With the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade all but officially in our rearview mirror and the 2026 NBA draft complete, it’s time to look ahead at a fascinating offseason. Here are seven questions worth keeping an eye on over the next couple of weeks. Some are under the radar, some are obvious, and some exist to scratch a personal curiosity.
Where do the Boston Celtics go from here?
The Celtics tried and failed to acquire Antetokounmpo earlier this week. Their decision to reportedly put Jaylen Brown in their offer has created an uncomfortable predicament that, while not unmanageable, may also represent a point of no return. Now, before we go any further, allow me to present a few facts:
- The Celtics won 56 games and finished in the top five in offensive rating, defensive rating, and net rating last season.
- Jayson Tatum played in just 16 games and did not make his debut until March 6.
- Everyone from last year’s roster is still under contract except Nikola Vucevic.
So even though they blew a 3-1 lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 1, it’s fair to say that the Celtics are still an excellent basketball team. Related: I don’t really get why a team that was so close to winning it all would feel the need to trade a top-10-ish player while he’s in his prime and under contract for three more seasons. Effectively swapping him for a superstar who’d get you closer to a championship—like Giannis—is a different question. Otherwise, I’d keep him. Unless another team steps forward with a Godfather offer that promises to deepen, revitalize, and diversify Boston’s roster while reducing financial strain and/or adding a bunch of draft picks.
“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us," Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said after the draft. “I'm never going to predict the future. Every indication, everything I think about over the last few years has been building around those guys. You never know. But at the same time, the one thing I want to make very clear is how valued he's always been. He's been amazing. He's been an amazing teammate and a great person to be around."
I’m able to appreciate how difficult it is to build a champion around two players who eat 70 percent of your cap sheet, but Brown’s contract should not be what precipitates a decision to trade him. (While we’re here, I’d like to quibble with a critique that gets tossed around quite a bit: The Celtics are statistically better when Brown is on the bench, but people should stop knocking his on/off splits without acknowledging the fact that the team is also awesome—on offense, especially—when he’s on the court, whether Tatum joins him or not. That kind of matters!)
Theorizing different trade possibilities can be fun, but it’ll be incredibly difficult for a worthy offer for Brown to materialize this summer, assuming Boston operates from the position of strength it’s in. For example, if the Atlanta Hawks want Brown, why would the Celtics agree to anything unless Jalen Johnson is involved? Would the Hawks be willing to offer their 24-year-old All-NBA dunk machine for someone who’s about to turn 30 and makes twice as much money? Probably not! But this is how high Stevens should be aiming. Do the Cleveland Cavaliers think they’re one 2024 Finals MVP away from getting over the hump? If so, the nonnegotiable asking price should be Evan Mobley.
But if Boston wants to shake up its core, what’s more interesting, I think, is the idea that it may be able to sell high on a different player: Derrick White. Yes, we’re talking about someone who ended last season as one of the least efficient volume shooters in the NBA. But White still excels in areas that decide the outcome of basketball games.
Stevens likes to say that when you consider the price of not doing the little things, you realize that there are no little things. This is White’s impact in a nutshell. He might’ve been the most disruptive off-ball defender not named Victor Wembanyama in the NBA last year, finishing second on my ballot for Defensive Player of the Year and making first-team All-Defense. He’s a steady stream of high-IQ decisions, processed and deployed at a speed that keeps him one step ahead of the opposition. Now, this isn’t a Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingis situation … [rubs chin] … or is it? No, it’s not. White is a champion who’s more portable and reliable than Smart ever was. But the comparison lies in a potential for decline. White, who turns 32 next month, probably won’t fall apart as precipitously as Smart did, physically or in terms of his reputation, but there’s a definite chance that we’ve seen his peak.
