The are champions and while the city of New York continues celebrating, the league is moving forward into the offseason. The is in eight days, summer league is just around the corner, and who can forget one of the most intriguing times on the league’s calendar: free agency.
From and to and newly minted NBA champion , a significant number of players could be on the move either through free agency or on the trade market. The biggest name everyone will have their eyes on is , who could be traded by the as early as this week, as the Bucks have been aiming at closing that chapter before the draft starts.
There’s been lots of chatter on Antetokounmpo’s next home, with the and mentioned as the most frequent suitors, but we’ll have to see if other viable options pop up. While the season is over, the league’s always active offseason is just getting started, so let’s take a look around and see what the latest rumors are.
The latest reporting on Antetokounmpo, per Marc Stein, is that the Heat’s offer for him would include , and , as well as undetermined draft compensation. However, the Celtics are also in on the Greek Freak sweepstakes, and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons says Boston has in the past week. Simmons said he didn’t know who was included in the trade, but Stein previously reported that if Giannis is dealt to Boston, that could mean would be sent to Milwaukee, only to be rerouted elsewhere.
Minnesota has also been mentioned as a potential suitor for Giannis, as have the , though Portland would be involved as a third team, not as a place Antetokounmpo would wind up. If he’s sent to Boston, perhaps the Blazers could be where Brown ends up, or, as Stein is suggesting, maybe the are the third team in order to land Brown.
We could be nearing some clarity on Antetokounmpo’s situation as the draft nears, but it’s obvious that there’s a handful of teams interested in getting involved in the deal, even if it’s just in an ancillary capacity.
The veteran forward is drawing interest from other teams, per Stein, though the Nuggets aren’t eager to part ways with him. Instead, Denver is focusing its efforts on surveying the trade market for , in order to find upgrades for next season. Coming off his fourth year in the league, Braun has had his ups and downs in a Nuggets uniform. He’s a solid rotation player, but on a roster that already has several other holes on it, his presence becomes one that you can easily question if it means an upgrade is out there. With Cam Johnson on the roster already, who is a better 3-point shooter and bigger than Braun, making him a more versatile defender, he immediately becomes expendable.
However, is there much of a trade market for Braun, especially one that would net the Nuggets an upgrade to really move the needle in terms of contending against the and ? The Nuggets aren’t ready to entertain trading Jamal Murray, per Stein, but he probably gets Denver the biggest return. But if Gordon is garnering interest, then the Nuggets might have to do the difficult thing and pick up the phone.
