Two trades died over second-round picks, Porzingis is the only trade market left, and the NBA board for Oct. 19–26
The Oct. 19-26 board follows Dalton Knecht from waived Laker to Knicks two-way, prices the two trades Los Angeles and Milwaukee refused, and maps the one live market left around Porzingis.
This issue covers Oct. 19–26, 2026, the week the season started. Opening night fell on Oct. 20, one day after the last roster cutdown.
Three teams spent deadline day fixing a roster by waiver. Two more negotiated a trade, priced it, and walked away. No trade was completed in the seven days.
The board at a glance
| Player or lane | Status | Verified development | Contract, cap or roster mechanism | Next signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton Knecht, Lakers → Knicks | Completed | Waived Oct. 19, cleared waivers Wednesday, signed a two-way deal with New York on Friday. 1 | Los Angeles ate the $4.2MM left on his deal, and the waiver voided a $6.45MM team option for 2027/28. 2 | Whether he earns a call-up from Westchester. 3 |
| Kevin Porter Jr., Bucks | Completed, lost | Waived Oct. 19 after Milwaukee refused a Denver offer built around Zeke Nnaji. 4 | Milwaukee absorbs a $5.39MM cap hit. 4 | Which team signs him as a free agent. |
| Pete Nance, Bucks | Completed | Cleared waivers and re-signed with Milwaukee on a two-way deal hours later. 5 | $678,882 for the year, up to 50 games; Milwaukee now carries 15 standard contracts and three two-ways. 5 | Whether he converts before the January salary guarantee date. |
| Walter Clayton Jr., Grizzlies → Mavericks | Completed | Waived Oct. 19 with $4.19MM guaranteed; signed a two-way deal with Dallas on Oct. 21. 6 | Memphis carries the money as dead salary; Dallas opened a two-way slot by cutting John Poulakidas. 6 | Whether Dallas converts him once Kyrie Irving is back. |
| Micah Peavy, Grizzlies | Completed, lost | Waived Oct. 19 alongside Clayton. 7 | About $2.2MM dead money, with nothing guaranteed past 2026/27. 7 | Whether anyone claims him as rosters open through the winter. |
| Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves | Completed | One-year, $40MM veteran extension, completed before Monday's deadline. 8 | Applies to 2029/30 and lifts his four-year total to $124MM. 8 | Extension-eligible again in October 2028. 8 |
| The 2023 rookie-scale class | Completed, deadline | Seven deals signed, the fewest since 2018. 9 | Fourteen players enter contract years and reach restricted free agency in 2027. 9 | Qualifying offers next June. |
| Kristaps Porzingis, Warriors | Exploratory | Golden State has begun exploring trades; he is out indefinitely with symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). 10 | $20MM guaranteed this season, $3MM of 2027/28 guaranteed, and a first-apron rule that blocks taking back more salary. 10 | Dec. 15, when more Warriors become trade-eligible. 11 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks | Stalled | New York offered about $50MM a year; Towns said he will take less than his maximum. 12 | A four-year extension stays available through June 30; his $61MM player option is the deadline that binds. 13 | June 30, 2027. |
| Anthony Black, Magic | Stalled | Orlando's offer "didn't come close" to the $20MM-plus a year rivals project for him. 11 | The extension window closed Oct. 19; restricted free agency arrives in 2027. 9 | July 2027. |
| Myles Turner, Bucks | Denied | Milwaukee is not believed interested in a Porzingis deal built around him. 11 | $26.6MM this season and $83.6MM over the next three. 11 | Whether Golden State comes back after Dec. 15. |
| Moses Moody, Warriors | Denied | Golden State prefers to keep him and would move him only for a significant upgrade. 11 | $12.5MM this season, the salary that could balance a larger deal. 11 | Dec. 15 eligibility. |
| Jalen Williams, Thunder | Injured | Taken off on a stretcher Sunday with a serious lower-left-leg injury; no diagnosis yet. 14 | He stays on the 15-man roster; no cap mechanism applies before a diagnosis. 15 | Oklahoma City's update on Monday. 14 |
| Paolo Banchero, Magic | Injured | Low-grade high ankle sprain; he expects to miss at least a month. 16 | On a maximum-salary deal; the absence is a minutes problem, and a month costs about 15 games. 16 | Reevaluation in roughly four weeks. |
| Jalen Suggs, Magic | Injured | Non-contact right knee injury Sunday; the knee buckled on a transition layup. 17 | No roster change; he remains on the 15-man roster while imaging is read. 17 | The MRI result. |
| Ben Sheppard, Pacers | Injured | Torn left meniscus; Rick Carlisle said "a few weeks" with no timeline set. 18 | $5MM this season, and he reaches restricted free agency next summer if tendered. 18 | Indiana's first injury report with a return date. |
Two trades were priced and refused
The Lakers entered Oct. 19 with 16 guaranteed contracts and 15 roster spots to hand out. They called Utah, Chicago and Milwaukee about Dalton Knecht's $4.2MM before waiving him on Monday. 211
Los Angeles had three second-round picks left. The team chose to keep them and pay the $4.2MM instead. 2
