Yahoo Sports Trade rumor rankings: De'Aaron Fox, Jimmy Butler and more
With a little over a week left until the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the league was hit with another bombastic trade rumor regarding the player who finished No. 2 on this list, from a report that came almost out of nowhere.
Elsewhere, after the Nick Richards-Josh Okogie swap between the Hornets and Suns, Phoenix then acquired three future first-round picks from the Utah Jazz in exchange for one first-round pick of their own. That hasn't led to a subsequent move by Phoenix, however, at least not yet.
Below, check out the 10 players who have appeared most often in trade rumors over the previous week.
10. Myles Turner (Indiana)
According to the New York Times' Jovan Buha, the Pacers, sitting at 25-20, might be sneakily open to trading big man Myles Turner, who is heading into unrestricted free agency this summer:
Could that open up a potential Los Angeles Lakers move to pick up Turner? The two sides have had chatter connecting the two for quite some time now, although it had died down considerably of late.
For the latest Myles Turner trade rumors and contract info, click here.
9. Bruce Brown (Toronto)
Three separate sources have mentioned the Toronto Raptors' Bruce Brown as a trade candidate just over the past few days: Marc Stein, Canadian sports publication SportsNet and our very own Michael Scotto, though nothing super concrete has come out on that front quite yet.
Brown himself discussed the trade rumors last week with the Toronto Star, saying that this time around if he gets traded, he won't be taken completely by surprise:
Stein reported this week that Ball has generated "multiple trade feelers" while Buha reported that the Lakers could be interested in their former player:
However, Stein also noted that that doesn't mean LaVine won't get traded while saying that Phoenix, for example, could be interested in swapping its recently benched former All-Star 2-guard for LaVine.
ESPN's Shams Charnia said this week that the Bulls are getting trade calls for LaVine and the Denver Post reported that the Nuggets are unlikely to trade for LaVine due to his popularity as a trade target and because of Jamal Murray's improved play.
LaVine's contract is also tricky, as he's owed up to $95 million over the next two years after this season, with a player option on his deal for '27, which could still make the former UCLA standout difficult to trade for Chicago.
For the latest Zach LaVine trade rumors and contract info, click here.
6. Nikola Vucevic (Chicago)
Our third Bulls player in a row, vet big man Nikola Vucevic has also seen a resurgence in his play this season, much like LaVine, which has likewise upped his trade value.
Vucevic is putting up a 20-10 stat line this season while shooting nearly 40 percent from three, impressive marks pretty much across the board. Vucevic is also on a pretty team-friendly deal, earning a combined $41.5 million between this season and 2025-26.
According to Stein, the Lakers aren't expected to be in the hunt for a Vucevic trade while reporting that Chicago would like a first-round pick for the sharpshooting center. The Golden State Warriors, who have been reported as having interest in Vucevic, have only been offering second-round capital. ESPN also reported that the Bulls are receiving trade calls regarding Vucevic.
Vucevic is downplaying the scuttle, however, rightfully pointing out that 99 percent of the time, trade rumors amount to nothing:
Nurkic talked about the trade rumors recently and it doesn't seem like he's taking the news all that well, saying that life isn't fair:
...which Budenholzer pretty much denied.
So yeah, this seems like a pretty messy potential split. We'll see if Phoenix is able to move its veteran center.
For the latest Jusuf Nurkic trade rumors and contract info, click here.
4. Cam Johnson (Brooklyn)
Brooklyn Nets forward Cam Johnson has only played in three games since Jan. 2 due to an ankle injury, and in those three games, he struggled with his shooting, hitting just 26.9 percent from three in those appearances. He did still put up 18.3 points per game in those games, however.
Scotto reported last week that the Sacramento Kings are interested in Johnson but have been hesitant to part with rookie guard Devin Carter in any trade:
Stein also mentioned the Cavaliers and Pacers as potential Johnson suitors but that Cleveland's interest is preliminary.
For the latest Cameron Johnson trade rumors and contract info, click here.
3. Bradley Beal (Phoenix)
Since getting benched, Phoenix 2-guard Bradley Beal has averaged 14.7 points and 4.0 assists on 38.5 percent shooting from three, with the Suns boasting a 6-3 record in those games. Overall, Phoenix has won nine of its last 12 games.
Scotto recently reported that despite all of the trade rumors surrounding his name and his getting benched, Beal could be fine staying in Phoenix after the trade deadline:
Finally, after some talk of the Milwaukee Bucks potentially being interested in Beal, those rumors were shut down by reporter Chris Haynes, and rather emphatically at that:
Simply put, Beal's no-trade clause and exorbitant salary, one that will peak in 2026-27 at $57.1 million when the former All-Star will be 33, make him a pretty low-value trade asset, and that is putting it kindly.
For the latest Bradley Beal trade rumors and contract info, click here.
2. De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento)
There is rarely a dull moment in the NBA and that was proven even more emphatically on Tuesday when a surprise report came out saying that the Sacramento Kings were expected to open up trade talks for star guard De'Aaron Fox, who famously opted against signing an extension with Sacramento last summer and who will be a free agent in the summer of 2026.
That upcoming free agency could be weaponized by Fox and his agent, Rich Paul, to steer unwanted teams away from trying to trade for the former Kentucky Wildcat.
The destination in mind that Fox has, by the way, is reportedly in Texas with the San Antonio Spurs, as has now been reported by local Sacramento reporter James Ham, ESPN's Shams Charania and the New York Times' Sam Amick.
Amick also made it clear, however, that Fox remains open to all destinations, which could make this an interesting race, one that could prove fruitful for Sacramento, as teams will likely be willing to part with some very valuable trade assets to get Fox, who is putting up a 25/5/6 stat line on nearly 47 percent shooting this season.
According to Ian Begley, the Nets are among the teams targeting Fox and have been monitoring the situation between the former lottery pick and his current team.
The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, according to Stein, want to see how far their current group can go, so they might not be in the running for a Fox deal.
Charania made it clear that the Lakers were not Fox's preferred destination, an idea that was originally floated based on Fox's Klutch connection with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Charania also reported today that the Kings want win-now players and draft capital in exchange for Fox, perfectly reasonable asks considering Fox is squarely in his prime and a max-level player:
According to Charania, the Heat's lines have been 'wide open for several weeks' for a Butler trade but the team hasn't gotten an offer yet it deems worthwhile.
With Miami lowering its asking price for Butler, that has led to reports of teams trying to get back in on the sweepstakes for the star player, with the Golden State Warriors being mentioned as one of several teams discussing a Butler trade with Miami. The Philadelphia 76ers were also shockingly mentioned as a potential Butler landing spot, but a deal between the two teams might have to include Paul George. And considering George is under contract until 2027-28 when he'll earn $56.6 million (at age 37, no less), that rumor seems pretty unlikely to come to fruition. The Bucks are another team to get brought up again as a surprise contender for Butler, with this rumor coming from Stein:
Whatever happens here between Butler and Miami looks like it could come down to the wire until next Thursday's trade deadline. We could even be in line for an awkward situation in which Butler has to return to the Heat at least until the offseason. Either way, this story has another few chapters left in it.
For the latest Jimmy Butler trade rumors and contract info, click here.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Trade rumor rankings: De'Aaron Fox, Jimmy Butler and more
