For many NBA fans, the trade deadline is circled on their season calendar every year for its craziness and unpredictable nature. Moves like Pau Gasol to the Lakers, Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks and Rasheed Wallace to the Pistons all happened midseason and changed the landscape of the league forever.
And this year was no exception.
Twenty-one trades were made this week involving 27 teams, capping off one of the craziest trade deadlines in NBA history, and Celeb Secrets put together some of the most notable moves from the last few days in the league.
Keep scrolling to see them all and let us know what you think of each trade by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a DM on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
The Nets Blow it All Up
It all started on Monday (February 6) when the Brooklyn Nets traded Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two future second-round picks. Irving, an eight-time All Star and 2016 NBA champion, requested a trade from the Nets on Feb. 3 after the two sides were unable to agree on a new contract extension. The former Cavaliers and Celtics point guard is averaging 27 points per game this season and put up 24 in his debut for his new team on Wednesday (February 8).
The Nets weren’t done, though, as two days later they traded Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren to the Phoenix Suns for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, a 2028 pick swap and four first-round picks. A 13-time All Star in his own right, the decorated Durant is averaging nearly 30 points per game this season and will now pair with the Suns’ core of Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul.
According to NBA on TNT’s Chris Haynes, both Durant and the Nets wanted to find the best situation for the 2014 NBA MVP and there is no bad blood between the two.
The loss of these two superstars rounds out a tumultuous two years for the Nets, in which they also traded 10-time All Star James Harden to the 76ers at last season’s trade deadline. Together, the trio played in just 16 games together and won one playoff series. The Nets currently sit at 32-22, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Three-Team Tomfoolery
In the Western Conference, three teams fighting for playoff spots shook up the league on Wednesday (February 8). The Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz agreed to terms that sent D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt to Los Angeles, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Minnesota and Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones to Utah. The Timberwolves also got a 2024 second-round pick swap as well as second-round picks in 2025 and 2026 while Utah received a 2027 first-round pick.
The move ends Westbrook’s time in LA, where the 2017 NBA MVP was set to make $47 million in the final year of his contract. He’s averaging 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists this season and transitioned to a bench role earlier in the year for a Lakers team that sits 13th in the conference.
This trade also reunites Russell, Beasley and Vanderbilt, who all played in Minnesota from 2019 to 2022. This past offseason, Beasley and Vanderbilt were sent to Utah in a blockbuster trade that brought Rudy Gobert to the Wolves.
California Dreamin’
The Lakers continued to make moves into Thursday, as they shipped Patrick Beverly and a future second-round pick to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Mo Bamba. This came a couple hours after Los Angeles traded backup big man Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets for Davon Reed and three second-round picks.
The Los Angeles Clippers were also big movers at the deadline, as they acquired Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee on Thursday afternoon in three separate trades. In exchange, they sent Reggie Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets, Luke Kennard to the Memphis Grizzlies, John Wall to the Houston Rockets and two second-round picks to the Nuggets.
Rounding out the California teams, the Golden State Warriors traded James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons in a three-team deal that also sent Saddiq Bey to the Atlanta Hawks and gave the Warriors Kevin Knox and five second-round picks. Golden State then flipped that package and sent it to Portland for Gary Payton II, reuniting the guard with the team that he won a championship with last season.
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The Rest
As mentioned before, 21 trades were made in the span of four days, some of which weren’t even listed here. Other notable moves include San Antonio Spurs‘ Jakob Poeltl heading back to Toronto, Josh Richardson going to The Big Easy and Jae Crowder getting shipped to Milwaukee. You can view every move made at this season’s deadline here.
