A seven-team NBA trade, involving Kevin Durant, was orchestrated by combining smaller deals. Teams leverage trade exceptions, which are larger in simultaneous trades than sequential ones, to maximize value and fit salary requirements. This strategy allows teams to incorporate multiple deals, creating a complex web of transactions involving multiple teams. The process often involves using draft picks and players as leverage to satisfy various teams' needs, eventually resulting in large, multi-team trades. The author predicts that such complex trades will increase in frequency.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.