With the conclusion of last week’s NBA draft, teams have shifted their focus to free agency season, which begins Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. Beyond just free agency, teams are looking to add players to their rosters via trade with several big names being floated in trade rumors.
The Miami Heat’s deal with the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo kicked off what should be an active trade season, including the fallout between Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, who offered Brown in a potential Antetokounmpo swap.
Which teams will be the most active as free agency heats up? Which teams are looking to add to their rosters? And which players could be on the move as the NBA offseason gets into full swing?
Our ESPN NBA insiders answer some of the biggest questions and give updates on the latest intel ahead of the free agency window.
Who’s the most fascinating team to watch this week?
The Boston Celtics. Brown is the subject of trade rumors after the Celtics’ failed pursuit of Antetokounmpo. Could they make a deal this week?
Boston needs to address its frontcourt. After the Celtics were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens not only talked about his team’s poor record against the top teams but also addressed the Celtics’ lack of paint presence: “One of the things that we’ve got to figure out is how to have more of an impact at the rim, and I think we do need to add to our team to do that,” he said.
Brown has three years and $183 million left on the supermax extension he signed in the 2023 offseason. He is eligible to sign a two-year, $142 million extension on July 26. -- Bobby Marks
What’s the latest in the Brown trade conversations?
Brown has so far responded to his inclusion in trade discussions only indirectly; he got into a back-and-forth with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith over long simmering issues. Bobby Marks, who relayed from a source that the trade market for Brown isn’t strong, said a team analytics staffer told him, “We view him as a seventh-best player on a team.”
Brown hasn’t said how he feels about the Celtics openly shopping him in trade scenarios, which sources have said took place with other teams even before the talks for Antetokounmpo heated up. The Celtics have three choices: (1) trade Brown to another team, which so far hasn’t yielded strong offers; (2) extend Brown, hoping the financial commitment will assuage any hard feelings; or (3) bring him back without an extension and try to make him comfortable continuing on in this state of limbo.
It’s too early to say which way things will end up, but league observers said an extension at this point seems unlikely. Which leaves two options that aren’t easy to pull off and could take significant time. -- Ramona Shelburne
Where could Brown land, and what else are execs buzzing about before free agency?
Some of the buzziest conversations have been less about free agency and more about the trade market surrounding Brown and his potential suitors. Executives believe the most serious discussions have been with Western Conference teams, per the Celtics’ preference.
The LA Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets are among the teams that have registered interest, sources told ESPN. One executive told ESPN that the Clippers “want Brown bad.” Execs believe the Celtics are canvassing the league to figure out what Brown’s true value is, as he has three years left on his contract.
There’s a small pocket of execs and agents who believe the Celtics are bluffing with Brown, but the prevailing thought is they want to move on this -- soon.
Ja Morant is another player league executives are curious about, but his health (79 games played over the past three seasons) and contract (two years remaining at $42 million and $44.9 million) are scaring teams away.
The Memphis Grizzlies have been open to dealing Morant since the trade deadline, and in the past few days their asking price has dropped considerably from draft capital before last week’s draft to pick swaps. Now they’re now trying to match player for player in deals.
Teams have asked the Grizzlies for draft compensation in order to take on Morant, so the gulf has been considerable, especially with so many point guards going early in Round 1 of the draft. -- Vincent Goodwill
Which trade candidates not named Jaylen Brown are you keeping an eye on this week?
The Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors have been very active in trade talks, looking to upgrade their rosters under new/expanded ownership. The Raptors have a number of high-salary players to use to assemble a big offer and currently have all seven of their tradeable firsts and five second-rounders. After kicking the tires on Giannis Antetokounmpo and LaMelo Ball, they have been attached to old friend Kawhi Leonard in recent days.
It’s unclear whether Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is truly willing to move Leonard, and there’s also uncertainty regarding the ongoing Aspiration investigation. But talks have indeed taken place, per sources.
The Blazers also have plus draft assets with control over Milwaukee’s draft from 2028 to 2030 in addition to owning all of their next seven first-round picks. In talks, they have shown an interest in moving Jerami Grant, who has two years and $70 million left on his deal, in addition to draft capital for a roster upgrade.
Two other names to watch:
What’s the latest you’re hearing on LeBron James and the Lakers ahead of free agency?
