NBA Player News

Capela (hand) agreed to a three-year, $21.5 million deal with the Rockets on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Capela will return to Houston, where he spent the first six years of his career. However, he's expected to compete for minutes with Steven Adams behind Alperen Sengun. Over 55 regular-season outings (41 starts) with Atlanta in 2024-25, Capela averaged 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocks across 21.4 minutes per game. The veteran big man missed the Hawks' final 17 regular-season games due to a sprained left hand but is expected to be ready for training camp.

Kornet agreed to a four-year, $41 million contract with the Spurs on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

The Spurs needed to bolster their frontcourt depth, and Kornet will likely operate as the backup center behind Victor Wembanyama. Kornet, an eight-year veteran, averaged 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per game across 73 regular-season outings with the Celtics in 2024-25.

Looney agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

The 29-year-old big man will join the Pelicans, though he'll likely be stuck behind Yves Missi (ankle) and Derik Queen. Looney spent the first 10 seasons of his career with Golden State. Over 76 regular-season outings (six starts) in 2024-25, he averaged 4.5 points and 6.1 rebounds across 15.0 minutes per game.

Reed agreed to a two-year, $11 million deal with the Pistons on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Reed will remain in Detroit after initially joining the team on a one-year pact in December 2024. The 26-year-old big man averaged 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds across 9.7 minutes per game in 45 regular-season appearances with the Pistons in 2024-25. He's expected to continue serving as the club's third-string center behind Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.

Sharpe (knee) agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal to return to the Nets on Monday, ESPN's Shams Charania reports.

The Nets did not extend a $5.98 million qualifying offer to Sharpe, but they acted quickly to ensure that he returns to the franchise. Sharpe is coming off a career-best campaign with regular-season averages of 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks across 18.2 minutes per game in 50 appearances. He'll likely win the backup job behind Nic Claxton in 2025-26, though he does have competition from rookie Danny Wolf.

Ayton (calf) is finalizing a contract buyout with the Trail Blazers on Sunday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Ayton being bought out of his contract makes him a free agent once he clears waivers, and he will likely garner interest from around the league as one of the best centers on the market. The 26-year-old big man played in just 40 games last season and did not make an appearance following the All-Star break due to a calf injury, averaging 14.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks in 30.2 minutes per contest.

The Pacers extended a qualifying offer to Jackson (Achilles) for 2025-26 on Sunday, Tony East of WTHR Channel 13 Indianapolis reports.

Jackson is now set to enter restricted free agency this offseason after spending the past four years in Indiana. The big man suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in November and missed the remainder of the 2024-25 season. He appeared in just five regular-season outings (one start) last year, averaging 7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks across 16.8 minutes per game.

The Magic intend to decline Wagner's (knee) team option, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

The move was expected, as Wagner is set to miss a good chunk of the 2025-26 season after tearing the ACL in his left knee in December. The Magic will retain his Bird Rights, so a new contract could be signed between the two sides, though the annual value could be lower than the $11 million Wagner was set to receive had Orlando exercised the option instead. Prior to his injury, Wagner was averaging 12.9 points on 56.2 percent shooting, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals over 18.8 minutes per game across 30 regular-season games (one start).

The Knicks exercised their $1.96 million team option in Hukporti's contract for 2025-26 on Sunday, Ian Begley of SportsNet New York reports.

Hukporti will return to New York for a second season after appearing in 25 regular-season games (one start) last year, during which he averaged 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds across 8.7 minutes per game. The 23-year-old isn't guaranteed significant playing time in 2025-26, though he could see a boost in minutes if Precious Achiuwa departs in free agency.

The Nets did not extend a $5.98 million qualifying offer to Sharpe (knee), who will now enter unrestricted free agency, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.

Sharpe is now set to explore other opportunities coming off a career-best year. The 23-year-old center averaged 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks across 18.2 minutes per game in 50 regular-season outings (two starts) last season.