Here is your NBA Morning Brief covering all the latest NBA news, scores, trades, injuries, and standout performances from around the league.
TOP NBA Story of the Day: 76ers reap rewards from a long forgotten trade with Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers paid a heavy price for illegally manipulating the salary cap and pulling a controversial circumvention.
Because of this, the Clippers will have to surrender all first-round picks from 2029 to 2033, though the 2029 pick swap sent to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the James Harden trade will not be affected, noted Chris Hine of the Philadelphia Tribune.
“The 76ers still have some Clippers draft capital from the trade that sent James Harden to Los Angeles in 2023, but that will be unaffected by the league’s punishments,” the report indicated.
At the start of the 2023/24 NBA season, Harden was traded from Philadelphia to Los Angeles in exchange for Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and KJ Martin, with the aforementioned first-round pick swap included in the package.
Since the 76ers retained their top-three protected 2029 pick swap right, they can now reap the rewards. If the Clippers finish near the bottom at the end of the 2028/29 season, Philadelphia can swap for their pick and select one of the top talents to later join their stars.
NBA MOVES & TRANSACTIONS: South Korean sensation signs with Portland Trail Blazers
South Korean shooting guard Hyunjung Lee has parted ways with Nagasaki Velca to pursue his NBA dream. The 25-year-old will join the Portland Trail Blazers on a training camp deal.
Lee played for the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 Summer League, averaging 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists across eight games. He went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, but played for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors. He was also part of the Portland Trail Blazers Summer League team in 2024.
長崎ヴェルカはイヒョンジュン 選手との契約が満了となり、退団することをお知らせいたします。
— 長崎ヴェルカ 公式 (@n_velca) September 7, 2026
また、イ選手はNBAポートランド・トレイルブレイザーズと2026-27シーズンに向けたエグジビット10契約に合意したことも併せてお知らせいたします。
▼詳細はこちらhttps://t.co/L7D28gNVSe#velca… pic.twitter.com/wNiVE8dYvy
NBA RUMOR MILL: Isaiah Thomas wants to play one more season
Despite not playing in the 2025/26 season, Isaiah Thomas has expressed a strong desire to continue his basketball career. Although he is employed by the Boston Celtics as a pro and college scout and hasn’t seen game action recently, Thomas is hoping for one more season overseas
“I want to hoop overseas for a year! I want that experience! And to cook them boys over that water,” Thomas wrote on X.
Thomas is far past his prime, when he led the Boston Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals and stood as one of the elite point guards in the NBA. His last NBA stint came during the 2023/24 season, when he appeared in six games for the Phoenix Suns.
In the 2024/25 season, he appeared in 14 G League games with the Salt Lake City Stars, where he dominated with averages of 29.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
Whether any team will offer him a roster spot – which would certainly be a great marketing move, if nothing else – remains to be seen in the coming months.
NBA MARKET WATCH: Cap space watch
As the 2026 NBA offseason begins to take shape, cap space is quickly becoming one of the most decisive factors in how the league’s free agency and trade market will unfold.
A clear divide is emerging between teams that are financially flexible and those operating near the second apron, where every move requires far more precision and long-term calculation. That gap is already shaping conversations across front offices, especially as teams begin prioritizing either aggressive roster upgrades or preservation of future flexibility.
Several franchises enter this phase of the offseason with significant cap room, positioning themselves as potential accelerators of the market. These teams are not necessarily chasing star-level free agents, but instead are strategically placed to absorb contracts, facilitate multi-team trades, or take advantage of opportunistic signings once the market begins to move.
On the other end of the spectrum, contending teams remain heavily restricted by apron-related limitations, which continues to push them toward smaller, targeted improvements rather than major roster overhauls. In many cases, this is forcing front offices to explore creative mechanisms such as sign-and-trade structures or veteran minimum additions to address clear roster needs.
The next phase of the offseason will likely be dictated by how quickly the cap-space teams decide to act. Historically, once the first major domino falls, it creates immediate ripple effects across the league, unlocking stalled negotiations and forcing other organizations to adjust their strategy in real time.
For now, the market remains in a holding pattern — but the financial landscape is already clearly defining who will have the power to shape it.
