The 2025 NBA trade deadline is officially behind us with a whirlwind of deals that have left much to be discussed as we continue through the rest of the regular season.
The blockbuster trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis kicked off an exciting week also highlighted by the dramatic end of the Jimmy Butler saga with the Miami Heat.
A cascade of deals has altered the landscape of the NBA, raising the stakes even higher in both conferences for the postseason and beyond.
What should we make of these major deals? Who will be the next superstar on the move? Our NBA insiders give their takes on this historic trade deadline and what we should keep an eye on in the coming months.
This season's trade deadline was ____?
Michael C. Wright: Shocking and historic. The stars in the West seemingly moved all over the place. In Los Angeles, a new superstar duo of LeBron James and Doncic has emerged. The Lakers then grabbed a lob threat to help Doncic in Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets. Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving will now team up in Dallas, and the Mavs also added wing help in trading for Caleb Martin. The San Antonio Spurs hit the gas on their rebuild by acquiring speedy point guard De'Aaron Fox to pair with Victor Wembanyama. Then, the Warriors finally landed their star in Jimmy Butler, who just ended arguably the most dramatic standoff between a player and team we've seen this season.
Jamal Collier: Fun! A few weeks ago, a front office executive told me he was preparing for a quiet deadline and instead, we got one of the wildest weeks in recent memory. From the shock of the Doncic trade, All-Stars and former franchise cornerstones (Khris Middleton, Zach LaVine, Fox) all landing on different teams to finally resolving the Butler drama, this deadline had a little bit of everything.
Dave McMenamin: A reminder why, with the flattened competitive landscape in today's NBA, a handful of teams will convince themselves they are only a move away from being a peripheral participant to a direct contender in any given season. This is the type of parity NBA commissioner Adam Silver envisioned when he ratified the latest collective bargaining agreement on behalf of a new wave of owners. The result could be a dearth of dynastic teams, but a surge in spontaneity from front offices that changes the fate of their franchises in an instant.
Chris Herring: Unusual and interesting. If nothing else had happened, the shock of the Doncic-Davis deal would have been a big enough bombshell on its own to make the deadline interesting. But watching other All-Star caliber players such as Fox, Butler and LaVine move clubs -- some in dramatic fashion -- made it a memorable week.
Tim MacMahon: Absolute madness. The insanity started over the weekend when the Mavericks blindsided a pre-prime generational talent by sending Doncic to the Lakers in the middle of the night. That was the most shocking trade in NBA history -- a deal people around the league are still trying to wrap their heads around days later -- but far from the only blockbuster as several maximum-contract stars were moved.
Who will be the next major superstar on the move?
Collier: Kevin Durant. The cat is out of the bag in a major way here. His name was floated so publicly in trade rumors this week that he had to make it known he didn't want to land back in Golden State. The Suns were swept last season and look headed for the play-in tournament this season. Another disappointing finish could mean the end for Phoenix's big three.
Herring: It has to be KD. The Suns are now in the second season with this trio and after a first-round exit last season, a rotating door of coaches and sitting at No. 10 in the West, it simply isn't working. Even if Durant doesn't want to be in Golden State, he can't want the end of his career to merely be about chasing a back-end play-in spot.
Wright: Kevin Durant. All the rumors and speculation regarding potentially trading Bradley Beal and Durant can't be good for the vibe in the locker room for a team struggling at 10th in the West. Devin Booker is essentially untouchable, and Beal has a no-trade clause. But would it surprise anyone if Durant ended up with a new team next season? The Suns were already in talks with the Warriors for Durant, who is under contract for one more season. Those talks certainly didn't increase the likelihood of Phoenix signing him to an extension this summer.
MacMahon: Durant is the obvious answer after the Suns strangely allowed trade speculation to swirl around the all-time great for days and didn't close on a deal. The question is, what's the next domino if or when the Suns and Durant divorce this summer? All-time Suns leading scorer Devin Booker has been adamant that he wants to spend his career in Phoenix, putting a lot of pride in being a one-franchise star. But Damian Lillard was "10 toes down" in Portland for a long time before finally requesting a trade. How patient can Booker be if the Suns keep going in the wrong direction?
McMenamin: Paul George or Joel Embiid. With all the flurry of activity around the league, the Philadelphia 76ers and their 20-30 record traded away KJ Martin in a salary dump and swapped Caleb Martin for Quentin Grimes with the Mavericks. Hardly the maneuvers to try to boost the Embiid, George, Tyrese Maxey trio to make a second-half run. Barring a wild turnaround, this Sixers group will be ripe for a rebuild and Maxey is the only one young enough to stick around to see something like that through.
What offseason/free agency move should we keep an eye on?
MacMahon: Aside from a soon-to-be member of the 30,000-point club potentially being traded? I'll go with Durant's former -- and can never rule out future -- teammate Kyrie Irving. He has a $44 million player option for next season and a lot of leverage in Dallas as the Mavs' leader and only star shot creator in the wake of the Doncic deal. I would wager on Irving remaining in Dallas on a longer-term deal with a raise.
Herring: What sort of contract will the Toronto Raptors offer Brandon Ingram this summer after trading for him? There'd been little interest in him on the trade market for the better part of the last year, with the New Orleans Pelicans (and other teams) reluctant to give him the max deal he coveted. Toronto already has several high-priced youngsters in Scottie Barnes (five years, $224 million) Immanuel Quickley (five years, $175 million) and RJ Barrett ($57 million over the next two seasons), and it's unclear whether Ingram catapults the Raptors into clear playoff contention anytime soon.
