Kevin Durant Admits He Was ‘Blindsided’ By Trade Rumors
Suns forward Kevin Durant admitted he was “blindsided” that his name came up in trade talks prior to last week’s deadline, according to Doug Haller of The Athletic.
However, he took the news diplomatically.
“Everybody’s bought and sold in this league,’’ Durant said. “Anybody can be up for auction. I understand that.”
Durant’s name surfaced in trade rumors after negotiations between the Heat and Suns regarding a potential Jimmy Butler deal stalled, mainly due to Miami’s unwillingness to take on Bradley Beal‘s contract. Butler ultimately landed with Golden State, while Durant and Beal stayed put. Durant reportedly balked at the idea of a second stint with the Warriors.
Durant tried to put a positive step on the process.
“It’s not a bad thing that people around the league want me to play for them,” Durant said, according to The Associated Press. “It’s not a bad thing my organization here is fighting off people to keep me on the team or even dangle me in a trade. It’s part of being in high demand.”
Phoenix reportedly might explore the possibility of moving Durant during this offseason. The Suns and Durant could also explore a two-year veteran extension. Durant is earning $51.2MM in 2024/25, followed by $54.7MM in ’25/26.
Durant is now concerned that the focus on him will intensify the remainder of the season, due to the trade rumors and speculation about what will happen this summer.
“I always had a goal of just playing my contract out and seeing what happens,’’ Durant said. per Haller. “I can’t focus on a year-and-a-half down the line. I know that will be a topic. That’s probably the most frustrating part about being in trade talks is that the microscope is going to be on solely just me the rest of the season. My body language. How I speak to (news reporters) after the game. How I’m looking on the bench. That stuff will be magnified, which sucks.”
Durant also addressed a report by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne that described the team’s locker room as toxic.
“I think it’s unfair and lazy to categorize our team as toxic when you come in there for five minutes throughout four months,” Durant said, per a Yahoo Sports tweet.
Durant hasn’t played since last Monday due to an ankle injury but is expected to return for Phoenix’s home game on Tuesday night against Memphis. He is 26 points from becoming the eighth NBA player to reach 30,000 career points.
Heat Notes: Butler, Spoelstra, Rivas, Buyout Market, Wiggins, Rotation
The Heat won half of their first 50 games this season. Considering the extended Jimmy Butler drama, coach Erik Spoelstra is relieved that the team’s spirit didn’t crumble before Butler was dealt to Golden State.
“It was six, eight weeks of not having full clarity,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “But I think that helped our team develop some grit. Even though our record isn’t where we want it to be, it could have been a lot worse. You go through a lot of circumstances like that, I’ve seen a lot of teams just fall apart. So we were able to develop some grit that I really like when you have those opportunities during a regular season.”
We have more on the Heat:
- Armando Rivas, listed as an assistant athletic trainer, has submitted his resignation, the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman writes. Rivas served as Butler’s de facto personal trainer during the forward’s tenure with the Heat, joining Butler from the 76ers during the 2019 offseason.
- The Heat plan to explore the buyout market, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. They’ll take a cautious approach, since they already have a full roster and would have to waive a player, most likely either Alec Burks or Keshad Johnson, to bring someone new aboard. The Heat’s deadline moves allowed them to move below the first tax apron, meaning they can sign any player who’s bought out, regardless of the player’s pre-waiver salary.
- Andrew Wiggins, the biggest name among the incoming players in the Butler blockbuster, believes he won’t have any trouble fitting into the Heat’s lineup. “Golden State had a unique style, especially playing with Steph (Curry) and Draymond (Green),” he said, per Chiang. “There are similarities with Tyler (Herro) and Bam (Adebayo). So, looking forward to getting out there, being one of the older guys and just getting it started with them.”
- The deadline additions will create some interesting decisions regarding the rotation. Winderman speculates that the only rotation locks are Adebayo, Herro, Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, Duncan Robinson, Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic.
NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots
A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.
For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.
With the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Monday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)
Teams with multiple open roster spots
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Golden State Warriors
- Philadelphia 76ers *
- Sacramento Kings *
The Cavaliers dipped to 13 players on standard contracts as a result of Thursday’s De’Andre Hunter trade, so their situation is fairly straightforward — they’ll have to re-add a 14th man by February 20.
