My thoughts on the five best trades of the NBA offseason so far

The trade market has been active in the NBA.

Desmond Bane will look to help Orlando contend in the East (via Orlando Magic Instagram)

For the people that are complaining that NBA Free Agency has “lost its aura”, they have the new CBA to thank for that.

With teams having to worry about the first and second apron and paying the luxury tax, we are going to see more guys re-sign with their franchises. Being an apron team comes with tax penalties, salary-cap restrictions, and trade restrictions.

Teams can’t just spend money for the sake of it. The new CBA requires them to be smarter with team building. We have seen how badly the second apron has affected the Phoenix Suns, thanks to the host of bad roster decisions they made and they had to trade Kevin Durant to get out of it.

Despite the lackluster free agency period, the trade market has never been more active. Here are my thoughts on the five best trades so far this summer.

Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic

Grizzlies received: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first round picks

Magic received: Desmond Bane

Three players since 2021 have made 800 made threes on 40 percent or better from three-point range. Stephen Curry. Zach LaVine. Desmond Bane. That’s it. For his career, Bane has shot 41 percent from three. Orlando had ten guys play over 18 minutes a game last year and none of them shot better than 35 percent from three. Bane offers a level of shot creation and shooting the Magic haven’t had.

Four first rounders may seem like a steep price to pay, but Orlando is on their way to contending in a laughably weak East. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are two of the best young players in the league and both are All-NBA level talents. They are ready to lead the Magic to contention.

Secondly, if you go to nba.com and look at any major offensive category for this past season, you will find the Orlando Magic near the bottom. Orlando has finished as a bottom-ten offense for 13 seasons in a row. The last time they didn’t, Obama was on his way to getting re-elected. Expect the addition of Bane to end that streak.

For Memphis, passing up on that level of a package would be foolish. As good as Bane was for them, the Grizzlies needed to shake things up this summer. The trade allowed them to re-sign Jaren Jackson and Santi Aldama, while bringing in Ty Jerome.

The move also allowed Memphis to move up in the draft and select Washington State forward Cedric Coward. Coward is the wing the Grizzlies have needed and will instantly be a 3 and D piece for them. In two years though, we could be talking about Coward being one of the best young wings in the game. He has that kind of potential.

Kevin Durant to the Rockets

Suns received: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 2025 first round pick (Khaman Maluach), and five second rounders

Rockets received: Kevin Durant

Durant switching teams is no longer the shocker it once was, but Houston did a great job with this trade. The Rockets needed prolific scoring and he gives them that.

KD has shown no signs of slowing down, coming off a year where he averaged 27 PPG on 52/43/84 shooting splits. Houston just won 52 games and has a young core that is ready to win now in Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Jabari Smith Jr. Durant’s isolation scoring and overall gravity will open up the floor for the Rockets and will remove the clunk they had in their offense last playoffs.

For the Suns, they had no choice but to move on from Durant. Thanks to Mat Ishbia thinking ownership in the NBA is the equivalent of 2K MyLeague, Phoenix had to recoup some assets and flexibility. They did have better offers for Durant (sorry Minnesota), but also wanted to do right by him and send him somewhere he wanted to be.

Jalen Green is a volatile young player, but has nice scoring potential and athleticism. The fit next to Devin Booker is questionable, but maybe the Suns can flip Green for more assets if it doesn’t work out. Dillon Brooks gives Phoenix toughness and defense, something they lacked on the wing. He is the perfect 3 and D role player for them.

As for Maluach, he has a very high ceiling and should flourish under the guidance of new head coach Jordan Ott. Ott in his time with the Cavaliers, was responsible for the development and leap of Evan Mobley. Mobley is now the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and was named an All-Star.

Expect Ott to have a similar impact on Maluach, who has an imposing physical profile (7’2”, 250, 7’6” wingspan), elite defensive skills, and is a lob threat. If he can polish the rest of his offensive game, we’re talking about someone who can be a top big man in the NBA very soon.

