NBA Player News

Ayton exercised his $8.1 million player option Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

This isn't a huge surprise, but it doesn't mean the Lakers won't try to flip him later on. During his debut season with the Lakers, he made 72 regular-season appearances with averages of 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks on 67.1 percent shooting from the field. As things stand heading into free agency, Ayton is penciled in as the starting center.

Sharpe (thumb) will sign a two-year, $20 million deal with the Nets, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

The Nets will quickly lock up their new starting center after previously trading away Nic Claxton. Sharpe is coming off a career-best season in 2025-26, posting regular-season averages of 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals. He could offer a lot of appeal in fantasy formats depending on how the rest of the offseason shapes up.

Minott (ankle) will sign a two-year, $9 million deal to stay with the Nets, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

The deal will include a team option for the second season. Prior to this transaction, Minott had his 2026-27 team option declined to clear the way for this new contract. Minott is likely to compete for rotation minutes at forward next season after a career-best campaign.

The Nuggets tendered a qualifying offer to Jones on Monday, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

After a quiet rookie season, Jones was thrust into extended action last year due to numerous injuries in Denver. He averaged 22.1 minutes across 64 regular-season appearances, including 37 starts. He shot 50.4 percent from the floor, including 39.6 percent from deep on 2.3 attempts per game.

The Nuggets tendered a qualifying offer to Watson (hamstring) on Monday, Keith Smith of Spotrac.com reports.

With tons of injuries in Denver last season, Watson broke out, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per game on 49/41/73 shooting splits. However, the injury bug also hit Watson, who missed 31 of the Nuggets' final 36 games, including every postseason contest. Given his strong performance, Watson is set for a major raise, assuming he's fully healthy during free agency.

Mamukelashvili declined his $2.8 million player option for 2026-27, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

This was a widely expected transaction, with Mamukelashvili putting together a career season in 2025-26. Across 80 regular-season contests, he produced averages of 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 52.3 percent shooting from the field. He's expected to have a strong market heading into free agency.

Green will decline his $27.7 million player option, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

Green is now scheduled to become a free agent. There will almost certainly be mutual interest in a return, but this gives the Warriors flexibility to pursue LeBron James in free agency and Anthony Davis via trade. Green, who is 36 years old, holds career regular-season averages of 8.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.3 steals.

LaVine (hand) exercised his $49 million player option for 2026-27 on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

LaVine underwent season-ending surgery on his right hand before the 2025-26 All-Star break. He averaged 19.2 points in 39 regular-season games last season and was a two-time All-Star before being traded to the Kings in February of 2025. The Kings are listening to trade offers for LaVine and Domantas Sabonis (knee), but their hefty contracts are making things difficult. If LaVine stays in Sacramento, he would likely take a back seat as the Kings try to develop 2026 No. 7 overall pick Darius Acuff.

Harden declined his $42.3 million player option for 2026-27 on Monday and is working on a new multi-year deal with the Cavaliers, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

After averaging 20.9 points, 6.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals through Cleveland's first 13 postseason games, Harden struggled mightily as the Cavaliers got swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. While a disappointing end, it was still a successful postseason run for the new-look Cavaliers. Having Harden decline his option for a longer deal should lead to more guaranteed money for him while giving the team some much-needed financial flexibility.

VanVleet (knee) exercised his $25 million player option for 2026-27 on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

VanVleet declined a $44.9 million option last offseason to sign a two-year, $50 million contract, but he tore his ACL a few months later while preparing for training camp. The veteran missed the entire 2025-26 campaign, and his status heading into next season remains unclear, though there's optimism he'll be ready for Opening Night. VanVleet hasn't played since the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 14.1 points, his fewest since 2018-19.