We’re off to a very active trade season!
As the landscape of the NBA shifts ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, we’re here to help you figure out what to make of it all.
Here are the latest trades with grades on the biggest ones:
July 1
Pistons, Heat exchange sharpshooters
Pistons receive: F Duncan Robinson
Nets receive: F Simone Fontecchio
June 30
Nuggets, Nets trade 3-and-D wings
Nuggets receive: F Cam Johnson
Nets receive: F Michael Porter Jr. and 2032 unprotected first-round pick
June 29
Jazz, Hornets make player swap
Hornets receive: G Collin Sexton, 2030 second-round pick
Jazz receive: C Jusuf Nurkić
June 28
Cavaliers receive: Lonzo Ball
Bulls receive: Isaac Okoro
(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Cavaliers: A-
Lonzo Ball could give the Cavaliers some strong depth behind Darius Garland. BUT he’s seemingly always injured. He missed two straight seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24) because of knee issues and then played only 35 games last season because of a sprained right wrist that sidelined him since the beginning of March.
As Cleveland hopes to compete for its first championship since 2016, Ball, if healthy, could give them an explosive point guard who’s also a strong defender.
The Cavaliers are bracing to potentially lose Ty Jerome in free agency and Garland is likely to miss some time at the start of the season after undergoing surgery earlier this month to repair his left big toe. With both of those moving pieces, gambling on Ball and his health was a smart move.
Bulls: B
It’s completely understandable why the Bulls moved off of Ball. After waiting out his knee injury for two seasons, he signed a two-year, $20 million extension in February. Then, at the end of the month, he sustained a wrist injury that shut him down for the season yet again.
Enough was enough, clearly.
Okoro gives the Bulls some depth at the forward position and someone who’s defensive-minded. But it seems like they could’ve gotten more for Ball, even with his injury-riddled history. Or maybe not. Either way, the Bulls are going to need to bolster their roster at the point guard position come free agency.
June 26
Lakers trade for draft rights of the 36th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Lakers receive: the 36th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Adou Thiero)
Timberwolves receive: the 45th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, cash considerations
Lakers trade for the draft rights of the 45th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Lakers receive: the 45th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Bulls receive: the 55th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, cash considerations
June 25
Kings get the draft rights to the 24th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Kings receive: the 24th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Nique Clifford)
Thunder receive: 2027 first-round pick from San Antonio (1-16 protected)
Jazz acquire the draft rights to NCAA National Champion, Walter Clayton Jr.
Jazz receive: the 18th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Walter Clayton Jr.)
Wizards receive: the 21st pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Will Riley), multiple second-round draft picks
Pelicans trade for the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Hawks receive: the 23rd pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Asa Newell), 2026 unprotected first-round pick
Pelicans receive: the 13th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Derik Queen)
Grizzlies trade for the rights to the No. 11 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Grizzlies receive: the 11th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Cedric Coward), and two future second-round picks
Trail Blazers: the 16th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft (Yang Hansen), and a 2028 first-round pick via Orlando
Suns acquire Mark Williams
Suns receive: Mark Williams
Hornets receive: the No. 29 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, an additional 2029 first-round pick, and Vasilije Micic
June 24
Three-team Kristaps Porziņģis trade
Celtics receive: Georges Niang and a second-round pick
Hawks receive: Kristaps Porziņģis and a second-round pick
Nets receive: Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick (via ATL)
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Celtics: B
As soon as Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tear during the postseason, we all knew this was going to be the end of the Boston Celtics as we knew them. They were willing to have the most expensive roster in NBA history when they were the defending champions who were favored to repeat. But without Tatum, their No. 1 priority clearly became getting below the second apron. which they’ve now done by trading Holiday and Porzingis.
Hawks: A-
Porzingis could make the Hawks a dark horse next season. He’s a great 3-point shooter and a strong rim protector who will make them better on both ends of the court. Porzingis will help open up the floor for Trae Young, who clearly needs help carrying the team’s 16th-rated offense. If Porzingis can stay healthy, the Hawks will be a team to watch next season.
Nets: A
Look out for the Nets, who now have five first-round picks, including No. 8, No. 19, No. 22, No. 26, and No. 27. That gives them so many options and so much flexibility to try and become relevant in the East while Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton are all out next season because of Achilles injuries.
Pelicans trade CJ McCollum
Pelicans receive: Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft
Wizards receive: CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick
Pelicans: B
This move will help the Pelicans shed about $6 million in salary while getting younger. McCollum will turn 34 before the season, while Poole is just 26.
The Pelicans also gain leverage if they choose to deal Poole down the line. Meanwhile, there’s still a chance that Poole, who averaged 20.5 points on 43.2 percent shooting, will blossom into the star he was pegged to become.
Wizards: A-
When the Wizards acquired Poole from Golden State, they took a swing at a strong perimeter shooter who appeared to be a rising star in the league. But Poole never reached his potential in Washington. McCollum will help build a culture and teach their young core how to be pros, which will hopefully eventually help them crawl out of the cellar of the Eastern Conference.
