Cavaliers and Lakers get better, Kevin Durant stays put after instant-classic NBA trade deadline
NEW YORK — As it turned out, the bulk of the NBA trade drama occurred before the day of the deadline.
There were no deals Thursday that matched the magnitude of Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis or Jimmy Butler changing teams.
Kevin Durant remained with the Phoenix Suns through the 3 p.m. cutoff, while Paul George stayed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Myles Turner is still an Indiana Pacer.
Still, several savvy moves in the hours leading up to the deadline could prove to be difference-makers for championship contenders.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who, at 41-10, boast the best record in the Eastern Conference, made perhaps the most consequential trade of the day Thursday, agreeing to acquire forward De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks.
It cost Cleveland two rotation players in Caris LeVert and Georges Niang, along with three second-round picks and two swaps, according to ESPN.
Hunter very well may be the missing piece for Cleveland. The 6-7 forward is averaging a career-high 19.0 points per game and is shooting 39.3% from 3-point range.
He should fit well in a five-man lineup with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the front court and Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt.
The Los Angeles Lakers, too, swung a surprise trade to fill out their roster.
They acquired Mark Williams, a 7-foot center averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, from the Charlotte Hornets for a haul that included 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht, veteran guard Cam Reddish, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap, according to ESPN.
The Lakers were in desperate need of a big man after they sent Davis to Dallas last weekend in the franchise-altering trade that brought back the generational Doncic.
The 23-year-old Williams is an excellent athlete who should complement the play-making Doncic as a lob threat.
The Lakers now have a potential starting lineup of Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Williams that looks capable of making noise if the new pieces can learn to co-exist quickly.
Helping the Lakers pull off the Williams deal was their ability to hold onto a tradeable first-round pick in the Doncic blockbuster.
Many have been critical of Dallas general manager Nico Harrison for negotiating solely with the Lakers, and for receiving only one first-round pick in the package for Doncic. At 25, Doncic already boasts five first-team All-NBA honors and led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year.
The Doncic deal overshadowed what otherwise would have been the biggest trade of this cycle: Butler to the Golden State Warriors.
The Miami Heat agreed Wednesday night to send the disgruntled Butler to the Warriors, who reportedly signed a two-year, $121 million extension.
To acquire Butler, the Warriors agreed to send Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and its protected 2025 first-round pick to Miami as part of a four-team trade also involving the Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons.
Butler’s unhappiness with his contract had led to three recent suspensions with the Heat. The Warriors hope Butler, a six-time All-Star with playoff pedigree, can help them make another championship push during Steph Curry’s window.
Reports suggested the Suns came close to dealing Durant to the Warriors, with whom he won championships in 2017 and 2018, but that the deal fell through because Durant did not want to return to Golden State. That proposed trade would have sent Butler to Phoenix.
Instead, the Suns stood pat with Durant.
The only significant player Phoenix traded Thursday was center Jusef Nurkic, who, along with a 2026 first-round pick, is headed to the Charlotte Hornets for Cody Martin, Vasilije Micic and a 2026 second-round pick, according to ESPN.
Another team hoping to prolong its championship window is the Milwaukee Bucks, whose wheeling and dealing included a trade Thursday to acquire Kevin Porter Jr. from the Los Angeles Clippers for MarJon Beauchamp.
On Wednesday, the Bucks added high-scoring forward Kyle Kuzma from the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal also involving the Knicks.
The Knicks received a bit of salary relief by sending backup center Jericho Sims to Milwaukee, while the Bucks traded Khris Middleton, a key member of their 2021 championship, to Washington.
There were no major moves in store for the Knicks, who hope to get a boost when rehabbing center Mitchell Robinson returns from last May’s ankle surgery.
The Nets, meanwhile, held onto veterans including Nic Claxton, Cam Johnson and Day’Ron Sharpe amid their rebuild. Brooklyn parted with Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith earlier this winter.
