May 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) steals the ball from New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the third quarter of game one of the eastern conference finals during the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
May 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) steals the ball from New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) during the third quarter of game one of the eastern conference finals during the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
NBA trades got completely out of control during the last few years, and honestly, looking at these packages one after another makes it even funnier. Three first-round picks used to feel like a franchise emptying the vault, then Paul George happened, Rudy Gobert happened, Mikal Bridges somehow happened, and suddenly four or five firsts became a totally normal sentence during trade season.
For this list, we’re counting actual first-round picks included in the transaction, while pick swaps are listed separately because a swap obviously isn’t the same thing as simply giving away a pick. A player already selected with a first-rounder during that Draft, like De’Andre Hunter or Yang Hansen, counts because that first-round selection was part of the package.
With that sorted, here are some of the craziest first-round pick hauls ever paid for one NBA star, going from the oldest trade to the newest.
1. Anthony Davis Gets Exactly What He Wanted (2019)
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Anthony Davis
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, draft rights to De’Andre Hunter (No. 4 pick), two future first-round picks, one first-round pick swap, cash
Anthony Davis asking out basically put the Lakers on a timer because everybody knew where this was going. He wanted Los Angeles, LeBron James needed another superstar, and after months of noise, the Lakers finally just paid the monster price of 3 first-round picks and a pick swap.
The No. 4 pick in the 2019 Draft, later used on De’Andre Hunter before being moved again, counted as one first-round selection, while the Pelicans also got another future first that could roll from 2021 into 2022, an unprotected 2024 first that could be deferred to 2025, plus swap rights. Add Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart, and yeah, this was a big haul.
Davis was 26 and coming off 25.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.4 blocks on 51.7% from the field, so the Lakers weren’t buying potential, they were buying one of the best two-way big men alive during his prime, and the whole point was to stop messing around with development timelines with LeBron already on the roster.
Looking back, this is also the easiest trade here to justify. Davis helped the Lakers win the 2020 championship immediately, made huge playoff shots, defended basically every shot attempt, and gave them exactly the second superstar they thought they were getting. Five years later, he was even used as the centerpiece of the Luka Doncic trade, so the asset never just disappeared either.
Three first-rounders plus Ingram looked wild in 2019, but if the goal was a championship, they already got the answer. This one worked.
2. Paul George Accidentally Costs The Clippers Everything (2019)
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Paul George
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, two first-round pick swaps
Only a few weeks after the Davis deal, the Clippers basically looked at that package and said, yeah, hold our drink. Paul George cost them Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, unprotected Clippers firsts in 2022, 2024, and 2026, Miami’s 2021 first, Miami’s protected 2023 first, and swaps in 2023 and 2025. Five firsts, two swaps, plus SGA. Who would’ve thought, right?
The funny part is that George wasn’t really just him. Kawhi Leonard had reportedly recruited him and wanted another star before signing, so the Clippers were basically paying for PG and Kawhi together. George had also just posted 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 43.8% from the field and 38.6% from three, finishing third in both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year voting. At the time, pairing that version of PG with the reigning Finals MVP sounded disgusting.
It just never became what the Clippers imagined. There were good seasons, a Western Conference Finals run in 2021, and plenty of stretches where the roster looked championship-level, but they never reached the Finals, and George eventually left in 2024.
Then there is SGA, which makes the whole thing age in the most painful way possible. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became a back-to-back MVP and led the Thunder to the 2025 championship, so one of the “young players” in the package literally became better than George ever was. The Clippers weren’t crazy for doing it. They were just taking one of the biggest swings ever, and the miss ended up being brutal.
3. Brooklyn Builds The Most Ridiculous Big Three Possible (2021)
Brooklyn Nets Receive: James Harden, 2024 second-round pick
Houston Rockets Receive: Victor Oladipo, Rodions Kurucs, Dante Exum, four first-round picks, four first-round pick swaps
This one still looks insane written down. Four first-round picks and FOUR swaps meant the Rockets basically had control over Brooklyn’s draft life for most of the decade, with Nets firsts in 2022, 2024, and 2026, Milwaukee’s 2022 first through the Cavaliers, then swap rights in 2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027. That’s eight separate first-round assets attached to one player.
