We're just a few weeks away from players reporting to training camp. Once that happens, preseason is soon to follow, and shortly after that, we have the start of the 2026-27 NBA regular season -- a year I think will be one of the best in recent memory.
Anyway, while the season hasn't officially begun yet, it doesn't mean that teams aren't working right now. General managers are making calls, players are angling toward new homes, coaches are concocting new schemes, and new NBA rumors are popping.
So, here is what some of the things going on in the shadows look like.
Domantas Sabonis on the trade block
It has begun. We told you that you'd get tired of hearing about Domantas Sabonis trades by the end of the season, and with so many big names already changing teams this offseason, it looks like the focus is now on the three-time All-Star.
According to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, Sabonis wants to play for a team other than the Sacramento Kings. This makes perfect sense from his perspective. Sabonis (who is entering his age-30 season) is in the prime of his career, and the Kings (after drafting Darius Acuff) look to be entering a new era.
The question is who is going to trade for him. Sabonis is a very good basketball player, but he is also a flawed one. His vertical limitations make it hard to build a strong defense around him, and his lack of 3-point shooting makes it hard to put defense-first forwards around him (since those players also tend not to be able to shoot). Sabonis is also making a boatload of cash (27.6% of the salary cap). So, whoever trades for him will need to have their books in order.
Fischer mentioned that the Toronto Raptors were pretty interested in adding Sabonis back in February, but now that they have Kawhi Leonard, they aren't too keen on trading for the Southpaw. The Charlotte Hornets, who recently traded away LaMelo Ball and opened up a ton of cap space by doing so, now appear to be the leaders in the clubhouse. However, given that their best players (Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Naz Reid, and Coby White) are pretty offense-focused, adding Sabonis may not be in their best interest.
The Los Angeles Clippers are keeping Brandon Ingram
The Los Angeles Clippers just had the hammer dropped on them by the league front office. Five future first round picks and millions in fines. To try and recoup some of their draft assets, many have speculated that the team may try to trade Brandon Ingram, whom they recently acquired in the Leonard trade with the Raptors.
However, it seems that the Clippers have no intention of trading Ingram right now. Ingram's value is at a real low point right now, as the Raptors didn't seem to miss him when he got hurt in their first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On top of that, him, Darius Garland, and their solid cast of role players could be enough to keep the Clippers respectable this season and give the team's fans something to be semi-excited about.
My guess is that the Clippers are hoping that Ingram can rehab his value this season, and once that happens, they will try to move on from him in the future.
Zach LaVine for Trae Young?
The other marquee Kings player we will be hearing in trade talks pretty frequently this year is Zach LaVine. In fact, according to Kings Insider Jason Ham, the Kings turned down an offer from the Washington Wizards to swap him for Trae Young.
The reason for this is not that the Kings want to hold on to LaVine. Rather, it was because the team knew that Young would be looking for an extension (which eventually ended up being true), and they weren't ready to commit long-term money to the former All-NBA guard.
Who will get moved first: LaVine or Sabonis? I think Sabonis is viewed a little more highly by the rest of the league, but who knows at this point. One thing is certian: we'll be hearing both of these guys names pretty often over the next few weeks/months.
Add us as a preferred source on Google