NBA 2026-27 offseason trades, signings & rumors

[Roy H.]

Jake Fischer: There has been word this morning in Las Vegas that Victor Wembanyama is considering signing less than his maximum rookie scale extension to provide San Antonio greater financial flexibility. Victor Wembanyama: Spurs family, I?m here to stay. Whatever it takes🖤
x.com

This is the only way to circumvent the parity of the new CBA. If players are willing to accept lesser money, then teams have a chance of staying together without getting punished too hard in terms of profitability

It's a very bad CBA if the end result is that the owners continue to make insane profits, while the players are forced to take less than they're worth.  We're not talking giving back a few million; this is generational wealth at $50 million.

Ultimately it was Wemby's choice, but he need only look to Boston to see the consequences of taking what's rightfully his.  This CBA gives cover to cheap ownership.

It seems many are seeing it this way, but what I get from this is that Wembanyama is taking less expecting that the team will still spend to same amount by paying others more.  Essentially what Tom Brady did all those years.  What Brunson did.  Did the Knicks owners spend less, profit more?  No, they used the money they didn't spend on Brunson to build a better team. The Knicks spent right up to the second apron for 2025-26 I believe, while paying Brunson $35M instead of $55M or whatever.

I am in agreement that this current CBA creates an awkward and unsustainable contract dynamic for players like Wembanyama, but this does not mean that the Spurs owners are cheap.  We'll see, if the Spurs spend to $5M under the tax or something, then you would be able to make that case, but if they spend up to the first apron or up to the second apron like NYK did, how is that an owner being cheap?

But if the league gets to the point where in order to win, a team not only needs to have one of the best players, but also needs that player on an under market value contract, that does not seem sustainable.  Wembanyama took $45M instead of $55M or whatever, but Brunson took $35M.  Does that mean that in order to compete, Tatum might need to take $30M?  Where does this race to the bottom stop?

The Knicks owner wouldn't pay to bring Mitchell Robinson back.  Ownership rewarded Brunson's loyalty by winning a championship on his back and keeping the gigantic boost in revenue in Dolan's pocket.

The CBA is pure leverage to cover the cheapness of owners and put the onus on individual players to take less than they're worth.

[LilRip]

Jake Fischer: There has been word this morning in Las Vegas that Victor Wembanyama is considering signing less than his maximum rookie scale extension to provide San Antonio greater financial flexibility. Victor Wembanyama: Spurs family, I?m here to stay. Whatever it takes🖤
x.com

This is the only way to circumvent the parity of the new CBA. If players are willing to accept lesser money, then teams have a chance of staying together without getting punished too hard in terms of profitability

It's a very bad CBA if the end result is that the owners continue to make insane profits, while the players are forced to take less than they're worth.  We're not talking giving back a few million; this is generational wealth at $50 million.

Ultimately it was Wemby's choice, but he need only look to Boston to see the consequences of taking what's rightfully his.  This CBA gives cover to cheap ownership.

I agree with this. I do not like the CBA. But more than the player implications, I also do not like the impact to the fans. GMs need to dismantle teams that end up being too talented and fans need to say goodbye to players too soon

[Roy H.]

Just in case you ever think Sam Hauser is overpaid?

Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

Trent has spent the last two seasons in Milwaukee where he's averaged 9.7 points on 41% shooting (39% from 3), and now earns a massive payday with the franchise. Trent signed for the league minimum in the summer of 2024 and then got a two-year, $7.5 million contract before the start of last season, but he opted out of his player option to become a free agent again

[Celtics2021]

Just in case you ever think Sam Hauser is overpaid?

Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

Trent has spent the last two seasons in Milwaukee where he's averaged 9.7 points on 41% shooting (39% from 3), and now earns a massive payday with the franchise. Trent signed for the league minimum in the summer of 2024 and then got a two-year, $7.5 million contract before the start of last season, but he opted out of his player option to become a free agent again

Yeesh.  Those years cannot all be guaranteed.

