FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:

Tier 1: The stars

The following players are both obvious candidates to be 2026 All-Stars and plausibly available through trade.

1. Kevin Durant, Suns — $54,708,609 (2025-26 salary)
He was nearly traded to Golden State at the deadline, but he didn’t want to return to his old team. His current one needs a retool, and has no other high-end players to trade to kickstart one unless it surprisingly puts Devin Booker on the table. However, Durant is 37 and on an expiring contract. He’s not going to cost nearly as much to get as he did in 2023, so the field is theoretically wide-open for him. There will be plenty of interest from win-now teams, but Durant has the leverage to get to a preferred destination.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks — $54,126,380
The best player potentially on the trade market, and if he is indeed moved, he would be on the short list of greatest players ever traded. This is a 30-year-old two-time MVP eager to jump back into the championship picture. We don’t yet know for certain whether or not he will force a move, but if he does, every team in the NBA should consider making an offer.

3. Jaylen Brown, Celtics — $53,124,264
The Celtics are currently looking at a $493 million payroll for next season, when they may not have Jayson Tatum at all. They are going to shed money, so everyone but Tatum is probably available here. Keeping Brown and Tatum means paying two stars supermax contracts. That might not be feasible in the new CBA world. Boston won’t trade Brown without getting a haul back, but it would be naive to think he’s not on the table.

4. Lauri Markkanen, Jazz — $46,394,100
Another year, another disappointing lottery result for Utah. The Jazz are now three years into their rebuild without a top-four pick to show for it. The whole point of this rebuild has been to get access to the sort of star power that is only available at the top of the draft, and unless they want to get punished for violating the NBA’s player participation policy again next year, they might need to trade Markkanen to ensure they’re bad enough for another bite at the high lottery apple. They considered a move last offseason, but now that he’s locked into a long-term deal, almost anyone is a plausible suitor.

5. Trae Young, Hawks — $45,999,660
One of the few remaining star free agents of 2026 that hasn’t already been moved, this is a pretty simple calculus. Atlanta will presumably offer Young an extension this offseason. If he takes it, great. If he doesn’t they have to explore a trade before he can walk for nothing. They’ve looked into Young trades in the past, though, and the market has been limited. How much interest will he generate now?

6. Ja Morant, Grizzlies — $39,446,090
He’s never played 70 games in a season, his off-court problems have been a major distraction, and last season ended in disaster. The Grizzlies have messaged that they aren’t trading Morant, but they have to make some substantial change if they hope to bounce back in the monstrous Western Conference. Anyone and everyone should be on the table.

7. Zion Williamson, Pelicans — $39,446,090
Williamson has been in and out of trade rumors for years now, and like Morant, he comes with both health problems and off-court issues. Joe Dumars is the new general manager in New Orleans, and without knowing his agenda, we have no way of knowing how gettable Williamson is. He has MVP-level talent, though, so there will always be interested parties.

8. Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies — $23,413,395
Like Young, he’s a star 2026 free agent, so if he doesn’t want to stay in Memphis, he can force the Grizzlies to trade him now. The twist here is that Memphis can’t extend him as easily as Atlanta can Young. They need to create cap space to do so through a renegotiation-and-extension. They’ve taken steps in that direction and may take more, but the ball is in Jackson’s court for now. If he isn’t satisfied with what Memphis can offer or would merely prefer to play elsewhere, he has the leverage to move.

Luka #4
LeBron #12
Austin #54

….and we went 1-4 in the playoffs.

FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:

Since acquiring Tyrese Haliburton in 2022, the Pacers haven’t made a single roster move that could slow them down. No hedges. No half-measures. No stylistic concessions. If you don’t run the floor, you can’t be an Indiana Pacer. If you do, you need to learn how. Most players aren’t used to dead sprinting downcourt after an opponent’s made basket, but the Pacers coach it and Haliburton reinforces it. If you get out and run, he will find you. If you then give the ball up to a teammate, it will find its way back.

There are so many things worth celebrating about this Indiana team as it heads to the NBA Finals. Most of all: The Pacers are a triumph of collaboration. That’s embodied in Haliburton—a star who jumps (often literally) at the chance to get rid of the ball—and it extends outward to every layer of the organization. Indiana scouts to its style, builds to its style, and coaches to its style. The result is an offense that layers action upon action, turning every possession into a sort of perpetual fast break. It’s overwhelming to defend, as the Knicks, Cavs, and Bucks can attest. And it wouldn’t work at all if the franchise weren’t operating in complete alignment.

