The Athletic NBA Daily – "Best NBA Trades of 2025 | Morning Shoot Around"
Date: January 1, 2026
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht, Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Esfandiar Baraheni (Baron)
Episode Overview
This special New Year’s episode of The Athletic NBA Daily features a lively roundtable discussion of the top 10 most impactful and fascinating NBA trades of 2025. The hosts break down deal-by-deal not only the short-term on-court impact, but also implications for team futures, fan sentiment, league narratives, and front office decision-making. With plenty of debate, notable insight and a few surprise picks, the crew gives NBA die-hards a clear-eyed look at how the league’s biggest moves shifted the power structure for 2026 and beyond.
Key Themes & Discussion Points
- Evaluating trades for both immediate and future impact
- Organizational philosophy: win-now vs. asset accumulation vs. tanking
- How player fit, locker room dynamics, and leadership matter beyond stats
- Draft pick swaps, lottery odds, and rebuilding timelines
- Which teams "won" or "lost" major deals
- The risks and rewards of consolidating or pivoting franchise directions
Segment Breakdown & Major Trades
Honorable Mention: Nikhil Alexander-Walker S&T to Atlanta
[03:04 – 10:40]
- Trade: Nikhil Alexander-Walker (NAW) to Atlanta in a sign-and-trade from Minnesota.
- Impact on Minnesota: The Wolves are feeling the loss; bench point guard depth collapsed after betting on Rob Dillingham, who “just hasn’t panned out.” (Dave, 04:20)
- Quotes:
- “The trickle down effect from losing Nikhil for them is actually way bigger than just starting point guard. It’s their whole bench point guard depth fell apart.” – Dave (04:20)
- “Maybe you trade one of those guys [Reed or Randle]... But Nas Reid, fan favorite... Julius Randle having an All Star season. How do you, how do you trade him but also get back what you’re missing?” – Zena (06:35)
- The group wonders if Minnesota will rebalance their roster, possibly targeting a guard like Kobe White, while considering the aging core and development of young big John Barringer.
#10: Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia
[10:40 – 13:40]
- Trade: Grimes from Dallas (plus a 2025 2nd-rounder), for Caleb Martin (plus a 2030 2nd); move hasn't paid off for either Dallas or Philly yet.
- “For Dallas... a whole lot of nothing for a potentially rotation player.” – Andrew Schlecht (11:42)
- Interesting note: Grimes had a brief scoring explosion in Philly. “I don't think I knew that Quentin Grimes was capable of 40 point games until he got to Philly.” – Baron (12:31)
#9: The Jimmy Butler Five-Team Blockbuster
[13:44 – 21:47]
- Key Trade Pieces: Jimmy Butler to Golden State; Andrew Wiggins & Davion Mitchell to Miami
- Butler in GS: “He joins the team, they go 23 and 8 to close the rest of the season. He elevates them into the playoffs, gives Stephen Curry the much needed break...” – Baron (14:25)
- Butler in Warrior Culture: “Even the whole Draymond-Kerr thing, like, [Butler] came out and said he gets turned on by the competition factor. ...$50 million will buy you in very nicely." – Baron (16:08)
- Wiggins/Mitchell in Miami: Wiggins' defense and athleticism plus "Davion Mitchell saved his career." – Group consensus (14:09–14:14)
- Debate: Is Butler raising the Warriors' ceiling, or did they lose too much? Is roster fit with Curry and Draymond still awkward?
- “What you’re missing in Andrew Wiggins, you’re starting to see Danthy Melton and Will Richard kind of combine to give you that." – Baron (19:47)
- “More than anything, this team needs a big man. They just need a very large person and it'll cover up a lot.” – Baron (20:14)
#8: Brandon Ingram to Toronto
[21:58 – 27:51]
- Trade: Brandon Ingram to Raptors for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, ‘26 1st, ‘31 2nd
- Toronto gets value for little cost, fits “their way of doing business.”
