It’s peak NBA rumor season.
Now that the NBA draft has passed, it’s on to that dead-period before free agency officially begins. As teams negotiate potential deals and make calls about available players, there’s naturally been a bunch of rumors going around.
Free agency begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, and any trades or deals can officially be consummated on July 6, when the league’s moratorium ends.
The Miami Heat asserted themselves with a blockbuster move for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to join Bam Adebayo in South Beach. The Minnesota Timberwolves sent out Naz Reid but added LaMelo Ball, pairing him with Anthony Edwards. The move comes after they were able to acquire Ayo Dosunmu in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.
The NBA champion New York Knicks expressed desire to avoid the second apron, but re-signed the hometown veteran guard Jose Alvarado, while the Oklahoma City Thunder extended big man Isaiah Hartenstein to a three-year, $75 million contract.
The Los Angeles Lakers answered questions about Austin Reaves, rewarding him with the largest contract for an undrafted player – $185 million across four years. They’re not done looking to build around Luka Doncic on their quest to bring an 18th championship to the franchise.
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The 2026 NBA Draft is behind us. Congratulations to all the fellas out living their dreams.
It’s time to turn the attention to the start of free agency as trade rumors swirl and the official “tampering” period begins on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET. Keep in mind, contracts can’t actually be signed until July 6.
The Atlanta Hawks will fully guarantee Buddy Hield’s $9.66 million salary for the 2026-27 season, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Hield has a player option for the 2027-28 season, worth $10.1 million.
Hield averaged 7.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 51 games played this past season.
The Toronto Raptors may not be the only team exploring Kawhi Leonard’s availability with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Leonard has one year left on his contract with the Clippers, worth $50.3 million. He could become a free agent in 2027 if he is not signed to an extension. He played in 65 games last season for the Clippers, averaging 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists.
While Toronto is familiar territory for Leonard, there’s a familiar face from his time with the Raptors that may be interested in reuniting with the star player.
Dallas Mavericks president Masai Ujiri could be interested in trading for Leonard.
Dallas and Los Angeles have discussed a deal that would send the former Finals MVP to the Mavericks as part of a deal that would send P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson and draft picks to the Clippers, according to The Athletic.
Ujiri traded for Leonard once before, deciding to move on from longtime Raptor DeMar DeRozan. The move proved to be important, as Leonard helped lead Toronto to its first NBA championship in 2019.
Could Kawhi Leonard be headed back to Toronto? According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Clippers and Raptos have been in talks recently about exactly that.
Fischer also claims that the Raptors would rather include Brandon Ingram in any potential deal than RJ Barrett for salary-matching purposes.
Toronto has access to all of its future first-round picks, giving them more than enough draft capital to pull off such a deal.
As the Denver Nuggets continue to look for ways to avoid the second apron while getting younger around their stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the team could look to deal away players like Aaron Gordon and Cam Johnson.
NBA insider Michael Scotto reports that the Los Angeles Lakers have recently joined the list of potential suitors for Johnson, joining teams already linked to Johnson like Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, and more.
Johnson will be on an expiring contract next season.
The Charlotte Hornets have made another big trade. Not long after sending All-Star guard LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team has also shipped Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick to the Hornets. Click here to read the full story.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report that the Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs have emerged as two of Los Angeles’ biggest competitors in their attempt to bring back Rui Hachimura.
They said, “Brooklyn keeps coming up as a likely suitor, too, for the Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, league sources say. The Nets and Spurs are two teams we’ve heard have interest in adding Hachimura’s services, while the Spurs are also faced with resolving Harrison Barnes’ future as the veteran forward heads to unrestricted free agency.”
The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer has stated that the Detroit Pistons are “determined” to re-sign veteran guard Tobias Harris before leaguewide free agency begins on Tuesday. Unfortunately, a deal has not been reached between both parties yet.
Should Harris reach the open market, he is expected to draw a lot of interest. Harris turns 34 next month, but is coming off a great postseason.
HoopsHype reports that the Portland Trail Blazers are actively pursuing Jaylen Brown, but if they cannot acquire Brown, they would be interested in trading for Aaron Gordon.
Earlier reports also hinted that the Miami Heat viewed Gordon as a fallback option as well if their deal for Antetokounmpo fell through.
ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks said on Sirius XM NBA Radio that teams have “mixed feelings” about Celtics star forward Jaylen Brown. It caused a stir over “eye test versus analytics,” which agitated Brown enough to respond on X. Marks believes the Portland Trail Blazers could be a team that goes after the 2024 Finals MVP. However, according to ESPN, Boston did re-sign Ron Harper Jr. to a three-year $9 million deal.
The Golden State Warriors are bringing back 40-year-old center Al Horford on a two-year, $14 million deal, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. Horford averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 45 games. Golden State just had a good showing in the NBA draft, but they need to figure which players – such as Kristaps Porzingis – they will bring back. It’s assumed Draymond Green will opt in to his $27.7 million player option, the final year on his deal.
Luka Doncic is the main guy in L.A. The Lakers have to build around him. They resigned Austin Reaves but that won’t be enough to contend in the West. Nobody truly knows what LeBron James will do, he’s been linked to the Heat, Warriors and of course, remaining with the Lakers, which seems most likely.
Deandre Ayton will likely pick up his player option, although there are reports the Lakers are looking at Knicks center Mitchell Robinson. L.A. may offer Robinson a “long-term” deal at around the mid-level exception of $15.1 million, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. He also reported Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford could be in the mix.
Rui Hachimura had some of the best shooting performances in the playoffs and there are questions about his contract that need to be answered as he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. If he wants to be back in L.A., it’s his choice. But will he like the price?
ESPN insider Brian Windhorst said during NBA draft coverage on June 24 that Ja Morant is done in Memphis, however the Grizzlies are having a difficult time finding a trade partner for their 26-year-old, two-time All-Star.
“It’s not really a question for the Grizzlies, they’re going to really try to trade him,” Windhorst said. “I think we’ve probably have seen the last moments of Ja Morant in a Grizzlies uniform. It just depends on of how it’s going to play itself out. They are looking to totally reset their franchise and Boozer’s selection at No. 3 is a part of that. They’ve had difficulty finding a trading partner for Ja Morant. There’s not that many teams that need franchise point guards, quite frankly. A lot of them just drafted them last night that they want to develop.”
According NBA insider Chris Haynes, the New Orleans Pelicans will not pick up the team option on veteran center Kevon Looney. Looney, 30, will be a free agent.
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