Every team interested in winning should want him, but how many would be willing to surrender an attractive haul for the chance to pay $91.6 million over the next three years? What if the Cleveland Cavaliers offered Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson, and a pick? Maybe? I know this isn’t the most appetizing hypothetical for either side, but if you’re the Celtics and feel the need to shake things up, there’s definitely some logic in moving off White a year too soon instead of a year late.
Do the Brooklyn Nets still exist?
Barely. We’re talking about an organization that is buried below rock bottom, coming off a pair of wasted seasons that have (so far) yielded zero blue-chip prospects, quaking in the shadow of a New York Knicks championship run that may evaporate generations of potential fans. Adding insult to injury, even if the Nets wanted to stink, there’s no point: They don’t control their own first-round pick in the 2027 draft, hearkening back to a trade for James Harden several lifetimes ago.
I’m normally of the mind that teams should not care about optics or buzz. Don’t operate from the vantage point of a public relations director. But Brooklyn’s current situation is a particular brand of bleak that we haven’t really seen before. Yes, it owns a boatload of future first-round picks and technically exists in a vibrant market that appeals to free agents. (I live here. It’s lovely.) But the Nets need to quickly take a step toward relevance.
Before they traded for Julius Randle—who makes zero sense for a variety of reasons—I thought that the Nets should use their cap space to sign Austin Reaves or Trae Young. Maybe throw a max offer sheet at Jalen Duren and ruin Detroit’s day. Or call up the Washington Wizards and see what it’d take to lift Anthony Davis off their books. Any of the above would generate attention, while hopefully bridging this dark-as-night era to something more respectable down the line.
Alas, they went a different way. But there’s still (some) reason to believe these Nets aren’t that far from plucky. Michael Porter Jr. should’ve been an All-Star last season. He did a phenomenal job scaling everything about his game that worked with the Denver Nuggets up into a much larger role. He also made life easier for everyone around him without assuming a large chunk of Jordi Fernández’s playbook or needing the ball in his hands. He’s on an expiring contract, and everything I just wrote makes him an attractive trade chip. But the Nets should hold on and see what else they can do with the $30 million–plus worth of cap space they can still open this summer.
What about using it to bring Jarrett Allen home? Or throwing a lifeline to the Bucks for Myles Turner? Move some salary around, and this could be a fun Domantas Sabonis destination! (The Nets have so many guards—Day’Ron Sharpe is essentially the only center on their roster—and could use more targets at or above the rim.) Whatever the move, it should be somewhat splashy. If the Nets want Trey Murphy III, for example, they have more than enough stuff to snatch him. With eight players on rookie-scale contracts, this team needs to get more talent and experience in the door as soon as possible. Randle has never been the answer to anybody’s problems, and that won’t start in Brooklyn.
Should the Dallas Mavericks trade Kyrie Irving?
Cooper Flagg is at the center of Dallas’s solar system. Every move it makes should have his future in mind as the first, second, and third priorities. Hence, if that means someone is willing to offer a decent haul for Irving, sight unseen before opening night, new Mavericks president Masai Ujiri should absolutely consider it.
The Mavericks are already thin at point guard, but Irving turns 35 in March and has a $42.4 million player option for the 2027-28 season. This is a good player who makes no sense on a team that isn’t anywhere close to making a playoff run (and doesn’t control its own first-round pick until 2031). Dallas doesn’t need to feel any urgency this season. Go find a less expensive point guard in free agency.
I can’t say for sure where Irving’s trade value currently stands, but some good teams may be starting to feel a little hot under the collar. It’s hard to construct a satisfying deal with the Timberwolves, but they should be willing to give up real stuff to get him.
Seriously, where is Ja Morant going?
Look around the league. How many teams need a starting point guard? How many of them would want to absorb the $87 million guaranteed on Morant’s contract over the next two years? Would anyone be willing to take him on even if some draft picks are attached?
