Par Guillaume Kagni | Journaliste sportif
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Jaylen Brown, Karl-Anthony Towns… All these stars could find themselves available on the market this summer, which promises many surprises. Unless Brian Windhorst’s latest revelation spoils the party.
It’s been announced for several weeks now: this off-season could be the craziest in recent league history. Indeed, following the poor results of certain franchises, players such as Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are very likely to be available on the market. Karl-Anthony Towns’ place in New York is not guaranteed either.
Teams looking for reinforcements are on the lookout, such as the Spurs. With Victor Wembanyama already a major player in the league, pairing him with another superstar could catapult San Antonio into title contention. They have been linked in the rumors to KD, Giannis, but also Jaylen Brown, who could pay for his poor playoffs with Boston.
Market blocked by salary cap?
But with all the promises of fireworks and movement in every direction, aren’t fans going to be disappointed this summer? On social networks, Brian Windhorst, one of the best-informed journalists on the circuit, made an announcement that is likely to lower everyone’s expectations. 2026 could be the off-season of all surprises, not 2025.
People think this off-season is going to be crazy. Talking to the teams, it’s true that there’s a lot more discussion at this point in the calendar than in other years. But that’s no guarantee of anything. I think there are still a lot of players with big salaries who are going to be included in the conversations, players who wouldn’t usually be.
But the problem is that there isn’t much room in the teams’ salary cap. Only a few franchises have room. Next year, on the other hand, there will potentially be more room. Today, the only way to get stronger is to set up a trade. There will be attempts to do so in the coming weeks, and that’s what the specialists are keeping an eye on.
Brian Windhorst hears the various discussions around the league and confirms that there’s more excitement than normal at this time of the season. However, he doesn’t know whether this will translate into concrete moves. Teams are virtually all locked in by the salary cap, which should push them to negotiate tightly. 2026 could be a different story.