Shams: KCP exercises player option for 2026-27

Caldwell-Pope’s 2025-26 campaign ended early after he injured his finger and underwent surgery. Before the injury, the veteran guard was having one of his least-productive seasons as a pro and had struggled to provide fantasy value. Nonetheless, his opt -in will bring him back to Memphis for a third season.

Williams played a career-best 61 games last season, though he ended up missing the entirety of the Suns’ first-round series against the Thunder and only played in one of their two play-in games. However, he was still effective when he was on the floor, and Phoenix likely won’t let the 24-year-old walk for cheap. He should be penciled in as their starting center for next season, though Khaman Maluach’s development could alter the Suns’ stance on how much their willing to match on an offer sheet for Williams. Brea was a summer league standout in 2025 and will likely play for the Suns’ squad again, though he is likely still far off from being a rotational player for them.

Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Young would opt out of the final year of his contract, which would’ve been worth $48.97 million. Assuming he makes that official next week, he will become an unrestricted free agent, but it doesn’t appear he will test the waters. Young seemed to be bought in on the Wizards after they traded for him in January, and he’ll affirm that when he signs a new deal. Washington is in a great spot after multiple miserable seasons; they have All-Star talents in Young and Anthony Davis, rising stars in Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson, and they also have the top pick in the draft next week. Young will have plenty of talent to facilitate the ball to.

Acquired from the Hawks in early January, Young appeared in five games for the Wizards before being shut down in mid-March. Had he opted into the final season of his contract, the point guard would have earned nearly $49 million. And this may not be a case in which Young is opting out to negotiate a deal with the Wizards that would give the team more cap space. According to the report, there’s a belief that “multiple teams” will show interest in signing Young. Washington is perceived to be the favorite to sign Young, but that isn’t guaranteed. The question is whether this will affect how the Wizards view the first overall pick in next week’s draft. BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is considered the favorite to go first, but Kansas’ Darryn Peterson has refused to work out for any team other than the Wizards.

Fresh off the franchise’s first NBA title in 53 years, the Knicks’ focus has turned to the roster makeup for 2026-27. While Dolan made it clear that he’s fine with writing a check to account for entering the luxury tax, that isn’t the case for the second apron. “If we could bring back the whole team, exactly as it is, why wouldn’t you? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to, contractually,” Dolan said. “We’re willing to stretch, right. There’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is called the second apron. Cannot go into the second apron. That’s up to Leon (Rose)...I’ll write as big of a check as possible, but I can’t write a check that goes into the second apron.” This is important because two rotation players, Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet, are among the Knicks who will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the month. And Jose Alvarado, who was critical in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, has a $4.5 million player option. The Knicks barely avoided the second apron this season; this task becomes even more challenging this summer.

Two days after The Athletic reported that Kessler was frustrated with the Jazz front office as free agency approaches, more details emerged regarding the contract offered by Utah. According to MacMahon, Utah proposed an offer worth close to $140 million over five years. However, while this would be the most lucrative contract ever given to a center who had yet to make an All-Star team, there are still hard feelings between Kessler and the Jazz front office. In Monday’s report, Kessler not receiving an extension before the start of the 2025-26 season was cited as a factor, and it’s another issue the two sides will need to work through if they want to move forward as partners.

Windhorst theorized that the Cavs could be “investigating” moving on from Dennis Schroder, though it doesn’t appear that a deal is imminent. Schroder was dealt from Sacramento to Cleveland at the deadline and was a solid veteran for them down the stretch, though he didn’t do much in the conference finals. It appears Schroder’s time with the Cavs will be coming to a close this summer, though that isn’t guaranteed. If he ends up on a team that has a larger need for a point guard than Cleveland has, he could have some fantasy relevance next season.

Kessler, limited to five games this season after suffering a shoulder injury, will be a restricted free agent on June 30. While the Jazz can match any offer sheet that Kessler agrees to, they can also negotiate with the center before he hits the open market. However, according to Amick’s reporting, Kessler is not pleased with the franchise essentially leveraging his pending restricted free agency against the 7-footer. As a result, he’s reportedly more willing to consider the idea of playing elsewhere. Given the need for rim protectors, there will be a market for Kessler at the end of the month. After not offering him an extension last fall, the Jazz seem content to see what Kessler’s price will be before deciding on his future with the franchise, especially with Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. on large contracts. Wherever he plays next season, a healthy Kessler has top-50 fantasy potential, especially for those willing to punt free-throw percentage.

While Peterson is one of the top prospects in this draft class, most have assumed that BYU’s AJ Dybantsa will be the first overall pick in next week’s draft. However, the former Kansas guard is reportedly operating as if he only has eyes for Washington, refusing to meet with the other teams at the top of the draft lottery. Utah, which picks second, dealt with a similar situation last summer, but it did not keep them from selecting Ace Bailey fifth overall. Whether Washington’s acquisition of Trae Young will affect their thinking regarding Peterson is unknown, but the most recent reports make it clear that the 6-foot-5 guard wants to hear his name called first overall.

With the 2025-26 season in the rear-view mirror, Antetokounmpo’s future is the focus of most of the NBA. Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam said during the introductory press conference for head coach Taylor Jenkins that he expected a resolution of some kind before the June 23 NBA Draft. While Antetokounmpo can’t sign an extension with the Bucks until October 1, a verbal commitment would put the trade discussions to rest. However, Windhorst reported on Monday that the Bucks’ forward is “focused” on a move to Miami, which has previously expressed interest in acquiring him. “He has focused on wanting to be a member of the Miami Heat. And because he only has one year on his contract, he has some control over that,” Windhorst said. “But the Heat and the Bucks have been talking for months and not agreed to a deal, because the Bucks don’t love the Heat’s offer. There are third teams involved. There are fourth teams involved.” Boston has also been rumored as a possible destination for Antetokounmpo, but not to the same extent as Miami.