With the preseason starting up we are finally getting to see how teams look with the adjustments they made over the offseason. Some teams, like the Indiana Pacers, didn’t make many changes to their roster, while other teams, like the OKC Thunder look completely different. These are the top 5 trades biggest trades, in terms of impact this offseason. Before I start I wanted to give an honorable mention to Gordon Hayward and Danilo Gallinari. While these two players are both really good they were part of a sign-and-trade which means that they essentially left in free agency but needed to be traded to the team for contractual reasons. So without further ado Top 5 biggest trades this off season.

5

TrailBlazers get: Robert Covington

Rockets get:Trevor Ariza, Isaiah Stewart , and the Trail Blazers’ 2021 first-round pick (top-14 protected).

While this trade may not include the biggest names in the league this trade exposes the agenda of both teams. Covington makes the trailblazers the best they’ve been in the last couple of years. This trade shows that they have championship aspirations and with a potential starting line up of: Dame, CJ, Hood, Covington, and Nurkic and a good bench, they might make some noise in the playoffs

On the other hand, the Rockets are not only letting him go but getting a first-round pick for him might mean that the Rockets are planning to look into the future. They already traded Westbrook and got a pick in return, (more on that later) so who knows, we might see James Harden get traded this season for young players or picks.

4

Lakers get: Dennis Schröder.

Thunder get: Danny Green and Jaden McDaniels.

The defending champions just got better this offseason and this was one of the reasons why. Last year he averaged 19 points a game on good efficiency and finished second in sixth man of the year voting. The reason this is so big is because it makes defending champions even better and almost unstoppable.

For the Thunder this deal was simple, they wanted future assets. The Thunder have made it clear that they are rebuilding and picking up McDaniels and Green, who they traded for a first round pick, helps them with that.

3

Wizards get: Russell Westbrook.

Rockets get: John Wall and the Wizards’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected).

Some may be surprised that I have this trade this low. Both Westbrook and Wall are All-star caliber players, but they are very similar. They are both athletic point guards that can pass the ball with huge contracts. Wall might fit a little better with James Harden because of his slightly better shooting ability, but as a team, this doesn’t make you that much better. I think the Rockets are doing this because they get a pick in return alongside Wall.

We could expect to see the Wizards get better this season mainly because Wall hasn’t played for them in some time because of his injury. The Wizards are getting someone who they can expect to play at an all-star level whereas we don’t know how John Wall is going to play.

2

Suns get: Chris Paul and Abdel Nader.

Thunder get: Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and the Suns’ 2022 first-round pick (top-12 protected).

This is one of my favorite trades this offseason because this team is going to be fun to watch with Chris Paul. For so long Devin Booker’s main criticism was that he put up “empty stats” meaning he put up good stats but they didn’t win many games. With Chris Paul, they have a good chance to make the playoffs this year. Having Chris Paul opens up the floor so much for Devin Booker to score more freely.

For the Thunder, this trade is as simple as getting picks and future assets. Even Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves)  and Kelly Oubre (Warriors) were traded for Picks and young players. They set themselves to have 18 first-round picks through the 2026 season and they are planning on building around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by developing there young guys and drafting well

1

Bucks get: Jrue Holiday and Sam Merrill.

Pelicans get: Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick (unprotected), the Bucks’ 2027 first-round pick (unprotected), and the rights to swap first-round picks with the Bucks in 2024 and 2026.

Thunder get:George Hill, Darius Miller, Kenrich Williams , Josh Gray , Zylan Cheatham , the Nuggets’ 2023 first-round pick (top-14 protected), the Wizards’ 2023 second-round pick (from Pelicans), and the Hornets’ 2024 second-round pick (from Pelicans).

Nuggets get: RJ Hampton

This is the big trade of the off-season because of how much the Bucks have on the line. They gave up a lot of picks to get Jrue Holiday who could help them win but more importantly, convince Giannis to stay. Giannis is going to be a free agent next season so the bucks need to prove to him that they are willing enough to surround him with players to help him win because they want him to stay. This trade was so big that 4 teams had to get involved and 3 of which are changing pretty significantly. The Thunder lose Steven Adams who Thunder fans love but get more future assets. The Pelicans Are getting two players who can help them win now and possibly help them make the playoffs this year. The Nuggets don’t play a huge part in this trade, but they don’t need to, this is still the biggest and most impactful trade this offseason.