Milwaukee set its price in the same conversation. Brett Siegel reported the Bucks asked for multiple second-rounders, or a first-round swap, to send Jericho Sims back with Knecht. 11 Jake Fischer put the gap at one pick: Milwaukee insisted on two second-rounders, Los Angeles offered one. 4
The second refusal is easier to price. Before the cutdown, Denver offered two future second-rounders, a second-round pick swap and Zeke Nnaji for Kevin Porter Jr. 4
Milwaukee said no because of Nnaji's contract. He makes $7.47MM this season and holds a $7.47MM player option for 2027/28. 4 The Bucks waived Porter on Monday and absorbed his $5.39MM cap hit instead. 4
Fischer asked five salary-cap specialists who work for other teams what they would have done. All five said they would have taken Denver's offer. 4 One detail on Milwaukee's side: the roster holds four second-round picks, none of them falling between 2028 and 2032. 4
The Bucks are projected to open free agency next summer with nearly $50MM in room, and an expensive summer is coming: Tyler Herro unrestricted, Jaime Jaquez Jr. restricted, Ryan Rollins likely to decline a $4MM player option. 4 Fischer reads the decision as a consequence of the apron system, which prices every future dollar before it prices the player. 4
Analysis: both refusals trade cash against picks. The Lakers paid $4.2MM rather than attach a second-rounder. The Bucks took a $5.39MM dead charge rather than Nnaji's $7.47MM salary and the same figure again in 2027/28, and gave up two second-rounders to do it.
Milwaukee's other deadline decision closed cleanly. Pete Nance was waived from his standard contract Saturday, cleared waivers, and re-signed with the Bucks on a two-way deal within hours. 5 He had three years of service and under $91K guaranteed, which left him eligible for a two-way. 5
Memphis had the same problem with two names attached. The Grizzlies waived Walter Clayton Jr. and Micah Peavy on Monday, clearing a roster that carried 16 guaranteed contracts plus Jaylen Wells on a partial guarantee. 7 The two waivers leave roughly $6.4MM in dead money and nothing guaranteed past this season. 7
Clayton is the one worth following. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Memphis was shopping him before the deadline, with Sacramento looking for a guard after Ben Simmons tore his Achilles. 19 The trade never came. Clayton cleared waivers and signed with Dallas, which had opened a two-way slot by cutting John Poulakidas. 6
Sacramento, Miami and Golden State were all linked to him before he chose Dallas. 6 A 2025 first-round pick who was traded once as a prospect and waived 16 months after the draft now plays on a two-way, and his 2027/28 option went with the waiver. 7
Knecht's week ended with a job. New York signed him Friday, waived Kevin McCullar Jr. to open the two-way slot, and made the move official the same evening. 1 Mike Brown said Knecht will play for Westchester rather than sit at the end of the bench. 3 On the McCullar decision, Brown was direct: "It wasn't anything that Kevin didn't do." 20
The one trade market still open
Kristaps Porzingis is the only player this week's reporting places in an active trade conversation. Shams Charania reported Oct. 21 that Golden State had begun exploring deals for him, with Porzingis "seriously contemplating his future in basketball" as the symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) recur. 10
The Warriors' statement that afternoon declined to comment on the speculation and said they do not anticipate Porzingis being around the team in the immediate future. 10 Charania reported that Porzingis might choose to retire if his recovery does not break. 10
He can be traded at all because of how the summer extension was written. Bobby Marks noted the two-year, $40MM deal stayed under the extend-and-trade limits. 10 He earns $20MM guaranteed this season, and his 2027/28 player option carries only $3MM in guarantees. 10
That structure is what makes him tradable and what limits the return. Any team taking him is buying a $20MM expiring contract with a $3MM escape, so the deal is about the money attached, not the player. 10
Golden State's own position narrows it further. The Warriors sit above the first tax apron, which means they cannot take back more salary than they send. 10 To acquire anyone earning more than $20MM they would have to attach a second player, and several Warriors cannot be traded until at least Dec. 15. 11
Two teams are positioned on the other side. Golden State called Milwaukee, where Myles Turner fits the roster need and the Bucks might like to shed a contract signed a year ago. 11 Turner earns $26.6MM this season, $83.6MM over three years, and Milwaukee is not believed to want Porzingis back. 11
Memphis is the more interesting fit. The Grizzlies hold a $28.9MM traded player exception and intend to use it to take on an unwanted contract in exchange for draft compensation. 11 Siegel raised Quin Post as a piece that could make sense once he becomes trade-eligible in December.