- “He surprisingly is near the top of the league in minutes played, which is not something we’ve been able to say for Brandon Ingram.” – Zena (22:46)
- Concerns: Raptors’ lack of depth, injury risk, unbalanced roster, potential for further trades.
- “They basically have leaned into Project 6-9 again… they have seven shooting guards…” – Zena (26:33)
#7: Michael Porter Jr. to Brooklyn Nets
[28:01 – 35:39]
- Trade: MPJ (plus 2032 1st) to Brooklyn for Cam Johnson
- Why Did Denver Move On? Health, fit, and chance to add depth via making room for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas (Zena, 32:02).
- MPJ thriving in Brooklyn under coach Jordy Fernandez: “...the confidence with which [he] came in, and then you just saw, like, the meekness that Cam Johnson came and started the season with with Denver.” – Baron (31:02)
- The group riffs on a hypothetical MPJ-to-Magic/Palo Banchero trade, ultimately finds the politics of moving a #1 pick unworkable (35:00 approx).
- “If we could just take away the fact that Paulo was the number one pick... would Michael Porter Jr. make this Orlando Magic team a little bit better? It's possible.” – Andrew (35:24)
#6: Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to L.A. Clippers
[41:14 – 45:55]
- Trade: Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to Clippers in a 3-team deal
- Kawhi’s huge scoring load since: “Kawhi has basically had to average 35 points over the last month... to make up for what they miss from the scoring of Norm Powell and James Harden.” – Zena (41:35)
- “Norm Powell is an All Star... He might make it this year.” – Dave (42:42, 42:46)
- The Clippers’ calculation was future cap space, but the loss of Powell is sorely felt. Miami scores a “plug-and-play” bucket-getter.
- “That’s why I’m like, you can’t really compare what Jimmy does for Warriors. But Norm Powell...” – Baron (44:47)
#5: Cedric Coward to Memphis Grizzlies
[45:55 – 51:37]
- Trade: Orlando’s 2028 1st, two 2nds, and Hanson Young for Cedric Coward
- Coward is already a centerpiece: “He plays like he’s been in the league for a long time already.” – Andrew (46:14)
- “Cedric Coward very clearly has like all star, all NBA potential, and he’s the final puzzle piece. It’s just, can Ja hold up his end of the bargain?” – Zena (48:29)
- “Memphis is known for grit and resilience—and that’s Coward’s story, too.” – Baron (49:07)
#4: Indiana Pacers Get Their 2026 1st-Round Pick Back from the Pelicans
[52:07 – 55:52]
- Trade: Pacers recover their own 2026 first from Pelicans just before Halliburton’s injury
- “If they end up with one of the top three picks… then this team is back.” – Andrew (53:53)
- Serendipitous timing; “This is the basketball gods rewarding ethical hoops.” – Dave (54:00)
- Could set up a ‘Tim Duncan/Kawhi Leonard’ style reboot in Indy: “They can Tim Duncan this thing.” – Zena (55:03)
#3: Kevin Durant to Houston Rockets
[55:52 – 58:46]
- Trade: KD to Houston for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the #10 pick (transferred to Suns)
- Immediate ceiling boost for Rockets; chance to reshape post-LeBron Lakers in the West.
- “This is a huge one. I mean it allowed the Suns to clean house... and it gives them a chance to start out fresh.” – Dave (58:17)
- Also a “win-win” for Phoenix, who shed salary, picked up defensive toughness (Brooks), and a blue-chip rookie.
#2: De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio Spurs (Three-team deal)
[58:46 – 66:04]
- Major Moves: Fox to Spurs, Zach LaVine to Kings, assorted role players and picks moved
- Opened Spurs’ title window with Wemby: “That trade opened Wemby’s title window.” – Dave (60:48)
- Bulls “sneak in” to offload LaVine’s contract to Kings.
