With the 2025 NBA trade deadline coming to a close, teams around the league have made massive moves to reshape their rosters. Whether it was trades that were long overdue or ones that nobody expected, the future of the NBA has shifted over the past few days. Highlighted by Luka Doncic being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and Jimmy Butler making a long-awaited departure from Miami to Golden State. This year’s trade deadline saw some of the biggest midseason moves in NBA history.
It was perhaps the most shocking trade of the deadline and in recent memory. The Mavericks made a franchise-altering move to trade their current star in Doncic for Anthony Davis. The move was unexpected, but it pairs Doncic with LeBron James as Los Angeles hopes to maximize the all-time leading scorer’s last few years in the league. Dallas was reportedly unhappy with Doncic’s weight and conditioning, and despite a Finals appearance last year, they traded him for Davis in hopes elevating their defense and championship potential. Davis joins forces with Kyrie Irving, as the two ex-teammates of James now look to find success on an already well-rounded team.
The full trade sees Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber going to the Lakers. Davis, Max Christie, and LA’s 2029 first-round pick go to Dallas. The Utah Jazz receive Jalen Hood-Shifino and both the Clippers’ and Mavericks’ second-round picks for the upcoming draft as the third team involved in the trade.
The last year of the saga between Butler and the Miami Heat didn’t go well. It was highlighted by Butler being suspended by the Heat multiple times, and the star player sitting out after publicly criticizing the franchise for not finding him a new team. Butler led Miami to two Finals appearances in 2020 and 2023. After years of not making moves for other free agent stars in the offseason, Butler wanted to find a change of scenery.
He now joins Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as the Warriors look to capitalize on the final stretch of their careers. All three are in their mid-30s, but they have championship-level experience and amazing playoff performances. Butler hopes to be the missing piece in Golden State’s hunt for their fifth title in the last decade.
The Warriors receive Butler as the main package of the four-team trade. In return, the Heat get Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, P.J. Tucker, and a 2025 protected first-round pick from Golden State. Rounding out the deal, Dennis Schroder goes to the Jazz, while Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson go to the Detroit Pistons.
After eight seasons with the Sacramento Kings, De’Aaron Fox requested a trade last week with his preferred destination being San Antonio. In just a few days of negotiations, Fox got his wish to join one of the biggest young stars in the league, Victor Wembanyama. While Wembanyama continues to elevate his game, the Spurs now get a point guard in the prime of his career to pair along with their franchise cornerstone.
Zach LaVine leaves the Bulls and goes to the Kings as a part of this deal. He now rejoins DeMar DeRozan after the two played together in Chicago for three years. The Bulls don’t get a star player back in return, but they move away from LaVine’s large contract and looming extension after struggling to find success with him as their leading scorer.
The full trade sees Fox and Jordan McLaughlin go to San Antonio. LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks, and three second-rounders go to Sacramento. Chicago gets Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Heurter, and their own first-round pick this year in return.
Khris Middleton spent more than 11 years with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he became a three-time All-Star and a crucial piece in their 2021 championship-winning run. Alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Middleton reached peaks only a few expected when he came into the league, with four seasons scoring at least 20 points per game. In the past few years, however, Middleton has struggled with injuries, only playing in 111 regular season games since the start of the 2022-23 season.
Milwaukee also added Damian Lillard prior to the start of last year, using him as the main pairing with Antetokounmpo. While Middleton had a very successful run in his decade-plus time spent with the Bucks, it felt like the team got all they could out of him. They finally decided to move on this trade deadline.
In exchange, Milwaukee picks up Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards. The forward spent four years with the Lakers and a little over three with the Wizards, averaging 17.2 points per game in his career. While his season averages have taken a slight drop this season, he gives the Bucks a big body who is a proven scorer and not afraid to take big shots. Differing from Middleton, Kuzma has been able to stay healthy for most of his career. He played in at least 60 regular season games in each of his first seven full seasons in the NBA.
The full trade sees Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a pick swap going to Washington, while the Bucks receive Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and a second-round pick in return.
In a somewhat similar scenario to other players on this list, Brandon Ingram could just never make it work while he was on the New Orleans Pelicans. Ingram is a player who can score with the best in the leaguer. He just hasn’t contributed to winning as much as the Pelicans wanted when he was traded there from the Lakers for Davis in 2019. Ingram averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the five full seasons he spent in New Orleans, but struggled to lead a team that didn’t have a whole lot of direction.
Instead, he now goes to Toronto to team up with Scottie Barnes and R.J. Barrett as they make a move to have a brighter future. The Raptors are a pretty young team, and the experience of a player like Ingram will be a key addition if they hope to make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. New Orleans will now have their focus on developing players like Trey Murphy III and Yves Missi. They hope to have Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and Herb Jones come back healthy in the near future.
The full trade has Ingram going to the Raptors, while Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a first-rounder, and second-rounder go back to the Pelicans.
Besides the moves already highlighted, other key trades happened around the league that will impact the futures of multiple teams. Of those, include De’Andre Hunter being traded to Cleveland for Caris LeVert, Mark Williams going to the Lakers, Jonas Valanciunas heading to the Kings, and Caleb Martin being sent to the Mavericks. While none of those trades are extremely groundbreaking, all of those players have the ability to impact winning, and be major pieces in their new teams finding success.
The NBA trade deadline never fails to disappoint, especially after seeing some of the biggest moves in NBA history being made over the past few days. It is the first time that at least eight players were traded while averaging more than 20 points per game. This marks both new beginnings and continued runs for some of the top teams in the league. The Lakers found their new franchise star for years to come in Doncic, while the Warriors now have a chance to win yet another title with the addition of Butler. The Spurs also have a real shot at becoming title favorites over the next few years with Fox and Wembanyama.
The NBA sees a shake-up every few years, but nothing has come close to what happened at this trade deadline.
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