Trade & Free Agency 2026/2027

[FireNicoHarrison]

The most important part here is that Biberovic wants absolutely play for the Mavs.
I love this mindset.

We will see the "Masai star" soon... If it's not a bluff.

[FireNicoHarrison]

https://fadeawayworld.net/nba-trade-rumo...2mqA5rKCu0

Lakers fans are still dreaming.

[Chicagojk]

I also kind of wonder whether we'll see KD get traded soon. I don't expect it exactly, to be clear, but idk...I have this weird feeling.

That is not a bad guess.   The Rockets thing just seemed off last year.  Losing to the depleted Lakers team was a blinking emergency light.

The Rockets appear to be a win now team, but they really don't need to be.   They have a lot of younger players.   Willingly taking a step back is hard to do though.

Off topic, but did we ever hear more about the Dallas and Leonard stuff?  I saw Zach Lowe had a podcast where one of the questions was if the Dallas stuff was real.  I have not listened to it yet.   With all the names popping up for Dallas (real or fake) I am beginning to wonder if they are looking to be ultra aggressive with the logjam they currently have in the front court.  Could they consolidate for an all star level player.  It would not be my direction, but if the Leonard stuff was real would give us some intel if they are willing to be aggressive or not.

[KillerLeft]

Off topic, but did we ever hear more about the Dallas and Leonard stuff?  I saw Zach Lowe had a podcast where one of the questions was if the Dallas stuff was real.  I have not listened to it yet.   With all the names popping up for Dallas (real or fake) I am beginning to wonder if they are looking to be ultra aggressive with the logjam they currently have in the front court.  Could they consolidate for an all star level player.  It would not be my direction, but if the Leonard stuff was real would give us some intel if they are willing to be aggressive or not.

I have no idea if it was real or not. If it would've been a simple "Dallas has shown interest in Kawhi Leonard" rumor, I would've assumed it was BS, but it's weird that an entire trade package leaked out there...I'm quite sure that leak wasn't from Dallas, but that doesn't mean it wasn't true. Maybe that was trade package Dallas was shopping around for other players and someone just connected the dots with assumption, idk, but the specificity of it seemed strange at the time and still does.

[Chicagojk]

I have no idea if it was real or not. If it would've been a simple "Dallas has shown interest in Kawhi Leonard" rumor, I would've assumed it was BS, but it's weird that an entire trade package leaked out there...I'm quite sure that leak wasn't from Dallas, but that doesn't mean it wasn't true. Maybe that was trade package Dallas was shopping around for other players and someone just connected the dots with assumption, idk, but the specificity of it seemed strange at the time and still does.

It would be nice to know but we probably never will.  It could be something that Dallas saw an opportunity and threw their hat in the ring.   The original Clippers package was Dick, Ingram and a first.   The Clippers ended up with an extra first and some seconds.   

So maybe a few things:
1) It was false
2) Clippers/Leonard leaked it to get a better offer from Toronto
3) Dallas heard about the original offer and thought they could be opportunistic

Again, it would not have been my direction with the current team.

[KillerLeft]

It would be nice to know but we probably never will.  It could be something that Dallas saw an opportunity and threw their hat in the ring.   The original Clippers package was Dick, Ingram and a first.   The Clippers ended up with an extra first and some seconds.   

So maybe a few things:
1) It was false
2) Clippers/Leonard leaked it to get a better offer from Toronto
3) Dallas heard about the original offer and thought they could be opportunistic

Again, it would not have been my direction with the current team.

Yeah, the reason I find this topic so interesting is that if you look at what the Mavs have actually done, so far, it seems clear that they're basically only looking at young players, and I can totally understand why. I welcome it, actually. But, if the Kawhi Leonard thing was real (if), that would indicate that they'd be willing to make a big swing on a win-now type that they felt was a truly special opportunity for them. It kind of throws more ambiguity on the plan for me, is all.

[Chicagojk]

Intersting. So if they front load the Collins contract and renounce free agents (including Mathurin) they could offfer Watson a 4 year 116 million deal. Maybe the start of sign and trade talks??? Denver gets DJJ for instance

[Gozlan] The LA Clippers have a path to offer Peyton Watson a 4 year, $116 million deal by frontloading John Collins’ salary in the sign-and-trade with Detroit and using their $9.1M expanded trade exception.

Source: https://open.substack.com/pub/yossigozlan/p/kawhi-leonard-trade-raptors-clippers?r=nuq3a&utm\_medium=ios

If the Clippers wanted to make Watson an offer sheet, they would have had to renounce the cap holds of all of their top free agents. That would have included Mathurin, Beal, and John Collins, whom they agreed to sign-and-trade to the Pistons. Those cap holds would have been restored if Denver matched the offer sheet, which would then allow the Clippers to re-sign those players using Bird rights. Now the most likely path to acquire Watson would be through a sign-and-trade using Collins’ outgoing amount to Detroit.

For example, let’s say the Pistons frontload Collins’ contract. That would give him a starting salary as high as $17.9 million. The Clippers could then use the $9.1 million expanded trade exception to acquire Watson and start him at a $27 million salary. That would allow them to sign him for up to four years and $116 million. Denver, in return, would likely receive draft equity from the Clippers and create a trade exception worth half of Watson’s salary.

