Surprise Landing Spots for Zion Williamson, Kevin Durant, NBA's Top 10 Trade Targets
The NBA offseason has already begun for 14 teams, and a handful of teams across the league have made front office and coaching changes in recent weeks. Playoff teams can't make trades until they're eliminated, but most blockbuster moves will wait until the draft in June and free agency in July.
Which players are the most likely to be targeted and potentially moved in trades this offseason? Where might they land?
We've come up with the top 10 options, along with possible destinations for each.
Zion Williamson
1 of 10
Current home: New Orleans Pelicans
New home: Portland Trail Blazers
2025-26 salary: $39.4 million ($126.5 million through 2027-28)
Coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued season, the Pelicans fired top basketball executive David Griffin. They quickly brought in Joe Dumars to help get them back on track.
The fundamental question that Dumars faces is Zion Williamson's durability. Building a team around a star who plays in about 30 games every other year (three of his five seasons) isn't easy.
With point guard Dejounte Murray on the mend from an Achilles injury that figures to sideline him for part of next season, perhaps now is the time to make a more significant shift.
Williamson's contract is unique for a player of his caliber. His injury issues removed his salary guarantees over the remainder of the deal. A prospective bidder like the Blazers would be banking on landing a franchise player, but the salary flexibility of Williamson's contract helps limit the risk. (Granted, the only way to take advantage of the non-guaranteed money is to waive Williamson.)
Anfernee Simons
2 of 10
Current home: Portland Trail Blazers
New home: New Orleans Pelicans
2025-26 salary: $27.7 million (expiring)
The Trail Blazers took a significant step forward this season despite missing the playoffs (and play-in tournament). Simons was second behind Toumani Camara among all Blazers in minutes, starting all 70 games in which he appeared while scoring 19.3 points per contest.
Even though he played well last season, Portland may not want to reinvest in him, especially with Scoot Henderson starting to emerge as a 20-year-old point guard. Simons, 25, could help a team like the Pelicans with Dejounte Murray sidelined.
B/R recently explored the framework for a Williamson to Portland deal built around Shaedon Sharpe and Simons. The Blazers are well suited to take on the Williamson injury risk, especially if Simons isn't in their long-term plans.
New Orleans would get rid of Williamson's salary and acquire two young guards to build around Trey Murphy III, Yves Missi, Herbert Jones and its haul in June's NBA draft.
Mark Williams
3 of 10
Current home: Charlotte Hornets
New home: Milwaukee Bucks
2025-26 salary: $6.3 million (expiring)
The Hornets were among the NBA's worst teams this season. As such, they may not be eager to reinvest in a mediocre product.
Brandon Miller did miss significant time with a wrist injury, which didn't help matters, but Charlotte has already shown where it stands on Williams by agreeing to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Although that trade got rescinded when L.A. rejected Williams' physical, he was able to finish out the season without incident.
The Milwaukee Bucks, whose starting center, Brook Lopez, just turned 37 and is set to become a free agent this summer, may jump at the chance at acquiring Williams (even with the durability risk the Lakers rejected).
Williams is eligible for an extension before the 2025-26 regular season starts. The Bucks could negotiate a deal or make him wait until he becomes a restricted free agent next July. Milwaukee could move the expiring contracts of Bobby Portis ($13.4 million) or Pat Connaughton ($9.4 million) for Williams if either one picks up their respective player options.
Dalton Knecht
4 of 10
Current home: Los Angeles Lakers
New home: Orlando Magic
2025-26 salary: $4 million ($14.6 million through 2027-28)
Just as the Charlotte Hornets made clear their commitment to Mark Williams at the February trade deadline, so did the Lakers with Knecht. That swap would have given the Hornets an explosive scorer/shooter who is probably too young for the win-now Lakers to develop properly.
Knecht is on the older side as a 24-year-old rookie, but he has clear NBA skills when given the chance to play. He shot 37.6 percent from three-point range this season, and that may be just scratching the surface of his potential from deep. Unfortunately for the Hornets, Williams didn't pass his physical with the Lakers, so Knecht stayed in L.A.
The Magic are also in win-now mode, and they have a rapidly growing payroll. Now that Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs have signed extensions, they'll turn to Paolo Banchero this offseason with what is expected to be a max extension. Orlando's most significant weakness is shooting, which is Knecht's greatest strength.
Perhaps acquiring Goga Bitadze or a center via multi-team trade for Knecht would suffice for the Lakers this summer.
Daniel Gafford
5 of 10
Current home: Dallas Mavericks
New home: Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26 salary: $14.4 million (expiring)
There's no way Dallas would trade again with the Lakers after the Luka Dončić swap, right? Considering how the Mavericks have stood on principle that they made the best decision regardless of fan fallout, then why wouldn't they deal Gafford to Los Angeles if the return made sense?
The Mavericks have significant size with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell, P.J. Washington and Gafford. They need help at guard since Kyrie Irving is out with a knee injury until at least December or January (optimistically). While the Lakers may not be able to deliver that directly to Dallas, a multi-team deal could be the answer.
