The 2024-25 NBA trade deadline was one of the best in years, and all the activity has made waves in the fantasy world. These are the fantasy basketball trade deadline winners and losers broken down by each major deal.
Fantasy Basketball 2025 NBA Trade Deadline Winners and Losers
Mavericks Trade Doncic to Lakers For Davis In Blockbuster Move
Mavericks receive Anthony Davis and Max Christie. Lakers receive Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. Jazz receive Jalen Hood-Schifino.
Winners: In a shocking move, Davis finds himself on the Mavericks, where he’ll reportedly spend more time at power forward. The 31-year-old gets a slight boost without LeBron James, and his offensive production should benefit. Likewise, Kyrie Irving is also a winner with his backcourt co-star gone. His 26.8% usage and playmaking duties should increase as he leads the team’s offence.
Losers: The biggest losers are Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Even though one of them will sometimes play alongside Davis, the nine-time All-Star kills their fantasy relevance. The backup center will take the brunt of the damage, which will likely be Gafford. However, he still holds some value as Lively is out for at least a few more weeks due to a stress fracture in his ankle. P.J. Washington also takes a hit as his role changes. He is expected to shift to small forward, and his contributions in points and rebounds will dip. Moreover, adding Christie indicates less playing time for Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum. In a similar situation is Austin Reaves, who is paired in the backcourt with a very ball-dominant player who holds a top-10 usage rate in the league (31.9%).
Neutral: Don’t worry, Doncic will still be a superstar with the Lakers. He’ll spearhead the offence, and his elite fantasy production is safe. As for Christie, he was a starter in Los Angeles but is now demoted to the bench. While he played the most minutes (32) of the reserves in his Dallas debut, multiple players were out. The shooting guard may find it more difficult to make his presence felt when the team is at full strength. However, if the team elects to continue giving him a significant role, Christie could be a winner. Finally, Kleber and Morris remain off the fantasy radar, and Hood-Schifino was waived.
Spurs Get Fox and LaVine Goes To Kings In 3-Team Deal
Spurs receive De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin. Kings receive Zach LaVine and Sidy Cissoko. Bulls receive Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones.
Winners: Fox’s usage and production should increase as he joins a team with less star power. The point guard will continue to lead the charge offensively and could see a spike in assists with his new pick-and-roll mate, Victor Wembanyama. He played well in his Spurs debut and had a two-way impact. Fox’s absence on the Kings creates some extra playing time for Keon Ellis. It’s not enough to make him an add in standard leagues, but he gets a boost in deeper formats. Chicago’s Coby White, Josh Giddey, Ayo Dosunmu and Matas Buzelis are also reaping the benefits without LaVine. The latter two are excellent fantasy pickups, as they’ve already impressed in increased roles.
Losers: LaVine went from being the main guy on the Bulls to having two co-stars. His production, notably offensively, will slightly decline alongside DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis. The guard/forward struggled to hit shots in his first game for Sacramento, but it’ll take some time to find his footing. Initially, Chris Paul was the biggest loser as Fox was expected to take his starting point guard job. Instead of moving to the bench, the 39-year-old shifted to shooting guard, joining Fox in the first unit. Paul had a solid line, but the new star will eat into his numbers. Collins will also cut into Jalen Smith’s playing time as the two compete for backup center minutes. The big man is a decent per-minute producer and was a popular stash in anticipation of a Nikola Vucevic trade but is now a drop.
Neutral: Most players involved in the deal don’t impact fantasy. McLaughlin is irrelevant, and the Wizards acquired Cissoko and later waived him. The trio of Collins, Huerter and Jones don’t figure to have significant roles but will still take away some minutes. Sabonis and DeRozan won’t see major changes with their production, as this trade was just a star swap. Although, the latter could dish out some more assists.
Bucks and Wizards Swap Middleton and Kuzma
Bucks receive Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Jericho Sims. Wizards receive Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson. Knicks receive Delon Wright.
Winners: Most managers didn’t expect Kuzma to be this disappointing. Currently ranked 327th in category leagues, injuries and inconsistency resulted in one of the worst seasons of his career. It’s difficult to see how the forward’s value could worsen on the Bucks. Being the third option behind two stars takes pressure off him offensively, and a fresh start could be what Kuzma needs. Leaving a tanking team who will have silly season shennanigans is also a bonus. On that note, Johnson is a candidate to see the floor more down the stretch, which is a better opportunity for him. But the big winners here are Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, who will take the reigns of the Wizards. Both are must-adds as they receive more responsibilities.
Losers: Middleton’s impact over the past few years hasn’t been the same due to injuries. The 33-year-old is no longer playing for a contender. Instead, he’s on a team that will soon prioritize its younger players. Moreover, Kuzma is expected to start at small forward, reducing Taurean Prince to the bench.
Neutral: Baldwin Jr. was flipped and sent to San Antonio, where he was waived. Sims’s fantasy value doesn’t change in Milwaukee.
Kings Add Valanciunas
Kings receive Jonas Valanciunas. Wizards receive: Sidy Cissoko.
Winners: Sarr can finally absorb the minutes of his former backup. The rookie’s 26.8 minutes per game can reach around 30, and Washington has no notable centers to cut into his playing time.
