NBA 2026-27 offseason trades, signings & rumors

[Celtics2021]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

This is why I have been saying we should use the MLE for a big and trade for a guard.  The free agent market for bigs is still quite robust.

[Who]

"I'm hearing of multiple different teams lining up to make Keon Ellis an offer," - @WindhorstESPN
 on some upcoming Cavs free agency decisions

I'd like Keon Ellis if he was available at $7-10mil per annum. He would give us a stopper in the backcourt alongside D White. Allow Pritchard to return to the bench. Has a better combination of defense & outside shooting than our young wings (Baylor, J Walsh, Hugo) or Hauser.

[Roy H.]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

This is why I have been saying we should use the MLE for a big and trade for a guard.  The free agent market for bigs is still quite robust.

Which bigs do you like for the MLE?

[Who]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

Grimes is the only one I?d be interested in. He has more size and can play both ends of the court. I?d love to get him.

Yeah I would love him. Hate to say but he was also a pest against us particularly in that Game 5, I think if I'm remembering he had 19 points that night.

I am nervous about giving Q Grimes the MLE.

I thought he was disappointing for Philly this season and in the playoffs. He had that great game in our series but other than that he was quiet. He wasn't able to be a prolific bench scorer or shot creator off the bench. He wasn't able to maintain the scoring from what looked like it might be a breakout season the year before (21.9ppg in 28gms for Philly).

Q Grimes is a middling defender. He is not really a guard. He is more of a small wing. He lacks ball-handling and passing. That is why I say he is not a guard. He is 6-4 / 6-5 with good strength. Okay lateral quickness. So not great physical tools for defense. Not too bad either. Just middling. A middling rebounder. So he doesn't impact the game much outside of his scoring (defense, rebounding, ball-handling, passing).

Then you look at his scoring and he is undependable. 6.7ppg in 11 playoff games including that big 18pts game. That and his 12pt game the game before were his only double digit scoring games in the playoffs [30 of his 74 playoff points came in those 2 games, he averaged 5ppg in the other 9 games] If you are not making much contribution outside of scoring and only getting 2 out of 11 games in double digits scoring, that ain't good.

His regular season was better (13.4ppg in 29.4mpg) but I am still not sold on it. It was much lower than what he did the previous season (21.9ppg in 28gms). He had opportunities. Philly had a lot of injuries. There were shots there for him. He had 30mpg and took 10 FGA. That is a solid amount but not an amount you see from an aggressive scorer who is closer to a shot every 2 minutes rather than every 3 minutes which Grimes was taking.

The scoring efficiency ain't great. 45% FG which is line with his career numbers. 33.4% 3PT compared to 36.6% for his career. So average shooting marks. TS% was 58.5% which is line with his career numbers. So solid marks ... but unexceptional.

So you are not giving me

(1) much non-scoring contributions [defense, rebounding, passing, ball-handling]
(2) prolific scoring - solid but unexceptional scoring numbers
(3) highly efficient role player scoring - which is what I want if you are not giving more scoring volume. More shot creation. I want guys who can play off of others and be highly efficient because they are taking good open shots. Not guys who hit an average to slightly above average number of shots.

So what is his value?
Is he a starter?
Is he a high end bench player?
Is he actually worth the MLE?
Or is his value over-inflated from getting 30mpg on a team with injury issues that allowed him to inflate his points per game numbers and boost his monetary value?

Is he really a guy you want to be invested in at the MLE ($15mil per year) for the next 4 years? Is he making that type of a difference to wins and losses? To playoff achievements?

[Moranis]

https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/2070205469495292164

Amid a ton of rumors surrounding Jaylen Brown, sources close to the situation confirm to
@ClutchPoints that Jaylen Brown has not once approached the organization or Brad Stevens to ask for a trade.

the phraseology on that is interesting.  Notice it doesn't say he has not asked for a trade, only that he didn't approach the team and ask for one. 

[Roy H.]

https://x.com/BrettSiegelNBA/status/2070205469495292164

Amid a ton of rumors surrounding Jaylen Brown, sources close to the situation confirm to
@ClutchPoints that Jaylen Brown has not once approached the organization or Brad Stevens to ask for a trade.

the phraseology on that is interesting.  Notice it doesn't say he has not asked for a trade, only that he didn't approach the team and ask for one.

I think that you're giving ClutchPoints too much credit for their wordsmithing.

[Celtics2021]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

This is why I have been saying we should use the MLE for a big and trade for a guard.  The free agent market for bigs is still quite robust.

Which bigs do you like for the MLE?

