NBA Rumors: Summer Trade Market Candidates Already Taking Shape

Coming out of the 2026 NBA trade deadline, it was clear that, though there was a hefty number of deals that went down across the league, part of what was accomplished in that first week of February was the laying of groundwork for the upcoming summer. There will be a bit more cap space to work with for a number of teams, and teams will be better set up to trade off future draft picks if they want to make mega-offers for the top names on the market.

The Lakers are expected to be among the most aggressive, because they can use their cap space to absorb in traded players and give relief to other teams. Ditto for the Bulls.

No doubt, the top name will be the one that was hammered throughout the run-up to the deadline, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. And we can all accept that he will continue to be the focus of rumors once we see how the 2026 season plays out and where both the Bucks and Antetokounmpo stand on facilitating a divorce.

But there will be others. Around the league, these are the trade candidates executives and agents point to as most likely to capture summer attention.

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Star Veterans at the Top of the Class

Kawhi Leonard, Clippers. Assuming that the NBA, in making its decision on Leonard, the Clippers and the Aspiration contract scandal, does not invalidate the final year (at $50 million) of Leonard’s contract, expect the Clippers to seek to wash their hands of the whole affair by trading him. Leonard will be a player loaded with baggage at that point, but he is also loaded with talent, averaging 28.0 points on a nearly 50-40-90 shooting season (49.4%, 38.1%, 90.5%). “Even with all the negatives, he would generate a good bidding war,” one Eastern Conference GM said.

Ja Morant, Grizzlies. After Antetokounmpo, the trade chatter around Morant ahead of the 2026 deadline was the loudest. But he remains at rock-bottom in value and is still out, with only 20 games on his resume this season. His value has not exactly been blossoming.

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Key Role Players back on the NBA Rumor Mill

Trey Murphy, Pelicans. Rumors that a wide variety of teams–especially the Lakers and Warriors–across the league were hot on the trail of Murphy sprung up repeatedly over the winter. The Pelicans decided not to aggressively sell at the trade deadline, though, and Murphy stayed put. But around the NBA, the expectation is that teams will keep pushing for a deal. The hope is New Orleans will be more willing to actually make a move.

Michael Porter Jr., Nets. The Nets held onto Porter in hopes that they’d get a better deal for him in the summer, and that could yet be the case–except that he has been slumping lately and playing through a knee injury. He is averaging 19.0 points on 40.5% shooting and 18.2% 3-point shooting in February. “I think you kind of know what he is at this point in his career,” one Western Conference executive said. “He is not going to tank his value by playing badly now. But he can hurt his value if he has a bad second half.”

Cam Johnson, Nuggets. Johnson came to Denver to replace Porter Jr. in last summer’s trade, and he has fit the bill completely, filling in for Porter’s shooting while playing better defense and doing so at a bargain price. But the Nuggets might not be able to afford him next year, at $23 million. “Something has to give,” the GM said. “They want to re-sign (Peyton) Watson and they want to keep that group together but someone’s got to fall off the roster to make that happen.”

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Don’t Leave the Big Guys Out of the NBA Rumors

Domantas Sabonis, Kings. This will go down as a disaster of a season in Sacramento, and while there’s little doubt the Kings are tanking, they’ve also managed to tank the trade value of their assets in the process. Except, maybe, Sabonis, who is out after having knee surgery. “Obviously, he has lost value but he is still a 7-footer who puts up 19 and 13 every night,” one league source said. “There will be a market for him.”

Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers. As things stand, the Cavaliers will open the summer looking at a payroll around $220 million, which puts them right at the second apron–before signing new players or rookies. “Someone’s got to go,” the exec said. “I like Allen, I know they like Allen, but if someone has to go, he would be the easiest one to move on from.”

 

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney