This was one of the most eventful NBA trade deadline weeks in recent memory. We saw several franchises take massive swings, with stars like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox and Jimmy Butler all being traded. As of right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics are still the betting favorites to win the 2024-25 NBA championship, but that doesn’t mean other teams aren’t getting better. That said, keep reading for some in-depth thoughts on some of the big moves we saw over the last week. I’ll sort through some of my deadline winners and losers, and I’ll also identify some ways to consider betting on some of the teams that did make improvements.
NBA Trade Deadline Winners – Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers
While the Cavaliers are 41-10 and have Dunks & Threes’ second-best adjusted net rating (+8.2) in the league, I have been hesitant to call this team a true title contender. For as explosive offensively as Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are in the backcourt, and as physically imposing the two-big combination of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can be, I thought Cleveland was in desperate need of a big wing that can knock down catch-and-shoot triples. Well, De’Andre Hunter fits the bill.
This season, Hunter is averaging a career-high 19.0 points per game and he’s shooting 39.3% from 3 on 6.7 attempts per game. The 6-foot-8 forward has always been a solid 3-point shooter, but things have gone to another level in 2024-25.
Hunter will likely slot into the starting five for Cleveland. And even if he doesn’t, he should end games for the Cavaliers. And it’s hard not to like what he’s going to be able to do for them. This Cleveland team is much better than Atlanta offensively, so Hunter will never be a player that opposing teams pay close attention to. That means Hunter should continue to get open looks from 3, allowing him to do what he was doing so well for the Hawks all season.
Hunter has been somewhat disappointing defensively throughout his career. He entered the league known for being a perimeter stopper, as he was relentless defensively when he played college ball at Virginia. But he has bordered on miserable on that end of the floor in the NBA. Hunter does, however, have good size and strength on the wing. He’ll be able to get hands up on both threes and fours, providing the Cavaliers with a little more lineup versatility than Caris LeVert and Georges Niang did. Also, it isn’t crazy to think that he’ll find his footing defensively in this new situation. The Hawks haven’t exactly been known as a good defensive team throughout his career. Playing with Mobley and Allen could motivate him.
Losing LeVert and Niang isn’t nothing. Both players have done good things in Cleveland. But Ty Jerome and Craig Porter Jr. can handle some more reps with LeVert gone. And having Hunter, Dean Wade and Max Strus as a wing rotation will be better than whatever they had before. Niang is a good 3-point shooter, but his lousy defense makes him hard to play in the postseason.
Bet worth making? For the first time all season, I view the Cavaliers as a legitimate threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. I also see the slight wing upgrade as enough to take Cleveland seriously as an actual title contender. Hunter isn’t a superstar or anything, but you absolutely can’t leave him open. And he can create a little offense for himself. You also can’t play him off the floor the same way you can with Wade or Niang. The Cavaliers are a much better basketball team today than they were yesterday. I’m not taking anything here, but +300 to win the East and +750 to win the title don’t look terrible — especially with the Celtics being so inconsistent. It also seems possible that Cleveland will end up with Ben Simmons as a buyout guy. While flawed, Simmons can still do a lot to help teams.
Miami Heat
As the kids would say, Butler “went out sad” in Miami. After multiple trips to the NBA Finals, some heroic playoff performances and overall inspiring play, Butler got into a public feud with the Heat front office and was nothing but a nuisance for a Miami team that is in the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference. It’s a real shame. A motivated Butler would have been able to do some good things next to Bam Adebayo, an improved Tyler Herro and rookie phenom Kel’El Ware. But we’ll never know now. The Heat shipped Butler off to Golden State, and the team now has Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell to show for everything.
The Heat didn’t get more talent than they lost. It’d be impossible to say that with a player like Butler out the door. However, Butler was sitting at home and giving the team nothing. Wiggins and Mitchell can provide a lot.
Wiggins is a solid scorer on the wing, where he can utilize his good blend of size and athleticism to score at the basket. He’s also a more reliable spot-up shooter than Butler, and Wiggins doesn’t have an alpha mentality. He will do a good job of blending in with his new team, and he won’t be a problem in the locker room. Also, as a former No. 1 pick, Wiggins is extremely talented and probably has more to offer than we’ve seen in previous stops. If anybody can untap that potential, it’s Erik Spoelstra.
Mitchell is a smaller piece of the puzzle, but he’s an elite point-of-attack defender and isn’t a total zero offensively. The Heat have been missing Dru Smith as a good two-way guard off the bench, and Mitchell can definitely provide some similar things at the point guard spot. Also, Mitchell is still only 26 years old and he’s a former top-10 pick. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him improving in Miami. The Heat have done a lot more with less.
