Another NBA veteran recently returned to his old stomping grounds, as Chris Paul is back with the Clippers after an eight-year odyssey. He joins Bradley Beal as the team’s summer acquisitions, making the Clippers the oldest team in league history heading into the 2025-26 campaign, with an average age of 33.2 years old.
Meanwhile, the more famous Los Angeles team, the Lakers, recently signed one of the more established guards over the past few years, with the help of Luka Doncic, to strengthen their perimeter defence, a key weakness of their team last season.
The Warriors still haven’t made a notable signing, and they are stuck with Jonathan Kuminga, who remains a restricted free agent after stalled negotiations between both parties.
The 2025 free agency buzz has somewhat cooled down, but a lot is still going on behind the scenes, and SBOTOP has you covered with the latest NBA 2025 updates.
Clippers recruit Paul after acquiring Beal
The Clippers just got older with the free agent signing of Chris Paul, who just turned 40 a few weeks ago. CP3 is the team’s fourth acquisition this summer, alongside Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, and John Collins, and the NBA 2025 odds view the Clippers as a top contender in the Western Conference next season. According to reports, Paul will continue to wear No. 3, as Beal gave way.
When Paul first arrived in Los Angeles in 2011, the Clippers were mired in mediocrity. He formed a robust partnership with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to usher in the franchise’s most successful era. Unfortunately for them, they never won a championship together, let alone advance past the second round of the playoffs.
Before reuniting with the Clippers, Paul is coming off a productive 2024-25 campaign with the Spurs, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.3 steals on 42.7-per cent shooting from the field across 82 regular season games as one of the team’s lead guards.
But here in Los Angeles, many believe Paul will assume a significantly reduced role, with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard spearheading the offence. Overall, this is a huge win for Paul because he gets another chance at the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy while being close to his family.
Lakers sign former Celtic star in free agency
After adding Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton earlier this offseason, the Lakers managed to acquire Marcus Smart by signing him on a two-year, $11 million contract. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year secured a buyout from the Wizards, and the Lakers waived Jordan Goodwin and Shake Milton to make room for this surprising move.
Before joining the Lakers, Smart spent the first nine years of his NBA career with the Celtics, where he helped them make deep playoff runs, including a Finals appearance in 2022. He was traded to the Grizzlies in the summer of 2023 as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade and was shipped to the Wizards last February. In the 2024-25 campaign, the 31-year-old guard averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals on 39.3-per cent shooting from the field across 34 regular season appearances.
During his introductory press conference, Smart credited Luka Doncic for recruiting him to join the Purple and Gold. He said that they have the utmost respect for each other despite being rivals over the past few years.
Smart is expected to bring his defencive chops to Los Angeles, to alleviate the workload of Doncic and LeBron James. He can also play as a secondary playmaker and is a decent three-point shooter. More importantly, for the first time since leaving Boston, Smart has a chance to compete for a playoff team again.
Warriors’ protracted Kuminga saga drags on
The drawn-out negotiations between the Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga remain motionless, and there’s a huge chance that they’re stuck with each other at the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. Kuminga is not in a rush to sign the latest offers from the Warriors, who have reportedly given him an unsatisfactory offer. The Kings and the Suns expressed interest in Kuminga, but neither team has tabled an offer that is moving the needle.
Kuminga has a standing one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer that Golden State can no longer rescind, and he has until October 1 to accept it. If he goes that route, he will be giving up a chunk of immediate money but returning on an expiring deal with an inherent no-trade clause, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next year, giving him more control to choose his next destination.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE BASKETBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
