The NBA deadline was set for Thursday, February 6 at 3pm, and many teams made big moves. The deadline is a time of hope for NBA fans, as they wish their team can take the next step in becoming a championship contender. Many fans left the deadline feeling excited for the future, while others felt like their team did nothing to move forward or even left them worse.
It’s headlined by the Los Angeles Lakers trading for superstar Luka Doncic, who’s only 25 years old. Many NBA fans were quite surprised by how cheap the Lakers were able to get him for, sending away a 31-year-old Anthony Davis, as well as Max Christie and a first round pick. Interestingly enough, the Mavericks only contacted the Lakers about trading away Doncic, which many fans thought would never happen.
“It definitely caught me off guard. I understand it for the Lakers as they just got another marquee player and their brand is world wide so they always have to remain in ‘win now’ mode,” said Rick Devine, writer for LA Magazine. The Lakers are the biggest brand in basketball with a long run history of superstars from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Lebron James, and now Luka Doncic. The Lakers acquired Doncic at the best time for them, as Lebron is aging they are going to look to the future of the team, which means building around Doncic. The Mavericks believed this was the best move in order for them to win now.
“I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future,” Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison said in a presser following the trade.
In a move to bring offense, the San Antonio Spurs were able to acquire all-star point guard De’Aaron Fox in a three team deal, which also sent Zach Lavine to the Kings. The Spurs received Fox and Jordan McLaughlin; the Kings received Zach Lavine, Sidy Cissoko, three first round picks, and three second round picks; the Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Heurter, and their own 2025 pick back from the Spurs.
The Spurs see their point guard of the future in Fox to pair alongside Victor Wembanyama, which should be one of the best pick and roll duos in the entire league, as well as some guard depth with McLaughlin. The Kings received Lavine, who did not pair well with former teammate, Demar DeRozan, who is currently with the Kings, so they will have to figure out that pairing. The best thing they received out of the trade was the draft compensation, as many teams have held back from trading first round picks at the deadline. The Bulls lost this trade in a big way, as they received expiring contracts to clear up their cap space, but they only got their own pick back in return. The Bulls’ front office has been under fire for years for not getting draft compensation in their trades.
These were not all the trades that took place at this year’s trade deadline, however it is the blockbuster deals. Some other notable trades were Kyle Kuzma to the Buck in exchange for Khris Middleton. Jimmy Butler finally got what he wanted, getting traded to the Warriors in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson. It was definitely a busy deadline, which was electric to watch as a fan.
