NBA Player News

Eubanks announced Friday he is declining his $2.6 million player option from the Suns for 2024-25 and will become an unrestricted free agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Eubanks will hit free agency after averaging 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15.6 minutes across 75 appearances, including six starts, for Phoenix in 2023-24. Eubanks will likely continue to operate as a backup center for a different team if he finds a new destination in free agency.

Monk (knee) intends to sign a four-year, $78 million deal with the Kings, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Monk continues to recover from a knee injury, but that hasn't stopped him from reaching an agreement with the Kings. The sharpshooter averaged career-high marks in points (15.4) and assists (5.1) per game en route to finishing second in the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award voting. Even though Monk was expected to be a sought-after player in the open market, instead, he chose to sign with the Kings and is expected to make the deal official once the league year begins July 1.

The Thunder traded Giddey to the Bulls in exchange for Alex Caruso on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

After receiving a significantly reduced role in the playoffs, averaging just 12.5 minutes across six games against Dallas, Giddey's long-term future in Oklahoma City seemed uncertain. As such, it is not surprising to see the 21-year-old guard dealt for Caruso, who can offer better perimeter defense for the Thunder. Giddey could receive an opportunity to have the ball in his hands more often now that he is no longer playing alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 25.2 minutes across 80 games in 2023-24. However, he will be competing for playing time in a crowded backcourt with Coby White, Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball (knee).

Caruso was traded from the Bulls to the Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

After spending the first four years of his career with the Lakers, Caruso played in Chicago over the past three seasons. He had a career-best year during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals in 28.7 minutes per game while making 71 regular-season appearances. The 30-year-old will join a talented Thunder squad that finished last season as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and he'll provide a solid shooting presence as long as he can remain healthy during the 2024-25 season. Caruso is entering the final year of his contract, but the Thunder hope to sign him to a long-term extension at some point, per Wojnarowski.

Payton exercised his $9.1 million player option for the 2024-25 season Wednesday, Kendra Andrews of ESPN.com reports.

By exercising his player option, Payton will be on the books for the upcoming season and will now be able to negotiate a possible contract extension with the Warriors. Payton has had some tough luck with injuries in recent seasons, but he's invaluable to the Warriors for his perimeter defense. In 44 regular-season appearances in 2023-24, Payton averaged 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 steals in 15.5 minutes per contest while shooting 56.3 percent from the field.

Siakam agreed Wednesday with the Pacers on a four-year, $189.5 million maximum contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Siakam plans to officially sign the contract once the free agency moratorium ends July 6. After coming over from Toronto in Jan. 17 trade, Siakam proved to be an ideal fit in the Pacers frontcourt and was instrumental in helping lead Indiana to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. Over his 41 regular-season appearances with the Pacers following the trade, Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 three-pointers and 0.8 steals in 31.8 minutes per contest while shooting 54.9 percent from the field.

Gafford recorded six points (3-5 FG) and three rebounds in 11 minutes during Monday's 106-88 loss to the Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Gafford was efficient in his limited playing time in the Mavericks' Game 5 loss. However, the 25-year-old did see a massive decline in minutes in the Finals, during which he averaged 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks across only 14.8 minutes. In comparison, during the final two Western Conference playoff series, Gafford averaged 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 67.1 percent from the field. The big man was a crucial addition for Dallas at the trade deadline, and he will remain under contract with the team until 2026-27, as the Mavericks will attempt to make it back to the Finals with their core group next season.

Lively chipped in two points (1-2 FG), four rebounds and one block across 24 minutes during Monday's 106-88 loss to Boston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Lively struggled playing on the road in the NBA Finals, accumulating six points and 16 rebounds in three games. However, Lively posted a double-double in both games in Dallas. This more closely resembled the rest of his successful playoff run, during which he averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 66.7 percent in 16 games. Overall, the 20-year-old had a successful rookie season and will look to increase his production in Year 2.

Washington ended Monday's 106-88 loss to Boston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with four points (2-7 FG, 0-5 3Pt), six rebounds, three assists and two blocks across 34 minutes.

Washington produced one of his worst games of the playoffs in Game 5. Overall, he was a key part of Dallas' starting five, averaging 13.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals in 22 starts. The Mavericks acquired the 25-year-old at the trade deadline, and he averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks across 29 regular-season games. Dallas has Washington under contract until the 2026-27 season and will look to return to the NBA Finals next season, likely keeping most, if not all, of their core group from this season.

Jones provided 10 points (4-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-2 FT) and one block in 22 minutes during Monday's 106-88 loss to Boston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Jones started all 22 playoff games for the Mavericks and averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks while shooting 48.1 percent from the field. The 27-year-old came into his first season with the team after struggling to carve out a role with the Bulls during two years in Chicago. Jones will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, and his play throughout this season will likely earn him more interest around the league than last summer.