We have returned with another installment of our Trade Machine Rankings series, in which we rank the five players who have most often been plugged into our Trade Machine of late. The exercise gives us a good indication of what fans want their teams to do on the market, even if some of their ideas are a little hopeful, to say the least.
Today's list includes a former No. 2 overall pick, a recently injured star and former NBA champion floor general. Check out our findings below.
5. Jalen Green (Phoenix)
Share: 3.0 percent of trades on our trade machine
The Phoenix Suns are off to a slow 1-3 start this season, and Jalen Green's play hasn't helped matters. Green is averaging 11.0 points on 43.9 percent shooting from the floor, and 28.6 percent three-point shooting from beyond
the arc. What's more, Green has made Phoenix an astounding 32.4 points per 100 possessions worse during his time on the floor thus far in 2026-27.
That has led to an uptick in Green's inclusion on our trade machine, as the former No. 2 pick went from 88th in trade machine usage to fifth this week, as Suns fans desperately seek help for their roster. Suns fans have a specific target in mind, too, as 42.2 percent of Green trades have been to the Dallas Mavericks, and 13.6 percent of them return Kyrie Irving. Considering Phoenix's need for a true play-making point guard like Irving, who would be a fun fit alongside Devin Booker, we understand Suns fans' interest in the nine-time All-Star.
Meanwhile, another 9.1 percent of Green deals have sent him to the New Orleans Pelicans, and another 4.4 percent have sent him to the New York Knicks. Other returning players for theoretical Green trades have been Marcus Sasser (11.8 percent) and Dereck Lively (10.6 percent).
We don't see a Green trade immediately on the horizon, but if the Suns don't turn things around soon, things will heat up for Phoenix as far as trying to improve their roster around Booker.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Jalen Green trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Jalen Green trade rumors and salary info.
4. Moses Moody (Golden State)
Share: 3.2 percent of trades on our trade machine
Moses Moody's 2025-26, the best season of his career, ended prematurely and unfortunately, as the former Arkansas Razorback tore his ACL on March 23, 2026, an injury he has obviously yet to return from. Moses' shooting ability from beyond the arc and off the dribble from the midrange is missed by Golden State this season, and when he does return, he'll provide the team's offense with a nice boost off the bench.
Still, Moody's injury-related absence hasn't stopped fans from plugging him into our trade machine lately, though more as salary filler than anything else. 10.1 percent of Moody trades have him going to the Charlotte Hornets, 9.8 percent have him going to the Miami Heat and 8.7 percent to the Memphis Grizzlies. The most common players returning for Moody have been Herb Jones (4.5 percent), Nikola Jovic (4.5 percent) and Myles Turner (3.9 percent).
Moody's humble salary (he'll earn $12.5 million this season and $13.4 million in 2027-28) would make him a solid trade asset, granted he returns this season, but unless the Warriors are using him as part of a package to land a superstar-level player, it's doubtful they'd want to lose him.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Mooses Moody trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Mooses Moody trade rumors and salary info.
3. Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City)
Share: 3.2 percent of trades on our trade machine
It'll be some time until we see former All-Star Jalen Williams on the hardwood again after the devastating injury he suffered against the Los Angeles Clippers. Even with that being the case, that didn't stop fans from flooding our trade machine to see what kind of deals they could put together for the now-injured 25-year-old.
Williams went from 1.3 percent of trades on our trade machine to 3.2 percent, making the biggest jump of any player from last week to this week. New Orleans was Williams' main landing spot at 27.5 percent, followed by the Denver Nuggets at 9.9 percent and the Dallas Mavericks at 9.4 percent. The top returning players for Williams have been Irving (13.6 percent), Nikola Jokic (9.1 percent) and Cooper Flagg (7.7 percent).
Obviously, the likeliest of those candidates is Irving, although, truth be told, none of them is all that likely, not with Williams' future so uncertain after how brutal of an injury he suffered. The only way we could see Williams getting traded for a win-now player like the Oklahoma City Thunder probably covet is if the Thunder are willing to add a ton of trade sweetener in the form of draft capital, which they do have the power to do if they so choose.
Even then, we can't see that happening any time soon.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Jalen Williams trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Jalen Williams trade rumors and salary info.
2. Kyrie Irving (Dallas)
Share: 4.1 percent of trades on our trade machine
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving looks like his old self thus far this season, averaging 21.4 points and 4.8 assists on 52.7 percent shooting from the floor and 39.0 percent shooting from three, making Dallas 6.6 points per 100 possessions during his time on the floor. As such, that has led to a rise in speculation on his future with the Mavericks, as the team is early in a rebuild and Irving, at 34, is probably a better fit on a title contender.
Even so, the Mavericks are looking less inclined to trade Irving, as two reports came out just today: one from ESPN in which reporter Tim MacMahon said he has a hard time seeing Dallas trading Irving, and another from Marc Stein, in which he said the Mavericks aren't even fielding calls on Kyrie.
Regardless, Irving is a popular name on our trade machine. Fans have most commonly been trading the Melbourne native to Phoenix (13.0 percent), Oklahoma City (11.7 percent) and Miami (11.2 percent), and all three of those destinations make a ton of sense for Irving, as all could use an All-Star point guard to round out their roster and improve their chances of making a deep playoff run.
The players most commonly returning for Irving have been Green (10.2 percent), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (8.4 percent) and Chet Holmgren (7.3 percent), indicating that a lot of his activity on our trade machine has been at the hands of Dallas fans, who are trying to optimize returns for him.
Use our trade machine to figure out the perfect Kyrie Irving trade for your team.
Check our website for the latest Kyrie Irving trade rumors and salary info.
1. Jimmy Butler (Golden State)
Share: 5.8 percent of trades on our trade machine
For the third straight week, six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler tops this ranking, as Warriors fans continue trying to find Stephen Curry some help in the imaginary trade market. In reality, Golden State is off to a quietly solid start at 4-3, and if it can stay afloat through the All-Star break, Butler could return then and help take the team to another level. That's to say, unless the Warriors can find a star on the trade market or unless the team's season starts to go in the gutter, they're more likely to hold onto Butler than to trade him now for pennies on the dollar.
Miami Heat star Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the most common player returning for Butler on our trade machine at 36.2 percent this week, as Warriors fans try to find another star to place alongside Curry. Other top players in Butler trades are Luka Doncic (5.6 percent) and Steven Adams (3.3 percent), while the other teams, as Butler's primary landing spots, are the Los Angeles Lakers (5.5 percent) and the Boston Celtics (5.0 percent).
Again, though, we think it's far likelier Golden State holds onto Butler and tries to hover around the .500 mark until he returns, rather than get fleeced in a trade for the veteran swingman. Teams won't exactly be lining up to trade for a 37-year-old earning $56.8 million this season coming off an ACL tear, though the fact he's on an expiring deal could help assuage some of those concerns.
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.
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This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: NBA Trade Machine Rankings: Jalen Williams, Jalen Green and more
