RealGM Basketball Wiretap

21 October 2025

• Coby White Out At Least Two More Weeks With Calf Strain

  Coby White will be out at least two more weeks as he ramps up his basketball activities following a right calf strain. White suffered the injury during an offseason workout in August and practiced for the first time on Saturday since the start of training camp.

  The Chicago Bulls were initially expecting White to be ready for the start of the season.

  White averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists last season. White is entering the final season of his three-year, $36 million contract. White is unlikely to sign an extension and instead become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

• Zach Collins Out At Least Four Weeks After Left Wrist Surgery

  Chicago Bulls backup center Zach Collins will miss at least four weeks after undergoing left wrist surgery. Collins suffered a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist during the preseason.

  Collins was traded to Chicago at least season's trade deadline. In 28 games with the Bulls, Collins averaged 8.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game.

• Bulls Waive Mac McClung, Yuki Kawamura

  The Chicago Bulls waived Mac McClung and Yuki Kawamura on Friday.

  McClung, who signed with the Bulls earlier in the day, is expected to join the Windy City Bulls after they acquire his rights from the Osceola Magic.

  Kawamura was waived due to a "medical condition."

  The Bulls signed Trentyn Flowers to a two-way deal earlier on Friday.

• Trentyn Flowers, Bulls Sign Two-Way Deal

  Trentyn Flowers and the Chicago Bulls have signed a Two-Way deal. Flowers was recently waived by the Los Angeles Clippers from a Two-Way.

  Last season, Flowers appeared in 42 G League games and averaged 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.8 minutes.

• NBA Team Valuations Reach $5.51 Billion Average, Up 20 Percent From 2024

  The average NBA team is now worth $5.51 billion, up 20 percent year-over-year and 113 percent since 2022, according to Sportico's calculations. The collective value of all 30 franchises reached $165 billion, driven by a landmark $76 billion media rights agreement and strategic arena investments.

  Rick Welts, newly appointed Dallas Mavericks CEO, called the current moment unprecedented for league growth.

  "Never had a moment like this where you could be as optimistic as I am," Welts said in a video interview. "A lot of people are in this league, from an international perspective, from a media perspective, and I really feel like we have the best ahead of us."

  The Golden State Warriors maintained their five-year reign as the NBA's most valuable franchise at $11.33 billion, second globally only to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys at $12.8 billion. The Los Angeles Lakers jumped to second place at $10 billion after Mark Walter's pending acquisition at 16 times revenue, surpassing the New York Knicks at $9.85 billion. The average value-to-revenue multiple for the NBA is 13.5, ahead of the WNBA at 12.0, the NFL at 10.3 and MLS at 9.4.

  The Warriors' dominance stems from arena ownership, sponsorship revenue nearly double any other team, and their WNBA affiliate, the Golden State Valkyries, valued at $500 million. The Valkyries made history as the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season.

  The new media contract with Amazon, ESPN/ABC and NBC raises each team's annual television revenue from $103 million to $143 million, with seven-percent annual increases through 2036. The "get-in" price for franchise ownership-represented by the Memphis Grizzlies at $4 billion-has jumped 2.5 times since 2022, when it stood at $1.63 billion.

  Recent high-profile sales drove valuations across the board. The Boston Celtics sold for $6.1 billion in March, while the Lakers' pending deal at $10 billion set a new record for control sales in sports history. The Portland Trail Blazers agreement at $4.25 billion followed in August.

  The NBA is pursuing expansion in Europe in partnership with FIBA, potentially launching 16 teams with a fall 2027 tipoff. The league also plans to develop a Basketball Africa League with 12 teams and dedicated home arenas. Welts emphasized international opportunities as transformational for league economics.

  "The international opportunity is multiple of what the domestic U.S. sports market is," Welts said. "The technology will allow anybody, anywhere in the world to consume any NBA game."

  New arenas are under construction in Oklahoma City ($900 million, opening 2028) and Philadelphia (2030), with the Dallas Mavericks scouting sites following 24 years at the shared American Airlines Center.

