Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[Mavs2021]

Wallace is an unproven extra part on a team that didn’t even make the finals.

Finally somebody said it. 9 PPG, 3 APG 3 RPG in 27 MPG playing off great players shooting 43/35/81 over the last two years. Yes he´s very good defender, also playing with very good other defenders and people act like he´s some sort of god, because he´s an OKC player. And if Presti trades him, he´ll demand three future first round picks and you can then pay him 30M/year and hope he´s worth it.

[FireNicoHarrison]

Finally somebody said it. 9 PPG, 3 APG 3 RPG in 27 MPG playing off great players shooting 43/35/81 over the last two years. Yes he´s very good defender, also playing with very good other defenders and people act like he´s some sort of god, because he´s an OKC player. And if Presti trades him, he´ll demand three future first round picks and you can then pay him 30M/year and hope he´s worth it.

Agree.

Wallace is a role player.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

One thing has become certain about the Trail Blazers after Monday’s trade for point guard Ja Morant: Portland center Donovan Clingan is now essentially off limits in trade talks, according to a team source. The Blazers are still in the market to make another deal. They want more big-man depth and realize they have a logjam of four point guards with Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson, but the team does not feel it is essential to unload one of its guards. The Blazers believe the four guards can co-exist, in large part because the team believes Holiday can alleviate the redundancy by playing him off the ball as a shooting guard or small forward. That leads to the unspoken part of this trade: more deals are on the way. Have to be. The Blazers now have four point guards — Morant, Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Henderson — so unloading one or two seems likely. If I were to guess, I would imagine Holiday, because of his contract and because of his skill set, is the more likely candidate to be traded next.

New York Times

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, one of the top restricted free agents this summer, has a pair of meetings with outside teams scheduled for when free agency officially begins Tuesday. One of the teams is the Los Angeles Lakers, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN. L.A.'s front office has been given feedback from franchise star Luka Doncic about his desire to pair with an "A-list center," a league source told ESPN, and Duren would certainly fit the bill. The other team Duren plans to meet with, a league source told Andscape's Marc J. Spears, is the Sacramento Kings. (The Lakers’ incumbent starting center, DeAndre Ayton, picked up his $8.1 million player option Monday.) Yet in stark contrast to the Kings’ scenario, the Lakers’ best offerings might be draft capital rather than quality players, as Detroit could trade Duren into the Lakers’ salary-cap space. Lakers star Luka Dončić is known to be a fan of Duren’s game, league sources say, which is a monumental factor for any player who’s trying to be welcomed into Crypto.com Arena these days.

ESPN

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Regarding the Ja Morant trade, there is one important reason to do the deal now rather than in July. That is because Morant is still in year seven of his career rather than year eight, which means his max is capped at 25 percent of the cap (for a player who has completed six full years of service) rather than 30 percent. That matters because Morant has a 15 percent trade kicker on his deal, which doesn't matter between now and June 30 since his 2025-26 salary is already above the six-year-of-service maximum, but would result in a significant raise starting July 1 because his salary is well short of that higher seven-year threshold. The trade bonus would apply to both remaining seasons on his deal, too. In total, the Grizzlies saved a $13 million check to Morant by doing the deal now, while the Blazers cut about $6.5 million from their cap sheet in 2026-27 and 2027-28.

New York Times

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Bobby Marks: As the clock gets closer to the start of free agency (officially), close to $1.3 billion has been committed in salary.

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Keith Smith: De'Anthony Melton declined his player option with the Golden State Warriors; a league source told @spotrac. Melton will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

x.com

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Shams Charania: "The conversation hasn't been about Jaylen Brown's game. Everyone knows Jaylen Brown is an elite player. Still, you combine the contract that he's on, he's got three years left on his supermax clip and where we're at in the offseason right now, what you're seeing is a price variance based on the player he is, the contract he's on, and the available assets. There's a stark variance among those three categories." Kendrick Perkins: "They could come out with all the reports that they want to, but again, some of the stuff, and I'm not saying he's a criminal, but I'm saying the streaming and stuff like that, that has been a turnoff to a lot of people. But if you're Brad Stevens, you cannot bring that energy back into your locker room because if I'm Jaylen Brown, I feel some type of way coming back, and I'm saying, 'Well damn, you didn't try to trade me twice. How you expect me to act?' I just came off the best season of my career, and here I was on the chopping block." "Everything that he's doing right now is very calculated. I guarantee you it's very calculated. I think he wants out."

