Even after adding Mario Hezonja on a one-year deal, the Cavaliers still have their eyes on Jonathan Kuminga.
Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reports that Cleveland remains interested in the unrestricted free agent forward, a view that lines up with earlier reporting from Shams Charania. The problem, Fischer says, is finding a sign-and-trade framework that Atlanta would actually want.
Max Strus and Dennis Schröder have come up often as possible trade chips, but Cleveland is not eager to tack on draft capital just to move either contract, according to Fischer. The Hawks, meanwhile, would prefer Jarrett Allen and have made that clear to the Cavs’ front office. Cleveland, though, has not seriously entertained the idea of dealing the 28-year-old center.
The Lakers are still in the Kuminga mix too and see him as a possible starter, Fischer writes. But the sides have yet to settle on a contract structure, with Kuminga not wanting to get “boxed into” a three-year deal on terms he doesn’t like. That matters because any sign-and-trade contract has to run at least three years.
Fischer also says he’s repeatedly heard from league sources that the Lakers and Hawks have not had “meaningful” talks about a package that would send Jarred Vanderbilt and a 2032 first-round pick swap.
A few other situations around the league are starting to take shape as well.
On James Harden and Draymond Green, Fischer reports that both are still on track to re-sign with their current teams. Harden’s next deal is not expected to include more than two guaranteed years, while Green has discussed either a one-year contract worth about the same as the player option he turned down - $27.7MM - or a multiyear deal with a lower average annual value. Green is also eligible for a no-trade clause, though it remains unclear whether Golden State would be willing to include one.
In Philadelphia, the Sixers are trying to move Johni Broome as they work to get under the first tax apron and create room to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Fischer says opposing teams may push hard in those talks, knowing Philadelphia is under pressure after the team landed LeBron James.
If a trade doesn’t materialize, the Sixers could waive-and-stretch Broome’s guaranteed 2026/27 salary. Another option would be waiving Jabari Walker, whose minimum deal is only partially guaranteed for $250K, though Philadelphia would prefer to keep Walker if it can.
Portland, meanwhile, is expected to keep adding bodies to the competition for its final roster spot. The Trail Blazers currently have 12 players on guaranteed contracts and two more - Vit Krejci and Micah Potter - on non-guaranteed deals.
Fischer says the team is expected to bring in a few more players on non-guaranteed contracts to battle Potter for that last opening, which suggests the Blazers could start the season with 14 players. Portland has enough room below the luxury tax line to carry a 15th without crossing into tax territory.
In Other News...
Blazers May Finally Have A Real Answer To Their Roster Logjam
The Trail Blazers have spent much of this roster-building cycle trying to untangle a crowded mix of guards, wings and future-facing pieces, and the latest trade chatter at least gives the front office some clearer pathways to work with. Denver, Dallas and Toronto all surface as possible partners in different ways, with each team offering a different kind of fit depending on whether Portland wants more size, cleaner balance or a better match for its young core.
What makes the discussion interesting is how many of the names involved are the sort of players who could actually help reshape the rotation rather than just shuffle it. Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe all come up in the Denver conversation, while P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall fit the Mavericks angle and RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and future picks enter the Toronto picture. None of it is close to a done deal, but for a team trying to solve a logjam, these are the kinds of frameworks that can turn speculation into something more concrete. [Read more 🡒]
Blazers Arena Talks Are Starting To Feel Like A Real Problem
The arena talks between the Trail Blazers and the city of Portland have reached a point where the calendar is starting to matter as much as the substance. The current lease runs through 2030, with a team option for 2035, but the sides are still described as being significantly far apart on a new deal that would reshape the franchises long-term home.
A vote on a new 20-year lease is on the books for Aug. 12, though there is already a sense that date may come and go without a resolution. If the work still is not done, the process can stretch into December, which only underscores how much progress remains before anyone can call the arena situation settled. [Read more 🡒]