Gafford is in the last year of his contract and is expected to look elsewhere in free agency given the glut of bigs ahead of him in the Mavericks' rotation. His relationship with Dončić is strong, and the Lakers would probably insert Gafford into their starting lineup next season if given the chance.
Kevin Durant
6 of 10
Current home: Phoenix Suns
New home: Houston Rockets
2025-26 salary: $54.7 million (expiring)
Durant's run in Phoenix may be coming to an end. The Suns didn't even qualify for the play-in tournament, fired their head coach (again) and have a heft payroll that limits how much they can improve this summer.
Durant is heading into the last year of his contract, and while he can extend with the Suns, leaguewide intel suggests he'd rather relocate. The feeling may be mutual, as Phoenix needs to pick a path forward. Is the answer "win-now" veterans to replace Durant or younger prospects to develop for sustainable success?
The latter path sounds nice, but it can take years, and multiple NBA sources suggest the Suns aren't about to start rebuilding. Houston could offer several high-value prospects like Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore, along with draft considerations.
That should be an easy "yes" for the Rockets unless a bigger, younger star becomes available, like Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. For Phoenix, is the youth from Houston what Phoenix has in mind in a Durant trade?
Lauri Markkanen
7 of 10
Current home: Utah Jazz
New home: Phoenix Suns
2025-26 salary: $46.4 million ($195.9 million through 2028-29)
The Jazz won the race to the bottom of the NBA standings this year with 17 wins. They will have a 14 percent chance in May's draft lottery of landing the No. 1 pick (aka, the rights to Duke forward Cooper Flagg).
Regardless, Utah is a long way from contending, and the heavy investment in Markkanen (who turns 28 in May) doesn't match the age range of the rest of the long-term roster.
The Jazz would likely want youth and draft picks in exchange for Markkanen, and the Houston Rockets have plenty to offer. B/R recently explored a potential three-team swap where younger players like Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Cam Whitmore relocate to Utah, while Markkanen heads to the still-trying-to-win Suns.
Depending on the path Phoenix locks in moving forward, the Jazz may be able to find a profit.
RJ Barrett
8 of 10
Current home: Toronto Raptors
New home: Washington Wizards
2025-26 salary: $27.7 million ($57.3 million through 2026-27)
The Raptors weren't going to have spending power this offseason. Instead, they acquired their target by acquiring Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the February trade deadline, followed by a sizable contract extension.
With Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, Ingram and Barrett all earning at least $25 million next season, Toronto's projected payroll is over the expected luxury-tax line of $187.8 million. Barrett seems the odd man out, and the Raptors reportedly shopped him ahead of the deadline. They might have made the Ingram deal with the idea that Barrett could be moved this summer.
The Wizards are pushing through the still-early stages of a rebuild, but Barrett is turning only 25 in June. Without giving up any true value, Washington could get a look at Barrett for a few seasons before making any bigger decisions.
While Barrett has $3.4 million in unlikely incentives that count against a team's apron salary, that shouldn't matter to the Wizards. Those incentives could limit the Raptors' market for Barrett, since other suitors with a heavy payroll might be less interested in him.
Marcus Smart
9 of 10
Current home: Washington Wizards
New home: Toronto Raptors
2025-26 salary: $21.6 million (expiring)
The Wizards acquired Smart at the deadline from the Memphis Grizzlies. They're rebuilding, so Smart doesn't figure to be a long-term fixture in Washington.
Instead of an extension or long-term partnership, look for the Wizards to shop Smart to a team looking for a defensive-minded veteran guard or an expiring contract. B/R recently suggested a deal with the Raptors for RJ Barrett, giving the Wizards a still-young wing on a relatively short, two-year contract.
Toronto is expecting to improve significantly from its 30-win campaign next year. Smart would help the Raptors get under the luxury tax while giving them depth at guard and another expiring contract to move at the trade deadline like Bruce Brown Jr. from the Indiana Pacers in 2024, which led to the Ingram trade in February.
Trae Young
10 of 10
Current home: Atlanta Hawks
New home: Miami Heat
2025-26 salary: $46 million ($49 million player option in 2026-27)
The Hawks are heading in a new direction, though it's unclear to what extent. They fired general manager Landry Fields on Monday and will now search for a new head of basketball operations.
The new hire may take a different approach, especially with Young needing a new contract.
While few teams project to have cap space this offseason, far more could in 2026. The Hawks either need to extend Young this summer, come to terms on a new contract next summer, trade him or let him walk in free agency.
A trade makes much more sense than losing an All-Star for nothing, but for what return? Perhaps Miami, which recently ousted Atlanta from the play-in, would send younger players, reasonable contracts and draft compensation for Young.
Given the uncertain state of the Hawks' front office, it's difficult to project Young's future, but the decision is looming.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him @EricPincus on X and Bluesky.
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