June 23
Celtics trade Holiday
Celtics receive: Anfernee Simons and two second-round picks
Trail Blazers receive: Jrue Holiday
Celtics: A
It was expected that the Celtics were going to make lots of deals and try to shed salaries with Jayson Tatum out next season after suffering a torn Achilles during the playoffs. Simons gives the Celtics a reliable scorer. He averaged 19.3 points last season, following his 2023-24 campaign when he averaged a career-best 22.6 points per game. With Simons instead of Holiday, the Celtics will take a big dip on the defensive end. But the fact that they also got assets out of this deal makes it a home run.
Trail Blazers: C
Holiday is 35, entering his 17th season and has over $104 million left on his deal. It’s an overpay for them to give up Simons and two second-round picks. Holiday is a skilled two-way player who played a major role in the Celtics winning their 18th championship last postseason. He’s also a great locker room guy who always gains the respect of his teammates. But still, this move doesn’t add up for the Trail Blazers considering where Holiday is at in his career.
June 22
Rockets land Kevin Durant
Rockets receive: Kevin Durant
Suns receive: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks
(Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images)
Rockets: A
The excitement for the NBA Finals was upstaged by one of the biggest stars in the league finding out he was traded while on stage during Fanatics Fest on Sunday. As the audience screamed, Durant sat back in a chair with a smile on his face, seemingly soaking in the surreal nature of it all. The Rockets have every reason to smile, too. They just added one of the greatest scorers of all-time to a roster that includes Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr.
This is an incredible deal for the Rockets, who only gave up one first-round pick to acquire a 15-time All-Star who avered 26.6 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists in 62 games this season. The 36-year-old Durant has averaged at least 25, 50 percent shooting and 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line in three consecutive seasons, the longest streak in NBA history, according to ESPN Research.
Durant instantly transforms a Rockets team that finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference into a championship contender, putting one of the best offensive creators and finishers in the league onto a team that struggled with effective field goal percentage, ranking just 27th, according to GeniusIQ.
Durant, who won two championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 and was named the Finals MVP both years, knows how to win when the stakes are highest and should make a team that was eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs this year a big threat going forward.
Not to mention, Durant has a long-established relationship with Rockets coach Ime Udoka, stemming from their time together with the Brooklyn Nets and USA Basketball.
Durant made it clear that Houston, San Antonio and Miami were among his top trade destinations and the Rockets have a lot to celebrate after landing the superstar while giving up relatively very little.
Suns: C
The Suns were in a tough spot here. After the surprising news leaked that they were trying to deal Durant at the February trade deadline to Golden State, it became clear that this marriage was headed for a breakup. Durant kaboshed the move at the time, wanting to finish out the season in Phoenix before figuring out his next stop.
The Suns went on to miss the playoffs despite having a superstar-laden roster with Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. They clearly weren’t in the best bargaining position, finishing in 11th place in the West despite having the highest payroll in league history.
That said, this seems like a pretty meager haul for a player of Durant’s caliber.
Green, 23, is a skilled scorer, who averaged 21 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season, but his defensive skills definitely need improvement, and he shot just 35.4 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Not to mention, the Suns aren’t exactly in need of another shooting guard, with Booker and Beal still on the roster.
And, really, just one first-round pick?!
The Suns likely aren’t going to be competitive next year, which is a giant bummer for Booker, who has struggled with four straight disappointing Suns seasons after leading the team to the Finals in 2021.
The Suns gave up a massive haul to get Durant in Feb. 2023, including four unprotected future first-round picks, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. And now they’re losing him for much, much less.
June 17
Pacers get their 2026 first-round pick back from Pelicans
Pelicans receive: Mojave King, Indiana’s 2025 first-round pick (23rd overall)
Pacers receive: rights to their 2026 first-round pick
June 15
Magic acquires Desmond Bane
Grizzlies receive: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four 1st-round picks (2025, 2026, 2028, 2030) and 2029 first-round pick swap
Magic receive: Desmond Bane
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Grizzlies: A
It’s no surprise that the Grizzlies were looking to make a big move. Their coach, Taylor Jenkins, was fired with nine games remaining in the season, and they went on to get swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder, marking the third straight year that they were either eliminated in the opening round or missed the playoffs altogether. This move gives the Grizzlies a lot of flexibility to build around stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Grizzlies acquired a haul of picks and are known to make smart decisions during the draft. Even though they hovered around No. 2 in the West before the All-Star break ,they haven’t been able to break through in the crowded West. Now, they have some wiggle room to figure out how to become a contender. Not to mention, Caldwell-Pope and Anthony will give them some increased depth at the wing.
Magic: B
Yes, Orlando gave up A LOT of capital. But they need a player like Bane. They ranked last in the league in 3-point shooting last season. Bane has shot 41 percent from beyond the arc over his five-season career. He’s also a skilled offensive creator and a strong defender. While the Magic gave up a massive haul to get Bane, it needs to be pointed out that they kept their young core in Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
This move gives the Magic a chance to be competitive in the East now. It’s a big gamble to give up five first-round picks for a role player, but Bane fills a lot of holes for the Magic, who are clearly looking to make some noise next season.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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