YouTube

[DanSchwartzgan]

I don’t think either team does it. HOU need Guards same as Mavs. Which is kind of my whole thing. Doing something to do something.

I’d much rather sign someone like Sexton, Simons, Ellis for “free” than do something like this.

Part of the idea behind this is FVV wiped his Instagram of all Rockets references today.  So, there is a presumption of a trade coming.  If Houston was going to keep him, there was thought he would opt out and resign for fewer dollars for a longer period of time.  So, yes, they need guards, but he doesn’t appear to be the path they plan to take to get there.  If not there, why not Dallas?

[DanSchwartzgan]

Cool. My hopeful question would be whether there are enough to where the Raps would want to spare a decent one. But looking at TOR for a swap of some sort makes sense from 2 angles - 1 M used to work there and should know where there's hidden value, and 2 TOR is active in trades - potentially with a huge one that changes them considerably - which might shake loose a player (for fit, roster size,or money reasons) that could be useful

I think when you read that Schmitz’s old team, your brain said Masai’s old team.  I was talking about Portland, not TOR.  

The trouble with Portland is they don’t really need a center and are locked at their starting PF and SF positions with Camara and Avdija.  They don’t have anyone to back up either of those spots.  I suspect PJ is too expensive to be a backup there.  Naji.

The other issue is that we don’t really know if Sharpe and Scoot are good at basketball.  I’m pretty sure Sharpe isn’t.  Scoot is from the same draft class as Cason Wallace and Lively.  Do you immediately extend him?  Do you wait a year and play the RFA game next summer.  With all of the money they have tied up in Ja, Jrue and to a lesser extent Lillard, I could see them moving him before they have to pay him too.  But, for what in a deal with Dallas?

[F Gump]

I think when you read that Schmitz’s old team, your brain said Masai’s old team.  I was talking about Portland, not TOR.  

The trouble with Portland is they don’t really need a center and are locked at their starting PF and SF positions with Camara and Avdija.  They don’t have anyone to back up either of those spots.  I suspect PJ is too expensive to be a backup there.  Naji.

The other issue is that we don’t really know if Sharpe and Scoot are good at basketball.  I’m pretty sure Sharpe isn’t.  Scoot is from the same draft class as Cason Wallace and Lively.  Do you immediately extend him?  Do you wait a year and play the RFA game next summer.  With all of the money they have tied up in Ja, Jrue and to a lesser extent Lillard, I could see them moving him before they have to pay him too.  But, for what in a deal with Dallas?

" I think when you read that Schmitz’s old team, your brain said Masai’s old team" --- Indeed. Oops.

On the POR front, even though they have a glut, I have a real hard time getting excited about any of those leftover PGs. I know the old axiom about beggars and choosers, but I also recall (way too vividly) how we followed that same axiom last summer to get the incredibly useless carcass of DAR. As it turned out, nothing at all would have been a much better PG choice than DAR, as getting him (a) forced them to find someone to take him, and (b) the hole remains unfixed. Nico was an idiot GM, to be sure, so that's part of the equation to avoid, but I want a solution this time that's more promising. 

On the accidental mention of TOR, I still do think that if the KL deal is real, there could very well be something there to be exploited because M knows those players AND there may be some shuffling flowing from the dust settling. The same applies to S and POR, of course.

[JamesConway816]

Naji for Scoot would intrigue me. A big PG with some upside . A bit of a reclamation project. Can he play SG?

I am out on Cason as well. Solid two way guard but he is not worth trading multiple 1st round picks.

