The 2025 NBA trade deadline was the most chaotic, surprising, and bizarre in the history of the NBA.

Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks

In the dark of the night, on a random Sunday in February, the NBA world exploded when ESPN reporter Shams Charania announced a trade so unfathomably unexpected and downright unbelievable that fans across the world believed his account was hacked. Charania reported Luka Dončić, the 25-year-old perennial MVP candidate, consensus top 5 player in the world, and generational talent had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a deal centered around 31-year-old injury prone star, Anthony Davis.

Comically, Davis sustained a groin injury halfway into his Mavericks debut, which will likely sideline him until mid-March.

Full trade details: The Lakers receive Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris from the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks receive Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the Lakers 2029 first-round pick. The Jazz receive Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.

Los Angeles Lakers: A+

Before the trade, the Lakers were +4000 to win the NBA Finals and +2500 to win the Western Conference. Following the trade, however, the Lakers have jumped to +1200 to win the NBA Finals and +700 to win the Western Conference, per Yahoo Sports.

This trade is all the Lakers could ask for: a 25-year-old face of the franchise who can help them compete now and in the future. Although the fit between the ball-dominant Dončić and LeBron James will certainly be clunky, this is still a significant talent upgrade. This will be the first time in James’s illustrious 21-year career that he has ever played alongside a player better than him.

However, this move is more for the future than the present. It gives the Lakers a clear direction after LeBron James’s inevitable retirement.

Dallas Mavericks: F-

This is an inexplicable decision by the Mavericks, trading the face of their franchise, mortgaging their future for a worse, significantly older player. The Mavericks’ general manager, Nico Harrison, should be fired immediately for this move. Dončić should be the most untradable of untradable players in the entire league. He has been a top-five player in the world since he was 20 years old and had carried them to the NBA Finals just a season ago.

The thing that makes this decision even more unbelievable is that Harrison didn’t even call any other teams about Dončić; he ONLY had discussions with the Lakers. Ninety percent of teams around the league would have thrown every asset available to them at the Mavericks for a shot at Dončić.

In addition, Dončić didn’t want to be traded, he did not ask out, he did not say he wasn’t going to re-sign with the team, and he did not appear frustrated on the court or in media press conferences. He wanted to play for the Dallas Mavericks. This is truly the dumbest decision made by a team over the entire 78-year history of the league.

“This trade is still unbelievable to me, almost 2 weeks after it happened! The fact that both teams disregarded any loyalty or importance that these players brought (especially the Mavericks) is absurd. For me, this trade serves as an awakening to the NBA that no one is truly untouchable, even a 25-year-old MVP candidate,” argued Saint Paul’s junior Luca Rodas.

To put in perspective how good Dončić is, throughout his short six-year tenure in Dallas, Dončić was five-time first-team All-NBA, the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year, a five-time all-star, a top-five pick in MVP voting three times, the 2023-24 scoring champion, and the 2024 Western Conference Finals MVP.

A team should not, under any circumstances, trade a player of the caliber of Dončić at his age.

De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs, Zach Lavine to the Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls completed a 3-team trade that sent Bulls star Zach Lavine to the Sacramento Kings and Kings star De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs to team with the French phenom, Victor Wembanyama.

Full trade details: The Spurs acquire De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin. The Kings receive Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks (2025 via Hornets, 2027 via Spurs, 2031 via Timberwolves), and three second-round picks. The Bulls receive Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter, and their own 2025 first-round pick.

San Antonio Spurs: A+

This is a great move by the Spurs, pairing an all-star caliber guard in Fox with their franchise player, the 7’4 20-year-old Wembanyama. So far through the 2024-25 season, Fox is averaging 25.0 points per game (PPG), 6.1 assists per game (APG), and 5.0 rebounds per game (RPG) in 45 games.

The addition of Fox will take a lot of pressure off of Wembanyama as the primary creator, giving him a guard who can put pressure on the rim and collapse the defense with his searing speed and tight handle. In addition to his scoring ability, Fox is a great playmaker who constantly creates advantages for his teammates and makes the right reads. This move will likely push the Spurs back into the play-in conversation after slipping to the 12 seed in recent months.

Although the addition of Fox is amazing, the real reason the Spurs did so well in this trade is that they were able to keep all of their valuable assets, including the current Rookie of the Year frontrunner Stephon Castle. In addition, they were also able to retain the Atlanta Hawks 2025 pick, which they acquired in the Dejounte Murray trade in 2022.

As of Feb. 6, 2025, the Hawks are the 10 seed in the East and are 1-9 in their last 10 games. That pick will likely end up being in the 5-10 range by draft night. With a draft class as stacked as the 2025 class is, this is a huge asset for the Spurs to pair with Wembanyama, Fox, and Castle.

Sacramento Kings: A-

Considering the circumstances, the Kings did well in this trade, acquiring a combined 6 draft picks and an all-star caliber guard in Lavine to replace Fox. Although Lavine cannot fully replace Fox’s production, he is still an exceptional NBA player and one of the elite scorers in the league. Lavine is averaging 23.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG this season, on a blazing 50% from the field and 44% from beyond the 3-point line. When Lavine gets hot, he is one of the most unstoppable players in the entire league. That factor alone makes him a valuable asset for any team in the league.

In addition to Lavine, the Kings also received three first-round picks and three second-round picks. Although one of the first-round picks acquired in the trade (2025 CHA) will certainly not convey because of its protections, it will still end up being two second-round picks, which can be a valuable asset for this Kings team.

Furthermore, this trade gives the Kings multiple avenues this offseason. They can either use these picks to go all in and round out the roster, or sell high on some of their top guys like Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk, and the aforementioned Lavine, and go into a complete rebuild.

