NBA 2026-27 offseason trades, signings & rumors

[Celtics2021]

Relating the Randle trade to the Celtics offseason, in a roundabout measure, we see that Randle is owed $33 million this year with a player option for $35.8 million next year.  He was coming off a solid but not spectacular year, and was a workhorse.  So far it appear that Minny moved 5 spots back in the draft to unload him, so minor negative value.

A bit ago, there was a lot of activity around an idea of sending JB to New Orleans for Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray.  Murray has a very similar contact to Randle ($32.8 million this year, player option $30.8 million next year).  If Randle, coming off his quality, if overpriced, season is a downgrade of 5 slots, or roughly an earlyish 2nd rounder, in negative value, how much more negative value would Murray be?  People were trying to talk themselves into it, but I think NOP would need to give up a first for Murray in addition to the draft picks for the difference between Jaylen and Murphy.

Anyway, just food for thought as we try to value players.  Also interesting is Claxton so far seeming to have minimal value.   At $23 million this year and $21 million next year, that is interesting.  It definitely seems the market on bigs this free agency will cap out at the MLE, with a bunch of quality names coming under the full amount.

[Phantom255x]

Wow!

Dosunmu extended by the Timberwolves. 5/112M

[Who]

Jon Krawczynski

Naz Reid is going to be the starting power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first time in his career.

This move is a big statement of belief in Reid and Jaden McDaniels to take the next steps in their development.

Yossi Gozlan

The Bulls will use $23.1 million of their cap space to acquire Nic Claxton. They go from from $54 million in cap space to $30.9 million in room remaining. They would still have the $9.4 million room mid-level to use after. Great business getting him essentially for free.

I am delighted the Bulls finally have a center. It was ugly watching their team in the 2nd half of last season. I thought they might leave the position unfilled for the foreseeable future in order to keep tanking / get higher draft picks.

Now with Nic Claxton on board, Chicago will actually be watchable again.

G: Tre Jones
G: Josh Giddey
F: Matas Buzelis
F: Caleb Wilson
C: Nic Claxton

That is a fun group. Giddey makes most teams fun. Beautiful player. His passing and teamwork is contagious. Tre Jones & Nic Claxton quality glue guys. Room for Buzelis and Caleb Wilson to grow and show their talents. Should be entertaining.

[Celtics2021]

Wow!

Dosunmu extended by the Timberwolves. 5/112M

Big total number thanks to raises and length of deal, but next year that will likely be around $19.3 million.  Minny has about $25 million in room under the tax after this deal and the Randle trade, with 9 players under contract.  They can use the full MLE for another addition and then fill up the roster with minimums, or split the MLE to a couple of players and/or use the BAE.

[Who]

Wow!

Dosunmu extended by the Timberwolves. 5/112M

That is Pritchard's next contract. Get ready for it. 

[Celtics2021]

Wow!

Dosunmu extended by the Timberwolves. 5/112M

That is Pritchard's next contract. Get ready for it.

Around there, yes.  It likely will be impacted by the extension rules, which could keep it a little lower on a year-to-year basis, since by the time it kicks in, Dosunmu will have gotten a couple of decent raises.  (In other words, Pritchard would get near the same amount in Year 1 of an extension as Dosunmu is now, but by the time Pritchard reaches Year 1 Dosunmu will be making $3 or so million more).

[Who]

Jon Krawczynski: The Wolves have not been in the Ja Morant mix. Decision was made to look elsewhere for backcourt help

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Chicago are trading a bench player to MIN

Jake Fischer: The Bulls are trading Mo Gueye to Minnesota, sources say, to complete the three-team deal that sends Julius Randle and No. 28 in tomorrow?s NBA Draft to Brooklyn for No. 33, and reroutes Nic Claxton into Chicago?s cap space in the new league year. Gueye?s salary is non-guaranteed for 2026-27.

I did not even know Mo Gueye was in Chicago. I thought he was still in Atlanta.

Wait, didn't he play in the playoffs for ATL? Is there a 2nd Mo Gueye? I am confused.

------------

So there is (a) Mouhamed Gueye (b) Mouhamadou Gueye

(a) plays for Atlanta
(b) is a nobody. He has 13 NBA games / 165 career minutes.

The nobody is who is being sent to Minnesota.

Joel Lorenzi: Bulls had a few options here to make trade legal (cash, top-55 protected future pick, etc). They got Gueye on an end-of-season, non-guaranteed deal in April, and they get Claxton without digging into assets.

[boscel33]

Wow!

Dosunmu extended by the Timberwolves. 5/112M

That is Pritchard's next contract. Get ready for it.

