Life in the second-apron era is harder than anyone could have imagined, and this offseason will see all 30 NBA teams faced with difficult choices as they try to get better and cheaper all at once.
Here, we'll run through one tough financial call for each team, emphasizing contract extensions, free agency and cap management. We'll even touch on a couple of potential blockbuster trades that, unfortunately, might weaken contenders in the interest of cutting costs.
The Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets could both ship out quality players for purely financial reasons.
Superstar talent and great coaching are still the most important commodities in the NBA, but the ability to balance books is catching up.
Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young's Extension
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It was only a year ago that the Trae Young trade fervor approached its apex. When the Atlanta Hawks landed the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, it seemed like an ideal time to reset by moving on from the then-three-time All-Star whoād led a Conference Finals run, but whose heliocentric style and limitations on defense made him seem like something less than a true cornerstone.
Now, Atlanta might not be so keen to shake things up.
Young led the league with a career-best 11.6 assists per game last year and averaged his shortest average touch time since he was a rookie in 2018-19. He attempted more shots off screens than ever before.
With a well-balanced 25-and-under supporting cast of Jalen Johnson, Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels and Onyeka Okongwu, the Hawks seem ideally built for the slightly less ball-dominant version of Young.
Heās eligible to sign a four-year, $228.6 million extension this summer. Atlanta has to decide if it wants to continue to feature Young in an alpha role and whether to pay the full max to do so.
Boston Celtics: Who Do They Trade?
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All we know for sure is that the Boston Celtics have to trade somebody. Thereās no sense in paying $500 million in payroll and tax for a Jayson Tatum-less roster that canāt realistically expect to get out of the second round next spring.
In every hypothetical, itāll be difficult for the Celtics to maximize their savings. They have to take money back in any exchange unless they involve a third team and surrender additional assets in the process. To get out of the second apron, Boston needs to dump at least $20 million. Ducking the tax altogether would require hacking over $50 million from next yearās books.
Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown are all strong candidates to be moved, while Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser should also be on notice.
How much talent is Boston willing to jettison in its cost-cutting efforts? And whatās the vision for the roster when Tatum is back on the floor in 2026-27? Weāll get our answers this summer.
Brooklyn Nets: How to Wield All This Power
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In many ways, the Brooklyn Nets are in charge of the 2025 offseason.
The only team with max-level cap space, they will be called upon to serve as facilitators in blockbuster deals between teams that donāt have the financial flexibility to swing them without a third team capable of taking on salary.
Brooklyn should look to exact heavy tolls for its cooperationāin the form of future draft picks and young players.
Alternatively, the Nets could offer to clear another teamās books by taking on unwanted salary with picks attached as sweeteners. That approach might saddle the Nets with contracts they donāt actually want and should only be used as a backup option. They can afford to be picky and to drive hard bargains because trade-hungry teams donāt have alternative brokers.
Itās hard to know which path the Nets will choose, but itās pretty clear all of them are promising. Thatās the benefit of being the only cap-space team in the league.
Charlotte Hornets: Tre Mann's Free Agency
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The Charlotte Hornets donāt have much in the way of free-agent decisions to make, unless you view vets like Seth Curry and Taj Gibson as major priorities.
Tre Mann stands out in a couple of regardsāin that heās only 24 and showed enough in pre-injury flashes with Charlotte to suggest he might be at least a third guard in a good rotation.
Mann intrigued in 28 post-deadline games with Charlotte in 2023-24, averaging 11.9 points and 5.2 assists while hitting 36.4 percent of his threes, and he was even better in 13 games before his back acted up this past season.
All that unavailability could scare off suitors and create an opportunity for the Hornets, who could either make him a qualifying offer of $6.9 million or pull it and try to bring him back on a multi-year deal in unrestricted free agency.
Mann has mid-level exception upside, but it shouldnāt cost the Hornets nearly that much to keep him. If they manage this right, they could net a fringe starter for 12th-man money.