Kyle Anderson can also help in a pinch. He shouldn’t be relied on to play big minutes at this point in his career, but he has been a decent contributor everywhere he has played.
The pick the Heat got from the Warriors should also be very valuable as they look to retool. It’s a protected 2025 first-round pick that could convey this year. This draft class is loaded.
Bet worth making? I don’t view the Heat as contenders to win the East or anything, but you can get the Over on an in-season win total of 41.5 at -130 odds. All Miami would need to do to hit that total is go 17-16 down the stretch. I think that’s extremely doable. Positive Residual has only eight teams in the NBA with an easier rest-of-season schedule than the Heat, and this team did nothing but add positive two-way contributors to its roster. Miami also got rid of distractions. This is also a team I can see being very profitable against the spread moving forward.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors probably aren’t going to make the postseason, and they’re rather irrelevant at 16-35 and 13th in the Eastern Conference standings. But the team did add a 27-year-old that’s averaging 22.2 points per game on 46.5% shooting from the floor, 37.4% shooting from 3 and 85.5% shooting from the line. Brandon Ingram has all sorts of doubters around the NBA, but he’s a walking bucket and brings good size at the small forward spot. He’s also in the prime of his career. Teams like Toronto have trouble adding good players via free agency, so Masai Ujiri did what he had to do to acquire another high-level player to pair with Scottie Barnes.
The Raptors will now eventually trot out a starting lineup of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Ingram, Barnes and Jakob Poeltl. That group has a little bit of everything, and Toronto also has some good youngsters like Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo coming off the bench. That might not mean anything as far as 2024-25 goes, but this is now a team to take very seriously heading into next season.
Bet Worth Making? I wouldn’t touch anything here. I do think this team will be competitive the rest of the season, but they constantly have guys in and out of the lineup with injuries. And we aren’t exactly sure when Ingram will return from a pretty serious ankle injury. However, when talking about the winners and losers of this week, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving out Toronto. This team now has a very intriguing collection of talent.
NBA Trade Deadline Losers – Eastern Conference
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks got a bit unlucky in losing Jalen Johnson for the season. He was looking like a borderline All-Star before injuring his shoulder, and Atlanta was going to be a team nobody wanted to face in the postseason. But the injury caused the Hawks to change course. Instead of keeping things the same, or buying at the deadline, Atlanta opted to move valuable players to duck the luxury tax. The Hawks sent De’Andre Hunter to the Cavaliers, and they also moved Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Clippers. Atlanta’s rotation is now very weak around Trae Young, and the team is likely going to spiral the rest of the season.
It also sounds like the Young situation is getting very messy. After today’s moves, NBA insider Chris Haynes noted that Young isn’t going to be happy wasting away with the Hawks. He’s now a serious name to watch this offseason.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks once looked like a top-tier team in the Eastern Conference this year. They have had some good stretches, including one in which they beat the Thunder in the finals of the Emirates NBA Cup, and the looming return of Khris Middleton always felt more like a bullet in the chamber. However, that gun ended up shooting blanks. Middleton has been unable to stay healthy since returning, and his movement has looked awful on both ends of the floor. So, Milwaukee clearly felt it had to move him. However, the deal the team ended up making was extremely questionable.
Kyle Kuzma is viewed as a microwave scorer, and the Bucks like that he’s 6-foot-9 and can play some power forward when Giannis Antetokounmpo plays as a small-ball five. But Kuzma is shooting a miserable 28.1% from 3 this year, and he hasn’t shot higher than 35.0% from 3 since 2020-21. Perhaps that will change with the quality of looks he’ll get playing off Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but I don’t anticipate drastic increases in percentages. Kuzma is also an awful defender, so the Bucks aren’t any better defensively.
Milwaukee also had to move AJ Johnson, a promising 20-year-old that the team drafted in the first round last year, just to get off Middleton’s contract. That’s bad business.
Turning MarJon Beauchamp into Kevin Porter Jr. wasn’t a terrible swap, as the latter can at least put the ball in the hole as an instant-offense bench player. But that trade wasn’t enough to make up for the other one. It’s now hard to view the Bucks as title contenders. They’re a tier below the Celtics, Cavaliers and Knicks, and I’m not sure they’re as good as the Pacers or Magic either.
NBA Trade Deadline Winners – Western Conference
Los Angeles Lakers
Rob Pelinka knocked this week out of the park. After acquiring Doncic in a deal that sent out Davis, Max Christie and a pick, Los Angeles still had a pretty big hole at the center position. Then, at Doncic’s introductory press conference, Pelinka noted that he didn’t think a trade was out there for the type of center the team needs. He wanted to revisit the situation in the offseason. Boy, he ended up being wrong. The Lakers were ultimately able to turn Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and a 2031 unprotected first-round pick into Mark Williams, a 23-year-old that is averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Los Angeles now looks the part of a title contender, on paper.