And honestly, I get why Brooklyn did it. James Harden had just come off a 2019-20 season with 34.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.5 assists, joining Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. For about five minutes, it looked like the most unfair offense ever assembled. Harden and Kyrie could iso defenders through hell, and Durant was Durant, so every defensive attempt was just a compromise.
The problem was keeping those three guys on the court at the same time. Injuries, absences, and general chaos meant the trio played only 16 regular-season games together before Harden was traded again in February 2022. Brooklyn never reached the Conference Finals with that group, which is pretty nuts considering the amount of talent involved.
Houston’s return also became more interesting with time because those Brooklyn picks suddenly weren’t guaranteed to land in the 20s anymore. That is the whole scary part of sending unprotected future assets six years away. Nobody actually knows what your roster will look like then.
So no, Houston didn’t receive “eight first-round picks,” but four picks plus four swaps might honestly be even crazier to look at. Brooklyn was basically saying, “please enjoy our Draft through 2027,” as they were trying to win right then.
4. Rudy Gobert Completely Breaks Everyone’s Trade Machine (2022)
Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Rudy Gobert
Utah Jazz Receive: Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap
This was the trade that made everybody start yelling “FOUR FIRSTS?” once the Shams notification hit. The Timberwolves sent first-round picks in 2023, 2025, 2027, and a protected 2029 first, plus a 2026 swap, five players, and the draft rights to Walker Kessler, who had literally just been selected No. 22.
That is also why you sometimes hear people call it five first-rounders. Kessler was already a first-round selection, so from an asset perspective, Minnesota basically moved five first-round-level pieces plus the swap. Technically, though, only four future first-round picks were in the deal.
The timing made the reaction even crazier. Rudy Gobert was 30, had three Defensive Player of the Year awards, and had just produced 15.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks on 71.3% from the field, but centers who didn’t score weren’t supposed to cost this much. The Wolves clearly saw it differently, as they wanted to build a giant defensive frontcourt next to Karl-Anthony Towns and protect Anthony Edwards with an elite shot eraser behind him.
For a while everybody laughed at it, especially after an ugly first season. Then Minnesota reached the 2024 Western Conference Finals with Gobert winning another DPOY, which changed the conversation pretty quickly. The Jazz getting Kessler plus all those future assets was a crazy return, but calling the trade some historical disaster should be a bit inaccurate after two WCF appearances since that trade.
Gobert basically reset what teams thought they could demand for stars, though. Every GM saw four firsts and started asking why his guy should cost less than a center who usually struggles badly in the playoffs.
5. Donovan Mitchell Becomes The Cavs’ Full Send Button (2022)
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Donovan Mitchell
Utah Jazz Receive: Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, three first-round picks, two first-round pick swaps
Only two months after getting that giant Gobert haul, Danny Ainge went back to work and did it again. The Jazz sent Donovan Mitchell away for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, plus swaps in 2026 and 2028.
For the Cavaliers, though, this one always felt more logical than Gobert. Mitchell was only 25, coming off 25.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 44.8% from the field and 35.5% from three, and he fit the age of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, so Cleveland could reasonably believe Mitchell would still be elite by the time those younger guys entered their primes.
Obviously, Markkanen becoming an All-Star immediately made the cost sting more. Nobody expected him to explode like that with the Jazz, and suddenly the “players” part of the package looked almost as valuable as the picks.
Still, Mitchell did what the Cavs needed. Their playoff ceiling kept rising, and by 2026 they finally broke through to the Eastern Conference Finals before running into the eventual champion Knicks. Mitchell had 27.3 points per game in that series even though Cleveland got swept.
Three firsts and two swaps is a lot, but this is why teams pay it for a 25-year-old scorer instead of waiting around hoping one of those mystery picks becomes a Donovan Mitchell someday.