Chicago Bulls: Josh Giddey's Restricted Free Agency
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Unless the Brooklyn Nets get irresponsibly frisky with their cap space, the Chicago Bulls wonāt have to worry about competing offer sheets for restricted free agent Josh Giddey.
Then again, they were in a similar situation with Patrick Williams last summer, and it didnāt stop them from handing out a five-year, $90 million pact that is now regarded as one of the worst deals in the league.
Giddey stat-stuffed to an extreme degree late last season, piling up averages of 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.1 assists on a 62.0 true shooting percentage after the All-Star break. At 37.8 percent from deep for the year, he also improved his long-range hit rate for the fourth straight season.
Thereās a lot to like about a playmaking 6ā8ā guard, particularly one whoās still just 22 years old. But Giddey is a damaging defender whose teams have been break-even or worse with him on the floor in each of the last three seasons.
The Bulls want to retain Giddey for what should be the beginning of his prime, but they have to avoid the temptation to view him as a cornerstone worth more than $30 million per year.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Ty Jerome's Rising Cost
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The Cleveland Cavaliers can offer Ty Jerome up to $64 million over four years, which is more than anyone other than the Brooklyn Nets can afford. If you think that means one of last seasonās biggest breakout players is a lock to stay in Cleveland, wellā¦not so fast.
Just because the Cavs can beat the market, and just because Jerome was a major reason they won a franchise-best 64 games, it doesnāt mean this decision will be easy.
Because Cleveland projects to be around $13 million north of the second apron, a deal that pays Jerome $14 million next year would include an extra $80 million in tax penalties. Jerome hit seemingly every floater he tossed up last year, swiped 2.0 steals per 36 minutes and set career highs in points per game (12.5) and three-point accuracy (43.9 percent).
But itāll be hard for Cleveland to convince itself heās worth adding so much to an already exorbitant tax bill.
Dallas Mavericks: Kyrie Irving's Extension
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Start here: Kyrie Irving will miss most or all of next season due to a torn ACL suffered in March. Thatās just the first of a handful of variables and uncertainties the Dallas Mavericks must weigh if he declines his $43.2 million player option.
The smart move would be to negotiate a reduction in next seasonās salary, which Dallas could offset by agreeing to add two more years of mostly guaranteed money. Thatād set Irvingās contract up to expire in the same offseason as Anthony Davisā, unless AD winds up getting an extension this summer as well.
Dallas broadcast its intention to chase championships when it dealt for Davis. Good luck squaring that logic with the fact that the Mavs traded an in-prime superstar whoād just led them to the Finals, but understand that it informs the teamās plans with respect to Irving.
If the Mavericks are going to make the most of Davisā age-32, 33 and 34 seasons, Irving probably has to be involved. As such, Dallas needs to settle on a deal that keeps everyone happy while knowing itāll be paying Irving to rehab for much of 2025-26.
Denver Nuggets: A Michael Porter Jr. Trade?
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A high-level trade involving Michael Porter Jr. wouldnāt strictly count as a salary-cap-related decision, but itād be impossible to divorce financial concerns from such a deal.
Itās difficult to imagine the Nuggets getting a better player in return for Porter, who averaged 18.2 points per game and was their lone five-alarm-fire three-point threat last year. In fact, if Denver were to move Porter, its list of team needs would immediately be headlined by some version of āfind a very good shooterā¦like Michael Porter Jr.ā
Thatās why this is a money issue. MPJās $38.3 million next year is the Nuggetsā only realistically moveable big salaryāif only by process of elimination. Theyāre not trading Nikola JokiÄ, Jamal Murrayās deal may be an even worse value than MPJās with four years and $207.8 million remaining on it, and Aaron Gordon occupies too important of a role defensively.
Denver could look to turn Porter into two or three smaller contracts that would afford it a little flexibility and depth, two qualities it currently lacks. Is that worth an overall talent downgrade for a team JokiÄ admitted wasnāt good enough to win a championship as it is?
