5 NBA Offseason Trade Ideas That Need to Happen
The NBA trade market never really closes.
It technically has its hours (or months) of operation, but even when transactions can't be finalized, they can always be plotted out.
That's what the purpose of this exercise is: Plotting out potential moves for the summer ahead. And there are no shortage of intriguing options, since you have clubs who will fall well short of their postseason ambitions and won't have the resources (in terms of cap space or even viable targets) to attack those roster imbalances in free agency.
Since payrolls and roster spots will change between now and this summer's blockbuster trade season, we'll focus more on general trade concepts and not necessarily the nuances of the financial side of NBA wheeling and dealing.
Miami Finally Gets Giannis
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Miami Heat receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., unprotected firsts in 2030 and 2032, first-round pick swap in 2031
Antetokounmpo could be out this offseason. His relationship with the franchise feels as rocky as ever, and it probably didn't help having Milwaukee's leadership already issue a public "extend or you're getting traded" ultimatum.
This relationship appears unsalvageable; it just seems like neither side wants to admit it. Eventually, though, the public-relations risk will pale in comparison to the damage done by delaying the divorce.
The second that a split is finally happening, the Heat will make phone calls. Constantly. South Beach has been a logical destination for ages, and Antetokounmpo surely knew he was fanning that flame a bit with recent praise of "Heat culture."
If this is close to the actual price, the Heat will pounce. It might be, because while Antetokounmpo is objectively awesome, he's also 31, approaching the last guaranteed season of his contract and finding it increasingly difficult to duck the injury bug. Maybe it takes an extra pick or swap, but this could be close, and if it is, it's a no-brainer for the Heat.
As for the Bucks, they could market Herro, a Wisconsin native, as their hometown hoops star and also position Ware and Jaquez (or whichever Heat prospects they prefer) as long-term building blocks. Milwaukee could try asking for more picks, but two unprotected firsts and an unprotected swap is still a solid haul.
Suns Give Devin Booker a Co-Star
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Phoenix Suns receive: Kawhi Leonard
Los Angeles Clippers receive: Jalen Green, Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and 2027 first-round pick (via CLE, MIN or UTA)
The Suns have overachieved this season, but there's a cap on how high this core can climb without assistance from the front office.
Devin Booker is awesome, but his contending window will never open when his best sources of scoring support are a defensive stopper (Dillon Brooks), a quantity-over-quality chucker (Green) and a shooting specialist (Grayson Allen).
The Clippers resisted trade calls for Leonard at the deadline, but "the expectation here is that teams will certainly be trying again to trade for Leonard in June," per NBA insider Marc Stein. L.A. is essentially halfway through a roster reset after unloading both James Harden and Ivica Zubac, and a Leonard trade seems like the sensible next step.
He's a walking injury risk—and his upcoming 35th birthday won't quiet the availability concerns—but when he's healthy, he's one of the five or 10 best players on the planet. In fact, estimated plus minus slots him second overall this season, trailing only reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, per Dunks & Threes.
The seven-time All-Star is the type of talent Phoenix couldn't normally afford, but he could be relatively clearance-priced for his age, absences and contract cost ($50.3 million next season) and uncertainty (free agent in 2027).
If the Suns could swing this deal, they should. Booker badly needs a co-star, and Leonard would immediately enhance everything this team does at both ends.
L.A. could hope to return more from Leonard, but again, there are reasons that potential trade suitors could seek out a dented-can discount.
Beyond that, this feels like the kind of package a team that just got much younger at the deadline could covet.
Green has his flaws, but he's a gifted scorer with great tools. Maluach is a fascinating long-term project, Fleming has elite potential on defense (and three-point range on his jumper) and the first-round pick speaks for itself.
Warriors Bail on Brandin Podziemski
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Golden State Warriors receive: Naji Marshall and 2030 second-round pick (via PHI)
Dallas Mavericks receive: Brandin Podziemski
The Warriors have either made Podziemski off-limits or tried using him to help grease the gears of a much more significant trade. But he clearly isn't an untouchable talent, and major moves are hard to make without parting with one of Draymond Green or Jimmy Butler.
