Luka’s a Lakers, Butler’s in the Bay, and the Cavs went Hunting. Lots to watch. Also… I make a case for why the new All-Star Game format will be fun!
We know the NBA changes rapidly, but that was a wild trade deadline. No player was safe. From stars like Luka Dončić to, um, veterans like Cody Zeller, there are so many old faces on new teams that it was hard to keep up.
We’ll all get a bit more time to process the changes later this week as the NBA All-Star weekend rolls around. Until then, there’s a few gamedays where we can see how the traded players are faring.
I’ll highlight the biggest names below, and one game that could inch the Philadelphia 76ers closer to the play-in, which I’ve been saying all year without them ever cracking the glorious 10th seed. But, don’t let their inconsistencies sour your NBA appetite, there is much to enjoy.
Feb. 10: Los Angeles Lakers @ Utah Jazz
In 50 years, the 2025 NBA trade deadline, and maybe the whole season, will be remembered as the Luka deadline. For reasons they’re still trying to get people to understand, the Dallas Mavericks traded the transcendent superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers.
After dealing with an injury, Luka seems set to make his Laker debut tonight. He’s been upgraded to ‘questionable’ and coach JJ Redick said Luka is “likely” to suit up against the Utah Jazz. It’s can’t miss TV. Even if the Jazz are a horrendously bad basketball team that are actively trying to lose, it’s the first time we’ll see a star of Luka’s magnitude that got traded mid-season unleash his famous wrath on a foe.
A new era in Los Angeles
Luka Doncic is expected to make his Lakers debut tonight vs. the Jazz!
10:30 PM ET on ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+
Feb. 11: Detroit Pistons @ Chicago Bulls
Chicago finally got rid of Zach LaVine, trading him to the Sacramento Kings. LaVine has played awesome this year. The Bulls didn’t get much back for him. Those two facts mean the Bulls should get worse and fall from their current 10th-seed position, opening up a spot for the Philadelphia 76ers.
And Detroit should beat them. They did less than two weeks ago and slightly improved their team by picking up Dennis Schröder from the Golden State Warriors in a multi-team trade built around Jimmy Butler heading from Miami to Golden State.
Schröder should help alleviate the heavy playmaking burden Detroit’s Cade Cunningham carries every game. Cade has thrived with it. He’s led the Pistons to the sixth seed and earned his first All-Star nod. But he turns the ball over a lot. Of the 10 players in the league with a usage rate higher than 30.0, only Victor Wembanyama has a higher turnover ratio (percentage of a player’s possessions that end in a turnover) than Cade. Wemby’s is 12.1 and Cade’s is 12.0.
Adding a playmaker for Cade to play off and hand the ball to when his vision for a possession isn’t coming to fruition should ease up the turnovers and make Detroit’s 15th-ranked offense rise a few spots.
First bucket as a Piston was a big one@DS17_FG × #DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/MMuuLeXUxK
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) February 9, 2025
Feb. 12: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Toronto Raptors
The Cleveland Cavaliers broke up their magnificent regular season squad in a move they hope will pay off come playoffs. They traded Caris LeVert, Georges Niang and some second-round picks and swaps to the Atlanta Hawks for DeAndre Hunter.
Hunter is the wing the Cavs have sought for the past half-decade. In theory, he should fit perfectly between their star backcourt and star frontcourt. He was having a career year coming off Atlanta’s bench, averaging his most points (19.0) and highest three-point percentage of his six-year career. If his offense transfers and he makes more use of his 6-foot-8 frame on defense, the Cavs could genuinely threaten Boston these playoffs, and yes, that needs to be said despite their East-leading record. It don’t mean a thing…
Toronto’s major addition at the trade deadline was Brandon Ingram. They’re set to be a very intriguing roster of lengthy and tall playmaking wings. But, Ingram is injured right now so his debut is postponed. Also, despite a recent strong run, the Raptors probably want high lottery chances this offseason, so maybe Ingram’s debut will have to wait.
Feb. 13: Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets
Steph has help! As mentioned, playoff riser and multiple time trade-forcer Jimmy Butler now plays next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. He’s the final move for a franchise desperate to extend their legacy to a fifth championship. They were victorious in their first game together, and comfortably so. But that was against the Bulls. This Rockets team will be a great test.
Ime Udoka’s Rockets, though slipping recently, are the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They have the fourth-best defense and seventh-best net rating. They force the fourth-worst field goal percentage and limit threes at the second-best rate in the league. Steph and Jimmy have enough star power to overcome any defense, so watching them navigate this abrasive Rockets team, led by the all-encompassing arms and speed of Amen Thompson, will be cinema.
Feb. 14-16: All-Star Weekend
With Trae Young being announced as Giannis Antetokoumpo’s injury replacement for the Eastern All-Stars, it looks like no Philadelphia 76ers will be participating in the hallmark weekend. Tyrese Maxey has been playing like an All-Star as of late. But, it was just that, late.
Although the weekend has become stale in recent years, it’s still worth a watch. There’s a new All-Star game format that I …like?!
For 2025, there will be four ‘All-Star’ teams: The 24-player All-Star pool is split into three teams, drafted by the Inside The NBA hosts. The fourth team will be the winning team of the Rising Stars teams, which play a tournament on Feb. 14.
The winning Rising Stars team and the Three All-Star teams will play in a single-elimination tournament, so two semi-finals and one final. For each game, whoever reaches 40 points first wins.
It’s gimmicky. But, the NBA wanted competition. Call me naive, but I think the addition of the Rising Stars team will bring just that. The young players will want to prove they can beat the best of the best, and the All-Stars won’t want to lose to a bunch of nobodies.
If the Rising Stars make the Final, it should be a fun day, right?! Am I crazy for thinking that? I know that means the semi-final without the Rising Stars will be boring… but it was boring anyway. At least the games will be quicker.