The starting gun on the NBA offseason has already been fired for 26 of 30 teams, with Oklahoma City, San Antonio, New York and Cleveland left to duke it out for a championship.
The 2026 NBA Draft is just over a month away on June 23, with free agency shortly thereafter. As LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and other major names face potential relocations in the months ahead, here are the latest NBA rumors worth your attention:
Several NBA contenders connected to free agent LeBron James
- Knicks, Warriors, Cavaliers and Knicks are 'teams to monitor' in the LeBron James sweepstakes
- He could still re-sign in L.A. and play one more season for the Lakers
NBA insider Marc Stein offered up the firmest reporting yet on LeBron James' NBA future. At 41 years old, James will most likely play one more season, then retire, rather than playing for multiple years. Which team he will spend his potential final season with, however, remains unclear.
The Knicks, Cavaliers, Warriors and Clippers are all mentioned as possible landing spots. Golden State has "maintained a longstanding interest" in signing the 22-time All-Star, but their financial resources are limited. Same for the Cavs and Knicks, two contenders in the Eastern Conference Finals with established starting lineups (h/t Bleacher Report).
The Clippers are the wild card of the bunch, but James has a connection to Ty Lue and he'd surely relish the chance to remain at home in Los Angeles. The idea of LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard teaming up was quite appealing five years ago. It still is, of course, but such a proposition has lost its luster somewhat. Los Angeles missed the playoffs and will be selecting No. 5 in next month's NBA Draft; the Clippers might not be in a position to push all their chips in for a LeBron farewell tour.
According to Stein, the Lakers would have interest in re-signing James at a "steep discount," which could get complicated. LeBron has never taken a discount and there is already palpable friction between him and the L.A. front office, which has completely given itself over to building around Luka Dončić (and understandably so).
Since presumed suitors can't exactly afford a max contract, however, L.A. may ultimately hold the edge. There are certain benefits off-the-court to the Lakers lifestyle, which James has taken full advantage of over the last eight years.
Timberwolves in the mix to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo from Bucks
- Minnesota is expected to re-enter the Giannis sweepstakes after making trade deadline push
- Wolves could trade Jaden McDaniels and either Julius Randle or Naz Reid due to limited draft assets
The Minnesota Timberwolves made a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo at the trade deadline, but he ultimately stayed in Milwaukee to finish out an ill-fated, injury-ridden — not to mention miserable — season. Now he's back on the market, with the Bucks hoping to find a resolution before next month's NBA Draft.
In fact, the Bucks are "more open than ever" to Giannis overtures, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Among the many expected suitors: the Wolves, again, this time with the fresh motivation of a heartbreaking second-round loss to the Spurs.
"This summer will likely be filled with more [Giannis rumors]," writes The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski. "The Bucks are expected to entertain offers for Antetokounmpo with a seriousness that they did not have in February. [Wolves GM Tim] Connelly will likely try to re-engage on that front while also looking at other options around the league."
Minnesota can only trade the No. 28 pick in this year's draft and their 2028 first-round pick, with far fewer assets compared to other potential Giannis suitors, such as Miami or Golden State. That means Minnesota will need to offer up genuine win-now talent, with the combined contracts of Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle (or Naz Reid) serving as the logical foundation of any trade. Minnesota could also float Rudy Gobert to Milwaukee, as he's a somewhat clunky offensive fit next to Antetokounmpo in the frontcourt. The Wolves also like first-year center Joan Beringer, another French shot-blocking extraordinaire.
If the Bucks, absent control over their own draft picks, decide to maintain immediate competitive aspiriations in lieu of Giannis, Minnesota at least has a way to get its foot in the door. The Wolves will also want to maintain the flexibility to re-sign restricted free agent Ayo Dosunumu, while finding cheap ways to fill out the depth chart are two expensive, supermax stars in Giannis and Anthony Edwards.
Sixers begin their search for Daryl Morey's replacement
- Tim Connelly and Onsi Saleh are pipe dream targets as Bob Myers leads Philadelphia's GM search
- OKC draft guru Vince Rozman, former Blazers GM Neil Olshey and current Sixers G League GM Jameer Nelson among other rumored candidates
The Philadelphia 76ers fired President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey shortly after getting punked in the second round by New York. While Morey's credentials are manifold, his stars-over-everything philosophy has lost its potency in the modern era, when contenders are deeper than ever. Philadelphia basically had one functional perimeter player off the bench in the playoffs, which is just unacceptable.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Bob Myers has begun to look at several potential candidates to take over basketball operations in Philadelphia. Myers said he wants to hire someone before the NBA Draft in June, but that his focus is on hiring the right person for the long haul. He will manage the Sixers front office in the interim.
The most prominent names on the list are Timberwolves president Tim Connelly and Hawks GM Onsi Saleh. Connelly built Denver into a championship team and then build a Wolves team that dispatched Denver in back-to-back postseasons. Saleh worked under Myers previously in Golden State and finished second in Executive of the Year voting in his first season in Atlanta. Both are considered longshots, however, as neither Minnesota nor Atlanta is expected to grant permission to Philadelphia for interviews.
More realistic candidates, per Stein, include Oklahoma City VP of Identification and Intelligence Vince Rozman, who leads the Thunder's draft strategy under Sam Presti. He previously worked in Philadelphia for nine years, starting under Sam Hinkie in 2013. Also mentioned are former Blazers GM Neil Olshey, another close Myers associate, and current Delaware Blue Coats GM Jameer Nelson, who'd be an internal hire.
There have been rumors all season of a "likely expanded role" for Nelson in Philadelphia, but it's unclear if the Sixers would promote him to lead executive status with such limited front office experience.
Olshey has been a Sixers consultant since 2023. He was fired from Portland in 2021 for violating the team's code of conduct, with an investigation revealing a toxic work environment.
Notably, despite initial speculation, there is no indication that Bob Myers will pick himself for the Sixers' GM job, as he's content in his role as President of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. He recently led the GM search for the NFL's Washington Commanders, another professional club under the Harris Blitzer ownership umbrella.
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