The Knicks and Clippers found a clean way to keep two of their young pieces in place, and the numbers line up almost perfectly.
Mohamed Diawara and Kobe Sanders each signed four-year deals that start at $2,622,139, a figure that hits the ceiling for a Non-Bird contract at 120% of the minimum salary. The structure is nearly identical, too: two fully guaranteed seasons, a non-guaranteed third year, and a fourth-year team option. Each contract is worth $11,279,212 overall.
The Knicks also locked in Landry Shamet on a four-year agreement worth $23,978,467. His deal begins at $5,490,967, with the first two seasons fully guaranteed. The third year, in 2028/29, carries a partial guarantee of $1,581,241, while the fourth-year player option for 2029/30 is partially guaranteed at $1,690,292.
Another Knicks addition, Jose Alvarado, signed a three-year contract worth $14,384,484. His 2026/27 cap hit comes in at $4,439,656, and his third-year salary of $5.15MM is partially guaranteed for $2,765,516.
Elsewhere, the Pacers used $8.05MM of their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to bring in Kelly Oubre Jr. on a two-year, $16.5MM deal. Indiana still has nearly $7MM left on that exception, though the team is now working under a first-apron hard cap for the rest of the league year.
The Wizards also used the money they had available, maxing out the remainder of their Kelly Olynyk trade exception to complete a sign-and-trade for Khris Middleton. Middleton’s three-year contract is worth $17,612,034, with a guaranteed 2026/27 salary of $5,591,112 and a partial guarantee of $908,878 on year two.
John Collins’ new three-year, $51MM deal with the Pistons is built differently. It has flat annual cap hits of $17MM, and only the first season is fully guaranteed right now. The later salaries can become guaranteed if Collins stays under contract through June 28 of each year.
In Other News...
Clippers Still Have One Roster Question Fans Cant Ignore
The Suns latest flurry of roster moves was another reminder of how quickly the Western Conference is sorting itself out before camp, with Phoenix locking in Mark Williams, Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin while also reshaping its wing rotation in a deal that sent Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale to Charlotte for Miles Bridges. Around the league, teams are still filling out coaching staffs and final roster spots, but the bigger takeaway for the Clippers is that the arms race at the top of the West is not slowing down.
Los Angeles has already done plenty of its own work this offseason, yet one question still hangs over the roster: whether the front office is comfortable going into the season with its current options at center. Brook Lopez, Isaiah Jackson and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are the names on the board for now, and the Clippers can live with that group on paper, but the way the market keeps shifting suggests they may not be done looking for another move. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Face An Uncomfortable Ingram Trade Question At Center
The Clippers search for a center upgrade has led them into a familiar kind of trade discussion, the sort that sounds attractive on paper until the details start piling up. Domantas Sabonis is one of the leagues most productive offensive bigs, a polished passer and a steady interior scorer, but any team weighing him has to balance that against the rest of the package, including the way his game translates on the other end and how much room he would leave on the books.
For Los Angeles, the fit question is especially uncomfortable because the roster already has clear needs in the paint, and Sabonis does not solve every one of them. His recent availability is part of the concern too, after a season in which he played only 19 games and dealt with a meniscus tear and back issues, while the contract commitment is heavy enough to make any misstep feel bigger. The Clippers can see the appeal, but they also have to decide whether this is the kind of swing that helps them now or just adds another complicated layer to an already tricky roster build. [Read more 🡒]