2025-26 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

I just took a look at available free agents for 2026...

The list ain't great.

https://hoopshype.com/lists/2026-nba-free-agent-rankings-the-best-players-available-next-year/

2027, on the other hand, is shaping up to be one of the best free agency year out there.

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/_/year/2027

Could you imagine Luka+Jokic+Reaves? Dear lord.

 

i know he said it, but i'm not sure it's even about pursuing another superstar necessarily. it's just not emptying assets on non-stars or players that can't be moved for stars should the chance arise.

yeah, tell lebron that! if we signed ayton and turned some of the expirings/picks into another perimeter defender, we're formidable.

again, i said earlier i'd spend assets on keon ellis. what i'm not doing is spending future assets on older players. anyone we bring in using picks/knecht needs to be someone we can see playing here effectively for years, imo--or at least still be viable as an nba player for years.

 

We can reshape this roster nicely, just gotta make a trade to open up some spots too.

 

btw, if we really end up with brolo and no DFS after today and that's it, i'll be sharpening the pitchfork.

lopez is a tpmle backup/stopgap. if we open up full mle and use it that way, it was a waste.

 

It’s pretty clear we wanted DFS to opt into the remaining 1 year and didn’t want to give anything long term. Looks to me as if Rob wants to keep the books super clean and is trying to add another star/all star along Luka/AR

 

or just doesn't want to sign any deals that he's worried will hamstring future efforts to improve. if DFS was 3 years younger, i don't think we're here right now.

 

Damn them!

 

Well that sucks. Top X reply captures my sentiment, even if I understand the FO wanting flexibility and to not give a 3rd year.

 

That X post ignores two things: free agency hasn't started so we can't offer him anything yet, and there's no guarantee Sharpe wants a 3rd year. Maybe he prefers the shorter contract to re-enter free agency sooner. I wanted Sharpe on a deal like this, but to make it sound like we dropped the ball is a fairly bold interpretation of this re-signing.

 

we're big on very bold interpretations around here.

 

If we are able to get Ayton for the full MLE, I'm pushing to get that Wiggins trade done without Rui. Send the expirings + Knecht for Wiggins, maybe include the 2031 pick protected if you have to. If you can get Ayton and essentially replace DFS' slot in the rotation with Wiggins...I think that's a big-time upgrade. Bring in Melton and a back-up center on minimums.

Reaves/Melton
Luka/Goodwin
Wiggins/Vando/Thiero
LeBron/Rui
Ayton/minimum center

I think that's a meaningfully better team than last year, especially if Vando looks better physically and becomes a legit regular season contributor again.

 

i really don't think they have the money. i suppose they could s&t for one of them, but that's going to cost assets, i'd think.

can't imagine minny wants to facilitate a NAW to houston deal.

 

so if DFS is in the bag, why would NAW meet with them? if NAW is priced out of the MLE market, why would he meet with them?