Analysis: Memphis is the one team whose interests match the contract. A $20MM deal fits inside a $28.9MM exception, the cash expires in July, and a roster that has just waived $6.4MM of guaranteed salary has shown it will pay for draft assets. What Memphis would send back is the open question, since Siegel reports the exception is meant to bring picks in.
Golden State's fallback is internal. Al Horford said the indefinite absence pushes him and Draymond Green to do more, with Graham Ike and Charles Bassey picking up center minutes. 21
Two contracts still open
Karl-Anthony Towns is the biggest name with an unsettled contract, and both sides have now said what they want. New York's offer sat near $50MM a year before the team paused all extension talks on Oct. 9. 12
His maximum would be $276MM over four years, about $69MM a year. 12 Towns told ESPN's Malika Andrews he would "for sure" take less than that. "I want this team to stay together," he said, adding that a max was never in his mind. 12
Siegel reported Towns is seeking $225–240MM over four years, or $55–60MM a year. 11 Many people around the league expect the two sides to reach a deal. If they do not, the expectation is that Towns declines his $61MM option for 2027/28 and enters free agency. 11
The calendar gives both sides room. ESPN reported that missing Oct. 19 did not close the window, because Towns remains eligible to sign a four-year extension through June 30. 13
The arithmetic behind a compromise is public. Bobby Marks' preferred route is for Towns to pick up the $61MM option and then sign a four-year, $180MM extension starting in 2028/29. 13 Zach Kram called New York's $200MM offer the right ballpark and put Towns' value at $52.8MM last season by DARKO. 13
The constraint is the second apron. James Dolan has shown no interest in crossing it, and Marks noted that a $40MM cap hit in 2028/29 would keep New York below it. 13
Anthony Black is the smaller version of the same question. His extension window closed Oct. 19, and Siegel reported Orlando's offer did not come close to the $20MM-plus a year rival front offices expect him to command as a 2027 restricted free agent. 11
Orlando's payroll is why other teams are watching. Opposing executives are monitoring the Magic, whose top two forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, are on maximum contracts. 11
Black now has a live audition. He missed the first two games with a right ankle sprain and returned Sunday, the same night Suggs went down. 16
Seven extensions, the fewest since 2018
The 2023 rookie-scale deadline closed Monday at 5 p.m. Central with seven deals signed, down from nine last year and 14 in 2023. 9 Only one player took a maximum: Victor Wembanyama, at a projected $255.2MM over five years, with a fifth-year player option and a 15% trade kicker. 9
That makes 2026 the first year since 2016 without multiple maximum rookie-scale extensions. 9 Brandon Miller signed for $208.8MM and Amen Thompson for $208MM, both well under the max. 9
Cason Wallace's deal is worth $135MM, including $4MM in incentives, with a 5% trade kicker. 9 Keyonte George signed for $155MM, Ausar Thompson for $155MM, and Brandin Podziemski for $110MM on a deal with a fifth-year mutual option. 9
Incentives have largely disappeared from these deals because even unlikely bonuses count against the apron, which makes Utah's and Oklahoma City's willingness to include them unusual. 9 Fourteen players from the class now enter contract years, from Black and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to Dereck Lively II and Ben Sheppard. 9
Jaden McDaniels found the workaround for a player who already had money guaranteed. His one-year, $40MM extension applies to 2029/30, a season that did not exist on his contract. 8
Michael Scotto noted it is the first time in NBA history a player with three guaranteed years left on a non-max contract has been extended. 8 The 140% rule explains why McDaniels wanted it: his next starting salary can be 40% above $40MM rather than above his $29.8MM cap hit in 2028/29. 8
