Historic Movement in the NBA: A Mega-Trade Involves Seven Teams
An unprecedented trade shook the NBA, marking a milestone with the participation of seven teams in a single transaction. This complex move, which began with the transfer of Kevin Durant before the draft, culminated when the league’s annual moratorium came to an end on Sunday.
The massive agreement involved the following teams: Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns. In total, six key players participated, including Kevin Durant, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Clint Capela, David Roddy, and Daeqwon Plowden.
In addition to the players, the trade included 13 draft picks: one first-round pick (the number 10 pick from last month’s draft, used by Phoenix via Houston to select Khaman Maluach) and 12 second-round picks. Houston also sent Atlanta a second-round pick swap and cash considerations.
The core of the agreement was Durant’s transfer from Phoenix to Houston, finalized on the day of the seventh game of last month’s NBA Finals. The future Hall of Famer joined the second seed of the Western Conference in exchange for Green, Brooks, the number 10 pick, and five second-round picks.
Durant’s transfer could not be completed until Sunday, when the moratorium ended and agreements were allowed in the 2025-26 NBA season, due to salary cap requirements. This allowed Phoenix to take the second-round picks from Houston and maneuver in the draft, making a series of deals that distributed them among several teams.
Finally, the Suns obtained the first pick of the second round (the 31st overall pick), which they used to select Saint Joseph’s forward Rasheer Fleming, and the 41st pick, with which they chose guard Koby Brea. Several other players were selected from the draft thanks to this agreement, including the Lakers who chose Adou Thiero with the 36th pick; the Timberwolves took center Rocco Zikarsky with the 45th pick; and the Warriors selected forward Alex Toohey with the 52nd overall pick.
The time elapsed between the agreement and its officialization also allowed the Rockets to add to the operation, bringing back Capela, who played his first six seasons in the NBA with the Rockets after being selected by Houston with the number 25 pick in the 2014 draft. Capela arrives to provide depth in the center position behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, after having played the last five seasons for the Hawks.
