EuroLeague guard Sylvain Francisco says he had a chance to sign with Chicago but the timing collapsed. He told media his July 20 deadline to trigger his NBA out clause from ASVEL passed before LeBron James signed with Philadelphia four days later, and the Bulls' preceding trade stalled while the league waited.
Peyton Watson is on his way to the Cavaliers in a deal with the Nuggets, per CBS Sports, which handed out grades on the swap and framed it as Cleveland adding a wing coming off a step forward while questioning what Denver is building around Nikola Jokic.
Grant Williams and a 2030 second-round pick would head to the Lakers in a floated three-team deal, with Charlotte shedding his $14.2 million salary for a 2031 second and the Clippers absorbing Dalton Knecht and Jaxson Hayes-type young pieces via a trade exception.
Boston owner Bill Chisholm said he had reservations about trading Jaylen Brown but deferred to his basketball people. He credited Brad Stevens and the front office with having "conviction" about the deal. Chisholm framed the call as trusting the "best brains in basketball" over his own hesitation.
Peyton Watson would move from Denver to the Cavaliers while Max Strus heads to the Clippers as part of a multiteam trade, according to ESPN. Full details of the deal beyond the two headline names were not specified.
Denver has signed Peyton Watson to a multi-year contract. No terms disclosed.
Malique Lewis, the No. 60 pick in the second round by Milwaukee, is expected to join the Cairns Taipans in Australia's NBL, turning him into a draft-and-stash for the Bucks. The 21-year-old averaged 6.9 points and 4.3 rebounds last season with the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
Anonymous Eastern and Western Conference scouts were asked where three lingering names should land. One suggested the Lakers take on the $17.4 million left on Klay Thompson's deal, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht going back to Dallas as short, tradeable contracts.
Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes remains in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft, per ESPN, which pegged him as the early frontrunner back in June.
ESPN's Jeremy Woo reports that Baskonia guard Stefan Joksimovic gained more 2027 draft momentum this summer than any other prospect, with evaluators now seeing him as a genuine No. 1 pick candidate. Woo had tabbed Tyran Stokes as the early favorite back in June.
New Orleans has signed forward Trendon Watford. No terms disclosed.
Cleveland is canvassing the league for a team willing to absorb Max Strus and his $15.55 million expiring salary, Marc Stein wrote in The Stein Line. The savings would help the Cavaliers put together a sign-and-trade for either Jonathan Kuminga or Peyton Watson.
Cleveland has traded Dennis Schröder to Charlotte, per CBS Sports. The outlet notes it's the ninth trade of Schröder's career, second-most in NBA history, and frames the deal as possible groundwork for a larger Cavaliers move. That last part is analysis, not reporting.
Bradley Beal signed a two-year, $13.1 million deal to stay with the Clippers after Miami, Boston and Golden State showed varying interest in him.
Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy said Stephen Curry intends to win and end his career with Golden State. Dunleavy added that no discussions about moving him have taken place, pushing back on outside speculation. So the trade chatter, for now, is chatter.
Dillon Brooks and the Phoenix Suns have agreed to a three-year, roughly $73 million extension, according to Yahoo Sports. Agent Mike George of Klutch Sports confirmed the deal to ESPN, noting the contract is fully guaranteed and keeps Brooks in Phoenix through the 2029-30 season.
Jaylen Brown, dealt from Boston to Philadelphia on July 6 in a package that sent Paul George plus two first-round and two second-round picks to the Celtics, spoke publicly for the first time about teaming with LeBron James, who signed with the Sixers in late July.
Dallas has resisted a buyout for Klay Thompson because a market is forming, Jake Fischer said on a Bleacher Report stream.
Jake Fischer, speaking on a Bleacher Report stream, said Dallas has been reluctant to agree to a buyout with Klay Thompson because a market is forming.
