Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[omahen]

@ShamsCharania
Free agent guard Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton tells ESPN.

That is some seriously strange deal. He has been a vet min guy playing like a vet min guy and now he gets a four year deal at 16 per???

[Scott41theMavs]

That is some seriously strange deal. He has been a vet min guy playing like a vet min guy and now he gets a four year deal at 16 per???

Must have to do with the salary floor.

[omahen]

Must have to do with the salary floor.

But then you give him a 1 year deal that is perhaps also tradeable. Not a 4 year one, that will most likely be totally untradeable for 3 years

[omahen]

Milwaukee was over the salary cap even before Trent. I agree with experts already pointing out that this deal is very suspicious - did he play for vet min for past two years with the promise of this contract? Which would be against the NBA rules.

[F Gump]

OKC is interestingly still 11 mil above the second apron. Will they stay there? The easiest way under is dumping Dort, but I guess their negotiating position is weaker for them now, as they don't have his team option anymore. Unless they have the deal lined up already for some time and they just didn't disclose it yet for whatever reason

Yeah, it's an odd place to choose to be if they don't already have a solution in their pocket. It might be possible they decided to run it back for as long as possible, and then slice salary right before the TDL, but that certainly leaves them at that point with way fewer teams who could do the deal even if they wanted to. It COULD get expensive - then again, Presti has always been such a skilled negotiator that teams give him what he wants for next to nothing. Will be interesting to see what happens.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

That is some seriously strange deal. He has been a vet min guy playing like a vet min guy and now he gets a four year deal at 16 per???

[NateDuncan] Gary Trent getting 4/$64 after the year he just had is obvious circumvention and should be punished by the league.  This would fall under the provision that there is no possible explanation other than circumvention.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

I saw some posts suggesting that Boston is trying to get Trey Murphy. One deal proposed was:
Celtics get Murphy
Pelicans get Klay, Christie and 2 1sts from Boston
Mavs get Derrick White plus 3 2nds

The Mavs would be adding short-term and long-term payroll, thus the 2nds.

I think it would be doing Klay dirty sending him to NOpe. I guess NO could move him on to another team for something. 

Any interest in White?

[KillerLeft]

I saw some posts suggesting that Boston is trying to get Trey Murphy. One deal proposed was:
Celtics get Murphy
Pelicans get Klay, Christie and 2 1sts from Boston
Mavs get Derrick White plus 3 2nds

The Mavs would be adding short-term and long-term payroll, thus the 2nds.

Any interest in White?

Sure, but not for Christie. The team's talent level goes up, but so does its age. I know many don't care, but I do.

[Smitty]

I saw some posts suggesting that Boston is trying to get Trey Murphy. One deal proposed was:
Celtics get Murphy
Pelicans get Klay, Christie and 2 1sts from Boston
Mavs get Derrick White plus 3 2nds

The Mavs would be adding short-term and long-term payroll, thus the 2nds.

Any interest in White?

Doesn’t feel like something they’d do. It’s a “fair” deal I suppose. The Mavs get better, but at the cost of real longterm upside outgoing in Max.

[RasheedsBigWhiteSpot]

Doesn’t feel like something they’d do. It’s a “fair” deal I suppose. The Mavs get better, but at the cost of real longterm upside outgoing in Max.

I think it would be a sign of:
a. What does Masai think of Max's upside?
b. Do the Mavs want to extend him?
c. Does Masai see the next few years as sunk cost without picks and decide to go for it with a Kyrie/White backcourt ?

Again, I don't know how I feel. But thought it was pretty even.

[KillerLeft]

[NateDuncan] Gary Trent getting 4/$64 after the year he just had is obvious circumvention and should be punished by the league.  This would fall under the provision that there is no possible explanation other than circumvention.

I thought Duncan was joking when you posted this and he probably is a little, but I think it’s actually a decent point. Trent Jr signed with Milwaukee twice in a row on the minimum (back when he was a hotter commodity) because they couldn’t offer more…now that he has his bird rights back but is clearly a minimum player after his worst season he gets a big deal?

This has handshake agreement two years ago written all over it.

[Dirknows]

Yeah, it's an odd place to choose to be if they don't already have a solution in their pocket. It might be possible they decided to run it back for as long as possible, and then slice salary right before the TDL, but that certainly leaves them at that point with way fewer teams who could do the deal even if they wanted to. It COULD get expensive - then again, Presti has always been such a skilled negotiator that teams give him what he wants for next to nothing. Will be interesting to see what happens.

The players Presti got 2nds in return for were actually good players, not straight salary dumps. I’m sure a team would be happy to take Dort’s defense and 3 point shooting and expiring contract. Now if he waits til the TDL as you said it could be a different story as there will be far fewer teams able to take his salary, so he might have to attach an asset.

