It is decidedly easy, really, to pop a name on the NBA trade rumor mill and speculate about who might be interested and where that player could land. But of course, actually making an NBA trade happen is a much trickier reality. Executives who make the moves have to weigh the financial implications, the implications within the locker room, the owner’s outlook and, most important, whether the guy they’re getting can actually play or not.
With that in mind, we have been asking around about a few of the big names that have been linked to the trade market to see what, exactly, a deal for that player might look like. This is, it should be pointed out, educated speculation from some front office people around the league, and does not necessarily mean that there have been firm talks on these terms. But it does give an idea on potential parameters.
NBA Trade Rumors: Trey Murphy’s Value
Let’s start with one of the favorite names on the trade market in the past six months or so.
Trey Murphy, Pelicans. Murphy’s contract is not prohibitive (three years, $87 million) and because he is a wing who can play both ways, he has been especially coveted on the market. But the Pelicans have not gotten serious about moving him yet, because he is still only 26 and the team wants to see how the roster comes together. They’ve asked for as much as four-first-round picks, as the Grizzlies got for Desmond Bane, but that price will come down if the Pelicans move him.
Western Conference executive: “I think they’d still hold firm on three first-rounders for him. They look at the return for Mikal Bridges (five first-rounders) and Bane and they see Murphy in the same category. But those deals, teams are not going to want to do those going forward. So, a good young rotation player and two first-rounders is probably where you land.”
Kyrie Irving’s Option a Sticking Point
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks. Dallas resisted any trade interest on Irving this summer, and it’s fair to question how serious any team was about trading him. His market is tough to see now because he is coming back from a torn ACL, and he needs to show he is healthy. He has a $42 million player option in 2027-28, and him getting dealt to a contender might rest on a handshake deal (like James Harden in Cleveland) on the option year.
Western Conference executive: “If you have some sense that, OK, we pay him $40 million this year, and next year he opts out and we can do a two-year deal or a three year deal at a lesser number, then I think you can do something. If he comes back and he is scoring 24, 25 points (per game), then you will have teams willing to give up a first-round pick for him. Maybe more, maybe a young player, too. But with his injury history, I don’t think you give up more than one first.”
NBA Trade Rumors: First-Round Pick for Michael Porter Jr.
Michael Porter Jr., Nets. Porter is in an odd spot because he needs an extension as he heads into the final year of his contract, at $40 million. He showed All-Star ability when given more free reign last year, but that was on a bad Nets team. Brooklyn should be better this year, and Porter will need to show he can keep putting up star numbers on a team that is trying. But if an extension does not get done … what then?
Eastern Conference executive: “I think what he did last year is legit and teams are going to see it that way. But the problem you have is if you trade for him, are you going to extend him and what is the number? The Nuggets overpaid him when they gave him that extension, and if he wants to be paid based on that, that is not going to be an easy sell. If he can accept getting into a salary slot that makes more sense for him, you can make that trade. It’s an expiring deal but the Nets would get a first-round pick for him still.”
NBA Trade Rumors: Can the Nuggets Get Anything for Aaron Gordon?
Aaron Gordon, Nuggets. Gordon has had difficulty staying healthy, as he has dealt with hamstring and calf issues throughout last season and in the playoffs, as well as in the previous year’s playoffs. He missed 75 games in his last two years. That makes trading Gordon difficult, as does the three years and $110 million left on his deal. He is still an important and effective player when he is on the court, but health and the Nuggets’ financial crunch–with a record-setting Nikola Jokic contract looming–might force Denver to seek out the market for him.
Eastern Conference executive: “If they want to move him, it is hard to see them getting a big return there. It might have to be a salary-dump situation, or at least, you’re taking back some contract savings in the deal and probably getting a lesser player. I think they’d hang onto him this season unless things really go bad, but when you get to the draft and the offseason, that’s where you might have to pull the trigger.”
NBA Trade Rumors: Guards Potentially on the Market
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: two years, $82 million, player option in second year.) Marc Stein mentioned him, so we’re putting him on the list, but nothing is imminent. Like a lot of veterans, the idea is to play him through January, build value and see if something can be done at the deadline.
Dejounte Murray, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: two years, $63 million, player option.) Teams will want to see how he looks now that he should be fully healed from his Achilles tendon injury, but expect him to be a trade candidate as the deadline nears.
Jamal Murray, Nuggets. (Remaining contract; three years, $161 million.) Maybe? It’s not likely to happen now, but the finances in Denver are grim. It’s not hard to see a Jaylen Brown situation here.
Mikal Bridges, Knicks. (Remaining contract: four years, $150 million.) It would make sense for the Knicks to give them flexibility going forward, so we’ll slide him on this list. But the Knicks appear determined to try to hammer the team under the second apron for as long as it can stay there–there will be a breaking point, though.
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers. (Remaining contract four years, $90 million.) Sharpe is out with a torn meniscus, a tough break for him and the Blazers that will probably remove him from trade consideration. Still, he averaged 20.8 points last season and Portland has a guard logjam.
Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: one year, $7 million.) Hawkins never lived up to his lottery billing after his impressive UConn tournament run in 2023, so the fact that he is on the trade block is probably not exactly newsworthy. Still only 24, but he is a career 37.4% shooter. From the field.
Ty Jerome, Grizzlies. (Remaining contract: two years, $19 million, including player option.) Jerome took advantage of the mess in Memphis last year and averaged 19.7 points, shooting 42.0% from the 3-point line. The Grizzlies will need to thin out their roster, and the 29-year-old Jerome really does not fit here. He would have good value if Memphis wants to flip him for future assets, but the Grizz do not have much else at point guard.