Mitchell Robinson is my number 1, but also Mark Williams, Time Lord, KP, Mamu. 

[Goldstar88]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

This is why I have been saying we should use the MLE for a big and trade for a guard.  The free agent market for bigs is still quite robust.

Which bigs do you like for the MLE?

Mitchell Robinson is my number 1, but also Mark Williams, Time Lord, KP, Mamu.

I have zero interest in using that kind of money on a player with zero offense. He?s actually a liability offensively with the hack a Mitch. Hard pass

[Roy H.]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

This is why I have been saying we should use the MLE for a big and trade for a guard.  The free agent market for bigs is still quite robust.

Which bigs do you like for the MLE?

Mitchell Robinson is my number 1, but also Mark Williams, Time Lord, KP, Mamu.

Interesting.  I'm not particularly high on Williams or Timelord.  KP is a gigantic risk.  Mamu makes some sense as a part time player.

I'm very up and down on Robinson.  He can be dominant on the boards, scores efficiently, and is pretty solid on defense.  For $15 million he's certainly worth it, but I would predict a lot of intentional fouls coming our way.

[Neurotic Guy]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

This is why I have been saying we should use the MLE for a big and trade for a guard.  The free agent market for bigs is still quite robust.

Which bigs do you like for the MLE?

Mitchell Robinson is my number 1, but also Mark Williams, Time Lord, KP, Mamu.

I have zero interest in using that kind of money on a player with zero offense. He?s actually a liability offensively with the hack a Mitch. Hard pass

I have a really big problem with bad FT shooters.  Giannis is a pretty bad FT shooter but obviously makes up for it. But in general that is a liability I don't like at all.  What an awful feeling at the end of a game needing FTs and either you can't play a guy or you have to lose your mind watching him at the FT line.

[Celtics2021]

The only options for the MLE that make sense to me in the guard spot are Sexton, Simons and Grimes. It's dwindling.

This is why I have been saying we should use the MLE for a big and trade for a guard.  The free agent market for bigs is still quite robust.

Which bigs do you like for the MLE?

Mitchell Robinson is my number 1, but also Mark Williams, Time Lord, KP, Mamu.

I have zero interest in using that kind of money on a player with zero offense. He?s actually a liability offensively with the hack a Mitch. Hard pass

If teams want to get themselves into foul trouble playing Hack-a-Mitch so that the rest of the team can be more aggressive in driving to the basket, I am all for it.  I do not think Hack-a-Mitch was a very good strategy, and even if slightly successful I would take that trade for his dominance on the glass.

It says something about how much a player impacts a game that another team would burn fouls just to get him off the court.

[Who]

Mitchell Robinson is my number 1, but also Mark Williams, Time Lord, KP, Mamu.

Interesting.  I'm not particularly high on Williams or Timelord.  KP is a gigantic risk.  Mamu makes some sense as a part time player.

I'm very up and down on Robinson.  He can be dominant on the boards, scores efficiently, and is pretty solid on defense.  For $15 million he's certainly worth it, but I would predict a lot of intentional fouls coming our way.

The injuries are what scare me about M Robinson.

His last 4 years - 60 games played, 17 games played, 31 games played, 59 games played.

One the talking heads at ESPN said that M Robinson had horrible medicals which will scare off teams during free agency.

This guy is just as much of an injury risk as Timelord or Porzingis. Mark Williams is another one who is a massive injury risk. None of these guys are dependable. They all scare me at the MLE. Too injury prone.

[tonydelk]

Mitchell Robinson is my number 1, but also Mark Williams, Time Lord, KP, Mamu.

Interesting.  I'm not particularly high on Williams or Timelord.  KP is a gigantic risk.  Mamu makes some sense as a part time player.

I'm very up and down on Robinson.  He can be dominant on the boards, scores efficiently, and is pretty solid on defense.  For $15 million he's certainly worth it, but I would predict a lot of intentional fouls coming our way.

The injuries are what scare me about M Robinson.

His last 4 years - 60 games played, 17 games played, 31 games played, 59 games played.

One the talking heads at ESPN said that M Robinson had horrible medicals which will scare off teams during free agency.

This guy is just as much of an injury risk as Timelord or Porzingis. Mark Williams is another one who is a massive injury risk. None of these guys are dependable. They all scare me at the MLE. Too injury prone.

None of those make the team a contender outside of KP.  He's the biggest risk but also the biggest reward.  The issue with KP is he gets bullied by the Embiid types.  Horford was the best in that regard because even at his age he's still strong.