NBA Player News

While Holmgren has been relatively quiet offensively in the NBA Finals, his rebounding has improved by the game. After grabbing six rebounds in Games 1 and 2, the slender forward hit double digits in both games in Indianapolis. The 15 rebounds in Game 4 were one shy of his playoff career-high, and Holmgren has accounted for at least 10 in nine games this postseason. The lone concern for Chet coming out of Game 4 was him rolling his left ankle on two separate occasions, in the first and fourth quarters. However, he did not have to exit the game following either injury, and Game 5 is not until Monday night.

According to the Pelicans, Queen suffered a torn scapholunate ligament in his left wrist during the Pelicans’ July 15 loss to Portland. The procedure was successful, but the 12-week timeline means the first-round pick may not be ready to go when the 2025-26 season begins. At a minimum, Queen will miss most of training camp, if not all. Yves Missi was positioned to start the season at the Pelicans’ starting center; Friday’s news changes nothing. However, more minutes may be available to Kevon Looney and Karlo Matkovic early on.

Beauchamp followed up his 25-point performance against the Nets on Tuesday with another strong outing tonight. The former first-round pick in 2022 is fighting for one of the Knicks’ two-way spots. With 53 points over his last two games, it’s safe to say he’s had a good audition.

Klintman needed a big performance to salvage what was an otherwise disappointing Summer League. While Klintman’s path to significant playing time on the playoff-bound Pistons remains cloudy, the upside in his game is apparent. He appeared in just eight games for the Pistons in his rookie season last year, but his four-year contract signed last July should give him an inside track to a roster spot.

The contract includes a player option in 2027. Lillard now will have a 2025-26 set salary of $70M between his Portland and Milwaukee deals, and a salary of $141M over the next two years, according to Charania. The 35-year-old point guard is heading back to where his career began when the Trail Blazers selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. Lillard is unlikely to play much if at all this season as he recovers from Achilles surgery, but looks to finish his career right where he started it. The deal includes a no-trade clause.

Wolf’s ceiling was on display Wednesday against the Magic. The 21-year-old power forward spaced the floor with two three-pointers and had a role as a playmaker with four assists. Wolf also pulled down six rebounds in 27 minutes. As one of the Nets’ four 2025 first-round picks, he will have plenty of opportunities for playing time this season.

Proctor was 4-of-14 from behind the three-point line, but a perfect 9-of-9 on free throws. The 21-year-old shooting guard dropped a game-high 35 points after debuting in Summer League last week. After a productive three-year career at Duke, Proctor will be in the mix for a bench role with the Cavaliers next season.

Hart underwent a procedure to his right ring finger due to an injury sustained in the playoffs. The 30-year-old shooting guard is expected to resume basketball activities later this summer and be ready for the regular season. It appears that Hart has avoided a significant injury here.

Milwaukee waived Livingston early this month, and now they’ll bring him back on a fully-guaranteed deal. The 2023 second-round pick hasn’t carved out a role with Milwaukee through his first two seasons, but he has been producing at a high level during summer league.

Harper only appeared in two games after dealing with a groin injury, and he played a total of 42 minutes across his appearances. He clearly didn’t need to be out there, and the Spurs decided it wasn’t worth risking further injury. David Jones-Garcia should return to the starting lineup as he continued to make a case of Summer League MVP.

Beal will have a player option for the second season of his deal with the Clippers, so if he has a bounce-back year, he could certainly decline the option and sign a larger deal next summer, which makes this a great scenario for him. Beal should start at shooting guard, likely alongside James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, John Collins and Ivica Zubac, making this one of the best lineups in the league in 2021. How well will it work next season? That’s on coach Tyronn Lue to figure out. This is certainly a fun collection of talent. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kris Dunn will likely lose out on minutes with Beal in the mix.