It’s hard to imagine bigger trades than the ones that have already happened this past weekend, as Luka Doncic was traded out to Los Angeles in exchange for Anthony Davis, or how De’Aaron Fox is leaving Sacramento for San Antonio, while Zach LaVine is leaving Chicago to gear up for the Kings.
This is why the list of NBA players that might get traded before the deadline on Thursday, February 6th is a long one, and as Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo puts it, no one is safe any longer.
“This is the world we’re living in,” the Greek All-Star said when he was asked to react to the Mavericks trading out their franchise player without even telling the athlete about potential negotiations. “It’s a business. You have to understand this. Nobody’s safe. Nobody’s safe.”
Giannis was asked about the Luka trade and said his dream is for all the European stars to go to all the big markets ⭐️👀
“I want Luka to Lakers. I want Jokic to Knicks. I want all the Europeans to go to the big markets."
(via @Bucks) pic.twitter.com/GlZoLdV2v9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 3, 2025
Now most NBA players are worried they might get a call from their general manager in the middle of the night, telling them they have to move to another city and leave all their lives behind for a new club. “At the end of the day, and I’ve said this in the past, you get evaluated every single day,” Antetokounmpo said.
“You don’t take nothing for granted,” he then added. “Being an All-Star, you don’t take it for granted. Being able to go out there and put on the jersey and represent your team, you don’t take that for granted. Being out there and representing your family, you don’t take that for granted. Every second that you play an NBA game, I love it. I try to play with joy.”
Another superstar who is expected to move before the deadline is Jimmy Butler, who has been dealing with an internal battle with the Heat organization since December, when he first stated he was hoping to be traded out of Miami. At this point, having a big salary is reason enough for your team to get rid of you.
“It’s surprising, for sure,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said of All-Star players like Doncic and Davis getting traded out of the blue. “But I think there’s been a lot of stars moving in recent years that we’ve all been surprised by and all that kind of stuff.”
