The NBA draft is the centerpiece of Wednesday, but free agency is hulking up for Sunday's big start. Here's what I've heard over the last few weeks, team-by-team.
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Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks have a lot of options on their plate and teams are anxious to see what they do after drafting Zaccharie Risacher Wednesday night.
Do they package one of their guards — Dejounte Murray or Trae Young — with the No. 1 pick in a larger move? Do they move Young or Murray separately as part of a deal to pick up another pick in this draft (as well as drafts that are you know, good in the future)?
There continues to be a belief that either Murray or Young will be moved, but not both. However, those deals are always dependent on getting the right value they want. Atlanta has postured its more than happy to give the pairing another year together, no matter how disappointing it's been.
Clint Capela is available, but the Hawks have been shopping their starting center for almost three seasons now and haven't found the deal they want.
"Everyone wants centers, but Capela is 30 and a very traditional big who hasn't had a strong season in a while," one personnel exec said this week.
Still, teams like the Wizards, Grizzlies and Pelicans have made calls for him.
Jalen Johnson is expected to be extended, but talks haven't gone as smoothly as possible, with the Hawks preferring a deal closer to the five-year, $136 million extension Jaden McDaniels agreed to in Minnesota, and Johnson — like all players — is looking for more.
The list of available Hawks players is longer than the unavailable.
Boston Celtics
With the Celtics having been a little preoccupied with winning Banner 18, there hasn't been much noise about them.
Al Horford has said he expects to return, and the rest of the rotation is pretty locked in.
Boston will be opportunistic as always, but there's nothing crazy in the rumor mill for it.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets got a lifeline and a direction Tuesday night, trading Mikal Bridges for five first-round picks and a swap with the Knicks, along with two seconds. They leveraged their Suns picks from the Kevin Durant trade to get back control of their 2025 (from a swap) and 2026 picks.
Whatever the Nets open with on their win total, if it's anywhere near 20, the under is going to be the play. Brooklyn is going to #LagForFlagg (Duke star Cooper Flagg) so hard it will make "The Process" look admirably competitive.
They now have draft pick capital to play with from the Knicks and control of their franchise back in the short-term. They still have players like Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, Day'Ron Sharpe and yes, Ben Simmons that they can deal for more future equity as well.
The Nets retained Nic Claxton on Wednesday, keeping the versatile big man if for no other reason than the ability to flip him for assets later.
Brooklyn's reshuffling Tuesday was a masterstroke by basketball operations head Sean Marks, who took a lot of slings and arrows for the nonsense pulled by Kyrie Irving (and as a consequence of those actions, Durant and James Harden).
The Nets were stuck in limbo, built around a star player in Bridges, who isn't a No. 1, without any draft picks for the future and very little in assets. Now they're flush and can start a real rebuild.
And they have more moves to make if they want to.
After the trade of Bridges Tuesday night, teams started talking to Brooklyn about potential trades for Johnson. The list is expected to grow, but the Pacers, Hornets and Kings are among the teams first in line.
Charlotte Hornets
I'm not sure who's off the table for the Hornets under new GM Jeff Peterson beyond "they're keeping Brandon Miller."
I had heard Mark Williams was considered off the board, but The Athletic reported Wednesday that the Rockets have interest in Williams in a potential draft trade. That might be solely a Rockets-side desire, but it's worth watching.
Charlotte has pivoted from looking at upgrades like Malik Monk (who re-signed with the Kings on a sweetheart deal) to calling teams offering to use its cap space and trade players to take on future assets, which is what any team in its position should do.
It's reflective of a smarter and more thoughtful approach to team building than what we saw under Michal Jordan's shortsighted ownership.
Chicago Bulls
I'm skeptical of this given the entire history of the franchise and their desire to constantly stay on a treadmill of mediocrity, but there has been whispers in recent days that the Bulls are really planning on moving younger, with the perplexing trade of Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey with no picks attached as part of that design.
