Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[DanSchwartzgan]

I mean, they now have three guys (very niche guys, honestly) in that "north of the MLE but just south of $20 mil AAV" range that teams seem specifically not to want right now (unless they're expiring). Not one of those three is what I'd call a good fit with Flagg, and Marshall is probably the worst fit of the three. 

I think we talked about this earlier - likeing Naji as someone who largely plays when Flagg is off.  That kind of role fits well with Sasser and some of the new bench shooting we've acquired.  But, the minutes for that role, we thought, might hold down the pay to something in the $14-$15mm range (at least in my mind).

Naji could have started at a maximum of $19.7mm (140% of average salary) and gotten a total of $63.8 with 8% raises.  So, $52mm leaves about $11mm on the table compared to the most he could have gotten.  Christie is in the same boat.  I suspect, if he signs, it will be closer to that larger amount.  The larger raises (if included) would create a six month trade restriction, so whether he signs before or after August 11th could matter at the upcoming TDL as that contract would trigger a six month restriction.

Naji's agency represents a limited number of NBA players.  Julian Champagne is one.  He signed something similar on June 29th starting at $15.35mm and then declining to $15.0mm and then $14.65mm.