Durant, who won two championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018 and was named the Finals MVP both years, knows how to win when the stakes are highest and should make a team that was eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs this year a big threat going forward.

In many ways, this unexpected beginning to the NBA trade season is the spiritual descendent of the New York Knicks giving up five first-round picks and a swap for Mikal Bridges on the eve of last year's draft. As in that case, it's a massive amount of pick value to give up for a player who has never been an All-Star and might never get there.

For the second time in the last few years, Jrue Holiday is being traded to Portland after helping a team win a title.