We are just three weeks from the opening of training camps across the league–and the firing up of the NBA trade rumor mill that comes with that–but already, we have seen the laying of some contours of the market for the 2026-27 season and the 2027 trade deadline .
Early reports are that it is expected to be a busy deadline period, as teams have some hope that NBA free agency, which has mostly been dead in recent years, will fire back up a bit as some teams (hello, Warriors!) carve out salary-cap space and others seek to duck beneath the aprons and the luxury-tax threshold. So, buckle up.
We’re dusting off our updated list of 30 candidates on the NBA trade rumor market for 30 teams. Here goes …
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Atlanta Hawks. Cory Kispert. (Remaining contract: three years, $40 million, team option,) The Hawks have a roster crunch and will need to whittle things down. They shopped Kispert but with three years on his deal, there has been limited interest. They’ll keep shopping, though. Something will have to give.
Boston Celtics. Sam Hauser. (Remaining contract: three years, $35 million.) Boston is against the luxury tax line, and that’s the reason the Celtics did not trade out Hauser in a deal to use their $27 million traded player exception. They would be open to moving Hauser still, but probably won’t get a player more valuable than him at is contract number, so it’s a longshot.
Brooklyn Nets. Michael Porter Jr. (Remaining contract: one year, $40 million, partial guarantee.) On one hand, Porter was overpaid on his last contract from the Nuggets, a big reason he was traded to the Nets. He should probably take a pay cut. But from Porter’s perspective, he has done nothing to deserve a pay cut–he played very well in his first season with the Nets. Porter will wind up in the trade-candidate bin if extension talks falter, which appears to be the case.
Charlotte Hornets. Grant Williams. (Remaining contract: one year, $15 million.) Williams never developed into the Draymond Green-type some projected early in his career, and he has not been healthy for the past two seasons. If he can stay on the floor and keep knocking down corner 3s, he will rebuild some value.
Chicago Bulls. Patrick Williams. (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.
Cleveland Cavaliers. Jarrett Allen. (Remaining contract: three years, $90 million.) The Cavaliers managed to finagle their way under the second apron while adding Peyton Watson to the roster. It was great work, but it is unsustainable with the second apron. Someone likely will need to go by next summer, and Allen is the most likely.
Detroit Pistons. Duncan Robinson. (Remaining contract: two years, $31 million, partially guaranteed.) Most assumed Robinson would be waived by the Pistons, but he managed to stick around, further proof that parents should teach their kids to shoot 3s.
Indiana Pacers. Obi Toppin. (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.
Knicks May Eventually Be Forced to Trade
Miami Heat. Nikola Jovic. (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.
Milwaukee Bucks. Myles Turner. (Remaining contract: three years, $84 million, player option.) The deal for Turner, like the deal for Damian Lillard, was a disaster for Milwaukee. His contract has been tough to move, but if he plays well to start the year, teams might bite on him by the trade deadline.
New York Knicks. Mikal Bridges. (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–there will be a breaking point, though.
Orlando Magic. Jalen Suggs. (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.
Philadelphia 76ers. Joel Embiid. (Remaining contract: three years, $188 million, player option.) No, they’re not going to trade Embiid during the season. But they’re probably not going to trade anybody. If this whole thing is a disaster, though, the possibility of Embiid taking the fall is out there.
Toronto Raptors. RJ Barrett. (Remaining contract: one year, $30 million.) Barrett is a volume scorer, and that’s just not the right role for him. Neither is $30 million the right price tag. But his deal is expiring, so he will have that value.
Washington Wizards. Anthony Davis. (Remaining contract: two years, $120 million.) He is due an extension, which is going to make the Wizards’ road here hard. Does he want to stay in Washington? Do the Wiz want to give him $272 million over four years? It might be easier to just trade him and get some value back.
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Dallas Mavericks. Daniel Gafford. (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 top options. They’re hoping to get a first-round pick for Gafford, but that might be a big ask because of his contract.