Maybe weāll find out this offseason.
Detroit Pistons: Malik Beasley's Next Deal
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The Detroit Pistons should be wary of paying Malik Beasley as if the career-best standard he set last season will become the new normal, but they also need to acknowledge reality: Beasleyās shooting is critical to their success.
Appearing in all 82 games last season, Beasley buried 319 triples at a 41.6 percent clip. He was the only player in the league to amass that many makes at such an efficient rate, and a Pistons offense that often fielded lineups with at least two non-threatening shooters was 2.3 points per 100 possessions better when Beasley was on the floor.
Detroit only has non-Bird rights on Beasley and canāt offer him more than a starting salary of $7.2 million unless it carves out cap space or utilizes an exception. The full mid-level tops out at $14.1 million, which would net Beasley $60.6 million over four years.
If he wants more than that, or if the Nets come calling with a bigger offer, Detroit would either lose Beasley or have to tap into its cap space by renouncing its rights on the likes of Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway Jr. That wouldnāt be an easy call; both guards played important roles last season and figure to matter at least as much going forward.
Golden State Warriors: Jonathan Kuminga's Price
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Last October, the Golden State Warriors offered Jonathan Kuminga an extension worth āsomewhere near the $30ish million per year range,ā per The Athleticās Anthony Slater. It wasnāt enough to get a deal done then, and itās hard to imagine the Warriors upping their offer now.
Kumingaās fourth year resembled his third: marked by flashes of athletic brilliance but lacking signs he could consistently defend, rebound, make teammates better and flourish within a movement-and-pass-heavy scheme.
Now, with Kuminga entering restricted free agency, the Dubs need to determine whether they want the former No. 7 overall pick back at allāand at what price. Itās possible the relationship is fractured beyond repair and that Kuminga, who has long wanted to be more of a focal point, will never accept the coaching staffās less-starry opinion on his role.
Golden State could look to sign-and-trade the bouncy forward, or it could keep him around with an eye toward trading him at the deadline, when an exchange wouldnāt be complicated by base-year compensation issues.
Perhaps least likely of all but still on the table, the Warriors and Kuminga could come to terms on a deal that keeps him in the fold for another title chase.
Houston Rockets: Fred VanVleet's Team Option
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The Houston Rockets have a $44.9 million team option for Fred VanVleet, a number too high for an undersized 31-year-old guard who averaged just 14.1 points per game last year, even if FVVās veteran presence and two-way production are still highly valuable in Houston.
Options abound, but the primary ones involve Houston declining that option and agreeing on a multiyear deal at a lower annual rate orāand hereās where things could get funākeeping VanVleet on the books at that figure and treating him as a massive matching salary in a superstar trade.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason are both extension eligible this summer. Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore will join that club in 2027, followed by Reed Sheppard the following year. And the Rockets just traded for Kevin Durant, who figures to sign a two-year, $120-plus million extension in short order.
Houston canāt pay everybody.
Indiana Pacers: Myles Turner's Free Agency
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The Indiana Pacers havenāt paid the luxury tax in a couple of decades, but they may have to for Myles Turner.
The irony of Indy hitting a pay threshold it has avoided forever in order to keep Turner, whose name has been in trade rumors for what seems like his entire career, is hard to overstate. But so is Turnerās value to the team.
There just arenāt many floor-stretching, shot-blocking (and now) postseason validated bigs out there, and the Pacers are in no position to pinch pennies coming off their first Finals appearances in a quarter century.
Thatās why the Pacers are āprepared and expectingā to pay the luxury tax to keep Turner, per ESPNās Shams Charania.
If Turner winds up costing somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million per season, Indiana will have to either prove itās serious about the tax or offload salary elsewhere. The only certainty is that the Pacers should be willing to do what it takes to keep a core piece of their operation.