Milwaukee is in flux, but what if it offered Kyle Kuzma, AJ Green, and Gary Harris, reuniting Morant with Taylor Jenkins? It’d be a worthwhile swing for an organization that now finds itself in the wilderness. The result might be kinda interesting! Morant, Tyler Herro, Myles Turner, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ryan Rollins, and Kasparas Jakucionis? [Runs through sprinkler in failed attempt to cool down.] Don’t, um, tempt me with a good time!
Seriously, though, every somewhat reasonable destination—like New Orleans and Minnesota—has reportedly been shot down by the team. The Kings just drafted Darius Acuff Jr. The Hawks just drafted Kingston Flemings. The Nets just drafted Mikel Brown Jr. The Mavericks are suddenly a serious organization.
Keeping Morant is untenable. If no suitors appear and the alternative is letting him influence Cam Boozer’s rookie season, I’d consider a waive-and-stretch.
Can the Detroit Pistons please, please, please be aggressive?
Detroit should still be kicking itself for blowing what could’ve been a golden opportunity last season. Maybe the New York Knicks were a team of destiny and nothing would’ve mattered, but I would’ve liked to see a Pistons-Knicks series take place in an alternate universe where the Pistons had infused their offense with another shooting ball handler at last February’s trade deadline.
Oh well, what’s done is done. And what’s ahead, hopefully, is an active summer for the Eastern Conference’s reigning top seed. After Isaiah Stewart was dealt to the Grizzlies and a decent amount of cap space opened up, Norman Powell and Tyler Herro are rumored targets. But in my opinion, Detroit should aim bigger and make a “missing piece” type of offer for Trey Murphy III, who could be viewed as its own Mikal Bridges or Desmond Bane. Push all the chips in, get a perfect fit who checks off several boxes, and go (earnestly) compete for a championship.
Is John Collins … the best unrestricted free agent left?
Assuming James Harden re-signs with the Cavs, the answer here might be yes! It’s weird to see an athletic, 28-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward who can drill corner 3s and finish at the cup receive such little acclaim.
We’re not talking about a perfect player—his defense is suspect, and while knowing one’s limitations is generally positive, it wouldn’t kill him to pass the ball—but Collins won’t take up any space in his coach’s playbook and would make an uncomplicated addition to a playoff rotation. Coming off the bench for less than the mid-level exception? Steal! (I’d list teams where he makes sense at a reasonable cost, but the short answer is: pretty much everywhere.)
What is the Denver Nuggets’ priority?
This shouldn’t be as fatalistic as it feels. The Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, someone who averaged 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game in the most disappointing playoff series of his career. That’s comical production for what ultimately amounts to a letdown.
Jokic’s inability to crack Rudy Gobert one-on-one or make any 3s didn’t help, but that also doesn’t qualify as a primary reason for Denver’s eye-opening first-round dismissal. The trickle-down effect that injuries to Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson had on the rest of David Adelman’s rotation was disastrous. The Nuggets couldn’t rebound, had holes on their perimeter, and were small on the back line. Their offense was putrid, and pretty much everyone struggled to hit shots that had gone in during the regular season.
That doesn’t mean they were close to winning it all, though. Change, in some form or another, is absolutely necessary. What will it look like? How drastic will the organization’s response be, and where do its priorities truly lie? Is it trying to maximize the rest of Jokic’s prime or, um, save money? (I can’t believe we have to ask this question.) It was depressing to see the Nuggets move their first-round pick on Tuesday night. Especially when the player they could’ve had is a ferocious big man now headed to the San Antonio Spurs.
Does this augur a Peyton Watson signing? Prep for the luxury tax by shaving a few million dollars off the top? That’s … possible. Anything feels possible. Will they trade Jamal Murray and/or Aaron Gordon? Cameron Johnson and/or Christian Braun? The Nuggets had the best offense in the NBA last season and still employ the best player on the planet. If they duck the second apron, let talent walk out the door, and enter next season with the grand plan of hoping that everyone stays healthy at the right time, it’ll be a genuine basketball tragedy. I can’t help but wonder, if that happens, how much they’d actually care.
