We are still very much in the NBA offseason, with team training camps set to begin soon, and New York Knicks fans just about calming down after their team’s Finals win at the end of last season. But the world of hoops is never quiet for long, and there has already been a whole host of superstar moves this summer.
There are always some interesting trades in the offseason, but this year seems to have given us some of the biggest names changing teams. These are the types of moves that will seriously affect the way the best NBA betting sites are thinking about the 2026-27 season.
In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the superstars on the move, ranking them from least to most important. It doesn’t always depend on how big the name is, but more about how their presence on their new team will improve the chances of a run to the championship.
#6 Ja Morant to Trail Blazers
It shows how far Morant has fallen in the NBA pecking order that the Trail Blazers only had to give up two players to land him from the Grizzlies. It feels as though Portland has taken a big gamble on bringing the player Morant promised to be a few years ago to the Pacific Northwest this season.
Morant could surprise us all and regain the form he showed in 2021-22, before a drop off in form and an upturn in off-court controversy. The honest truth is that his shooting has tailed off as his suspensions have grown. We hope for Portland that this is the move he really needed – but we are yet to be convinced.
#5 Kawhi Leonard to Raptors
Let’s just go ahead and assume that this trade will eventually come through, shall we? With investigations into payments still ongoing, there is no guarantee that Kawhi Leonard will be given the chance to recapture the kind of form he showed when he was last living in Canada and taking Toronto to a championship win.
This seems like a more worthwhile risk than Portland going for Morant, but there are still a lot of questions about Leonard’s health and ability to lead the franchise to success. The Raptors do not look like contenders, even if Kawhi does pitch up in Toronto – and at the time of writing, that is still a big “if”.
#4 LaMelo Ball to Timberwolves
It is only big questions about Morant’s form and Leonard’s health that kept LaMelo Ball’s trade to the T-Wolves off of the bottom of these rankings. It is not as though he is not a very good offensive player, but this move seems to come from a place of desperation at the way previous trades for the T-Wolves have gone over the last few years.
Ball has injury issues but will provide a much-needed alternative to Anthony Edwards, who may finally be able to get some rest now. The players Minnesota has lost will hurt, however, and this offseason really needs to go well for this team after it took a significant step back last year. Ball could do well in the north, but he doesn’t represent a real improvement for the T-Wolves.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo to Heat
It was hardly “The Decision” in the end, was it? Compared to LeBron’s move to South Beach back in 2011, Giannis Antetokounmpo packing his bags for Miami received more of a collective shrug from the wider NBA world. A move away from Milwaukee had been on the cards for years, and now Antetokounmpo’s star does not shine as bright.
Giannis is still one of the very best athletes in the NBA when he is fit and healthy, and is a big deal for the Heat. A lot went the other way with this deal, and although Antetokounmpo boosts Miami’s chances of doing better, there are no championships in the future. The Bucks could do well out of the trade in a few years, however.
#2 LeBron James to 76ers
This one took most people by surprise. After announcing that he would not be playing his 24th season of NBA basketball in Los Angeles, many assumed LeBron would pitch up in Miami himself, or maybe back in Cleveland. If the Knicks hadn’t gone and won the championship, he might have even been lighting up the Garden this season.
But Philadelphia is LeBron’s new home (at least to play basketball, if the rumors of a commute from Manhattan are true), and he will undoubtedly add some more talent to now loaded 76ers roster. The 76ers are now a championship contender, and all eyes will be on LeBron to see whether he finishes off his career with another title.
#1 Jaylen Brown to 76ers
Not making LeBron’s move to Philly the biggest and most important of the offseason will be controversial. But there is a real argument to make that there is no way that LeBron would be preparing to pull on a 76ers jersey if Jaylen Brown hadn’t already swapped Boston for Philadelphia.
At 29, 12 years younger than LeBron, Jaylen Brown is a long-term prime asset who only seems to be getting better in recent years. Philly was able to shed Paul George from the payroll, and Brown signals a new, more reliant way of adding players to the roster. You can’t really ignore LeBron’s move to the City of Brotherly Love, but it might be Jaylen Brown’s trade that brings a championship – and the potential to build a dynasty.