Peyton Watson, a restricted free agent, has said Cleveland wasn't among the first teams to show interest in him, but once the Cavaliers began pursuing the 23-year-old forward, he saw the fit working for both sides. He's said to be eager to show off his all-around game there.
Boston is interested in signing Devin Carter once he clears waivers from Atlanta, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer. The Hawks acquired Carter from Sacramento in June as part of a second-apron salary dump before waiving him, months after Sacramento took him 13th overall in 2024.
Ben Simmons had interest in Miami before agreeing to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Sacramento. Sun Sentinel writer Ira Winderman reports the Heat turned him down because he's no longer a proven win-now contributor, preferring to develop players like Tre Donaldson instead.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reports Golden State and New York were among the teams pursuing Ben Simmons before he agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Sacramento.
Marcus Thompson, speaking on The Tom Tolbert Show, said Stephen Curry's knee trouble was one reason LeBron James signed with Philadelphia instead of Golden State, framing James as wary of how many games he would be asked to carry if Curry were limited.
Two free agents are off the board: Jonathan Kuminga is joining the Timberwolves and Bennedict Mathurin is going to the Pelicans. Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones broke down both fits on Yahoo's Dunker Spot podcast, including the shortcomings each move leaves behind. No terms were given.
Aaron Turner, who represents Jonathan Kuminga, said on FanDuel TV's 'Run It Back' that the Lakers, Bulls and Blazers all pursued his client, and that Portland's proposal carried a higher player option than the one-year, $12.1 million deal he took in Minnesota.
Bennedict Mathurin's two-year, $16 million deal with New Orleans is now on the league's official transaction log, per NBA.com. It includes a player option for the second season.
Kuminga has agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Timberwolves that includes a player option, per ESPN, which credits agent Aaron Turner.
Sacramento general manager Scott Perry traveled to Florida to watch Ben Simmons work out, according to Carmichael Dave, who said Simmons was one of several players on Perry's evaluation list.
Nick Richards has agreed to a one-year deal with the Heat, per ESPN, taking Miami's 14th standard roster spot after the Klay Thompson signing and leaving the 15th open.
Jake Fischer and Marc Stein say they keep hearing that Golden State plans to bring in free agent forward Georges Niang, though neither reports an agreement. Niang, 33, missed all of last season after a foot injury and is a 39.9% career three-point shooter.
Klay Thompson's camp talked with the Lakers in the 2024 offseason, with LeBron James willing to take less money to fit him in, but Thompson signed with Dallas instead.
Updated 2026 NBA free agency rankings and a tracker note that the majority of available players have already agreed to deals. Among the moves referenced is LeBron James reaching an agreement with the 76ers. A handful of notable names are still said to be unsigned.
