NBA Trade Predictions for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, More
Big names change teams every NBA offseason. This summer isn't going to be any different.
If anything, star movement will be more hectic than usual.
Free agency no longer promises these marquee splashes, but that just tips the scales toward more trades. Between extension-eligibility crossroads and organizational pivots, this offseason is already teeming with inflection points and blockbuster possibilities.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's future is up in the air. Ditto for Ja Morant. The Cleveland Cavaliers' core is potentially on life support. Speculative Boston Celtics whispers are back in vogue.
The playoffs have yet to crown a champion, but this offseason's star-trade landscape is already demanding that we break out the crystal ball and predict how the most polarizing situations play out.
For fun's sake, we'll open each section with a general prediction and then close with a more specific, usually spicier one.
Memphis Grizzlies Trade Ja Morant, but Only Get One 1st-Round Pick
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Bleacher Report draft guru Jonathan Wasserman has the Memphis Grizzlies selecting forward Cam Boozer with the No. 3 pick. It's easier to hold onto Ja Morant in hopes he reboots his internal and external value if you're not taking a guard.
Still, the Grizzlies were openly shopping him heading into the trade deadlines. Their commitment to a full reset has only intensified after jettisoning Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz. They will complete the dismantling of their previous era this summer.
Moving Morant should be easier in the coming months than this past winter. He probably won't be any team's primary target, but he'll be a big-name flier to whom moderately and aggressively desperate front offices default if they whiff on glitzier targets.
Yet, while that opens up the Grizzlies' options, it doesn't significantly boost his potential return. He has played in just 79 combined games the past three seasons and is now four years removed from his only All-NBA selection in 2022.
The two guaranteed seasons left on Morant's contract will help Memphis get more for him than the Atlanta Hawks accepted for Trae Young. But it won't be by much.
Unless the Grizzlies are taking back undesirable salaries, they'll be lucky to get more than one outright first-round pick.
Bonus Prediction: Morant gets traded to Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Phoenix or Sacramento.
Jaylen Brown Will Not be Traded…to Milwaukee
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Contrary to what certain NBA legends might believe or say, Jaylen Brown has zero intention of requesting a trade. Then again, the Boston Celtics may not need him to ask. Their apparent interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo could make the decision for them.
Shams Charania of ESPN recently confirmed the Celtics are expected to check in with Milwaukee as it ramps up trade talks. Given the team's lack of middle-rung matching salaries, any package has to include Brown or Jayson Tatum.
And it's not going to be Tatum.
There is a reasonable debate to be had about whether the Celtics should offer Brown and picks for Giannis. The latter's rim pressure alone would be an excellent additive to Boston's offense.
But the idea of going whole hog for a 31-year-old Giannis with a recently checkered health bill and who's speeding toward a massive payday isn't inarguably palatable. The Celtics will have more optionality in the years to come by holding serve. That's before even noting the Bucks probably won't be too hot for a supermax'd soon-to-be 30-year-old as the centerpiece of any deal.
This isn't tantamount to guaranteeing Brown's return. The Celtics may be more apt to consider scenarios that net them multiple picks and players of their own as they look to stay under the tax for another year and make upgrades to the frontline, ball-handling and creator ranks. While yours truly would bet against it happening, this possibility will gain more momentum than the Giannis-to-Boston murmurings.
Bonus Prediction: If Jaylen Brown gets traded, it will be to Atlanta, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Houston, Miami, Minnesota or Toronto.
Cleveland Cavaliers Will Trade at Least One All-Star
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Writing the Cleveland Cavaliers' obituary is premature. They remain alive against the Detroit Pistons, and their offseason approach hinges largely on how the season ends.
Even so, short of making it to the Finals or winning the title, the Cavs are barreling toward major change. And let's be real: Have you seen enough from this core to believe it can beat the Knicks, let alone the Thunder, Spurs or Minnesota Timberwolves?
After finishing this season as the only second-apron squad, Cleveland projects to enter it again next year. The roster-building restrictions alone are daunting enough to tempt cost-cutting even after winning a title.
Throw in the prospect of coming up short alongside James Harden's free agency (player option), Donovan Mitchell's extension eligibility and constantly shifting perception of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, and it'll be a genuine surprise if all four of the team's stars are back for 2026-27.
The question of who gets traded depends on the Cavs' intentions. If Mitchell wants to stick around, using Mobley to chase a more proven name (like Giannis Antetokounmpo) takes center stage. But if the former is getting antsy, Cleveland is more likely to move on from him, Harden and even Allen and attempt to reorient around Mobley.
Bonus Prediction: If the Cavs get eliminated before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, one of Mitchell or Mobley will get traded.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Traded to an Eastern Conference Team
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The Milwaukee Bucks are again accepting trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo. And this time, they really mean it.
With just one guaranteed year left on his contract (2027-28 player option), the two-time MVP will have significant leverage over where he winds up. The Bucks have to do what's best for the franchise, but any team acquiring him without receiving his stamp of approval isn't going to fork over the moon.
This gives Eastern Conference suitors an automatic leg-up. Giannis doesn't have a ton of interest in journeying westward, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic—presumably because he has looked at the depth charts in Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
We can apparently narrow down the field even further, too. Amick adds that Giannis only has eyes for "true" contenders. That's a potentially tough break for the Brooklyn Nets, and if we're being honest, the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.
Some of the prospective destinations Giannis would approve are bad news for the Bucks (New York Knicks). Others aren't so bad (Cleveland Cavaliers). A select few are complicated as hell (Boston Celtics). Rest assured, though, Giannis will be shipped somewhere inside the East.
Bonus Prediction: Giannis lands in Cleveland, New York, Miami, Charlotte or Brooklyn and doesn't get Milwaukee as much as you'd think.
LeBron James Leaves Los Angeles Lakers via Sign-and-Trade
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LeBron James failed to announce his plans for the future within minutes of the Los Angeles Lakers getting swept by the Thunder. The nerve of him.
We can at least safely assume that retirement isn't one of the options he is considering. He will want—and deserves—a retirement tour.
Regardless of whether next year is LeBron's last, it won't be coming with the Lakers. Neither side has publicly ruled out a return, but the shifting timeline dynamics post-Luka Dončić trade led to a meaningful role shift for the four-time MVP. He handled it well and was effective as a third option, but if that's what remains in store for him, he will be better off taking the pay cut the Lakers will insist he accept anyway to join a suitor with more title equity next season.
Sign-and-trade scenarios could be LeBron's only path to leaving L.A. and receiving more than the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception. The Cavaliers can't offer him more than the minimum. Linking up with the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić would be basketball nirvana but requires him accepting the $6.1 million mini MLE or the minimum. It's the same situation with the Knicks.
Acquiring LeBron via sign-and-trade hard-caps teams at the first apron, which excludes the Denvers, Clevelands and New Yorks of the world. The Golden State Warriors could make it work. The same goes for the Minnesota Timberwolves or San Antonio Spurs, each of which would represent one of the most ethical ring-chasing spots.
Generally speaking, we should root against LeBron choosing Cleveland. That would strongly suggest next year is his last, and he played well enough this season that we can still hold out hope his run continues through his 25th year of service in 2027-28.
Wherever LeBron's summer journey takes him, though, just know that it won't bring him back to Hollywood—unless he's got a thing for, and an inflated offer from, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Bonus Prediction: LeBron will end up with the Warriors via sign-and-trade.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
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