The NBA season is now officially rolling, with a big name making a big move, a storied franchise giving an emerging coach a shot, and an owner potentially undermining his team’s own outlook for the future.
Below is a roundup of NBA news you might have missed.
Trae Young Declines Player Option to Become Free Agent
Trae Young is betting on himself—again.
The four-time All-Star plans to decline his $48.97 million player option with the Washington Wizards for the 2026–27 season and will become a free agent on Monday, per Andscape’s Marc Spears. Washington remains the frontrunner to retain him, but multiple teams are expected to come calling.
Young’s case for a max contract took a hit when a sprained right MCL in his fifth game of last season sidelined him until mid-December. Atlanta, meanwhile, had seen enough of Jalen Johnson’s development to trade Young to Washington in January for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. He played just five games for the Wizards and averaged 17.9 points and 8.0 assists across a combined 15 games between both stops.
The Wizards brought Young in to quarterback a young core alongside Anthony Davis and a group that includes Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Will Riley, Bub Carrington, and the No. 1 pick in next week’s draft. Washington has lost 64 or more games in each of the past three seasons. Young—who has averaged 9.8 assists over his eight-year career—is the kind of player they believe can change that. The question is whether he will stay to find out.
Tiago Splitter Goes to Chicago
Tiago Splitter is heading to Chicago—and the Bulls believe they have found their next era.
The 41-year-old Splitter, who turned Portland’s season around as interim head coach after Chauncey Billups’ legal troubles, has been hired as the Chicago Bulls’ new head coach, the team announced Tuesday. He succeeds Billy Donovan at the helm.
Splitter guided the Trail Blazers to a 42-40 record and a No. 7 playoff seed in the Western Conference—the first Portland coach with a winning record in his debut season since Maurice Cheeks in 2001-02 and the first to win a playoff game as a first-year coach since Mike Dunleavy in 1997-98. He led the Blazers to a top-10 defense in their final 51 regular-season games and the league lead in second-chance points per game. Deni Avdija made his first All-Star team under Splitter’s watch.
He is a former NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, has coached in Brooklyn, Houston, and Paris, and now takes on Chicago’s rebuild. Portland, meanwhile, must now start its own coaching search with Splitter gone—with Micah Nori and Tyler Lashbrook among the remaining candidates.
Despite Knicks’ Title Run, James Nolan Announces Refusal to Hit Second Apron
The Knicks just won their first championship in 53 years. Keeping everyone together is going to be harder than it looks.
Owner James Dolan said Thursday on WFAN radio in New York that he will not push the franchise into the punitive second apron to retain the championship roster—a stance that could have significant implications for how the Knicks build going forward.
“We cannot go into the second apron,” Dolan said. “We’re willing to stretch, but there’s certain things in the NBA that you’d have to be suicidal to do. One of them is the second apron.”
The Knicks are projected to be $13 million below the threshold this summer, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks—but they were only $200,000 under it last season. Rotation players Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet are free agents, and Jose Alvarado has until Monday to decide on a $4.5 million player option. New York’s starting five is under contract, and the team can re-sign its own players without restriction.
The biggest item on the agenda is Karl-Anthony Towns, who could not reach a contract extension before last season and is now eligible to negotiate again. Towns was central to the Knicks’ record 13-game playoff winning streak.
Dolan put the personnel calls in Leon Rose’s hands. “I’ll write as big of a check as possible,” he said, “but I can’t write a check into the second apron.”