Losers: Valanciunas is in for a significant decrease backing up a star like Sabonis at center. It’s unlikely he’ll have enough fantasy relevance for more than streaming. Trey Lyles and Alex Len will be competing with Valanciunas for minutes at the five, although they’re off the fantasy radar.
Neutral: The Wizards cut Cissoko.
Butler Sent To Warriors In 4-Team Trade
Warriors receive Jimmy Butler. Heat receive Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and P.J. Tucker. Pistons receive Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson. Jazz receive Dennis Schroder.
Winners: Butler and fantasy managers alike are winners. The disgruntled forward is finally done serving a suspension and gets a fresh start in Golden State. Butler should be motivated and content with a hefty pay cheque and a new destination. Paired alongside Stephen Curry, the two will lead the team’s offence. Golden State sent out multiple players in the deal, which could mean Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield see a few extra minutes. Both have struggled with consistency but are players to monitor. The Jazz’s backcourt was saved from being losers as Schroder was rerouted to the Pistons. There, he can improve his value with Jaden Ivey sidelined with a long-term injury. The guard had a great run with the Nets until he was shipped to the Warriors. His addition impacts Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley.
Losers: This blockbuster deal created more losers than winners. Most notable is the impact on the Heat and the logjam of forwards. Wiggins should keep his starting spot, but Miami has multiple promising young players in the frontcourt who will eat some of his minutes. The Canadian also goes from being the second option to the third. Similarly, Anderson struggled to get playing time on the Warriors and will have the same problem with his new team. The rising Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic also take massive hits with two incoming forwards. They’ll likely end up being drops.
Neutral: Tucker, Waters and Richardson don’t move the needle in fantasy and don’t require any moves.
Raptors Trade For Brandon Ingram
Raptors receive Brandon Ingram. Pelicans receive Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk.
Winners: There are no winners in this trade.
Losers: Toronto’s core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley are all negatively impacted with the addition of a star. The main damage is to their offensive numbers, with more minor hits to their rebounds and stocks. Karlo Matkovic will also share some of his backup center minutes with Olynyk.
Neutral: Ingram’s value remains relatively unchanged on his new team. He played alongside three stars on the Pelicans and is moving to a similar situation. The caveat is that the 27-year-old has an unclear timeline for returning from his ankle injury. He’s been out since early December and only appeared in 18 games this year. Brown and Olynyk’s roles remain unchanged, and both can have increased value in silly season.
Lakers Swap Knecht For Hornets’ Williams
Lakers receive Mark Williams. Hornets receive Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish.
Winners: Knecht gets a bump in value with the Hornets being shorthanded and having nothing to play for. A shutdown is likely coming for franchise star LaMelo Ball, giving the rookie an opportunity he wouldn’t have had with his former team. The 17th overall pick only got a handful of starts due to injuries, but he dazzled managers in that position. Knecht should slot in as the starting shooting guard and is a great pickup. At the time, Moussa Diabate looked like the player benefitting the most from the trade, but another move changed that.
Losers: This deal has very few losers. The primary victims are Charlotte’s backcourt, which will need to adjust to Knecht’s addition.
Neutral: Williams’s role remains relatively unchanged, except that he’s no longer on a team that will participate in silly season shenanigans. This means managers won’t have to worry much about many missed games come playoff time. Reddish is off the fantasy radar until the Hornets tank.
Suns Ship Out Nurkic To Hornets
Hornets receive Jusuf Nurkic. Suns receive Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic.
Winners: Nurkic is one of the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline from a fantasy standpoint. After a rough season and falling out of favour with the Suns, the big man can reclaim a starting spot. The 30-year-old hasn’t played in a month but is now a must-add. Charlotte also sent out two players in this deal, which helps free up some playing time for other guys.
Losers: Diabate got bumped right back down to the bench after expecting to take over Williams’s job. He should still get his moment in the second half of the season when there’s no reason for the team to try.
Neutral: In Phoenix, there are a plethora of bench players competing for action with two new additions. Micic and Martin are buried in the rotation and won’t have the same opportunities on the star-studded Suns. Both players were only streamers, so the trade doesn’t have many fantasy implications for them.
Cavaliers Acquire De’Andre Hunter
Cavaliers receive De’Andre Hunter. Hawks receive Caris LeVert and Georges Niang.
Winners: This move doesn’t improve the situations for any players involved, but it does hint that Ty Jerome can get a slight boost. The former first-round pick recorded some impressive performances this season and proved his ability to step up. The guard is a player to watch.
Losers: Hunter’s fantasy relevance is essentially down the drain. He’s now the fifth/sixth option on a stacked Cavaliers team, and it’s unclear whether he’ll start or backup Max Strus. Regardless, it’s tough to see how he’ll maintain enough value to be rosterable. Atlanta has two players incoming, which takes some minutes from their guards and forwards.
Neutral: LeVert isn’t moving to a more favourable situation, and he should remain a bench option with streaming value. The Hawks later traded Bogdan Bogdanovic so LeVert fill in as the sixth man. Meanwhile, Niang remains off the fantasy radar. Ultimately, the four new additions (including Terance Mann and Bones Hyland) don’t change the fantasy value of any players in Atlanta.
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