NBA 101

Mario Hezonja, Cavs Agree To One-Year, $2.8M Contact

The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a one-year deal with wing Mario Hezonja for $2.8 million. Hezonja returns to the NBA with Cleveland after spending the last six seasons playing for teams in Greece, Russia and Spain.

The 6-foot-8 last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Hezonja started his NBA career with the Orlando Magic and also played for the New York Knicks.

Last season, Hezonja averaged 15 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists for Real Madrid. The 31-year-old helped Real Madrid to the EuroLeague championship game, where they fell to Olympiacos.

Wizards, Mavericks Had No Interest In Trading Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving

There had been reporting that LeBron James was interesting in teaming up with one of his former teammates when he picked a new team. The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers were linked to Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, respectively.

However, neither Davis’ current team, the Washington Wizards, nor Irving’s current team, the Dallas Mavericks, had any interest in trading either player. In addition, James, nor his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, made no demands of teams that they must trade for Davis or Irving to get the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Ultimately, James picked the Philadelphia 76ers for the upcoming season. It’s expected that both Davis and Irving will start the season with the Wizards and Mavericks, respectively.

Spencer Jones, Thunder Sign Two-Year, $12M Offer Sheet

Spencer Jones and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a two-year, $12 million offer sheet.

The Denver Nuggets will have the opportunity to match the offer sheet as Jones is a restricted free agent.

Jones appeared in 64 games last season with the Nuggets, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22.1 minutes while shooting 39.6 percent on three-point shooting.

The Nuggets also have Peyton Watson in restricted free agency this offseason.

LeBron James May Remain Genuinely Undecided On Free Agency Decision

LeBron James still had not announced a decision on his next team, 24 days after confirming he would not return to the Los Angeles Lakers fort he 2026-27 season. A source close to James offered a candid assessment of the situation.

“Nobody knows right now except LeBron,” the source told The Athletic. “And I’m not even sure LeBron knows.”

The prolonged wait has left the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers all in limbo as they wait to see whether James will sign or whether they need to pivot toward strengthening their rosters elsewhere. James addressed the timeline last Thursday during an appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York.

“I won’t hold you guys up too much longer,” said James.

James’ agent, Rich Paul, has said he has already communicated everything necessary to the five teams considered front-runners for James’ services. Paul addressed his approach during an appearance on his own podcast this week.

“Is there anything more we should be doing? We could be doing?” said Paul. “No. We don’t need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It’s clear. All the messages have been sent.”

Speculation has continued to swirl in the absence of concrete information, including reports of a since-deleted Heat YouTube link referencing a July 27 press conference, which the team described as an honest mistake. Sources close to James also dismissed rumors that he had reversed a prior decision, calling those claims false.

Only two teams have made roster moves directly tied to pursuing James. Warriors forward Draymond Green, also represented by Paul, declined his player option in late June in coordination with Golden State’s front office to create flexibility for potentially signing James and trading for Anthony Davis. Sources said there were no guarantees attached to that move. Meanwhile, James Harden has remained unsigned as part of a plan to preserve Cleveland’s ability to sign James, a strategy Harden has publicly confirmed as the team’s goal.

Jae’Sean Tate, Rockets Agree To One-Year, $3.07M Deal

Jae’Sean Tate and the Houston Rockets have agreed to a one-year, $3.07 million contract. The deal is partially guaranteed for $1.04 million.

Tate appeared in 46 games last season with the Rockets, averaging 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.8 minutes. Tate’s minutes have decreased each season of his career down from when he played in 29.2 minutes per game as a rookie and was a First Team All-Rookie selection.

Tate will be playing in his age-30 NBA season.

RealGM Radio: Truth About Second Apron, LeBron’s Decision, NBA Like The World Cup

David Jones-Garcia, Spurs Sign Two-Way Deal

David Jones-Garcia and the San Antonio Spurs have agreed to a two-way deal. Jones-Garcia went undrafted out of Memphis in 2024.

In 11 regular season games last season with the Spurs, Jones-Garcia averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 6.2 minutes.

Jones-Garcia also appeared in 16 G League games with the Austin Spurs, averaging 26.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.7 minutes.

Cameron Boozer Says Versatility Sets Him Apart, Cites Knicks As Model

Cameron Boozer said his ability to fill multiple roles on the floor is what sets him apart, pointing to the New York Knicks’ championship run as a blueprint for the kind of versatile play teams now covet. The Memphis Grizzlies’ first round draft pick spoke to The Athletic about his approach following a standout summer league performance.

“Versatility is the name of the game. That’s what teams are looking for,” said Boozer. “Teams want five guys who can make plays. Look at the Knicks this year. Everyone on that team was capable of doing more than one thing. Everyone was capable of playing on or off the basketball. That’s what I feel like I can do best. I can screen. I can handle it. You can put me in a lot of different scenarios.”

Boozer closely studied New York’s title run, taking note of how the team shared the ball, moved cohesively on both ends of the floor, and relied on players capable of multiple skill sets rather than a single dominant scorer. Those observations shaped his own vision for how he wants to impact games as a professional.

That approach was on full display during a dominant 10-day stretch at summer league, where Boozer averaged 18.5 points, eight rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game. His performance helped lead Memphis to the Las Vegas Summer League championship game, a narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors.

Selected third overall in the 2026 draft behind AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, Boozer is expected to be a day-one starter for the Grizzlies alongside Cedric Coward, last season’s All-Rookie First Team selection. His combination of playmaking, physicality and positional flexibility as a 6-foot-10 forward has drawn comparisons to the multi-skilled roster construction that defined New York’s championship approach.

Dunc’d On: Dort/Risacher Trade; OKC, ATL, DAL, WAS, MEM, CHI Offseasons

Matisse Thybulle, Lakers Agree To One-Year, $3.3M Deal

Matisse Thybulle and the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract.

Thybulle is coming off his three-year, $33 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers that was originally signed as a restricted free agent offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks in 2023 that was matched. Luka Doncic was with the Mavericks when Thybulle signed the offer sheet.

Thybulle appeared in 30 games last season with the Blazers, averaging 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals as one of the NBA’s best wing defenders.

Thybulle missed most of the 2024-25 season due to right knee tendinopathy.

The Lakers currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts for the 2026-27 season, which will necessitate additional roster maneuvers before the start of the regular season.