Giannis Antetokounmpo’s move to the Miami Heat may already be setting the tone for a wild NBA offseason, and the league does not appear ready to stop there. His exit from the Milwaukee Bucks is the latest reminder that the biggest stars are increasingly steering their own paths, and another blockbuster trade involving a superstar feels very much on the table in 2026.
Three names stand out as the most obvious candidates to be next.
Jaylen Brown is the clearest one. The Boston Celtics already included him in their trade offer for Antetokounmpo, which tells you how real the possibility was.
Brown just put together the best season of his career, averaging 29 points per game, yet Boston was still willing to consider moving him. The Celtics may want to keep him now that Antetokounmpo is in Miami, but that doesn’t mean Brown will suddenly feel settled.
At 29, he should draw plenty of interest from contending teams hunting for a first or second scoring option.
Kawhi Leonard is another name worth watching. His run with the Los Angeles Clippers after leaving the 2019 title-winning Toronto Raptors has not delivered the kind of payoff anyone expected.
Injuries and playoff disappointment have followed him through six seasons with the Clippers, and the 35-year-old is reportedly open to leaving the Intuit Dome this summer. A return to Toronto is on the table, and it would be a striking final act if Leonard got another shot at a championship with the Raptors.
Then there’s Donovan Mitchell, who looks like a natural trade candidate for Cleveland as well. The 29-year-old has been one of the league’s premier scorers for years, and he has a habit of turning up when the postseason starts.
He helped push the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals this year, but that may not be enough to quiet the feeling that he needs a different situation to win a title. The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are mentioned as two intriguing landing spots, and Mitchell still has two years left on his contract.
In Other News...
Celtics May Have A Real Opening To Fix Their Biggest Need
The Celtics still have a familiar offseason problem hanging over them: finding the kind of frontcourt help that can raise the ceiling without forcing them to reinvent the roster. NBA insider Michael Scotto reported that Denver could be open to bigger changes this summer, and Boston has already been linked to a pair of Nuggets forwards who would fit different needs for a team trying to stay versatile at the top of the East. Cam Johnson would bring size and spacing, while Aaron Gordon offers the sturdier, more physical option that teams covet when the games get tighter.
Johnsons appeal is obvious because of his expiring contract and the kind of production that has made him one of the more movable names on the market, especially with several teams circling. Gordon, meanwhile, would give Boston a more natural answer at power forward and could even let Jayson Tatum slide back to small forward, which is the type of lineup flexibility the Celtics have been chasing. Whether Denver is actually willing to move either one is the part still worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Suddenly Loom Over One Celtics Shooting Threat After Giannis Move
Miamis trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo has shifted the conversation in South Florida from splashy star power to the far less glamorous business of filling out a roster. For a team that already has to think carefully about shooting around its new centerpiece, the search for help on the perimeter suddenly matters a lot more, especially with free agency approaching and the Heat needing more than just another name to keep the offense balanced.
Anfernee Simons fits the type of scoring and spacing Miami is likely to be chasing, and the possibility of a bigger role there makes him one of the more intriguing Celtics-related names to watch. If the Heat cannot bring back Norm Powell, the pressure to find another guard only grows, and Bostons view of the market could end up intersecting with Miamis roster math in a way that puts Simons squarely in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Celtics Rumors Just Reignited A Familiar Frontcourt Debate
Bostons frontcourt conversation has quickly turned from a short-term cleanup job into a familiar roster debate, with the club apparently weighing how to use its mid-level exception to bolster the middle of the floor. The appeal is obvious: one option brings the kind of steady, low-maintenance veteran presence teams trust, while the other offers a defensive impact that can change the tone of a game when he is on the court.
For the Celtics, the bigger question is less about whether help is needed and more about what kind of help makes the most sense. Boston watched its center depth get stripped down last season, then saw the position become a recurring issue when the games tightened up in the playoffs, so any move here will say a lot about how the team wants to balance reliability, health and upside moving forward. [Read more 🡒]