Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill will hold a live chat Tuesday at 11 am Central time (noon Eastern) exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event and read the transcript afterward.
This week's Front Office mailbag covers a blockbuster trade idea. The question has been lightly edited for clarity.
Greg asks:
Do you see any logic at the deadline of a three-team deal like this:
- Bucks receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, Jerami Grant, Miles McBride, their picks back from Portland and second-rounders from Knicks.
- Knicks receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma, Gary Trent Jr.
- Trail Blazers receive: Mikal Bridges
- Note: Bridges can't be traded until February 1, 2026.
In this case the Bucks can stay competitive for a few years and have control of their picks from '28 and beyond. Portland gets off Grant deal. Thoughts?
Before I get into whether I see the logic in this blockbuster trade idea, let's first take a quick look at the mechanics involved.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the prevalence of gambling ads on NBA games, Victor Wembanyama's MVP potential, the Rockets' need for a lead guard, Jonathan Kuminga's future with the Warriors and more!
We've finally arrived at the last day of the 2025 NBA offseason. In less than 36 hours, the 2025/26 season will tip off with the defending champion Thunder hosting former OKC star Kevin Durant and the Rockets.
Durant is one of three players - along with a pair of Trail Blazers - who worked out a contract extension with his new team on Monday. With the deadline looming for players to sign rookie scale extensions in 2025, we're using the space below to examine which players from the 2022 draft class are most likely to finalize new deals of their own in the coming hours.
We're also taking a closer look at some of the players who got Exhibit 10 bonuses below the max, revisiting the Nets' decision to cut Kobe Bufkin, and explaining why the waiver wire is worth watching on Monday.
Let's dive in...
With the 2025/26 season about to get underway, Hoops Rumors is starting a weekly mailbag for Front Office members. Our first mailbag covers a couple of teams in the Southwest Division.
Ben asks:
Memphis' center depth is looking fairly shady coming into the season with all of the injuries they're facing. Do you see them sticking with the status quo, or could you envision transactions being made to address this issue? Might a trade with Houston, who could use backcourt help in the wake of the VanVleet injury make sense, or would a trade between contending division rivals be unlikely?
In case you missed it, the Grizzlies announced toward the end of September that three key big men -- all of whom play center at times -- would likely miss several weeks of action.
- At the time, Memphis said 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr., who is recovering from July surgery for a turf toe injury, was expected to return one-to-three weeks from now. He appears to be ahead of schedule -- he played 22-plus minutes in Wednesday's preseason loss to Charlotte.
- Second-year center Zach Edey, who is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, could be back sometime in November.
- Key reserve Brandon Clarke will reportedly be out until at least November after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure to address synovitis in his right knee. The team said this issue was not a result of the March PCL sprain which cut Clarke's '24/25 season short.
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Sixers and Hornets whiffed on Ace Bailey, Russell Westbrook's impact on the Kings, the Antetokounmpo family gathering in Milwaukee, Joe Mazzulla's hatred of the preseason and more!
The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie scale extensions is a week from today, and we'll be keeping an eye on several notable rookie scale extension candidates in the coming days. That group includes Pistons teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, Nuggets guard Christian Braun, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Rockets forward Tari Eason, Kings forward Keegan Murray, and Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe.
A number of big-name players are also eligible for veteran contract extensions, with Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Heat guard Tyler Herro, and Hawks guard Trae Young among those we're been monitoring ahead of the 2025/26 season.
However, many of the most viable extension candidates have flown somewhat under the radar this fall, so we want to shine a spotlight on some of those players today. In the space below, we'll take a closer look at five players who are eligible for veteran contract extensions and who could realistically sign new contracts either before opening night or at some point during the season.
Let's dive in...
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included whether the Knicks have a realistic path to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant's injury concerns, a Suns' roster decision, Bronny James' future if LeBron leaves the Lakers and more!
Now that October 1, the deadline for a restricted free agent to sign his qualifying offer, has come and gone, the RFA standoffs that dominated headlines for most of the second half of the NBA offseason have all been resolved.
Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga agreed to multiyear deals with the Bulls and Warriors, respectively, while Nets guard Cam Thomas and Sixers guard Quentin Grimes chose to accept their qualifying offers and hang onto their no-trade clauses for the 2025/26 season.
Today, with training camps in full swing around the NBA, we're taking a closer look at Kuminga's deal, Grimes' decision, and a few other cap- and roster-related topics from across the league.
Let's dive in...
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included LeBron James' retirement plans, the likely outcomes for RFAs Quentin Grimes and Jonathan Kuminga, Kawhi Leonard's evasiveness on Aspiration questions, Victor Wembanyama's MVP chances and more!