Six trades to transform the NBA draft: We deal eight of the top 10 picks

The 2026 NBA Finals are in full swing, with the New York Knicks holding a 3-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs. That doesn't mean trade talk around the league is on hold. Just look at last year's Finals, when, just hours before Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in what eventually became a seven-team blockbuster. As part of that move, the Phoenix Suns acquired the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft, which became Duke center Khaman Maluach. Could any 2026 lottery picks change hands between now and the start of the first round on June 23? Perhaps in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? ESPN NBA insiders Ben Golliver and Zach Kram have pieced together six big trade ideas, with picks Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10 all finding new homes. (The Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, meanwhile, stand pat in our scenarios -- so cue up that No. 4-for-No. 8 swap any minute now.) After each trade proposal, ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks plays general manager, examining the pros and cons for each franchise. He then picks the trade that would have the biggest leaguewide impact. On to the deals, starting with a proposal that would make NBA history. Jump to a trade: Jazz, Wiz make history Nets trade up for Boozer OKC eyes size after WCF Giannis traded before draft Kings enter top 5 for guard Hornets consolidate for No. 9 Jazz, Wizards pull off first-of-its-kind trade Utah Jazz get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 1) Bub Carrington Cam Whitmore Washington Wizards get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 2) Ace Bailey 2029 first-round pick (most favorable of UTAH, CLE and MIN; if 6-30) The first two picks in the NBA draft have never been traded for one another. Let's change that. The Wizards should capitalize on Utah's long-reported interest in AJ Dybantsa by swapping spots at the top of the draft. After missing out on Bailey in last year's lottery, Washington could add him and select Darryn Peterson at No. 2, thereby filling two glaring roster holes at once. The Wizards could then enter next season with a rotation led by Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Peterson and Bailey. After four straight lottery trips, the Jazz should be willing to pay a premium to install Dybantsa as their next franchise player. The former BYU forward, who moved to Utah in high school, would be a dynamic frontcourt partner for Jaren Jackson Jr. Bailey showed promise last season as a rookie but shouldn't be viewed as untouchable for a Jazz team that needs a true cornerstone such as Dybantsa. -- Golliver Marks' analysis: This is a nonstarter if the Jazz think there are three top picks in this draft: Dybantsa, Peterson and Cameron Boozer. If Utah feels Dybantsa is the generational talent it has been waiting for, however, moving up one spot at the expense of Bailey and a future first-rounder is worth exploring. (I am not a big proponent of including a future first-rounder in doing so.) For Washington, moving back one spot is worth a look, especially if it results in landing Bailey and a future pick before even making its selection in June. Even if the 2029 first-rounder is not included, this type of package is still worth considering for the Wizards. Nets eye Boozer after moving up to No. 3 Brooklyn Nets get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 3) Memphis Grizzlies get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 6) 2030 first-round pick 2032 first-round pick Brooklyn should make up for its bad luck on lottery night by pushing in a big pile of chips to target Cameron Boozer as a frontcourt linchpin and marketable face of the franchise. Despite making history by selecting five players in the first round of last year's draft, the Nets lack a clear team identity and need a player with Boozer's polish on and off the court. The price to move up in this draft could be steep given the NBA's draft reforms, which go into effect in 2027, but Boozer proved to be a high-reward, low-risk prospect during his sensational freshman season. The Grizzlies were dealt a tough hand when the NBA instituted its new "3-2-1" draft lottery rules, which devalued a first-round pick they recently acquired from the Jazz. Moving down three spots to land two unprotected first-round picks could ease that pain, and there should still be quality prospects available at No. 6 in June. -- Golliver Marks' analysis: I understand the lure of moving up three spots to pick Boozer or Caleb Wilson, especially after Brooklyn positioned itself in the bottom of the standings in two straight seasons but won't have a top-five pick to show for it. But the Nets sacrificing two future unprotected picks of their own is not worth the risk. Unloading two of the three Knicks unprotected picks acquired in the Mikal Bridges trade might be the smarter play. Memphis, meanwhile, would need to weigh if two future first-round picks are worth the risk of not drafting Boozer or Wilson. With more Wemby battles ahead, OKC moves up for a big 2026 first-round pick (No. 10) Milwaukee Bucks get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 12) 2026 first-round pick (No. 17) Thunder GM Sam Presti once again finds himself with more draft picks than he can reasonably find minutes for next season. Bundling multiple picks to make a targeted strike is a particularly attractive option this season given the need to keep pace with the San Antonio Spurs. After Oklahoma City's Western Conference finals exit exposed a need for more interior depth to deal with Victor Wembanyama, Presti could improve his chances of landing Aday Mara by sending the Thunder's two 2026 first-rounders to the Bucks. The 7-foot-3 center was a crucial player on Michigan's NCAA championship team, and his combination of size and skill enables him to impact the game on both ends. If the Bucks move Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, the franchise will need as many chances as it can get at acquiring its next foundational player. Milwaukee's recent draft record has left a lot to be desired, and now is the time to start restocking the roster with capable young players for new coach Taylor Jenkins. -- Golliver Marks' analysis: In this deal, the Thunder would get size in Mara and partially solve their roster crunch. Not including both picks, Oklahoma City will enter June's draft with 15 players under contract. (This would be the sixth straight draft with Oklahoma City making a trade involving one of its firsts.) For the Bucks, this trade likely would not happen until the nine teams in front of them make their selections. Considering Milwaukee has no control of its own first-rounders until 