NBA trade deadline winners, losers: Lakers, Warriors, Suns, Mavericks headline originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Arguably the most stunning NBA trade deadline is in the books.
Stealing the spotlight from Super Bowl week, stars like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox and Brandon Ingram found new homes. And that’s before getting into other key players like Zach LaVine, De’Andre Hunter, Kyle Kuzma and Khris Middleton, among others.
The standings will certainly look much different in the coming weeks than it is now, especially for teams hoping to make a deep postseason run.
To decode it all, which teams rightfully improved themselves while others made questionable decisions? Let’s analyze the madness with winners and losers:
WINNER: Los Angeles Lakers
The LeBron James-Anthony Davis window seemed to be out of steam, so the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most stunning moves ever, letting the star big man, Max Christie and a 2029 first-rounder go to Dallas for Doncic.
Doncic’s resume in both the NBA and overseas is as about as stacked as possible for a soon-to-be 26-year-old, and he gives James a younger star to work with while also being the long term face of the franchise.
On top of that, Los Angeles added an underrated big man in Charlotte in Mark Williams, giving Doncic an impressive lob threat who is younger than Dalton Knecht, the rookie guard the Lakers sent to the Hornets. Los Angeles has the ability to compete for now, while being well set up to further improve in the post-James era.
LOSER: Dallas Mavericks
Coming off a run to the NBA Finals, the Mavericks decided to trade the star that got them there. The star that they got in the draft. The star that made Dallas his home and relevant again. To lose Doncic for the package they received is terrible business, shortening their window with Davis and Kyrie Irving as the two stars.
Dallas also traded Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-rounder to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin, and one can argue Grimes is the best asset of the bunch. The long-term effects for Dallas after this deadline is not yet known, but there’s a good chance it will not age well.
WINNER: San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs needed a young point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama for a while now, and they got just that in De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings. They did so without parting ways with a key player in its current core, instead losing Sidy Cissoko, who Sacramento later traded for Jonas Valanciunas, Zach Collins, Tre Jones and multiple draft picks that aren’t too enticing.
San Antonio now has Wemby, Fox, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Chris Paul, Jeremy Sochan, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie as its core. That should be good enough to propel into the playoff picture this season, making the team easy winners.
On a separate note, the Kings turned Fox, who turned their franchise around and ended a near two-decade playoff drought, into LaVine from the Chicago Bulls, Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia from the Memphis Grizzlies. It might not be the ideal scenario, but it keeps the team in the playoff conversation.
LOSER: Phoenix Suns
It’s not exactly clear what Phoenix is trying to achieve. After reportedly wanting to trade Kevin Durant, the future Hall of Famer eventually ended up staying put. The Suns still have Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but the trio has been held down due to the latter’s decline.
The rest of the roster doesn’t move the needle enough, either, and Phoenix parted with its best center in Jusuf Nurkic and a 2026 first-rounder for Charlotte forward Cody Martin, guard Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second rounder. Phoenix didn’t do enough to help its current stars, while still having a murky future. Not great.
WINNER: Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have two star guards and two star big men. They just couldn’t find the right wing. But the trade deadline saw them land De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two future pick swaps.
Hunter, 27, is averaging 19 points per game, a career high, to go with a 46/39/86 shooting split and primarily coming off the bench despite being Atlanta’s second-highest scorer (Trae Young). Cleveland is 41-10 and in the middle of their best season without LeBron James. The time to capitalize was now, and the franchise did just that. Whether it works out this season is not yet known, but it was the right move to make.
LOSER: Golden State Warriors
The Warriors reportedly were tapping in to as many potential All-Stars as they could, becoming desperate to give Steph Curry one last push for the postseason. They ended up settling for the disgruntled ex-Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler in a major four-team trade that saw Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Lindy Waters III and a top-10-protected 2025 first-round pick leave the roster.
Butler also signed a reported two-year, $112.5 million extension with Golden State. He’s set to earn north of $54 million next season and north of $58 million in 2026-27, when he’s 37 years old. In 25 games with Miami this season, Butler averaged 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists on a 54/36/80 shooting split.
It’s a short-term gamble Golden State had to make, but unless Curry, Draymond Green and a ringless Butler turn back the clocks one more time, it likely won’t bear any fruit.
