Let’s give out instant grades for the big moves at the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
The 2025 NBA trade deadline will forever be remembered for a deal that took place a few days before the buzzer. The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks completed the trade of the century by exchanging Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis over the weekend. The NBA has been on fire ever since, with Khris Middleton, Kyle Kuzma, Zach LaVine, and De’Aaron Fox all finding new homes, while the Mavericks made another questionable deal days after trading Doncic.
The 2025 NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, and there’s bound to be a few more surprising deals until then. We’re keeping track of every 2025 NBA trade deadline deal in a separate post. We’ll also be grading every big trade here.
The Jimmy Butler trade drama is finally over. The Lakers made another all-in move after their Doncic trade. Will anyone pay up for Cameron Johnson? Let’s grade each deal at the 2025 NBA trade deadline as they come in.
Cavs grade for De’Andre Hunter trade with Hawks
Cavaliers acquire De’Andre Hunter from Hawks for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps, per Shams.
Cavs grade: A-
Hawks grade: B
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the NBA’s biggest surprise team this season, and they’re trying to parlay their hot start into a championship. The one hole in Cleveland’s roster is a big wing who can defend and space the floor as a shooter, and Hunter is exactly that. Hunter has gone from disappointing top-5 draft pick to a breakout player in his sixth season in the league with the Hawks. He’s averaging a career-high 19 points per game while shooting 39.3 percent from three. He’s only average as a defender, but Cleveland has enough length and shot-blocking behind him to give him a chance. It’s easy to imagine Hunter guarding Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown deep in the playoffs.
Losing LeVert hurts a bit. He’s been on fire as a shooter this year (40.5 percent from three) but he struggles to score at the rim, and his impressive defensive metrics feel like a product of Cleveland’s system. Atlanta sold high on Hunter in this deal, but they still didn’t get a first-round pick back, and I’d be surprised if either of those swaps go through since Cleveland has a great team. Is this enough to get the Cavs to the NBA Finals? Who knows, but it makes them better without giving up too much, and that’s all you can ask for.
Lakers-Hornets trade grades for Mark Williams, Dalton Knecht deal
Lakers acquire Mark Williams from Hornets for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, unprotected 2031 first-round pick, and 2030 pick swap, per Shams.
Lakers grade: B-
Hornets grade: A-
This feels like the rare deal that’s super risky for both sides. Williams missed a full year recovering from a foot injury, and has only played 85 games across his first three NBA seasons. He’s also only 23 years old, and is exactly the type of huge, mobile shot-blocker and rim-finisher LA wanted to pair with Luka Doncic. Williams is one of the longest players in the NBA with a 9’9 standing reach and 7’7 wingspan. He’s scoring more than 22 points per-36 minutes this year with super efficient 63.5 percent true shooting. He’s mostly a lob catcher on offense, but has shown some touch around floater range. His defensive metrics are terrible, but that could just be because Charlotte’s defense was such a disaster this year. He will be expected to anchor the LA defense for years to come.
This is the Hornets selling high on a player who has been very good for a month and will be extension eligible after the season. Williams certainly fits well next to Doncic, but I wonder if the Lakers would have been better served saving their 2031 pick plus Knecht to use for a true secondary All-Star. This is such a boom or bust trade both sides: there’s a chance Williams is awesome in LA with Doncic. There’s also a chance he can’t stay on the floor, the Lakers suffer because they don’t have enough assets to build a good team around Doncic, and that 2031 pick suddenly becomes valuable. This is just a little too risky for me so early in the Luka era, but I see the vision for LA.
Raptors, Pelicans grade for Brandon Ingram trade
Raptors acquire Brandon Ingram from New Orleans Pelicans for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, 2026 Pacers first-round pick, and second-round pick, per Shams.
Raptors grade: C+
Pelicans grade: A
Read our full breakdown of the Ingram deal here. The Raptors are addicted to making bad trades at the deadline: this is the fourth year in a row they’ve made a highly questionable deal in February. Ingram is a talented scorer, but I just don’t see how he fits a long-term vision in Toronto. He also needs a new contract this summer, and that Raptors roster is about to get very expensive very quickly for such a sub-mid team. The Pelicans did well here to get the Pacers’ 2026 first-rounder in this deal. Toronto feels like it is racing to the play-in tournament again once it re-signs Ingram. Woo hoo.
