NBA Trade Buzz: Winners and Losers of this Crazy Deadline

Wow! This NBA trade deadline has to be the craziest deadline ever. With the Super Bowl happening this Sunday it is insane that the NBA is getting more news and action which shows how hectic this deadline has been. Stars are getting traded left and right and the NBA is going to be a movie for this season, but also for the future as young stars are getting moved around.

Let's first talk about the biggest trade which was the Luka trade. People will always talk about who are winners and losers and we won't really know until it plays out. The one thing for certain though is that the Lakers saved their future and the Mavs are true contenders for the next couple of years. Already having Kyrie and amazing role players like Klay, P.J., Gafford, and Lively, and adding Max Christie and Caleb Martin makes this Mavs roster incredibly deep. Having depth is huge in the NBA and the Mavs have two superstars leading the way. However, if they don't win it all in like 2-3 years then this trade will go from being bad to awful. The Mavs will have no future as their two best players are 31 and 32 and they traded away their 25-year-old star. Now for the Lakers, they have given themselves an amazing future for an already huge market team. Adding in Luka and having years of off-seasons, drafts, and trades gives them the chance to build a dynasty. Luka will be the face of this league and being a superstar with the playmaking ability that he has will make role players shine, and make other star players want to play with him. As of right now, everyone can agree that the Lakers won this trade because of the future, but we will have to see how the Mavs will perform now because if they don't then a lot of criticism will be added on to the franchise that is already seen now.

The next big trade had to have been the De'Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine trade. The Spurs already have a player who many believe can be the next G.O.A.T in Victor Wembanyama. Adding on an All-Star caliber player that scores 25 a night and is 27 years old in his prime was perfect for the Spurs. They were missing another star player to play next to Wembanyama and if they can acquire more role players this team will be scary in the future. For the Kings losing Fox sucks a lot, but LaVine is in his prime years and he scores 24 points a night on incredible efficiency with 50% from the field and 44% from three. LaVine is also an All-Star caliber player and he already has chemistry with Demar also having another All-Star player in Sabonis, this team can for sure make some noise. The Kings also have a lot of depth as they have Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, Trey Lyles, and Keon Ellis. The Kings have a shot to make a run in the playoffs for the next couple of years like the Mavs, but like the Lakers, the Spurs have set up their future perfectly and have two-star players now to lead the way.

The last big trade that needs to be mentioned is the Jimmy Butler trade. As a Warriors fan when I first saw it I was happy that we didn't give away Kuminga, but as time goes on I don't know how to feel about the trade. Jimmy Butler is 35 years old and has been a team cancer to the Timberwolves and now the Heat. Adding an old player who has a reputation for ruining the morale of a team is not something to be looking for. The Warriors also lost a lot of their depth in Wiggins, Schroder, Anderson, Waters, and even a first-round pick. Recently Curry has been struggling and Wiggins has been the best player on the Warriors and showed flashes to his All-Star year. It is clear that the Warriors are trying to win it all now but with how competitive other teams look it almost seems impossible and the future does not look bright. The Heat to me won this trade as they get Wiggins who is 29 years old and has been playing well recently. To add on to that a first-round pick and the team already has two All-Star players in Bam and Herro and they got rid of the toxic environment they were in. I also love the depth that the Heat have as Jovic, Jaquez, and Kel'el Ware are all young rising players who play their roles perfectly. The Heat also have a great veteran in Kevin Love who can offer the coaching and knowledge that only a few NBA players can give. To add to that, the Heat also have one of the best coaches in the NBA that always seems to push the team to be better in the Playoffs which is where it matters the most.

The trade deadline has been crazy and there may even be players that are still going to be moved around in these hours. Fans are going to talk back and forth about who won what trade and right now all we can do is wait and see the results. I think the biggest winners were the Lakers, Heat, and Spurs, and sadly I think the Warriors were the only true loser and the Mavs for their future. The NBA should be more exciting now and I can't wait to see how these moves will play out and the the future moves teams will make.