Circumstances presented the Lakers with an opportunity to play the ultimate long game, with an offer they couldn’t refuse while the Warriors had to make a gamble on Jimmy Butler that in ordinary circumstances they might not have.

The 2025 NBA trade deadline has come and gone in one of the most impactful week’s of trade activity the league has ever seen. Every star that requested a trade got dealt (which doesn’t always happen), most of the league got involved in at least one trade, and the week began with the most shocking deal in league history.