The June 22 agreement that shipped Kevin Durant to Houston and returned Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach to Phoenix is still evolving. Both franchises are now restructuring the paperwork for salary-cap efficiency and, in the process, inviting five more clubs into the framework. If the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves all sign on, the ledger would balloon into a record-setting seven-team deal, unprecedented even in today’s second-apron, multi-team marketplace.
Contract matching: Folding in extra teams helps juggle expiring deals, trade exceptions and luxury-tax burdens.
Asset shuffling: Each newcomer can snag secondary picks or depth pieces while helping Phoenix and Houston balance the books.
Historic scale: The current mark for the largest NBA trade is six teams; clearing seven would reset the bar for league complexity.
On Tuesday the Milwaukee Bucks waived Damian Lillard, fully aware the 35-year-old will miss the entire 2025-26 campaign after tearing his Achilles in the 2025 playoffs. Despite the layoff, big-market contenders are already circling:
Los Angeles Lakers—covet a veteran shot-creator once healthy.
Boston Celtics—see a late-season scoring punch for 2026-27.
Golden State Warriors—intrigued by pairing Lillard’s range with Stephen Curry’s.
A nine-time All-Star, Lillard averaged 24.6 points and 7 assists in two injury-marred seasons with Milwaukee. Once he clears waivers on Thursday, the race to sign him will come down to cap space, medical optimism and Lillard’s own title aspirations.
Deal finalization: League offices must re-process the Durant package once every participating team agrees.
Waiver window: Interested clubs can submit claims for Lillard until Thursday afternoon; afterwards he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Off-season dominoes: The resolution of both sagas will shape the remaining free-agency market—and could trigger further trades as teams recalibrate for 2025-26.
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