Williams is one of the best finishers in the league around the basket, so he should thrive playing with both LeBron James and Doncic. He’s going to get nothing but uncontested dunks and layups, and he’s an absolute menace on the boards. The Lakers needed somebody with some toughness, and he’s going to provide it. Williams is also younger than Knecht, which is crazy considering he’s been in the league for three years. But that’s perfect for Los Angeles, as Williams will be on Doncic’s timeline moving forward. He’s going to be the man in the middle for years to come.
With the Lakers now sitting in fifth in the West and Doncic set to return this weekend, the sky is the limit for this team. The pairing of Doncic and James should be unstoppable for opposing defenses, especially with Austin Reaves also being out there as a nightly 20-point threat. It’ll just be up to JJ Redick to patch together a decent defense with this group.
Williams has been somewhat disappointing as a rim protector throughout his career, but he was known as a good one coming out of Duke. Perhaps the Lakers can unlock him on that side of the floor. Los Angeles will also start Dorian Finney-Smith to balance things out a bit. That will leave things up to Doncic, LeBron and Reaves. If they play hard on the defensive end, this really should work.
As of right now, the Lakers are 11th in the league in adjusted offensive rating (114.2) and 16th in adjusted defensive rating (113.7). With Doncic, the hope will be for Los Angeles to be a top-five team offensively and stay right around the 15 range defensively. It might take some time for things to gel, but I think there’s a good chance this team is playing some great basketball by the time the playoffs roll around.
Bet worth making? The Lakers are out there at 19-1 to win the NBA title. That might be a shot worth taking. We obviously haven’t seen this team play, but health is the only real question mark for the Lakers right now. LeBron gets injured more often than he used to, Luka’s calf is a problem and Williams has barely been on the floor throughout his three-year NBA career. But if these guys are all out there together when the playoffs start, there isn’t a team in the world that will feel great about beating them in a seven-game series. Nobody wants to look across the court and see LeBron and Luka on the other side, and the Lakers have a good supporting cast surrounding the two stars.
Sacramento Kings
Fox is a fantastic player and he’s been the face of this franchise for eight years now. But Fox wasn’t going to sign an extension in Sacramento, so the team wanted to get something for him. And I personally believe they did very well. While Zach LaVine might have a crazy contract, he’s a borderline All-Star that is averaging 23.7 points per game on 51.1-44.6-79.7 shooting splits. He’s going to be a very good starting shooting guard for the Kings for as long as they keep him around. Also, Malik Monk is more than ready for a bigger role on the ball. Fox has had an assist rate of 25.0% or higher in each of his three seasons with the Kings, and his turnover rate has gone down every year he’s been in Sacramento. He has quietly turned into a good playmaker, and he should do just fine in the lead guard spot.
The Kings also got two valuable first-round picks for Fox, they got off Kevin Huerter’s contract and they made separate deals to bolster their bench in bringing in Jonas Valanciunas and Jake LaRavia. A very strong argument can be made that the Kings rotation is better now than it was before. And it’s filled with players that are actually happy to be in Sacramento.
Bet worth making? I really like the Over on the team’s in-season win total of 42.5 and I’d also look at Sacramento to make the playoffs at +310. While the Kings traded Fox, this wasn’t your ordinary All-Star trade. Usually, the team moving the star gets back a bunch of young players and draft picks. Well, Sacramento might have gotten picks, but the team threaded the needle by acquiring LaVine. Now, this team has a starting five of Monk, LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. That’s still pretty damn good. And Doug Christie has done a great job of keeping his guys motivated. At the very least, the Kings should continue to be a force at the Golden 1 Center.
San Antonio Spurs
I was a little nervous about the Spurs when the De’Aaron Fox rumors started up. It’s always good when an All-Star wants to play for your franchise, but I thought San Antonio would have to part ways with Stephon Castle or Devin Vassell in the deal. But the Spurs were ultimately able to get him with nothing but draft picks and matching salaries. Now, Fox and Victor Wembanyama are about to make up one of the best pick-and-roll duos in basketball, and the team has a bunch of reliable players surrounding them.
It really didn’t take long to see how dangerous this team can be. On Wednesday, Fox had 24 points, 13 assists, five rebounds and three steals in his debut for the Spurs, and Wembanyama had 24 points, 12 boards and a block. Vassell also thrived with less attention on him, scoring 20 points in 34 minutes. It’s just hard not to love the combination of shot-making and athleticism that San Antonio has, and it’s nice that Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes are around as veterans that can make plays and provide leadership.