[Who]

Jake Fischer: There has been word this morning in Las Vegas that Victor Wembanyama is considering signing less than his maximum rookie scale extension to provide San Antonio greater financial flexibility. Victor Wembanyama: Spurs family, I?m here to stay. Whatever it takes🖤
x.com

This is the only way to circumvent the parity of the new CBA. If players are willing to accept lesser money, then teams have a chance of staying together without getting punished too hard in terms of profitability

It's a very bad CBA if the end result is that the owners continue to make insane profits, while the players are forced to take less than they're worth.  We're not talking giving back a few million; this is generational wealth at $50 million.

Ultimately it was Wemby's choice, but he need only look to Boston to see the consequences of taking what's rightfully his.  This CBA gives cover to cheap ownership.

It seems many are seeing it this way, but what I get from this is that Wembanyama is taking less expecting that the team will still spend to same amount by paying others more.  Essentially what Tom Brady did all those years.  What Brunson did.  Did the Knicks owners spend less, profit more?  No, they used the money they didn't spend on Brunson to build a better team. The Knicks spent right up to the second apron for 2025-26 I believe, while paying Brunson $35M instead of $55M or whatever.

I am in agreement that this current CBA creates an awkward and unsustainable contract dynamic for players like Wembanyama, but this does not mean that the Spurs owners are cheap.  We'll see, if the Spurs spend to $5M under the tax or something, then you would be able to make that case, but if they spend up to the first apron or up to the second apron like NYK did, how is that an owner being cheap?

But if the league gets to the point where in order to win, a team not only needs to have one of the best players, but also needs that player on an under market value contract, that does not seem sustainable.  Wembanyama took $45M instead of $55M or whatever, but Brunson took $35M.  Does that mean that in order to compete, Tatum might need to take $30M?  Where does this race to the bottom stop?

The Knicks owner wouldn't pay to bring Mitchell Robinson back.  Ownership rewarded Brunson's loyalty by winning a championship on his back and keeping the gigantic boost in revenue in Dolan's pocket.

The CBA is pure leverage to cover the cheapness of owners and put the onus on individual players to take less than they're worth.

One of the agents was saying that star players giving up money rarely works out. The team usually fails to take advantage of it. They rarely end up winning the title. More often than not it is just the player losing out.

I would think that is right. Lots of times there is no end benefit. The player just short-changes himself.

[Roy H.]

Just in case you ever think Sam Hauser is overpaid?

Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

Trent has spent the last two seasons in Milwaukee where he's averaged 9.7 points on 41% shooting (39% from 3), and now earns a massive payday with the franchise. Trent signed for the league minimum in the summer of 2024 and then got a two-year, $7.5 million contract before the start of last season, but he opted out of his player option to become a free agent again

Yeesh.  Those years cannot all be guaranteed.

Yeah. I'm not sure what Milwaukee thought. His market was, coming off his worst season with the Bucks and one of the worst of his career.

EDIT: Fully guaranteed, no options.

[Who]

Just in case you ever think Sam Hauser is overpaid?

Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

Trent has spent the last two seasons in Milwaukee where he's averaged 9.7 points on 41% shooting (39% from 3), and now earns a massive payday with the franchise. Trent signed for the league minimum in the summer of 2024 and then got a two-year, $7.5 million contract before the start of last season, but he opted out of his player option to become a free agent again

Yeesh.  Those years cannot all be guaranteed.

Yeah. I'm not sure what Milwaukee thought. His market was, coming off his worst season with the Bucks and one of the worst of his career.

What a strange contract.

MLE money for a guy who is what ... a middle of the pack bench player? So around 45th out of 60 rotation shooting guards in the league?

The minimum contract was about right. Maybe slightly above it.

To make even stranger. They already have AJ Green who is just as good as Gary Trent. Drafted Brayden Burries with the #10 pick. And got Kasparas Jakucionis in that trade with Miami. 3 other SGs who are just as good as Trent if not better (Burries). Two of them (Jakucionis, Burries) have more potential than Trent Jr.

Overpaying a talented veteran player who never made the most of his talent. Capable of being a solid defender but rarely is. Capable of being a quality supporting scorer but has become more and more restricted / limited in his scoring as he has gotten older. Also more streaky than you would like in a true shooter. He could have been a top 20 maybe top 15 SG in the league if he maximized his talent but he never has. Only does it in flashes and then reverts back to lacklustre defensive effort and streaky scoring efficiency.

