Not all names will float around in NBA Trade Rumors, but if they are, they're usually a good indicator of where the league is going. Rumors will continue to swirl as the trade deadline for the 2026-27 season officially arrives on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2027 at 3:00 PM ET. Let's see how we follow the current rumor mill — and why we should be able to follow it correctly!
Last updated: September 16, 2026. One of the biggest deals just settled: Kawhi Leonard was officially traded from the Clippers back to the Raptors on Sept. 15, 2026, after a summer long delay due to the league's investigation through the Clippers front-office (Shams Charania confirmed that the deal was done). This is why this page is as it is - once a report consolidates to become a real trade, the name is removed from this list and added to our actual trade news page.
As of this writing, the following are still in the hunt:
Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings) - Tier 2/3, speculation is ongoing. Sabonis has long been rumored to be a trade chip since last season's deadline and the rumours have now been revived as he allegedly wants to leave the club because of his representation deal. Within the past week, a viral report indicated that the Charlotte Hornets were "close" to a deal led to being outright rejected by Kings source Matt George, while the Hawks and Raptors also have been mentioned as potential fits. He is considered a possibility in the trade, but hasn't made him an active player by a Kalshi prediction market, which is smoke without an active deal.
Dalton Knecht & Jarred Vanderbilt (LA Lakers) - Tier 2, team-sourced and active. The Lakers are shopping both wings before the season, according to multiple outlets, such as Lakers Nation and Sporting News. One report specifically mentions Indiana's Aaron Nesmith as a trade partner the Lakers have been talking to for Knecht — a more specific and single-team approach than many of the moves that have been tossed out at these two players.
Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets) - Tier 3, mostly speculating, with one debunked viral rumor. Durant had a disappointing stint in Houston last year, and he's been linked to the Celtics, Heat, 76ers and Cavs. Most outlets are not talking about trading, but rather an unlikely trade is rumored, and a viral story saying the "Celtics finalizing a deal for Durant" was debunked.
Names in this list change rapidly; a candidate may be "persistent speculation" one day and "off the market" the next, so data included here is not static, but rather a snapshot at this time.
Some fan bases monitor the trade chatter of their team more than others, and when search demand is sufficiently high we dedicate pages to trade talk when it is pertinent to the team. For a dive into Lakers news, begin with our Lakers trade rumors. They're one of the teams that is always getting the ju-ju ju-ju ju-ju about trades, particularly after they make a bold front-office move like they did during the 1996-97 season. More team-specific pages are added as the rumours ramp up around other teams, notably January and February, as the deadline approaches.
Certain rumors are more reliable than others, so we categorize each one of the following into three categories before posting it on this page:
Tier 1 - Agreement reported/Active confirmed talks: This is from a national insider or a reporter with direct access to one of the front offices involved saying that two teams are in serious on-going discussions, sometimes with a specific player or pick mentioned. When national NBA people say that they have had certain conversations at the front office, they are usually in this category, including Shams Charania (ESPN), Marc Stein and Chris Haynes. Usually these reports don't hold up, but sometimes deals go down due to medicals or last minute cold feet.
Tier 2 - Team sourced interest/exploratory calls: When a beat reporter is covering one particular team, he or she will report that the front office has made calls or expressed interest in a player. This is the real smoke, but one-sided -- the other team's motivation and asking price have not been verified and there are lots of these calls that don't go anywhere.
Tier 3 - Speculation, national-media "dream scenarios" and fan-driven "buzz": A national personality suggests a trade, but it doesn't necessarily have to be due to reported front office talk, it can be based on roster fit or cap logic. These should be read for context as to why a trade might be good, but should not be seen as an actual indication of a trade.
This is how we really make that decision. This page is moderated and runs through four checks: 1) The rumor is either named or anonymous — a specific reporter with a track record beats an unsourced "league sources" beat every time — 2) Even if it's an anonymous 'league sources' line, it's pushed down a tier before getting a name; 3) If it's an anonymous line and you're confident of its veracity, it gets pushed down a tier anyway; 4) The more firm the headline, the more times we have to knock it down before it can get a name. Was it a business action, or a mood — "front offices have been looking at trade proposals" goes to Tier 1 or 2, while "a team is keeping an eye on the situation" remains in Tier 3 regardless of how many times the story is picked up by outlets. If it is corroborated — if another, independent source, confirms the same report within 24-48 hours of the original, that's when a rumor moves up a tier, upwards until it is substantiated. Has the team or player's camp reacted — a plain "no" is not a death sentence on a rumor; but if the beat reporter doesn't react either then it is a downgrade signal.
We're also creating a running scorecard of which insiders calls on this page are successful trades versus a failure to trade, by reporter, and we'll rather report real numbers over time than day one numbers we can't stand behind. Once we have an entire season of tracked calls to report, look for that breakdown here.
We also rank each of these rumours and assign a different tier to each to help you understand how much weight to give it before you begin considering it as a bet — not a bad idea to consider before you do.
The trade chatter starts to ramp up throughout the season, but really ramps up during the last few weeks leading up to the February 11th, 2027 deadline. Sitting near the play-in have to make a decision whether they're looking to purchase or sell, players on the end of their contract are easy trade chops, and front offices begin making decisions that they've been waiting months for. It's also the time of the season when Tier 3 speculations really ramp up — if there's a definite deadline, the national media will bring up a ton more "what if" scenarios than any other time of the season, so the tier-checking of a spec is understandable in that window.
The rumors of trade don't just influence roster-building, they affect betting markets long before a trade is actually made. When credible reports emerge that a player is truly available or the interest that a player is showing in a deal is increasing, Sports OKBet adjusts its NBA futures, a championship market, a market for a conference winner, and even an awards race such as Most Improved Player.
That's why rumor tracking is helpful for bettors in a specific way: a Tier 1 report on advanced rumors may change a team's future odds days and weeks before the trade is confirmed, often the best time to find value is before a trade has been made and the market has priced in a team's willingness to make it. The other side of the coin is, of course, a lot of risk as well: that a team goes on to turn out to be a lot worse than people think when they've been betting heavily on speculation at Tier 3. Watch NBA futures and game lines on Check Sports OKBet and consider any rumors' tier before betting on it. Bet only amounts that you can afford to lose.
A report of interest explorations or on-going negotiations that has not been concluded. A confirmed trade is a trade that has been agreed upon by both teams and either announced or in the process of a league process (physicals, paperwork).
Being a name (Shams Charania, Marc Stein, Chris Haynes) who has direct front-office ties has proven to be the most effective approach for these reporters, who are regarded by their peers as the best at reporting an "agreement in principle" or "active talks" and not guessing at fit.
It has a wide range of possible values, depending on the tier. When two front offices are reported to be having serious discussions about the trade, those talks will typically lead to a deal, although not necessarily as first reported. Speculative and hypothetical "what if" scenarios rarely actually materialize into a move.
To make a sale or purchase decision will be a difficult call for teams, and those front offices that had been quietly measuring interest over the past few months begin making serious calls in the last few weeks. On the one hand, this compressed timeline yields more serious conversations, but at the same time more speculative media speculation.
They're kept distinct but both. You'll find confirmed trades and official deadline info on our NBA trade news page, and this page will keep you updated on the rumors with tier labels to gauge a rumor's reliability.
This page deals with rumors for all teams in the league. The Lakers page delves deeper into just how much Lakers-specific trade buzz there is compared to all other teams, as the demand for Lakers-specific trade speculations from readers is high.
