The NBA trade rumor mill will get fired up again soon, because
The interview that Stephen Curry did with NBC Sports Bay Area while at his Workday Charity Classic to benefit his Eat. Learn. Play foundation sounds very positive for the Warriors. Curry is in the final year of his contract and is up for an extension as of Saturday, and as we’ve been saying, Curry has three options when it comes to the deal: take a full max, take a discount number for the Warriors, or not sign and extension at all.
Door No. 3 is the best option for the Warriors. It could allow them an acre of cap space–more than $100 million–next summer to add players in free agency or via trades. Curry would wait and re-sign after the Warriors sign some new guys, as James Harden did with the Cavs and teammates Draymond Green was prepared to do this summer.
Said Curry: “Extension stuff, we’ll figure that out at the right time. But I’m ready for Year 18.”
For the Warriors, the right time is around July 8 of next summer, after the team has spent the $100 million of space. And if Curry is suggesting he will be patient, then perhaps he is ready to go along with the team’s 2027 bonanza plan. Not definitely, of course, but things are trending that way.
NBA Trade Rumors: Jonathan Kuminga Damage Control
Look, it is easy to give superagent (ahem) Aaron Turner a hard time over the way things have unfolded for forward Jonathan Kuminga in the last few weeks, or months, or years, but in the end, with the choices Kuminga had, he wound up doing the right thing. The situation with Kuminga is portrayed as though he chose the Timberwolves over the Lakers, and that’s not true–he chose a one-year deal at $6 million, with a chance to make more next summer, over a three-year deal that would have been around $36 million for the Lakers.
Of all the things that Turner has said since the Kuminga situation was resolved with a one-year, $6 million deal with Minnesota, this is the most true (from his appearance on the “Run It Back” podcast: “Next year is a way better free agency year for him…teams that have been trying to sign-and-trade for him, like Sacramento and Chicago, will have a lot of money.”
There will be more money, and you could possibly throw the Nets and Milwaukee into the mix for Kuminga, too. But there is a catch: Kuminga will be under a microscope in Minnesota, and if he does not finally play up to his raw ability on his third team in six years–a team that is rolling out the red carpet with a starting opportunity–he is not getting major money.
But a good years and a deep postseason run will get Kuminga into the $20 million per year range he has been seeking.
Agent Loyalty Program
Even if Kuminga can’t get a $20 million deal, there will be more teams with midlevel cap exceptions in 2027, and rather than pull the wait-and-see act that he and Turner did this summer, he could scramble to grab one of those slots quickly next summer. Again, he is playing for $6 million this year, but it wil be worth it even if he gets three years and $48 million next summer.
For what it is worth, Kuminga had plenty of opportunities in 2023 to change agents and go with bigger, more established names that were recruiting him away from Turner. It could be argued that his road would have been much smoother if that had happened. He is with Turner, though, and has been since he was drafted in 2021. In retrospect, he should have jumped ship, but something to be said for loyalty, perhaps?
NBA Trade Rumors: Michael Porter Jr. Perspective
Some folks picked up on a nugget from this column noting that Michael Porter Jr. would like a contract that starts at $40 million in an extension, and so we’ve got a little more clarification. Porter is in the final year of a deal that paid him $180 million over five years. That’s $40.8 million this year. From his perspective, he has done nothing to warrant going backwards on his contract–he is 28, he has been a good role player on a champion and a near All-Star player on the rebuilding Nets.
He’s also been mostly healthy. He played 52 games last year for Brooklyn, but he would have played more if the team had not been tanking. Future concerns about MPJ’s health were a big reason he dropped in the 2018 draft, and he has put that to rest so far. Fans, and certainly teams, will disagree about what he should be paid in the current market, but he has played well enough to not warrant a pay cut.
Let’s get into the Big Board …
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: Warriors’ Good Stephen Curry Sign, Jonathan Kuminga Agent & More