From arguably the most insane trade of all time (stick around and we’ll tell you what went down!) to Jimmy Butler escaping Miami, the 2025 NBA trade deadline was the most insane in league history.
Every fan remembers where they were when they heard the news. Millions flocked to social media, and thousands didn’t believe it at first. Shams Charania, a credible NBA insider, had reported that the Dallas Mavericks were sending MVP runner-up Luka Dončić to the Lakers for Anthony Davis (and other NBA trinkets). This move was shocking to say the least. Last year, Dončić carried the Mavericks to the finals, and was regarded as possibly the best player in the league. Just months later, he gets traded before his prime has even begun, for 31-year-old Anthony Davis who is still an All-NBA caliber player, but not comparable to Dončić at his age. What made this trade more absurd was that the General Manager Nico Harrison of the Mavericks later came out saying that he had concerns for Dončić’s health while Davis has missed nearly 25% of games in his 13-year-career due to injury. So far, Luka has been shifting well into his role in LA looking to lead the franchise for a while, but Davis continues to miss time after getting injured in his first Mavericks start. This trade looks to be shaping up poorly for the Mavericks, and over half of their roster has been recently injured, including their other star, Kyrie Irving. However, only time will tell if the Mavericks will be able to make a run after moving on from their all-time talent Luka Dončić.
The Luka-Anthony Davis trade was so massive that a couple of large moves were greatly overshadowed. Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, giving Victor Wembenyama a strong second option and possibly transforming this lottery team into another Western powerhouse. However, both Wembanyama and Fox quickly succumbed to the injury bug, delaying the Spurs’ aspirations. The Kings got Zach Lavine in the deal, along with three first round picks and three second rounders, later landing Valanciunas from the Wizards. This trade would have been the talk of the month had the Luka-AD news not broken just hours prior.
Jimmy Butler made waves by demanding a trade to the point where he got suspended twice from the Miami Heat. He was eventually traded to the Golden State Warriors to team up with Steph Curry in a five team deal with nine players and five picks, including Andrew Wiggins. The Lakers also finally got a center, but the trade was rescinded after Mark Williams failed his physical, De’Andre Hunter joined the one-seeded Cavaliers, and Celtics legend Marcus Smart was dealt to the Wizards along with Khris Middleton. Dennis Schroder switched teams about ten times in 24 hours leading up to the trade deadline, an injured Brandon Ingram made his way to the Raptors, and while nobody cared, Kyle Kuzma joined Giannis and Dame on the Bucks, wrapping up the most insane run of Shams-bombs in history.
