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Is he saying he expects Kornet to get 10 mill from a team or from the spurs? Lol
i dont understand this. ok, so if we traded for Lauri last summer, his salary was 18 mil. and then if we extended him or re-signed him as a free agent, he would have gotten basically the same deal he has now anyway. so we'd still be sitting on Lauri with a 45+ mil number for the 25-26 season.
if it made sense to get him last year, it would have been with the expectation that he'd be more than a 1 year rental... would have re-signed for functionally the same deal he has now. so if it made sense then, it makes sense now. its not like his higher salary makes putting together a deal hard. it would still be something like Vassell/KJ, just like the Durant structure
Is he saying he expects Kornet to get 10 mill from a team or from the spurs? Lol
No, it doesn't make sense now, because of the Fox contract.
That's quite an overpay, hopefully if it's the Spurs it's not that money or at least no more than 2 years.
It makes sense if we can trade him in two years and free up cap space.
We kind of have too many players and should ideally consolidate some of our wings into a better player.
Why would it be an overpay?
We're looking for a ~15 mpg backup big, considering our cap situation anything up to MLE would be fine.
For me, the difference is that we acquired Fox instead, thus closing the door on Lauri (unless you firmly commit on trading De'Aaron in two years - if you're doing that and sending out Vassell and Keldon, then the money evens out and you've upgraded the team).
I dont mind Lauri. Devin + Keldon basically make same net money as him next 2 seasons and I’d rather have Lauri. Then hopefully in year 3 they can move him if needed since it’s just 2 years left on deal.
I don't want Lauri simply because he's injury-prone. Only played 60+ games 3 times in his 8 year career. Not reliable for that amount of money, especially with 4 years left on his deal. He would be a nice fit beside Wemby though tbh.
Sure, but then you'd be stuck with Lauri Markannen.
You guys have me excited with this Jarace Walker talk....
ah i see. like i said, i think you could to the lauri deal, ride this big 3 for a couple of years and then move Fox assuming harper is coming along well
He's already on a bad decline.
I was talking about trading Markkanen in two years.
Lauri just had a bad year. 19 pts and 6 rebounds a game with rim attempts and dunks way down isn't worth the average of 48 or 49 million when he's not even a plus defender
You know this is a ty ass class when NAW, DFS and ing Luke Kornett are the big prizes.
They were a first round exit too, tbh. Udoka's try hard style in the regular season inflates wins but then gets exposed in the playoffs, and with the Rockets it is even more evident with their lack of offensive talent. Until they get a true franchise player, they are nothing but pretenders in my eyes. Let's see if 37 years old Durant can be that, but I highly doubt it, tbh.
You need a scorer that isn't 40 years old, tbh, not just a spot up shooter
I think they’re having the realization that you can’t tank with too much talent on the roster. Ainge tried to have it both ways, and it blew up in his face. The league was not amused at the number of holdout games.
Jake Fischer said that he was happy Kornet got a double digit salary. He met him during his college days. He didn’t mention a team or the length of the deal.
And it won't get better anytime soon.You know this is a ty ass class when NAW, DFS and ing Luke Kornett are the big prizes.
Teams can forget about getting high end starters under 30 in free agency.
Which is a good thing.
I agree... and you could move Fox or Lauri, whoever makes the most sense... doesn't have to be Fox.
Not to mention that the gap between 2 and 8 was four games. I’m not sure they were even better than the teams below them, just younger and healthier.
How much is the full MLE? If it's the Spurs, I'm hoping they gave him 10M and have some of it left over.
Hollinger’s FA Center rankings from a week ago.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/643...shared_article
NBA free agency 2025: Deandre Ayton joins deep crop of center talent
June 21, 2025Updated June 30, 2025 10:35 pm GMT+8
Follow The Athletic’s live coverage of the NBA offseason & free agency.
Free-agent rankings: Power forwards | Small Forwards | Shooting Guards | Point Guards
If you need a center, you might be in luck; while there isn’t a max-worthy target out there, several starting-caliber big men hit the market this year, and many of them are gettable for rivals due to their own teams’ tight salary-cap situations. Even beyond that, the market for the tax and room-exception big men looks frothy, making this arguably the most interesting position of the summer in terms of player movement.
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As always, I’ve included all free agents and potential free agents due to player options, team options and non-guaranteed contracts, except for the most unlikely cases. For instance, surely Oklahoma City’s Jaylin Williams, Philadelphia’s Adem Bona and Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis need not sweat about their non-guaranteed minimum deals.
Here’s how BORD$ (more on the methodology here) sees the centers:
(PO = player option; TO = team option; NG = non-guaranteed; R = restricted; R-2w = restricted two-way)
Tier I: Max and near-max guys
Nobody
Tier II: More than MLE but less than max
1. Myles Turner, Pacers, $31,329,931
Turner might be the most contentious free-agent negotiation of the summer. Between his unrestricted status, the lack of competing cap-space teams, the Pacers’ accomplishments this season, Indiana’s potential tax and apron issues if it pays him big money and the fact his deal cannot be extended before he hits free agency … all the ingredients seem to be there for a prolonged staredown that ends with hurt feelings.