From a talent standpoint, the Spurs now rival most teams in the league, as Wembanyama is already one of the best players in basketball. But it isn’t just talent with this group. The pieces should fit together very nicely, and it’s an organization that has always put a good product on the floor.
Right now, San Antonio is 17th in the NBA in adjusted offensive rating (112.0) and 15th in adjusted defensive rating (113.5). I’d anticipate adding Fox makes this a top-10 offense in points per 100 possessions moving forward, as the Spurs now have an elite pick-and-roll pairing and good floor spacing around it. And the defense likely won’t be much worse with Fox in the mix. He’s not great at the point of attack, but he does take on tough assignments and plays hard.
Bet worth making? I grabbed a piece of the Spurs to win the Western Conference at 100-1. Of course, with San Antonio not even in the Play-In Tournament right now, a lot would have to break right for the Spurs. That includes finding a way to avoid the Thunder in the first round. However, Oklahoma City is the only team I believe is definitely better than San Antonio today. The Spurs are right there with the Lakers and Grizzlies for me in the second tier of Western Conference teams. So, I think it’s worth throwing a dart and hoping for some luck. I would be happy just to have the opportunity to hedge this come postseason time.
NBA Trade Deadline Losers – Western Conference
Golden State Warriors
Some people will praise the Warriors for going out and getting Jimmy Butler without having to give up any serious assets. After all, Butler is a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player. He has also dragged his team to the NBA Finals before, so there’s always a chance he’ll flourish in a situation in which he’s surrounded by Hall of Famers and other talented pieces. The problem is that the Warriors did give up a first-round pick in the trade, and it’s very hard to imagine this trade turning the team into a legitimate contender.
For as good as Butler is, he’s not a floor-spacing threat. That means that Stephen Curry will have be playing with three non-shooters when Butler is out there with Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green. That’s going to be clunky offensively, and teams might not have much trouble defending it.
The only positive I can think of is that Butler should be motivated after having signed his two-year extension, and this roster is filled with competitive and intelligent players. I just don’t think that will be enough. Golden State made a mistake not trading for Lauri Markkanen last summer, and a failure to acquire Kevin Durant at this deadline was brutal. We might not see Curry in high stakes games ever again.
Additional Thoughts
While these teams didn’t make big deals, it’s hard not to see the Knicks, Magic, Grizzlies, Rockets, Nuggets, Mavericks and Suns as losers.
New York has a need for some additional depth, but the team didn’t do anything about it. Now, the Knicks are probably third in the East’s top tier of teams, ranking behind the Celtics and Cavaliers. And the Pacers are right on their tails.
Meanwhile, with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, Orlando really should be looking to jump into that top tier soon. However, the Magic did nothing to address their glaring need for a little perimeter firepower, so they’ll likely be nothing but a tough early-round opponent for somebody.
The Grizzlies came out of the deadline looking rather bad, as they had to attach a pick to get off Marcus Smart and moved LaRavia, a good bench piece, to the Kings. When healthy, this Memphis team looks like it can beat anybody. But the Grizzlies didn’t add anybody valuable at the deadline. They only lost players. They also didn’t get aggressive, which is a shame considering the amount of available talent out there.
The Rockets are another team that wasn’t quite aggressive enough. I feel strongly that Houston should have pushed some chips in for Durant. The Rockets are third in the Western Conference standings and are a top-five defensive team in the league. They also have a surplus of young players and draft picks, so they could have made a play at Durant without sacrificing the future. I bet that will be revisited in a big way over the summer.
Denver was somewhat limited in what it would have been able to do, but the Nuggets look much worse now that the Lakers and Spurs have made big improvements. Denver will probably continue to win games at a high clip, as having Nikola Jokic makes it easy to do that. But the Nuggets feel like a team with a low ceiling right now.
The Mavericks might not be much worse this season. People don’t seem to want to give them any credit for adding a top-10 player, and Christie is a good 3-and-D player. There’s also a lot of talent left in Dallas, and this a well-coached team that has size and plays defense. But moving a future Hall of Famer that hasn’t even reached his prime will be a bad move unless the Mavericks find a way to win the title. And I don’t see them doing that.
As for my Suns, this week was an absolute disasterclass. Phoenix wasn’t able to move Bradley Beal, who has a no trade clause and makes way too much money. The team then discussed Durant with several other franchises, and that reportedly blindsided the superstar. Then, despite reports coming out that Phoenix is going to re-think things during the summer, the Suns used a first-round pick to get off Jusuf Nurkic’s contract. They would have been way better off just telling him to stay home until the offseason, when he would have been easier to trade as an expiring contract. Right now, it’s hard to imagine Phoenix even making the Play-In Tournament. And it’s likely a divorce is coming with Durant. After that, Devin Booker might be next.