This is one of the biggest issues I have with the Lakers organization. What’s the plan? For the last several years it seems like we just try to piece something together and hope Lebron makes it work. Obviously, you gotta make that Luka deal when some idiot throws it on the table. But once again, we’re in scramble mode after radically changing our roster and style of play by exchanging Luka for arguably the two best 2-way players on the squad. We’ll be a top regular season no matter what because the talent level of Lebron & Luka combined with some decent role players is gonna win a buncha games. But beating a top team 4 outta 7 is a different proposition. The way the league is set up right now means it takes time, planning, smart moves, and vision. That’s how OKC & Indy got here and it’s why you see teams rising up like HOU, DET, and probably the Spurs next year.

Might as well give it a shot…nothing else has worked. The players need to give a shit about this game instead of acting like they’re doing everybody a favor just by showing up. That’s the only way it’ll get any better. They want all the perks of being an All-Star without having to actually play the game.

FIRST CONF FINALS IN 25 YEARS NOT ENOUGH!I've often wished that Lakers ownership had the cojones to make franchise decisions at a high standard like the Knicks new management seems to be doing. Of course, this type of decision making has to be paired with elite judgement in… https://t.co/PQxgpnPy6Q pic.twitter.com/mI8agDgcTO— LakerTom (@LakerTom) June 3, 2025

Worth noting: Knicks owe Tom Thibodeau at least $30 million guaranteed on his recently-signed extension, per sources. Also worth noting: NYK won a playoff series in 3 straight years under Thibodeau: from 2001 to 2020, they won just 1 series. He built winning foundation here.— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 3, 2025

It’s not surprising. Because of the CBA depth is the direction is going. He is the wrong coach for that. I’m pretty sure the front office felt he should have went deeper. In those first two loses only 2 bench players played many minutes. Thibs also doesn’t like to play young guys, and in the new NBA player development is a must.

FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:

Los Angeles Lakers get: No. 10, Nate Williams
Houston Rockets get: No. 55, Dalton Knecht

In this deal, the Lakers deal soon-to-be second-year sharpshooter Dalton Knecht in exchange for the No. 10 pick at the upcoming draft.

The 24-year-old Knecht was solid for the Lakers in Year 1, averaging 9.1 points on 46% shooting overall, hitting 38% of his 4.4 triples attempted per game. His defense left some to be desired, and he had a streakiness to his overall game, but he still proved himself a rotational-level NBA player as a whole.

If the Rockets don’t feel great about their standing in the ’25 draft, they could opt out completely and pick up Knecht, who adds a much-needed offensive punch — especially from beyond the arc — to Houston’s defensive-minded core. While he’s on the older side, that could benefit the Rockets given they’ll be looking to contend as early as next year. Knecht, be it in tandem with All-Defense selectee Amen Thompson or fellow sharpshooter Reed Sheppard, could thrive in Rockets red.

FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:

Fortunately for Pelinka, the Dallas Mavericks could once again be viewed as a suitable trade partner for the franchise to land an important piece, as recent reports indicate that their skilled forward P.J. Washington may become available in the coming months.

“With the incoming arrival of Cooper Flagg, teams are expecting the Mavericks to make PJ Washington available on the trade market for a rotational upgrade this summer,” Forbes’ Evan Sidery shared via Twitter/X on Tuesday.

“Washington becomes extension-eligible in August, which should bring a potentially strong market from contenders.”

Though the Lakers might not be able to offer Dallas an immediate upgrade outside of possibly Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles could instead offer a package aimed at improving the Mavericks’ future.

In a hypothetical scenario, the Lakers could ship their No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft Dalton Knecht and the expiring contract of Gabe Vincent to the Mavericks in exchange for Washington and the expiring deal of veteran big man Dwight Powell.

Washington became a major part of the Mavericks’ run to the 2024 NBA Finals alongside Dončić after being dealt to Dallas from the Charlotte Hornets at the mid-season mark in 2023-24. He then followed it up with a solid 2024-25 campaign, increasing his trade stock for this offseason.

In 57 appearances for the Mavericks this past regular season, the 26-year-old wing averaged 14.7 points and 7.8 rebounds while knocking down 38.1% of his attempts from the three-point line.

Due to his underrated athleticism and confident shooting stroke, he could be a perfect addition to the Lakers’ rotation for 2025-26.

Both James and Dončić have always thrived while playing with rangy, athletic forwards that can sink shots at a consistent rate from distance, and Washington has already proven to be a crucial contributor for an NBA Finals roster.