As such, there's thought that DeMar DeRozan might really hit the open market. DeRozan remains one of the Clippers' backup plans in the event that Paul George departs, but with the likelihood of George opting in, the odds of the Compton native finally making it back to California diminish.
The Bulls are known to be looking to move Nikola Vucevic, along with the never-ending Zach LaVine saga. The Caruso trade both helps and hurts those efforts because Caruso's contract was a quality lubricant for teams willing to take on those contracts, which now isn't available.
But the Bulls also don't have to constantly try and pull more assets from interested teams in exchange for adding Caruso. He's off the board.
It's clear that either way the Bulls are positioning Coby White as the future of the franchise.
Cleveland Cavs
It would put shockwaves through the league if Donovan Mitchell didn't agree to a "3+1" max contract extension for three years with a player option.
Kenny Atkinson was hired last week and was known to be Mitchell's preferred choice for the next head coach. All indications are that the Cavs are going to get to keep Mitchell.
The follow up to that is what happens with Darius Garland. One good question is what Garland himself wants. His representation might prefer he chase an All-Star spot with another team, but does he? How does Mitchell feel about the pairing?
The team probably makes the most sense with Mitchell paired with Jarrett Allen in the pick-and-roll (until Evan Mobley is ready to make the transition to five), but those setups have had problems winning in the playoffs.
Mobley is thought to be the biggest beneficiary of adding Atkinson, but Atkinson's familiarity with Caris LeVert and Allen certainly will make that integration easier.
Dallas Mavericks
After winning the West and making the Finals, the Mavericks aren't done.
Josh Green and Tim Hardaway Jr. (for the fourth season in a row) are the names most consistently discussed in trade talks.
THJ is a move they need to make to keep out of the second apron going forward. Green is thought to be the player they'll use to make the THJ trade easier.
One player mentioned as a target for the Mavericks is Blazers forward Jerami Grant, but Portland continues to maintain a high bar for the return.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets continue to play it close to the vest with their plan to try and retain Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency. Keeping KCP on market value would mean going into the second apron, limiting Denver's ability to both improve and make in-season additions in the event of injury.
KCP is rumored to be getting offers north of $20 million per year, with the Magic and Sixers both willing to offer deals well beyond what Denver would want to offer.
While Denver can match any offer for KCP with more years using his bird rights, the more the contract is, the more work it would have to do to get under the CBA's second apron to free up flexibility for trades with multiple players or adding buyout candidates.
The reality is that with Jamal Murray extension-eligible this summer, Aaron Gordon holding a player option for 2025-26 and Michael Porter Jr.'s contract still holding $115 million over the next three seasons, Denver is facing tough decisions as to how to build a sustainable contender around three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Detroit Pistons
Detroit was willing to make a big offer for Monk, but he went back to the Kings. The Pistons are now thought to be another team — along with Charlotte — that's willing to take on unwieldy contracts in exchange for future assets.
The hard reset the team designed after hiring Trajan Langdon as the new head of basketball operations and parting ways with Monty Williams opens the door for a number of directions.
Langdon will undoubtedly reshape the roster with trades of the young talent as he singles out the players he prefers or believes in, and Detroit can be opportunistic if a huge move changes its timeline.
But that reset will also allow Detroit to be patient.
When you have the kind of disaster the Pistons had last season, you can make it worse by overreacting to it. That Detroit is not looking for those pathways is promising.
Golden State Warriors
I don't think it's absolute that Klay Thompson's days as a Warrior are done. The Magic are interested in Thompson, but league sources say those offers are centered around short-term deals. Thompson may want more guaranteed money over more years, which allows for the Warriors to retain him.
So far, there are no discussions of three-plus-year offers for Thompson outside of Golden State.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst has reported on the Warriors' interest in Paul George. But the Clippers will want players back in exchange for facilitating that trade, and Golden State has made it clear it doesn't want to trade the young players it believes in.
(As a sign of how noisy all this stuff is, I also heard the Warriors have explored the market for Moses Moody, though Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski are still thought to be close to untouchable.)