[F Gump]

The interesting thing is that OKC put themselves in this position on purpose. That hints they already have a solution lined up, but if not, then it's hard to fathom.

They could have declined Dort's TO, and solved it just that simply. They did not.

The financial and other penalties are significant for staying where they are. Small market team. Will they really just keep a payroll solidly over A2? If they do, and end up having to write a massive 100M check to the NBA (like throwing money in the trash), I'd wager they won't do it again.

[DanSchwartzgan]

The interesting thing is that OKC put themselves in this position on purpose. That hints they already have a solution lined up, but if not, then it's hard to fathom.

They could have declined Dort's TO, and solved it just that simply. They did not.

The financial and other penalties are significant for staying where they are. Small market team. Will they really just keep a payroll solidly over A2? If they do, and end up having to pay the massive tax bill, I'd wager they won't do it again.

They also kept Kenrich Williams at $5mm, which seems high for his level of production.

What makes it more perplexing is it gets much worse next year.  SGA's deal goes up $20mm and the numbers being thrown around for Wallace show his cost going up in the $18mm range.  That is why I thought (hoped), there might be a path to Wallace.  But, I'm not sure how we would satisfy what would likely be a very high price in terms of assets demanded, not to mention how we might solve their financial issues in any meaningful way.  

People have postulated PJ would make sense there.  In their depth chart, maybe.  But, not on their cap sheet.  I could see the argument that they might send Dort into our TPE and swap Christie for Wallace.  They have PG's and a SG with a little more size might make sense.  It also gives them flexibility next summer and a TPE for the value of Dort's contract.  I wonder what the draft equity requirement would be for something like that.

EDIT: FWIW, that transaction more than solves OKC's 2nd Apron issue as it leaves them about $4mm under it with a need to fill one roster spot following the 2-for-1 trade. For Dallas, that transaction would take us to just a hair over the tax. It could be resolved in a Klay buyout and replacement with Cisse for less than the value of Klay's buyout. Wallace adds that long term piece at PG and moves Irving to his more natural SG for the rest of his time here. The removal of Klay gives Larry and Justin Biber a path to PT and adding Cisse makes it easier to bring Lively along slowly. Of course, the next question I'd ask myself is what is keeping this from happening already if it was in the works. I can't think of the thing this might be dependant on.

[F Gump]

I thought Duncan was joking when you posted this and he probably is a little, but I think it’s actually a decent point. Trent Jr signed with Milwaukee twice in a row on the minimum (back when he was a hotter commodity) because they couldn’t offer more…now that he has his bird rights back but is clearly a minimum player after his worst season he gets a big deal?

This has handshake agreement two years ago written all over it.

Could he have gotten MLE money elsewhere?

The fact he got a raise is not a red flag. The fact he may have been willing to work at a discount (aka ring chase) in past years isn't either, with apron limits in the mix. 

I don’t have a feel for his value. 

I do know DAL gave puzzling deals in the past to Powell, and if he is some sort of team icon, that could be part of the equation too.

The prohibition against a handshake deal or unwritten "understanding" is more of a protection for the teams and NBA than anything, as it keeps players from saying "they promised me x." Promises aren't NBA-legal, so they cant be enforced, and I suspect that's all the NBA cares to ensure. (So if you feel you somehow owe a player, and want to come back and pay him tons, its your money to spend, feel free.)

[HoosierDaddyKid]

The Lakers have long been tied to trade rumors with Mavericks forward PJ Washington, a former teammate of Doncic’s in Dallas, but the fully guaranteed $88.8 million Washington’s owed over the next four years isn’t appealing to the Lakers.

New York Post

[loki]

The Lakers have long been tied to trade rumors with Mavericks forward PJ Washington, a former teammate of Doncic’s in Dallas, but the fully guaranteed $88.8 million Washington’s owed over the next four years isn’t appealing to the Lakers.

New York Post

In other words, we really want him but have nothing to offer so please give us another handout.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Norman Powell ( @npowell2404 ) will wear No. 24 for the #Bulls. Number last worn by Noa Essengue in 2026. #NBA

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Shams Charania: Free agent guard Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks. The deal is fully guaranteed with no options, I’m told. Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton worked with Bucks officials on the deal. ESPN first.

x.com

[DanSchwartzgan]

The Lakers have long been tied to trade rumors with Mavericks forward PJ Washington, a former teammate of Doncic’s in Dallas, but the fully guaranteed $88.8 million Washington’s owed over the next four years isn’t appealing to the Lakers.

New York Post

I've seen this going around the Laker Podcast circuit.  Some guy threw out the theory that the Kuminga thing is a smokescreen and they really want PJ.  Package might be Laravia/Knecht (both expiring or TO) and a pick.