As the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline nears, these three trade proposals, including Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lauri Markkanen, suggest how all parties could be happy with what they got.
As the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline approaches, teams across the league face a crossroads. Contenders are looking for that missing piece, while rebuilding squads seek future assets.
The following three trade proposals are bold yet realistic moves that comply with CBA salary rules and could benefit both franchises, balancing short-term contention and long-term vision.
Each deal has been evaluated for financial legality under the current cap environment (including salary matching and apron restrictions) and makes basketball sense given the teams' standings and goals.
Trade 1: Giannis to Raptors
Credit IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect - Scanpix
Milwaukee Bucks receive:
SF Scottie Barnes
SG RJ Barrett
2026 first-round pick (TOR)
Toronto Raptors receive:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee's Logic: With Antetokounmpo's future in doubt, the Bucks pre-empt a potential walk-out by retooling around a duo of young talents.
Barnes (24) gives Milwaukee a new franchise cornerstone, bringing versatile defense and playmaking. Barrett (25) is a proven scorer entering his prime.
Importantly, Milwaukee banks a 2026 first-round pick to kick-start their rebuild. This package lets the Bucks pivot without bottoming out – they remain competitive now and secure their future if Giannis is inevitably going to leave.
Given that it seems like a matter of when, not if, Antetokounmpo could be traded, Milwaukee maximizes his value and avoids a repeat of losing a superstar for nothing.
Toronto's Logic: The Raptors swing for the fences to acquire a two-time MVP still in his prime. Antetokounmpo instantly makes Toronto a title contender in the East. Pairing him with Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, and veterans like Jakob Poeltl forms a formidable core.
While giving up Barnes is painful, Toronto has been aggressively pursuing stars – they've been linked to big names in rumors.
They maintain a defensive identity and gain an elite transition force to complement their half-court offense. For a franchise stuck in the middle of the pack, this is a Kawhi-like gamble that could return them to the Finals.
Toronto's front office has proven it's willing to take bold risks for a title with the 2018 Kawhi trade, and acquiring Antetokounmpo is a similarly bold move that could raise their ceiling to championship heights.
Trade 2: Anfernee Simons to Clippers
Credit AP - Scanpix
Boston Celtics receive:
PF/C John Collins
Los Angeles Clippers receive:
PG/SG Anfernee Simons
Boston's logic: Boston's roster, as currently constructed, skews perimeter-heavy and a bit thin up front. Anfernee Simons was acquired in the Jrue Holiday deal as a scoring guard, but with Jayson Tatum still rehabbing a torn Achilles and frontcourt minutes piling on 39-year-old Al Horford, the Celtics' bigger need is size and rebounding.
Collins would be important in the frontcourt, providing athleticism, floor spacing, and board-crashing that Boston lacks.
Financially, Collins is under contract (player option) beyond this season, meaning Boston could have a cost-controlled big man moving forward instead of facing Simons' free agency.
And with Simons' fit somewhat redundant alongside Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, flipping him for a starting-caliber power forward balances Boston's lineup on both ends.
Los Angeles logic: The Clippers have no shortage of forwards, but their backcourt offense has at times stagnated. James Harden was re-signed, yet L.A. has been actively seeking more youth and scoring punch at guard.
Anfernee Simons injects instant offense into a Clippers team that, behind James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, sometimes struggled to generate shots when those stars sat.
Simons can serve as a sixth man, microwave scorer right now, and also projects as a long-term building block – insurance for the aging Leonard/Harden tandem. By moving Collins, L.A. thins a crowded frontcourt to address a backcourt need.
The Clippers effectively cash in on Collins' strong season to obtain Simons' offensive upside and playmaking. Additionally, Simons' expiring deal gives L.A. flexibility; they can evaluate his fit with their core and have Bird rights to re-sign him, without long-term financial commitment, unless he proves worth it.
Given Brian Windhorst's report that Boston was actively shopping Simons before he even played a game, the Clippers seize the opportunity to grab a talented young guard who can thrive in a more featured role out West.
Trade 3: Lauri Markkanen to OKC
Credit AP - Scanpix
Utah Jazz receive:
SG/SF Luguentz Dort
SG/SF Alex Caruso
SG/SF Isaiah Joe
2026 First-round pick (PHI Protected 1-4)
2028 Second-round pick (MIL)
Oklahoma City Thunder receive:
SF/PF Lauri Markkanen
Utah's logic: Jazz are clearly in rebuild mode – local media note they may need to move veterans to acquire future talent – so getting two high-IQ defenders and locker-room leaders in Dort and Caruso is valuable.
Both are lockdown perimeter defenders who can guard multiple positions and mentor Utah's young core. Joe adds much-needed 3‑point shooting off the bench, fitting the modern spacing model.
The Jazz also pick up draft picks, furthering the plan to accumulate lottery assets. In short, Utah remains below the hard salary cap in 2025–26 and can legally absorb the extra salary, making the deal CBA-compliant.
Oklahoma's logic: The move is all about winning now. The Thunder are the defending champions with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's prime years ahead.
Adding Markkanen provides a premier 7-footer who stretches the floor for SGA, creating more driving lanes and pick-and-pop opportunities.
Trading away Caruso and Dort does thin OKC's backcourt defense and may not seem logical as we see them dominating right now, but the Thunder's younger wings and centers could step up.
In effect, OKC is trading two solid veterans and draft equity to acquire another star alongside Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams.
This deal signals that Oklahoma City remains all-in on contending; it values adding elite offensive talent (a sharpshooting big) over keeping its mix of role players.
Nojus Stankevičius
Nojus Stankevičius began his basketball writing journey in 2023, when he started studying Journalism at Vilnius University. In 2024, he participated in the BasketNews Academy. Then, a year later, in 2025, he officially joined BasketNews as a Daily Writer, marking the beginning of his professional career in sports journalism.
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