While the early focus of the hoops world will be on the on-court action, it won’t be long before folks—and front office members—start daydreaming about big deals.

Admittedly, it could be a while before we see anything big come to fruition. Teams need some time to figure out what they can (or can’t) accomplish this season and what they’re missing to assist in that effort. The player pool is a bit limited at the moment, too, since most free agents who signed contracts this summer won’t become trade-eligible until mid-December.

Still, it’s never too early to think about how this campaign’s iteration of trade season will play out, since history assures us significant swaps are coming at this point. With that in mind, let’s take early stock of the top trade markets on (or at least conceivably near) the trade market. These subjective rankings draw from a number of different categories, including age and contract status, established ability, untapped potential and their perceived ability to adapt to a midseason move.

10. Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers

Some might wonder whether the Blazers, who are still plotting their post-Damian Lillard path, would be better off building around Anfernee Simons. After all, he’s only 25 years old and has proved to be wildly productive over the past two seasons, averaging 21.7 points, 4.7 assists and 3.4 three-pointers.

There are a couple of complications, though. For one, 25 isn’t young in NBA-rebuilder parlance. Second, Simons suits up in the backcourt, the same place where Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe—whose age and draft pedigree suggest they are even more central to these rebuilding efforts—suit up. Finally, Simons has some obvious flaws in his game, namely anything connected to defense.

That’s why there has already been trade chatter around Simons, who could hold significant appeal to a team needing perimeter scoring and possessing the kind of defensive talent needed to help protect him on that end. Clubs who feel they can live with his flaws will be drawn to his fiery three-point shot (career 38.6 percent), dunk-contest hops, shot-creation and ability to play on or off the ball.

9. Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazer’s

If you built a list of this season’s most logical trade candidates, Grant would be in the running for the top spot. The 30-year-old has appeared out of place ever since Lillard left Portland. Whatever value Grant offers in terms of experience and leadership is almost certainly outweighed by the trade return he’d deliver and the freeing up of minutes and shots to invest in developing this team’s young talent.

As for his trade value, it should be fairly significant. His numbers might be bloated by playing on some brutally bad teams in Portland and Detroit of late, but the offensive assertiveness he’s been forced to find would help him function as something between a support star and a turbo-charged three-and-D swingman elsewhere. And while it was hard not to feel from sticker shock when the Blazers gave him a five-year, $160 million deal last summer, the contract is more digestible than you might think (his $29.8 million salary this season only takes up about 21 percent of the cap).

His trade market could still be a bit limited. He obviously only appeals to win-now teams, and not all of them could make the money work on a deal. Plus, some that could might have hopes of landing a bigger fish. Still, he’ll be coveted by clubs who need an injection of talent and don’t want to pay a massive trade cost to get it.

8. Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizardry

In a vacuum, there’s probably a pretty fierce debate to be had about Grant and Kuzma as basketball players. As trade targets, though, Kuzma holds a rather decisive edge, since he is younger (29) and considerably cheaper (three years, $64.4 million left on his descending deal).

According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Kuzma’s contract is considered “highly attractive” around the league. That’s surely why the Wizards have set such a steep asking price. Back in January, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Washington was seeking “at least two first-round picks” in exchange for Kuzma.

Who knows if anyone will meet that price—or whether the Wizards will drop it—but what seems certain is that Kuzma’s name should continue being discussed in deals. Sure, he could be more consistent with his outside shot (career 33.7 percent) and defensive activity, but he’s still a 6’9″ forward offering versatility at both ends and shot-creation for himself and his teammates.

7. Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers

You might see this slide and wonder, Wait, didn’t Allen just get a contract extension? Well, yes he did, but the three-year, $91 million deal inked in early August didn’t necessarily tie his future to the franchise.

Per Stein, Allen was “essentially obligated” to sign the extension when he did to become trade-eligible before this season’s trade deadline. With just one playoff series to show for the first two seasons of Donovan Mitchell’s tenure, the Cavaliers understand that the non-shooting, space-killing frontcourt combo of Allen and Evan Mobley might be untenable come postseason time.

Allen, an All-Star in 2021-22, is an expert rim-runner who could thrive in a properly spaced offense. If the Cavs can’t field one with him and Mobley on the roster, then an Allen trade is very much a possibility. All win-now teams with less than stellar options at center could give Allen a long look, as the 26-year-old keeps active on the glass, protects the paint and consistently converts his scoring chances around the basket.

6. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have been big-game hunting for over a year now. While the search has come up empty so far, it is, as Stephen Curry put it, “an ongoing job,” per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.

If Golden State ever finds a co-star for Curry, it will need some trade sweeteners to get a deal done. That’s what could get Kuminga onto the transaction log. The 22-year-old has flashed high-end potential across his first three seasons. He also wasn’t consistently featured until late last season and notably didn’t ink an extension due to a reportedly enormous asking price.

That doesn’t mean the Dubs will rush to deal him, but it could mean he’s available for the right return. They need an elite to slot alongside Curry, and if they aren’t convinced that Kuminga can become that kind of player quickly enough, they could dangle the athletic swingman for someone who already fits the bill. Kuminga needs to improve as a shooter, defender and rebounder, but he already shows advanced creativity as a one-on-one scorer and possesses a sky-high two-way ceiling.

5. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

On the surface, Young might first appear as a no-doubt keeper. The 26-year-old is a three-time All-Star who routinely posts some of the league’s loudest stat lines. You’d think that combination would spare him from the rumor mill.

However, with the Hawks logging mile after mile on the treadmill of mediocrity—two first-round exits and one ouster from the play-in tournament over the last three seasons—the franchise is in dire need of a new direction. While they jettisoned his backcourt mate, Dejounte Murray, this offseason, they could take an everything-must-go approach with all of their veterans and reset around youngsters like Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and this year’s No. 1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher.

Now, Atlanta wouldn’t reap the full rewards of a tank job, since its next three first-round picks are controlled by the San Antonio Spurs, but a Young trade is still worth exploring for the right return. And all it takes is a few win-now clubs struggling with point-guard play and perimeter production to spark a bidding war for Young, who’s already just the second player in NBA history to average at least 25 points and nine assists in five-plus seasons.

4. Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers

There was enough trade talk around Garland this offseason that he felt compelled to address it directly at Cavaliers’ media day. While he said rumors about potentially wanting out if Donovan Mitchell signed an extension were “definitely false,” trade speculation seems unlikely to cease.

Just like with Cleveland’s frontcourt, there are some awkward redundancies with this backcourt combo. Garland and Mitchell are both undersized for their positions, best with the ball in their hands and, to be polite, less than super-reliable on defense. The Cavaliers lost the 272 minutes they shared in the last postseason by 4.9 points per 100 possessions.

The last time Garland ran an offense without having to share the controls (2021-22), he booked his only All-Star trip and effectively set career-highs across the board (including 21.7 points, 8.6 assists and 2.6 three-pointers). Cleveland could demand (and reasonably expect) a fortune for Garland if it ever concludes a move needs to be made. And there would surely be an abundance of suitors, since he’s productive enough to attract win-now shoppers and young enough to entice more future-focused franchises.

3. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

Perhaps one of the NBA’s biggest stunners this summer was a move that wasn’t made. Despite an early report that the Pelicans would “aggressively explore” an Ingram trade, per Stein, nothing ever came together on that front. Pels executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin would later say players like Ingram might be “incapable of being traded” under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Ingram isn’t, of course, impossible to move. It’s just that a trade is tricky given his impending free agency and huge-dollar desires. He is right in the heart of his prime and be marketed as a star—he was an All-Star in 2019-20—but he’s not quite a true elite. His three-point volume keeps dropping, his offensive output is more really good than great and he has never become the kind of defender that his physical gifts say he should be.

Still, expect the Pelicans to keep working the phones since they have roster holes to fill (that center rotation is a wreck) and wings needing role expansions (like the recently extended Trey Murphy III). And expect more than a few teams to take those calls since there aren’t many 6’8″ wings who offer this blend of three-level scoring and secondary playmaking.

2. Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat

Since Butler and the Heat first joined forces in 2019, they’ve felt connected at the hip. He isn’t always available in the regular season, and they aren’t always very good in the regular season, but come playoff time, both are forces to be reckoned with.

Despite the fruits of this partnership—three conference finals runs and two NBA Finals trips—it might be on its last legs. This is the last guaranteed season on his contract ($52.4 million player option for 2025-26). While he could extend his stay with a contract extension, there’s an expectation he wouldn’t sign it even if it were offered, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. It sounds like that offer may not be coming, anyway.

Things can change in a hurry, of course, and if Miami establishes itself among the East’s elite early on, then Butler trade talks may never get going. But if the Heat, a play-in participant each of the last two seasons, can’t separate from the conference’s midsection, then Butler’s future might be the talk of the hoops world. His injury history and future uncertainty ding his value a bit, but at his best, he’s in the conversation for the league’s top two-way talent.

1. Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns

Suns fans might scoff at the inclusion of Durant. They may even note how general manager and president of basketball operations James Jones said in no uncertain terms that Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker “aren’t going anywhere” during the offseason.

And yet, it still feels fair to speculate about this trio’s future—for now, at least. If Phoenix, which possesses one of the league’s most extreme win-right-now rosters, doesn’t look any more competitive than it did last season (sixth in the Western Conference standings, swept in the first round), then it might have to think about pivoting away from this plan and getting something stored away for the future.

Since Beal has a no-trade clause and Booker is in the heart of his prime, Durant seems the likeliest trade candidate of the three. And despite being a 36-year-old who has only topped 55 games once in the past five seasons, his value would be immense.

Signs of age-related decline for Durant are simply nonexistent. He was an All-NBA second-teamer this past season, averaging 27.1 points on 52.3/41.3/85.6 shooting, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists across 75 contests.

He is one of the greatest scorers this game has ever seen and as easy of a fit as you’ll find among the superstar ranks as a versatile, high-level contributor on both ends. While his age and contract would dissuade non-contenders from giving chase, the competition among interested and able suitors would be ferocious. He is, after all, Kevin freakin’ Durant