⛹️♂️ THE RUNDOWN
I’m glad that’s over… after months of negotiations and leaks to media, both Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes have re-signed with their incumbent teams. However, there is reason to believe that Kuminga will be gone from Golden State by the trade deadline and Grimes will look for a new home in unrestricted free agency next year.
Elsewhere, media day quotes and news have dominated headlines around the league. I’m always careful not to read too much into preseason quotes and hype, but there are some nuggets (and plenty of injury news) that are worth knowing from the past couple of days.
Happy hoops!
Matt
🗞️ AROUND THE LEAGUE
Kuminga Re-signs in Golden State
Jonathan Kuminga will be returning to the Warriors on a two-year, $48.5 million contract, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Most notably, the second year is a team option, with Charania stating that “both sides understand the likelihood of exploring trades when Kuminga is eligible to be moved in mid-January. As part of the deal, he is waiving his inherent no-trade clause.”
Grimes Signs Qualifying Offer
Quentin Grimes will be staying in Philadelphia, opting to sign his $8.7 million qualifying offer instead of agreeing to a longer-term contract with the 76ers, per Shams Charania. After a breakout stint in Philly after being traded from Dallas, Grimes and the Sixers weren’t able to agree to a longer-term deal in free agency, meaning the guard heads into the season with a no-trade clause under his belt, with unrestricted free agency awaiting him in the summer of 2026.
Jović, Heat Agree to Rookie Extension
Miami forward Nikola Jović has signed a four-year, $62.4 million extension with Miami, according to Shams Charania. The contract contains no options and will kick in next season, with an approximate starting salary of $13.9 million. Having played just 107 regular season games since being drafted three seasons ago, both Jović and Miami will be hoping for a cleaner bill of health moving forward, but as a genuine stretch four option, having shot 39.9% and 37.1% from deep in his past two season, the upside is clearly there for the 22-year-old.
Media Day Talking Points
From Kawhi Leonard’s denial (duh) of salary cap circumvention, LeBron James stating that he won’t be waiting on his son Bryce joining the league before retiring, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s somewhat confusing comments about his rumoured desire to leave Milwaukee and much more, the league’s media days had their fair share of topics to discuss.
🤕 INJURY WARD
On the back of media day, we have a fair bit of not insignificant injury news to get through… expect this type of news to continue to filter through over the next few days.
Daniel Gafford (DAL)
The big man sprained an ankle on first day of camp, per ESPN’s Tim McMahon. With his timeline to return reported to be 2-3 weeks, he may well miss Dallas’ season opener. In that case, expect either Anthony Davis to shift down to centre, or Dereck Lively II to slot into the starting role.
De’Anthony Melton (GSW)
As the wing recovers from a torn ACL, Steve Kerr said that Melton will hopefully return in “the next couple of months” and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Dorian Finney-Smith (HOU)
Ben DuBose reports that DFS is set to miss the start of the season as he continues to rehab from an off-season ankle procedure.
Colby White (CHI)
Per Will Gottlieb, White strained his calf in August and is hoping to be fully fit by the end of preseason (so the start of the regular season?…).
Jayson Tatum (BOS)
While some fans have become excited about videos surfacing of Tatum returning to on-court practice, the forward himself said that “there's no pressure to return back any sooner than when I'm 100% healthy.” It’s hard to see him hitting the court this season.
Kyrie Irving (DAL)
Irving stated that he is on schedule with his recovery from his ACL tear, meaning we may see the star guard at some point in 2026.