One idea has Miles McBride and Pacome Dadiet going to Brooklyn with Noah Clowney coming back to New York. McBride enters 2026-27 on an expiring $3.9M deal, while Clowney, 22, averaged 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 threes in 27 minutes over 60 starts and reaches restricted free agency next summer.
Holiday moves from Portland to Miami along with a 2027 second-rounder routed through Houston, with the Blazers taking back Nikola Jovic plus second-round picks in 2027 and 2031. Houston's payoff is a backcourt defender to pair with Fred VanVleet and Reed Sheppard.
Writing for FanSided, Lucas Johnson maps out a Bronny James move from Los Angeles to Boston in exchange for a protected 2030 second-rounder (via Charlotte) and a protected 2031 second (via Houston).
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints said on his Clutch Scoops Show that the Clippers are willing to trade Derrick Jones Jr. as they look to shed salary before training camp, with the forward entering the last year of a three-year, $30 million deal at roughly $10 million.
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports reports the Lakers and Hawks are back in sign-and-trade talks over Jonathan Kuminga, with Jaden Hardy and his $6 million salary now the outgoing piece instead of Jared Vanderbilt's $12.4 million.
Peyton Watson is on his way to the Cavaliers in a deal with the Nuggets, per CBS Sports, which handed out grades on the swap and framed it as Cleveland adding a wing coming off a step forward while questioning what Denver is building around Nikola Jokic.
Grant Williams and a 2030 second-round pick would head to the Lakers in a floated three-team deal, with Charlotte shedding his $14.2 million salary for a 2031 second and the Clippers absorbing Dalton Knecht and Jaxson Hayes-type young pieces via a trade exception.
Boston owner Bill Chisholm said he had reservations about trading Jaylen Brown but deferred to his basketball people. He credited Brad Stevens and the front office with having "conviction" about the deal. Chisholm framed the call as trusting the "best brains in basketball" over his own hesitation.
Peyton Watson would move from Denver to the Cavaliers while Max Strus heads to the Clippers as part of a multiteam trade, according to ESPN. Full details of the deal beyond the two headline names were not specified.
Anonymous Eastern and Western Conference scouts were asked where three lingering names should land. One suggested the Lakers take on the $17.4 million left on Klay Thompson's deal, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Dalton Knecht going back to Dallas as short, tradeable contracts.
Cleveland is canvassing the league for a team willing to absorb Max Strus and his $15.55 million expiring salary, Marc Stein wrote in The Stein Line. The savings would help the Cavaliers put together a sign-and-trade for either Jonathan Kuminga or Peyton Watson.
Cleveland has traded Dennis Schröder to Charlotte, per CBS Sports. The outlet notes it's the ninth trade of Schröder's career, second-most in NBA history, and frames the deal as possible groundwork for a larger Cavaliers move. That last part is analysis, not reporting.
Jaylen Brown, dealt from Boston to Philadelphia on July 6 in a package that sent Paul George plus two first-round and two second-round picks to the Celtics, spoke publicly for the first time about teaming with LeBron James, who signed with the Sixers in late July.
Dallas has resisted a buyout for Klay Thompson because a market is forming, Jake Fischer said on a Bleacher Report stream.
Domantas Sabonis is expected to remain with the Kings after months of trade exploration produced no deal, with team sources saying he is willing to fully recommit to the roster.
Anthony Davis and the Wizards have agreed to hold off on extension talks until the season begins, with one executive calling the negotiation a barometer for aging stars; Davis is eligible for roughly four years and $275M.
Nick Friedell of The Athletic writes that the league is wondering whether Stephen Curry's mindset could shift after an offseason that brought little roster improvement, with fans and media speculating he might ask out in the final year or two of his career.
Dallas has no plans to keep Klay Thompson and would rather trade him than negotiate a buyout, per ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, who floats Miami's Nikola Jovic and his $15.6 million salary as a near-exact match.
Dallas is exploring a Klay Thompson deal, per The Athletic, with the 36-year-old open to a return to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still owns a home.
Milwaukee remains interested in a sign-and-trade for restricted free agent Peyton Watson, Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported Thursday, though league sources expect the Bucks to resist parting with a first-round pick as they rebuild their asset base after dealing Giannis Antetokounmpo.
