With the conclusion of the NBA Finals comes the start of the trade season, and while a new champion has yet to be crowned, there has already been a shakeup in The Association.
Here are the latest trades in the NBA with grades on the biggest ones from yours truly
June 24
Three-team Porzingis trade
Celtics: Georges Niang and a second-round pick
Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick
Nets: Terance Mann and the No. 22 pick (via ATL)
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 Durant
Rockets receive: Kevin Durant
Suns receive: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft and five second-round picks
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 acquire 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
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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