I think PP gives a bit of a discount.  The C's have treated him fairly.  I look for 5/80 to 5/90.

[Who]

Miami Herald

The Heat could try to lure impending free agent LeBron James with its full midlevel exception, but a James return is considered a long shot. The Heat also has available a $5.5 million biannual exception as well as a $5.6 million exception from the Haywood Highsmith trade with Brooklyn. That exception expires Aug. 17.

That would be cool. I'd love to see LeBron go back to Miami.

G: Davion Mitchell
G: Norm Powell, Dru Smith
F: LeBron James, P Larsson
F: Giannis, Andrew Wiggins
C: Bam Adebayo, B Portis

Title contender

[Who]

Malik Beasley

"What's your ideal team right now? If you had to get a call from any team you could pick right now, who are you picking?"

Malik Beasley: " All 30 of them [ __ ] I'm ready to get back in the league. You hear me? Call me.

YouTube

An interesting alternative to Baylor Scheierman as a backup SG on the Celtics. More of a gunner. Someone who will get up shot attempts.

Baylor a low volume shooter. Only really effective when he is open. Scary whenever he tries to shoot after taking a dribble. Beasley would give the team a 5th scorer behind JT, JB, Pritch, D White.

16ppg in 28mpg two years ago for DET.
41.6% on threes on 9 attempts a night.

Or you could start him and keep Pritchard off the bench in the 6th man role. A D White & Beasley backcourt. Or option 3 sign Beasley & Keon Ellis. Start Keon Ellis for his defense. Give Keon 20mpg and Beasley 28mpg. Similar to what Sacramento did with Keon Ellis and Malik Monk. 3 interesting ways we could use Beasley.

-------

Baylor 5.5ppg in 18.3mpg. Or 11pts per 36min.
Beasley 16ppg in 28mpg. Or 21pts per 36min.

Beasley gets up shots. Baylor doesn't.

[Who]

Jon Krawczynski: I will be incredibly surprised if the Wolves ever utilize the $33 million trade exception that was created tonight. Those things are almost always much ado about nothing and it is clear that money was a factor tonight.

TPEs rarely get used.

Our one might go the way of the dodo bird.

[SparzWizard]

Miami Herald

The Heat could try to lure impending free agent LeBron James with its full midlevel exception, but a James return is considered a long shot. The Heat also has available a $5.5 million biannual exception as well as a $5.6 million exception from the Haywood Highsmith trade with Brooklyn. That exception expires Aug. 17.

That would be cool. I'd love to see LeBron go back to Miami.

G: Davion Mitchell
G: Norm Powell, Dru Smith
F: LeBron James, P Larsson
F: Giannis, Andrew Wiggins
C: Bam Adebayo, B Portis

Title contender

I had a feeling there would be some speculations of LeBron going back to Miami after they acquired Giannis. A Big 3 of LeBron/Giannis/Bam is nothing to scoff at

[Who]

Draft rumour

Marc Spears: "I also heard right now that there's rising expectation that the Clippers will keep the pick and take Michael Brown Jr. from Louisville."

Interesting. A combo guard who can play alongside D Garland.

G: D Garland, K Dunn
G: Mikel Brown Jr, Kobe Sanders
F: Jordan Miller, B Mathurin
F: Kawhi, Derrick Jones Jr
C: (B Lopez), Niederhauser

Quite a bit of youth on the perimeter now. Mike Brown Jr & Mathurin. Garland a young veteran. Two young wings in Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller who came into the rotation last year. I imagine they will try to retain Kris Dunn to add some veteran moxie to the group.

I don't know if they bring back John Collins. They got a lot of wings there who need minutes. They might need to play Kawhi at PF in order to get all those guys some playing time.

[keevsnick]

Jon Krawczynski: I will be incredibly surprised if the Wolves ever utilize the $33 million trade exception that was created tonight. Those things are almost always much ado about nothing and it is clear that money was a factor tonight.

TPEs rarely get used.

Our one might go the way of the dodo bird.

The "rarely gets used" thing is a little overstated. Miami literally just used a TPE from trading Duncan Robonison to bring in Bobby Portis.

TPE's don't ALWAYS get used, but they certainly sometimes do.

[Who]

ESPN is pushing "trade Ant" stories / segments now that Julius Randle has been salary dumped.

Brian Windhorst: My question is what's Anthony Edwards thinking?

Tim MacMahon: I was going to say we started off we just spent a half hour talking about the Giannis trade that we've been talking about for years, and I'm not declaring anything with certainty except for the fact that the NBA vultures are swirling around Ant in anticipation of him potentially becoming the next superstar who's available in the trade market.

In anticipation of him becoming the next superstar on the trade market.