has emerged as a talent. Between Grimes, Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and the newly drafted VJ Edgecombe, the strength of Philadelphia's roster resides in its backcourt. Grimes is versatile enough to move to the small forward spot, which would allow head coach Nick Nurse to employ three-guard lineups. He's someone who also defends well enough to make an impact at the point of attack.
But while the 76ers can retain Grimes, they may not be able to re-sign unresticted free agent Guerschon Yabusele, which would be a big blow.
Read the rest of my 76ers offseason primer here. David Berding / Getty Images
With Naz Reid and Julius Randle in place, the Wolves will likely have to say goodbye to their other key free agent. Nickeil Alexander-Walker has likely priced himself out of Minnesota, which is trying to stay under the second apron to avoid repeater penalties on roster construction. Alexander-Walker is expected to land a deal for at least the nontaxpayer midlevel exception, which is too rich for the Wolves to go to and not go over the second apron.
The Wolves do have a few young guards and wings, including Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark, who the team believes are ready to step in and take Alexander-Walker's minutes should he move on.
As expected, the Phoenix Suns are holding onto center Nick Richards, league sources tell The Athletic . Richards' $5 million salary is expected to guarantee today for the 2025-26 season. Emilee Chinn / Getty Images
The Milwaukee Bucks have tendered a qualifying offer to guard Ryan Rollins, making him a restricted free agent, a league source told The Athletic.
This was expected. The Bucks liked the contributions they received from Rollins, especially as he helped them cover for Damian Lillard's absences after the All-Star Break.After taking over for Lillard as the Bucks' starting point guard following Lillard's deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his right calf, Rollins averaged 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 24.4 minutes per game in his final 13 regular season contests. Rollins was converted to a rostered NBA player from a two-way contract shortly after the trade deadline.
With Lillard's torn left Achilles tendon likely sidelining the All-Star point guard for most of next season, there will be ample opportunity in Milwaukee at the point guard position. Making Rollins a restricted free agent gives the Bucks the opportunity to match any offer Rollins receives from another team and potentially bring him back next season. Joshua Gateley / Getty Images
It turns out the Thunder did yesterday's Dillon Jones-Colby Jones trade so they could rework Jaylin Williams' contract and still remain below the luxury tax line. The Thunder had a team option on Williams, which they declined, and then they re-signed him to a new three-year, $24 million deal, as first reported by ESPN
I presume this extension will be front-loaded to soften the luxury tax and apron hits once extensions for Jalen Willams and Chet Holmgren make the Thunder more expensive in 2026 and 2027. A first-year salary of $8.725 million with 8-percent declines would put the Thunder $1.2 million from the tax line with 15 players under contract. David Richard / Imagn
LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, confirms James will exercise his $52.6 million player option.
'LeBron knows the Lakers are building for the future, and he also wants to compete for championships,' Paul told The Athleti c. 'We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie (Buss) and Rob (Pelinka) and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.'
Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith will opt out of his $15.4 million contract and enter unrestricted free agency, a team source confirmed to The Athletic .
The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith midway through last season for D'Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round draft picks. In 43 games with the Lakers, Finney-Smith averaged 7.9 points while hitting nearly 40 percent of his 3-point shots. He dealt with an ankle issue throughout the season and underwent surgery this offseason.
Finney-Smith, 32, is a versatile defender and knockdown spot-up shooter comfortable playing with Luka Dončić, the two becoming good friends together early in their career in Dallas.
The Lakers, who could still re-sign Finney-Smith, will have access to the full midlevel exception as a Plan B option as free agency gets under way on Monday.