As certain NBA players gaze upon the trade market this summer, they can be assured of hearing the same piece of well-intentioned advice.

The grass isn't always greener.

That's absolutely true, but we probably gloss over the "isn't always" part more than we should. Sometimes the grass is greener. Heck, sometimes players can grow from an unkempt lawn to the lushest of landscapes or even a white-sand beach.

Players' situations can improve with a trade. That's important to remember. They can also, as that cliche warns, worsen. That's worth remembering, too.

We'll examine both sides of the coin by finding the best and worst fits for some of the top names on this offseason's trade market.

Kevin Durant

Best fit: Golden State Warriors

If the Suns' sweep out of the opening round convinces Durant to look for the exits, he should seriously consider looking for a way back to the Bay Area. No, he isn't the same and neither are the Warriors since they first joined forces in 2016—which resulted in a three-year run of basketball brilliance that featured three Finals trips and two league titles—but they could still be perfect for one another.

Golden State is desperate to find a second star for Stephen Curry, and few shine brighter than Durant, who spent his age-35 season averaging 27.1 points on 52.3/41.3/85.6 shooting. Durant could be on the search for new digs with Phoenix not good enough to contend and virtually incapable of changing. Golden State has more flexibility and upside, not to mention an offensive system that has already fit him like a tailored suit.

Plus, he should even be spared from bandwagon-jumping criticisms that echoed throughout his first tenure with the team. There isn't a bandwagon to hop onto in Northern California, where the Warriors just missed out on the playoffs for the third time in five seasons.

Worst fit: Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks have been mentioned in the potential Durant sweepstakes, though it's hard to say exactly why. Atlanta could obviously use a player of his caliber, sure, but what does it have to offer to him (or for him, for that matter)? If he thought there were too many pick-and-rolls in Phoenix, it's hard to see him loving a Hawks offense that had the fourth-most possessions finished by a pick-and-roll ball-handler.

Durant is at the point of his career where he should be in unadulterated championship-chasing mode. That ain't happening in Atlanta. The Hawks, who've won two playoff series since 2016, just finished 10 games below .500 and lost the shared minutes of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray—their two best players—by 6.5 points per 100 possessions.

And who knows how much Atlanta would have to gut its roster just to bring Durant to town? The Hawks can't trade their own first-round pick until 2029, meaning they'd need a player-heavy trade package to get the Suns' attention. Considering they aren't overflowing with talent to begin with, Durant could wind up with little more than a skeleton crew for a supporting cast.

Zach LaVine

Best fit: Orlando Magic

With a lengthy (and growing) injury history, a colossal contract and very little team success to show for a decade in the league, LaVine is the trickiest of trade candidates. Teams must be pretty desperate for buckets to seriously consider bringing him onboard.

Orlando might feel such desperation. The Magic made real strides this season, but their growth is capped by their 22nd-ranked offense. Beyond bullying their way to the foul line, there is very little this offense does at even a league-average level. Orlando has standing needs for scoring, spacing and shot-creation, and LaVine, if healthy, is capable of scratching all three itches. The Magic also happen to have the kind of lanky, versatile athletic defenders capable of covering for LaVine's limitations on the defensive end.

Plus, they have some wiggle room before the second contracts of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner kick in, so LaVine's bloated salary may not be the obstacle for them than it is for most. And if it helps keep his trade cost down—and it absolutely should—Orlando could snag a potential problem-solver without doing much damage to its asset collection.

Worst fit: Sacramento Kings

Every season seems to spawn at least a few head-scratching rumors, and some mid-November rumblings about potential interest from Sacramento in LaVine certainly qualified. The Kings had a general need for more talent, sure, but any appeal beyond that was hard to see.

Would they add LaVine and bump him atop the offensive pecking order over De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis? If that feels like an obvious "nope," that's because it is. LaVine is way too much of a defensive liability, way too expensive and too ball-dominant to utilize as a No. 3—or, depending on Keegan Murray's development, maybe No. 4—next to Sacramento's stars.

