NBA Player News

The Magic exercised their 2026-27 team option for Cain on Monday, Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel reports.

This was a formality after Cain carved out a key role down the stretch of 2025-26, averaging 17.6 minutes during Orlando's playoff run. Look for him to compete for a rotation spot entering 2026-27 with momentum on his side.

The Clippers declined Batum's team option for 2026-27 on Monday, Jake Fischer of BleacherReport.com reports.

Batum and Bogdan Bogdanovic will be unrestricted free agents after the Clippers passed on their team options. Batum's play has steadily declined, seeing fewer than 20 minutes per game in each of the past two seasons for the first time since his rookie campaign. Despite the drop in production, Batum can still draw attention on the open market as a veteran leader who's been on plenty of winning teams.

The Celtics picked up their 2026-27 team option for Walsh on Monday, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reports.

This is an expected move by the Celtics. Walsh appeared in 68 regular-season games in 2025-26, posting averages of 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per contest.

The Clippers are picking up the $9.2 million team option on Lopez's contract for the 2026-27 season, per Chris Haynes of NBA TV.

Lopez was thrust into a starting role following the Ivica Zubac trade last year, and he appears to be the early favorite for the top center gig once again in 2026-27. That said, the Clippers figure to try and upgrade the position this offseason. Lopez averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.8 minutes per contest over 75 regular-season games in 2025-26.

The Celtics declined to tender a qualifying offer to Shulga, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports Monday.

Shulga made 11 regular-season appearances, including one start, for the Celtics in the 2025-26 campaign. The 2025 second-round pick will now enter unrestricted free agency after averaging just 3.3 minutes per game in his rookie season.

The Celtics picked up Queta's team option Monday, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reports.

This is an expected move for Boston after Queta put together a solid campaign as their starting center. He produced averages of 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.8 steals in 25.3 minutes per game across 76 outings (75 starts). Depending on what the Celtics do in free agency, Queta could again be in line for a big role in the frontcourt.

The Hawks declined Kuminga's 2026-27 team option Monday, Brad Rowland of the Locked On Podcast Network reports.

Kuminga was owed $24.3 million, so this move comes as no surprise. Rowland notes that the Hawks could still explore re-signing him in free agency, as they own his Bird Rights. In 22 games with Atlanta (including the playoffs), Kuminga averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 three-pointers.

The Trail Blazers traded Murray and Jerami Grant to the Grizzlies on Monday in exchange for Ja Morant, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Murray was the No. 23 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but unlike his brother, Keegan Murray, in Sacramento, Kris has failed to break out at the NBA level. He's been a solid role player for Portland, averaging a career-high 23.4 minutes per game across 57 regular-season appearances (15 starts) last season. However, he posted only 5.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.9 steals a night.

The Grizzlies traded Morant (elbow) to Portland in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

The Trail Blazers are buying low after the Grizzlies shopped Morant around the NBA for months. The point guard was certainly in need of a fresh start, but it's an interesting landing spot to say the least. The Trail Blazers have Damian Lillard (Achilles), Jrue Holiday, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson in the backcourt already. Unless more moves are coming, it's a tricky spot to project Morant landing a major role right away.

The Grizzlies are trading Ja Morant (elbow) to the Trail Blazers for Grant and Kris Murray on Monday, per Shams Charania of ESPN.

Trade speculation had surrounded Morant's name for several months, and Memphis is finally pulling the trigger on a deal. The Grizzlies took Cameron Boozer with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but Grant still has a chance to start at small forward with his new team in 2026-27. Last regular season, Grant averaged 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.4 three-pointers in 29.7 minutes per game across 57 appearances.