Turner’s BORD$ value is $31 million; while there is no chance of him getting this much in a market with no viable alternate suitors, it does indicate a figure for the Pacers to at least approach if they want him to sign for multiple years.
Is three years for $75 million to $80 million fair? Even at $25 million a pop, Turner’s next deal would take the Pacers sailing past the first apron and represent a first-ever foray into the tax for Indiana. That’s for 2025-26; extending Bennedict Mathurin could push the Pacers to the second apron in 2026-27. Some tough decisions will need to be made at some point about other spots on the roster, but if you’re not willing to pay the luxury tax for the franchise’s best team in a quarter century, sell it to someone who will.
Finally, note that Turner is eligible for a no-trade clause, although I doubt he has the juice to get one.
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Turner, who is an unrestricted free agent at season's end, has spent his entire career with the Pacers and is an inspiration to teammates.
2. Naz Reid, Timberwolves, $26,211,784 (PO)
Reid has a player option for $15 million and is due for a raise, but the execution of this one could be tricky. The Wolves are basically in a “pick two” situation with Reid, Julius Randle and Nickeil Alexander-Walker all potentially being free agents this summer.
If Reid stays, one wonders if the Wolves could do an opt-in-and-extend deal that tacks on four years and $94 million with a fourth-year player option in return for locking in next year at a below-market $15 million (a total package of $109 million over five years). Such a deal would pay Reid through his age-30 season and help solve a short-term cap crunch in Minnesota; it’s probably the one scenario where the Wolves could quasi-realistically keep all three players. More realistic, perhaps: Reid signs and is traded to another team, because maintaining him in this salary structure is going to be complicated.
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The Nets are the only team with significant cap space and wouldn’t seem to be a fit for Reid, but he should have suitors around the league. I also think he’s the most fungible of the three, even though he’s beloved in the Twin Cities. I’ll ballpark his next deal at three years and $65 million if the two sides can figure out the right sign-and-trade. If nobody can hit that number, he might be better off taking the opt-in-and-extend strategy.
3. Brook Lopez, Bucks, $21,501,456
Lopez deserves more than the nontaxpayer MLE, but getting somebody to pay it to him could prove problematic. The Nets don’t need him, so he’s depending on either Milwaukee’s participation in a sign-and-trade or a strong offer from the Bucks to keep him. (Milwaukee has full Bird rights on Lopez, but his deal cannot be extended.)
If he finds an unfriendly market relative to the BORD$ value above, one thing Lopez could do is a two-year MLE deal for $29 million with a second-year player option that allows him to re-enter free agency a year from now. One thing that seems certain is that he won’t lack for suitors at this price (keep an eye on Houston after the Rockets got to the 1-yard line with him two summers ago), which is why I suspect he’ll be bid up above the MLE and end up either in a sign-and-trade or back with the Bucks.
Lopez is also eligible for a no-trade clause from the Bucks, which makes no sense from Milwaukee’s perspective but would be objectively hilarious.
Tier III: MLE guys
4. Al Horford, Celtics, $18,930,304
One of the many ripple effects of the Jayson Tatum injury is that Horford might be more gettable in free agency than previously presumed. With Horford at age 39 and the Celtics likely both facing a “gap” year and needing to trim salary, it might make sense for him to hunt for a different contender on a one-year deal.
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Because of his size, shooting and switchability, he can fit virtually everywhere, and suitors should be plentiful; additionally, one suspects this is a situation where the Benjamins will matter less than the team situation and championship equity.
5. Clint Capela, Hawks, $15,155,239
This is a rather optimistic reading of the 31-year-old Capela’s market after he lost his starting job in Atlanta to Onyeka Okongwu last season. The Hawks have full Bird rights on Capela and could even extend him before free agency begins, but Atlanta has other offseason priorities and lacks infinite salary space.
If the Hawks draft a center with one of their two first-round picks (13th and 22nd), it seems unlikely Capela would be back. Capela is stretched as a starter but would be one of the best backup centers in the league; one wonders how he’d look in LA reunited with his old pick-and-roll partner James Harden. Note that Atlanta’s Bird rights on Capela, in concert with his high salary last season, make sign-and-trades a distinct possibility.
6. Luke Kornet, Celtics, $13,834,865
The Green Kornet rises! Boston’s 7-foot-2 insurance center was pressed into service for 73 games last season and turned out to be quite good, impacting games with his size as a rim runner and shot blocker. Kornet shot 67.5 percent and drew fouls at a high rate, proved to be a good passer on the roll who averaged nearly four assists for every turnover and posted a 4.8 percent block rate.
Those are borderline starter numbers, and while Kornet’s limited track record and age (he turns 30 in July) will work against him, he’s earned a significant raise from his minimum deal. He’s also a fairly essential player for Boston to keep if it either loses Horford or trades Kristaps Porziņģis.
