Sundiata Post – The 2025 NBA trade deadline has passed, and teams are now closed for the remainder of the season.
Gearing up for an all-exciting end to the campaign with the playoffs and the sight draft, some franchises have made top-tier trades and strengthened their teams for a possible championship push, while others have weakened considerably.
But which teams have had big changes and what is potentially in store for them after the trade deadline?
We’ll look at the biggest trade of both the Eastern and Western conferences during this NBA trade deadline.
Eastern Conference
There has been a good amount of movement throughout the Eastern Conference, although the best teams haven’t made any noticeable trades. Cleveland, Boston, New York, and Indiana haven’t made big moves, with the biggest trade being the arrival of De’Andre Hunter to Cleveland from Atlanta.
It’s precisely Atlanta the team that has also acquired a big name in the likes of Caris Levert, a great well-rounded guard that can be helpful alongside Trae Young who has been eagerly wanting another guard alongside him, although Levert may not be enough for Atlanta’s playoff push.
Another team that has made a big trade is Milwaukee, gaining Washington Wizards’ star Kyle Kuzma after trading him for former all-star Khris Middleton, signing a younger and established talent who has yet to prove himself on a bigger team after failing to do so in Los Angeles.
Detroit has also had some movement, adding a veteran in the form of Dennis Schröder after Golden State desperately was looking to trade him. The German is one of the NBA’s most regular players, playing an important role both as a leader and as a player in every franchise he has been. The former World Cup MVP looks to push Detroit to the playoffs.
Finally, there has been movement in the teams in the lower positions, although it hasn’t been as much as someone would have thought. The two teams on the lower part of the table that have strengthened their squads are both Washington, with Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton, and Toronto, who has acquired former all-star Brandon Ingram from the Pelicans. We mustn’t forget about the Mark Williams trade, which has been one of the few occasions a player had to go back to the team of origin after failing their medical.
Teams on the playoff push, some others looking to clinch a play-in position and many others already giving up and looking forward to acquiring the 1st pick of the 2025 draft, who will get to the playoffs?
Western Conference
There have been some big movements in the West, with many teams trading even their best players with the hopes of giving a completely new look to their franchises.
Before moving to the big names, teams at the top like Oklahoma City or Denver haven’t made any noticeable changes, keeping the core of their squad together after making an excellent start to the season.
Moving down through the table, we must point out the Clippers, a team that has acquired failed star Ben Simmons after he got waived from Brooklyn due to his poor form. Now, Simmons aims to regain form on a new start to life in LA. The Clippers have also acquired a big name in the likes of Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Another team that has made a big move is Sacramento. The Kings have acquired an excellent all-rounded player and all-star caliber star Zach Lavine who Chicago had been wanting to trade for over a year. Alongside him, Jonas Valanciunas, a great big man, arrives in the capital of California for the Kings’ playoff push.
Saving the best for last, the big trade: the Dallas Mavericks trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. An incomprehensible move from Dallas who trades not only their star and franchise player but also their future, which is something the Lakers gain, a star who will be much bigger once LeBron retires. Dallas, on the other hand, now depends on whether Anthony Davis remains healthy, which is not a good thing considering his injury proneness. This trade seems more incomprehensible when Dallas gives the reason for the trade as “Luka’s poor form”, trading for a player who hasn’t been healthy for a full season the last couple of years.
Teams that have gotten way better and teams that have gotten way worse, the remainder of the season looks promising for the teams around the Western Conference. Is the NBA champion hiding in the West?
Looking Ahead: What’s Next?
With the trade deadline now over, the playoffs are just around the corner, and the excitement to know who gets through and who goes home early starts building up. But will the trades made during the deadline pay off or will teams that have sacrificed their stars fail considerably?
Whether it is the rest of the regular season, the play-in tournament, or the playoffs, if you’re looking to add much more excitement to the remainder of the season it’s a great time to check NetBet slots, a game-based approach to creating a more exciting and enjoyable viewing of basketball.
The season approaches its biggest point, the all-star break is over, and the playoff push is on. Drama, excitement, and, most importantly, basketball, lots of basketball. With the NBA finals in sight, who will win the league this year? Is it OKC? Cleveland? Boston?
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