NBA free agency news 2026: Lakers land Walker Kessler after LeBron James' exit; Mitchell Robinson leaves Knicks for Celtics

With the 2026 NBA Draft in the rearview, the league's attention turns to free agency this week. The official negotiation period opened on Tuesday evening, but there's been plenty of action to keep everyone busy since the draft last week.

The Giannis Antetokounmpo domino finally fell with his trade to the Miami Heat the day before the draft, which kicked off a flurry of activity. The Charlotte Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers re-signed Austin Reaves. The Grizzlies then opted to move Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers.

On the first official day of free agency, LeBron James informed the Lakers that while he intends to return for the 2026-27 season, he will look to play elsewhere, officially set to explore free agency.

Tuesday also brought the somewhat expected news of Kawhi Leonard's return to Toronto, as the Clippers are reportedly set to deal him back to the team he led to the 2019 NBA championship. On Wednesday, the Lakers made one of the biggest moves early in free agency, agreeing to a sign-and-trade deal with the Utah Jazz for center Walker Kessler. New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson also reached agreement to join the Boston Celtics while the Pistons agreed to a deal with John Collins, and Norman Powell is reportedly headed to the Bulls.

Check out Yahoo Sports' free agency big board and position rankings: Shooting guards | Small forwards | Power forward | Centers