The headline we thought we would never see: Luka Dončić has been traded away from the Dallas Mavericks. The full trade includes Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis being traded to Dallas. Dončić was drafted in 2018 by the Atlanta Hawks, then traded to Dallas on draft night. Dončić won the National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year Award and was also voted to the all-rookie first team. Since then, he has made five NBA all-star appearances, made five all-NBA teams, and has been recognized as a top player in the league. Known for his scoring and passing ability, Dončić is known as one of the top European players to ever play.
The trade hit the sports world as a surprise, as Dončić was never publicly available to the rest of the NBA. Even Dončić and Davis themselves did not know about trade talks and only found out when the rest of the sports world found out. Dončić was thought to be a player who would stay on the Mavericks for his whole career, due to his high value.
Initially, I thought the Dončić trade was fake. It was 12:16 a.m., Feb. 9, and I was in bed. I was casually on my phone when I saw an Instagram notification from NBA Insider Shams Charania, who I follow for NBA news. I clicked it not thinking it would be anything special, so seeing Dončić on that graphic was something I was not expecting. I, along with the thousands of others who saw the early post, thought Charania was hacked, as nobody thought Dončić would get traded.
As a few minutes passed, more reports came out of the trade, including Charania updating the post with the caption “Yes, this is real,” along with the full trade details.
While the motive for the trade is not yet known, it is known the Mavericks were looking to improve their defense. Anthony Davis is another prolific superstar, known for his elite interior defense. Dončić provides the Lakers with a plan for the future, as their star Lebron James is now 40 years old and retiring soon.
As for the NBA fanbase, many say that the Mavericks lost the trade, due to trading away a potential once-in-a-lifetime franchise player.
The Dončić trade will go down in the history books, with this trade including one of the most high-profile stars in the league, something which is not a usual occurrence.
Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat Superstar Jimmy Butler was traded away to the Golden State Warriors after a long saga of trade requests and passive-aggressive shots from Butler.
The package includes Jimmy Butler heading to San Francisco, CA. with the Warriors trading former All-Star and NBA champion Andrew Wiggins to Miami, Fla. along with forward Kyle Anderson. Additionally, Miami receives a 2025 first-round draft pick, which is essential considering Miami does not have their pick this year. Miami also traded for Toronto guard Davion Mitchell.
As an avid Miami Heat supporter, it hurts to see Butler go. He has given me and many others great memories including two NBA Finals appearances in five years.
Despite Butler’s great contribution to the Heat franchise, it was time to move on. He did not play much this season, only participating in 25 out of 49 games, and when he did play, he was inconsistent and not playing like the Jimmy ‘Buckets’ we all know and love.
Trading away a large contract like Butler’s opens up many opportunities for Miami. Along with extra salary-cap space, Wiggins and Mitchell are both also young with potential and known for their apt perimeter defense, something Miami desperately needs. Miami has changed the image of their team by trading an older superstar for young talent. With the futures of Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic looking bright, Miami has room to grow into a serious threat in the coming years.
Overall, this NBA trade deadline has seen nine current or former All-Stars get traded, which makes this season one of great change. There were 60 total trades during the 2024-25 NBA trading window, which is not a usual occurrence. Every move is bound to change a team’s dynamic, and only time will tell how these moves will shake the league up.