The Clippers are currently $43 million below the luxury tax after re-signing Hachimura with a nearly complete roster. If they sign-and-trade for Watson or another free agent, they will want to preserve enough room to re-sign Mathurin. They are also maintaining cap flexibility for 2027-28 by giving Hachimura a team option, so they may want to structure Mathurin’s next deal similarly.

[Jakeospikez]

Dusty May said the word unselfish a few times in one of his interviews yesterday when talking about how the team should play. Mathurin and Kuminga not really names that come to mind when using that word haha.

tbf I don't think Rick gave up on Mathurin though. They hit on Nembhard and there's just no room for him, their starting 1-3 are set with Hali/Nembhard/Nesmith, no room for him and not paying him a lot to be a bench player.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Off topic, but did we ever hear more about the Dallas and Leonard stuff?  I saw Zach Lowe had a podcast where one of the questions was if the Dallas stuff was real.  I have not listened to it yet.   With all the names popping up for Dallas (real or fake) I am beginning to wonder if they are looking to be ultra aggressive with the logjam they currently have in the front court.  Could they consolidate for an all star level player.  It would not be my direction, but if the Leonard stuff was real would give us some intel if they are willing to be aggressive or not.

I can't believe they moved all their podcasts to Netflix.  Ugh  Simmons, Lowe, Russilo

If Dallas was interested in Rui Hachimura, I have to believe they were also interested in Kawhi Leonard.

[Smitty]

@ShamsCharania
Free agent center Kevon Looney has agreed on a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Life Sports Agency CEO Todd Ramasar tells ESPN.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Would you please quit your whining? Sasser has several skills which this team needs. Evidently, we're just providing Detroit with a little salary relief. The reference to AJJ was that it seems that the Aldana and Sasser trades are included in the four-team trade being discussed here, and that AJJ's salary will be the match for Sasser's. 

Rome wasn't built in a day. Sasser - if we even get him at this point - will serve several needs that are useful to the Mavs now. If Sergio pans out at all, I would imagine Sasser will be 9th or 10th in total minutes, which is commensurate with his salary. Not worth bellyaching about.

I thought I was the only one who took note of this. Sasser, when he did play for Detroit, gave them a spark off the bench and helped them win a few games. But they fell in love with Daniss Jenkins, and he took his minutes away. Jenkins is a little taller at 6'4, whereas Sasser is 6'0 or 6'1, if it really matters.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Shams Charania: The Lakers acquire one of the top available backup centers, and Looney, a three-time NBA champion, provides experience and pick-and-roll play for Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves after all of those years running screens for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala in the Bay Area.

x.com

[KillerLeft]

@ShamsCharania
Free agent center Kevon Looney has agreed on a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Life Sports Agency CEO Todd Ramasar tells ESPN.

This is an interesting one. I kind of like it, for the money.

[mvossman]

I thought I was the only one who took note of this. Sasser, when he did play for Detroit, gave them a spark off the bench and helped them win a few games. But they fell in love with Daniss Jenkins, and he took his minutes away. Jenkins is a little taller at 6'4, whereas Sasser is 6'0 or 6'1, if it really matters.

Sasser is actually closer to 6' 3" in shoes.  It's annoying that there are two different measurements (with or without shoes) but most reported measurements are in shoes so I tend to stick with that.

[speedkilz88]

Here's what I want to know:

Did Biberovic get his team to move the date of the buyout, or is money changing hands today? If it's the latter, then did he just put it up himself, without the $900 K contribution from the Mavs? They haven't even officially traded for him yet, so...I kind of doubt they're allowed to send that money today, right?

Or, was his informing his team that he intends to exercise the NBA out clause enough to satisfy its requirements, with the payment to change hands at a later date? And if so, is he taking a risk based on a hand shake deal with the Mavs?

Or, is the business with Aldama, Sasser and however many other teams involved about to be resolved in an hour?

This is fascinating.

I think just letting them formally know that he's leaving and the rest will be worked out when they can.

[speedkilz88]

Sasser's measurements:

Measured: 6’1.25” barefoot, 6’2.75” in shoes, 8’1.5” standing reach, 192.6 lbs, 6’7.0” wingspan at the 2022 NBA G-League Elite Camp … Measured 6′ 1.25” barefoot, 8′ 3.50” standing reach, 195.6 lbs and a 6′ 7.00” wingspan and a 27 inch standing vertical and a 35′ inch max vertical at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine …

[OBX Maverick]

https://fadeawayworld.net/nba-trade-rumo...2mqA5rKCu0

Lakers fans are still dreaming.

Laughable

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

That's a tempting trade.  I would probably do it.  Cam Johnson only has 1yr left on his deal and is a lights out shooter.  Better fit on this roster next to Flagg.  The PJ and Gafford contracts looked fine when they were signed but with how teams are operating under this CBA, they look like negative value contracts.  Both have 3 years remaining.  You'd get out of two big financial commitments.

[Smitty]

@TheDunkCentral
The Lakers are reportedly willing to offer Jonathan Kuminga a two-year, $20 million contract, per @latimes

“Jonathan Kuminga is a player the Lakers are after, according to people with knowledge of the situation who said L.A. is looking at a two-year, $20-million deal for Kuminga, the sort of athletic wing player the Lakers need to start at small forward.”

[MFFLER est 01]

So are we getting Sasser or not? What's going on?