Tier IV: Room or tax exception
7. Deandre Ayton, Trail Blazers, $12,633,013
Surprise! A late entrant to the free-agent market after his exit from Portland, Ayton projects more as a high-level backup than a starter at this point. He’ll rebound and can slide his feet on the perimeter, but his low motor constantly frustrates, and offensively, he’s all 2-point jump shots. He’s note even a notably good shooter, and all the jumpers make him alarmingly allergic to free throws, with just one for every eight field goal attempts.
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Ayton shot 82 percent at the cup last season and was more offensively potent in his Phoenix years; entering his age-27 season, can he get some of the back?
8. Paul Reed, Pistons, $10,110,334
No, I did not hack the BORD$ formula. I swear! B-ball Paul and Kornet were pretty clearly the two best third-string centers in the league, but Kornet got a lot more run because of Boston’s injuries.
Reed is an acquired taste at just 6-9 with an iffy perimeter game and a proclivity for adventurous ballhandling. He also fouls on every play (8.2 personals per 100 possessions last season). But over time, his strengths outweigh his weaknesses. Reed runs the floor, zips around as a screener and is disruptive on defense (4.3 steals per 100 from a center is amazing). Somehow, some way, he always ends up with more assists than turnovers as well.
Reed isn’t needed in Detroit, where the Pistons already have Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, but his mobility and ability to play some power forward would make him a fit with an up-tempo team. At age 25, his next few years should be his best.
9. Kevon Looney, Warriors, $9,505,471
This number probably surprises people, especially because Looney is just 6-9, doesn’t exude athleticism and has made two 3s over the last four seasons. Nonetheless, Looney has low-key value as a backup center because he’s a monstrous rebounder (21.8 percent rebound rate last season, 10th in the league among players who played at least 500 minutes) who still makes an impact on defense when he doesn’t have to switch.
Skeptics will point to his physical issues and question his fit outside the Warriors’ unique system. However, Looney has missed only 14 games over the past four seasons, and he’s only 29. At the very least, he should be a useful backup for the room exception. Golden State, alas, may not be the right fit for him anymore, as the Warriors have other priorities with sub-apron money and a developing alternative in Quinten Post (below).
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10. Day’Ron Sharpe, Nets, $9,116,630 (R)
The Nets have oodles of cap room and likely will use at least some of it to keep Sharpe on a team-friendly deal following the end of his rookie contract. The Nets have matching rights as long as they make a $5.98 million qualifying offer and shouldn’t face serious threats of an offer sheet given their ability to match.
Sharpe has a cap hold for $11.97 million, which is high enough that the Nets likely would sign him to a deal early in the free-agent process to get his new number on the books instead of the $11.97 million number.
However, watch for Brooklyn to front-load the deal and add the maximum allowable 15 percent in incentives, specifically ones that are “unlikely” as far as the cap rules are concerned, but are achievable for Sharpe. The front-loading helps the Nets manage their cap in future seasons when the rest of the roster is likely to be more expensive, while the incentives are to let him agree to a lower guaranteed salary that would operate as his cap number hit season.
Imagine, for instance, a four-year, $40 million deal where $6 million of it is incentives; front-loading it would mean the first year would come in just under $11.5 million, but $1.5 million of it would be “unlikely” incentives that drag the cap number down below $10 million for 2025-26. The contract would then contain 8 percent declines to a final season of $8.6 million, of which $1.3 million would be incentives.
11. Moritz Wagner, Magic, $5,6637,898 (TO)
Wagner tore his ACL at midseason last year, and the Magic are facing a luxury-tax crunch, both of which make it seem unlikely that the Magic pick up his $11 million team option.
The way out of this would be for the Magic to re-sign Wagner to a one-year minimum deal, or a “one-plus-one” with a second-year player option. That arrangement would allow him to re-sign in Orlando with Bird rights next summer after he’s fully rehabbed the knee. Orlando can do this with a bit less flight risk than normal, since Wagner’s younger brother (and roommate), Franz, is one of the team’s stars.
Moe Wagner missed much of last season due to a knee injury. (Benny Sieu / Imagn Images)
12. Jaxson Hayes, Lakers, $5,287,448
Hayes is a deeply frustrating player, an athletic 7-footer who is only 25 and shot 72 percent from the field last season but whose limited basketball IQ and inability to stretch the floor often render him ineffective. His rim-running threat — 120 dunks in 56 games! — should theoretically make him a strong fit next to Luka Dončić, yet Hayes fell out of favor as the season wore on and he DNP’d the Lakers’ final three halves in the playoffs.
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The Lakers likely will try to do better here, and Hayes will likely try to find a place where he’s more appreciated, but I’m not sure we should rule out a reunion. Between L.A.’s early Bird rights on Hayes and the limited money on the market for supplemental centers like him, these two may find that continuing their uncomfortable marriage remains better than the alternative.
13. Nick Richards, Suns, $4,632,039 (NG)
Richards has a non-guaranteed deal for $5 million that becomes fully guaranteed on June 29. Given the small difference between that price and his BORD$ value, and the Suns’ limited alternatives to pay anyone else to fill the position, it seems highly unlikely he would be waived. However, because it’s Phoenix, I can’t rule it out.
I see someone is stuck in the 2015 mind set when it comes to salary. Anyone worth a damn will be getting $10m+ a year.
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