Warriors-Heat trade grades for Jimmy Butler deal
Golden State Warriors acquire Jimmy Butler from Miami Heat for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters II, and a top-10 protected first-round pick, per Shams. Read full details and our trade grades here.
Warriors grade: A-
Heat grade: B+
Read my full trade grades of the Butler-to-the-Warriors deal here. Butler is a proven playoff riser who plays his best basketball when it matters most. Golden State gave him a two-year extension on top of this trade, which feels like the riskiest part of the deal for a 35-year-old. The Warriors’ defense should be excellent with Butler and Draymond Green sharing the floor, but their size and spacing is now a major concern on offense. The Warriors can’t possibly play a non-shooting center with those two, right? It’s Steve Kerr’s job to make the pieces fit, but this is a clear talent upgrade that the Warriors badly needed during another mediocre season. I also think this is a good return for Miami, getting a useful player in Wiggins and Golden State’s 2025 first-round pick.
Kings trade grade for Jonas Valanciunas deal
Sacramento Kings acquire Jonas Valanciunas from the Washington Wizards for Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks, via Shams.
Kings grade: B
Wizards grade: B+
Valanciunas has started more than 90 percent of his career games since being drafted into the league, but he’s going to backup Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento. He can still bring physical inside scoring touch and rebounding, but his three-point shot has been totally busted this year. The Kings clearly wanted to remain competitive after trading De’Aaron Fox, and getting Valanciunas a few days after landing Zach LaVine will help with that. I just don’t think this Kings team is going anywhere this season in a brutal Western Conference. The Wizards basically signed Valanciunas over the summer to trade him, and getting two seconds and a decent prospect in French wing Sidy Cissoko is a nice piece of work.
Lakers-Mavericks trade grades for Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis blockbuster
Lakers grade: A+
Mavericks grade: D+
Read my full Lakers-Mavericks trade grades here, and check out our extended winners and losers from the Doncic-Davis swap. In the days since I’ve published that story, I’ve wondered if anything other than an F was way too kind for Dallas GM Nico Harrison. I still think the Mavs should be pretty good for the next couple years with Davis in place, but they better add another talented ball-handler and playmaker ASAP to help out Kyrie Irving. This is a no-brainer for the Lakers even if it’s more about the next 5-10 years than this year.
Spurs-Kings-Bulls trade grades for De’Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine deal
Spurs grade: A-
Kings grade: A
Bulls grade: C-
Read our full trade grades for complete details on the deal that sent De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs, Zach LaVine in the Kings, and returned Chicago its 2025 first-round pick. The Spurs did well to get Fox without breaking the bank on their asset chest, and he now becomes the co-star Victor Wembanyama has needed. Landing LaVine in addition to two valuable future first-round picks a coup for Sacramento. and you can argue he’s the best player in this trade. The Bulls continue to be one of the worst-run franchises in the league, trading their best player for a draft pick that they shouldn’t have lost (it was protected 1-10 this year, and 1-8 the next two years) if they played their cards right.
Mavs-76ers grades for Quentin Grimes and Caleb Martin swap
Mavs grade: C
76ers grade: A
Read our full trade grades on the Grimes-Martin swap that also sent an early 2025 second-round pick to the Sixers. Grimes is the better offensive player and much younger, so it’s odd Dallas had to throw in a good second-round pick to get the deal done. Dallas wanted Martin for his feisty perimeter defense and his cost-controlled contract, while Grimes needs a new deal this summer. This is a nice move on the margins for the Sixers. I still don’t know what Nico Harrison is doing.
Bucks trade grades for Kyle Kuzma-Khris Middleton swap
Bucks grade: C+
Wizards grade: A
Read our full trade grades on the deal that sent Kuzma to Milwaukee here. The Bucks did this trade to drop from the second-apron to the first-apron of the luxury tax while adding a younger and healthier player. Kuzma has been terrible this season, but I wouldn’t be stunned if it turned it around in a competitive situation in Milwaukee. Middleton will be very available on the trade market for his brief stint in Washington. The Wizards getting A.J. Johnson and a 2028 pick-swap here is pretty nice before you even factor in what they will get for flipping Middleton.
We’ll update this story as it develops.