Dalton Knecht, Lakers. (Remaining contract: two years, $10 million, including two team options.) Knecht showed some promise as a rookie but fell off in Year 2 and is now a contract filler in a potential trade. It has been surprising that no team has been willing to gamble on his upside–he is only 25.
Jaden Hardy, Lakers. (Remaining contract: one year, $6 million.) The Lakers need to drop a player, and Hardy is a good candidate if they can find a taker. Using him in a Jonathan Kuminga deal was their dream scenario, but now they just want to be rid of him.
NBA Trade Rumors: Wings Are Available
Moses Moody, Warriors. (Remaining contract: two years, $26 million.) Moody is potentially going to be ready for the start of the season, and is said to be staying put. But if the Warriors do anything trade-wise this summer, speculation holds it will involve Moody.
Trey Murphy, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: three years, $88 million.) There have been rumblings that the Pelicans would deal Murphy, and equal rumblings have indicated they won’t. Murphy is a favorite in NBA trade rumors, but New Orleans is slow-playing any potential trade.
Saddiq Bey, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: one year, $6.5 million.) Bey came back with a strong season last year after tearing his ACL, averaging 17.7 points and shooting 45.1% from the field and 36.7% from the 3-point line. They were hollow numbers on a bad team, but he showed he still could be an adequate wing off someone’s bench.
Patrick Williams, Bulls. (Remaining contract: three years, $54 million,) It would be symbolic and probably cathartic for fans to see Williams dumped as a new front office and coaching staff comes in. But Williams’ contract is prohibitive.
Michael Porter Jr., Nets. (Remaining contract: one year, $40 million, partial guarantee.) Porter will wind up in the trade-candidate bin if extension talks falter. They appear to be faltering, so watch from him to be a name on the market in the coming months.
Derrick Jones Jr., Clippers. (Remaining contract: one year, $10 million.) Jones is a defensive ace still, and his expiring contract gives the Clippers some wiggle room to move him. They’re caught in the Aspiration pause, however.
Kyle Kuzma, Bucks. (Remaining contract: one year, $20 million,) His expiring contract is attractive and if the Bucks pull a sign-and-trade for Peyton Watson, Bennedict Mathurin or Jonathan Kuminga, he could be involved.
DeAndre Hunter, Kings. (Remaining contract: one year, $25 million.) The Kings want to keep him as an expiring contract they could potentially flip, but he’s being mentioned as a possible target. If Sacto can get back an asset without taking long-term money, he could be dealt at the deadline.
Royce O’Neale, Hornets. (Remaining contract: two years, $21 million,) The Hornets still have some sorting to do. O’Neale is not a long-term piece, of course, but he has value. The team could hang onto him, see how he fits and flip him at the deadline.
Jake LaRavia, Lakers. (Remaining contract: one year, $6 million.) Hustles, plays every game, but inconsistent. His contract makes him an attractive piece, though, as the Lakers are still figuring out the back end of their roster.
Herb Jones, Pelicans. (Remaining contract: four years, $82 million, including player option.) Jones is a popular name on the market, but the Pelicans are said to want two first-round picks, and with Jones having struggled with injuries and his 3-point shot in the past two seasons, that’s too steep. His remaining contract scares off potential suitors, too.
Cam Johnson, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: one year, $23 million.) The Peyton Watson move probably means Johnson stays put, but he will be very tradeable in the coming months before the deadline. Johnson struggled in his lone season in Denver, and he has been a prominent feature on the NBA trade rumor mill for years now. He still has enough of a reputation around the league to warrant trade interest, but the apron-addled Nuggets value the fact that he has an expiring contract.
PJ Washington, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: 4 years, $90 million.) Like Daniel Gafford, Washington is aging out of the Mavericks’ timeline, as he turns 28 this summer. He’s a stretch 4 who plays good defense, but his shooting has been suspect–he made just 32.5% of his 3s last year. Like Gafford, they’re hoping to get a first-round pick in a deal for him, but the contract is prohibitive and the production is not worth it.
Center Market Gets Rough
Jalen Smith, Bulls. (Remaining contract: one year, $9 million.) Plenty of teams are still on the hunt for a backup center, and Smith would be a nice fit in multiple situations. The Bulls could cash in for younger assets or wait and move him during the season.
Nikola Jovic, Heat. (Remaining contract: four years, $62 million.) There is trepidation about trading for Jovic, who is certainly available and is still only 23 years old. But the remaining contract is a hefty bite for teams to take.
Grant Williams, Hornets. (Remaining contract: one year, $15 million.) The Hornets are not quite done with their roster, and Williams’ expiring deal has some value. He can still be a worthy big man off the bench.
Zeke Nnaji, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: four years, $32 million.) The Nuggets shopped Nnaji this summer, but there were no takers. He does not have a weighty contract, but four years is lengthy for him.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Lakers. (Remaining contract: two years, $26 million.) The Lakers have been trying to find a taker for Vanderbilt, but no one has been eager to take on his contract. It’s possible the Lakers will use him in their rotation, much to JJ Redick’s chagrin, and attempt to trade him during the season.
Aaron Gordon, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: three years, $110 million.) Someone may have to go in the coming months because of the Nuggets’ impending financial crunch. If it is not Jamal Murray, it could be Gordon, though his recent injury history makes that tough.
Daniel Gafford, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: 3 years, $54 million.) Gafford will be 28 in October, and with the Mavs focused on getting younger, moving him along has been one of the tea
NBA Trade Rumors: Deal Cost for Kyrie Irving, Trey Murphy & More