LA Clippers: James Harden's Player Option
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Itād be great theater if the LA Clippers essentially dared James Harden to decline his $36.3 million player option for 2025-26, knowing the only team with enough money to give him a raise, the Brooklyn Nets, would have no interest in signing the 11-time All-Star.
We probably wonāt get to enjoy that standoff. Harden made the All-Star team and earned an All-NBA nod last season by appearing in 79 games and running the show for a team with very little secondary creation. LA should be interested in giving Harden a modest raise for next year, perhaps with another player option for 2026-27.
Harden would be within his rights to seek more guaranteed money, and it might work. The Clippers donāt have the flexibility to replace him with anyone as good, let alone better, and theyāre fairly committed to a win-now timeline as long as Kawhi Leonard is around.
The Clippers probably canāt count on Harden matching last yearās production and availability, but they also canāt let him walk and shouldnāt relish the idea of him going into next season as an expiring contract. Finding the right balance of years and guaranteed dollars will be tricky.
Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James' Next Contract
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The presence of Luka DonÄiÄ reorients the Los Angeles Lakersā timeline and affords them leverageāif they want to exercise itāagainst LeBron James.Ā
Thatās not to say Los Angeles should put up an aggressive front as James contemplates what kind of deal heād like to sign upon declining his player option for 2025-26. But the Lakers are suddenly able to have some say in the matter.
James could pick up his $52.6 million option and end the discussion. Thatās actually the plan, according what ESPNās Shams Charania reported in May. Opting out and signing elsewhere is basically impossible because nobody has the money to pay him, unless James wants to take a minimum deal.
The Lakers are certainly better with James, who made his 21st All-NBA team last year. But they donāt need to treat him like the franchise centerpiece anymore. Itāll be fascinating to see if thereās any pushback by the team if James has big demands.
Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr.'s Extension
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It was going to be difficult for the Memphis Grizzlies to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr.ās contract when they had $7.2 million in cap space. With that number reduced by about $2 million following the Desmond Bane trade, itāll be almost impossible unless other deals trim salary from the books.
Thatās still a possibility, but itād mean sending even more talent out the door after Bane, probably without the benefit of serious pick equity coming back.
The risks of waiting until 2026 to re-up with Jackson are no joke. Next summer, several teams could have enough cash on hand to make competitive offers. Though the Grizzlies would have the advantage of offering a fifth season (no outside team can sign JJJ for more than four) and could still beat the market on any four-year offer, thatās still a very different scenario than the one theyāre in now.
At least the Grizz donāt have to worry about paying $345 million over five years, which would have been an option if Jackson had made an All-NBA team.
Miami Heat: Nikola JoviÄ's Extension
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Nikola JoviÄ has great size at 6ā10ā, can put the ball on the floor in a pinch and has hit 37.0 percent of his 408 career three-point attempts. He has also shown those qualities a little too infrequently due to injury and a fluctuating role in the Miami Heatās rotation.Ā
JoviÄ saw action in 46 games last year and the one before, and only appeared in 15 contests as a 19-year-old rookie in 2022-23.
Is that enough information for the Heat to determine his rookie-scale value?
Miami could be a major cap-space player in 2026 when Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinsonās deals come off the books, so it might prefer to let the restricted free-agency market decide JoviÄās rate for them a year from now.
Thereās always a risk in letting that happen with a player who has as much obvious talent as JoviÄ does, especially when he might be willing to take something like a four-year extension with an annual salary below the mid-level exceptionāsay, in the $10-12 million range.
Milwaukee Bucks: Bobby Portis' Player Option
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Everything that happens with the Milwaukee Bucks hinges on Giannis Antetokounmpoās potential to demand a trade. Things are quiet on that front for now, but much of the offseason remains, and things could change quickly.
Bobby Portis has a $13.4 million player option that he might decline if Giannis asks to be moved. Though heād be unlikely to get more than the $14.1 mid-level exception on the market, Portis could prefer that route to opting in and spending a rough year with a post-Antetokounmpo version of the Bucks.
