How to Trade Players in "NBA 2K20" (and Always Get Who You Want)

The Rolling Stones once sang you can’t always get what you want. But they never played NBA 2K20.

This year’s edition of NBA 2K was always going to be a gamechanger, due to its updated engine and artificial intelligence, not to mention the addition of the WNBA. But thanks to the wild, real-life NBA offseason that saw a number of players abandon their posts and pair-up on different teams, NBA 2K20 looks pretty different to every instalment of the hit video game series that came before.

For example, you’ve now got Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers, Anthony Davis on the Lakers, Russell Westbrook on the Rockets, Kyrie Irving on the Nets, Kemba Walker on the Celtics… and no one on the New York Knicks. (jk but also we’re deadly serious.)

However, maybe that’s not enough of a shake-up for you. Perhaps you want to see every big name player—including those locked down with max contracts—make even more surprising shifts.

Thankfully, you can do exactly that with NBA 2K20’s MyLeague feature, which allows you to construct and play or simulate a fictional NBA season as one or several teams.

So if you’re not entirely happy with, say, the current Philadelphia 76ers line-up, you can make the kind of power-moves usually limited to those know-nothing GMs. Find out how below.

(This game was previewed on the PS4, so all screenshots below correspond to the PlayStation experience. Nonetheless, it applies to Xbox One as well. BTW, we’re perfectly happy with the 76ers line-up, but that’s who we’re making an example of below. Deal with it!)

How to Trade Players in NBA 2K20

Firstly, you can really only do this properly in MyLeague mode, so select that from the home page.

After setting up your league, you’ll see Calendar, Social Media, Trading Block and Team Status in the navigation. Calendar is where you can view the fixtures and start playing/simulating for your team. But if you want to make a roster change from the get-go, slide on over to Trading Block, where you can establish a target list, put some players or picks up for offer, and set some untouchables.

Now, return to the Calendar and play/simulate the season, and just wait for the requests to roll in.

But what if they never do? Well, in that case, you may want to hit Circle on PS4 or B on Xbox One from Calendar to "View Nav", and then select Front Office.

Here, you can Propose Trade, which allows you to directly approach a rival GM with an offer.

But beware: Those GMs aren’t going to give up their prized possessions without a generous package.

If you seriously just want to get rid of a player, select Trade Finder from Front Office, pick the player you want to give the boot, and see what each team will offer you in exchange.

If you’re unsatisfied with the options presented above, or are heartbroken by the constant rejections from the other general managers who don’t want to give up their All Stars, there is another way.

How to Force a Trade in NBA 2K20 (by Turning Off Logic)

Scroll past Front Office in the navigation and head to Options. There, select MyLeague Settings.

You can then toggle to Trades and adjust a variety of rules that'll make GMs more amenable to your suggestions. Or, if you really want to watch the world burn, simply turn off Trade Logic.

This will remove the Trading Block function, as well as Propose Trade and Trade Finder from Front Office.

Instead, you can just go to your Roster, select a player and hit Trade With Another Team.

And now, because the GMs have been relieved of their logic, they will agree to anything you put on the table.

Don’t believe us? Check out Giannis on Team Philly, swapped for Jonah Bolden.

Happy trading. If you need us, we'll be causing some trouble.

NBA 2K20 is now available. (Affiliate disclosure: Student Edge may earn a commission if you click that link and buy a product from our partner's page.)

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Header Image: 2K Games