The NBA trade rumor mill never really stops, and it’s worth keeping an eye on a pair of potential Lakers trades. Let’s have a look.
The Lakers have 16 players on board and are hardly the only team that is currently over the NBA’s roster limit of 15–a quick count shows that 10 teams appear to be over the limit, though some will have a relatively easy time ducking back to 15. But the Lakers’ situation is a bit more complicated because they’re still hoping to execute a trade, or maybe two, before training camp gets rolling.
The Lakers are currently at about $200.5 million in payroll, about $500,000 below the $201 million luxury-tax threshold. They’d like to make a trade, and in doing so, would like to cut out some money in doing so to stay below the threshold. That could mean moving off of the $6 million owed to Jaden Hardy or the $4.2 million owed to Dalton Knecht. Trading them into someone’s exception would be ideal, and the lakers are said to have some confidence in finding a taker for Knecht, who is still only 25 years old and was considered a potential Top 10 pick two years ago.
There are only a handful of teams that might make sense for Knecht, but the Lakers’ big issue is that they have very little draft capital–three future second-rounders and one pick swap–to attach to get a team to take Knecht. The other option could be to trade Hardy for a player who makes significantly less money, then cut that player.
If the Lakers want to make a move that would free up room to add another player–Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer mentioned Bruce Brown as a possibility–they would probably need to make deals for both Knecht and Hardy, or offload a contract like that of Bronny James.
NBA Trade Rumors: Watching Knicks Closely
The reason the Knicks are being so closely watching this summer is because folks around the league are waiting for some sign that the team is going to get Karl-Anthony Towns to sign an extension for less than the maximum, which comes in at four years and $272 million. The first year would be at about $63 million, and with Josh Hart either getting an extension or having his $22 million team option picked up, the Knicks would be at $220 million (at the second apron) for the eight-player combo of KAT, Hart, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet and Mo Diawara.
The Knicks could well seek to create more wiggle room by dealing out Shamet, who is good value at $6.2 million in 2027-28. But the goal is to shave as much off the $63 million initial salary for Towns as possible.
“It’s a new era with the second apron and teams–and players–are sort of looking at that reality,” one NBA executive said. “We’re seeing it in a number of places–Detroit with Jalen Duren and how they’re negotiating with him, and Towns is going to be the next big one who is going to set the pattern. In the NBA, there has always been a knee-jerk reaction that you give your best players the max without thinking about it. You can’t do that anymore.”
Yes, Nothing Doing on Jalen Duren, Yet
As for Duren, there is no real surprise, nor concern, that he is not signed yet by the Pistons. He was the subject of early NBA trade rumors, but those were mostly hollow. He was never getting traded. Duren’s only weapon here is that he can threaten to sign the qualifying offer and go to unrestricted free agency next summer. That would spook the Pistons, but the risk–injury, lack of performance, potential lack of cap space elsewhere–would be far too great for Duren.
…..
There has been a chill in rookie extension deals for the Class of 2023, with the Spurs’ max deal for Victor Wembanyama being the only one signed so far. There’s been speculation that perhaps teams are more willing to take players to restricted free agency next summer because it’s been shown just how few options players have in RFA–take the qualifying offer, take what the team gives you, or hope for a miracle, like the Clippers letting Bennedict Mathurin walk.
Some of the lack of movement has just been that it was not a great draft class, and teams usually only move quickly on guys that they know will be max players. Wemby was the only one from that class. There have also been injuries (Dereck Lively), trades (Gradey Dick) and disappointments (Scoot Henderson). But around the league, there is a strong feeling that both Thompsons–Ausar in Detroit and Amen in Houston–will get extensions, as will Brandon Miller in Charlotte.
After that, it’s a crapshoot, though Cason Wallace in Oklahoma City, Brandin Podziemski in Golden State and Keyonte George in Utah are also considered strong candidates.
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: Lakers’ Next Deals, Knicks Being Monitored & More