The Warriors‘ four-for-one Jimmy Butler trade dropped them to just 11 players. They quickly got back to 12 by promoting Quinten Post from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot and now have three openings on their standard roster, along with one open two-way slot.
Golden State doesn’t have to fill all those openings, but the team does have to get back to at least 14 players on standard contracts by Feb. 20. Assuming Post got a prorated rookie minimum salary on his new deal, the Warriors – by my count – have $1,372,306 in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap.
If the Warriors were to sign a pair of veterans to rest-of-season minimum deals on Feb. 20, they would each count for $635,853 against the cap, leaving the team with $100,600 in breathing room below the hard cap. It’s possible Golden State will go that route. It’s also possible the club will sign a couple players to 10-day contracts, then go another 14 days in March with just 12 players under contract in order to create a bit of extra wiggle room below that hard cap. That would allow the Warriors to sign a 15th man a little earlier in the second half.
The Sixers briefly dropped to 12 players on standard contracts at the trade deadline, but they’re back to 14 now, having promoted Justin Edwards to a standard contract and given Chuma Okeke a 10-day deal. They’re expected to sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract too, which will give them a full standard roster.
For now then, no roster moves are necessary in Philadelphia, but the team does have a two-way slot open and could drop back to 13 players on standard deals after Okeke’s and Roddy’s 10-day contracts expire, which would necessitate a least one addition within 14 days.
The Kings are currently carrying 12 players on full-season standard contracts, with Daishen Nix on a 10-day deal. They’ll have to get back to 14 players by Feb. 20.
Teams with one open roster spot
- Atlanta Hawks
- Boston Celtics
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Hornets *
- Dallas Mavericks
- Indiana Pacers
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
The Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Raptors, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.
Two teams that can’t fill their openings sooner rather than later are Dallas and New York. The Knicks are just $540,126 below their second-apron hard cap, while the Mavericks have a mere $171,120 to operate below their first-apron hard cap. Based on my math, New York would be able to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man as of February 28 (that date moved up a day as a result of the Knicks trimming $4,825 from their cap in the Delon Wright/Jericho Sims swap), while Dallas will have to wait until March 31.
The Hornets are in this group because they have a two-way slot open, but their standard roster is full for now. In fact, it’s more than full — as a result of having been granted a hardship exception, they’re temporarily carrying 16 players instead of the usual maximum of 15. Elfrid Payton, on a 10-day deal, is the 16th man.
The Pacers and Clippers, meanwhile, each technically have an open roster spot for now, but they reportedly have deals in place with prospective 15th men. Indiana will sign center Alex Len once he clears waivers, while L.A. will add three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Both players are on track to clear waivers on Monday.
Teams with no open roster spots
- Chicago Bulls
- Denver Nuggets
- Detroit Pistons
- Houston Rockets
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Miami Heat
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Phoenix Suns
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs *
- Washington Wizards *
The Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Thunder, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.
That won’t necessarily be the case for the Spurs and Wizards though. Both clubs have just 14 players on full-season standard contracts, with one on a 10-day deal — Bismack Biyombo for San Antonio and Jaylen Nowell for Washington. Once those contracts expire, the Spurs and Wizards could open up a roster spot if they opt not to retain Biyombo and Nowell, respectively.
Heat Rumors: Wiggins, Butler, Anderson, Tax
After declining to comment on the Jimmy Butler situation in recent weeks, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra addressed the subject on Friday after the team’s four-team deal sending the star forward to Golden State had officially been processed, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
Spoelstra admitted that he doesn’t “completely understand” how the relationship deteriorated to the extend that it did, but expressed gratitude to Butler for his time in Miami.
[RELATED: Inside Jimmy Butler’s Final Weeks With Heat]
“It was a great partnership and corroboration for five years,” Spoelstra said. “Some deep core memories. I’m grateful for them and grateful for the time of being able to coach a player like Jimmy.”
