As expected, free agent forward Nicolas Batum will sign a two-year, $11.5 million deal to return to the Clippers, according to multiple sources on the first day of NBA free agency.

The deal includes a team option as well as a trade kicker. His contract is the maximum he can receive with his non-Bird rights.

Batum opted out of his $4.9 million player option over the weekend, making him a free agent, but the versatile 36-year-old had expressed his desire to stay with the Clippers at the end of last season. He credits Coach Tyronn Lue for “saving his career” after finding out through social media that he had been waived by the Charlotte Hornets in 2020. Batum had been sidelined for much of that season because of injuries.

The 6-foot-10 Batum has said he thought his career was over at that point. Then Lue invited Batum to come to Los Angeles, where he played for three seasons before being sent to the Philadelphia 76ers in the trade that brought James Harden to the Clippers in 2023.

Now heading into his 18th season in the NBA, the two-time Olympic silver medalist has previously said that this upcoming season will likely be his last.

The Clippers still have tax and apron flexibility to use the full mid-level exception or make a big trade.

Batum’s deal comes one day after James Harden declined his player option. Harden is expected to sign a two-year, $81.5 million deal to stay with the Clippers.

— Janis Carr

The NBA has set the salary cap for the coming season at $154.647 million, the maximum allowed 10% increase over the level for this past season.

The tax level for the 2025-26 season is $187.895 million, the league said Monday. The cap and tax go into effect today, and the league’s moratorium period for most signings will be lifted at noon on Sunday.

Other numbers set by the league for the coming season:

— The minimum team salary is $139.182 million.

— The first apron level is $195.945 million.

— The second apron level is $207.824 million.

The midlevel exception levels were set at $14.104 million for non-taxpayer levels, $5.685 million for taxpayer levels and $8.781 million for teams with room under the salary cap.

GOLF

Aldrich Potgieter ended the Rocket Classic, making an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole to outlast Max Greyserman for his first PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Detroit Golf Club.

The 20-year-old from South Africa is the youngest player on the tour and its biggest hitter. He became the ninth player to win for the first time this season.

Chris Kirk was eliminated from contention after missing a 4-foot putt on the second playoff hole after pushing a 9-foot putt past the cup on the first extra hole with a chance to win.

Patrick Reed lost the lead with a 3-over 75 and then atoned for it by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a four-man playoff to win LIV Golf Dallas, his first title since joining the Saudi-funded league in 2022.

NFL

The Miami Dolphins are sending All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Ramsey announced the trade Monday in a post on his X account. Both his representation and the Dolphins, where he spent the past two seasons, had mutually agreed earlier this year to part ways. Neither Ramsey nor the Dolphins gave any insight into what went wrong.

COLLEGES

Texas State is joining the Pac-12, giving the rebuilding conference the eighth football-playing school it needed to maintain its status as an FBS conference.

The Pac-12 and Texas State announced Monday that the Bobcats from the Sun Belt Conference will join holdovers Oregon State and Washington State, along with private school Gonzaga and Mountain West-departing schools Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State San Diego State and Utah State as the nine foundational members of the new Pac-12. The reconfigured league’s official launch is set for July 1, 2026.

Since Gonzaga doesn’t field a football team, the Pac-12 needed one more to remain eligible as a Football Bowl Subdivision league. Only Oregon State and Washington State had remained in the Pac-12 after the departures of 10 teams to the three other power conferences: the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.

Texas State will be an all-sports member in the Pac-12 after being in the Sun Belt since 2013. The Bobcats, one of 14 football teams in the Sun Belt, made their FBS debut with one season in the WAC in 2012.

MISCELLANY

Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) beat former middleweight boxing champion Julio César Chávez Jr. by unanimous decision on Saturday night at Honda Center.

The Las Vegas Aces acquired forward NaLyssa Smith from the Dallas Wings for a 2027 first-round draft pick.

The trade announced Monday ends what had been a disappointing Dallas debut for the No. 2 pick by Indiana in 2022 draft, Smith was averaging career lows in points, rebounds and minutes for the Wings, who started 1-11 before winning four of their past six games.

Smith joined the Wings from Indiana in an offseason trade.

In three seasons with the Fever, Smith was a double-figure scorer each year while averaging nearly eight rebounds per game.