If Giannis affirms heās staying, Portis could expect to play well for a relatively high-profile team next season. Thatād justify picking up his option with an eye toward a bigger payoff in 2026 free agency, when more teams could have the cash to drive up his market price.
Milwaukee also has to make decisions on free agents Brook Lopez, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr. and others. All of the calculus on those calls depends on what Antetokounmpo does.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Free-Agent Trio
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The Minnesota Timberwolves don't have just one daunting salary-cap decision this summer. They have three, and theyāre all related.
Julius Randle has a $30.9 million player option, Naz Reid has one worth $15 million and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is an unrestricted free agent. The Wolves must try to retain all three, but the second apron looms. If they get Randle and Reid back at their current salaries, theyāll be just $8.6 million below that restrictive cutoff. Alexander-Walker could command almost twice that much on the open market.
Itās possible Randle and Reid will opt out and extend at starting salaries slightly below their current rates, but the latter has little incentive to take much of a pay cut. The mid-level exception is $14.1 million, and thereāll be a line of suitors willing to pay that for Reid, arguably the best offensive backup big in the league.
Is NAW bound to be a cap casualty? Weāll see. But as it stands now, itās going to take some creative thinking for the Wolves to keep at least two of their three key free agents.
New Orleans Pelicans: Bruce Brown's Free Agency
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It doesnāt seem as if the New Orleans Pelicans are exploring the nuclear options of waiving or trading Zion Williamson, as new top executive Joe Dumars told Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times-Picayune: āWeāre going to go forward with Zion. Heās going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward.ā
Thatāll leave some relatively smaller-scale choices, led by the effort to squeeze value out of Bruce Brownās free agency. Focus on unlikely extensions for CJ McCollum, Herb Jones and (yes, seriously) Zion Williamson if you want, but itās much more realistic to imagine the Pels executing a sign-and-trade with Brownāor even re-upping with him to preserve him as an asset.
Itād probably be unwise to approach the mid-level exception for Brown, which might be necessary to keep him from just signing elsewhere. But if the Pelicans can find a suitor that a) wants Brown and b) canāt sign him outright, maybe thereās a way to get something in return.
New York Knicks: Mikal Bridges' Extension
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Four years and $156 million is the most the New York Knicks can give Mikal Bridges in an offseason extension, and youād better believe theyāll shove that offer across the table without hesitation.
Thatās because itād be a below-market rate for a player like Bridges who, even in a somewhat disappointing year, was a vital three-and-D supporting piece on a conference finalist. And if the next Knicks head coach allows him to be more involved in the offense, Bridges could easily surpass last seasonās averages of 17.6 points and 3.7 assists.
Bridges could follow Jalen Brunsonās lead and sign that team-friendly extension, which would alleviate some anxiety on the Knicksā side. Theyād surely hate to see the guy they gave up five first-round picks to acquire in unrestricted free agency next summer. If he wants to play hardball, Bridges could decline any offers from New York and enter 2026 free agency with the ability to make up to $296 million.
Given the gap between his extension now and his 2026 max, Bridges should probably consider making the Knicks sweat.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kick the Can Down the Road?
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With two picks in the top 25 and the ability to trade up to 10 future first-rounders, the Oklahoma City Thunder are flush with assets. Theyāll also hit the offseason with 13 players on guaranteed contracts for 2025-26, plus two more theyāll almost certainly keep via team options: Jaylin Williams and Ajay Mitchell.
That leaves little room for this yearās first-rounders and might cause OKC to send those picks out for future selections. The result would be major savings in the form of money not spent on two more guaranteed deals, plus the potential to get distant picks with more risk and more upside.Ā
When youāve already got too many picks to use, it makes sense to keep costs low and try to convert them into higher-variance assets that could (but probably wonāt) pay off in a huge way.
Orlando Magic: Resources for a Playmaker?
