When it comes to NBA trades at last month's deadline, there certainly were plenty to choose from. Far from being a barren wasteland on the transaction market, as many had predicted thanks to new rules and restrictions on payrolls--the dreaded first and second aprons of the luxury tax--the deadline was one of the most exciting in the history of the league.
There were 21 trades by 25 teams in all. One, certainly, caught the most attention, and that was the deal that sent Luka Doncic from the Mavericks to the Lakers, a trade that has vaulted L.A. into contender status and seems to have sunk Dallas altogether.
The Lakers have won eight in a row. But another team made a blockbuster at the deadline, too, and now has changed its ceiling because of it: the Warriors, who have now gone 10-2 in their last 12 games, with the addition of Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat being the chief reason.
For "NBA on TNT" talker and Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, it was that trade that counts as the top trade of the deadline.
Shaq says Butler to GSW was his "favorite trade" of the season
Kenny says Jimmy is "playing a lot freer" alongside Steph pic.twitter.com/1wmdVWA8Sd
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 7, 2025
"This was my favorite trade because I knew Jimmy was gonna be playing with a new type of energy and, he's a two-way player," O'Neal said. "He can step out and shoot the 3, play on the inside. ... He has been going to the free-throw line. He is playing with a chip on his shoulder."
Butler has averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists (going to the free-throw line 7.5 times per game) since joining the Warriors, who are clinging to the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference (which would avoid the play-in tournament) by a half-game over the Timberwolves.
Related: Stephen Curry Goes Viral for What He Did Before Halftime in Warriors vs. Nets
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This story was originally published March 7, 2025 at 4:06 AM.