The 3-Team NBA Trade Idea That Would Change Everything

The 2026 NBA offseason's to-do list is dwindling down to almost nothing.

There are still a few things to sort out—an end to Jalen Duren's drawn-out restricted free agency, and perhaps an extension for Stephen Curry—but most of the big-picture decisions have already been made.

We just aren't quite ready for this party to be over.

Maybe we're just guests who are overstaying our welcome, but when you're used to landscape-shifting dominoes being dropped at an almost daily pace, it isn't easy to accept that the activity is just finished. So...we won't.

Instead, we're firing up the trade machine in search of one final summer splash: a three-team blockbuster that could add at least one new franchise to the league's heavyweight contender ranks.

The Trade

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Detroit Pistons receive: Kyrie Irving and Naji Marshall

Golden State Warriors receive: P.J. Washington, Taurean Prince*, 2027 second-round pick (from MIL, via DET) and 2028 second-round pick (from CHO or LAC, via DET)

Dallas Mavericks receive: Ron Holland II, Brandin Podziemski, Daniss Jenkins, Moses Moody, Duncan Robinson and 2028 first-round pick (via DET)

*Eligible to be aggregated in a trade after Sept. 8

Why the Pistons Do It

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Detroit learned two lessons last season. First, this roster is ready to go toe-to-toe with the Association's elite. Teams don't secure 60 wins or post the league's second-best net rating by accident.

Second, the Pistons need to give Cade Cunningham more help to have a realistic shot of capturing the crown. In fact, the need for scoring and creation support might be even greater now than it appeared during the Pistons' second-round exit, since Tobias Harris, their second-leading scorer in the playoffs, has relocated to San Antonio.

The Pistons have managed to snag a few solid additions, but they still need a special kind of co-star for Cunningham. And this deal delivers exactly that in Irving, a historically skilled ball-handler with career averages sitting north of 23 points and five assists (output enhanced by his uber-efficient 47.4/39.4/88.8 career slash line).

Now, the knocks on Irving are obvious—he is 34 years old and spawned significant availability concerns long before suffering the torn ACL that sidelined him all of last season—but the potential reward looms even larger. He has absolutely crushed it as a co-star, winning a championship with LeBron James and helping Luka Dončić secure his first NBA Finals appearance.

Irving could be just as effective with Cunningham, a pairing with enough on-paper potency to settle the spacing concerns tied to having Ausar Thompson and (presumably) Duren in the same frontcourt. Plus, the Pistons acquire a plug-and-play defensive replacement for Ron Holland II in Naji Marshall, a similarly physical defender with a richer inside-the-arc track record on offense.

The long-term costs are hardly insignificant here, but Cunningham's emergence as an All-NBA first-teamer and MVP candidate can justify prioritizing the short term, especially if it means acquiring a proven commodity like Irving without depleting Detroit's draft assets.

Why the Warriors Do It

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The Warriors could soon reward Curry for his epic career and continued excellence with a sizable contract extension. Per ESPN's Anthony Slater, there remains "a mutual desire to keep Curry with the Warriors for the entirety of his career."

Fans might love to see the loyalty here, but couldn't Curry use, you know, some actual on-court support? Granted, Golden State isn't getting back a needle-mover in this exchange, but if that type of upgrade was available to the franchise, it would have signed, sealed and delivered that deal already.

The Warriors haven't ditched their dreams of adding a difference-maker at some point, but this offseason is still in danger of going down as a major drag. They could at least give themselves some proven reinforcements on the wing in P.J. Washington and Taurean Prince while also managing to turn Moses Moody's salary slot into something useful and sidestepping potentially tricky extension talks with Brandin Podziemski.

This deal wouldn't make the Warriors any younger or more athletic, but it would supply more veteran savvy, shotmaking and defensive versatility along the wings. Not to mention, Washington and Prince would arrive with nearly 50 combined playoff appearances on their résumés.

Washington would be a rotation regular (if not a nightly starter, at least until Jimmy Butler returns), while Prince's role could hinge on the readiness of first-round rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. Neither newcomer would change the Warriors' fate, but they could beef up the rotation a bit without subtracting any draft assets (and, in fact, adding a couple of seconds to perhaps sweeten a future trade offer).

That feels like a solid bit of basketball business, especially if there are any hesitations about Podziemski's next contract or Moody's status after suffering a gruesome knee injury late last season.

Why the Mavericks Do It

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When given the opportunity, Dallas keeps arguing for Irving as a viable co-star for Cooper Flagg. Rival franchises just aren't buying it and "continue to wonder aloud about how firmly Dallas will stick to that stance," per NBA insider Marc Stein.

That skepticism is absolutely warranted. It's arguably encouraged given the gargantuan timeline gap between the 34-year-old Irving and 19-year-old Flagg.

Speaking of the reigning Rookie of the Year, how is he feeling about the state of long-term building blocks around him? First-round rookies Morez Johnson Jr. and Sergio de Larrea might be the two most exciting options, but that says plenty when they have collectively proved nothing at this level. Optimists might add a hopefully healthy Dereck Lively II and 2024's No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the list, but they'd have their fingers tightly crossed while doing it.

What really ups the concern factor, though, is that Dallas doesn't own any of its next four first-round draft picks. So, there isn't an obvious (or easy) way of adding to his young core. Unless, of course, the Mavs reverse course on their Irving stance, which feels like it could happen as soon as the front office senses a respectable return is available on the draft market.

This would almost certainly qualify. Dallas could hold realistic hopes of landing four long-term keepers here, since Ron Holland II, Brandin Podziemski, Daniss Jenkins and Moses Moody are all 25 or under. And if the front office aced the incoming first-round pick, that would be five fresh building blocks in place—plus Duncan Robinson, who'd bring valuable offensive spacing and hopefully convince a shooting-needy suitor to come calling at some point.

That is, without question, a healthy haul for a 34-year-old returning from a season-long absence and a couple of veteran role players. More importantly, it is a clear and complete commitment to prioritizing Flagg's future, which became (or at least should have become) the organization's first priority the second it collected the jackpot prize of the 2025 draft lottery.