- “The vaunted position, right, because Trey Young wanted to get himself to San Antonio... and Fox kind of won out that race.” – Zena (65:13)
- “Now you have a guy who is going to perform in the clutch time and not just wimby.” – Dave (64:10)
#1: Luka Dončić Blockbuster: Dallas Mavericks to Los Angeles Lakers
[70:52 – 75:46]
- Trade: Luka to the Lakers at deadline; Dallas “saved” only by luck (winning draft lottery/post-trade).
- “Luka got traded this year. In the middle of the night, Luka Doncic got traded, and it completely ripped apart the Dallas Mavericks." – Andrew (70:52)
- Era-defining ripple effect; Dallas loses franchise cornerstone due to front office misfires and locker-room decay.
- “It is the most...has the potential to be the worst trade in sports history.” – Dave (73:22)
- “If Luka wins a couple championships, a couple MVPs and Dallas does nothing, we're going to think about this as the Luka Doncic curse on that franchise.” – Dave (73:03)
- The trade is so monumental that a local funeral was held for the Mavs’ championship hopes (Zena, 72:37).
Additional Noteworthy Trades
- Pacers-Pelicans-Hawks Pick Swap: Hawks receive Pelicans’ unprotected pick; Pelicans gamble and could lose out on a top-3 prospect.
“They overestimated clearly how good they'd be this year.” – Zena (69:43) - Cedric Coward to Grizzlies – A surprise rookie now central to their future.
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- “Jimmy Butler is doing the whole, like...shut up and dribble thing, but he’s playing and he’s happy and he likes the competition.” – Baron (16:08)
- “Anthony Edwards is ready to win now. So, how do you get the pieces together? How do you get the young guys to catch up to what he has? I think that’s the question for them.” – Zena (09:39)
- "This is the basketball gods rewarding ethical hoops.” – Dave (54:00)
- “Luka got traded this year. In the middle of the night...it completely ripped apart the Dallas Mavericks." – Andrew (70:52)
- “If Luka wins a couple championships...we’re going to think about this as the Luka Doncic curse on that franchise.” – Dave (73:03)
- “The initial run where Luka just came out and they were gangbusters...it was enough to get [the GM] fired.” – Dave (74:02)
General Observations and Tone
- The show was conversational, quick-witted, and occasionally irreverent.
- Lots of knowledgeable, in-depth hoops talk, peppered with playful banter and a healthy dose of hindsight.
- The panel doesn’t shy away from disagreements, especially when assessing player value or hypothesizing alternate timelines.
- Frequent references to fan reactions, organizational pressures, and the ever-present balance between asset flexibility and win-now urgency.
Time-Stamped Highlights
- 04:20 – Wolves’ bench collapses without NAW; the ripple effects of one “minor” trade
- 14:09 – “Davion Mitchell...he’s such a Heat player. Oh my gosh.”
- 19:47 – “What you’re missing in Andrew Wiggins, you’re starting to see Danthy Melton and Will Richard kind of combine...”
- 22:46 – “He [Ingram] surprisingly is near the top of the league in minutes played...”
- 29:30 – 30:05 – The MPJ discourse: great shooter, “sounds like he’s never read a book in his life”
- 41:35 – Clippers’ struggles after trading away Norman Powell
- 54:00 – “This is the basketball gods rewarding ethical hoops.”
- 60:48 – "The de'Aaron Fox trade opened Wemby's title window."
- 70:52 – “Luka got traded...and it completely ripped apart the Dallas Mavericks.”
- 73:22 – “It has the potential to be the worst trade in sports history.”
Concluding Thoughts
- The episode offers both a snapshot of the NBA’s rapidly changing landscape and a nuanced perspective on the ripple effects of major trades.
- The Luka deal will reverberate for years, but several other “smaller” trades may prove decisive for the league’s next era.
- Several rebuilding teams (Raptors, Pacers, Spurs, Grizzlies) made stealth moves that may swing future playoff races.
- Panel consensus: 2025’s trades set up the NBA for a fascinating, wide-open future.
For listeners new and old, this episode delivers smart, passionate basketball talk with plenty of memorable insight – a must-listen for anyone curious about how NBA teams shape their destinies behind the trade desk.
