Trade chatter around the NBA kept circling back to the same theme on Monday: teams are talking, but the asking prices are still all over the map.
The biggest buzz centered on Kawhi Leonard, with ESPN’s Shams Charania saying on SportsCenter that the Clippers and Raptors appear motivated to work out a deal. Charania also suggested Leonard’s run in L.A. could be winding down, while NBA insider Chris Haynes said on NBA TV that it would be tough for the Clippers to “put the toothpaste back in the tube” and bring Kawhi back for next season.
Leonard, according to the reporting, is interested in a return to Toronto if the Raptors are willing to hand him the kind of extension the Clippers haven’t offered. Even so, Haynes and Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints both reported that L.A. hasn’t been impressed with Toronto’s proposal. Azarly said the Raptors are willing to include Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and a first-round pick, but sources told ClutchPoints that the Clippers see that package as “one-sided.”
Toronto, meanwhile, is drawing a line around its younger core. Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported that All-Rookie forward Collin Murray-Boyles is off limits, and Grange also said via Twitter that the Raptors want to keep young wing Ja’Kobe Walter.
If the Clippers do end up moving Leonard, team owner Steve Ballmer would want to stay in the hunt and preferably land another star, according to Azarly. Jaylen Brown sits at the top of that wish list, league sources told ClutchPoints, though it’s unclear whether the Clippers could actually put together a Leonard-to-Brown framework.
Brown’s own future is drawing plenty of attention, too. Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe reported that Brown has “grown frustrated” with the Celtics’ approach this offseason after he helped Boston to a 56-win season without Jayson Tatum for much of the year. One league source told Himmelsbach that Brown could still wind up staying in Boston, even if that means some “uncomfortable conversations.”
Those conversations may matter if the Celtics can’t find the kind of return they want. On Monday’s NBA Today, ESPN’s Charania, Brian Windhorst, and Bobby Marks all pointed to the same issue: the market may not be there.
Marks called Brown’s market “lukewarm” and said he expects Brown to remain a Celtic. Windhorst said Brad Stevens and the front office “might not be able to get what they want for Jaylen.”
Charania added that he hasn’t found a team willing to meet Boston’s reported ask of four first-round picks.
Elsewhere around the league, Atlanta’s Buddy Hield is still in play despite the Hawks guaranteeing his 2026/27 salary on Sunday. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported that the Hawks are still discussing several trade possibilities involving the veteran shooter.
There was also no sign of movement on an Anthony Davis deal between the Warriors and Wizards. In his report on Kristaps Porzingis’ new Golden State contract, Anthony Slater of ESPN said there has been “no tangible movement” on that front.
New Orleans is holding firm on Trey Murphy III. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports reported that multiple teams have offered two first-round picks for the Pelicans wing, but the front office is asking for at least three and hasn’t found a team willing to go that high.
O’Connor also reported that one reason the Heat are shopping Nikola Jovic is to create the cap flexibility needed to try to re-sign Norman Powell.
And in Denver, Cameron Johnson looks like the most likely trade piece if the Nuggets decide to make a move. Sam Amick of The Athletic added the Mavericks to the list of teams interested in Johnson, while Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that Denver’s front office has been talking with multiple teams about the 30-year-old.
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