25 NBA players were laid off overnight! 9 players received new contracts, the Lakers laid off 4 players in a row, and Durant may take a 40 million salary cut

Edit|Old Kankanqiu

The NBA preseason has ended. Many teams have performed surprisingly well. Among them, the Spurs have a record of 5 wins and 0 losses. The last time they performed like this The record is still the 97-98 season, which is really exciting; the Lakers were absent due to James' injury, and only achieved a record of 1 win and 5 losses in the preseason. Although there were injuries and the impact of the rest of the main players, their performance was indeed a bit disappointing. However, the preseason is just a warm-up match after all, and the regular season is the place to test the team's lineup.

Therefore, before the main game is about to start, each team has begun to strengthen signings and adjust lineups. As many as 25 players were laid off in the NBA overnight, 9 people received new contracts, the Lakers laid off 4 people in a row, and Durant may have a salary cut of 40 million. Let's take a look at the specific information.

01 The Lakers have laid off 4 players in a row: 14+3 lineup released

According to US media reports, the Los Angeles Lakers officially announced that they will lay off four players, including RJ Davis, Anton Watson, Nate Williams and Augustus Marchionis. The Lakers' regular season lineup for the new season is basically determined - 14 standard contracts + 3 two-way contracts. James and Doncic will lead this new Lakers team to start their journey to the championship.

The four players laid off this time all have non-guaranteed Exhibit-10 contracts. After being laid off, they can choose to sign with the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers' G League affiliate team, and receive a bonus of up to $85,300. 】

In fact, among these four players, RJ Davis' performance in the preseason is particularly eye-catching. The short guard who was elected the 2023-24 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year averaged 10.0 points in 14.3 minutes per game and shot 66.7% from the field. However, even so, he still failed to win an official spot for himself.

So far, after the Lakers laid off 4 people in a row, the 14+3 lineup for the new season has been officially released:

The players with 14 standard contracts include James, Doncic, Rui Hachimura, Reeves, Vanderbilt Special, Vincent, Kleber, Ayton, Laravia, Smart, Knecter, Hayes, Browne and Tiero;

The three two-way contract players are-Coloko, Manon and Nick Smith Jr.

The only worrying thing is that James is expected to be absent until at least mid-November due to right sciatica. The Lakers and the medical team have adopted a conservative treatment strategy. The specific return date has not yet been determined. I wonder whether this will affect the Lakers' early record?

02 Durant's contract renewal is blocked: or a salary cut of 40 million

At the same time, in addition to the Rockets' starting point guard VanVleet being reimbursed for the season due to injury, the team's contract renewal negotiations with Kevin Durant have also encountered obstacles. According to an ESPN reporter, "If the Rockets had offered KD a two-year, 120 million maximum salary extension, he would have signed it long ago!" Obviously, the Rockets did not offer Durant such a maximum salary contract.

Durant has one year left on his current contract - his salary for the 2025-26 season is approximately US$54.71 million. As of July 7, Durant is eligible to sign a two-year, $122 million maximum salary extension contract with the Rockets. But considering the "38-year-old rule" restrictions, Durant will almost certainly accept a salary cut and renew his contract.

However, according to the consistent style of the Rockets and General Manager Stone, they will definitely bargain on the salary contract, and the final contract amount is likely to depend on the outcome of Ethan's contract negotiations to ensure that the team's total salary does not touch the luxury tax line.

Just recently, NBA reporter Stein revealed that many salary experts in the league predict that the Rockets' final offer to Durant will be at least US$40 million less than the total maximum salary, which is a two-year contract extension of US$80 million.

Stein also pointed out that the final offer the Rockets can provide will depend on the contract amount the team needs to pay to retain young stars, including Ethan and the future Amen Thompson.

The final result may depend on the performance of the Rockets in the new season!

03 NBA signing wave: 9 people received new contracts

Obviously, after the preseason, many outstanding players were recognized by the team and were fortunate enough to receive formal NBA contracts before the start of the new season:

1. The Bucks reached a four-year, $45 million contract extension with AJ Green and received a customized fishing rod;

2. The Raptors signed a two-way contract with AJ Lawson;

3. The Mavericks signed a two-way contract with insider Moussa Cisse, and then signed guard Zhaire Smith, center Jamarion Sharp and forward Matt Cross;

4. The Thunder signed a two-way contract with Chris Youngblood ;

5. The Heat signed a two-way contract with guard Jameer Young;

6. The Clippers signed a two-way contract with forward Jamal Telford;

7. The Hawks reached a two-way contract with Caleb Huenstein and converted the two-way contract Keaton Wallace into a formal contract;

8. The Timberwolves reached a two-way contract with Johnny Juzan.

03 NBA layoffs: as many as 25 people were laid off

Similarly, after the preseason, many players did not perform ideally and did not gain recognition from the team, so it was inevitable to be kicked out of the team:

1. The Hawks officially announced that they had waived center Charles Bassey;

2. The Kings officially announced that they have waived guard Terrence Davis;

3. The Warriors officially announced that they have waived guards LJ Clare and Seth Curry;

4. The Heat officially announced that they have waived Preshos Achiuwa, Ethan Thompson, Dane Dainja and Baez Mbenge;

5. The Lakers waived RJ Davis, Anton Watson, Nate Williams and Augustus Marchionis.

6. The Pacers officially announced the release of guard Cameron Payne;

7. The Timberwolves officially announced the release of Jules Bernard, Tristen Newton, Zayon Poulin and Alize Johnson;

8. The Knicks officially announced the release of Alex Len, Garrison Matthews and Matt Ryan;

9. The Hawks officially announced the release of Charles Bassey and Lamont Butler;

10. The Nuggets officially announced the release of center Moses Brown and small forward Kessler Edwards;

11. The Spurs officially announced the release of forward Micah Porter.