As for the outcome of the trade, Spoelstra praised the front office for bolstering the roster “in a way that was really creative,” expressing enthusiasm about the players the team added. The coach lauded Andrew Wiggins for his ability to fit in and make an impact on both ends of the court; cited Davion Mitchell‘s “competitive spirit” and toughness as traits the club has long admired; and referred to Kyle Anderson as one of the league’s most unique role players whose “IQ is off the charts.”
“(General manager) Andy (Elisburg) just did a tremendous job,” Spoelstra said. “Obviously (team president) Pat (Riley) with this vision of all this stuff. And to be able to get a draft pick, we were able to do a lot of different things.
“We have clarity now. This could have looked a lot worse if you had to go through a lot of different changing situations. All things considered, it’s a good spot for this stretch run. We feel good about turning the page of the direction of our franchise. It’s exciting. [And] Jimmy will be in a great place in Golden State.”
Here are a few more items of interest related to the Heat’s trade talks leading up to Thursday’s deadline:
- The Bucks and Sixers were mentioned a couple times in recent weeks as possible suitors for Butler, but neither team had substantive discussions with the Heat, Jackson reports in another Miami Herald story. Jackson believes a trade centered around Butler and Paul George would’ve been of greater interest to Philadelphia than Miami.
- As they engaged Golden State in recent weeks about a Butler trade, the Heat never seriously considered the idea of flipping Wiggins to Toronto or another team, according to Jackson, who says Miami really likes the former No. 1 overall pick and views him as a good two-way fit.
- The Heat would have ducked out of luxury tax territory if they’d completed a rumored side deal to send Anderson to the Raptors, but Toronto’s front office changed its mind about bringing the veteran forward aboard when the team got the chance to acquire Brandon Ingram from New Orleans, says Jackson. The Heat weren’t angry at the Raptors about that pivot, Jackson adds, because they understood their talks were fluid and they hadn’t gotten a firm commitment from Toronto.
- Even though that aspect of the trade fell through, the Heat moved forward with another side deal – sending Dennis Schröder, a second-round pick, and cash to Utah for P.J. Tucker – even though it no longer moved them below the tax line, Jackson writes, because they didn’t want to renege on their agreement with the Jazz. Schröder and Tucker ultimately ended up in Detroit and Toronto, respectively, when the dust settled.
- The Heat, who remained about $2.8MM over the tax line following the Butler blockbuster, received three trade offers in the hours leading up to Thursday’s deadline that would’ve made them a non-taxpayer, per Jackson. However, they decided that all three proposals would make the team worse and opted to remain in the tax rather than accept one of them. Miami is still below the first tax apron, giving the club the ability to pursue any player who hits the buyout market, regardless of the player’s previous salary.
Inside Jimmy Butler’s Final Weeks With Heat
The contrast between how the Heat and Jimmy Butler‘s camp viewed a January 7 meeting between Butler and team president Pat Riley was indicative of the divide that had developed between the two sides in recent months, as James Jackson, Sam Amick, and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic write in a fascinating story detailing the 35-year-old’s final weeks in Miami.
Like Butler, whose father died last February, Riley lost his father when he was relatively young. Sources tell The Athletic that tears welled in Riley’s eyes as he spoke to Butler about that subject, attempting to connect with him on a human level and repair their fractured relationship during a two-hour meeting.
However, a source close to Butler tells The Athletic that the 35-year-old viewed Riley’s behavior during the meeting as “unhinged and disturbing.” According to Jackson, Amick, and Krawcznyski, the Heat star later told people close to him that Riley referenced Butler’s late father multiple times and offered “unsolicited and unwanted” parenting advice. He left the meeting more determined than ever to be traded out of Miami.
Team sources pushed back again the claim that Riley offered parenting advice, telling The Athletic that Riley believes he let Butler guide the conversation and only became “emotional” when Butler brought up the topic of his father. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the Heat viewed the moment as a raw, vulnerable one for Riley and found it disrespectful that Butler’s camp characterized the team president as “unhinged.”
The two sides also disagree about what occurred in the aftermath of that meeting. According to The Athletic, Butler’s camp contends that Riley said shortly after the meeting that the Heat intended to lift Butler’s initial seven-game suspension and have him rejoin the team immediately, only to call back 90 minutes later to explain that couldn’t happen until the forward met with team owner Micky Arison in person.