2031, this trade creates a youth infusion. And if the Bucks decide to swing our next offer, they could potentially walk away with three picks in the top 17. Giannis saga reaches its conclusion -- with a Miami blockbuster Miami Heat get: Milwaukee Bucks get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 13) Tyler Herro Kel'el Ware Nikola Jovic 2029 first-round pick 2031 first-round pick Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said last month that he'd like to resolve the Antetokounmpo situation "before the draft," so it's the right time to revisit potential blockbusters. Regarding the draft, one advantage Miami has is its 2026 first-rounder, which would give the Bucks two lottery picks. Other potential Giannis suitors, such as the Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers, can't match that. In this trade, Milwaukee gains a heap of young talent, including three first-round picks and a 22-year-old center in Ware, and Miami raises its ceiling considerably following four consecutive seasons in the play-in tournament. Perhaps Milwaukee would hold out for more draft assets or want Miami to take back an onerous contract in addition to Antetokounmpo. But given the tepid trade market for him thus far and every party's desire to get a deal done, this seems like a reasonable skeleton for a deal that would send the two-time MVP to South Beach. -- Kram Marks' analysis: Of the possible predraft Antetokounmpo scenarios, this is the cleanest. Because the Heat would be taking back more salary in this trade -- Miami's No. 13 pick does not count as outgoing salary -- they are hard capped at the first apron. However, they have enough flexibility to re-sign Norman Powell and fill out the remainder of the roster in free agency. (Because of the poison pill restriction in Jovic's rookie extension, this trade cannot become official until July 6.) As for Milwaukee, it would add a second lottery pick along with a former All-Star in Herro and a starter in Ware. This move would instantly create three questions for the Bucks: Should Miami sixth man Jaime Jaquez Jr. have been included? Is Herro part of their future, or would he be moved in another trade? (The guard is on an expiring $33 million contract.) What happens with center Myles Turner with the addition of Ware? Kings trade into top five to find a guard Sacramento Kings get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 5) LA Clippers get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 7) 2031 first-round pick (via MIN) The Kings need a high-upside point guard, and trading up to No. 5 -- after they fell from the fifth position before the lottery -- would ensure they get their preferred option at the position after the four prospects in the top tier are selected. For the Clippers, this trade would still give them a promising prospect while also supplying an extra future draft asset. They could use it, given they still don't control their own picks in 2027, 2028 or 2029 and might lose further draft capital once the NBA completes its investigation into the Aspiration case. The going rate to move up a couple of spots near the top of the draft is generally a future first-rounder; that's what the Mavericks gave the Hawks when trading up from No. 5 to No. 3 to select Luka Doncic in 2018, and what the 76ers gave the Celtics when trading up from No. 3 to No. 1 to draft Markelle Fultz in 2017. That price might be too rich here, considering moving from No. 7 to No. 5 isn't quite as impactful, but the Kings would be sending Minnesota's 2031 pick to the Clippers, rather than one of their own. -- Kram Marks' analysis: In a draft that has very little separation among Nos. 5 through 9, moving up two spots at the cost of a future protected first is rich. The Kings' front office will need to have conviction that there are five impactful prospects to make a trade like this. In this construction, the Clippers would end up turning Ivica Zubac into the No. 7 pick and two unprotected firsts in 2029 (via Indiana) and 2031 (via Minnesota). Hornets add top-10 pick to young core Charlotte Hornets get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 9) Dallas Mavericks get: 2026 first-round pick (No. 14) 2026 first-round pick (No. 18) The Thunder aren't the only team with two picks in the middle of the first round to package in a potential move up the board. That might be an appealing option for Charlotte, which already has a lot of promising young players -- including three rising sophomores in Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James -- and might be more interested in quality rather than quantity at this point. Trading into the top 10 would give the Hornets another youngster with star potential. Dallas, on the other hand, might prefer quantity, as Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II are the team's only high-upside players on rookie contracts. The Mavericks also don't control their own first-round pick in 2027, 2028, 2029 or 2030, so they can't bank on an infusion of top young talent in the years to come. Taking advantage of this opportunity to grab two prospects instead of one -- plus whomever they pick with the No. 30 selection, which they already hold -- could make sense in that light. -- Kram Marks' analysis: By packaging two first-round picks, Charlotte would move up five spots and can grab a big with Aday Mara or Yaxel Lendeborg, two players unlikely to slip to No. 14. The Hornets would still retain three first-rounders in next year's draft: their own, one via Dallas (top-two protected) and another via Miami (top-14 protected). For Dallas, the move would create much-needed optionality, with three first-rounders in June's draft (Nos. 14, 18, 30.) With no control of their own firsts until 2031, the Mavericks can move off No. 18 for a future pick or continue surrounding Flagg with young talent. However, keeping all three firsts would leave Dallas with just one open roster spot heading into free agency. Marks' verdict: The trade with the biggest leaguewide impact is ... Giannis to Miami. Considering it could take years to evaluate the players selected in this draft, the answer has to be the Antetokounmpo trade. The Heat would get a franchise player and two-time MVP in the second half of his prime; Giannis will turn 32 in December. But Miami would instantly face the challenge of building a championship roster around the 31-year-old Antetokounmpo and soon-to-be 29-year-old Bam Adebayo, with $108 million in payroll tied up between the two stars. With the drawn-out trade saga now behind it, Milwaukee would turn an untenable situation into clarity. The two lottery picks (Nos. 10 and 13) along with Ware give the Bucks three young players to build around. (Currently, Antetokounmpo is the only player on the roster selected by Milwaukee in the first round.)