NBA Player News

The Heat didn't extend Yurtseven a qualifying offer for 2023-24, making him an unrestricted free agent, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports.

Miami will not have the opportunity to match any offer Yurtseven receives this summer. The 25-year-old big man averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 9.2 minutes across nine games in 2022-23. While Yurtseven didn't receive much action for a contending Miami team, his impressive production in his 12 starts in 2021-22 could cause some teams to take a flyer on him in free agency.

Hernangomez's $2.56 million team option for 2023-24 was declined by the Pelicans on Thursday, Christian Clark of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Hernangomez spent the past three seasons in New Orleans but saw an inconsistent role during the 2022-23 campaign. He averaged just 7.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game over 37 appearances last year and will now seek out other opportunities. It's unclear whether the 29-year-old will be able to find a consistent role elsewhere in the NBA.

Bitadze's $2.07 million team option was exercised by the Magic on Thursday.

Bitadze had a limited role with the Pacers early in the 2022-23 campaign, but his role picked up over 17 appearances with Orlando down the stretch. After signing with his new team, he averaged 5.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per game, and he'll attempt to build upon his success during the 2023-24 season.

The Lakers waived Bamba on Thursday, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports.

Bamba will look for his third team in six seasons after spending the first four years of his career with Orlando before being traded to the Lakers midway through 2022-23. In nine appearances for Los Angeles, Bamba averaged 3.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 9.8 minutes. While the 2018 No. 6 pick's career hasn't exactly panned out, teams could offer him a cheap contract in free agency to fill a backup center role.

Drummond has exercised his $3.6 million player option to return the Bulls for 2023-24, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.

Drummond will return to Chicago for a second season in 2023-24. Despite being only 29 years old, it appears that the veteran center is on the downswing of his career. His 2022-23 averages of 6.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 0.4 blocks in 12.7 minutes were all career-low marks.

Kamagate, a 2022 second-round draft pick, is expected to continue playing in Europe during the 2023-24 season, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com reports.

The Nuggets view the athletic, 22-year-old center as a player who could factor into the rotation down the road, but the organization will let him continue to develop overseas before potentially revisiting a signing in the summer of 2024. Kamagate spent the 2022-23 campaign with Paris Basketball of France's LNB Pro A, appearing in 34 games while averaging 9.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22.1 minutes per contest.

Vucevic and the Bulls are nearing an agreement on a three-year, $60 million extension, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Vucevic posted 17.6 points and 11.0 rebounds across 82 regular-season appearances last year and was going to be a free agent this summer, but it looks like he'll return to Chicago on a new deal. The versatile big man is a consistent contributor and can space the floor for DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, but the Bulls' trio hasn't meshed well enough to make a playoff run over the last two-plus seasons.

The Sun extended Landale a qualifying offer Wednesday, making him a restricted free agent, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports.

Phoenix will now have the ability to match any offer Landale receives in free agency this summer. The Suns are reportedly looking to keep Deandre Ayton, but they also like what Landale brings to the table as a backup. Last season, he averaged 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 14.2 minutes across 69 regular-season appearances (four starts).

Wembanyama won't join the Spurs in Sacramento to begin Summer League play in early July, Don Harris of News 4 San Antonio reports.

Although Wembanyama will be sidelined for the California Classic, he'll join the team for the NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas, which begins July 7. The rookie's role in the Summer League remains to be seen, but he'll presumably see some game action once the Spurs arrive in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old was one of the best prospects in recent memory prior to being drafted by San Antonio at No. 1 overall, and he should immediately have a prominent role for the Spurs once the regular season gets underway.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Saturday that he's hopeful Holmgren (foot) will be available to play in the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer Leagues in July, Cody Taylor of USA Today reports. "It is our hope that he'll be out there, our expectation. Chet is doing great. He has had a great offseason," Presti said. "He has done a great job. He has followed the plan and looks really good. We're excited for him but I don't think anybody could be more excited than he is."

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft ended up redshirting during his first professional season after he underwent surgery in August to address a Lisfranc injury, and then had a follow-up procedure in December to remove hardware from his right foot. Before being diagnosed with the foot injury and getting surgery, Holmgren was a standout performer for the Thunder last summer, averaging 14.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.8 blocks and 1.6 steals in five appearances. The Thunder will open their summer slate July 3 in Salt Lake City and will play at least eight games between the two cities, but expect Holmgren to rest for some of those contests even if he gets full clearance for action next week.