As the trade deadline approaches for the 2024-2025 NBA season, teams are making big moves to improve their roster for the second half of the regular season and secure a better future for their team. This season, there have been two major trades within days of each other that will completely change the trajectory of the teams involved in said trades.
On February 1st, the most shocking trade in NBA history went down. The Dallas Mavericks traded their superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Officially, the Lakers got Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris; the Mavericks got Anthony Davis, Max Christe, and a 2026 1st round draft pick.
This is the worst possible thing that the Mavericks could possibly do for their future. Luka Doncic has been a top 5 player in the league for the past couple seasons, averaging over 30 points for the last 3 seasons. Just last year, Doncic led the Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance for the first time in 13 years. He has accomplished all these things and is still only 25 years old, which is young in NBA terms. This trade is arguably the dumbest trade an organization has made in NBA history.
On the other hand, the Mavericks gained Anthony Davis in the trade. Davis is an excellent scorer and interior defender; however, he is 31 years old (which means he is past his prime) and has struggled with injuries the past few seasons. The Mavs did get a valuable player, but it was at the cost of their entire future.
The Lakers are the ones who benefited greatly from this trade. They got themselves a top 3 offensive player in the league that is young and has playoff experience. The Lakers now have a superstar that can replace LeBron as the face of the team when he retires.
Another blockbuster trade happened in the league right before the trade deadline. Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat’s superstar was traded to the Golden State Warriors in a large multi-team trade. The Warriors biggest loss from the trade was Andrew Wiggins, who is a great wing player that will definitely help out the Heat.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat to two Finals appearances in the last 4 years. His recent playoff performances have been remarkable, and he will fit very well in Golden State’s system. Now, with seasoned NBA vets like Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors also have a chance of being a threat in the west.
In addition to these two huge trades, there was a third one that will also cause substantial changes in the NBA. The Sacramento Kings’ star point guard, De’Aaron Fox was traded to the Spurs in a large three-team trade between the Bulls, the Kings, and the Spurs. The Kings picked up the Chicago Bulls’ best player, Zach LaVine, from the trade, and they lost their best wing player, Kevin Huerter. This was a decent trade for the Kings, but the team that really benefitted from it was the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs already have the most promising player of the last decade, Victor Wembanyama. His talent and ability mixed with De’Aaron Fox’s craftiness and intelligence give the Spurs a very bright future.
This year’s trade deadline is already being considered the craziest and most impactful trade deadline in NBA history. There have been multiple blockbuster trades that will have major effects on the current standings as well as the future of the league as a whole.
With viewership and ratings declining, the NBA needed something that would get fans interested. That is what this year’s trades have done. They have shifted around the teams’ most prominent superstars, and NBA fans cannot wait to see how the rest of this season will play out.