Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst told The Athletic's Eric Nehm that he waived Damian Lillard and signed Myles Turner because he feels it's his "responsibility" to give Giannis Antetokounmpo the best chance of contending in the near future.

Speculation intensifies as rumors swirl around Luka Doncic potentially joining the Miami Heat, while LeBron James' future with the Lakers remains uncertain. Doncic's contract negotiations are reportedly tense,

LA has prioritized one and two-year deals, which saw it let Dorian Finney-Smith walk in free agency. It opened up the $14.1 million non-taxpayer exception for the Purple and Gold, which was used in signing Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia. LA used part of its Bi-Annual Exception on Jaxson Hayes, preserving all assets.

A rather sneaky financial maneuver allowed the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers to maintain flexibility in the Ball-Okoro trade.

The Boston Celtics are listening to trade offers for recent acquisition Anfernee Simons, who was part of the Jrue Holiday trade to the Portland Trail Blazers last month in a cost-cutting move. Simons averaged 19.3 points and 4.8 assists last season and is on an expiring deal worth $27.7 million.