The Lakers checked in with Rich Paul, James’ agent and the CEO of Klutch Sports, early in the offseason to establish communication about the 41-year-old star’s return, sources told ESPN.
Since then, however, talks have not picked back up, sources said. Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka already stated the franchise would give James his space coming off the season.
“LeBron, we probably haven’t seen a player that has honored the game to the extent that he’s honored the game. He’s given so much to his teammates, to this organization,” Pelinka said during his season-ending news conference with reporters in May. “And the thing we want to do more than anything else is honor him back. And I think the first order of business there is allowing him to spend the time he needs to decide what his next steps are.”
By those terms of engagement laid out by Pelinka, the Lakers could be justifiably waiting for Paul to tell the team whether James plans to play next season.
If you’re Paul, however, and you’ve already shared on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” that “10 to 12 teams” around the league have reached out to express interest in James joining them next season, you could reasonably expect the Lakers to act the same and be the party to follow up from the initial conversation.
Is this a game of chicken to see which side appears to need the other more, and thus part of the negotiation before numbers are even thrown around? Is this the Lakers taking their time to put together a plan of what the team would look like next season so they can present that to James when they do make their offer? Or is this a signal that maybe the sides will ultimately not come to an agreement and James’ NBA career will continue somewhere else if he decides to play a 24th season?
This week should provide some answers. -- Dave McMenamin
Do you expect the Warriors to be quiet this week, or could they be cooking up a major move?
It might not shift the title landscape, but a LeBron James-Steph Curry partnership with the Warriors would generate about as big of a public splash as imaginable. Is it feasible? Depends on where negotiations with the Lakers land. The Warriors have been under the assumption that James will ultimately return to Los Angeles, but they have also taken note of the quiet and seemingly stalled nature of the situation.
This could crack open the door for them to pitch James on joining at the $15.1 nontaxpayer midlevel exception while making some other tweaks to the roster that could make it even more appealing.
But presuming they can’t pull that off, it is shaping up to be a relatively quiet summer around this aging core. General manager Mike Dunleavy used the 11th pick on Yaxel Lendeborg instead of trading it. The Warriors have already agreed to bring back Al Horford. They expect Draymond Green will opt in to his player option. They are negotiating with Kristaps Porzingis on a short-term deal.
They haven’t leaped into the Jaylen Brown market. They have control of their future first-round picks but have remained protective of unloading the cupboard. -- Anthony Slater
What’s next for the Bucks after the Giannis trade?
Next up on Milwaukee’s to-do list is deciding on the future of Tyler Herro. The Wisconsin native was the most notable player sent back to the Bucks from Miami in the deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Herro’s future in Milwaukee remains uncertain.
Team sources said the Bucks would be OK keeping Herro on the roster, but execs around the league have told ESPN that Milwaukee has been scouring the trade market to see what it could get in return for him. Flipping Herro for more draft picks or young players could potentially expand the Bucks’ return for Antetokounmpo and further their rebuild.
Milwaukee selected guard Brayden Burries with the No. 10 pick, but it’s important to note that the Bucks don’t own any of their own draft picks in 2027. And the Bucks like the idea of having Herro on their roster to help evaluate their young players, including Ryan Rollins and Ousmane Dieng. -- Jamal Collier
Do you expect Oklahoma City to shed more salary over the next week?
Probably. The Thunder have already shed about $28 million in salary -- and a nine-figure sum in luxury tax payments -- by trading Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins and getting Isaiah Hartenstein to take a lower salary on the three-year extension he signed.
GM Sam Presti’s next decisions are the team options on Luguentz Dort ($17.7 million) and Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million). Other front offices expect Oklahoma City will decline Williams’ team option. Williams could return to the Thunder at a lower salary but would probably have suitors in free agency from teams that could use savvy, tough frontcourt depth.
The most likely scenario is Oklahoma City exercising the team option on Dort, who is tied with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the longest-tenured players on the Thunder roster. -- Tim MacMahon
What’s the latest on a potential Ja Morant trade in Memphis?
There’s not much shaking on the Morant front, but that was expected from Memphis GM Zach Kleiman going all the way back to the spring.
League sources expected a market for Morant to materialize after the NBA draft and free agency, once teams came out of those events believing they still needed to make additions to improve their prospects.
