Stein: DAL, Lively engage in early extension talks

Kuminga hit unrestricted free agency after the Hawks declined to pick up his $24.3 million option for the 2026-27 season. The former Warriors lottery pick remains without a team, but there has been interest. While a return to Atlanta is possible, the Lakers and Cavaliers also expressed interest in signing Kuminga, but both teams would likely require a sign-and-trade to get a deal done. Now, Minnesota has reportedly joined the mix after missing out on LeBron James, who chose to sign with the 76ers. With the departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, the Timberwolves can use another forward, even if Kuminga does not have the size of a traditional power forward. And going to Minnesota could give Kuminga a chance to start, which may not be the case with the other reported options.

Watson remains a restricted free agent, and there has not been much movement between him and the Nuggets regarding a new deal. While Denver wants to hold onto him, the possibility of a sign-and-trade remains. According to Scotto, the Nuggets would want a future first-round pick in return if they were to move Watson. One of the teams reported to be interested, Milwaukee, is said to be willing to consider absorbing Zeke Nnaji’s contract, which the Nuggets have been looking to get off their books for quite some time. Watson also has the option of accepting his qualifying offer of $6.5 million, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Watkins reportedly suffered the injury during the Wizards’ summer league opener against the Jazz, which explains why he didn’t appear again after playing 20 minutes as a starter in that game. Watkins was selected with the 43rd pick in 2025 and was solid as a rookie, especially down the stretch of the season. Now, there is a chance he misses the entirety of his sophomore campaign. It’s unclear if he would’ve had much of a role this upcoming season, but this solidifies that Bilal Coulibaly and Will Riley will see most of the wing minutes off the bench.

Acquired from the Bulls in a three-team deal that also involved Minnesota, Gueye was expected to be waived at some point. In fact, Thursday’s transaction comes after Valencia Basket in Spain announced that the 6-foot-10 forward will be on its roster for the 2026-27 season. Gueye’s departure does not affect fantasy basketball, as he was not going to be in the Hornets’ rotation had he not agreed to a deal with Valencia.

Following four seasons at Tennessee, Richardson spent a decade in the NBA, with most of that time being spent in Miami. He was drafted by the Heat with the 40th pick in 2015 and spent his first four seasons with them. He bounced around the league after that, spending time with the 76ers, Mavericks, Celtics, Spurs and Pelicans before returning to Miami for two more seasons. He spent last year in Spain before officially announcing his retirement on Instagram.

The Clippers agreed with the Raptors on a trade that would send Leonard back to Toronto in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and draft compensation. However, due to the investigation into the contract that the Clippers signed Leonard to, that transaction is on hold. And with Wednesday’s report, it’s fair to wonder if the trade will ever get done, as a potential penalty would be to void Leonard’s contract, making him a free agent. Also, Toronto would assume the penalties if they were to acquire Leonard before a ruling was made, hence the decision to delay the trade.

While Mathurin has yet to find a home after hitting restricted free agency, teams have expressed interest in the former lottery pick. In addition to the Pelicans, the Bulls have reportedly joined the pursuit. While Chicago added Norman Powell in free agency and selected Caleb Wilson in the draft, adding another wing scorer like Mathurin to the mix could give their offense a boost. However, the Bulls would likely need to free up cap space to make an offer that the Clippers would refuse to match to land Mathurin. For most of his NBA career, Mathurin has been a better option for points leagues than category leagues.

In the aftermath of his exit from Sacramento, DeRozan was considered to be a player likely headed to a team with postseason ambitions. Miami, Cleveland and Denver have all expressed interest since the veteran wing hit free agency, and now Washington has reportedly worked its way into the mix. Given the number of young wings on the Wizards’ roster, adding DeRozan would create even more of a logjam, potentially limiting the short-term fantasy potential of a Kyshawn George or Will Riley.

The move keeps Philly under the first and second aprons while signing LeBron James and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Broome will operate as a depth option in LA behind Brook Lopez, Isaiah Jackson and Yanic Konan Niederhauser.

Green turned down the same amount of money to give Golden State cap flexibility in its pursuit of LeBron James, but with James in Philly, Green will return to the Warriors for the 2026-27 campaign. Expect him to retain a similar role to the one he had a season ago.