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.