You can tell that autumn is in the air not just because the mornings are nippier and more items are pumpkin-spiced, but because the NBA trade rumor mill is gaining some steam. Let’s go to New York for this …
Obviously, the Knicks and/or Karl-Anthony Towns’ reps wanted us to know on Wednesday that there has been little progress on an extension for the star big man as the opening of training camp nears. ESPN, the New York Post, The Athletic, SNY–they all had one report or another on the difficulty of getting an extension done.
(Educated guess: The Knicks put it out there to make Towns look like the bad guy if a trade comes later.)
That does not necessarily mean that the team is trading Towns in the next few weeks–he is signed for this year, at $57 million, with a $61 million player option for next year–but it does mean the Knicks could soon have to pick which of their expensive star starters the team will put on the trade market.
Towns is eligible for a $272 million extension over four years, and if he demands the max–and the Knicks give it to him–the team will be no a collision course with the second apron, and owner James Dolan has declared the Knicks will not be a second-apron team. A trade would be the only escape hatch.
Knicks Could Wait Until 2028
The Knicks could slow-play this, though. They have until next summer to extend Towns.
They are committed to about $131 million in contracts to six players after this season (OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Mo Diawara), which would give them about $100 million for the remaining eight players under the second apron (projected to be $236 million for 2027-28). The two guys with options are KAT ($61 million, player option) and Josh Hart ($22 million, team option).
If the Knicks signed four players at minimum deals, that’s about $90 million left for KAT and Hart in the first year of their deals, and the Knicks could make that work for 2027-28.
But that leaves much of the Knicks roster on minimum contracts and also leaves the problem of a potentially massive new contract for Jalen Brunson in 2028-29. Brunson took less money on his last contract, and is not likely to do that again. So, unless Towns takes a good-sized haircut on this deal, the Knicks as we know them will be kaput by the summer of 2028.
Sizing Up the Candidates for Knicks NBA Trade Rumors
Again, the Knicks do not have to make these moves now, but history shows us that getting in front of inevitable trade situations helps better your return value. The Bucks would have done well to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo back in 2025, or even 2024. The Celtics could have gotten more for Jaylen Brown before it became obvious they were trying to move Jaylen Brown.
If Towns won’t budge, the Knicks will still have to pay him. It’s possible, but unlikely that the Knicks would trade Towns. He showed in the playoffs that he is too valuable. The Knicks would then have to turn to a trade elsewhere to find savings. But who?
Jalen Brunson is not going anywhere. Next up.
It would be hard to trade Josh Hart because he is a key character guy for this team, but he would be movable, with $21 million this year and a $22 million team option next year. The Knicks could avoid extending Hart, pickup his option in the summer and trade him in 2027.
OG Anuonby would be the big prize if the Knicks put him on the market. He has three years and $135 million on his contract, with the third year a player option, and played at a high level on both ends last season. The Knicks don’t want to trade him, of course, but he would give them the easiest path toward avoiding the apron and getting real, usable assets back in a deal.
We’ve been saying all summer that the Knicks’ best option is to trade Mikal Bridges. However, with a four-year, $150 million extension kicking in this year, trading Bridges won’t be all that easy. He was inconsistent last year, and he just turned 30. Bridges could continue to trend downward, and teams know it. After giving up five first-round picks to get Bridges, the Knicks might be unable to get one back in return for him.
That’s how this probably lands–not with a Towns trade, but with either the Knicks taking back a slim package for Bridges or a strong package for Anunoby. Something will have to give, and it is just a matter of when it happens.
But let’s add some Knicks to the Big Board …
NBA Trade Rumors: Possible Guards on the Market
Let’s start the Big Board with the 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 …
Josh Hart, Knicks. (Remaining contract: two years, $43 million, team option.) Someone will have to go for the Knicks, and Hart would not be preferred, but he is possible.
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.
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: Knicks’ Trade Chips as Karl-Anthony Towns Hits the Big Board