The Golden State Warriors will open their training camp with media day on Monday, putting them just five days away from players and coaches hitting the microphone and answering some key questions. For fans of NBA trade rumors, media day is valuable, too, because teams generally like to have critical situations settled by then–especially situations like the possible extension for Stephen Curry.
We know the contours of what Curry and the Warriors are weighing. Golden State will go along with any choice Curry makes, which could include a full max extension of two years and $137 million, a discount deal to shave off some salary-cap room for the Warriors next summer (two years, $90 million?) or a no-holds-barred scenario in which Curry puts off signing altogether and allows the Warriors to create up to $130 million in cap space to sign players next summer.
Around the league, there is a feeling that Curry will make a decision this weekend and talk about it on Monday. But that is just a “feeling,” pure speculation. Curry can take as long as he wants to decide his next move. His decision will have a big impact on the NBA trade rumor mill, as the Warriors are expected to be active in the coming nine months. But so far, as one NBA source said, Curry has been quiet: “Silence on that whole situation so far.”
Julius Randle Lakers’ Top NBA Trade Rumor Target?
Old friend Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, a prominent progenitor of NBA trade rumors and speculation, had an interesting post about potential Lakers trade targets, and highlighted one in particular as the potential top choice for the Lakers on the market: a reunion with Julius Randle.
He wrote: “If he’s available, Randle would give the Lakers a very different frontcourt. …Randle doesn’t fit the Nets’ timeline, and while they probably won’t deal him before the season starts, he’s definitely a player to watch ahead of the trade deadline.”
That would be interesting, but the “if” part is key there. Randle is not a guy we’ve heard much about on the NBA trade rumor mill, for a few reasons. He took a real downward turn with the Wolves last season in the playoffs, and teams around the league are already wary of his play style–he needs the ball in his hands but is just not as efficient as he was during his best years. He’s expensive, too, at $33 million this year with a player option worth $35 million next year.
There’s also the matter of the Nets trying to compete this year. If Brooklyn shows some life this season, it probably will be in part because Randle has gotten back to form. Would the Nets want to dump him if that is the case? The team is trying to get itself in the playoff mix, and has little incentive to play for a draft pick, as the Nets will likely have to swap this year’s draft pick with Houston.
Thus there isn’t a lot of incentive to move Randle, either, especially to a Lakers team lacking in assets.
Raptors Taking Big Gamble on Kawhi Leonard
On the floor, Kawhi Leonard was a good player last season, with averages of 27.9 points and 6.3 rebounds, on 50.5% shooting and 38.7% 3-point shooting. He played 65 games, too, but that’s the thing that would scare off a lot of teams–he managed 65 games in an extension-eligible year, but has played 65 or more games just twice in the last eight seasons.
Still, the Raptors took the plunge and gave Leonard a two-year, $115 million contract extension on Tuesday, which is only about $11 million below the max he could have been offered. Leonard has a player option in the second year of the deal.
In an era in which teams are trying to scrape as much off the top of would-be max deals, some thought Leonard might have to give up a bit more in a new deal with Toronto. This was not a no-brainer deal–while the Raptors felt they needed a star presence to help Scottie Barnes, bringing in an oft-injured 35-year-old who is not known as a team-first guy to pair with Barnes is a risk.
NBA Trade Rumors: Possible Point Guards on the Market
Let’s start the Big Board with the point guards …
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks. (Remaining contract: two years, $82 million, player option in second year.) To be clear, nothing is imminent on a Kyrie Irving trade and there have not been active discussions on moving him. The guy is coming off a torn ACL, after all. 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. The Mavs won’t be afraid to keep him around, but they’re configuring the roster around youth.
Darius Garland, Clippers. (Remaining contract: two years, $87 million.) The Clippers are licking their wounds after the five-first-round-pick penalty from the Aspiration-Kawhi Leonard scandal settled in, and while it is not clear which path the team will take next–or the ramifications from the fact that their owner and GM are currently suspended–collecting draft picks and cap space would be a good idea. Garland is the only player on the roster who could potentially warrant a package of two first-rounders though his injury history would be an obstacle.
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. The Nuggets can continue to make changes around the margins, but with Nikola Jokic’s contract situation looming, they might need to do something drastic.
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.
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.
Jalen Suggs, Magic. (Remaining contract: four years, $115 million, team option.) Suggs has been in the NBA five years, and had one good season as a two-way guard who could knock down 3s (2023-24, averaging 12.6 points and 39.7% 3-point shooting). Every other year in the league has been ugly and injury-riddled for Suggs. Unfortunately for the Magic, Suggs’ one good year was when he was up for an extension. We can’t rule out Paolo Banchero or Franz Wagner trades, but only if the season truly goes South.
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.
NBA Trade Rumors: Wing Candidates
Everybody needs wings, and good ones are hard to find …
Brandon Ingram, Raptors/Clippers. (Remaining contract: two years, $82 million, player option.) The Clippers should be seeking to do what they can to pile up draft picks, and moving off of Brandon Ingram next offseason could fetch them one. But he had offseason foot surgery, and it remains to be seen how that will affect him.
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.) Michael Porter Jr. (Remaining contract: one year, $40 million, partial guarantee.) Assuming the Nets’ contract talks do not reignite with Porter, he will be a top trade focus all winter. His extension talks appear to be faltering. He is a fringe All-Star, though, and is seeking to be paid like one. If the Nets do not want to go too far on a contract, the question would be whether another team would.
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. But teams wanted the Nuggets to include picks in a Johnson deal, and that was not happening. 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. They need that space for Nikola Jokic next summer.
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.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Hornets. (Remaining contract: three years, $41 million, player options.) He is one of many mid-priced Hornets on the NBA trade rumor mill. He is coming off a rough year in Houston, but the Hornets could see if his value bounces back. His contract will get more tradeable as time goes on.
Centers/Power Forwards Trade Candidates
And of course, there are the big guys on the NBA trade rumor mill …
Paolo Banchero, Magic. (Remaining contract: five years, $245 million, player option.) Good luck finding a taker for that deal. But if the Magic continue to flop, he will be a big name on the NBA trade rumor mill.
Jalen Smith, Bulls. (Remaining contract: one year, $9.4 million.) We had Patrick Williams here in a previous version of this list, and it would be a symbolic flush of the old era for new GM Bryson Graham to dump Williams, but no one is taking on that three-year, $54 million deal. There has been interest in Smith, and the Bulls could cash in on him as the season gets rolling and teams clearly have big man needs.
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.
Obi Toppin, Pacers. (Remaining contract: two years, $31 million.) A foot injury torpedoed his season last year, and even when healthy, he’s a bench player who give you about 18 minutes a night. The Pacers will likely do something to get themselves under the luxury tax, either now or at the deadline.
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. So, the question is what to do with him now? Most likely, the Lakers will keep Vanderbilt in the rotation and attempt to rehabilitate his value, with an eye on trading him at the deadline or next summer. There could be smaller Lakers moves coming–Dalton Knecht and/or Jaden Hardy–but Vanderbilt is the guy they’d like to move.
Aaron Gordon, Nuggets. (Remaining contract: three years, $110 million.) The Nuggets will have a second-apron crunch next year, as has been well documented. That is one reason they did not want to move off the expiring contract of Cam Johnson this summer, and probably won’t do so this season–they value the $23 million Johnson will leave behind when he hits free agency. The Nuggets plan to give Nikola Jokic a $360 million extension next summer, but they’re going to need more flexibility. Dealing Gordon could do it, though his contract and health issues make that difficult.
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 team’s goals.
NBA Trade Rumors: Stephen Curry Silence, Lakers Top Target & More