Jordan Poole-CJ McCollum swap

Pelicans received: Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, No. 40 pick in 2025 draft (Micah Peavy)

Wizards received: CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, future second round pick

I really liked this trade for both teams. First, the Wizards get off the contract of Poole in exchange for the expiring deal of McCollum. The deal gave Washington huge cap relief for next summer, as they project to have $100 million in cap space. For a rebuilding team, cap space, expiring contracts, and draft capital are three important things and the Wizards have all of them.

McCollum is a veteran presence that will be a positive influence on the Wizards’ young core and combined with Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton, Washington has a strong veteran nucleus.

For New Orleans, Poole is coming off the most efficient season of his career. He shot 38 percent from three on nine attempts, had a true-shooting percentage of 59 (a career-high), while averaging over 20 PPG.

Poole can play either guard spot and even with the addition of Jeremiah Fears, he should fit in nicely since Poole is the superior shooter. With Dejounte Murray expected to miss significant time, this was a shrewd move by the Pelicans.

This was a win-win trade for both sides. I really like how Washington is rebuilding their young core and the pick of Tre Johnson in the draft was a great move by them. The Pelicans are retooling and with the additions of Poole, Fears, and Derik Queen, alongside Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and hopefully a healthy Zion Williamson, New Orleans has a nice young core to build around.

Cam Johnson-Michael Porter Jr. swap

Nuggets receive: Cam Johnson

Nets receive: Michael Porter Jr., 2032 first round pick

I think Adam Silver should reward the Nets and their fanbase with the number one pick next year as consolation for watching Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. tank command for 82 games. Those two guys with one basketball will be one of the more maddening storylines next NBA season.

Anyways, Denver could not have done a better job with this trade. Nikola Jokic’s supporting cast needed help and Cam Johnson is the perfect fit. He is coming off the best season of his career, averaging a career-high in points (18.8), field-goal percentage (47.5), true-shooting percentage (63), and assists (3.4). He shot 40 percent on catch and shoot threes and he will have plenty of those opportunities with Jokic at the helm.

Johnson came into the league as a 3 and D player, as he was a key part of Phoenix’s finals team in 2021. He thrived as a role player on a contender and now he gets the chance to do it again. His ability to play off-ball and his constant movement will mesh very well with Denver’s system. Porter Jr. would often be a ball-stopper on the wing and would too often stand in the corner when he wasn’t involved in a possession. None of that will be the case with Johnson.

For Brooklyn, they are in the business of acquiring draft capital, even if it means taking on bad contracts. Porter is owed $78 million over the next two years, but could rebuild his trade value with more on-ball opportunities available.

If he does, the Nets could flip him at the 2027 deadline when he is an expiring deal or if he really performs, then the 2026 deadline. The 2032 first round pick is so far into the future, but could become important if the Nuggets aren’t contending by then (aka Jokic retires).

Lonzo Ball-Isaac Okoro swap

Cavaliers received: Lonzo Ball

Bulls received: Isaac Okoro

The Big Baller Brand is now in Northeast Ohio. Who would’ve thought that five years ago? After coveting him for a while, Cleveland was able to acquire Lonzo Ball from the Bulls.

Ball has played only 70 games in the last four seasons, but he showed what he can contribute last season. The Bulls had a 116.2 offensive rating and a +6.1 net rating with him on the court and he was a huge reason why they played at the fastest pace in the NBA.

He was a strong defender for Chicago in 24-25 and forced a lot of live-ball turnovers (more than two deflections and a steal per game). His size at 6’6” allows him to guard multiple positions and Ball’s ability at the point of attack helps solve the Cavs’ perimeter issues, something that was exposed against Indiana.

Ball’s playmaking chops are still there. He averaged more than three assists per game in 19 minutes and showed he can be a secondary playmaker to take the burden off of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. He is only making $10M this season and has a team option next summer. If he doesn’t work out, the Cavs can cut their losses.

The Bulls are in a rebuild and the addition of Isaac Okoro helps them get younger. Okoro is a rugged defender and has improved his shooting (38 percent from three over the last two seasons), and while he does have his playoff struggles, Chicago doesn’t have to worry about that since they won’t contend any time soon.

Okoro was in need of a fresh start and more opportunity with the Bulls could help him grow his game. He has shown potential as a slasher and has improved his overall offensive IQ. Chicago is in the business of figuring out their core and taking flyers on young guys is what they should be doing.