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The Orlando Magic decided their time was now, so they sent out five first-round assets with Cole Anthony and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for Desmond Bane. It was a bold move for an almost perfect player type given the teamās needs.
Bane is a 41.0 percent three-point shooter who gets them up at high volume, and heāll do more to address Orlandoās dead-last ranking in three-point accuracy and attempt rate than anyone else the team could have reasonably acquired.
That said, Anthony was a quietly important ball-handler and playmaker for a team that was already short in that area. Bane has been good for about 5.0 assists per game across the last several seasons, but he and Jalen Suggs arenāt born distributors. Ditto for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, who shoulder most of the offensive load for the Magic.
Orlando could still decline its team option on Mo Wagner, deal Jonathan Isaac or even shop Anthony Black in search of one more facilitator. Given what theyāve already traded away, the Magic might prefer to hold fast and bank on organic growth. But if this team flounders on offense again, especially after what it cost to bring in Bane, itāll regret not seeking one more initiator.
Philadelphia 76ers: Quentin Grimes' Restricted Free Agency
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Half the roster was hurt, and the tank was very much on, but Quentin Grimes was still a borderline star after coming aboard at the trade deadline. He couldnāt have timed his breakout better, as restricted free agency awaits this summer.
The Nets are the only team likely to have more than the mid-level exception available. But of all teams, Brooklyn is the one that has the most robust track record of sending out offer sheets and forcing teams to match.
Itās been a while, but the Nets did that with Allen Crabbe, Otto Porter Jr., Donatas Motiejunas and (deep cut incoming) Tyler Johnson. Current Brooklyn GM Sean Marks was the one in charge at the time.
Grimes is only 25 and just showed he could handle a much bigger role than heās ever had. Whatās to stop the Nets from hitting him with an offer worth $20-25 million per season?
Phoenix Suns: This Whole Thing Is One Giant Salary-Cap Problem
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It should deeply concern Phoenix Suns fans that owner Mat Ishbiaās response to the last two years of gross overspending, reckless trades and total disregard for the restrictions of the new CBA is to pledge heāll become more involved with the teamās operations.
When the root cause of the problem determines heās the solution, itās unnerving.
The Suns just traded Kevin Durant on Sunday. Theyāll now probably look to send out other mid-sized contracts for a star, and theyāll likely do everything else they can to mortgage what remains of their future.Ā
Theyāll definitely continue to make hiring decisions on the basis of: āDid you at any point have ties to Michigan State?ā
Phoenix doesnāt so much have a tough salary-cap decision to make. It has a full-blown catastrophe to remedy.
Portland Trail Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe's Extension
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Three years into his career and now eligible for a rookie-scale extension, itās surprisingly tough to determine what Shaedon Sharpe is worth.Ā
The exceptionally athletic guard averaged a career-best 18.5 points per game last season and, like the rest of the Blazersā youngsters, turned it up during an eye-opening second-half surge. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft posted 21.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game after the All-Star break.
March and April production are always subject to skepticism, but Sharpeās ability to make tough self-created twos, slash to the rim and execute circus-acrobat finishes on the break smacked of stardom. Does Portland see a better version of Jalen Green here, or is it still unsure Sharpe can defend, read the floor or facilitate at the level of a quality starter?
Green extended with Houston for three years and $106 million last summer. Portland should offer about 80 percent of that and risk taking Sharpe to restricted free agency in 2026 if he declines.
Sacramento Kings: Keon Ellis' Team Option
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Keon Ellis is a defensive havoc-wreaker with a career 42.9 percent hit rate from deep, which is why the Sacramento Kings have every reason to keep him around. The method they use to retain Ellis is where things get interesting.
Sacramento has a $2.3 million team option on Ellis. If the Kings decline it, the 25-year-old guard would become a restricted free agent. In that scenario, Sacramento could match any outside offer. With so few teams having cap space, the odds of a too-rich-to-match deal coming in are pretty low.