Do the Clippers want the Warriors' spare parts?
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Houston Rockets
Houston wasn't subtle with its approach on Tuesday. It effectively cashed in its bet against the Nets and then bought back fades on the Suns. It gave the Nets control of their 2025, 2026 and 2027 picks in order to get control over the Suns' future picks.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that the Rockets' long-term plan is to leverage an attempt at trading for Durant. Essentially, if the Suns crash and burn, the Rockets can offer control of their future back.
Brian Windhorst discussed the possibility of Alperen Sengun being used as part of a more immediate push for Durant.
The Suns, however, aren't looking to deal their superstars. Not yet, anyway. Pride is a powerful drug.
In other news, multiple teams have started doing research on Jae'Sean Tate based on potential trades.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers got the deal they wanted with Pascal Siakam on a four-year contract without having to go the full distance on the supermax for one of their franchise pillars.
But after an unexpected run to the conference finals, will they be satisfied and run it back (with a returning Bennedict Mathurin)?
Obi Toppin is looking for deals north of $15 million per year as a restricted free agent.
Los Angeles Clippers
As stated above, the Clippers could very well decide to retain George. They don't want to pay him as much as Kawhi Leonard — which PG should very much take as an insult given his more reliable contributions to the franchise — but they can offer more years.
So PG, like Thompson, will have to decide between security and earning potential.
One thing has become apparent: George winding up outside California would be a massive upset. PG has indicated to teams that he's not looking to leave the West Coast, which narrows his options considerably.
A wrinkle in all this: There's been talk in league circles that Steve Ballmer is willing to give this current iteration one more season as it moves into the brand-new Intuit Dome.
After that? There will be some talks about change if the Clippers don't finally at least make a serious run to the conference finals.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers signaling this week in the introductory press conference for JJ Redick that trades are harder now was seen as a signal around the league in the never-ending cold war between ownership and Klutch Sports/LeBron that they shouldn't expect any star reinforcements on the horizon.
And yet, despite all of the ongoing tension, it appears the Lakers and James are stuck with one another.
James doesn't want to leave for another franchise. He's rooted in L.A., in both family and business matters, and the Lakers are the prestige organization that helps his legacy. The Lakers are willing to pay him the huge contract he wants, hired his podcast partner and will likely wind up drafting or acquiring his son.
But that third star they talked about pursuing with the three first-round picks at their disposal no longer seems as likely with Mitchell back with the Cavs and Jimmy Butler likely to remain in Miami.
Then again, never say never when it comes to stars wanting to play for the purple and gold.
The Lakers are among the teams expected to be interested in Johnson from Brooklyn.
Memphis Grizzlies
We'll see what Memphis does on draft night as it continues to pursue a wide swath of deals to move up and down from No. 9.
The Grizzlies are actively trying to rework their bench with Ziaire Williams in several deals, other teams have said.
Memphis is a potential Capela landing spot and has been open to various larger structures as it loads up for what it hopes is a title run.
Beyond the intel, I want to note that it makes zero sense to be loading up for a year of contention while potentially drafting a rookie center to play on said contending team. Dereck Lively II was the exception to the rule about young big men making a playoff impact.
I previously reported Memphis' interest in Sharpe from Brooklyn and with the Nets' restructuring, that deal makes more sense.
Miami Heat
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that Butler has told interested teams no on the idea of trading for him, even without an extension with the Heat.
"From what I understand Jimmy Butler plans to be back with the Miami Heat next year even if there's no extension..
There's teams that have definitely asked if he's looking to get out and he's said I'm good in Miami"@WindhorstESPN#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/4vdZQjAbh0
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 26, 2024
That surprised a few people around the league I spoke with, after numerous conversations about Butler's camp desiring the long-term security.
But it looks like instead Butler may simply play out the last year of his deal with Miami and then they'll figure it out from there. Butler is and always has been a different guy who does things on his own terms.
