Not to be outdone by the NFL’s Super Bowl week, the NBA trade deadline has been extremely exciting—from unexpected moves to win-now attitudes to the biggest trade in NBA history; pure NBA insanity. Here are the highlights from the most nerve-wracking week of the season.
The Warriors Got Their All-Star
In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this past week, Shams Charania mentioned that the Warriors were calling about “legitimately every All-Star—just name the All-Star player, and the Warriors have probably called them.” Well, they finally got their target. Jimmy Butler has been traded to the Warriors in a three-team deal that significantly changes their lineup.
The details of this wild three-team trade are as follows:
The Miami Heat receive: Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell (from the Toronto Raptors), and a protected first-round pick from the Warriors.
The Detroit Pistons receive: Lindy Waters III, Josh Richardson, and Dennis Schröder (who, in the space of four days, has been a member of the Warriors, Heat, Jazz, and now Pistons).
The Golden State Warriors receive: Jimmy Butler.
In addition to this, the Warriors immediately signed Butler to a two-year extension worth $121 million—a value higher than his player option with the Heat and significantly higher than his estimated value during the Butler/Riley saga. The Warriors are yet another team that, with this trade, have committed to a win-now attitude. As we near the end of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler’s Hall of Fame careers, the Warriors are hoping Butler will be the piece that helps them make one last championship run.
However, the Warriors have a lot of work to do to get back into realistic Finals contention. Currently in 11th place with a 25-26 record, they need a second-half resurgence to remain relevant. More importantly, with a significant adjustment to their lineup, they cannot afford to slip during this transitional period while Butler settles in—if they do, they may find it difficult to catch up.
Ultimately, should the Warriors make the playoffs, it is always important to remember that Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry are not the players you want to face.
Lakers-Hornets Failed Trade
Right before the trade deadline, the Lakers’ rookie Dalton Knecht was traded to the Hornets alongside Cam Reddish and a future first-round pick in exchange for Mark Williams, a solid defender averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds.
This would have been a good move for the Lakers, as they need an interior defender. While nobody was going to fill the role of Anthony Davis, Williams would have been a solid pickup. However, this past Saturday, the Lakers announced that the trade had been rescinded due to the seven-footer failing his physical. A physical is standard practice before a player is signed to a new team, consisting of a series of fitness and medical tests to evaluate a player’s health, physical condition, and readiness for gameplay.
While Williams has played in only 85 out of a possible 212 games through his first two and a half seasons with the Hornets, the Lakers were confident in his medicals when the trade was agreed upon. The Lakers did not specifically announce which parts of the physical were concerning, though they did note that there were multiple, and that his back (which had been a major concern) was not one of them.
For Knecht, Reddish, and Williams, it certainly makes for an awkward trip back to the locker room, and it would be surprising if these players are not dealt in the off-season. It is possible that Knecht stays in LA, but the other two will likely be traded or leave in free agency.
This result is tough for both teams. After a genuinely promising start to the season, the Hornets have slipped to 13-36, with no clear direction. I liked their move to put value in young players and picks for the future; however, they also traded Cody Martin, Vasilije Micić, and a 2026 second-round pick for Jusuf Nurkić. If both trades had gone through, this would have been a good strategy, but now the Hornets double up on centres and lose two shooters.
Meanwhile, for the Lakers, defence is an incredible concern. Luka Dončić is set to make his debut any day now, and we will finally get to see this new starting five, which is focused on dominating teams offensively—simply outscoring opponents without a necessary reliance on defence. However, with no replacement for Anthony Davis, just how necessary will this reliance become? The Lakers remain my winners of the trade deadline; while they have a real defensive concern, they have won their last four games—all of which were without AD.
Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors
The Pelicans thought this season could be their chance to make a splash. After acquiring Dejounte Murray in the off-season, the combination of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum was supposed to make them a playoff team. Now, 15 weeks into the regular season, the Pelicans are 15th in the West with a 12-39 record. CJ McCollum has been fine, Zion has played just 15 games, Dejounte Murray has unfortunately been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles, and Brandon Ingram has been traded to the Raptors. The final nail in the coffin for the Pelicans’ season.
This is a good move for the Raptors, as their quasi-big three was likely not enough to get them into the play-in picture. However, with no clear timeline for Ingram’s return, this move could end up harming the Raptors in the long run. If the goal is to end the rebuild early and make a playoff push, they won’t be able to do it without Ingram. If they have to wait until next season, they may sacrifice their chances at a high draft pick by committing to an unsuccessful play-in push now.
Meanwhile, for the Pelicans, they neither gain nor lose much from this trade, receiving Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, and picks. The most interesting component is what they will do with those picks. The Pelicans’ season ended before it even began, so I understand the benefit of trading an aging, unreliable Brandon Ingram while they still could. The Pelicans could be solid next season, perhaps with an off-season move or two, but for now, they are completely on the back burner.
Hawks and Clippers with a Win-Win
The Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Clippers are involved in one of the only genuine win-win trades of this deadline. The Hawks are sending Bogdan Bogdanović and three second-round picks to the Clippers in exchange for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland. I really like this move for both teams. Bogdanović is a great player who can easily lead his team in scoring on any given night, and while he has had an off year this season, Terance Mann is a similar case—we all remember his 39-point shocker against the Jazz, which sent the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals in 2021. Mann is also a decent defender, and paired with Bones Hyland’s ability to light it up from deep, the Hawks gained both an offensive and defensive boost with this trade.
Both of these teams have looked solid this year; my concern is a lack of trust in either to get over the hump. However, the Hawks have beaten both the Cavs and the Celtics twice. While regular-season basketball is obviously a different game, it’s extremely promising for Hawks fans to see them rise to the challenge and not shrink under the bright lights.
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