At the end of the beloved first installment of the Arkham franchise, Arkham Asylum, the Joker asks Batman why he never stops coming at him. To which, The Dark Knight responds, "I'll never let you win. Never."
In his essence, Batman is the ultimate model for indefatigability. He never stops coming at villians like the Joker -- regardless of when you may want to count him out.
In a weird way, this isn't too different than the NBA rumor mill. No matter how many players get traded, there will always be new names that come up to keep the machine going. It's a never ending cycle.
With Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, and LeBron James all on new teams, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler III, and Trey Murphy III are here to fill that void. So, in the spirit of this cycle (and Batman), let's predict where all these marquee players will be playing by the end of the 2026-27 season.
Anthony Davis
What a weird couple of years its been for Anthony Davis. For years, it seemed like it would be him who would be guiding the Los Angeles Lakers once James concluded his playing days. Then, out of nowhere, he was traded for Luka Dončić in what was probably the most stunning trade in league history. Then, less than a year later, the Dallas Mavericks sold him off to the Washington Wizards, who suddenly find themselves in win-now mode.
You'd think this would be the end of the Davis trade speculation. But with a player of his magnitude on a deal that could expire after this season (he has a player option for 2027-28), the noise is still loud and clear.
The two parties have decided to wait to see how the start of the season plays out before negotiating an extension with Davis. Given his extensive injury history and age (he's 33), this makes sense. But it also opens up the possibility that he could be moved before the deadline for the third straight years.
I'm not entirely sure what the precedent is for a player of Davis' caliber being traded three times in three midseason deals, but I'm going to take the safe bet and say that the Wizards are competitive enough that this won't happen here. And if they aren't, it likely means that Davis isn't healthy and no one will really be looking to add him anways.
Prediction: Washington Wizards
Jimmy Butler III
The Golden State Warriors are trying to squeez whatever is left of the Steph Curry/Draymond Green/Steve Kerr era. Jimmy Butler III is still one of the better players in the league. So, why would they ever want to trade him?
Simple. He's probably going to miss half the year as he recovers from a torn ACL injury he suffered last year, and since he's already 37, there is no guarantee he'll come back the same player he once was. In fact, it is highly unlikely.
As a result, I think the Warriors ultimately use Butler's salary in a trade for a player who can help them right now. One guy I think that could be is Michael Porter Jr., who plays the same position as Butler, makes a reasonable amount of money to forseeably make the salaries work, and boasts a level of movement shooting that is perfect for the kind of offense Kerr wants to run. The Brooklyn Nets, who will probably be very bad this year, probably won't mind the extra draft capital that comes with Butler.
Prediction: Brooklyn Nets
Trey Murphy III
As of right now, the New Orleans Pelicans do not intend on trading Trey Murphy III. They think they are in win-now mode, but I tend to believe that they won't be too far off from the 26-56 team they were last year. This could lead to them being more open to the prospect of trading the 26-year-old.
One team who could be interested is the Detroit Pistons. They have opted to take the patient approach over the last couple of years. However, I forsee them taking a step back this year. And if that happens, the front office may finally be willing to pull the trigger on a trade for Cade Cunningham's sidekick. Insert, Murphy.
Prediction: Detroit Pistons
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