Haywood Highsmith's value starts at the Tax Payer Mid-Level Exception.
HoopsHype reported this week that Caleb Martin will be looking elsewhere and is declining his option for next season. Martin is expected to have offers ranging from the non-Tax-Payer MLE to bigger money on shorter term contracts from various teams like Charlotte and Detroit.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks aren't being secretive about their designs on reshaping the roster, with Doc Rivers believing the core that contended between 2021 and 2024 needs a shake-up.
Brook Lopez is most consistently the name brought up as involved in discussions, with San Antonio among the interested teams.
One of the problems, though, is most of the teams looking for center help want it along their younger timelines. The Pelicans, for example, will likely not retain Jonas Valanciunas because he's not on their timeline, making Lopez's fit questionable.
Will the Bucks trade any of the other starters? So far, there's been no rumors of Khris Middleton being available, though Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton are thought to be gettable for the right price.
Minnesota Timberwolves
While the Wolves aren't thought to be making huge changes from their Western Conference finalist squad, there are tough decisions.
There's concern that Kyle Anderson may get offers beyond what the Wolves are willing to pay.
Likewise, the Wolves are expected to part ways with one of Jordan McLaughlin and Monte Morris, with McLaughlin considered more likely to stay.
ESPN's Zach Lowe reported the Wolves hope to "hang on" to Karl-Anthony Towns, ending any short-term speculation about his fit despite a rough Western Conference Finals.
New Orleans Pelicans
Whew, if you figure out what's going on with the Pelicans, let me know.
There were talks with Atlanta at one point for its combo of guards, and New Orleans continues to scour the market for potential upgrades to the roster.
CJ McCollum and picks is one package that doesn't include Brandon Ingram, but multiple teams said he was available.
One source indicated that the promotion of Bryson Graham to head of general manager may have shifted the sentiment in trading Ingram to a more cautious approach, suggesting New Orleans might hold onto Ingram for another season.
New York Knicks
The Knicks already made their big splash, sending four unprotected picks and a swap along with a Bucks first and two seconds for Bridges. They followed that up by coming to terms with OG Anunoby on a new deal.
The question now is whether they'll keep Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.
Either way, there will need to be trades for financial flexibility. There's been no real talk of Julius Randle suitors or him being moved. Mitchell Robinson has been linked to trade talks.
The Knicks will have to choose how they want to deal with what is now an enormous payroll, but no matter how the summer goes, they're set up to contend with the Celtics in the East … if they can stay healthy.
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Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are considered the biggest threat to grab Hartenstein. They already added Caruso.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Caruso, Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, Kenrich Williams. That's eight players in the rotation right now.
OKC can pick up options for or re-sign Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins if it chooses. That would be 10. So, the rotation is getting a little tight already, but there's some room to add options.
OKC still has $33 million in "projected practical cap space" via Spotrac. It can sign Hartenstein to a huge offer and still has the option to add other players.
It's an embarrassment of riches for Sam Presti, truly.
Orlando Magic
The Magic are one of the few teams in playoff contention with cap space, along with OKC. They have nearly $50 million in space to use, with Jonathan Isaac being the highest-paid player on roster at $17 million for next season.
League sources suggest the Magic are willing to offer the Warriors' Thompson or Caldwell-Pope short-term, big money deals starting at two years, $50 million.
The Magic are clearly looking for offensive boosts after having a bottom-10 unit.
League sources have felt Orlando is comfortable with Jalen Suggs taking over the point guard duties next season, but if that changes, Tyus Jones might be a good fit.
A riskier proposition might involve a trade for D'Angelo Russell, a high-usage scorer that might benefit from being surrounded by such good defenders, if he's willing to sacrifice a bit more.
That's a big if.
Philadelphia 76ers
It took Daryl Morey four years, but he cleared the decks. The 76ers have $55 million in practical cap space to use this summer. Four players are on roster. He'll need to sign Tyrese Maxey to the big extension, but before that, he can do almost anything.
