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All-NBA caliber players become available quite often in the NBA nowadays, with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement dictating how teams can spend money and acquire players. Kevin Durant is just the latest example of a valuable asset that can be turned into a fresh start for a team looking to shed salary.
The Clippers’ offseason:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 12, 2024
— Resigned James Harden
— Extended Ivica Zubac
— Signed Mo Bamba
— Signed Derrick Jones Jr.
— Signed Nicolas Batum
— Signed Kevin Porter Jr.
— Traded Westbrook for Dunn
— Lost PG to Philadelphia
How many wins this season? pic.twitter.com/E5otVSynZ8
In the 2024 offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers were in the same predicament with their star forward Paul George. His asking price fluctuated, but with the salary cap ramifications, with aprons and tax lines meaning as much as ever, they chose to let him test free agency and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now, the Suns are faced with a decision on their superstar, Kevin Durant. It is clear that the two sides are heading towards parting ways through trade, but the packages that are coming through do not seem to match what the Suns are looking for.
The Phoenix Suns reportedly have ‘no leverage’ in Kevin Durant trade talks and may have to reduce their high asking price, per @DuaneRankin
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 17, 2025
“The Phoenix Suns may be placing too high a value on Kevin Durant and might have to reduce their asking price in negotiating a trade,… pic.twitter.com/eyskoVThWW
With the Clippers still among teams interested in trading for the 15-time All-Star, one major piece could be the dealbreaker in a potential trade, according to Matt Moore, NBA writer for Hardwood Paroxysm.
"The Clippers trading Zu would be a catastrophic mistake unless it’s for a Giannis-level asset. He’s a top-level center on both ends who doesn’t need the ball. Do you know how valuable that is right now," Moore said on his Substack.
Moore's new report details that the Clippers interest in Durant could just be a smokescreen, saying, "I have a feeling the intel I’ve heard on the Clippers might be outdated. They might have circled right after the season and then dropped out, but it was interesting to see other outlets pick up their interest after I reported on it last week."
Ivica Zubac had a significant leap in the 2024-2025 season, becoming one of the best centers in the league. He averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game while earning NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors and was widely considered a strong candidate for the Most Improved Player award, despite not winning.
More must-reads:
- Bucks executive opens up on Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors
- Insider offers opinion on Lebron James' thoughts on Lakers
- The 'Most NBA games played' quiz
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Jalen Brunson Reacts To New York Knicks Signing 11-Year NBA Veteran
Jordan Clarkson has been an extremely productive scorer over his 11 NBA seasons. He finished last year (with the Utah Jazz) averaging 16.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest while shooting 40.8% from the field and 36.2% from the three-point range in 37 games. This summer, Clarkson signed a deal with the New York Knicks. Recently, Jalen Brunson spoke about the signing (via Roommates Show). Brunson: "I know him. Talked to him for a little bit. Good dude. Surrounds himself with good people that I know. A great addition for us, for sure." Clarkson was the 46th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. For being such a late selection, he has done an excellent job of carving out a long career. Over the previous 11 seasons, the 33-year-old has also spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. Clarkson won the 2021 6th Man of The Year Award (with Utah). He has career averages of 16.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest while shooting 43.6% from the field and 33.6% from the three-point range in 753 games. Via The NBA (on March 14): "THIS JORDAN CLARKSON PLAY Spins around 1 defender... puts the ball through the legs... and drops off a dime."
