The 2025 NBA trade deadline will be remembered for quite some time.
Across the league, teams transformed themselves completely, with some pushing their chips to the center of the table for a title run this year, and others setting themselves up for years to come. Or in the Lakers’ case, quite a bit of both.
Below we’re breaking down the five most impactful deals of the deadline. While we might normally tease the deals in a countdown to No. 1, given we all know what trade goes at the top here, we’ll start there and work our way down.
1. Luka Doncic to the Lakers, Anthony Davis to the Mavericks
Yeah, that really happened! Two franchises have totally reshaped themselves in a deal that absolutely no one saw coming. The news was so shocking that basically the entire NBA internet assumed Shams Charania had gotten hacked when he tweeted out the deal.
This is a trade whose true ramifications we won’t fully appreciate for years. But in the short-term, the Lakers have made a move to rebuild the plane mid-air, giving LeBron James another superstar to play alongside, while positioning themselves for a post-LeBron future as led by Luka Doncic. While it remains to be seen just how well the two will mesh together, in terms of raw talent, the Lakers have our attention.
On the other side of the deal, the Mavericks have traded away the face of their franchise in a move that general manager Nico Harrison insists puts the team in a position to win now.
In his defense, there’s a path to him being proven correct. Anthony Davis is a beast, and is having one of the best years of his already stellar career—the fact that he is being viewed as something of an afterthought in this trade has nothing to do with his talent, but everything to do with the talent of Doncic, and their respective ages.
A core of Davis and Kyrie Irving is certainly interesting, but it’s hard to get past the fact that a team fresh off an appearance in the NBA Finals traded away the player most responsible for getting them there.
This league.
2. Jimmy Butler Takes His Talents From South Beach
In what was the most unnecessarily drawn out and dramatic breakup of the deadline, Jimmy Butler finally finagled his way out of Miami, heading to the opposite coast to team up with Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
While the Warriors and Heat headlined the deal, the trade ultimately involved five teams, because the NBA is an extremely normal professional sports league.
Butler had made himself a distressed asset in his final days of Miami, serving three suspensions over the past few months as he escalated his actions in an increasingly bold attempt to be traded. Ultimately, he got what he wanted—a fresh start with a new team.
With Butler, the Warriors get another shot at chasing a ring to close out the Curry era. While it’s not the most blockbuster acquisition the Dubs could have made, Kevin Durant was apparently uninterested in a reunion with the team he won two titles with, so Butler is the prize.
Golden State is clearly ready to believe in Butler, giving him a two-year, $121 million extension as soon as the ink on the trade was dry. We don’t know how many wins the deal will lead to, but seeing Butler and Draymond Green on the court together should be box office regardless.
Meanwhile, the Heat get back a pretty nice haul, which is especially good for them given how little leverage Butler had left them with in his quest for an escape hatch.
Elsewhere in the deal, Dennis Schroder was traded for the second time this season. The NBA is a lot of things, and one of them is a tough business.
3. The Cavaliers Go on the Hunt(er)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best team in the Eastern Conference more than halfway through the season, sitting at 41–10 and five games clear of the Boston Celtics.
Still, the Cavs felt they were one piece away from being able to take their run all the way to the NBA Finals this year, and decided to go get that piece before the deadline in the form of Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter.
Hunter is averaging 19 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and should slot nicely into the Cavaliers lineup as a classic three-and-D piece that championship caliber teams are always looking to add to their roster.
As for the Hawks, they cut costs a bit as they retool, staring down the play-in tournament once again.
4. De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine Change Their Scenery
If not for the Luka deal, this would be the trade that would be most interesting to look back on in three years’ time.
While all three teams involved are barely on the fringe of the playoff picture this year, they’re building foundations that could soon prove formidable.
The headline here: De’Aaron Fox finally gets to see what life is like outside of Sacramento, and in teaming up with Victor Wembanyama, forms a dynamic duo for the Spurs that should captivate any Texas basketball fans still reeling from the loss of Luka.
The Kings restock their draft picks while also landing the second-best player in the deal in Zach LaVine, and the Bulls get out of some expensive contract situations while getting their own first-round pick this year back in their possession.
5. Mark Williams Gives Los Angeles Just What They Needed
After the initial wonder of the Luka trade wore off, NBA fans were left with a burning question about the Lakers—just who was going to play center?
General manager Rob Pelinka admitted that there was a tough market for the position, but still managed to make a deal with the Hornets.
Williams, just 23 years old, is averaging 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and brings some desperately needed size and defense to the Lakers after the departure of Anthony. Along with Doncic, bringing in Williams is another deal that should help Los Angeles win both in the immediate future of the next few months and the near future of the next few years.
For the Hornets, the deal is one heck of a reset. Dalton Knecht has been solid in limited minutes for the Lakers, and should only continue to develop. While Charlotte now has the same hole at center that the Lakers just filled, the Hornets are sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and don’t especially have to be concerned with finding a replacement this year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Five Most Impactful Moves of the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline.
