Buying or Selling Latest NBA Trade and Offseason Rumors
Many of the highest-profile NBA free agents have already agreed to new deals, but Damian Lillard's long-awaited trade request assures we've got no shortage of rumors and reports to dissect as we progress further into July.
Where will Lillard ultimately land, and do the Portland Trail Blazers even care?
Which remaining restricted free agents are the biggest flight risks?
How long will Joel Embiid put up with the transactional revolving doors in Philly?
Let's check out the buzz on these issues and several others as we buy or sell the latest NBA free-agency and trade rumors.
Grant Williams Done in Boston?
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The addition of Kristaps Porziņģis to the Boston Celtics' frontcourt rotation should add intriguing spacing, shot-making and rim-protection. According to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, it may also result in restricted free agent Grant Williams heading out of town.
The 24-year-old never averaged more than last year's 8.1 points per game during his four seasons with Boston, but his defensive versatility and reliable three-point shooting played key roles in a handful of deep playoff runs. Celtics fans won't soon forget the seven threes Williams hit against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals.
If money were no object, Boston would certainly want Williams back. Porziņģis adds a new dynamic on both ends, but Williams' high effort level and grimy competitiveness would have counted for a little extra with Marcus Smart no longer in the fold. Or, at least it would have until Boston landed hard-nosed combo forward Oshae Brissett on a two-year, minimum deal in free agency.
That move gave the Celtics a projected payroll of just over $175 million for 12 players. Retaining Williams on a deal in the neighborhood of the three-year, $51 million pact fellow restricted free agent Rui Hachimura inked with the Los Angeles Lakers would send Boston zooming past the second apron.
Buy or Sell: Buy Williams' days in Boston coming to a close. The combination of Porziņģis and Brissett can fill the gaps left by Williams' impending absence, and the new CBA makes it too onerous to pay him a market-rate salary.
Blazers Not Cooperating with Damian Lillard?
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For too long, the Portland Trail Blazers refused to make the cold, calculated (and correct) decision to trade Damian Lillard. Now, in the wake of a Dame trade request everyone in the organization should have seen coming a mile away, the Blazers have made quite the pivot.
Suddenly, they're done being sentimental.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Portland, aware of Lillard's preference to land with the Miami Heat, is "open for business everywhere in the league." The implication being: The Blazers aren't going to consider Lillard's wishes when comparing trade offers. That's a tough look in light of Lillard's extreme loyalty over the past few seasons. He watched Portland try and fail to give him a good enough supporting cast, holding off on a trade demand as several of his superstar peers forced their way out of similar situations.
Lillard was criticized in some corners for not asking out sooner. He exhibited an almost unbelievable level of patience, giving his team ample time to get things right. They didn't, he finally requested relocation, and now the Blazers are suddenly this unfeeling, all-business operation?
Portland has bungled the PR game before, but previous top exec Neil Olshey was in charge when the team gave some unsatisfying answers about the vetting process that led to head coach Chauncey Billups' hire in 2021. These are different circumstances, but we can now add failing to honor Lillard's wishes to the list of unsavory, public-facing gaffes.
Buy or Sell: Buy the Blazers looking for the best Lillard deal possible, but doing it in a way that feels almost vindictive. As a result: Sell Portland's reputation around the league as a player-friendly locale.
Jerami Grant a Trade Candidate?
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Jerami Grant got the figurative bag, and it sounds like he'll need to pack a literal one in short order.
A five-year, $160 million contract for a 29-year-old role player doesn't make sense in the context of a rebuild, which is why a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype indicating Grant may not last long with the Portland Trail Blazers tracks logically.
Per Scotto: "Another trade candidate to monitor down the line will be Jerami Grant, who agreed to a five-year, $160 million deal with the Blazers before the team received word that Lillard wanted out of Portland."
