The NBA free agency period hasn’t even officially opened yet, and already the rumor mill is running at full speed. Tuesday marks the start of the negotiation window, but plenty of teams have been making moves in the shadows for days. Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMelo Ball, Julius Randle, Miles Bridges and Isaiah Stewart have all been swapped already. And the chatter around Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard and others isn’t slowing down.
A handful of notable names have already committed to staying put. Trae Young, Austin Reaves, Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White are all re-signing. Jose Alvarado is coming back to the Knicks as they chase another title. But the big questions remain: What happens with Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet as James Dolan tries to navigate the second-apron restrictions? Nobody really knows yet.
We’re tracking all the major transactions and the latest buzz here. And if you want the deeper intel, Brett Siegel over at ClutchPoints has been all over it.
The Jaylen Brown Situation Is Getting Messy
It’s been a wild weekend for Brown. Not only is his name popping up in trade rumors everywhere, but he also got into it with an analytics guy. ESPN’s Bobby Marks mentioned that he spoke with someone in analytics who called Brown the “seventh-best player on a team.” Brown did not take that well. He went off on social media, and it was not subtle.
Meanwhile, the Celtics are still shopping him after the Giannis deal fell through. Multiple teams are reportedly in the mix. The Blazers, Nuggets, Rockets, Hornets, Pelicans, Nets and Raptors have all been mentioned. Will Boston actually pull the trigger on a Brown trade in the next few days? It feels like something has to give.
Kawhi Trade Rumors Heat Up Then Cool Down
The Kawhi Leonard rumors came in hot over the weekend. The Stein Line reported that the Raptors and Clippers had “real” trade talks about sending Leonard back to Toronto. The Athletic also reported that the Mavericks are interested. And yeah, the Mavs are run by Masai Ujiri now. He’s the guy who traded for Kawhi in 2018 and won a title with him in 2019. So the connection is obvious.
But then ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly and Brett Siegel poured some cold water on all of it. They said the Clippers are listening to offers but not actively shopping Leonard. The team still sees a future with him. So maybe this is more noise than signal.
Warriors Have a Wild Plan to Land LeBron
The Warriors have been linked to LeBron James for years at this point. But now Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor is reporting that Golden State wants to trade for Anthony Davis as a way to lure LeBron away from the Lakers. The logic: Get AD first, then convince LeBron to join him in the Bay.
The problem is they’d have to use Jimmy Butler in the deal, and Butler is currently injured. He recently said he wants to retire with the Warriors. Would the Wizards actually take that offer? And does LeBron even want to leave LA? Those are huge questions, and nobody has real answers yet.
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