Thompson and Caldwell-Pope are serious options. George was a good idea, but George wishes to stay on the West Coast and Philly's interest "waned."
From there, the Sixers will keep all options open as they look to finally deliver Joel Embiid to the conference finals and beyond.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns are expected to sign Royce O'Neale to an extension in the coming days, per HoopsHype.
Kris Dunn is thought to be a target for the Suns to add. Bol Bol and Josh Okogie are expected to be re-signed as well.
The Suns' problems of course are bigger than on the margins, but an overhaul isn't possible. After rumors were stoked on Wednesday on ESPN of the Rockets' interest in a trade for Durant, owner Mat Ishbia shot them down on Twitter.
NBA Draft night is the best. Everyone talking about the drama and storylines, some are right and some are just wrong.
My turn. Phoenix loves Kevin Durant and Kevin Durant loves Phoenix, and we are competing for a championship this year because we have the team to do it. Gotta…— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) June 26, 2024
Given Durant has switched teams twice in five years, there will always be rumors he's looking for the next landing spot. But Ishbia doesn't appear to be ready to give up on the superteam he built yet, even with the modern CBA making it effectively an untenable construct.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers traded for Deni Avdija from the Wizards on Wednesday and then made a few draft night additions.
The Blazers have an expensive roster thanks to the contracts of Deandre Ayton, Grant and Anfernee Simons.
Portland is expected to field offers for Robert Williams, despite his injury history, and Ayton, despite his, well, Ayton history. Grant is thought to be available but the price is high; Portland is not actively trying to move his contract.
Portland has good young players who need to play. How does it make room in the rotation for them with the contracts on its balance sheet?
Sacramento Kings
The Kings got a gift when Monk choose to turn down more money to return to Sacramento. Teams like Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando were prepared to offer more total cash than what Monk signed for.
Getting Monk back is a testament to the culture GM Monte McNair and coach Mike Brown (recently extended) have built.
The Kings still want to upgrade, though. They've been shopping Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter and a first-round pick for almost a year and still haven't found the right deal.
They're still thought to be the team most likely to end up with LaVine, but the trade of Caruso may have dampened their enthusiasm.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have engaged teams on trades for some of their veteran talent, most notably Keldon Johnson.
San Antonio is walking a tight rope, trying to put together a serious roster around Victor Wembanyama while not rushing the timeline.
It didn't do anything drastic in Wednesday's draft, taking Stephon Castle, who was rumored to be its top target for weeks.
Will San Antonio seriously pursue using its cap space on free agents? Are there free agents that really fit with Wembanyama and move the Spurs closer to playoff contention?
Does San Antonio want to really move towards the postseason instead of positioning itself well for a much better 2025 draft class?
Toronto Raptors
Beyond its intention to pick up Bruce Brown's team option for 2024-25, not much is known about Toronto's plans after it gave Scottie Barnes a max extension.
That'll make Brown an attractive trade target for multiple teams, but of course, the problem, as always, is the high bar the Raptors typically set for their trade targets.
Utah Jazz
There still doesn't seem to be any real indication that the Jazz have any intention of trading Lauri Markkanen.
Utah continues to straddle a line of patience with wanting to be within range of the playoffs, relatively stuck in purgatory. It continues to want to be involved in bigger trade talks for stars but never seems to make it into serious levels of discussion.
The notion of the Jazz trading Walker Kessler makes sense given how Kessler fell from the starting unit last season. But young players often go through these struggles and their teams stick with them through the other side.
That no team was willing to send assets from this draft for Kessler shows that Utah isn't going to let him go easy.
Washington Wizards
Washington drafted Alex Sarr No. 2 overall on Wednesday, hours after trading Avdija for Malcolm Brogdon and draft considerations. Brogdon and Kyle Kuzma are two quality starter-level players the Wizards can use in trades to take on more future assets for teams that strike out in free agency.
Washington is still thought to be a potential landing spot for Capela, LaVine and the Kings' Barnes-Huerter package.
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