Basketball Wiretap

LaMelo Ball is being strongly pursued by multiple teams and the Charlotte Hornets are engaging on trade talks, sources tell ESPN's Shams Charania.

Ball would like to remain with the Hornets, but a trade could materialize over the next 24 to 48 hours. Ball has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $203.9 million contract signed with the Hornets in 2023 and is represented by Sam Permut. 

Ball appeared in 72 games last season with the Hornets, averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 28.0 minutes.

The Hornets are exploring a reset of their core around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel despite presently being in a good place with Ball. The Hornets had a strong second half to the season and reached the play-in games where they defeated the Miami Heat before losing to the Orlando Magic.

Ball was third overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft and won Rookie of the Year in 2021 before being named to the All-Star team in 2022. Ball dealt with injuries in each of the next three seasons.

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report that the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors are two of the teams with trade interest in Ball.

The Memphis Grizzlies have acquired Isaiah Stewart from the Memphis Grizzlies for three second round picks.

The Pistons clear salary cap space with their trade of Stewart who has been on the block throughout June. Detroit is planning on pursuing an upgrade in terms of shot creation and perimeter shooting to lessen the burden on offense carried by Cade Cunningham. 

The Pistons have been linked with Coby White and Norman Powell in free agency, along with a potential trade for Tyler Herro.

Stewart has $30 million over two seasons remaining on his contract with a team option for the 2027-28 season.

Stewart appeared in 58 games last season, averaging 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 22.7 minutes.

Paul Reed Jr. emerged in backup center minutes for the Pistons behind Jalen Duren.

"Detroit is setting themselves up to be the story of this offseason," said Brian Windhorst in response to the trade as the Pistons position themselves for a significant upgrade.

The Milwaukee Bucks had the opportunity to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo during the 2025 offseason, a full year before they finally did, but ownership misread his growing frustration as the same offseason posturing he had displayed for years, according to a lengthy report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That miscalculation defined the final chapter of a 13-year partnership that ended with a trade to the Miami Heat this week.

Following Milwaukee's second consecutive first-round playoff exit to the Indiana Pacers in May 2025, co-owners Wes Edens and Jimmy Haslam approached Antetokounmpo on the practice court. He told them he was committed for the upcoming season. What he did not say directly was that he had lost faith in head coach Doc Rivers and did not believe the organization was capable of returning to championship form.

Bucks leadership interpreted his response the way they had absorbed similar signals in previous offseasons. ESPN began reporting, from anonymous sources, that Antetokounmpo wanted out, but it felt familiar to the front office.

Rather than engage seriously on the trade market, the Bucks made sweeping roster changes without consulting their franchise player. They waived and stretched Damian Lillard, let Brook Lopez depart in free agency and signed Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to the largest free agent contract in franchise history at $108 million. The series of moves stunned Antetokounmpo.

"These moves looked solid on paper, but you don't really appreciate how much Khris, Brook, Jrue, Pat, the character, the high-level basketball character of those guys," a longtime team employee told the Journal Sentinel. "You don't appreciate it until you don't have them around."

Antetokounmpo responded by sending a clear physical signal his mindset had shifted. He packed up his trophies from his suburban Milwaukee home and shipped them to Greece. His wife and children began the 2025-26 season there as well.

"Because I didn't know how the season was going to unfold," Antetokounmpo told the Journal Sentinel. "There were a lot of rumors about me. There was a lot of uncertainty about me — from both sides."

His representatives at Octagon did communicate some level of discontent to ownership. But because Antetokounmpo never expressed it directly himself, the Bucks processed it no differently than prior offseasons. Had he done so, sources told the Journal Sentinel, the organization would have approached the offseason in a fundamentally different way.

The season deteriorated rapidly. Rivers lost the locker room, the roster lacked cohesion and Antetokounmpo's frustration spilled onto the court. He stopped shooting, openly criticized his coaches and teammates, and drew a public standoff with the organization in March 2026 over his playing status following a knee injury.

Edens' public statement in March 2026 that Antetokounmpo would either sign an extension or be traded was the first time the organization formally put his future in doubt. Three months later, the Bucks traded him to Miami for a package that was considerably less than they likely would have received in 2025 and after making significant moves with long-term ramifications.

The Boston Celtics are continuing to hold extensive trade conversations with multiple teams around the NBA on Jaylen Brown. Brown has three seasons remaining on his contract but is eligible for an extension this offseason. The Celtics were eliminated in the first round in seven games against the Philadelphia 76ers.

"The Boston Celtics are actively engaged in trade talks surrounding Jaylen Brown with multiple interested teams," said Shams Charania before the start of Wednesday's second round. "I'm told there is a sense of purpose from teams around the leagues that they feel from the Celtics in these conversations.

"And that does not mean though that a deal is guaranteed. Jaylen Brown does have three years left on his contract. From my understanding, the urgency from either side can change as the weeks to come.

"This all comes in the wake of the Celtics losing out on Giannis after offering Jaylen Brown and two first round picks."

Brad Stevens addressed the media on Tuesday after the first round of the draft and clarified that he's held a dialogue with Brown, but he never said that the All-NBA wing would not be traded.

"I would believe there is a very good chance Jaylen Brown will be elsewhere to start the season," said Brian Windhorst.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are "undeniably serious" in their pursuit of LaMelo Ball, sources told Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.

The Wolves have taken Jaden McDaniels off the table in any trade discussions.

The team prefers to "do right" and keep Donte DiVincenzo, who suffered a torn Achilles in the playoffs last season.

The Wolves also prefer to keep Naz Reid.

With the Wolves' trade of Julius Randle unable to be finalized until July 6, that deal could be expanded to help complete other transactions.  

Ball was reportedly looking forward to playing this upcoming season with the Hornets.