Arison was on vacation until January 16 in the Caribbean, however, which meant Butler would have to fly to the Bahamas to meet him, per Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN. As The Athletic relays, Butler’s camp contends that Riley suggested the six-time All-Star could pay his own way there if he wanted to expedite the process.
However, team sources dispute that Riley ever offered to lift Butler’s suspension, telling The Athletic that the possibility was discussed prior to the meeting with the caveat that the meeting would have to go well.
“The meeting didn’t go well enough,” a club source tells The Athletic.
As a result, team sources say, it was determined that Butler’s suspension wouldn’t be lifted right away and he would meet with Arison after the Heat owner returned from his vacation.
Here are a few more of the most interesting details from the behind-the-scenes reports on Butler’s final season with the Heat:
- Prior to this season, Butler had been permitted to fly separately from the team if needed as long as he received permission from head coach Erik Spoelstra, but Riley decided in November that he – rather than Spoelstra – would make the final decision on Butler’s alternate travel plans, sources tell Jackson, Amick, and Krawczynski. A source with knowledge of Butler’s thinking felt that the change was one of several the team made in an effort to alienate him.
- Butler missed a Jan. 22 Heat flight, which resulted in his second team-imposed suspension. According to Jackson, Butler’s camp believes he was given permission last summer to skip that flight and fly to Milwaukee later in the day so that he could attend a promotional event for a padel tournament, but the Heat have no recollection of signing off on that request.
- Sources tell The Athletic that Butler’s agent called Riley on the morning of Jan. 22 to remind him of their alternate travel plan, with Riley responding to say he expected Butler to be on the team flight. Butler’s camp believed Spoelstra had approved Butler’s arrangement and that there had been a communication breakdown between the head coach and Riley, but team sources contend that Spoelstra didn’t approve the request and tell The Athletic that it wouldn’t have mattered if he had, given that Riley’s sign-off was now required.
- When they suspended Butler on Jan. 22, the Heat sent a letter to Butler, Lee, and NBPA lawyers detailing their justification for the two-game ban, according to Jackson, Amick, and Krawczynski, who obtained a copy of that letter. Within it, Riley claimed that Butler had threatened to skip practices and not listen to Spoelstra; that he failed to give his “best efforts” in recent games; and that he was “combative and argumentative” in meetings with Riley and Arison.
- When Spoelstra informed the Heat during a Jan. 27 shootaround that Haywood Highsmith would be replacing Butler in the starting lineup, Butler initially thought the coach was joking, sources tell The Athletic. He felt as if the decision to bench him and to not inform him before telling the team was “meant to provoke him,” per Jackson, Amick, and Krawczynski. According to Jackson, multiple Heat sources insisted the decision was done to maintain continuity rather than as a punishment or provocation. Butler left the court shortly after Spoelstra made that announcement and was subsequently suspended indefinitely for leaving practice early.
- “Everything changed” from the Heat’s perspective when Butler left a Dec. 20 game after tweaking his ankle and cited a stomach virus, Jackson writes for the Herald. Although Miami didn’t question whether or not Butler was ill, a team official thought it was “curious” that the forward refused to be tested for COVID-19, according to Jackson. The club was subsequently irked when Butler posted a photo of himself playing dominoes on the locker room on Dec. 29, Jackson says — he missed that day’s game in Houston due to his illness. From that point onward, the Heat considered Butler to be disengaged and became more open to trading him. They eventually finalized a deal with Golden State on deadline day.
More On Kevin Durant: Curry Convo, Warriors/Heat Trade Talks
The Warriors and Suns began “secretly” talking about the possibility of a Kevin Durant trade early last week, according to Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, who say that the star forward and his longtime manager and agent Rich Kleiman didn’t learn about those discussions until the two teams played one another last Friday.
By Saturday, the two teams were far enough along in negotiations that Durant and Stephen Curry touched base to talk about the idea. Shelburne and Windhorst hear from sources that Durant told Curry a reunion with the Warriors “didn’t feel right” and that this “wasn’t the time” for them to team up again.
While the Warriors were discouraged by Durant’s stance, they didn’t give up on making a deal at that point, hoping that Durant might change his tune once he learned how far down the road Phoenix had gotten in those discussions without informing him, per ESPN.
