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Enjoy this now archived trade deadline live extravaganza, with some trade recaps towards the top of the article. This was the deadline of a lifetime, and the ripple effects will be felt for years to come.
Trying out something new here! Going to keep an as-close-to-live-as-possible feed going from now until the last deals complete at the official deadline on Thursday at 3PM EST. Don't turn off Shams Charania's X notifications but do refresh here every so often for reaction to deals, rumors, and hopefully some WTF-level trades that roll through.
Let the trades begin!
TRADE GRADE: Lakers receive Mark Williams, send Dalton Knecht, 2031 first-round pick to Hornets
Photo by Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images
Spencer Galloway: If only Rob Pelinka of two weeks ago could see the Rob Pelinka of today! It's incredible how fast things change in this league, and the Lakers have gone from a predictable first or second round exit to a slightly less predictable first or second round exit! Obligatory Lakers jab out of the way, I love the roster decision to add Mark Williams. Williams is an immediate lob threat, and can be viable in PnR situations with two of the greatest PnR initiators of all time. He has the makeup of someone who can be a game-changer defensively, even if he is a bit raw at the moment. (Cut him some slack, he's younger than Dalton Knecht!)
Lakers: B
On Knecht, at the time it seemed like a dream that they were able to draft him where they did. Though, the likelihood that he has anything to contribute to a hopeful contender is low. Still, a versatile shooter with size is a coveted commodity in today's NBA, and Charlotte was right to pounce on him. Paired with a Lakers first that is six years away, who knows what they will look like? That might be a home run of a pick!
Hornets: B+
Spencer Galloway: Wow! Time flies when you're ̶̶u̶̶̶p̶̶̶d̶̶̶a̶̶̶t̶̶̶i̶̶̶n̶̶̶g̶̶̶ ̶̶̶y̶̶̶o̶̶̶u̶̶̶r̶̶̶ ̶̶̶t̶̶̶r̶̶̶a̶̶̶d̶̶̶e̶̶̶ ̶̶̶d̶̶̶e̶̶̶a̶̶̶d̶̶̶l̶̶̶i̶̶̶n̶̶̶e̶̶̶ ̶̶̶c̶̶̶o̶̶̶l̶̶̶u̶̶̶m̶̶̶n̶̶̶ ̶̶̶w̶̶̶h̶̶̶i̶̶̶l̶̶̶e̶̶̶ ̶̶̶d̶r̶o̶w̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶i̶f̶i̶c̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶j̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶k̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶u̶p̶ having fun! The deadline has came and went, and I am trying to catch my breath at all that occurred today. There was not a great deal of exciting moves, but rather financial positioning and junk exchanges. "Hey, want some of my crap? Sure, but only if you take some of mine!" type of deals. I draw the line on deals worthy of a grade at the DeAndre Hunter trade. Anything below that (sorry Bogdan Bogdanovic) is more so of a wait and see.
Documenting the deadline in semi-real time has been fun! Although if this website is still free in a year, I'm going to need to plan to take the day off. I digress.
TRADE GRADE: Warriors acquire Jimmy Butler in exchange for Wiggins, Anderson, first-round pick
Photo via Getty Images
Spencer Galloway: Finally! Jimmy Butler has been traded! War is over. The war on the Heat, the media, Pat Riley, trade machines, and all of us, who must sit through countless rumors and nonsensical quotes. It's all over. For now! Prior to yesterday, it had seemed that all hope was lost on a Butler trade to Golden State, as he did not agree to resign an extension if he were to be dealt there. Funny how things change I guess, because not only was he dealt to the Warriors, but immediately agreed upon a two-year $111M extension (yikes!)
The Warriors were in a difficult spot. This past summer, they let Klay walk, brought in some fresh faces, and struck out on some others. They have a once in a lifetime talent who will one day retire as a Warrior, and are at least trying to do right by him by going and getting the best available player. (After the Luka trade, I guess everybody is available!)
I believe that Steph is capable of playing next to anybody, and I think he and Butler could do each other a lot of good. I also know that Jimmy Butler is walking into Oracle thinking he is the best player on the floor. We've seen Curry successfully defer before, and it won him two titles with Kevin Durant. Butler is no Durant however, and these are not the Warriors of old. Butler for the Warriors is realistically like a V10 supercharged version of Andrew Wiggins, who drives a little more like a 4-cylinder. Not bad!
Look, Jimmy Butler has been the best player on a Finals team in two out of the last four seasons, and that is saying a lot. He is still special come playoff time, and he and Curry together is not something anyone will be looking to sign up for in round one. Thinking about it now, this Warriors team is exactly the type of team I would pick to upset a team like Houston, who is ahead of schedule and probably will be a little in over their heads come playoff time.
I like the trade a lot more than the extension, but you don't get one without the other. I'm optimistic of a Curry/Butler pairing, and I don't hate what they gave up.