Denver Nuggets. Aaron Gordon. (Remaining contract: three years, $110 million.) Someone may have to go because of the Nuggets’ financial crunch. It could be Gordon, though his recent injury history makes that tough.
Golden State Warriors. Jimmy Butler. (Remaining contract: one year, $57 million,) The Warriors could get off to a surprising start with good showings from their young players and new guys, then get Butler back and slingshot into the playoffs in the second half of the year. That’s the hope. Or they could sputter out of the gate, see their aging veterans suffer more injuries and sell off pieces at the deadline–and Butler is the big one.
Houston Rockets. Kevin Durant. (Remaining contract: two years, $90 million.) Seems that if the Rockets were going to trade Durant, they’d have done it by now. But Durant is not seen as a top-level commodity by many front offices, given the way his teams have underperformed since he left Golden State seven years ago. No one is eager to sign up for the burner-account nonsense, either.
LA Clippers. Darius Garland. (Remaining contract: two years, $87 million.) The Aspiration penalty will force the Clippers to recalibrate in 2026-27. If they want to recoup the five draft picks they lost in their NBA punishment, dealing Garland is their best chance to possibly get two first-rounders. Expect him to be a frequent NBA trade rumor mill feature.
Los Angeles Lakers. Jarred Vanderbilt. (Remaining contract: two years, $26 million.) The Lakers have been trying to find a taker for Vanderbilt, but it has been a stubborn market as 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 NBA season. Taking on the second year will get more palatable as this year goes on. One issue: The Lakers lack assets to attach to Vanderbilt to entice another team to take him.
Memphis Grizzlies. Jerami Grant. (Remaining contract: two years, $70 million.) The Grizzlies have indicated that they will keep Grant after getting him in the Ja Morant deal. But if he plays well, and if the other young forwards on the Grizzlies show they’re ready, look for that to change when the trade deadline comes. Memphis needs point guard help.
Minnesota Timberwolves. Rudy Gobert. (Remaining contract: two years, $75 million, player option.) The Timberwolves turned back trade interest in Gobert this year, but eventually, he will need an extension and the team will need to weigh moving on from him. They like young big man Joan Beringer very much.
Alex Caruso Could Take the Fall in OKC
New Orleans Pelicans. Trey Murphy. (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. They had been asking for four first-rounders, but that’s overly ambitious.
Oklahoma City Thunder. Alex Caruso. (Remaining contract: three years, $63 million.) There is no doubt that the Thunder are better with Caruso on the floor, but he is 32 and had a brutal shooting year (29.3% from the 3-point line). There are young players who need minutes, and eventually the Thunder will have to weigh moving him.
Phoenix Suns. Jalen Green. (Remaining contract: two years, $72 million.) Green’s hamstring problems were a big issue for the Suns last year, and would be a big issue for a potential trade. He averaged 17.8 points, lowest since he was a rookie, in the 32 games he did play, and it might be hard to see a fit with Devin Booker. Get him healthy, and maybe there is a trade out there for him.
Portland Trail Blazers. Jrue Holiday. (Remaining contract: two years, $72 million.) The Blazers brought in Ja Morant and have Damian Lillard returning. Shaedon Sharpe is out now, and the team could look to move Scoot Henderson. But Holiday would bring back the best value in a trade.
Sacramento Kings. Domantas Sabonis. (Remaining contract: two years, $94 million,) Sabonis has been shopped this summer, but there were no takers. If he can come back strong from knee surgery, the market will open back up. But he has a big number for a player coming off injury, who already was a defensive question mark.
San Antonio Spurs. Keldon Johnson. (Remaining contract: one year, $17.5 million.) Johnson likely does not have a long future ahead in San Antonio, and as a reliable presence off the bench, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year could draw a good return.
Utah Jazz. Lauri Markkanen. (Remaining contract: three years, $149 million.) Markkanen seemed to be out of trade conversations after the Walker Kessler exit, but he’s been thrust back into the mix lately. It’s hard to see the Jazz pulling the trigger on a deal, but at age 29 on a rebuilding team, Markkanen is at a high point in his value.
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