He also reaches ten years of service before that next contract begins, which raises what he can be paid in free agency. 8 The maximum starting salary on this extension would have been about $41.74MM, so Minnesota got a slight discount. 8
Seventeen teams still have a spot to fill
The cutdown left 13 teams at a full 15 standard contracts and 17 teams carrying 14. 22 Some of the 17 cannot add a player without a trade because they sit too close to a hard cap. Others could add a minimum salary but would cross the tax line doing it. 22
Boston sits in the second group. The Celtics are about $1.7MM below the tax with 14 players, and staying under it resets the repeater clock. 22 The team could technically sign a 15th man as of Dec. 12 on a prorated minimum and stay under. The front office is expected to wait until after the Feb. 11 trade deadline. 22
Chicago sits at the other end. The Bulls have nearly $35MM of room, and only Brooklyn and Memphis stand further from the tax line. 22 A non-guaranteed deal would let Chicago keep the spot flexible until the January guarantee date. 22
The injuries that will shape the next market
Oklahoma City lost Jalen Williams with 1:14 left Sunday, on a drive he was fouled on. His left leg bent under him, the stretcher came out, and the crowd chanted his nickname as he was wheeled off. 14
Mark Daigneault offered no diagnosis. "We're not doing great," he said, and that the team would be briefed Monday morning. 14 Williams played 33 regular-season games last season, missing time with wrist and hamstring injuries. 14
Orlando lost two starters in two nights. Banchero's right ankle turned under Jalen Suggs while both chased a rebound, a replay showed, and the diagnosis is a low-grade high ankle sprain that will keep him in a boot. 16 He had opened the season with 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds against Atlanta. 16
Suggs went down Sunday against the Knicks on a transition layup, with no contact, holding his right knee. He did not return and the team had no update beyond imaging to come. 17 He has played between 35 and 57 games in every season of his career except 2023/24. 17
Detroit will be without Jalen Duren for at least two weeks, with a reevaluation scheduled on a strained right hamstring he suffered Friday in Miami. 23 Duren made his first All-Star team and third-team All-NBA last season, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds, and signed a five-year, $200MM deal as a restricted free agent this offseason. 23 Ausar Thompson rolled his right ankle in the same game. 23
Phoenix is thin at center again. Oso Ighodaro strained his right oblique and missed Saturday, and the team expects him to be day-to-day rather than long-term. 24 Mark Williams is out several months after shoulder surgery. 24
Indiana lost Ben Sheppard to a torn left meniscus suffered in Wednesday's win over New Orleans. Carlisle said "a few weeks," with the timeline depending on how the tear is treated. 18
Dallas is waiting on Cooper Flagg's left shoulder after Aaron Nesmith fouled him hard on a fast break and drew a flagrant 1. Flagg had 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals in 17 minutes before he left. 24
What the market is waiting for
Analysis, based on the eligibility rules and cap positions reported above.
Two dates govern what the trade market can do before February. Dec. 15 is when most players signed this offseason become trade-eligible. That is what blocks the Warriors from attaching a second salary to Porzingis today. 11
Feb. 11 is the deadline. Boston's plan to hold its 15th spot until after that date says what front offices expect the next four months to look like: a market where the salary rules matter more than the talent available. 22
Seventeen teams carry an open roster spot. Cleveland cannot fill one without a trade and will not be able to until April 9. Boston can fill one and has chosen to wait until after Feb. 11. 22
The demand side is the injury list. Oklahoma City, Orlando, Detroit, Phoenix and Indiana all lost rotation players in the first week, and each now has minutes to fill.
Fantasy and roster read
Analysis. These are the depth-chart consequences the reporting implies, not recommendations.