Warriors: B+
For Miami, this is a breakup that got uglier than it had to. That's part of the Jimmy Butler experience though, isn't it? We can run through it all, but by now we all know the teams, names, and faces of a Jimmy Butler breakup. It never ends cleanly. Pat Riley gets to rid himself of the biggest headache he's had since he embarrassed himself on the public stage trying to bully LeBron into resigning back in 2015. Not all too unfamiliar of situations, I suppose. In the process, they get back some players who they can plug into their lineup right away, and can build on the fly on the backs of Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Herro, a first-time All-Star, has been exceptional this season, and Miami would be right to make him a priority going forward.
Miami currently sits in the sixth seed, and with the concern over Butler out the window, paired with the arrival of talent that is ready to play now, I like how they project going forward. That said, I would have liked to see them get talent that fits a younger timeline, especially considering the only draft compensation they took back was a first-rounder that ends up in the late-teens at best.
The handling of the Jimmy Butler situation on the whole probably warrants an F. All in all, I think we're all just glad to be done with this.
Heat: C
TRADE GRADE: Pels send Brandon Ingram to Raps, receive Brown, Olynyk, first-rounder
Photo by Matthew Hinton/Imagn Images
Spencer Galloway: Was not expecting Toronto to be the ultimate suitor for Ingram, nor was I convinced that New Orleans would be able to fetch a first-round pick for him, especially from a non-contender. Toronto is very much in the Cooper Flagg business and just spent precious draft capital to potentially hinder their ability to draft him this summer. Look, the Pelicans have been able to suck with Ingram on their team for a long time, so I'm not saying that Toronto will all of a sudden be a force to be dealt with. All I'm saying is I may keep the war chest stocked for now, so that when my star of the future does present himself, I may be able to support him. (The Spurs keeping their assets through the first year of the Wemby experience, and being able to go and get De'Aaron Fox, for example.)
All that said, Ingram is a superb talent and could take pressure to create offense off of Scottie Barnes. If your top guys are Barrett, Ingram, and Barnes, I don't know where that gets you. In the event that they do get one of the top guys in this years class, there won't be a lot of touches to go around next season with those three on the roster.
There is still much to be determined of this deal for Toronto, with Ingram currently battling an ankle injury. How he fits in both short and long term is cloudy, but if you count Ingram as part of the return for Siakam (TOR used IND's '27 pick acquired in the Siakam deal) then you start to feel better about it.
Toronto: B-
For New Orleans, they get to dump one of their two headache players, the other of course being Zion Williamson. Both are far too injury-riddled and expensive to pair them together for the long haul. I cannot get a gauge quite yet on whether this would signal a greater willingness to trade Zion as well, or if they're making him the future co-star of Trey Murphy (I'm only halfway joking by the way, have you watched Murphy the last two weeks?)
I was going to mention that Toronto should have seen how much more it would have cost them to pursuse Zion instead of Ingram, but we're talking about Masai Ujiri here. Of course he did. I'm guessing he balked at the price and I would assume other teams will today as well. No matter, NOLA rids itself of one headache and gets some assets in Brown/Olynyk that they will likely be routing to other teams today, hopefully converting into more draft capital.
New Orleans: A-
Spencer Galloway: Good morning! Happy Deadline Day! I took the evening to ingest some De'Aaron Fox Spurs action, and revel in the rumors and completed deals that took place across the league. For a few hours there it had felt like teams were just trying to one up the other, and man I am all for it! Ingram! Butler! Mark Williams! Knecht! This has been such a fun deadline, and we still have some time left.
More updates as well as trade grades will be posted throughout the day. LFG!
TRADE: Jonas Valanciunas to the Kings, Wizards receive Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks
Photo via Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images
Spencer Galloway: In the latest Kings disaster class in team building, Sacramento traded rookie Sidy Cissoko and two future seconds to Washington in exchange for veteran big man Jonas Valanciunas. Not that there is anything wrong with Valanciunas, he has a lot to provide a team. Maybe not a contending one, but he does provide some value on offense. When I imagine a Sabonis-Valanciunas front court, all I can see is layup lines. The Kings could possibly roll out a starting five of Monk-LaVine-Derozan-Sabonis-Valanciunas, and I think opposing teams would actually set records in offensive rating in games against Sacramento.
What's most funny about this deal is that Washington is doing exactly what Sacramento should be doing. Acquiring young talent and draft capital, while shedding older players on big contracts. Contracts in the $10M range may not seem like much in today's NBA, but teams that are far from contending shouldn't be racing to take them on.
The Lakers have been linked to Valanciunas recently, despite a more present need for rim-protection. Whether or not they had a continued interest in Valanciunas post the Davis-Luka trade is unknown, but they will have to look elsewhere for frontcourt depth.
FAKE TRADE: Spurs go all-in, Phoenix retools around Booker
Proposed by Will Glover, perfected and shared by Spencer Galloway: I'm bored with Kevin Durant in Phoenix! Let's make some magic happen and put two of the league's most iconic "unicorn" types together. Fox-Durant-Wemby is a real deal, good old fashioned big three! Not a fake big three, like Durant-Booker-Beal, or Irving-Thompson-Davis, or LaVine-DeRozan-Sabonis for that matter.
