Now that there are only two teams left and summer is fast approaching, NBA trade rumors are in full swing and there are some interesting proposals about.
Let’s take a look at some of the latest rumors and chatter.
JAYLEN BROWN
After a less than ideal end to the Celtics season where Jaylen Brown shot 8-23, trade rumors are rife.
The shooter hasn’t committed to staying with the C’s before his free agency in 2024 and if he does re-sign, he is eligible for a five-year $295 million supermax contract this summer.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor believes a fair trade would be Brown for Blazers star Damian Lillard.
“Lillard is far more potent than Brown, and he brings more offensive versatility since he can both thrive as an off-ball shooter and settle into a pass-first role when necessary,” O’Connor said.
If that fails, O’Connor has another option he urges Boston to consider.
“…The Celtics should also consider a different foundation for a Portland trade: Brown to the Blazers for Anfernee Simons and the no. 3 pick,” O’Connor wrote. “Simons is less of a playmaker than Lillard, but he was a super-efficient borderline-30-point-per-game scorer when he ran the show in games that Lillard missed this season. Simons is also more of a passer than Brown.”
With looming luxury tax rules and the most brutal of them to kick in at the 2024-25 season, trading Brown would be a smart move because clearly, him and Jayson Tatum aren’t it.
JOHN WALL
32-year-old John Wall hasn’t played a minute of NBA this season, so he may have to take his talents elsewhere.
An NBL team in Australia, South East Melbourne Phoenix have added the five-time All-Star to their list of recruits for the upcoming season, Michael Randall from The Herald Sun reports.
Phoenix’s CEO Tommy Greer confirmed the franchise has their sights set on Wall, or Dante Exum – who is an Australian that has played in the NBA and is playing in the EuroLeague currently.
“If either Dante or John were ready to play in the NBL, of course, we would do whatever we could to facilitate that,” Greer said.
If not, we’re sure Dwight Howard would be more than happy to recruit his former Wizards teammate to the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan.
GORDON HAYWARD
Two of the biggest question marks around Philly this offseason is whether James Harden will leave and what is to become of Tobias Harris’ $39.3 million expiring contract.
Sixers beat reporter Adam Aaronson has proposed that the 76ers should target Charlotte veteran Gordon Hayward.
“The Charlotte Hornets jump out to me as well,” Aaronson said on The Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast. “They have Gordon Hayward on an expiring contract about $8 million cheaper than Harris’ deal. Hayward would make a lot of sense as a target if Harden walks, as the Sixers would need more reliable ball-handling.”
Hayward was amazing in his prime but a string of very unfortunate injuries cut that time short.
The forward would be a solid senior player for Philly as he averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 47.5 percent shooting from the field this season.
CAM JOHNSON
Brooklyn traded away a heap of picks to get James Harden and that obviously didn’t work out but The Athletic have proposed a trade that allows the team to get some of their talent back.
In the proposed trade, the Rockets would acquire Cam Johnson for K.J. Martin, Jae’Sean Tate, the No. 4 pick in 2023, and two future first picks (including Nets’ own 2024 first).
“In essence, the Rockets get their hands on Johnson, a versatile two-way wing they’ve coveted for a while,” Kelly Iko writes. “There would need to be some creativity applied here since both Johnson and the outgoing Martin could be restricted free agents but this is a hand-in-glove fit. Johnson would slot in alongside Jabari Smith Jr. in the frontcourt and give Houston a much-needed shooting lift.”
KYRIE IRVING
How could we do a trade rumors article without mentioning Kyrie? Despite his pleas for the NBA world to stop speculating about his future, there are still plenty of rumors around.
We’ve all heard the Kyrie to the Lakers chatter and its something LeBron would love but apparently LeBron is fairly alone in that.
“I would not like the message very much if I were on the Lakers or if I were in the front office,” one general manager told Heavy Sports about Irving attending two Lakers games in the postseason. “There’s not an overwhelming sentiment from them like, ‘We gotta go get Kyrie.’ It’s just LeBron.”
Dallas are also not keen at all for a trade centering around Kyrie and D’Angelo Russell. So we wait with baited breath for Irving’s next move.
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
There seemed to be a lot of interest in Karl-Anthony Towns from the Knicks earlier this year but according to Sport New York’s Ian Begley, the franchise’s interest is “a little down”.
Towns has only played in 50 games or less in three of the last four seasons and has had three playoffs appearances during his eight seasons in the NBA.
The Timberwolves big man also averaged the fewest rebounds (8.1) and second-fewest points (20.8) of his career this season.