The oddest element here is the suggestion that Lillard's trade request came as a surprise to the Blazers. A franchise that doesn't trade away its draft capital and young players while purportedly trying to build a contender around its superstar—one that also selects said superstar's positional replacement with the No. 3 pick–probably should have seen this scenario coming.
Grant is a quality starter, but he's never been an All-Star and is now set to collect an average of $32 million per season through 2027-28. As a coveted three-and-D combo forward who can create his own looks in a pinch, Grant fits just about anywhere. But his price tag is high enough that there's no guarantee he'll be movable for positive value.
Buy or Sell: Buy Portland seeking to move Grant in the wake of Lillard's decision, but sell the idea that getting decent assets back will be easy.
Joel Embiid Isn't Going Anywhere
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Every July, the NBA redoubles its efforts to prove truth is stranger than fiction. Superstars change teams in dramatic fashion, seemingly stable organizations blow things up and new powers emerge out of nowhere.
Once the bedlam subsides, we settle into a state of relative calm...before the next crop of disgruntled stars and ambitious executives start figuring out how to upend everything next summer.
Keep that cycle of chaotic renewal in mind while digesting this note on Joel Embiid from The Heavy's Sean Deveney:
"No, just no way," one GM said flatly when asked about Embiid asking out. "He is a different kind of character. He is a lot more like (Damian) Lillard and (Bradley) Beal because he wants to be loyal to the team, he wants to stay there, he has a lot of appreciation for how he has been treated there. Now, his contract is up in (2026) so that's three years. It's tough, the position he is in. If we're still talking about this in three years, you'd expect the story to change by then."
We have to start by noting the comparison to Lillard and Beal, both of whom will play for different teams in 2023-24. Those aren't the best names to invoke when making the case a player won't ask for a trade. Granted, they lasted longer than most thought was wise before requesting a move. But they're better used as examples proving no one stays put forever—not the opposite.
Embiid has seen the Philadelphia 76ers turn Ben Simmons into James Harden, and now Harden is on the way out. Doc Rivers is gone, too, replaced by Nick Nurse. Tyrese Maxey won't get his max extension this summer, and the Sixers are losing role players in free agency left and right. That's a lot of upheaval.
In the wake of a hugely disappointing postseason, one that followed Embiid's MVP campaign, it's hard to buy such a firm assertion that the superstar center won't be the next big name to angle for a trade.
Buy or Sell: Sell Embiid being the exception to the "everyone with enough clout gets restless eventually" rule. Maybe he won't follow Lillard and Beal's example right away. But it'd be naive to think he won't put serious pressure on the Sixers if they don't do something substantial soon.
Tyler Herro Has Negative Value?
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Either the Brooklyn Nets are putting on a master class in leverage exploitation, or everyone believes the Miami Heat's deep playoff run proved Tyler Herro isn't all that helpful.
According to B/R's Chris Haynes, Herro was rumored to be part of the package the Heat would offer Portland for Damian Lillard. But since we're still in the early phases of trade negotiations and details are fluid, it's also possible the Nets could nose in to help facilitate a deal if Portland doesn't want to add Herro to a backcourt that already features Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons.
Per Ian Begley of SNY, the Nets would be open to acquiring Herro if they got some draft picks for their trouble.
That's...at least a little odd, right?
Herro didn't feature in the Heat's 2023 run to the Finals, but he was a factor when they made it that far in 2020—as a rookie, no less. At 23 and coming off two straight seasons averaging over 20.0 points per game, Herro is set to make an average of $30 million per season through 2026-27. Maybe that seems excessive for an offense-first combo guard, but Herro's youth and demonstrated playoff value distinguish his deal from, say, Grant's in Portland.
Buy or Sell: Sell Brooklyn needing draft compensation to take on Herro. The Nets could use more shot-creators in the backcourt. This stance seems more like Brooklyn trying to squeeze a conference rival than proof Herro has negative trade value. The Nets aren't incentivized to help another team land Lillard, so they're probably just hoping to make things as costly as possible for Miami.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@gt_hughes), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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