[Smitty]

Latest trade and offseason intel, via @TheSteinLine, @JakeLFischer:

- Warriors aren't operating under premise that LeBron and AD are a package deal
- Warriors will try to convince LeBron to sign for ~$15M if he hits free agency
- Warriors reluctant to use Jimmy Butler's contract in a trade for AD
- Spurs interested in Sandro Mamukelashvili, Tobias Harris, Rui Hachimura, Dean Wade, or John Collins
- Clippers haven't pursued Jaylen Brown and don't plan to
- Blazers intend to hang onto Jrue Holiday
- Bulls a strong potential landing spot for Norman Powell
- Bulls, Cavs expected to show interest in Jonathan Kuminga
- Wizards have a level of interest in Russell Westbrook
- Walker Kessler has meetings lined up with three teams on Tuesday night; Lakers strongly believed to be one of those teams
- Peyton Watson continues to be described as a "likely target" for the Clippers

[Winter]

I haven't seen this posted. Sorry if it's a repeat.

"In a general look at the Nuggets‘ offseason, Sam Amick of The Athletic adds the Mavericks to the list of teams with interest in Denver forward Cameron Johnson. Johnson seems to be the Nuggets’ most likely trade candidate, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who says Denver’s front office has been engaging in trade talks with multiple teams about the 30-year-old."

I have only seen him play once that I can recall, and he was on fire.

[Smitty]

I haven't seen this posted. Sorry if it's a repeat.

"In a general look at the Nuggets‘ offseason, Sam Amick of The Athletic adds the Mavericks to the list of teams with interest in Denver forward Cameron Johnson. Johnson seems to be the Nuggets’ most likely trade candidate, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who says Denver’s front office has been engaging in trade talks with multiple teams about the 30-year-old."

I have only seen him play once that I can recall, and he was on fire.

He's a good target. Denver absolutely HAS to shed salary. I think they'd want off Zeke Nnaji in any trade. Does expiring Klay Thompson do anything for them? The below trade saves them $13m, to help bring back Peyton Watson.

DEN: Klay Thompson, TPE
DAL: Cameron Johnson, Zeke Nnaji


There are a lot of different trade options that work there. This was the simplest and saved the most money, while making some sense.
Their roster afterwards:

Murray | Simpson
Braun | Klay*
Watson* | Strawther | Hopkins
Gordon | Holmes | Brazile
Jokic | Valanciunas

Valanciunas is rumored to be leaving for Europe. Same thing as last summer. No matter what the Nuggets do, they will have zero depth and will be in a major financial bind. Going nowhere fast...

[Chicagojk]

Man Detroit has their star, but I really don't like their trajectory.    Nothing deal breaking, but just bad trends.    I can understand not being aggressive at the trade deadline, but in retrospect they missed an opportunity.    The resigned Huerter and traded for Joe. They need shooting.  My issue is I don't think either may be heavy minutes playoff performers.   They traded Stewart for nothing.    He may be crazy but is a solid bench player.   Especially with the uncertainty with Stewart.   Are they really going to count on Paul Reed?   I did like their first round draft pick in Okorie.    Losing Tobias Harris is fine.  Despite being a great teammate, he is the guy you make a mistake when you overpay.   

With that being said, the need the old Duren back.  Despite his playoff dude, I just don't get switching him out for an older Sabonis.    Personally, I would tell Duran to find an offer and we will just match.   Just as important they need a #2 behind Cade.    A shooting guard or wing who can take the burden of Cade.    That should be their sole focus.    Keep Duren, Thompson despite his warts looks much better if they have a #2.    Without a #2, their upside is limited.   I just don't like how they have been going about their business so far.

[Winter]

He's a good target. Denver absolutely HAS to shed salary. I think they'd want off Zeke Nnaji in any trade. Does expiring Klay Thompson do anything for them? The below trade saves them $13m, to help bring back Peyton Watson.