Fun player to watch when he plays with defensive effort & is shooting well. A pity he hasn't pushed himself to those levels more often. Particularly on defense. That is all about effort and focus (lack of them).

[slightly biased bias fan]

Jake Fischer: There has been word this morning in Las Vegas that Victor Wembanyama is considering signing less than his maximum rookie scale extension to provide San Antonio greater financial flexibility. Victor Wembanyama: Spurs family, I?m here to stay. Whatever it takes🖤
x.com

This is the only way to circumvent the parity of the new CBA. If players are willing to accept lesser money, then teams have a chance of staying together without getting punished too hard in terms of profitability

It's a very bad CBA if the end result is that the owners continue to make insane profits, while the players are forced to take less than they're worth.  We're not talking giving back a few million; this is generational wealth at $50 million.

Ultimately it was Wemby's choice, but he need only look to Boston to see the consequences of taking what's rightfully his.  This CBA gives cover to cheap ownership.

It seems many are seeing it this way, but what I get from this is that Wembanyama is taking less expecting that the team will still spend to same amount by paying others more.  Essentially what Tom Brady did all those years.  What Brunson did.  Did the Knicks owners spend less, profit more?  No, they used the money they didn't spend on Brunson to build a better team. The Knicks spent right up to the second apron for 2025-26 I believe, while paying Brunson $35M instead of $55M or whatever.

I am in agreement that this current CBA creates an awkward and unsustainable contract dynamic for players like Wembanyama, but this does not mean that the Spurs owners are cheap.  We'll see, if the Spurs spend to $5M under the tax or something, then you would be able to make that case, but if they spend up to the first apron or up to the second apron like NYK did, how is that an owner being cheap?

But if the league gets to the point where in order to win, a team not only needs to have one of the best players, but also needs that player on an under market value contract, that does not seem sustainable.  Wembanyama took $45M instead of $55M or whatever, but Brunson took $35M.  Does that mean that in order to compete, Tatum might need to take $30M?  Where does this race to the bottom stop?

The Knicks owner wouldn't pay to bring Mitchell Robinson back.  Ownership rewarded Brunson's loyalty by winning a championship on his back and keeping the gigantic boost in revenue in Dolan's pocket.

The CBA is pure leverage to cover the cheapness of owners and put the onus on individual players to take less than they're worth.

One hundred percent correct.

Let us call a spade a spade, the second apron is a hard cap.

Perfect example is the Denver Nuggets. The front office does the impossible and drafts five players that mesh perfectly with each other and they dismantle it because of the second apron.

Murray
Braun
Watson
Porter Jr
Jokic

Under the current CBA, the legendary teams of the past would not be possible.

[Vermont Green]

NYK is currently $9.4M over the 1st apron with 13 players.  Only $3.3M under the 2nd apron (per Spotrac).  And they are cheap for not signing Mitchell Robinson?  I don't believe that NYK is actually hard capped at the 2nd apron but signing Robinson would have put them well above it.

19 teams are hard capped at the 1st apron so can't spend more even if they wanted to.  4 more are hard capped at the 2nd apron.  So yes, in many cases, these are literal salary caps.  And the penalties associated with the 2nd apron make it so few if any will surpass it.

[Roy H.]

NYK is currently $9.4M over the 1st apron with 13 players.  Only $3.3M under the 2nd apron (per Spotrac).  And they are cheap for not signing Mitchell Robinson?  I don't believe that NYK is actually hard capped at the 2nd apron but signing Robinson would have put them well above it.

19 teams are hard capped at the 1st apron so can't spend more even if they wanted to.  4 more are hard capped at the 2nd apron.  So yes, in many cases, these are literal salary caps.  And the penalties associated with the 2nd apron make it so few if any will surpass it.

So, one year of second apron penalties is worth breaking up a championship core?

Yes, James Dolan is cheap.  That championship was worth, minimally, $1 billion in terms of revenue and franchise valuation.

This is why players shouldn't "sacrifice".  Bronson gave up tens of millions of dollars to make James Dolan even richer.

[Goldstar88]

Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

[Jiri Welsch]

Gary Trent Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul and agent Lucas Newton told ESPN's Shams Charania on Saturday.

A Joe Smith situation!