  2025 NBA Team Valuations

  Rank	Team	2025 Valuation	1-Year Change
  1	Golden State Warriors	$11.33B	+24%
  2	Los Angeles Lakers	$10B	+24%
  3	New York Knicks	$9.85B	+19%
  4	Los Angeles Clippers	$6.72B	+18%
  5	Boston Celtics	$6.35B	+12%
  6	Brooklyn Nets	$6.22B	+9%
  7	Chicago Bulls	$6.12B	+10%
  8	Miami Heat	$6.03B	+21%
  9	Philadelphia 76ers	$5.61B	+23%
  10	Houston Rockets	$5.53B	+16%
  11	Dallas Mavericks	$5.24B	+17%
  12	Toronto Raptors	$5.22B	+12%
  13	Phoenix Suns	$5.09B	+18%
  14	Atlanta Hawks	$5.02B	+23%
  15	Sacramento Kings	$5B	+22%
  16	Cleveland Cavaliers	$4.86B	+23%
  17	Denver Nuggets	$4.8B	+18%
  18	Washington Wizards	$4.78B	+20%
  19	Indiana Pacers	$4.76B	+27%
  20	Milwaukee Bucks	$4.54B	+16%
  21	San Antonio Spurs	$4.5B	+19%
  22	Oklahoma City Thunder	$4.34B	+22%
  23	Utah Jazz	$4.27B	+16%
  24	Portland Trail Blazers	$4.25B	+18%
  25	Minnesota Timberwolves	$4.24B	+29%
  26	Orlando Magic	$4.21B	+22%
  27	Detroit Pistons	$4.17B	+21%
  28	Charlotte Hornets	$4.13B	+22%
  29	New Orleans Pelicans	$4.02B	+30%
  30	Memphis Grizzlies	$4B	+31%

• Bulls Waive Mouhamadou Gueye

  The Chicago Bulls waived Mouhamadou Gueye, the team announced on Monday.

  Gueye, who signed an Exhibit 10 contract last month, is expected to join the Windy City Bulls.

  Gueye averaged 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Capital City Go-Go last season.

• Kevin Knox, Bulls Agree To Deal

  Kevin Knox and the Chicago Bulls have agreed to a deal.

  Knox appeared in 14 games with the Golden State Warriors last season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 6.0 minutes.

  Knox is represented by Aaron Turner, who also is the agent for Jonathan Kuminga.

• Bulls Exercise 26-27 Team Option For Matas Buzelis

  The Chicago Bulls picked up their 2026-27 rookie scale team option for forward Matas Buzelis. This is the third-year option for Buzelis. He'll be under contract for $5.7 million for next season.

  As a rookie, Buzelis averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game. The 6-foot-10 forward started in the Bulls final 31 games. During that 31-game stretch, Buzelis averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He shot 47% from the field, including 35% on 4.9 three-point attempts per game.

• Bulls Sign-And-Waive RJ Nembhard

  The Chicago Bulls signed-and-waived RJ Nembhard on Tuesday, reported Keith Smith of Spotrac.

  Nembhard, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal, is likely to end up with the Windy City Bulls.

  Nembhard averaged 17.0 points and 6.3 assists for the Capital City Go-Go last year.

• Coby White Has Informed Bulls He Doesn't Plan To Extend This Season

  Coby White is in the final season of his contract with the Chicago Bulls. Despite being extension-eligible, White has informed the Bulls that he won't extend his contract before it expires at the end of the season.

  White makes $12.8 million this season. Under the NBA's veteran extension rules, he'd be limited to signing a projected four-year, $86.9 million extension. That would come with a projected first-year salary of $19.4 million.

  White is limited to extending for the greater of 140% of his current salary or 140% of the estimate average player salary. Either salary would put White at less than $20 million in first-year salary. He's expected to exceed that amount as a free agent in 2026.

  Despite the challenges with extending, White's time in Chicago may not be wrapping up. The veteran guard told Andscape's Marc Spears that he'd be happy to re-sign with the Bulls.

  "I love being in Chicago. I love the front office. I love my teammates. I love the staff," White told Spears. "I built a great relationship with coach Billy Donovan. And for me, if it is meant to be (to) stay a Chicago Bull, then I can't ask for nothing else."