If the Kings hope to climb the Western Conference standings, they need defense and an upgrade on the wing. LaVine would weaken them on both fronts. His defense is a mess (negative defensive box plus/minus in all 10 seasons), and his arrival might force the sacrifice of Harrison Barnes (and quite possibly prevent the re-signing of Malik Monk).

Donovan Mitchell

Best fit: Miami Heat

Give the Heat a perimeter shot-creator the caliber of Mitchell (and a clean bill of health), and they'd deserve a spot on next season's short list of title contenders. They have hustled, defended and #culture'd their way close to the mountaintop before, but even mastermind coach Erik Spoelstra can only do so much with a bottom-third offense.

Miami plans on going star-searching this summer, and Mitchell looks like the best bet. Beyond addressing the nagging need for backcourt offense, he just so happens to share a close bond with star center Bam Adebayo—and another with franchise icon Dwyane Wade. The Heat have long been connected to impact scorers, but maybe Mitchell is the whale that Pat Riley and Co. finally catch.

It would be great news for Mitchell, who'd have the perfect pick-and-roll partner in Adebayo, plus a third star in Jimmy Butler to help share the offensive burden. (Tyler Herro would almost certainly be included in a deal for Mitchell.) Put that kind of talent under the direction of Spoelstra, and contention would feel inevitable.

Worst fit: Houston Rockets

After seeing such massive improvement in Phase 2 of the Rockets' rebuild (a 19-win increase), there will be a temptation to go head first into Phase 3. There's already talk of them trying to take "a big, big swing," and a trade for Mitchell is about as big a swing as anyone can make this offseason.

But Mitchell should want no part of it, and honestly, Houston may not, either.

The Rockets are bristling with young talent, but they should avoid substantial changes until they have a better grasp on just how good building blocks like Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green can be. Similarly, if Mitchell wants out of Cleveland—where the Cavs have won 60.4 percent of their games since his September 2022 arrival—he'd presumably want into a situation that's more conducive to contention than Houston's current state.

Trae Young

Best fit: San Antonio Spurs

Since Young landed in Atlanta in 2018, the Hawks have yet to rank better than 18th in defensive efficiency. There's a legitimate question of whether it's possible to field even an average offense with him at the helm, which might be why teams reportedly prefer Dejounte Murray as a trade target.

If anyone can make the defensive end work with Young, though, it just might be the 7'4" alien who just electrified the Alamo City as a rookie. Victor Wembanyama's unique blend of size, length, mobility and instincts should make him an annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate—and the potentially perfect on-court partner for Young.

Wembanyama, meanwhile, would immensely benefit from playing alongside an offensive force like Young, who's one of only two players holding career averages north of 25 points and nine assists. The Spurs were legitimately competitive when Wembanyama played with Tre Jones (plus-4.3 net rating), who feels like the definition of an average point guard. Swap in Young, a three-time All-Star with one of the Association's sharpest offensive skill sets, and San Antonio could be a playoff participant as soon as next season.

Worst fit: Detroit Pistons

The Pistons, who just posted their fifth consecutive losing record (this one featuring a franchise-worst .171 winning percentage), are seemingly overeager to escape the bottom of the standings. They were mentioned as a "wild card" suitor for Young, with multiple executives telling B/R's Eric Pincus they "need to do something" this summer.

That something shouldn't involve bringing Young to the Motor City. He couldn't solve their talent deficiencies. If anything, the huge number of offensive touches he'd command might stall the development of franchise centerpiece Cade Cunningham (and, if he somehow wasn't involved in the trade, Jaden Ivey, too).

The Pistons, who are clearly nowhere near contention, don't have the personnel to mask Young's limitations or enhance his strengths. Their defense is already dreadful (25th in efficiency), and they don't have enough shooting (26th in true shooting percentage) to pull any defensive attention away from Young.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X, @ZachBuckleyNBA.