Collier: The Chicago Bulls weren't able to find a trade for Nikola Vucevic before the deadline, but they came away believing they laid enough groundwork to continue making moves over the summer. Vucevic will be playing on an expiring $21.5 million contract next season and Chicago is still looking for ways to keep its rebuild pushing forward after trading LaVine.
McMenamin: Aside from Butler, there might not have been a name mentioned more in potential trade scenarios than Cam Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets. The 28-year-old swingman has a value contract -- with $43 million owed to him over the next two years -- and his two-way wing skill set would be coveted by any team with postseason aspirations.
Wright: It'll be interesting to see what LeBron James does over the summer. James has a player option in his deal that could allow him to enter free agency. It's expected that playing alongside Doncic for the rest of this season will make a positive impression on James. But that's not guaranteed. James intends to remain with the Lakers beyond the trade deadline, but a lot can happen between now and this summer, especially if James doesn't see a path for Los Angeles to legitimately compete for titles in his twilight years.
Which team are you most intrigued by after their trade deadline moves?
Wright: The San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs entered the season looking to teach their young players how to win consistently while closely evaluating them to decide how the club will continue to build around Wembanyama. Acting coach Mitch Johnson said that's still the plan. But he stressed that San Antonio won't shy away from the expectations that come with acquiring a player such as Fox. It sounded as if Johnson was expecting a legit postseason or play-in tournament push for the Spurs, who currently sit at No. 12 in the West. Does Fox get them there?
McMenamin: Perhaps I'm biased, but the launch of LeBron James and Doncic -- two superstars with parallel games and a 15-year age gap between them -- fascinates me. L.A. was on the rise before the deadline and dismantled the LA Clippers in its first game after the Dallas deal with Doncic on the sidelines. Will coach JJ Redick be able to keep his team's momentum once Doncic gets onto the court? Or is it asking too much for this team to find a new identity on the fly and immediately contend this postseason?
Herring: It will be surreal watching Luka and LeBron on the same team outside of an All-Star game setting. But beyond that, the Mark Williams pickup is interesting. I wouldn't have guessed the Hornets would deal him, just because he had shown upside when he was available. (Although that caveat is a massive one.) It's a risk for the Lakers given his injury history. But it could lead to a huge payoff if he does stay on the court.
Collier: The Lakers. The anticipation of what Doncic will look like on this team and playing next to LeBron James makes them easily the most intriguing team in the NBA right now. On top of that, they found a center in Williams who should fit well next to them, making them all the more interesting to watch.
MacMahon: The Mavericks have massive pressure to win now and win big after making a stunning trade that enraged their fan base. I've yet to speak to a rival executive who agreed with Nico Harrison's decision -- reasoning was split between giving up a 25-year-old generational talent or failing to maximize the return from trading Doncic -- but most of those execs consider Dallas to be capable of another deep playoff run after acquiring All-NBA big man Anthony Davis and promising 3-and-D wing Max Christie.
Which player are you most surprised did not get traded before the deadline?
McMenamin: It's not the most surprising, but the fact that CJ McCollum is still in New Orleans after the Pelicans traded Ingram and Dejounte Murray sustained a season-ending injury at least raises an eyebrow. The 33-year-old has four games with 36-plus points this season and it would be acceptable to think he would want to be on a team heading in a different direction. His expiring $30.7 million contract for next season will make him a prime trade candidate in the next trade cycle around the draft and free agency.
Wright: Understandably, New Orleans didn't move Zion Williamson at the trade deadline. Due to this season's plethora of injuries, the Pelicans haven't gotten a real chance to see all of their talent on the court. Despite Williamson's immense talent, durability concerns have plagued him throughout his career. It made sense for New Orleans to at least explore what it could acquire in a trade to play alongside its talented up-and-comers such as Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones.
Herring: Chris Boucher, the longest-tenured Raptor and lone remaining player from the 2019 title team. At 6-foot-9, he's not the tallest, but he's still a multifaceted big man. With a 7-4 wingspan and shooting nearly 38% from 3 on four attempts per game, he is posting career-best efficiency and scoring numbers.
MacMahon: It wasn't surprising that Cam Johnson didn't get traded before the deadline since rumors had recently quieted about the possibility. But a month ago Johnson was considered the most likely impact player to be moved midseason. Brooklyn wouldn't budge from its high asking price for Johnson, a versatile 6-8 wing averaging 19.3 points while shooting 41.7% from the field. His trade value will remain high with two years left on his contract, which dips to a $20.5 million salary next season before bumping back up to $22.5 million in 2026-27.
Collier: It felt as if the Bulls would make one more move before the deadline. Either trading Vucevic, failing to cash in on his career shooting season because they believed they could get better offers in the offseason; Lonzo Ball, whom they chose to extend instead; or breaking up their gluttony of guards -- Coby White (about whom they fielded inquires before deciding to keep him), Josh Giddey, Ayo Dosunmu, Ball and newly acquired guards Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter. Chicago even held out its newest acquisitions, including forward Zach Collins, in anticipation they would find a way to reroute them before the deadline.