Assessing, grading four Western Conference teams that underwent full makeovers at the NBA trade deadline

Remember when we thought the new collective bargaining agreement had ruined the trade deadline? It looks like we can put that narrative to rest because we just witnessed the craziest trade deadline in NBA history.

Interestingly enough, the majority of the deadline action was concentrated in the Western Conference, where four teams made moves that could have a dramatic effect on their franchises for the rest of this season and seasons to come. Let’s take a closer look at those teams that had full makeovers and assess their respective transformations:

Los Angeles Lakers (30-19): A+

Heading into February, the Lakers were expected to make a couple of moves around the edges for a center and maybe another rotation player. We all know what happened next — Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was approached by his old friend, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, and gifted one of the best players in the NBA: Luka Doncic. A few days later, they acquired an oft-injured, but immensely gifted vertical threat in Mark Williams from the perpetually awful Hornets.

With the two moves, the Lakers changed the trajectory of their franchise from a desperate and aging pseudo-contender in the Western Conference to a team with one of the highest ceilings for the next decade. And they still have LeBron James, who, by the way, is playing like a top-five player in the NBA the past month.

Forget about the future, this team can win it all right now. Ignore the talking heads on TV questioning whether Doncic and LeBron can coexist. It’s becoming glaringly obvious that those hot-take artists don’t actually watch basketball — did they miss Doncic carrying the Mavericks to the Finals last season with an inferior sidekick? Did they skip the Olympics this past summer where LeBron morphed into a superhero version of Draymond Green, allowing his superstar teammates like Stephen Curry to do what they do best? Assuming good health, this Lakers team’s size, physicality and basketball acumen is going to be a problem for any opponent in a seven-game series.

Dallas Mavericks (27-25): D- (only out of respect for Anthony Davis)

Are they better in the long-term with Anthony Davis and Max Christie over Doncic? Absolutely not. 

Oh, then they must be better in the short-term with Davis and Christie instead of Doncic, right? Also, no. 

Yikes, well they must assuredly be contenders this season? Well, if the playoffs began today, they’d have to win their way out of the play-in tournament, so take that as you will.

By trading a Pantheon-level player at the beginning of his prime, and by failing to drive up the price by getting other teams to bid against one another, Nico Harrison single-handedly turned the Mavericks into a desperate win-now team, immensely devalued the franchise and ticked off one of the league’s fiercest competitors. He’ll have to atone for his sins someday — perhaps even this offseason if Doncic goes scorched-earth the rest of the season and the Mavericks flame out.

Golden State Warriors (25-26): B

After being interested in a reunion with Kevin Durant — and that interest not being mutual — the Warriors settled for a consolation prize in Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Buckets isn’t exactly marriage material — as the Bulls, Timberwolves, Sixers and Heat can attest — but maybe Stephen Curry can fix him!

Joking aside, this was a justifiable risk for the Warriors to take as a motivated Butler will give them the second shot creator they’ve lacked ever since KD left. While they had to give him an extension for next season as part of the deal, they didn’t have to deal all that much (Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson and a top-10-protected first-round pick). Plus, they owe it to Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr to give them at least a puncher’s chance at making a run in the playoffs. However, they’ll just have to actually make the playoffs first as they currently sit in 11^th place in the West with this next team breathing down their neck.

San Antonio Spurs (22-26): A+

The Lakers were the headline, but we may look back at this deadline someday and say the Spurs won it for a multitude of reasons. First, they acquired one of the better lead guards in the NBA in De’Aaron Fox — the first star player to hitch his wagon to Victor Wembanyama. Second, they acquired Fox without having to give up any of their young supporting cast (Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell or Jeremy Sochan) or best future draft assets.

Finally, the Atlanta Hawks, who are in ninth place in the East and only 2.5 games ahead of the 11^th place Philadelphia 76ers, opted to trade away two of their better players (De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic). The Hawks owe the Spurs their unprotected 2025 first-round pick, a 2026 first-round pick swap and an unprotected 2027 first-round pick. And Trae Young is reportedly growing uneasy with the direction of the franchise. These next two draft classes are loaded at the top, so the Spurs could be adding multiple elite draft prospects to an already-stacked young roster.