5 players who should have been traded at the deadline, but weren’t

The 2025 NBA trade deadline will go down in the history books as one of the most bonkers and transformative weeks in league history.

I am still not over the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis swap. The Dallas Mavericks alienated their entire fanbase and dipped on a 25-year-old MVP candidate for no discernibly good reason. In return, the Mavs will attempt to build a title contender around an older, more injury-prone big man who historically needs a top-shelf creator next to him.

That was not the only blockbuster to cross the finish line, however. De'Aaron Fox, Zach LaVine, Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram and Khris Middleton are all on new teams. The NBA landscape has been irrevocably altered. The competitive odds have shifted. The long-term outlook for several franchises is radically different. We are not watching the same NBA we were a few days ago.

In total, 63 players were moved at the deadline. So much for teams getting gun-shy in the face of a more restrictive collective bargaining agreement. Those tax aprons did very little to keep desperate GMs from probing the market for last-second additions (or subtractions). And, the craziest thing is, so many more players should have been dealt.

This deadline could be remembered as much for who didn't get traded as who did get traded. Here are a few noteworthy names who probably should've been part of the pre-Feb. 6 chaos.

Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like it, share it with an enemy!

5. Wizards have no excuse for keeping Malcolm Brogdon

Malcolm Brogdon is in the final year of his contract, worth $22.5 million. That is a big number, but he has historically been worth it as a former Rookie of the Year turned top sixth man. The Washington Wizards are 9-41 right now. There is no benefit to keeping a 32-year-old "mentor" on the roster this late in the season, especially after trading for both Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton.

The Wizards aren't at risk of winning too many games, and we shouldn't discount the wisdom Brogdon can impart on Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and Washington's young guards. That said, there is only so much mileage one can get from wisened 30-somethings in a losing situation. The Wizards have two battle-tested vets joining the mix in Middleton and Smart. What better time to offload the expiring Brogdon, who will almost certainly sign with a contender in the offseason?

Washington did a nice job of stockpiling draft capital on the margins, including a fruitful Jonas Valanciunas trade, but this stands out as a blatant missed opportunity. Brogdon isn't enjoying his best season, but one has to imagine there was a market for his services, especially with no long-term strings attached. Now he's going to finish out the campaign on the worst team in basketball. Nobody wins here.

4. Bulls not dumping Nikola Vucevic is a indefensible miscalculation

The Chicago Bulls didn't receive anything meaningful from the Zach LaVine trade, despite their 29-year-old swingman enjoying what is arguably his best season to date. That was fine, though, because it moved Chicago toward a full-blown rebuild. Then the Bulls refused to follow through, signing Lonzo Ball to an extension and clinging to Nikola Vucevic in his age-34 season.

Bulls president Arturas Karnisovas told reporters it is all "worth it" if the Bulls crack the Play-In Tournament. What are we even doing here? There's no reason to offload LaVine's contract for pennies on the dollar, except to increase financial flexibility and to create more room for the younger players on the roster. If the goal is still sneaking into the playoffs for a first-round exit, then LaVine should've stuck around.

The only correct approach for Chicago was dumping LaVine, trading Vucevic in what feels like our last glimpse of a dying star, and properly bottoming out. The Bulls have been stuck in no-man's land for too long. Vucevic's value will only decline from here.

Other vets, such as Coby White and Patrick Williams, probably won't generate more interest in the future either. The Bulls just refuse to commit to a direction. It's maddening. The Play-In tournament is for teams on the rise or teams transitioning out of contention — not for organizations dead set on treading water in the 10th seed.

3. Nets missed prime opportunity to trade Cam Johnson and tank for Cooper Flagg

The Brooklyn Nets understandably held a high asking price for Cam Johnson, who is under contract through the 2026-27 season. He can still fetch a nice return in the offseason, so it's not as if Brooklyn is whiffing on a finite window of opportunity like Chicago.

That said, trading Johnson now would've been preferable, if only to fully embrace the tank efforts in Brooklyn. The lottery may still work out in the Nets' favor, but Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are prime, franchise-changing assets. The Nets should want the best possible odds of getting one of 'em. By keeping Johnson, Brooklyn runs the risk of winning a few too many games when all is said and done.

Johnson undoubtedly had a long line of suitors ahead of the trade deadline. His skill set (and fairly affordable contract) should've been too much for contenders like OKC, Sacramento, or Houston to pass up on.

Clearly the Nets didn't receive the package they were looking for, but Johnson's value won't spike drastically in the offseason, even as more landing spots open up. For the Nets, maximizing their Cooper Flagg chances is probably more important than squeezing an extra draft pick out of a trade.

2. Paul George shouldn't have made it through the trade deadline with the 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers' decision to sign Paul George to a four-year, $212 million contract last offseason has aged like milk. On top of various injuries keeping him off the floor, George just has not performed up to his usual standards when available. That contract is destined to continue to decline in value. If the Sixers had a chance to get off of it, they should have.

We know the Warriors and Hawks both called about George's availability. Daryl Morey isn't one to lose a trade, but sometimes his stinginess, especially with "stars," puts him at a disadvantage and prevents necessary sacrifices. The Sixers' best path forward was building a more balanced and flexible roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Philly's trade deadline was a decidedly mixed bag. The Quentin Grimes-Caleb Martin swap is a huge win on the surface, but Grimes is an upcoming free agent, so there's risk baked in. Dumping KJ Martin for tax relief purposes is cheap, cowardly behavior. Trading Reggie Jackson and a first-round pick for Jared Butler and four second-round picks is... something? Probably a good deal, but a strange one.

The Sixers aren't tanking. It's all about sneaking into the Play-In Tournament and trying to make some magic with a (hopefully) healthy Embiid. That said, Philadelphia trading George for legitimate role players would've helped in the short and long term.

1. Suns probably should've accepted the best offer for Kevin Durant

The Phoenix Suns appeared on the verge of sending Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors before the 14-time All-Star put those talks in the grave. In the end, several contenders called the Suns about Durant's availability, but Phoenix refused to budge. Despite a record barely over .500 and virtually zero decent assets to retool with, the Suns are letting the Durant era drag out... for now.

He is bound to come up in trade rumors again in the offseason. That relationship might be beyond repair after Phoenix essentially went behind Durant's back and floated him to every front office with a nickel or a draft pick to spare. The Suns' willingness to even consider trading Durant is an important step in the right direction, but not pulling the trigger could come back to haunt them.

The Suns are in a tough spot. Durant is a great player and this isn't an easy decision. That said, even without control over their upcoming drafts, Phoenix needs to find some way to start building toward the future. Durant is their most valuable asset next to Devin Booker, and he's probably the Suns' only ticket to gaining the necessary flexibility for a retool.

The Suns didn't need to trade Durant for picks and only picks, but swapping him for Jimmy Butler and picks and young talent would've at least made some logical sense. It would've made even more sense to trade for Andrew Wiggins and Golden State's young core, or a balanced haul from the likes of Houston or OKC.

If Phoenix cashes in this summer, all will be fine. That said, the more control a team gets over Durant's contract, the higher his price tag. The Suns are wasting precious months and leverage with KD becoming a free agent in 2026.