On Aug. 2, 2005, the NBA completed a five-team trade involving 13 players, plus draft picks, rights, and cash. No deal before or since has outmatched it in pure volume of players moved.
This trade held the high-water mark for sheer scale until the 2025 Kevin Durant-Houston Rockets deal tied it with seven teams and 13 players involved. If the largest NBA trade means the most moving parts, and the most names flying across the transaction wire at once, no NBA deals rival these two trades.
More Details On the Largest NBA Trade Deals
Till July 2025, the biggest NBA trade by player volume involved the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets, and Utah Jazz, and it was engineered with one clear goal in mind: give Miami enough experienced depth to push a Shaquille O’Neal–Dwyane Wade core over the top.
The Heat walked away with Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey, Andre Emmett, and the draft rights to Roberto Dueñas. That group would go on to play real minutes during the Heat’s 2006 championship run, with Walker playing all 82 regular-season games and Posey becoming a defensive staple in the playoffs.
The rest of the league absorbed the collateral damage. Boston sent out Walker and pivoted toward flexibility and picks during Danny Ainge’s early rebuild phase. The Grizzlies shed salary and veterans while trying to reshape around Pau Gasol.
Utah brought back a familiar face in Greg Ostertag for frontcourt stability. New Orleans quietly added depth with Rasual Butler and Kirk Snyder at a low cost during a transitional period for the franchise.
Then, in July 2025, a historic seven-team transaction sent Durant from the Suns to the Rockets, involving exactly 13 players (including draft selections like No. 10 pick Khaman Maluach), plus a flood of second-rounders, a pick swap, and cash.
Key pieces included Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to Phoenix, Clint Capela back to Houston (via Atlanta), and smaller roles for David Roddy, Daeqwon Plowden, and more across Lakers, Warriors, Timberwolves, Nets, and Hawks.
It set the record for most teams (7)Â and felt massive due to Durant’s star power and assets, but by raw player count, it ties the 2005 benchmark.
The reason that the 2005 trade still matters isn’t just the number but the results as well.
The Heat went 52–30 in the 2005–06 season, won the Eastern Conference, and captured the franchise’s first NBA title. Walker averaged 12.2 points per game. Williams ran the offense. Posey hit timely shots and guarded elite wings. None were superstars, but together, they were exactly what Miami lacked the year before.
Durant, meanwhile, is thriving with the Rockets as well, scoring 26.4 points per night on a 51.0% FG. The Rockets stand fourth in the West with a 31-17 record and look poised for a deep playoff run.