DEN: Klay Thompson
DAL: Cameron Johnson, Zeke Nnaji


There are a lot of different trade options that work there. This was the simplest and saved the most money, while making some sense.
Their roster afterwards:

Murray | Simpson
Braun | Klay*
Watson* | Strawther
Gordon | Holmes
Jokic | Valanciunas

Valanciunas is rumored to be leaving for Europe. Same thing as last summer. No matter what the Nuggets do, they will have zero depth and will be in a major financial bind. Going nowhere fast...

I might do it even though Zeke is superfluous to our roster. 

It seems like they might actually want Gafford if Valanciunas leaves. I'd definitely find a way to get Cam Johnson if I could.

[Smitty]

I might do it even though Zeke is superfluous to our roster. 

It seems like they might actually want Gafford if Valanciunas leaves. I'd definitely find a way to get Cam Johnson if I could.

Yep, Gafford works in that hypothetical also. Could even expand it to include him. Something like:

DEN: Klay Thompson, Daniel Gafford, AJ Johnson, TPE
DAL: Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji

Saves the Nuggets $14m. The Mavs would have to love Braun way more than I do...

[Smitty]

In terms of what’s been floated as possibilities, ranked best to not so good:

1) Wallace
2) Henderson (because of the potential reclamation, if both Masai and Mike see the vision)
3) Monk
4) Grimes
5) FVV
6) Sharpe
7) Sexton

Not so much into Kuminga, since he’s not a guard. No Kawhi because of the locker room and cost. No Brown for much the same reasons, although far more likely to be healthy (both of those “options” really screw Cooper). The one I really don’t get is Dort. “Oh, we need guards for creation - I know, let’s get the D (as in dirty-as-hell) and not much 3 guy.”

Caruso would be right below Wallace, but I really don’t think he’s available.

My order would be different, but those are probably the best of all the names we've talked about. The realistic ones anyway. 

I'd add Caruso, just because I see a world where they want to keep Wallace and elect to get off of his longterm deal instead. 

I'd also add Vit Krejci as a cheap option. Not that he's a game changer, just a connection with Schmitz and fits the Masai mold with exceptional size and length, while being a plus outside shooter. 

I'd add Keon Ellis to the list as a player with potential upside and possible buy low candidate, even if he's more of a 2/3 Wing type than the others.

Also, Simons has to be on the list somewhere simply for his offensive firepower. Something this team lacks in the backcourt.

You probably have to add Jrue because he's Jrue. The fit is there.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Man Detroit has their star, but I really don't like their trajectory.    Nothing deal breaking, but just bad trends.    I can understand not being aggressive at the trade deadline, but in retrospect they missed an opportunity.    The resigned Huerter and traded for Joe. They need shooting.  My issue is I don't think either may be heavy minutes playoff performers.   They traded Stewart for nothing.    He may be crazy but is a solid bench player.   Especially with the uncertainty with Stewart.   Are they really going to count on Paul Reed?   I did like their first round draft pick in Okorie.    Losing Tobias Harris is fine.  Despite being a great teammate, he is the guy you make a mistake when you overpay.   

With that being said, the need the old Duren back.  Despite his playoff dude, I just don't get switching him out for an older Sabonis.    Personally, I would tell Duran to find an offer and we will just match.   Just as important they need a #2 behind Cade.    A shooting guard or wing who can take the burden of Cade.    That should be their sole focus.    Keep Duren, Thompson despite his warts looks much better if they have a #2.    Without a #2, their upside is limited.   I just don't like how they have been going about their business so far.

The offseason started with the report that Detroit wanted to go big game hunting.  Then they said Detroit might be a landing spot for Norman Powell.  Then they got Isiah Joe and resigned Kevin Huerter.  Not sure if they're just hedging their bets or they're out on a bigger addition. 

Retaining Duren and adding Powell or Herro would've been a good offseason.  If their offseason ends up being Isiah Joe, Kevin Huerter, Sabonis, and letting Stewart go, that is an F. We shall see.