Keldon and Vassell go out the door to make room in the rotation for up-and-coming Stephon Castle and the incoming Durant. This is in no way shape or form a prediction, hell, it's really not even much of a desire. It is overkill to the nth degree and is definitely the basketball definition of basketball gluttony. The Spurs have yet to even play a game with their newfound point guard, and NBA youngsters Jeremy Sochan and Stephon Castle need time to find their footing before being launched into contention.
UPDATE: Kevin Durant has "no desire in a reunion" with Golden State
Spencer Galloway: Well, that was fast. Just as quickly as we could learn about the mutual interest between GSW and PHX in a potential Durant trade, KD has to come in and spoil all our fun! Boooo! In a recent X post, Shams Charania stated "As Golden State pursues Phoenix's Kevin Durant, the two-time Warriors NBA Finals MVP has no desire in a reunion and does not want to go back."
So much for that! With GSW out of the running, I find it unlikely that Durant is moved at all. Miami has been mentioned as a possible suitor, but if that hinges on Jimmy Butler returning to the Heat and making nice, I wouldn't hold my breath.
FIRST LOOK: De'Aaron Fox in his new Spurs threads
Photo via the San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs will look to get back into the playoff picture beginning tonight, this time with the newly acquired De'Aaron Fox. It will be Fox's Spurs debut, and it is San Antonio's hope that he will bring an immediate lift to their offense. I have a feeling Victor Wembanyama could walk away the biggest winner this deadline, as Fox will be the best player he has shared the floor with in his young career.
RUMOR: Durant trade talks are "escalating quickly" between Suns, Warriors (Amick)
Photo by John Hefti/USA Today Sports
Spencer Galloway: The Suns aren't trading Kevin Durant, unless... It seems that Phoenix is willing to part ways with KD if the circumstances break just right. After kicking the tires on Jimmy Butler for the last few weeks, with no success in their game of 'Chicken' with Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, it seems that the middling Suns would be willing to turn the page on the Durant-Booker chapter. Dealing him to a conference rival, one that Durant is more than familiar with in Golden State, seems likelier than it did just 24 hours ago.
Regarding a potential deal to the Warriors, Sam Amick of the Athletic stated "It’s escalated quickly. I think the Warriors thing is very real. There were moments last night where I thought this was actually going to happen.”
That already sounds like there is more traction on a potential trade for Phoenix than we've heard in prior week's regarding a deal for Butler. The Suns stand in the immediate face of a fork in the road. Trading for Butler would be them tripling down on title contention, which is seemingly all owner Matt Ishbia has signaled he would care to do since he first took charge of the team. Trading away Durant would be a display of honesty, or rather a hard look in the mirror. They are not at all likely to be title contenders with this core, and if they would like to keep Devin Booker in the desert long-term, they need to begin retooling around him, and fast.
Bradley "How in the ever-loving f--- does this guy have a no-trade clause" Beal makes retooling particularly difficult. One, because he's expensive. Two, because WASHINGTON GAVE HIM A NO-TRADE CLAUSE!!! Moving Durant to Golden State would most likely return to them Jonathon Kuminga, potentially Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins to make the money work, and whatever draft capital GSW can stomach parting with. (Hint: it ain't gonna be a lot.)
For Golden State, this is an obvious attempt at rekindling an old flame. An old flame that won back-to-back NBA titles, might I remind you. That sounds like about the best reason anyone could have for reaching out to an ex, even if said ex is a little older and a little less likely to perform as they once did. Can Kevin Durant save the Warriors, who are currently 25-24 on the season, and look about as average as ever on a nightly basis? Probably not. Would I look forward to matching up against a Curry-Durant tandem in the playoffs? Absolutely not. So, I can see the appeal, especially when thirty-five is already set to forever hang in the rafters for the Warriors.
TRADE: Celtics send Jaden Springer to Rockets, swap second-round picks
Photo via NBC Sports Boston
Spencer Galloway: Not the sexiest deal we'll see today (at least I really hope it's not!), but this is clearly a cost-cutting move by Boston. I like Jaden Springer as much as the next Celts maniac, but when your team's top six guys contract values are approaching the $1Bn mark, you can't afford to worry about the 10th man. Springer is an ultra-lively defensive terror, namely when it comes to smaller, fleet-footed guards. In the Celtics matchup with Cleveland last night, I anticipated Mazzulla calling his number, so that he may get inside the jerseys of Mitchell/Garland. It is clear now that Mazzulla was most likely instructed to keep Springer on ice until the C's found a trade partner.
Given that Reed Sheppard of all players is struggling to find consistent run for the Rockets, I find it hard to believe that Springer will be a consistent rotational guy for Houston. However, I can't get the possibility of a Thompson-Eason-Springer death lineup out of my head, even if they only do it in limited stretches to stop the most guard-heavy lineups they may encounter.