6. Kevin Durant Turns Phoenix Into Instant Title Mode (2023)
Phoenix Suns Receive: Kevin Durant, T.J. Warren
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap, two second-round picks
Kevin Durant trades are always funny because somehow the package can look absolutely massive and everybody still goes, “yeah, fair enough, it’s KD.” Here, the Suns sent unprotected firsts in 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029, a 2028 swap, Mikal Bridges, and Cam Johnson to get him before the 2023 deadline.
Durant was already 34, which made the four-first price slightly nuts, but his basketball level wasn’t declining like any old star. He had 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists for the Nets before the trade while shooting an absurd 55.9% from the field. Phoenix had Devin Booker entering his prime and basically decided to bet on getting back to the Finals that same season.
I loved the basketball idea far more than the roster-building logic. Booker and Durant could score against basically any defense, but trading Bridges and Johnson destroyed so much of the wing depth that the Suns became very top-heavy instantly. Then they doubled down by getting Bradley Beal, and suddenly they had stars everywhere but not enough role players around them.
No title came from it, of course. Phoenix was swept by the Wolves in the 2024 first round, had another disappointing year after that, and Durant was eventually moved to the Rockets in 2025.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn turned Bridges into an even bigger pile of picks one year later, which is the funniest part of this whole asset tree. The Nets basically traded Durant, developed Bridges’ value for a season and a half, then cashed him out again.
7. Mikal Bridges Somehow Costs Five First-Round Picks (2024)
New York Knicks Receive: Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, 2026 second-round pick
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Bojan Bogdanovic, Mamadi Diakite, Shake Milton, five first-round picks, 2028 first-round pick swap, 2025 second-round pick
This might still be the weirdest one on the entire list, and not because Mikal Bridges isn’t awesome, but because FIVE first-round picks for a player who hadn’t made an All-Star team sounded absolutely impossible to be true when the deal happened. The Knicks sent their unprotected firsts in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2031, a top-four-protected 2025 Bucks first, and an unprotected 2028 swap.
Bridges had just put up 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 43.6% from the field and 37.2% from three for the Nets. Good player, elite durability, strong two-way wing, perfect fit with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and the whole Villanova connection, sure. Five firsts still sounded like somebody accidentally added two extra picks to the trade machine.
Yet, the Knicks proved every doubter wrong once they won the freaking championship. Bridges was also a huge part of the 2026 title team, made clutch shots and had game-winning stops during the run, and gave the Knicks exactly the kind of long two-way wing they wanted when they paid the price. New York beat the Spurs 4-1 in the Finals for its first title since 1973, so now arguing that the trade cost too much feels a little silly.
Brooklyn should still love the return, because even with the title, they committed an absolute robbery. Five firsts for one non-superstar is ridiculous asset value and gave the Nets a huge rebuilding base. This still feels like an actual win-win situation, as crazy as it is. Nobody in the Knicks’ front office is sitting around worrying about what the 2031 first might become right now.
8. De’Aaron Fox Finally Gets His Wemby Partnership (2025)
San Antonio Spurs Receive: De’Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin
Sacramento Kings Receive: Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks, three second-round picks
Chicago Bulls Receive: Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, 2025 first-round pick
The De’Aaron Fox trade is a little weird for this list because the Spurs technically spent four first-round picks in the full three-team transaction, but only three went directly to the Kings. Sacramento received a conditional 2025 Hornets first, an unprotected 2027 Spurs first, and an unprotected 2031 Wolves first, while Chicago got its own 2025 first back as part of facilitating the deal.
Basically, getting Fox out the door required four first-round picks from the Spurs’ side of the transaction, even if Sacramento didn’t personally collect all four, to be clear about that.
And the fit on court? It really looked like the missing piece in San Antonio. Fox had 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.1 assists before the trade and was still only 27, while Victor Wembanyama needed a fast, downhill point guard who could put pressure on the rim. San Antonio had spent years stacking picks and young players, so eventually they had to use some of that stuff instead of just staring at the Draft chest.
