The NBA trade deadline
Image credit: Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic , Jason Parkhurst – Imagn Images
By Hiren Shah and Adi Kumar
The NBA trade deadline just passed by — here are the main highlights and our opinions on the biggest trades
Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis – Adi
Trade Details
Lakers receive:
- Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
Mavericks receive
- Anthony Davis Max Christie
- 2029-first round pick
Utah Jazz receive
- Jalen Hood-Schifino
- 2025 second-round pick
- 2025 second-round pick (via Clippers)
By far the biggest trade of this trade deadline was the trade between the Mavericks and the Lakers, in which principally Luka Dončić was traded for Anthony Davis. At first, I thought this trade was a joke. For one, Luka Dončić is one of the best players in the league, and is certainly better than Anthony Davis. Also, Luka was a fan favorite in Dallas and the team was built around him. In fact, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson, who took a pay cut, both chose to go to Dallas to play with Luka. This was also shocking considering the Luka-led Mavericks made it to the NBA finals just last year. All these factors, from how good Luka is to the return on the trade made this trade unthinkable.
The Future of the Lakers and Mavericks
Mavs
With the addition of Anthony Davis, the Mavericks add arguably the best defender in the league to the team. But without Luka, they lose the centerpiece of the offense. For the Mavericks offense, Luka is like the central point that connects everything. He has elite scoring capabilities, but his passing is what makes him dangerous, allowing him to find open teammates created from the threat of his shot. Now the coaches and the players will have to create a new offensive style run through either Davis or Irving, who are not nearly as dominant as Dončić.
Lakers
The Lakers addition of Luka means they have a young superstar to build around after Lebron retires. While they may not be as good this season, they have time to add players to create an even better team. I would say their primary goal of the offseason is to add defense to the team in the form of 3-and-D wings and to add a center who can defend the paint and catch lobs from Luka. Even in the short-term, the trade is positive for the Lakers, as they now have two of the greatest scoring threats and passers in the league in Lebron James and Luka. I believe the Lakers should be able to make a run for the playoffs this year, even without Davis.
Winners and Losers of the Trade
Mavs lost the trade.
- Trading a 25 year old Dončić for a 31 year old Davis shortens their window to win a championship. In addition, both Davis and Irving are notoriously injury prone, and if one of the two get injured in the playoffs, the Mavs run is over. Furthermore, the Mavericks alienated their fanbase by trading Dončić, a major fan favorite and a player who was loyal to the team.
The Lakers won the trade
- While they temporarily lost their defensive anchor, the Lakers added a young superstar player they can build around after Lebron retires. Luka is also one of the most popular players, so this also benefits the Lakers in terms of appealing to their fanbase.
Jimmy Butler to the Warriors
Trade details:
Warriors receive:
- Jimmy Butler
- Two second-round picks (via Heat)
- Money (via Warriors)
Heat receive:
- Andrew Wiggins(via Warriors)
- Kyle Anderson (via Warriors)
- Davion Mitchell (via Raptors)
- 2025 protected first-round pick (via Warriors)
Also includes three other teams to fulfill trade requirements.
Jazz receive:
- Josh Richardson (via Heat)
- KJ Martin (from Pistons via Sixers)
- 2028 second-round pick (via Pistons)
- 2031 second-round pick (via Heat)
- Money (via Heat)
Piston:
- Lindy Waters III (via Warriors)
- Dennis Schröder (from Jazz via Warriors)
- 2031 second-round pick (via Warriors)
Raptors:
- P.J. Tucker (from Jazz)
- 2026 second-round pick (via Heat)
- Money (via Heat)
Opinions:
Warriors:
As a long time Warriors fan, I personally think that this trade was quite beneficial for the Warriors because it helped them secure someone to put up points. In the beginning of the season the Warriors played very well. Stephen Curry was consistently putting up 30 points per game and other players like Buddy Heild and Andrew Wiggins helped Curry with scoring. But as the season progressed, Heild and Wiggins began to score less. This became a problem for the Warriors as they now relied solely on Curry to score. With this trade, the Warriors add Butler, a scoring threat who is skilled at getting to the free throw line. I believe that with this new roster, the Warriors chances of getting into the playoffs and even making it to the finals are looking much more promising.
Heat:
I think the Heat are looking for more of a long term investment for their team. Looking at their current roster, many of the players are very young and the Heat seem to be trying to build around them. There had also been many rumors about locker room trouble because of Jimmy Butler. So a reason why they wanted to let him go was that he didn’t fit in with the team and because he was causing trouble.
De’aaron Fox to the Spurs and Lavine
Spurs receive:
- De’Aaron Fox
- Jordan McLaughlin
Kings receive:
- Zach LaVine
- Sidy Cissoko
- 2025 first-round pick (via Hornets)
- 2027 first-round pick (via Spurs)
- 2031 first-round pick (via Timberwolves)
- 2025 second-round pick (via Bulls)
- 2028 second-round pick (via Nuggets)
- 2028 second-round pick (via Bulls)
Opinion:
Spurs:
Having to be one of the trades that have gone under the radar because of how much commotion was going on with the Lakers and the Mavericks trade, is nonetheless a very confusing trade. The Kings having to give away De’Aaron Fox, who is their star scorer, for an old Zach LaVine in my opinion, which in my opinion, is definitely a win for the Spurs. Having De’Aaron Fox to play alongside with one of the most versatile centers, Victor Wenbenyana, is definitely going to be very interesting to watch. For the entire half of this season, the Spurs have been around the middle of the pack. But with this trade I see a greater chance for them getting into the playoffs in this year and the next.
Kings:
I feel like the Kings definitely messed up on this trade. Having to give up a strong scorer for their team for an old Zach LaVine doesn’t seem like a smart move. But looking at the trade, it seems like the Kings had been going after draft picks, suggesting that they may want to build a fresh new team with young players. However, for this current season I feel like they completely messed up their chance to get into the playoffs but their future may be promising.