This NBA season’s trade deadline was one of craziest in league history. The constant blockbuster moves kept every NBA fan glued to their phones to keep up with it all. Over a small five day period, eight former all-star players were dealt to other teams. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Many other excellent players were moved as well, including a Defensive Player of the Year winner and many former NBA Champions. This trade deadline will be cemented as one of the most league shattering weeks in the history of the NBA. Let’s have a look back on the deadline leading into the upcoming playoffs and see how it may affect its outcome.
The first and biggest trade of the deadline happened on February 2nd, just after midnight. At 12:12 am, fabled ESPN reporter Shams Charania broke the news of the biggest trade in NBA history. Luka Dončić was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Anthony Davis. The subsequent frenzy that followed left many thinking that it must have been fake news. Reporters had to assure that the trade was real and that broke the internet. Nobody could believe a young superstar that led the Mavericks to the finals could ever be traded just eight months after doing so. Dončić was a consensus top-five player in the league at just 25 years old. Though Anthony Davis is also considered one of the best in the league, he is aging out of his prime and won’t be on Luka’s level come 2028.
Fans called the move short-sighted on the Mavs part, but the front office disagreed. They stated that Dončić had poor conditioning, a lack of effort, and had lackluster defensive abilities. Anthony Davis is the complete opposite and seemingly what the Mavs were looking for in a star player. Once trade details were finalized, the public found out that Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris were also sent to the Lakers. These two could help with LA’s weak center rotation. The Mavericks also received Max Christie, the Lakers 2029 first-round draft pick. Christie is an excellent defender, which fits in with the defensive mindset of the Mavericks. The draft pick also insures that the Mavs will be benefiting from this trade for years to come. The Utah Jazz got in on this deal by letting the Lakers offload draft picks and some salary filler so they could make the money work in the trade. This trade has looked evenly matched so far, but the Mavericks have given themselves a short window to win a championship before their team ages out of contention. The Lakers got a young superstar that can help them win championships for the next decade.
Later on into Feb. 2nd, another major trade was announced. At 8:29 pm, De’Aaron Fox was sent to the San Antonio Spurs. Fox had been an All-Star point guard on a struggling Sacramento Kings team. The Kings were the 3rd seed in the 2023 playoffs after a 16 year playoff drought. The Kings looked forward to sustaining this success into the next few seasons, but that’s not how things played out. The Kings struggled heavily, missing the playoffs in 2024 and started off even worse in 2025. De’Aaron Fox became frustrated with the Kings front office and demanded that they either do something to improve the team or trade him away. Fox had been eyeing the San Antonio Spurs ever since they drafted generational talent Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA draft. Wembanyama has been compared to some of the greats and said to have the potential to become the greatest player in NBA history.
The Kings felt that their relationship with Fox had been soured indefinitely and decided to trade him to the Spurs. The Kings traded Fox in a three team deal that also included the Chicago Bulls. The Spurs received Fox and Jordan McLaughlin. The Kings received Zach Lavine, Sidy Cissoko, and a handful of first and second round picks. Lavine had been an all-star player for the Bulls, so he could easily fill Fox’s role on the Kings. The Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and one first round pick. The Bulls got back an abysmal return for what they gave out. None of the players they got back are cornerstone pieces that need to be kept around and one pick is not enough for all-star talent. De’Aaron Fox has said that he loves playing for the Spurs and hopes to win a championship with Wembanyama by his side. Lavine is also feeling good as a Kings player, reuniting with his former teammate DeMar DeRozan.
Further into the week, on February 5th, another league-shaking trade hit the news. Kyle Kuzma was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Khris Middleton. Middleton was a favorite among all Bucks fans. His long 12 season tenure with the team made this trade a heart wrenching ending to his time on the Bucks. Khris Middleton was a three time all-star and a valuable member of the Bucks’ 2021 championship team. His impact on the Bucks franchise was monumental, but his impact on the court was becoming subpar. He was aging and not able to produce at the same level anymore. The Bucks were struggling to stay in championship contention and Middleton’s mediocre play was waning on the team. The Bucks needed a younger and more effective star. Kyle Kuzma was wasting away on a Wizards team that stayed at the bottom of the standings. He had been traded from the Lakers several years before, and he had never been the same. He grew unhappy with his role on the Wizards and urged them to find a trade destination for him.
The Bucks reached out to the Wizards to swap their star players in a four team trade. The Wizards received Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a first round pick. Johnson was a rookie that the Bucks didn’t give much of a chance, but he could thrive on the young Wizards team. Middleton added experience and maturity to the roster. Middleton could also be a mentor to 2025 draft prospect Cooper Flagg if Washington is lucky enough to draft him. The Bucks received Kuzma, Jericho Sims, and a second round pick. Kuzma was their new star player and Sims would help out with their lackluster center rotation. The Knicks got in on this trade as well by getting Delon Wright. Wright is a great perimeter defender and an amazing addition to the Knicks roster. The Spurs chimed into this deal by gaining Patrick Baldwin Jr. to add to their bench rotation. The Bucks and Wizards seemed to have reached a win-win trade for everyone and hope this deal will reap benefits for years to come.
Also on February 5th, another star player found a new home. Jimmy Butler was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a huge five team deal. Jimmy Butler and the Heat used to be inseparable. Jimmy Butler made two NBA Finals appearances with the Heat in 2020 and 2023. Butler embodied everything the Heat stood for. The Heat were all about effort and competitiveness, and Butler was all about effort. Butler and Miami seemed like a match made in heaven, until it all came crashing down. The Miami Heat couldn’t replicate the same success after 2023 and Butler regressed immensely from his superstar days. The Heat’s President of basketball Operations, Pat Riley, was a “no-nonsense” type of guy. Butler started to take the regular season less seriously since he thought they could always win as the underdogs in the playoffs like they had done before. Riley became increasingly upset with Butler’s attitude and it created a tension that was felt by everybody.
Jimmy Butler started to hint at potential trade destinations that he wanted, mainly being the Phoenix Suns and the Warriors. Pat Riley decided that the Warriors’ trade package was the best for them, and sent Butler to Golden State. The Heat received Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell, and a heavily protected first round pick. Wiggins is a very similar player to Butler, so the team could fit him in their system effortlessly. The others provided salary filler to make up the difference in Wiggins’ and Butler’s contracts. The Warriors got Butler and two second round picks. The Warriors were looking to pair Steph Curry with another star player to stay competitive in his twilight years. Three other teams got in on this trade, being the Raptors, Pistons, and Jazz. The Raptors only got P.J. Tucker and a pick, but it only costed them Davion Mitchell. The Jazz got KJ Martin, Josh Richardson, and two second round picks for no cost at all. The Jazz were used in this trade to offload salary to make the other pieces work. The Pistons got Dennis Schröder, Lindy Waters III, and a second round pick. The addition of Schröder was a small, but impactful move by the Pistons. Schröder is a solid back-up point guard that will help the team when their star, Cade Cunningham is on the bench.
These were just a few of the deals that went down at the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline. Other blockbuster trades like DeAndre Hunter to the Cavaliers, Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors, and Marcus Smart to the Wizards just didn’t make the cut. The NBA playoffs are just around the corner, and these trades will definitely shake up the outcome. Only time will tell the impact of the deadline has on the future of the league.