What really made the move work was that they didn’t have to sacrifice their best young core pieces. Stephon Castle stayed, as their premium future remained mostly intact. Fox came in without the Spurs destroying the entire roster around Wemby because he was getting close to being an expiring deal, and his Kings tenure really looked over.
One season later, and the Spurs already reached the NBA Finals, even though Fox’s role became less central as Castle and the rest of the young core exploded. That almost makes the deal look actually better. San Antonio didn’t trade everything for a savior, but moved their surplus draft capital for another high-level creator and now keeps building a roster worthy of a title. Yes, four first-round assets sound enormous. But for a team sitting on over 14 picks, though, sometimes not using them would be weirder.
9. Desmond Bane Has The “Wait, How Many Picks?” Trade (2025)
Orlando Magic Receive: Desmond Bane
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, Yang Hansen (No. 16 pick), three future first-round picks, 2029 first-round pick swap
This one was probably the biggest surprise of the 2025 offseason as soon as the trade news became public. Don’t get me wrong, Desmond Bane is a really good player, everybody knows that, but four first-round picks plus a swap is superstar-looking trade compensation for a guy who had never been an All-Star.
The package included the No. 16 pick in 2025, which became Yang Hansen before Memphis later moved him to Portland, plus unprotected first-rounders in 2026, 2028, and 2030. The Grizzlies also got a top-two-protected 2029 swap, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Cole Anthony.
The Magic clearly didn’t care about winning the trade machine screenshot. They needed shooting so badly that it was becoming stupid, and the Grizzlies knew how to fleece them. Bane had just produced 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while making 39.2% from three, and has been one of the league’s most reliable high-volume shooters since he entered the league. Put that next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and suddenly defenses can’t just load the paint with everybody.
That is why I understand it, even while thinking the number is nuts. The Magic weren’t trading four firsts for “19 points per game.” They were paying for the specific skill their two franchise forwards needed beside them, plus Bane’s secondary playmaking and ability to survive defensively. Memphis still did incredibly well; getting four firsts and actual rotation players while still having Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. gave the Grizzlies a ton of flexibility.
This is exactly how the modern trade market got here. Once stars started costing five firsts, very good non-stars started costing four, and everybody just kind of accepted it and went with the flow, as the big superstars are now considered a salary dump, as we’ve seen Trae Young, Morant, and even Jaylen Brown be traded for underwhelming returns.
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo Finally Blows Up The 2026 Summer
Miami Heat Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, No. 13 pick in 2026, 2031 first-round pick, 2033 first-round pick, 2030 first-round pick swap, 2033 second-round pick
After all these years of fake jersey swaps and trade machines, somebody finally had to actually do it. The Heat landed Giannis Antetokounmpo in July 2026 and sent three first-round picks, one swap, one second, and four really interesting young players to the Bucks.
The picks were the No. 13 selection in the 2026 Draft (Nate Ament), unprotected firsts in 2031 and 2033, and a 2030 swap, so Milwaukee didn’t get the five-first package people probably imagined years ago. Then again, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis aren’t filler salary. That’s basically half a young rotation arriving with the Draft capital.
Giannis is 31 and dealt with injuries during 2025-26, but whenever he played, he was still a monster statistically, finishing with 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 62.4% from the field. There aren’t many superstars in basketball history who give you that kind of rim pressure while also defending, rebounding, and creating for teammates.
For the Heat, this is exactly the kind of move their entire franchise is built around. They have been collecting young players and picks for a very long time, as they dreamt about a superstar swing for years. Once Giannis became available, they emptied a huge portion of the remaining package and put him next to Bam Adebayo immediately.
Whether Miami wins a title will decide how everyone remembers it, but the price honestly feels pretty reasonable compared with some trades above. Mikal Bridges cost five firsts, and Desmond Bane cost four. Giannis cost three plus a swap, so yeah, the NBA trade market makes absolutely no sense anymore.
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