By: Sierra Green
The NBA trade deadline was full of surprises, many of which were not only shocking to fans but players themselves.
The only time during the season when teams are able to make deals with each other for players is up until the NBA trade deadline. The deadline usually happens during February, before the All-Star break. This year the trade deadline was Feb. 6. After that, trades can only take place during the off-season.
There is usually an influx of players being traded for different reasons during January and February. Occasionally, players request trades or at least have an idea that they could be traded due to something in their contract, while other times, it’s a complete surprise.
The biggest trade this year, and in a long time, was the Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis trade. This trade shocked fans, teammates, both players, and the entire league when the news broke. Doncic, a 25-year-old guard, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Davis, the 31-year-old power forward, was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in his place.
The trade was initiated by Mavericks general manager Nico Harris, who said that “defense wins championships.” Doncic was the face of the Mavericks franchise and led the team to the NBA Finals just last year. Due to this, the public was left confused and curious about the future of the Mavericks organization. Doncic also signed a five-year, $345 million supermax contract this summer and will no longer be eligible to receive it.
This trade will impact the league for many years to come. For one, the Mavericks have certain goals that are now attainable for them because of this trade. On the other hand, the Lakers acquired a young superstar that will be able to lead their team in the future.
Another huge trade took place for Jimmy Butler. This trade, on the other hand, was not a surprise and was in the works for many months.
Butler was the Miami Heat’s star forward for six seasons, but in recent months, he and the team had many disagreements. Butler was reportedly dysfunctional during team practices, and with team president Pat Riley, this led to three suspensions and several fines, the last one being indefinite.
Many teams were in the talks to attain him, but he ended up landing with the Golden State Warriors. In return, the Heat acquired Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and a first-round draft pick.
This year’s trade deadline set the record for most players ever moved. There were a total of 63 players traded, including eight All-Star players. This included many three-way trades. Some other big changes included Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox being traded to the San Antonio Spurs. Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine is going to the Kings. Forward Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans is being sent to the Toronto Raptors, and many other big-name players are being moved.
In particular, one player who had an extra special trade deadline was point guard Dennis Schröder. The guard was part of the Golden State Warriors at the beginning of the trade deadline, a team he had only been part of since December. He was then sent to the Miami Heat as part of the Jimmy Butler trade before being rerouted to the Utah Jazz and eventually landing at the Detroit Pistons. He was on a total of four teams in just 24 hours.
After the trades, many players were left scared for the future and had questions about the loyalty of NBA team organizations to their players. When asked about the Doncic trade, Minnesota Timberwolves star player Anthony Edwards said, "At 25 [years old], they traded probably the best scorer in the NBA. And he didn't know about it. There's a lot more digging somebody's gotta do to find out why he got traded. Because you don't just trade him at 25. He just went to the finals. I feel bad for Luka, man."
The trades not only shocked players but also made them rethink who is genuinely “untouchable” in the league. Many players have also talked about the difficulty of the trade deadline, including point guard Mike Conley Jr., who was traded to the Timberwolves in 2023.
"It's a real shock to the system. We're all routine-based as humans, and you just get used to being in the same places and seeing your kids after school, picking them up, and then out of nowhere somebody calls you [to say] 'Hey, you are going 2,000 miles over here,'" Conley said.
There is a very real human aspect to trade deadlines that players have to go through, which is something that should be discussed more often.
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