Releasing Christian Wilkins Proves Spytek, and the Raiders Mean Business
Since taking over as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders, John Spytek and Raiders Head Coach, Pete Carroll, have emphasized how critical it will be for them to establish a new culture for their team. After years of subpar play, the Raiders needed to improve their culture equally as much as they needed to improve their roster. Spytek wasted no time significantly improving the Raiders' roster, adding Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty this offseason. Although a culture change usually takes more than offseason, the Raiders may have expedited the process by releasing veteran defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. The organization and Wilkins were not on the same page in regard to his rehab, pushing the Raiders to make a drastic move. While drastic, the move appears to align with Spytek's intended composition of the Raiders' roster. At the NFL Combine months before Wilkins' recent release, the Raiders' general manager explained what he would take into consideration when assembling the Raiders' roster. While Spytek likely figured Wilkins would be part of the team at the time, his words rang true following the veteran defensive tackle's release. “I think we're going to have a lot of positive energy. The guys that love to compete and play with passion are going to have a chance at our place. And the guys that maybe don't have that love of the game, they like it, it's a means to an end, there probably won't be as many places or spaces for them at our place," Spytek said. "I think we want to set the tone with our film. When people watch a week or two out for our games coming, like they want to know, like this is going to be a battle, this is going to be physical, this is going to be old-school football." It is challenging to maintain positive energy when a player who has only played five games with the Silver and Black fails to uphold their end of a contract worth over $100 million. Shortly after releasing Wilkins, the Raiders issued the following statement. "We have decided that it is in the best interests of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins. This franchise has a Commitment to Excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season." The Raiders' words spoke loudly enough, but they did not say nearly as loudly as the actual move of releasing Wilkins. Full details of why the Raiders decided to move on from Wilkins after just one season remain unclear, but one thing is clear: the Raiders' new-look front office means business. Find us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr and weigh in on this take. While here, check out our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE to discuss this take
Biggest impact of Josh Naylor trade may still be to come
While the Seattle Mariners landed an impact bat on Thursday night, their trade for Josh Naylor has also likely impacted the entire upcoming MLB trade deadline. On Thursday, Seattle sent a pair of top pitching prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Naylor, with left-hander Brandyn Garcia (ranked as Seattle's 13th-best prospect by MLB.com) and right-hander Ashton Izzi (ranked as Seattle's 16th-best prospect by the same rankings) heading to the desert. Knowing what the Diamondbacks received in exchange for Naylor could well set the market for what is to come between now and the conclusion of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, set for 6 p.m. (Eastern) on July 31. The 28-year-old first baseman was ranked by The Athletic as the 17th-best trade candidate likely to be available, but ranked behind just one other first baseman (Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn, who was slotted in at 16th). If Naylor brought in a pair of pitching prospects, including Garcia, who has appeared in two games this season for Seattle, the Diamondbacks could be salivating over what third baseman Eugenio Suarez and his 36 home runs could bring in return. All MLB teams who will be buying or selling at this year's trade deadline have had the first price bar set for them with the Naylor deal. Now it will be fascinating to see what comes next, especially knowing that Naylor will be a free agent at the end of this season. If Seattle gave up two pitching prospects for a player who could be a late-season rental only, imagine what the Minnesota Twins may be able to recoup for starting pitcher Joe Ryan (under team control through the 2027 season) or the Boston Red Sox might get back for outfielder Jarren Duran, who won't be a free agent until the 2029 campaign. While Naylor may not be the biggest move to come during this span before the trade deadline comes to a close, his deal could be the one that establishes selling prices for the trades that are to come. With so few MLB teams expected to be outright sellers, the price for available talent was expected to be high. We learned on Thursday night with the Naylor swap just how high those prices may go.
Raiders releasing former big-ticket addition after just one season
Before the 2024 NFL season the Las Vegas Raiders signed defensive lineman Christian Wilkins to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency to make him a key part of their defensive line. On Thursday, just one year later, the Raiders are releasing him. It is also a situation that is likely to get messy in the coming weeks due to a grievance that Wilkins has filed with the NFLPA. At the center of his release — and grievance — is Wilkins' rehab from a foot injury that cut short his 2024 season after just five games. The Raiders wanted Wilkins to correct the issue with surgery. Wilkins opted not to have the surgery, and as the rehab continued to drag on, there was uncertainty of when he would be able to get back on the field. As recently as Tuesday Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said there was no definitive timeline on when that would be. Just 48 hours later, Wilkins was released, with the Raiders attempting to void the remaining $35.2M in guarantees that he was owed on his contract. Wilkins spent the first five year of his career with the Miami Dolphins, and turned a career-year performance in 2023 into a big-ticket free agency contract with the Raiders. The hope was that he could form a dominant 1-2 punch with Maxx Crosby, and for the five games he played he showed the ability to do that. He was just never healthy enough to continue the rest of the season. Now Las Vegas is going to be left asking what could have been, while Wilkins tries to get the money he believes he is owed. Wilkins will turn 30 in December, and if anyone is confident in his ability to come back from the injury, he could still land on a new team and potentially play a big role.
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