NBA Trade Deadline Breakdown

By: BRUCE LAU / STAFF WRITER

The 2025 NBA Trade Deadline was one of the craziest deadlines in years. 

The action began last Saturday night, shortly after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. A late night tweet emerged from ESPN’s very own Shams Charania, saying that the Dallas Mavericks were in preparations to trade 25-year-old superstar Luke Doncic – along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris – to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for All-NBA center Anthony Davis.

This trade is widely considered to be one of the most shocking in NBA history. It is the first time ever that two reigning All-NBA players were traded for each other during the season.

This was not only a shock for the league but to the Dallas Mavericks organization. The fact that general manager Nico Harrison was willing to trade his superstar guard for an aging center, without first consulting his organization, stunned the entire basketball world. 

It was an especially dark day for Mavericks fans, as Doncic was their franchise star that took the team to the NBA Finals just a year prior. He provided the Dallas faithful with hope of another deep playoff run on their quest for another title.

In other news, The Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs pulled off a seven-player, seven-pick trade that sent star guards De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio and Zach LaVine to Sacramento. The Bulls walked away with Zach Collins, Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter.

The Spurs getting Fox is intriguing. With one of the youngest rosters in the league, they will shoot for a playoff berth led by superstar seven-footer Victor Wembanyama. 

Additionally, Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a first round and a second round pick. Ingram has been out since early December with a significant lower left ankle sprain.

However, quickly after trading for Ingram, the Raptors signed him to a three-year, $120 million extension before he could hit free agency this offseason.

For many NBA teams, the deadline was their biggest win of the season. For other teams, not so much.

WINNERS

Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler got what he wanted and got paid in the process.

The ongoing saga between Butler and the Miami Heat front office, namely president of basketball operations Pat Riley, led to multiple suspensions for the superstar over the last month.  The team had actively been shopping Butler prior to the deadline but unfortunately there were no potential buyers. The Phoenix Suns emerged as a possible trade partner with deals surrounding star forward Kevin Durant,  but the deal ultimately fell through.

In the end, Butler finally got what he wanted; he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a complicated five-team deal with help from the Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, and Toronto Raptors. Shortly after he was traded, he signed a two year extension worth a whopping $121 million.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers did not make a huge splash in their NBA trade deadline, but they didn’t have to. As it stands, they have the best overall record in the Eastern Conference at 43-10. 

They traded for a small forward by the name of De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, and three second round picks and picks swaps with various NBA teams. 

This benefits the Cavaliers in many ways because Hunter bolsters their depth, defense and offensive spacing.

LOSERS

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns failed to deal superstar forward Kevin Durant, even though there were many intriguing buyers that could have used his services. 

One such team was the Golden State Warriors, whom he won a championship with in 2017. Another team was the Miami Heat. Ultimately, the Warriors and Heat came together on a deal, leaving Phoenix in the dust. 

As it stands, the Suns have one of the most expensive payrolls in the league and a measly 26-27 record to show for it.

Dallas Mavericks

After trading Luka Doncic for an aging center in Anthony Davis, who’s had a history of very bad knee and ankle injuries for his career, a lot of Mavericks fans felt ashamed that their star guard was gone. The team had made it to the Finals just last season, and it was a shock to fans, who in turn felt betrayed by their favorite franchise.

"It was the last vestige of, like, a calmer world," one Mavericks fan told CBS writer James Herbert. "Like, Luka got us through the pandemic. We had the Western Conference finals run with him and he was, like, the nice thing in that time, just as Dirk [Nowitzki] got us through those 20 years before it. I think it's just such a massive betrayal."