Chicago Bulls: D-

The Chicago Bulls absolutely sold the bag with this trade. Trading their number one option for bad contracts and their own pick back, which they likely would have kept in the first place, is pitiful. Even considering Lavine’s contract, the fact that the Bulls couldn’t even get a couple of second-round picks for someone like Lavine is absolute madness. The only positive that may come out of this is that now the Bulls have a clear direction, a complete rebuild.

Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors

The New Orleans Pelicans traded one-time all-star Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors for a package including 2023 NBA Champion Bruce Brown and draft compensation.

Full trade details: The Pelicans receive Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynk, Indiana’s 2026 first-round pick and one second-round pick. The Raptors receive Brandon Ingram.

New Orleans Pelicans: B+

This was a long-overdue move by the Pelicans. If they had traded Ingram around two years ago, New Orleans easily could’ve received multiple first-round picks and young players. However, they waited until his contract year to put him up on the market, tanking his value. In all reality, Ingram is worth significantly more than what he had gone for, but considering the circumstances, the Pelicans did all right. The Pelicans knew they couldn’t re-sign Ingram this upcoming offseason, as Ingram was demanding a long, expensive contract, something a team with a current record of 13-42 (Feb. 16, 2025) wasn’t willing to pay. That, in combination with his injury history and pitiful performance in last season’s playoffs, was fetching Ingram offers as low as only a couple of second-round picks coming into the trade deadline.

Miraculously, however, David Griffin, Pelicans VP of Basketball Operations, managed to obtain a first-round pick and two decent role players from the Toronto Raptors for Ingram.

Most fans seemingly agree that this was the best outcome, with Saint Paul’s junior Robert Hanks saying, “Honestly, this is probably the best haul the Pelicans could have got for Ingram. He was going to leave anyway, [you] might as well get something instead of nothing. The two expiring contracts the Pelicans took on allow them to be more flexible to make more moves, and the pick makes it all the more worth it.”

Even though this looks like a major loss for the Pelicans on paper, it could be a blessing in disguise. With Ingram’s departure, opportunities for Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III will continue to soar. Through January and February, Murphy III is averaging 26 points per game on close to 50/40/90 shooting splits, elite numbers.

Toronto Raptors: C-

Going into the all-star break, the Toronto Raptors are 17-38, good for the 13th seed in the Eastern Conference. Why trade for a win-now piece in the middle of the season when the team has little chance to make a run in the playoffs, and was on track for a great pick in the loaded 2025 NBA Draft?

In addition to this being bad for their draft odds, it also doesn’t help their already bad spacing. Ingram is a low-volume average shooter going to a team that already takes the second-lowest volume of 3-pointers per game, with bottom-ten efficiency.

That is a recipe for disaster.

Unless the Raptors trade some of their key pieces, like RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, these problems will persist in upcoming years.

The only saving grace about this move is that they got a young, all-star-caliber player for cheap. Going into the offseason, they can either flip him to another team for more than they got him for or choose to make him one of their key building blocks.

Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat

The Warriors and Heat completed a massive 5-team trade that sent six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors for a package including Andrew Wiggins and a protected first-round pick.

Full trade details: The Warriors receive Jimmy Butler, two second-round picks. The Heat acquire Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson, Warriors 2025 first-round pick. The Jazz obtain KJ Martin, Josh Richardson, two second-round picks. The Pistons acquire Dennis Schröder, Lindy Waters III, and one second-round pick. The Raptors receive P.J. Tucker and one second-round pick.

Miami Heat: B

Similarly to the Pelicans, this was a long-overdue move by the Miami Heat. They could’ve easily gotten more for him if they had moved on from the 36-year-old over the 2024 offseason, but they instead decided to wait.

However, a first-round pick and a high-level starter in Wiggins is still a decent return, considering the circumstances. This makes Miami much younger and gives them a direction to build toward with the emergence of players like Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, and Nikola Jovic.

It wouldn’t be surprising if, this upcoming offseason, the Heat decide to flip Wiggins for more draft capital and go both feet into the rebuild. Bam Adebayo might also be available depending on how the rest of his and Ware’s 2024-25 seasons go.

Warriors: B+

Let’s get one thing straight: This trade does not put the Warriors in title contention. However, it could elevate the team to be a formidable competitor in the playoffs and, at the very least, do Steph Curry justice.

Throughout the 2020s, the Warriors have been trying to juggle the Curry and the “young” timelines. This young timeline hasn’t been impressive, to say the least, and any success the Warriors have seen in recent years has been entirely on the backs of their veterans.

That said, since their run in 2022, the Warriors have done a poor job of building a competitive team around Curry in his twilight years. This trade helps fix that.

Butler’s arrival in Golden State gives the Warriors an entirely different dynamic on both sides of the floor.

On offense, he provides the team with much-needed interior scoring, playmaking, and physicality. Going into the deadline, the Warriors were in the bottom five in both free-throw attempts per game and points in the paint per game. Butler, who has averaged 7+ free-throw attempts per game for six years straight, changes that. His presence and gravity as a scorer relieve Curry of a lot of pressure and give him more freedom to create for himself and his teammates. Furthermore, Butler also helps mitigate the damage done during the non-Curry minutes, in which the team has been abysmal this season.

On defense, Butler is a switchable defensive playmaker who can lock in late in games or during essential possessions. Butler’s switchability can not be overstated enough, especially on a Warriors team that lacks frontcourt depth. His size and length allow him to hold his own down low when switched onto more prominent defenders. Combined with his instincts and motor skills, he is a formidable defender.

Even if this move doesn’t work out in the long term for the Warriors, it is the least they could do for Steph Curry to be competitive while he’s still an all-NBA level player.

Featured Image Photo Credit: ESPN