We're back with another installment of our Trade Machine Ranking series, in which we rank the five players who have most often been plugged into our Trade Machine this week. In reality, things are going to be quiet on the trade front for a while, as teams figure out what they have and how their pieces fit together before making any drastic moves.
But that reality won't stop NBA fans from daydreaming about potential star-studded NBA trades. Check out some of the top players getting moved on our trade machine this week, and where they're theoretically going.
5. Kevin Durant (Houston)
Share: 2.8 percent of trades on our trade machine
There hasn't been much chatter on a potential Kevin Durant trade, nor do we envision any anytime soon, unless the Houston Rockets get off to a very
slow start to the campaign and things are tumultuous by the trade deadline. Even then, it's hard to see that happening, so Durant's inclusion here likely has to do with curious fans trying to figure out what it'd take for their teams to land the former league MVP and not anything more concrete.
10.7 percent of deals saw Durant end up with his first team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, while 7.8 percent moved him to New York and another 7.0 percent saw him get sent to Portland. The most common players returning for Durant in these deals were Jrue Holiday (4.9 percent), OG Anunoby (4.5 percent) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4.5 percent).
We can say pretty confidently at least one of those will never ever happen.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Kevin Durant trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Kevin Durant trade rumors and salary info.
4. Michael Porter Jr. (Brooklyn)
Share: 2.8 percent of trades on our trade machine
Likewise, there hasn't been much chatter on any potential Michael Porter Jr. trades, but the chances of a Porter Jr. deal happening this season are quite a bit higher than Durant's, as his team, the Brooklyn Nets, are young and rebuilding, while Porter Jr. is 28 years old and a better fit on a contender.
The most interesting result we've seen was 11.0 percent of Porter Jr. trades sending him to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for former No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, which has to be a product of Nets fans seeing ways their team can land Williamson. Although the former Duke standout's NBA career has been disappointing thus far, he's still very talented and could perhaps use the change of scenery that Brooklyn would provide.
The other main landing spots for Porter Jr. were with the Boston Celtics (9.8 percent) and the Los Angeles Lakers (6.1 percent), with the other players going to Brooklyn being Paul George (5.7 percent) and Jayson Tatum (4.9 percent).
Porter Jr.'s elite outside shooting and underrated rebounding would provide a boost for any contender, as evidenced by his contributions to the Denver Nuggets' 2022-23 championship run.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Michael Porter Jr. trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Michael Porter Jr. trade rumors and salary info.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns (New York)
Share: 2.9 percent of trades on our trade machine
Considering extension talks between Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks stalled, it makes sense that his name has popped up in our trade machine more often of late. What makes us think that even more is the fact that Josh Hart, who is also eligible for an extension that the Knicks are putting off to the side for now, has been included in Towns trades 25.1 percent of the time, making it look like Knicks fans are putting both players into our trade machine to find out what they can get for them.
Houston (10.0 percent), the Philadelphia 76ers (9.7 percent) and Denver (9.7 percent) have been the most common trade destinations for Towns, while Jabari Smith (7.3 percent), Alperen Sengun (6.9 percent) and Cade Cunningham (6.6 percent) have been the most common players returning to New York in these theoretical trades.
We think it's very unlikely the Knicks trade Towns, but there's a non-zero chance the big man eventually gets upset over not getting a much-deserved extension and raises some sort of tiff. For now, however, the star big man is being very mature about the situation, and has publicly made it clear that he wants to stay in the Big Apple. Understandably so, too, considering that the team has gelled so well, coming off its incredible 2025-26 title run.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Karl-Anthony Towns trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Karl-Anthony Towns trade rumors and salary info.
2. Jayson Tatum (Boston)
Share: 3.7 percent of trades on our trade machine
Star swingman Jayson Tatum had a tough 2026-27 debut, scoring just 13 points on six-of-23 shooting in a 121-113 loss against the Detroit Pistons. Of course, that does not have anyone thinking Tatum is bound to get traded, as Boston made it quite clear in moving Jaylen Brown to build around Tatum; it was simply a rare tough look for the former Duke Blue Devil in a campaign that is all so important for him individually, and for the Celtics at large.
Even so, Tatum's performance against the Pistons led to an uptick in his inclusion on our trade machine. Tatum went from 1.4 percent shares of trades (59th overall) to 3.7 percent.
What's more, 12.5 percent of Tatum deals sent him to the Golden State Warriors, 9.1 percent to Denver and 5.8 percent to the Washington Wizards. The most common returning players in Tatum deals have been the next player in this ranking (13.1 percent), Nikola Jokic (7.3 percent) and Jalen Johnson (5.8 percent). The Golden State landing spot is interesting, as it indicates Warriors fans plugging Tatum into our trade machine to find ways to pry him from the Celtics.
Again, we don't see that happening, at least not anytime soon. Boston wants to compete for titles, and it wants to do so with Tatum as the centerpiece, as evidenced by its behavior this offseason.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Jayson Tatum trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Jayson Tatum trade rumors and salary info.
1. Jimmy Butler (Golden State)
Share: 3.9 percent of trades on our trade machine
With Jimmy Butler still out for an indefinite amount of time as he recovers from an ACL injury, and with the Warriors getting blown out in their first game of 2026-27, and factoring in Kristaps Porzingis potentially retiring due to his health, it's only logical that Butler holds his top spot in this ranking for another week, as Golden State fans would likely love to trade the injured All-Star for a star who can help now.
The results reflect that, as a Tatum for Butler trade was constructed on our trade machine more than any other specific trade this week. Boston was Butler's landing spot 18.9 percent of the time, while Miami (10.2 percent) and the LA Lakers (6.1 percent) trailed behind. The top returning player for Butler was Tatum (11.9 percent), with Giannis Antetokounmpo (9.9 percent) and Paul George (6.7 percent) also being sent to Golden State.
Again, though, we don't see a Butler-for-Tatum swap happening; it makes sense if you're a Warriors fan, but not as much if you root for the Celtics. And it especially doesn't make sense from a team-running perspective, unless Golden State would also be sending Boston loads of draft capital. Even then, the Celtics clearly don't want to rebuild, nor should they, so they're going to try and figure things out with Tatum as the focal point this season.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Jimmy Butler trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Jimmy Butler trade rumors and salary info.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: NBA Trade Machine Rankings: Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns and more
