NBA trade season got off to a hot start in 2025, and the state of the league was altered in a big way.
As the dust settles from some massive NBA trade deadline moves, several players, including those thought to be “untouchable” have landed on new teams.
Every trade leaves an impact, even Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder swapping distant second-round picks with the Charlotte Hornets, but the mega-blockbuster deals are felt by fans regardless of their allegiance.
As the motivations and impacts of each deal become clear, five trades seem to have altered the league in a big way.
After months of speculation, the New Orleans Pelicans unloaded Brandon Ingram on the final day before the trade deadline. It was long speculated that the Pelicans would want to land a first-round draft pick for their impending free agent, and they did just that.
The Toronto Raptors gave up Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick for Ingram.
This trade, despite involving an All-Star wing, doesn’t really move the needle for either team yet. Ingram is nursing an ankle injury and isn’t expected to play anytime soon. The Raptors will still miss the postseason, and the Pelicans won’t improve much, although the real effects of this deal won’t be felt until next season.
Assuming the Raptors re-sign Ingram, Toronto will emerge as a promising team, and the Pelicans, with Olynyk and Brown Jr. also free agents, will have enough financial flexibility to sign a solid player once they get healthy.
Mark Williams isn’t as talented as Ingram, but he is averaging a solid 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks this season.
With Williams down low, Luka Doncic and LeBron James both can enjoy a high-level lob threat and the LA Lakers’ biggest weakness–frontcourt depth–has been addressed.
With James and Doncic, the Lakers solidified their status as a legitimate title threat, and the addition of Williams just bolsters their playoff chances.
Also, much like the Ingram deal, this trade will have long-lasting impacts if Doncic and Williams can form a formidable pick-and-roll duo, and so far there’s nothing to indicate that they won’t.
While the Golden State Warriors added the best player in this deal, the Miami Heat can breathe a sigh of relief. After months of drama and multiple suspensions, their former golden boy is heading to Golden State, and he won’t be a distraction for a team that does have a realistic chance of making the playoffs, even without Jimmy Butler.
The Warriors, meanwhile, add a solid second star next to Curry in a final bid to win a title. Butler is now signed for two more full seasons with the Warriors, and if all goes well, the Dubs should be able to compete until his deal expires.
The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, failed to make any sort of blockbuster before the deadline and will have to stay the course with Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant, despite being included in rumors for the entire season.
Victor Wembanyama is ready to win, and now the San Antonio Spurs have added a viable, long-term co-star next to their franchise player. By roping the Chicago Bulls into this deal for the price of an additional first-round pick (which was originally from the Bulls), the Spurs managed to keep all of their young, core players on the roster.
The Spurs, it would seem, are ready to compete now, but as they continue to develop their young talent, it’s apparent they will be good long after Fox starts to decline, and they are well-positioned to re-tool around Wembanyama on the fly.
Fans are already touting the trade as the first major move on the way to building a second dynasty in south-central Texas.
Not only was this deal the biggest trade of the season, it is expected to go down as the biggest trade in NBA history.
With no rumors or any indication that a trade of this magnitude was in the works, the Dallas Mavericks sent Doncic, Markieff Morris, and Maxi Kleber to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.
The Lakers have long wondered what they will do when James retires, and now they have the face of the franchise in place for the next decade or more in Doncic.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, closed a ten-year title window to open up a three-year window in what some are claiming is the worst trade in NBA history.
When ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the trade, the first assumption was that his accounts were hacked, as the league has never seen a deal as shocking as this.