Sending Ellis onto the market might still seem risky, but picking up that option could result in Ellis hitting unrestricted free agency after this season. That would be a viable path if both parties have an extension in mind, but any disagreement could result in a worst-case scenario where Ellis walks for nothing in 2026.
With $161 million tied up in just eight players, the Kings might want to keep Ellisā cheap contract on the books this year. But the downside of choosing that option could be disastrous.
San Antonio Spurs: De'Aaron Fox's Extension
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It stands to reason that DeāAaron Fox and the San Antonio Spurs had an understanding about his next contract when they joined forces at last yearās trade deadline. Any wink-wink agreement on that front probably failed to price in the lottery luck that landed San Antonio the No. 2 pick in the draft.
Stephon Castle won Rookie of the Year, and now the Spurs seem fated to grab Dylan Harper with that second overall pick. Thatās a pair of younger, cheaper lead-guard prospects who may not make sense on the floor together with Fox.
The 27-year-old might not get the four-year, $229 million extension offer for which heās eligibleānot just because heās a speed-based player whose burst hasnāt quite been there the last two years, but also because the Spurs have to be smart with their long-term spending. Believe it or not, Victor Wembanyama will be in line to sign his rookie-scale extension a year from now.
The Spurs need to tread carefully, as they canāt just rubber stamp a huge deal for Fox ahead of his decline phase.
Toronto Raptors: Tax and Hard-Cap Concerns
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Though theyāre short on make-or-break extension decisions and only have Chris Boucherās unrestricted free agency to worry about, the Toronto Raptors need to take a macro look at their roster and decide whether itās worth heading into the tax or triggering a hard cap.
At present, the Raps are only a couple of hundred thousand dollars under the tax line. Slipping from seventh to ninth in the draft will help a little, but a new deal for Boucher anywhere close to the three-year, $35.3 million agreement he signed in 2022 would put them above the tax. From there, using the mid-level exception would trigger a hard cap at the first apron.
Is this team good enough to justify that expense and those constraints?
Itād be one thing if the Raptors incurred those penalties because they traded for a superstar, but itās harder to argue they should take on tax payments and hard caps just to maintain the status quo.
Utah Jazz: Walker Kessler's Rookie Extension
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Whatās a non-stretch, non-switch center worth in todayās market?
Walker Kessler has proved himself as a high-end contributor at the 5 by blocking at least 2.3 shots per game in each of his first three seasons, leading the league in offensive rebounds per game last year and posting a career 68.0 field-goal percentage.
Utah is still miles away from respectability, though, and itās worth wondering whether Kessler might have more value as a trade chip that brings back prospects and picks. Viewed that way, the years and dollars on his rookie-scale extension will matter. Go too big, and suitors might balk at acquiring him. Choose not to extend him at all, and the uncertainty of restricted free agency looms in 2026.
Kessler is a solid starter right now, but itās hard to know how valuable that makes him for a Jazz team that might be better served by turning him into more lottery tickets.
Washington Wizards: How to Handle Expiring Deals
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Coming off 18 victories last season and probably in line for a similar total in 2025-26, the Washington Wizards arenāt under the same kind of pressure as teams with actual intentions to win. If they have bad contracts on their books, itās not the end of the world.
Still, expiring deals for Marcus Smart ($21.6 million) and Khris Middleton ($34 million) count as assetsāat least insofar as they might be viewed by contenders with long-term money as worthwhile acquisitions.
The Wizards should be shopping both veterans, ideally for contracts that extend beyond next season. The goal, as for all tankers, is to see if anyoneās willing to attach draft picks in the bargain.
One other non-expiring-contract-related piece of business: Jordan Poole is eligible for an extension on a deal thatāll pay him $31.8 million next year and $34 million in 2026-27. Given his bounce-back season last year, it might be worthwhile to see if thereās a long-term number suitable to both Washington and Poole.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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