If Golden State thinks it can still build a contender around Green, Butler and Stephen Curry—a trio that tallied a strong plus-6.9 net rating over 452 minutes this season—it might be OK with just flipping Podziemski for a better fit. The Dubs could use Marshall's length and physicality on the perimeter, plus this would allow them to sidestep potentially thorny extension talks with Podziemski.
The return admittedly isn't enormous, but Podziemski's trade value isn't, either. It'd still look more appealing if Marshall had a more reliable three-ball (30.2 percent for his career, but 38.7 percent in 2023-24), but he still offers good amounts of defensive versatility, downhill attacking and secondary playmaking.
The Warriors are going to need reliable role players if they're going to make this work. Podziemski has the higher ceiling, but Marshall's elevated floor could easily be seen as more mission-critical for what feels like a make-or-break 2026-27 campaign.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, should be all about taking upside swings in hopes of flanking Cooper Flagg with more long-term building blocks. Podziemski probably wouldn't be a primary rebuilding piece in Dallas, but he could still be a long-term fit as a support scorer, shooter and part-time creator.
Nets Take a Zion-Sized Swing
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Brooklyn Nets receive: Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans receive: Michael Porter Jr., Ben Saraf and a 2027 first-round pick (via NYK)
The Pelicans have more or less learned what they can do with a healthy Williamson this season. Unfortunately, the answer appears to be not very much. He's been less productive than in the past (and not just on a volume basis, but also in per-possession terms), and they haven't been any good when he's played (22-34 with a minus-1.1 net rating).
You have to wonder whether New Orleans has simply seen enough at this point. It's one thing to absorb a ridiculous amount of injury risk for a needle-moving superstar. It's quite another to take that on for a 25-year-old who's starting to seem more good than great. Oh, and he's extension-eligible this offseason, so perhaps the Pelicans just want no part of that.
The Nets might, though. They need a star, and since the Houston Rockets have swap rights on their 2027 first-round pick, they don't have any incentive to remain in the tanking business. They're aiming to "flip the switch and try to compete as soon as next season," per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
After loading up on playmakers last summer, Brooklyn could be on the hunt for play-finishers. That part of Williamson's game looks as good as ever. He's shooting 60.1 percent overall and feasting on close-range shots with a 74 percent conversion rate inside of three feet. He could give this offense clear direction without emptying the organization's asset collection.
The Pels, meanwhile, could see real benefit in a lights-out shooter like Porter, whose spacing skills could be particularly helpful in giving youngsters Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen more room to operate. Ideally, at least one of Saraf or the incoming first here would emerge as a long-term fit for the franchise, too.
Pistons Place Low-Cost Bet on Perimeter Scorer
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Detroit Pistons receive: Zach LaVine
Sacramento Kings receive: Duncan Robinson, Caris LeVert, Marcus Sasser, two 2027 second-round picks
If the Pistons' playoff run ends sooner than expected, they'll probably start hunting for Cade Cunningham's scoring co-star right away. But without knowing which teams will disappoint this postseason, it's hard to say which elites might shake loose this summer. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the obvious exception, but he's also a brutal fit in a frontcourt already featuring non-spacers in Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson.
Maybe Detroit senses it doesn't need to take such an asset-depleting swing, anyway. After all, this team has a second All-Star (Duren) and several elite defenders, so the need is less about general high-end talent and more a specific itch for perimeter shooting and secondary creation.
That's LaVine's game in a nutshell. When he's healthy, he's one of the most potent perimeter scorers you'll find (at least outside of the superstar ranks). You can typically pencil him for an efficient 20-to-25 points per night. And when he handles a big enough role, he'll usually find his way to about five assists per outing, too.
Those are big numbers. And the facts that LaVine is overpaid ($49 million player option for next season) and wholly underwhelming on defense doesn't change that those are big numbers. Detroit can't dream of getting that production from anyone other than Cunningham, and it could easily feel optimistic about having enough defenders to cover for LaVine's limitations on that end.
At the right price and in the right role, the Pistons could squint and see the scoring guard as a need-filling difference-maker.
The Kings, meanwhile, might pounce on the chance to turn LaVine into anything of note. Even if the package is basically just Sasser and a couple of second-round picks. In a perfect world, at least one of Robinson or LeVert would attract a suitor at some point and effectively increase the return on this trade.