With the Raptors already mentioned as another team pursuing Ball, the Bucks have also registered interest in the point guard. 

Domantas Sabonis could be a trade candidate this offseason as the Sacramento Kings remake their roster around the newly drafted Darius Acuff Jr. 

"I think it might include taking a look at the future of Domantas Sabonis with the team," said Brian Windhorst. "There's a lot of interest in Sabonis. And there's a possibility the Kings may look to see what his trade market might be as they look to pivot their franchise."

Sabonis is on a $45.47 million salary for the 2026-27 season and is signed through the 2027-28 season.

Sabonis is coming off a season in which he played in only 19 games, averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 29.7 minutes.

Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers have agreed upon a four-year, $185 million contract with a player option for the 2029-30 season, reports ESPN's Shams Charania. Reaves had declined his $14.9 million player option for the 2026-27 season to become a free agent.

Reaves' $20.9 million cap hold will remain on the Lakers' cap sheet until they finalize their other offseason business and will then make $41.3 million in Year 1 of his contract.

The Lakers could have offered Reaves a five-year contract worth up to $241 million, well above the four-year, $179 million maximum any rival team could present. The $185 million contract is the richest in NBA history for an undrafted player and is his maximum on a four-year contract.

Reaves was expected to receive free agent interest from the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons. Marc Stein reports that the Pistons had begun to plan the necessary maneuvers to pursue Reaves with a max contract offers, which would have required trading Isaiah Stewart.

Reaves turned in a career year in his fifth NBA season, averaging 23.3 points on 49 percent shooting and 36 percent from three-point range, adding 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He appeared in a career-low 51 games after missing time with a left calf injury at midseason and an oblique injury that sidelined him for the start of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.

Reaves, who is represented by Aaron Reilly and Reggie Berry, previously re-signed with the Lakers in the 2023 offseason on a four-year, $54 million contract as a restricted free agent that was his max at the time. Reaves could have signed a richer contract with a rival team that the Lakers subsequently matched, but that type of scenario never materialized. 

Reaves told a local television station he hoped to remain with the team throughout his career.

“I want to be in LA. I want to play my whole career in LA. I love it there. I love the fans. Love the weather, love the golf,” Reaves told K8 News. “And obviously the Lakers are the best organization in basketball.”

Reaves began his career with the Lakers on a Two-Way contract in 2021 that was converted to a standard NBA deal before the start of his rookie season.

The Los Angeles Lakers would be interested in participating in a sign-and-trade scenario that would send LeBron James back to the Cleveland Cavaliers if it meant acquiring Jarrett Allen back in return. The Lakers have been trying to find a rim-running center to pair with Luka Doncic dating back to when they first acquired him in February 2025.

"There is a thought process out there in Los Angeles and if the Cavs were interested in this, the Lakers would sit up in attention right now," said Brian Windhorst on ESPN Cleveland radio. "That they would sign-and-trade LeBron for Jarrett Allen. I think if the Cavs were willing to do that, they could have LeBron.

"Obviously, LeBron would have to want to sign with the Cavs. But if your pathway to pay LeBron the money is to trade Jarrett Allen for him, the Lakers would kill for Jarrett Allen. Kill for him! They would do that deal in 17 tenths of a second."

Allen signed a three-year, $91 million contract extension in July 2024 that runs through the 2028-29 season. Allen will make $28 million for the 2026-27 season. The Lakers hard capped themselves at the second apron on draft night by sending money out in a trade.

James has yet to make a determination on whether he will play during the 2026-27 season as discussions continue with the Lakers.

Meanwhile, Doncic reportedly has been promised by the Lakers that the 2026 offseason is when the front office will retrofit the roster to increase their odds of competing for a title.

The Cavaliers will bring back Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley along with Kenny Atkinson as head coach, which puts the Allen for James scenario as a clear pathway to improve their short-term title chances as they better balance out their roster.

Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly pushed back Tuesday against speculation surrounding Anthony Edwards' future with the franchise, saying the superstar is "super, super excited" about the team .

Connelly said his conversations with Edwards are "constant" and that he spent several hours at the guard's home a few weeks ago discussing both roster construction and Edwards' continued development.

"We have such high hopes for him," said Connelly. "We think he can go down as one of the best players of all time."

The speculation was fueled in part by ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who reported Edwards has grown frustrated with the frequency of double teams he has faced since Minnesota dealt Karl-Anthony Towns two years ago. Edwards has not publicly or privately expressed any serious desire to leave the organization.

Connelly said Edwards plays an active role in roster decisions, describing his input as "invaluable."

"When you go to your leaders like Ant and say, 'It takes this to get that (trade),' and the conviction he has in our guys is evident when you say, 'We're not trading this guy,'" said Connelly. "Ant's just such a competitive guy. He wants to make sure we're moving in the right direction, and we keep getting better and better."

Minnesota moved off Julius Randle's salary this week, dropping five spots in the draft order in the process. Connelly also confirmed he attempted to trade back into Tuesday's first round without success. The Wolves had previously engaged in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussions before the deal fell through, with reports indicating Jaden McDaniels, whom Edwards frequently calls his "favorite player," would have been required in any package.

Ayo Dosunmu, who agreed to a five-year, $112 million deal Monday, joins Edwards, McDaniels and Naz Reid as cornerstones of Minnesota's core going forward.

Multiple NBA teams have interest in trading for New Orleans Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III. The Pelicans have reportedly set a high price for Murphy and initially wanted a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. That didn't happen, making it unclear how New Orleans will proceed this offseason.

The Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers and Boston Celtics have all been linked to Murphy. There were reports that the Pelicans had engaged the Celtics in talks for the No. 27 pick. New Orleans planned to trade into the first round and select center Chris Cenac Jr., who was ultimately picked by Boston.