The Suns have internally conceded that it was a mistake not to loop Durant into the process earlier, Shelburne and Windhorst say. The former MVP has been described as “blindsided” by being so heavily involved in trade rumors this week after having expressed a desire to stay in Phoenix.
“We should’ve gone through (Kleiman),” a team source told ESPN.
As Shams Charania reported earlier today, the Warriors, Suns, and Heat discussed a potential multi-team trade that would’ve sent both Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga to Phoenix, with Durant going to Golden State. Shelburne and Windhorst provide more details on those conversations, reporting that the Wizards were involved as well, as we speculated on Wednesday.
The four teams were negotiating a trade that would have looked like this, according to ESPN:
- Durant to Golden State.
- Butler, Kuminga, Jonas Valanciunas, two first-round picks (from the Warriors), two second-round picks (one each from Miami and Golden State), and pick swaps to Phoenix.
- Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson, and the Cavaliers’ 2025 first-round pick (via Phoenix) to Miami.
There are some missing details there — among them, Jusuf Nurkic would’ve been involved and would’ve gone to the Wizards, who presumably would’ve sought at least a first-rounder from the Suns as a sweetener to take on that contract.
While it sounds like there was some momentum in those negotiations, the Heat ultimately weren’t sold on the deal. They sought the Warriors’ 2025 first-round pick rather than Cleveland’s, according to Shelburne and Windhorst, who say that Golden State also had some reservations about the Suns’ steep asking price for Durant.
With Durant standing firm on his stance that he had no desire to go to Golden State, the talks fell apart.
After those discussions ended, there was a window for the Heat to potentially acquire Durant in a trade that would send Butler to Phoenix. Durant would have been more open to playing in Miami than Golden State, sources tell ESPN, and the Suns and Heat traded “visions” of what a deal might look like, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
However, the Suns were seeking a massive haul for Durant that included “a combination of talented young players and draft picks,” Jackson writes. According to both ESPN and the Herald, the Heat considered the price too steep and backed out, pivoting to a Butler deal with the Warriors that cut out Phoenix altogether.
The Suns were “deflated” by the outcome, according to Shelburne and Windhorst, who say that there were several times during the weeks leading up to Thursday’s deadline that Phoenix thought there might be a path to a Butler deal involving Bradley Beal.
However, sources tell ESPN that the Hawks and Wizards were believed to be the only teams considering taking on Beal, and it’s unclear whether he would’ve waived his no-trade clause for either team. The Suns reportedly never got close enough to a deal to approach Beal about it, eventually pivoting to exploring a Durant scenario without first informing the star forward.
As Windhorst noted on the latest Hoop Collective podcast, we’ll find out this coming summer whether those Suns trade talks involving Durant will sour him on the idea of remaining in Phoenix beyond this season.
Details On Warriors’ Pursuit Of Kevin Durant
Appearing on NBA Today (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of ESPN provided some interesting details on the Warriors‘ “aggressive” pursuit of Suns star Kevin Durant, which included several different offers.
According to Charania, one three-team framework involving the Heat would have seen Phoenix acquire Jimmy Butler from Miami, plus Jonathan Kuminga, first-round picks, second-round picks and pick swaps from Golden State. However, once Durant made it clear that he wasn’t interested in returning to the Warriors, they instead pivoted and acquired Butler themselves.
The Heat had an opportunity to acquire Durant as well, Charania reports, but the Suns declined their offer of Butler and Josh Richardson.
Charania confirms the Timberwolves were among the teams who made offers for Durant after Golden State’s failed pursuit. ESPN’s Bob Myers said yesterday that the Grizzlies were in that group as well, though Durant also wasn’t interested in playing in Memphis.
Speaking to reporters today, including Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial appeal (Twitter link), Grizzlies head of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said none of the stars that the team made offers for were moved prior to Thursday’s deadline. Kleiman also said Memphis wasn’t in on the Butler sweepstakes, Cole adds (via Twitter).
“I’m not sure why we were pulled into that in the first place,” Kleiman said.
