The Whiteboard: How this year's biggest deadline deals will look in 2030

Welcome to the FanSided Time Machine. Before you ask, no, we cannot go back and see the dinosaurs. No, we can't go forward and travel through space. All we can do is travel five years into the future and watch NBA games in our buddy Jeremy's living room. But I did at least do that — and here's what I learned about how the massive NBA trades from the past week look five years from now.

The first thing I learned in 2030 was that Luka Doncic is still really, really good on the Los Angeles Lakers. That one isn't a huge surprise because Luka is only going to be 30 years old in 2030, still squarely in his prime. He has delivered Los Angeles a ring and his legacy in LA is cemented. The trade worked exactly as planned.

In Dallas, Max Christie is awesome! He ended up being the most important part of this deal, easing the pain a little for Mavs fans. He's gotten a huge extension from the Mavs, who have been competitive in the five years since the trade but have never had the offensive engine to get them over the hump in the playoffs. Huh.

Anthony Davis is on his farewell tour at 36 years old, and he was very good for Dallas too. In retrospect, Dallas gets a better grade... but not by much.

Los Angeles Lakers 2030 trade grade: A+

Dallas Mavericks 2030 trade grade: D+

Next up, I switched channels to a Raptors game, where I found Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes balling out with a bunch of players I've never heard of — I think those are draft picks from recent years.

Toronto was able to re-sign Ingram in the summer of 2025 and he's found a home in the North. Masai Ujiri has made some moves, but a duo of Ingram and Barnes has developed into a reliable unit, especially alongside a star point guard who's a freshman in high school in 2025.

Toronto Raptors 2030 trade grade: B+

When I asked to turn on the Warriors game so I could see Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry play alongside each other, everyone looked at me like I was a ghost.

"Steph retired last year, and Jimmy Butler is a full-time barista now," my friend said to me.

Okay, fine, that second part is not true, but the Jimmy era in Golden State was pretty underwhelming. He played out his extension that he received immediately after being traded, then returned to Minnesota to play out his final days. The Warriors won exactly 41 games each season he was with the team.

Golden State Warriors 2030 trade grade: C-

Meanwhile, De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama have yet to win a title... but they've gotten close. Wemby has become as good as everyone expected and De'Aaron Fox signed an extension in San Antonio, but he's now on the last year of his max deal with the Spurs, and rumors about his next move have been flying.

Still, the Fox / Wembanyama duo has been marvelous to watch since 2025, and the Spurs would undoubtedly do it all again if they had a time machine... not this one, though. Only I can use this one.

San Antonio Spurs 2030 trade grade: A-

NBA news roundup

• The first game of the Zach LaVine era in Sacramento went... poorly. The Kings lost 130-111 to Orlando. It'll take a few days for the chemistry to come around, that's fine!
• I know it's been hard to actually watch basketball with the deluge of trades, but the stars were out last night; Anthony Edwards scored 49 in a win against Chicago, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 50 as OKC stomped Phoenix.
• Don't let the Wizards get hot... three straight wins for Washington! Bilal Coulibaly posted his first career triple-double last night. Future All-Star, write it down.

Three teams that made underrated moves at the deadline

Philadelphia 76ers: Although they did duck the luxury tax like cowards by trading KJ Martin, I come away from this deadline a big fan of Philadelphia adding guard depth with Quentin Grimes and Jared Butler, both of whom will be restricted free agents this summer. At the very least, they both provide much-needed depth now. Daryl Morey had a good, quiet, deadline.

Washington Wizards: This team is in the opposite of win-now mode, but you have to try to win a little bit, right? Apparently Washington agrees, and that's why the Wizards acquired both Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart along with two first-round picks and AJ Johnson (who basically acts as a third first-round pick.) A little respite for today's roster, and some very valuable draft capital. Stellar deadline for the Wizards.

Charlotte Hornets: I like Mark Williams... but I still love that trade for Charlotte. Knecht and an unprotected first in a few years is too good to pass up, and the Hornets also got a first next year for taking on Jusuf Nurkic. Two firsts and a good, young scorer? That's a success in my book.