Who are the winners and the losers of the 2025 NBA trade deadline?

The NBA trade deadline has finally passed, and the league is looking quite different in the last 24 hours. There were blockbuster trades and minor moves. The 2025 NBA trade deadline was perhaps the greatest deadline of all time, as multiple NBA All-Stars, including Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Zach Lavine, and De’Aaron Fox, were moved. The variation of the winners and losers after the deadline was noticeable. The three biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline include the Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs. The Cleveland Cavaliers gained starting wing Deandre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks. Hunter entered the deadline as the front runner to win the 6 Man of the Year Award, averaging nearly 19 points per game. The Lakers acquired 5-time All-Star guard Luka Doncic for 10-time All-Star center Anthony Davis. Doncic joins the Lakers with a higher ceiling than Davis, at just 25 years old and a career full of accolades. He is a generational talent, and the Lakers have now paired him with LeBron James. Lastly, the San Antonio Spurs acquired All-Star De’Aaron Fox as part of a 3-team trade between the Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls. The Spurs were in need of a second star to pair with All-Star Victor Wembanyama. Not only did the Spurs gain their new star, but they barely gave up many assets in doing so. The Spurs traded away low-value draft picks and salary filler in a win-now move. The San Antonio Spurs now feature one of the best pick-and-roll duos in the Western Conference, as the new Fox and Wemby duo has emerged. The three biggest losers of the NBA trade deadline include the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, and Phoenix Suns. The Dallas Mavericks decision to give up on Luka Doncic could and will likely hurt them in the long haul. As great as Anthony Davis is, he is not a generational talent like Luka Doncic. Davis is 8 years older than Doncic and has been more injury-prone since entering his 30s. The Mavericks also only received 1 draft pick in the trade. The return for Doncic is highly questionable, as draft picks normally impact the benefits of a trade package. The Mavericks should have listened to more trade offers to get the best deal. The Atlanta Hawks also fumbled the trade deadline with very questionable moves. The Hawks decision to give up the key role players Deandre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic is puzzling. The Hawks do not own their own 2025 first-round draft pick, as that pick will be conveyed to the San Antonio Spurs. The Hawks are currently out of the playoff picture, which could lead to them conveying a draft lottery pick. Lastly, the Phoenix Suns missed out on the Jimmy Butler trade sweepstakes. The Suns were hoping to move on from former star Bradley Beal while acquiring star Jimmy Butler. The Warriors won the Jimmy Butler trade sweepstakes, leaving the Suns with little to no changes after the deadline. The Suns entered the season as championship contenders, and they are currently set up to miss the playoffs with the most expensive NBA roster. The future of the Suns is also uncertain as star Kevin Durant heard his name in many trade rumors. So what will the aftermath be for these NBA teams? Will the trades help or hurt these NBA teams? The post-trade deadline half of the season will have many intriguing storylines.