Charania once again reiterated that Durant did not expect nor want his name to be involved in trade rumors this season. Plugged-in local reporter John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reported on Thursday that Phoenix would likely revisit Durant trade talks this summer, while ESPN’s Brian Windhorst speculated on his podcast that Durant may be seeking a new destination this offseason.
NBA Announces Three-Point Contest, Skills Challenge Participants
The NBA has officially announced the participants for the All-Star Saturday festivities in San Francisco on February 15, revealing today (via Twitter) which players will compete in the three-point contest and the skills challenge. Here are the details:
Three-Point Contest:
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Darius Garland (Cavaliers)
- Tyler Herro (Heat)
- Buddy Hield (Warriors)
- Cameron Johnson (Nets)
- Damian Lillard (Bucks)
- Norman Powell (Clippers)
Among this year’s participants, Powell (43.1%), Garland (42.9%), and Johnson (41.7%) have been the most accurate three-point shooters so far this season, while Herro (39.3% on 9.7 attempts per game) has been the most prolific.
Lillard won the event in both 2023 and 2024 and will be looking to become the first player since Craig Hodges in 1992 to claim the three-point title for a third consecutive year. Larry Bird was also a three-time winner, having achieved the feat in the first three years the NBA held the event (1986-88).
Hield is the only other player in this year’s field to have won the contest before, having done so in 2020. The Warriors wing will be the home team’s representative next Saturday.
Skills Challenge:
- Team Cavs: Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley
- Team Rooks: Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks) and Alex Sarr (Wizards)
- Team Spurs: Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama
- Team Warriors: Draymond Green and Moses Moody
It appears the NBA will be tweaking the format of the skills challenge again in 2025, with the event set to feature four teams of two players apiece instead of three players per team.
Mobley was part of the Cavs team that won the event in 2022, along with Jarrett Allen and Garland. He’ll be teaming up with Mitchell this time around.
The NBA also officially confirmed the participants of the dunk contest earlier this week (Twitter link). Those four players, who had been previously reported, are Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, Bucks guard Andre Jackson, and Magic two-way guard Mac McClung.
Like Lillard in the three-point contest, McClung will be looking to three-peat in his event next Saturday night.
Community Shootaround: Trade Deadline Winners, Losers
This year’s NBA trade deadline will go down in the history books as one of the wildest in North American sports history, if not the most chaotic.
This is, of course, mostly due to the shocking late Saturday transaction that saw Luka Doncic join the Lakers. Still, we saw an NBA record 63 players moved ahead of the deadline, with players like De’Aaron Fox, Jimmy Butler, Khris Middleton, Brandon Ingram, De’Andre Hunter, Kyle Kuzma and Andrew Wiggins among those changing hands.
Only the Magic, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves and Nuggets didn’t make an in-season trade. The Nets wound up staying out of the days leading up to the deadline after completing their major moves earlier in the season. Cameron Johnson is one notable player who was the subject of trade rumors for most of the season but ended up staying in place.
[RELATED: 2024/25 In-Season Trades]
Outside of that, the Celtics, Pacers and Rockets were among teams who made minor moves on the fringes of their roster.
The five-team deal that saw Butler join the Warriors and Wiggins go to the Heat was one of the biggest moves at the deadline. According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Butler’s teammates were sad to see him go, but were happy that he ultimately got what he wanted with a new destination and contract.
While Miami briefly explored trying to acquire Kevin Durant, they pivoted to Wiggins and are happy to have him. Bontemps writes that rival executives like the addition of Wiggins in Miami. Additionally, several of Bontemps’ sources were impressed not only by the return the Heat were able to extract, but also that they were able to stick together through a tumultuous season.
Butler was also a big winner in the eyes of execs after getting his two-year, maximum-salary extension, but Bontemps writes the Warriors have more work to do in terms of spacing the floor. However, at a relatively modest trade price, the Warriors get to bet on their stars meshing and making a deep playoff run as a lower seed, like the Heat have done in the past.
The Warriors winning the Butler sweepstakes ultimately meant that Phoenix missed out on him. For about a month, it was widely reported that there was strong mutual interest between the 35-year-old and the Suns, but Bradley Beal‘s no-trade clause meant a deal was impossible.
