Pre-Draft NBA News: Trades, Extensions and a New Mavericks Coach

We just went over the trade between the Bucks and Heat, but have some other NBA transactions and news from the past several days to discuss now.

I wanted to get to these moves before the NBA draft, which starts tonight. Let's dive in!

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Randle, Claxton Dealt in Three-Team Deal

The Nets, Timberwolves and Bulls completed a trade on Monday.

Julius Randle is going to Brooklyn in the deal - the Nets also got pick 28 in this year's draft.

The Timberwolves get Mouhamadou Gueye and pick No. 33 in the 2026 draft.

The Bulls got Nicolas Claxton in the trade.

Randle will start for the Nets. He's projected to start alongside Egor Demin, Drake Powell, Michael Porter Jr. and Day'Ron Sharpe. Noah Clowney, Terance Mann, Danny Wolf, Ziaire Williams, Nolan Traore and Jalen Wilson are among the bench options.

It's a very young and inexperienced team, and Brooklyn is likely to keep struggling for a few more years yet. Randle is a veteran presence, and should be a good fantasy asset if he sticks there, but don't expect him to power the Nets to much real-world success.

The Timberwolves open a start in their starting lineup, and Randle should be replaced by Naz Reid. Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu are the other projected starters in Minnesota. Donte DiVincenzo, Mike Conley, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Kyle Anderson are among the bench options for the T-Wolves.

The starting lineup is still really good, but down Randle, that takes away a solid rotation piece. They could add a rotation option in the draft, but I think it's more likely the T-Wolves go after another good asset in free agency, or through another trade.

Speaking of Dosunmu, he intends to sign a five-year deal worth $112 million - that includes a player option in the fifth year. Him signing long term helped the team move on from Randle. 

We'll see what other moves Minnesota makes, and I bet there's several more transactions coming for a team that hopes to remain in the Western Conference hunt.

As for the Bulls, Claxton is projected to start alongside Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro and Matas Buzelis. The Bulls also have Collin Sexton, Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams and Anfernee Simons among the bench options.

The Bulls are another team that is rebuilding. Claxton is a solid player, and should have a good outlook in Chicago, but don't expect the team to have too much success in the years to come.

Hawks Land Wiggins from Thunder

A couple days ago, the Hawks acquired Aaron Wiggins from the Thunder. Atlanta got a couple second-round picks in return.

Wiggins is expected to come off the bench in Atlanta, although that could change depending on what else the team does this offseason. CJ McCollum, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu are the projected starters. Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Mouhamed Gueye and Zaccharie Risacher are some of the bench options.

Washington was a surprising team a year ago, and adding Wiggins is a boost to the team's chances in 2026-27. Wiggins is likely to be a bench option, so he won't be a massive piece in the real world or in fantasy basketball.

Also, we mentioned McCollum a bit before. He re-signed with the Hawks for $21 million for the upcoming season.

Like I already mentioned, he is projected to start for Atlanta. He was part of the deal that sent Trae Young to Washington in January. McCollum played well in his time with Atlanta, so the team decided to bring him back.

Expect him to be a pretty good fantasy piece in 2026-27, but a better leader and veteran presence for a pretty young team otherwise.

Young Re-Signs with Washington

It seems that most of the moves we are discussing have a secondary move involved too. We just discussed Trae Young, and he is in the news too. He's expected to sign a four-year deal worth approximately $212 million - he too has a player option in year four.

He declined a player option earlier this offseason, but still decided to re-up with Washington. I'm intrigued by what the Wizards could be in 2026-27, but health will be a major part of things.

Young and Anthony Davis are the cornerstones for the Wizards, and Alexandre Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George are the other projected starters. The team could use some depth, but the starting lineup is pretty good.

Young should be the top fantasy option for Washington, but Davis will also be a very good option. Health will be key for both guys, and for the Wizards' chances overall.

Right now, Washington is probably the team I am most excited to watch in 2026-27.

Mavericks Find New Coach

In other NBA news, the Mavericks have a new coach. After firing Jason Kidd, Dallas signed former Michigan coach Dusty May to now lead the team.

May helped lead the Wolverines to a title this past season, and he was also really good at Florida Atlantic. The jump to the NBA won't be easy, but he's got a solid roster to work with.

Of course, Cooper Flagg is the shiny new asset that May gets to work with. Kyrie Irving should also be back, and there's a handful of other notable assets on the team.

Add in draft picks and more offseason moves and the Mavericks could surprise in 2026-27. It'll be interesting to see what May and the Mavericks could build over the years. They are an up-and-coming team, and May could be a great fit there.