NBA free agency news 2026: Victor Wembanyama signs rookie max extension; Kawhi Leonard trade on hold until NBA’s investigation wraps

Veteran free agent guard Victor Oladipo announced on social media on Saturday that he will be holding a pro day in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday, July 14.

Victor Wembanyama has signed a contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs, the team announced on Friday. The deal is a rookie max extension for five years and $252 million, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

The fifth year of the extension will be a player option.

The biggest issue facing the San Antonio Spurs this offseason appears to be solved. Star center Victor Wembanyama sent out an encouraging message to fans Friday suggesting he’s going to sign a new extension with the team.

That message, which Wembanyama sent out on X, was short, but included the phrase, “I’m here to stay.”

At the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla talked to reporters for the first time since Jaylen Brown was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-rounders.

While appearing at the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry was asked repeatedly about the possibility of playing with LeBron James.

Speaking to reporters, Curry acknowledged the “allure” of teaming up with James and the impact it would have on the NBA. Though he didn’t get into specifics of conversations he’s had with his He then explained what his pitch would be to his 2024 Olympics teammate.

While LeBron James looks at his free-agent options, teams pursuing the four-time NBA MVP are making their recruiting pitches via voice memos, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The notes are being sent to James’ agent, Rich Paul, and then being relayed to the four-time NBA champion. Who is speaking on those voice notes could be an indication as to how important James is viewed by the teams making their pitches.

A few other teams, sources told Charania, have had their owner, or president, or general manager record a voice memo.

When the Toronto Raptors acquired star forward Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers in late June, questions immediately arose about regarding Leonard’s status. The forward and the Clippers were still under investigation by the NBA after reports emerged accusing the Clippers of paying Leonard impermissible benefits to sign with the team ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season.

That investigation is still underway and the Leonard trade cannot be completed until the NBA closes the case, both teams confirmed Thursday.

The Clippers issued a statement to ESPN confirming the situation, saying the team has cooperated with the NBA for the last 10 months as it looked into the allegations.

In the statement, the Clippers once again claimed their innocence, saying the team “did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard.” It added, “We have not done what we are accused of doing.”

The New York Knicks are bringing back a member of their championship roster. Jordan Clarkson has reportedly re-signed with the team, per his agent Rich Paul.

Mo Bamba is headed back to the Utah Jazz on a two-year deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. He was dealt there ahead of the deadline last season from the Raptors, but only played two games with the team.

The Denver Nuggets are waiving center Jonas Valanciunas, according to Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto and ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Nuggets made the decision before a $10 million guarantee kicked in on his contract.

Veteran big man Larry Nance Jr. has reportedly signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Indiana Pacers.

Nance, 33, spent last season in a part-time role with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 35 games, he averaged 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds.

The Golden State Warriors are letting Quinten Post walk. The Warriors declined to match Post’s three-year, $30 million offer sheet with the Grizzlies on Tuesday night, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

So, Post will head to Memphis on that deal instead.

As part of the giant six-team deal that Shams Charania reported earlier tonight, the Wizards are sending D’Angelo Russell to Memphis along with a future second-round pick and a second-round pick swap.

Free agent forward Khris Middleton has agreed to a three-year, $17.6 million deal with the Washington Wizards, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The move was completed as a sign-and-trade.

Middleton returns to the Wizards where he spent part of the last three seasons. He was traded to Washington from the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a four-team trade in February 2025.

The forward then spent the rest of that season in Washington and the start of the 2025-2026 season. He was limited due to health concerns from injuries in both legs.

In February 2026, Middleton was traded to the Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team deal. He played only 29 games for the Mavericks and averaged 10.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 21.1 minutes per game.

All told, the deal is a six-team trade that includes the Mavericks, Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies. It includes previous deals completed over the last few days.

The Detroit Pistons are trading Caris LeVert and two second-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks for Taurean Prince and Gary Harris, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Pistons will free up some cap space and create a trade exception, while Milwaukee adds LeVert and draft assets.

LeVert, 31, signed a two-year deal with Detroit ahead of the 2025-2026 season. He played in 60 games last season for the Pistons, averaging 7.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 19 minutes per game off the bench.

The veteran forward Prince played in only 26 games for the Bucks last season. He missed the majority of the season due to a herniated disk in his neck and the subsequent surgery to fix it.

Harris has been in the league since 2014. He spent most of his career between the Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic before landing with the Bucks ahead of last season. He played 48 games for Milwaukee in 2025-2026, coming off the bench in all but two appearances.

The Los Angeles Lakers and forward Kevon Looney have agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Looney has been in the league since 2015 when he was drafted 30th overall by the Golden State Warriors. The forward spent the first 10 years of his career with the franchise.

He left in free agency last season, joining the New Orleans Pelicans. Looney played in only 21 games in New Orleans. He averaged 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 14.6 minutes per game.

Donovan Mitchell kept the Cleveland Cavaliers afloat when injuries decimated the team’s roster last season. The team rewarded his efforts Tuesday, reportedly signing Mitchell to a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension, per ESPN.

Mitchell, 29, averaged 27.9 points with the team last season, earning down-ballot MVP votes.

Mitchell’s new deal contains a player option for the 2030-31 NBA season, per Charania.

Mitchell wasn’t just rewarded for his performance last season. Since being traded to the Cavaliers, he’s been a standout player over multiple seasons. In his four years with the team, Mitchell averaged 26.7 points, 5.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. He’s made the All-Star team each of those seasons and has three top-7 finishes in the MVP voting over that period.

While the Cavaliers have made the playoffs in all four seasons with Mitchell, the team has yet to win a championship. After early playoff exits in his first three seasons with the team, Mitchell helped lead the Cavaliers on a run to the Eastern Conference finals last season. They were swept by the New York Knicks in the series, however.

Read more here.

Following Serbia’s 94-81 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Nikola Jokić told reporters that his preference is to hold off on signing a contract extension with the Denver Nuggets until after the 2026-27 season.

“My idea is to sign next summer and stay with Denver for the rest of my career,” Jokić said, translated by DNVR Sports.

The Sacramento Kings have waived DeMar DeRozan, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. This comes after the franchise couldn’t find a trade partner.

DeRozan has been in the league since 2009, when he was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors. The 36-year-old had been with the Kings for two years. In total, he played 154 games with the franchise and averaged 20.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

Prior to his release, DeRozan had one year remaining on his deal. Charnia’s report included that his salary had a partial guarantee for next season, but that the two sides worked together on his release.

The veteran is expected to have several teams interested, per Charania.

Read more from Yahoo Sports.

Phoenix Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein is finalizing an extension with the franchise, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Bartlestein is also the CEO of the Phoenix Mercury. Team owner Mat Ishbia confirmed the extension to ESPN.

“From day one, I knew Josh was the right person to help build the culture and organization that I envisioned in Phoenix – on and off the court. He is my trusted partner in every aspect of our basketball (Suns and Mercury) operations and business side as well.

His knowledge of basketball, care for our players and the strong relationships he has across the NBA and WNBA have been invaluable in building our success and will continue to shape our future. His leadership has elevated our entire organization.

He is one of the best CEO’s in all of sports, and happens to be one of the youngest too, and I’m excited to keep working next to Josh as we continue to build on our success.”