That led to the Suns actually taking calls on Durant, though they ultimately kept their three highest-paid players together. The Suns were able to offload Jusuf Nurkic and add two potential rotation guys in Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic, but executives were confused about where Phoenix will go next, according to Bontemps.
After acquiring Doncic ahead of the deadline, the Lakers went all in on adding a big man, sending a first-round pick, a pick swap, and Dalton Knecht to the Hornets for Mark Williams. Los Angeles is taking a massive bet on Williams staying healthy, as they now only have swaps in 2026 and 2028 to send out in trades.
On the other hand, in the wake of the Doncic deal, the Mavericks had a relatively quiet rest of the deadline, acquiring Caleb Martin and sending out Quentin Grimes. “I thought they had more up their sleeve,” a West executive said, per Bontemps.
Both Toronto and Cleveland took big swings in acquiring Ingram and Hunter, respectively. Although the two teams are in much different positions in the conference, those moves showed they both have faith in what they’re building.
The Raptors are likely to try to re-sign Ingram to a multi-year extension, which would add significantly to a payroll that already includes sizable deals for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl. The Cavaliers have the second-best record in the league, so giving anything of value in their rotation is a risk to chemistry. But adding Hunter, who’s in the middle of a breakout season, is a bold move to push the team over the top.
For my money, I like how the Jazz and Pistons operated in the Butler trade. The Jazz were able to acquire two second-rounders and take back less expiring money than P.J. Tucker‘s $11.4MM contract, rerouting Dennis Schröder to Detroit, who bought him as an asset in the same Miami-Golden State five-team deal.
As for the Pistons, while they maybe could have gotten Schröder for a lower price if they’d negotiated with the Heat, they netted two second-round picks, added a viable contributor in Schröder and added a bench shooter in Lindy Waters III for simply having cap space as an asset.
Additionally, I think the Hornets did well to acquire Knecht and valuable picks by sending out Williams, Martin and Micic. The Wizards also intrigued me by adding several veterans in Middleton, Marcus Smart and Alex Len, and picking up two fliers in AJ Johnson and Colby Jones, if they stick. Washington essentially consolidated picks, added a 2024 first-rounder in Johnson and other assets in exchange for players who weren’t in their future.
We want to hear from you. Which teams do you think ended up as the biggest winners after deadline day? Were there any teams that should have done more, or did too much? Who lost the deadline? Which teams had the most underrated moves?
Head to the comments section below to let us know!
Heat Officially Trade Jimmy Butler To Warriors In Five-Team Deal
The five-team blockbuster sending Jimmy Butler from the Heat to the Warriors is now official, according to press releases from multiple clubs involved in the trade. The terms of the deal, which also includes the Jazz, Pistons, and Raptors, are as follows:
Warriors acquire Butler.- Heat acquire Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell, and the Warriors’ 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected).
- Pistons acquire Dennis Schröder, Lindy Waters, and either the Warriors’ or Timberwolves’ 2031 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Warriors).
- Jazz acquire KJ Martin, Josh Richardson, a 2028 second-round pick (from Pistons; exact details TBD), either the Heat’s or Pacers’ 2031 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable; from Heat), and cash (from Heat).
- Raptors acquire P.J. Tucker, the Lakers’ 2026 second-round pick (from Heat), and cash (from Heat).
Utah waived Jalen Hood-Schifino in order to acquire two players while sending one out, as we detailed earlier. They’re also expected to cut Richardson.
The deal wraps up a saga that first began on December 10 when word broke that the Heat were open to listening to offers for Butler. By Christmas Day, Butler was said to prefer a trade out of Miami, and a little over a week later he formally asked the team to move him.
The situation only escalated from there, with the Heat repeatedly suspending Butler for conduct detrimental to the team and withholding services. He was serving an indefinite team-imposed suspension when news broke on Wednesday that the Warriors had struck a deal to acquire him.
Butler, who will be teaming up in Golden State with longtime Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, has reportedly already agreed to a two-year, maximum-salary extension with the team, as we outlined in our original story on the trade. We also published full stories on two side deals involving the Heat and Raptors and Pistons and Jazz that were folded into this larger trade structure.
The latest word, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), is that Saturday is the target date for Butler’s Warriors debut. Golden State will play in Chicago that night.