Orlando's usage redistributes to Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane while Banchero is out, with Jase Richardson the likely starter at guard. 16 Black's return adds a ballhandler who just missed two games. 16
Detroit replaced Duren with Paul Reed at the start of the third quarter in Miami, and beat the Heat as John Collins scored 23 points and Duncan Robinson 17. 23 Reed's minutes are the ones to track for the next two weeks.
Phoenix has Khaman Maluach and Duop Reath behind Ighodaro, with Williams out months. 24 Both become playable in deep formats while Ighodaro is day-to-day.
Golden State's center minutes are going to Graham Ike and Charles Bassey, who combined for 22 points and 17 rebounds in 36 minutes at Phoenix. 21 Yaxel Lendeborg is averaging 18.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 34.3 minutes, and Steve Kerr said the rookie will probably lead the team in minutes. 21
Memphis has a new starting guard. Ty Jerome scored 45 points in the opener, a franchise record for a season opener, on 17-of-25 shooting. 25 Cameron Boozer shot 2-of-15 in his debut but finished plus-32. 25
Minnesota is said to be bullish on McDaniels taking an offensive step this season next to LaMelo Ball. Ball had 15 points, eight assists and two steals in his home debut, and the Wolves are 3-0. 26
Next signals
- Oct. 26: Oklahoma City's update on Jalen Williams, and the result of Suggs' imaging. 1417
- Late November: Banchero's reevaluation, roughly four weeks from Oct. 25. 16
- Around Nov. 8: The two-week window on Duren closes, and Detroit decides whether he needs longer. 23
- Dec. 12: Boston can sign a 15th man on a prorated minimum and stay under the tax. 22
- Dec. 15: Most offseason signings become trade-eligible, including the Golden State players the Warriors would need to attach to a Porzingis deal. 11
- January guarantee date: Milwaukee decides whether to keep Nance on his two-way past the point the salary guarantees. 5
- Feb. 11: The trade deadline. 22
- June 30, 2027: The last day Towns can sign a four-year extension in New York. 13
- July 2027: Black reaches restricted free agency, along with 13 others from his class. 9
References
- 1Knicks Sign Dalton Knecht, Waive Kevin McCullar Jr.\
hoopsrumors.com
- 2Lakers Waive Dalton Knecht\
hoopsrumors.com
- 3Atlantic Notes: Leonard, Edgecombe, Knecht, Nets\
hoopsrumors.com
- 4
- 5Bucks Re-Sign Pete Nance To Two-Way Contract\
hoopsrumors.com
- 6Walter Clayton Signs Two-Way Deal With Mavs\
hoopsrumors.com
- 7Grizzlies Waive Walter Clayton Jr., Micah Peavy\
hoopsrumors.com
- 8Timberwolves Sign Jaden McDaniels To One-Year Extension\
hoopsrumors.com
- 92026 NBA Rookie Scale Extension Recap\
hoopsrumors.com
- 10Warriors Exploring Trade Avenues For Kristaps Porzingis\
hoopsrumors.com
- 11Stein's Latest: Porzingis, Grizzlies, Towns, Black, More\
hoopsrumors.com
- 12Atlantic Notes: Towns, Knicks, Kawhi, M. Robinson\
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- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17Jalen Suggs Leaves Sunday's Game With Knee Injury\
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- 18Pacers' Ben Sheppard Suffers Torn Left Meniscus\
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- 19Grizzlies Looking To Trade Clayton; Kings May Be Interested
hoopsrumors.com
- 20Knicks Notes: Brunson, Drummond, Brown, Knecht, McCullar
hoopsrumors.com
- 21Pacific Notes: Kessler, Doncic, Warriors, Lopez
hoopsrumors.com
- 22Examining The 17 Teams With Standard Roster Openings
hoopsrumors.com
- 23Jalen Duren (Strained Hamstring) Out At Least Two Weeks
hoopsrumors.com
- 24Injury Notes: Flagg, Banchero, Duren, Ighodaro
hoopsrumors.com
- 25Grizzlies Notes: Jerome, Boozer, Coward, Stewart
hoopsrumors.com
- 26Northwest Notes: Ball, Gobert, Jazz, Trail Blazers
hoopsrumors.com
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