2025 NBA Summer Trades – My Take on the Trades

(Image from clutchpoints.com)

By: Hiren Shah

Blurb: The 2025 NBA offseason was an entertaining one. In this article, I’ll break down the major deals that took place and share my take on which teams came out on top and why. To see the full trade deals, scroll to the bottom. 

Kevin Durant to the Rockets

By far the biggest trade that was done in the NBA’s 2025 summer offseason was the Kevin Durant trade to the Rockets. After three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant found himself being stabbed in the back by his own organization. Leaks from the Phoenix front office surfaced, and found that they had been exploring trade options before ever approaching him directly. While KD surprisingly kept his cool publicly, his response made it clear that he was no longer going to stay with the Suns.

When the offseason came, KD wasted no time in getting out of Phoenix. In a historic seven-team deal, Durant went to Houston alongside Clint Capela, while Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 4 role players, and 2 SRP went over in the hands of the Suns. 

Looking at this trade, I definitely think that the Rockets got the better deal out of this. This is partially because the Rockets have an amazing roster, getting them to the 2nd seed overall in the 2024-2025 NBA season. Getting KD on their team means they can finally get some elderly guidance on a team with all younger players. 

The Suns, on the other hand, get a lot more players to help with their original star, Devin Booker. The combo with Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks will definitely help out with the Suns’ defense and support Booker on the court. Additionally, the idea of getting young talent by the Suns might prove beneficial in the future for winning possible championships.

Poole and McCollum Trade

An unexpected trade was the Jordan Poole and CJ McCollum trade. In this trade, the Washington Wizards would trade Jordan Poole and a couple of role players for CJ McCollum, role players, and a pick from the New Orleans Pelicans.

I think that this trade was great for both teams and for both players. Jordan Poole, in his time with the Golden State Warriors, was great as a point guard, but only because he had support for his defense. In his time with the Wizards, he was unable to shine because the pressure was all around him. With Poole joining the Pelicans, it might be a fresh start for him as he is now able to have better supporting teammates. 

For the Wizards, getting McCollum is a huge step for their organization because they need experienced players who are willing to help the younger players understand the game. Getting McCollum might be a step forward in the right direction, and we might be seeing them move up the standings.

Kristaps Porziņģis and Jrue Holiday

The last trade I want to look at in depth is the Boston Celtics’ move with Kristaps Porziņģis going to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Celtics, in return, received Georges Niang, Anfernee Simons, and some picks. 

These trades were interesting for the reason that the Celtics have no staring players to fill the center and outer perimeter roles. This leads me to think that the Celtics seem to be going for a rebuilding route. This is a smart move since their star player, Jason Tatum, recently got an Achilles sprain, which has him out for an entire season. So clearing up players and getting open cap space is great for the Celtics’ future.

As for the Atlanta Hawks, getting Porziņģis is great for the team as they now have a reliable center to help them out with their defense. This is also going to help them with opening up their star player, Trae Young, with more opportunities to make more plays.  

For the Portland Trail Blazers, they will definitely thrive with Jrue Holiday by having him fill in a role as both a wing and a great way to pass down knowledge to a team that is filled with young players. 

Full Trade Details: 

Durant traded to Rockets in historic 7-team deal (July 6)

Rockets receive:

• Kevin Durant
• Clint Capela

Suns receive:

• Jalen Green (via Rockets)
• Dillon Brooks (via Rockets)
• Khaman Maluach (No. 10 overall)
• Rasheer Fleming (No. 31 overall)
• Koby Brea (No. 41 overall)
• Daeqwon Plowden (via Hawks)
• 2026 second-round pick
• 2032 second-round pick

Nets receive:

• 2026 second-round pick
• 2030 second-round pick

Warriors receive:

• Alex Toohey (No. 52 overall)
• Jahmai Mashack (No. 59 overall)

Hawks receive:

• David Roddy (via Rockets)
• 2031 second-round pick
• Cash

Lakers receive:

• Adou Thiero (No. 36 overall)
• Cash

Timberwolves receive:

• Rocco Zikarsky (No. 45 overall)
• 2026 second-round pick
• 2032 second-round pick
• Cash

Blazers get Holiday, Celtics land Simons (July 7)

Blazers receive: 

• Jrue Holiday

Celtics receive: 

• Anfernee Simons

Celtics trade Porziņģis to Hawks (July 7)

Hawks receive: 

• Kristaps Porziņģis
• 2026 second-round pick (via Celtics)

Celtics receive:

• Georges Niang (via Hawks)
• 2031 second-round pick
• Cash considerations (via Nets)

Nets receive: 

• Terance Mann
• Drake Powell (No. 22 overall)

McCollum traded to Wizards (July 6)

Pelicans receive: 

• Jordan Poole
• Saddiq Bey
• Micah Peavy (No. 40 overall)

Wizards receive: 

• Cam Whitmore
• CJ McCollum
• Kelly Olynyk
• 2027 second-round pick

Rockets receive:

• Mojave King (No. 47 overall)
• 2026 second-round pick
• 2029 second-round pick