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NBA Trade Deadline: Kyrie Irving leads top fantasy basketball winners — but there are some big losers, too

The 2024-2025 NBA trade deadline was nothing short of a fantastic, historic frenzy, dramatically altering rosters and shaking up the fantasy basketball landscape. Whether it was blockbuster trades or subtle moves to duck tax aprons, fantasy managers now have plenty to analyze as players’ values shift heading into the final stretch of the season.

Here are the winners and losers from this year’s deadline.

Kyrie Irving remains a winner after Dallas made the most unprecedented move arguably in sports history by trading Luka Dončić. He’ll still have a co-star in Anthony Davis, but Irving will absorb much of Luka’s 31% usage rate. Irving was a second-round value before the trade, and with an expected increase in points and overall usage, he’ll flirt with first-round value for the rest of the season. Anthony Davis is also a winner, and I have detailed it here.

The Spurs got away with just as big of a heist as the Lakers. If De’Aaron Fox’s debut with San Antonio was any indication of what to expect (24 points (11-22 FG), 5 rebounds, 13 assists and 3 steals in 37 minutes) his fantasy stock is going off the charts. Fox stepped into a high-usage role as the top offensive piece alongside Victor Wembanyama. The fantasy gods blessed us with this pairing, and the fit within Spurs culture is perfect. Learning some from Chris Paul and having a well-rounded starting group of shotmakers only elevates his value.

Jimmy Butler got a fresh start after the Warriors acquired him from the Heat. While the fit comes with some question marks, Jimmy got paid, and he’ll put up better numbers than he did in Miami. He’s at 17/5/5 on the season, and as the second option offensively, the Warriors are banking on his scoring and playmaking, which is more dynamic than Andrew Wiggins. Butler’s a win-now player whose defense can help the Warriors wrestle out of the play-in conversation.

Losing AD left a massive gap in the Lakers frontcourt, but in a surprising move, Los Angeles acquired the 23-year-old Williams for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and future picks. Williams moves to a winning franchise that likely has a better medical staff and training regime to keep him healthy. He’ll start from the jump and offers a high upside as a finisher at the rim and rebounder. His defense hasn’t been as good this season, but with higher stakes, there’s a strong chance we’ll see a more motivated version of Williams. He’s about to run up the double-doubles, which is trending towards being a game-changing move for his fantasy value.

Sending Brandon Ingram to the Raptors was the chef’s kiss to unlock Murphy as a fantasy star. He’s averaging 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists over his last 15 games and with only CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson vying for touches, he’s a player that’s going to continue climbing the fantasy rankings. Let’s hope he doesn’t get shut down late in the season.

In 10 games LaVine missed this season, Buzelis saw the second-highest minutes boost on the team. Now that LaVine’s been traded, fantasy managers can expect Buzelis to play more than 25 minutes a night. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. The defense is an underrated aspect of Buzelis’ game, but his outlook for the rest of the season looks bright.

Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valančiūnas getting traded at the deadline removes two key elements of the Wizards’ frontcourt. Even though Sarr’s been starting, their departure offers up more minutes at each position. I don’t expect to see huge gains in efficiency; however, the rebounding, 3s and stock numbers should improve with one less chucker and big man around.

The Lakers had to move their sharpshooting rookie to address greater roster needs, but it’s not all bad for Knecht. The Hornets rebuilding efforts continue and Knecht slots in as the eventual starting SG or SF (depending on Brandon Miller’s preference). The Hornets have a shortage of scorers with LaMelo Ball out, so in the short term, Knecht is a good candidate to step into a secondary scoring position behind Miles Bridges. I’d add him in all leagues not just for his 3-point shooting, but for the minutes and potential involvement in the offense.

  • Anthony Davis – PF/C, Dallas Mavericks

  • Max Christie – SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks

  • Jusuf Nurkić – C, Charolette Hornets

  • Yves Missi – C, New Orleans Pelicans

  • Bilal Coulibaly – SG/SF, Washington Wizards

  • Zaccharie Risacher – SG/SF, Atlanta Hawks

  • Kyshawn George – SG/SF, Washington Wizards

From a basketball sense, the Heat got solid compensation for a disgruntled star. With Wiggins a part of the deal for Jimmy Butler, he unfortunately finds himself in a lineup where his offensive role dwindles to at least a third option. Also, the move away from Butler will give Nikola Jović more minutes and get Kel’el Ware into more lineups with Bam Adebayo.

Wiggins is good defensively, and his size offers a ton of versatility for the Heat, so he’ll get minutes. However, I think the Warriors was a better look for fantasy production.

Murray’s value was already trending down before the deadline, but once Zach LaVine arrived, that delivered the knockout blow. He’ll have spike games where he goes off, but adding another ball-dominant scorer into an already crowded situation will mute Murray’s fantasy output.

Smith’s fantasy upside hinged on Nikola Vučević’s being dealt, and because that didn’t happen, Smith falls into the loser category. He’s been an efficient fantasy asset in deep leagues, but in 10-12 team formats, he’s become more of a watchlist guy if the Bulls decide to mail it in late in the season.

Toronto’s decision to acquire Brandon Ingram creates chaos for their existing starters. For as much hate as Ingram gets, he’s a high-usage scorer and facilitator who’s averaged more than five assists per game in seven of nine seasons. Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes will all likely see a dip in production when Ingram joins the starting unit.

The Cavs proved that they’re ready to make a championship run. While this is a good real-life move, it hurts Hunter’s fantasy stock. Hunter was thriving in Atlanta this season, putting up career highs in points, FG and 3-point percentage. He’ll play an essential role for the Cavs, so hold him if you need 3s, but the usage and opportunity will decline.

  • Jonas Valančiūnas – C, Sacramento Kings

  • Zach LaVine – SG/SF, Sacramento Kings

  • Chris Paul, PG, San Antonio Spurs

  • Khris Middleton – SF/PF, Washington Wizards

  • Jaxon Hayes – C, Los Angeles Lakers

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