BS Meter on Latest NBA Trade Rumors with Reads on Giannis, Knicks and More
With the 2025 NBA draft just around the corner and free agency not far behind, rumors and reports are starting to swirl.
Trade chatter involving Giannis Antetokounmpo may not have gained as much volume as some suspected, but the uncertainty surrounding his future with the Milwaukee Bucks remains the most compelling offseason storyline.
Elsewhere, talk of Darius Garland changing jerseys, the New York Knicks' coaching search and the Boston Celtics' seemingly imminent teardown warrant plenty of attention.
Here, we'll scan the latest news and reports to determine what feels real and what doesn't.
Jason Kidd Sticking with the Mavs?
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Despite all the intrigue and mutual interest between Jason Kidd and the currently coachless New York Knicks, The Athletic’s Christian Clark and Sam Amick report “there are strong signs” Jason Kidd isn’t going anywhere. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania seemingly slammed the door, noting the Mavs “firmly rejected” New York’s request to talk to Kidd about its coaching vacancy.
One key tidbit in Clark and Amick’s reporting helps explain all the leaks and uncertainty: “Kidd, ultimately, is hoping to parlay the Knicks’ interest into a lucrative contract extension.”
Kidd has had something of an itinerant coaching career, jumping from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Brooklyn Nets, followed by an assistant stint with the Los Angeles Lakers prior to landing his current gig. He hasn’t always left jobs on good terms, was once part of a rare trade as a head coach and tends to have a wandering eye.
A leverage play for a new contract in Dallas feels pretty on-brand.
Things could still change here. If Kidd doesn’t get an extension and starts suggesting he’d like to explore his options, the Mavs might have to recognize the relationship is a little frayed. Maybe then they’d change their stance on the Knicks’ entreaties. Organizations shouldn’t employ head coaches who aren’t totally bought in—and one could forgive Kidd for losing faith in a team that dealt away Luka Dončić for 25 cents on the dollar.
BS Meter: Detectable Amounts
The Mavericks seem to have shut this down for now. But Kidd’s history indicates the issue may not be dead forever.
Kings Eyeing Darius Garland?
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Appearing on ESPN 850 in Cleveland, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted: “I think there’s some belief that Darius Garland might be available under the right circumstances. … I don’t think Darius Garland wants to go anywhere. … But I think the Cavs are listening and open-minded without actively trying to think that they need to change their roster."
That’s not far off from what we were hearing around this time last year, following a somewhat similar postseason disappointment by the Cleveland Cavaliers. One difference this time around: We’ve got a specific team with eyes on Garland.
Per Grant Afseth of RG.org, the Sacramento Kings have tabbed Garland “as a trade target.”
Garland underwent toe surgery and is expected to miss 4-5 months, which adds a level of uncertainty to his future. If Cleveland was already looking for a shake-up, that prolonged recovery and Garland’s general hard luck on the injury front could make a move more likely.
The Kings, having lost De’Aaron Fox following a trade request last season, desperately need a point guard and have never shied away from loading their roster with offense-first threats.
BS Meter: Medium
Though no one else is corroborating the Sacramento angle, the team’s need for a ball-handler makes the “Garland as trade target” report pretty obvious. The Cavs’ willingness to move Garland is a little sketchier; it’s difficult to imagine them improving the roster by dealing a player coming off averages of 20.6 points and 6.7 assists on a 47.2/40.1/87.8 shooting split.
Wait, Giannis Is Staying in Milwaukee?
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It just felt like this time was different, didn’t it?
Sure, Giannis Antetokounmpo has applied pressure to the Milwaukee Bucks before, intimating he’d consider not signing an extension once or twice in an effort to get the team to surround him with win-now talent. But there’s no extension on the table this summer, the Bucks are stuck paying $54.1 million in dead money to an injured Damian Lillard in 2025-26 and they’ve used up all their roster-improving tools in previous trades.
When ESPN’s Shams Charania reported “Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere,” it was easy to side with Giannis on practical grounds. Milwaukee, ousted in the first round three years running, was circling the drain. It was time to leave.
Except now we’ve got ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reporting on The Hoop Collective Podcast: "Right now, there is no Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market. There is no Giannis Antetokounmpo trade discussions. He has not asked for it. The Bucks are not looking to trade him."
Pair that update with Jake Fischer noting on a Bleacher Report live stream that the confidence rival teams once had about a Giannis move “has been replaced with skepticism," and you've got what seems like pretty concrete proof no trade is imminent.
BS Meter: Moderate
Giannis has been exceptionally loyal to the Bucks, and it seems like he’s staying on brand. Still, Milwaukee’s inflexibility and lack of top-end talent around the two-time MVP are impossible to ignore. Don’t pencil him into the Bucks’ opening-night starting five just yet. We have a lot of offseason left.
Celtics Open to Trading Jrue Holiday?
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Jake Fischer of the Stein Line reported the Boston Celtics are “most definitely listening” to trade offers involving Jrue Holiday.
Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles removed Boston’s championship ceiling in 2025-26. A projected $500 million payroll and tax bill meant cost-cutting changes might have been imminent even if Tatum hadn’t suffered that devastating injury against the New York Knicks.
The Celtics need to trim approximately $20 million to get under the second apron, and they can get out of the tax entirely if they can find a way to offload about twice that amount. While ducking the second apron will be key to opening up more flexibility, avoiding the tax line will provide the real savings. Boston has until the end of 2025-26 to make those moves, but it makes sense to get some of the job done as soon as this offseason.
Derrick White is the least expensive of the starters Boston might try to unload, but he’s in his prime and on a bargain contract. Jaylen Brown is due $53 million next year and would be difficult to send out for fair value—particularly with the entire league knowing how desperate the Celtics are.
Holiday fits right in the middle. He’s still a quality starter, albeit an aging one whose deal has three years and $104 million left.
BS Meter: None
Holiday is on the decline, and his deal might only look worse as time passes. He’s the guy the Celtics should be trying hardest to move.
Rockets Taking a Second Run at Brook Lopez?
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The Houston Rockets might be looking to head down a familiar path with Brook Lopez, hopefully with better results this time around.
Marc Stein reported on his Stein Line Substack that the Houston Rockets "would once again have interest in signing Lopez" if they can’t hang onto free-agent center Steven Adams.
Houston thought it had Brook Lopez in the bag two summers ago, only to watch the floor-stretching veteran big man get away after he had second thoughts about leaving the Milwaukee Bucks. Considering the inflexibility and seemingly sub-contending ceiling in Milwaukee, Lopez would likely feel better about heading to Houston now than he did in 2023.
Adams and Lopez are vastly different players, though the former was integral to some highly successful two-big looks late in the regular season and in the playoffs. Lopez’s deep range sets him apart, and that particular skill could be key to providing enough space to allow an offense that otherwise lacks it to flourish.
Adams, Alperen Sengün and Amen Thompson got the job done in 2024-25, but slotting Lopez into Adams’ spot in those units would create far more room for everyone else to operate. Lopez is heading into his age-37 season, but he shot 37.3 percent from deep last year and has missed a grand total of nine games across the past three campaigns.
BS Meter: Very little
If Giannis sticks around in Milwaukee, it’d make a Lopez exit less likely. But the quality of fit in Houston is hard to ignore.
