Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/16/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Hawks' approach to stopping Jalen Brunson, the Bulls' plans with Billy Donovan, Kawhi Leonard's future with the Clippers, how playoff outcomes will affect the offseason and more!
Checking In On NBA’s 2026 Lottery Standings, Projected Draft Order
The 2025/26 NBA regular season is officially over, but the draft order for this June has not yet been set.
A handful of factors, including the play-in results, random tiebreakers, and - of course - the lottery results themselves will ultimately determine what the 60 picks in the 2026 NBA draft look like. But with the season in the books, there's plenty we do know.
Let's dive in and check in on several key aspects of the lottery standings and projected draft order...
The Players Who Could Be Financially Impacted By The 65-Game Rule
Earning a spot on an All-NBA team is the simplest way for a player to become eligible for a Designated Veteran or Rose Rule contract, allowing them to earn a higher maximum salary than they'd typically qualify for (35% instead of 30% for veterans, or 30% instead of 25% for players coming off rookie contracts). But that doesn't mean that there are financial benefits for every player who receives All-NBA recognition.
In order to become "super-max" eligible, a player must meet a set of specific criteria related not just to his on-court achievements but to his total NBA years of service, his contract situation, and how he joined his current team.
For instance, Luka Doncic would have been super-max eligible last summer as a member of the Mavericks, but the trade that sent him to the Lakers took that option off the table, since a player who changes teams via trade during his second contract isn't permitted to sign a Designated Veteran deal. With a super-max deal no longer in play, Doncic signed a standard max-salary extension (starting at 30% of the cap) with his new team last summer.
So, while Doncic's bid to be granted an "extraordinary circumstances" exception to circumvent the 65-game rule and gain All-NBA (and MVP) eligibility this spring could have a real impact on his career résumé, there are no financial implications hinging on that ruling.
For other players who narrowly met the 65-game criteria or will fall just short of it, there are more significant financial consequences to take into account. In the space below, we're taking a closer look at the All-NBA caliber players whose future earnings figure to be impacted the most by whether or not they got to 65 games this season.
Free Agent Stock Watch: L.A. Clippers
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players on the Clippers, who have 10 potential free agents this summer, tied for the second-most in the NBA.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/9/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Bulls' search for a new front office, Giannis Antetokounmpo's future, coaching changes for the summer, players who may retire after the playoffs and more!
Free Agent Stock Watch: Atlantic Division
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents – or could become free agents – during the 2026 offseason. We’ll consider whether each player’s stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players in the Atlantic Division, starting with a former second-round pick having a breakout season.
How Non-Bird Limitations Will Affect Free Agents In 2026
As we detailed this week in an updated Hoops Rumors Glossary entry, a player who doesn't qualify for Bird rights and Early Bird rights at the end of an NBA season almost always qualifies for Non-Bird rights, which give teams a small amount of flexibility to re-sign that player in free agency without requiring salary cap room or another cap exception.
Teams can sign their own free agents using the Non-Bird exception for a salary starting at 120% of the player’s previous salary, 120% of the minimum salary, or the amount of a qualifying offer (if the player is a restricted free agent), whichever is greatest. Contracts can be for up to four years, with 5% annual raises.
In some cases, that's more than enough for a team to work with. For instance, if the Spurs decide they want to re-sign center Mason Plumlee, the fact that they'll only have his Non-Bird rights won't be an impediment. Plumlee almost certainly won't be making more than 120% of his minimum in 2026/27 after signing a pair of minimum-salary deals this season.
In other cases though, like when a player on a minimum-salary contract has a breakout year, the Non-Bird exception won't be enough to make him a market-rate offer.
In the space below, we're taking a closer look at the notable 2026 free agents who will have Non-Bird rights and assessing whether or not those rights will be enough for their current teams to re-sign them.
Hoops Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript: 4/2/2026
Hoops Rumors’ Arthur Hill held a live chat today exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Topics included the Sixers' chances of beating the Knicks in a playoff series, potential draft outcomes for the Bulls, Will Riley's future with the Wizards, successful tanking by the Pacers and Bucks and more!
Free Agent Stock Watch: Northwest Division
For the rest of the regular season and postseason, Hoops Rumors is taking a closer look at players who will be free agents - or could become free agents - during the 2026 offseason. We'll consider whether each player's stock is rising or falling due to his performance and several other factors.
Today, we’re focusing on a handful of players in the Northwest Division, starting with the defending champions.
Previewing 2026/27 Player Option Decisions
A total of 21 NBA veterans hold player options on their contracts for the 2026/27 season, as our free agent list shows.
Those 21 players range from stars like Trae Young to minimum-salary reserves like Jericho Sims. The value of their respective options reflects that wide gap -- Young would earn nearly $49MM if he opts in for next season, whereas Sims would make approximately $2.8MM.
Still, despite the huge difference between those two players' potential '26/27 salaries, Young isn't a lock to opt in and Sims isn't a lock to opt out. Each player facing an option decision will weigh several factors, including his 2025/26 performance, his role, his age, and what sort of offers might be available to him on the open market if he chooses free agency.
Most players holding options won't have to finalize a decision until the league-wide deadline of June 29, but it's certainly not unprecedented for certain options to be exercised in April, shortly after a player's season wraps up. So we're looking ahead today at all 21 of those decisions to try to get a sense of which direction they might go.
Let's dive in...