With the 2024 NBA Draft now over, the league’s trade market is expected to continue to see trade activity over the weekend, league sources told Yahoo Sports, with various clubs looking to add players or restructure salaries for next season before free agency opens at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday and the start of the 2024-25 fiscal year.
The Denver Nuggets, for example, sent three future second-round picks to Charlotte to move Reggie Jackson’s $5.2 million salary in the second round of Thursday’s draft, sources said, a move that should give Denver some needed flexibility as NBA officials prepare for veteran Nuggets swingman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to leave the team in free agency after he declined his $15.4 million player option on Thursday.
There are several other important player option and contract guarantee decisions looming in the next 48 hours, but perhaps the most important is Paul George’s $48.7 million option to remain with the Clippers. George could decline it and potentially sign Caldwell-Pope on the open market. Another wing to consider for the perimeter talent mix, Brandon Ingram, is expected to be available for trade in New Orleans if Ingram’s representatives and the Pelicans front office are unable to work out a long-term extension before Ingram enters the final year of his current contract in 2024-25, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
David Griffin told reporters after the first round on Wednesday night that the Pelicans would like to keep Ingram and that Ingram would like to remain in New Orleans, but the Pelicans have never paid the luxury tax and New Orleans would likely have to draw the line below Ingram’s maximum salary.
Sources say Ingram is listed somewhere below George on Philadelphia’s target list this offseason, but it’s unclear where Ingram fits among the Sixers’ wing targets, positioned between Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. If George rejects Philadelphia, the Sixers could easily acquire Ingram with their $60 million-plus cap space, but would Philadelphia’s three first-round picks be enough for Ingram?
Cleveland continues to be mentioned by league sources as a possible replacement for Ingram, but there’s no easy path to getting such a deal done with the Cavaliers. Sources say Cleveland is interested in Ingram and values his skills, but Cavaliers officials are reluctant to part with the team’s core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and NBA officials continue to prepare for Mitchell to sign a lucrative contract extension. It’s hard to see a path to bring Ingram to Northeast Ohio without also letting Allen, a longtime target for New Orleans, go. (Nets big man Nic Claxton, another center the Pelicans had their eye on, is currently under contract for another four years and $100 million in Brooklyn.) Sources say Cleveland doesn’t want to let Garland go, even if his agent at Klutch Sports tries to push for a trade himself.
Atlanta is another popular team that league sources have mentioned as a possible destination for Ingram, but no substantive discussions have taken place between the Hawks and Pelicans, sources said, since the two teams discussed trade scenarios involving Dejounte Murray before the trade deadline in February. While Atlanta was focused on getting the No. 1 pick in this week’s draft, the Hawks decided to trade in the second round, ultimately acquiring Nikola Juricic, sources said. The Hawks will definitely be weighing trade possibilities for Murray, All-Star guards Trae Young and Clint Capela, and any roster players outside of Jalen Johnson and Zachary Lisacher, sources said. League sources told Yahoo Sports that Young has the Pelicans in mind as a possible next team, in addition to the Spurs and Lakers, but Young is not considered a fit in New Orleans’ situation with CJ McCollum currently in the backcourt.
One team that could be interested in acquiring Ingram is Sacramento. The Kings are looking at a variety of avenues to acquire wings, from Kyle Kuzma to Zach LaVine, and Ingram could be another option Sacramento considers, according to people familiar with the matter. The Kings have veteran wings Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter, but sources said Sacramento put them on the trade market at the last deadline. Their combined salaries would be a near perfect match for Ingram’s $36 million when his contract expires in 2024-25.
Next steps for Utah
The Jazz have more than $40 million in cap space, the salaries of veterans like John Collins and Jordan Clarkson and future draft capital in reserve, meaning they could potentially acquire anyone on the market, from Ingram to George. That’s why Utah put itself forward in the running for Mikal Bridges, and why the Nets ultimately sent the 27-year-old wing to New York, sources said.
The Jazz are in a similar situation to Brooklyn before they let Bridges go: a non-championship roster with a 27-year-old core on a valuable contract that had the whole league interested. That centerpiece for Utah is Lauri Markkanen, who, unlike Bridges, is already an All-Star and will be in the final year of his contract if he doesn’t reach an extension with Utah in the coming days and weeks. At this point, sources say, the Jazz are expected to prioritize Markkanen’s contract extension, and Utah officials made that clear when they approached Bridges. There’s nothing to stop rival teams from calling and expressing interest in Markkanen, with the hope that Utah might decide to punt like Brooklyn did if the Jazz can’t secure a player close to a second star to replace Markkanen.
Utah is clearly looking to take an opportunity — there were specific discussions about Murray between the Jazz and Hawks at the trade deadline, per sources — and what big moves Utah makes this summer beyond addressing the Markkanen situation could be one of the most intriguing situations of the NBA offseason.
Meanwhile, even after re-signing Claxton, the Nets remain open to acquiring veterans such as Cam Johnson or Dorian Finney-Smith, sources said.
The Bucks continue to be mentioned by league sources as a team to watch on the trade market. Milwaukee used the 33rd pick in the second round on Thursday to acquire future center Tyler Smith. Smith could replace Brook Lopez as early as this season if Milwaukee does indeed part ways with the veteran center, who is in the final year of his contract. Pat Connaughton and Bobby Portis also continue to be mentioned as trade candidates, sources said.
Another interesting math problem remains for the Warriors. Golden State reportedly agreed to increase Chris Paul’s guarantee for the 2024-25 season, delaying the team’s effective deadline to maintain his $30 million salary next year. Golden State already guaranteed Kevon Looney $8 million after Gary Payton II exercised his $9.1 million player option. All three of those players, plus swingman Andrew Wiggins, are potential exit points for the Warriors as Golden State tries to reassemble a championship-contender roster around Stephen Curry.