The Antetokounmpo domino already fell. The teams that missed out on Antetokounmpo could consider Morant as a backup option, but they’ve been reluctant to make that move without Memphis attaching some type of draft compensation, as Vincent Goodwill noted earlier in this piece. Still, it’s not like Memphis didn’t expect this. The Grizzlies have clearly moved on from Morant, a two-time All-Star, and are looking to build on their young core of Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer.
The problem for Memphis comes after free agency if Morant is still on the roster. At that point, the team will need to decide whether to incorporate Morant with all the new players or finally facilitate the exit most have been expecting. -- Michael C. Wright
What’s the intel on Kawhi Leonard?
Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations, reiterated after his draft press conference on Tuesday night that the plan is still to “win with Kawhi” Leonard.
“But the bigger plan is how we understand we’re not a contender, we’re competitive,” Frank admitted. “How are we going to get back to contention?”
The Clippers certainly are weighing all their options after pivoting in the past season from a veteran-ladened team to one that is gathering as much young talent and assets as possible. With Leonard entering the final season of his deal and looking for an extension, the Clippers have been in contact with their star. But Leonard’s value will never be higher at this stage of his career. Leonard, who turns 35 on Monday, averaged a career-high 27.9 points to go with 6.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 50.5% shooting.
The Clippers would entertain any big offer from a team for Leonard, especially one that includes young talent and/or draft assets. But one Western Conference rival source said teams may be leery of pursuing Leonard because early indications are that the star might only entertain signing an extension with either of his former teams, San Antonio or Toronto, if he doesn’t remain with the Clippers.
Masai Ujiri, former Raptors boss and now Mavs president, is intrigued by a reunion with Leonard, but Ujiri would not just have to convince his former Toronto star to come to Dallas but still have to find more draft assets to make it worthwhile for the Clippers, the Western Conference rival source said. Ujiri has already made it clear Dallas’ timeline is built around Cooper Flagg’s developing future.
Frank said there has been constant communication with Leonard about where the Clippers are and how they hope to return to contention. It remains to be seen whether that is with Leonard or not.
“We always have ongoing conversations,” Frank said. “Kawhi’s had some trips, been out and about a little bit, but we’ve sat down over the last couple of weeks and we’re always in constant communication with Kawhi and his representation.” -- Ohm Youngmisuk
Off the floor with the Clippers: What’s the latest with the Aspiration investigation?
The end is near -- but how near remains as uncertain as the potential outcome.
To recap: In September 2025, the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz began investigating allegations on behalf of the NBA that the Clippers circumvented the league’s salary cap to pay Leonard through a now-bankrupt green-banking company called Aspiration. In the nearly 10 months since, the law firm has conducted dozens of interviews, including -- as ESPN previously reported -- with Leonard, his uncle and business adviser Dennis Robertson, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, Clippers executives and Aspiration executives.
The firm has also reviewed emails, text messages and other documents, sources familiar with the investigation have told ESPN. The Clippers have been adamant, publicly and privately, that they are innocent -- and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank recently told reporters that while he couldn’t comment on the specifics of the investigation, “What I can say is we did not do what we’re accused of doing.”
It’s unclear exactly when the NBA will approach the Clippers with the findings of the investigation, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver said during the NBA Finals that the league is “close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up.”
Despite the Clippers’ insisting they did nothing wrong, team officials seem less sure about the outcome of the high-profile investigation and whether the NBA’s richest owner will face punishment, according to sources with knowledge of their thinking. So far, no public evidence has emerged that conclusively proves the primary allegation that the Clippers’ circumvented the cap to compensate Leonard, and it’s unclear whether any such evidence has emerged in the investigation, either. In September 2025, Silver made clear that the “burden is on the league if we’re going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league.”
Will the NBA find its burden of proof to warrant any punishment? And does it face pressure to punish the Clippers given the notoriety of the matter? Silver addressed the latter point during the Finals, when he spoke about the public perception regarding the investigation.
“I certainly hear and read things all the time about the perception of what really happened or didn’t happen here, and I think my only reaction is: I wouldn’t be doing my job if ultimately I issued a determination based on perception,” Silver said. “My job is to follow the facts.” -- Baxter Holmes
