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The 2024-2025 NBA trade deadline was an unforgettable whirlwind, completely reshaping teams and bringing unprecedented excitement to the world of fantasy basketball. From major trades that made headlines to savvy maneuvering to stay under the tax apron, fantasy managers are now faced with a wealth of new data to dissect as player values fluctuate in the homestretch of the season.

Here are the winners and losers from this year's deadline.

Winners

Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks

Kyrie Irving remains a winner after Dallas made the most unprecedented move arguably in sports history by trading Luka Dončić. He'll still have a co-star in Anthony Davis, but Irving will absorb much of Luka's 31% usage rate. Irving was a second-round value before the trade, and with an expected increase in points and overall usage, he'll flirt with first-round value for the rest of the season. Anthony Davis is also a winner, and I have detailed it here.

De'Aaron Fox, San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs got away with just as big of a heist as the Lakers. If De'Aaron Fox's debut with San Antonio was any indication of what to expect (24 points (11-22 FG), 5 rebounds, 13 assists and 3 steals in 37 minutes) his fantasy stock is going off the charts. Fox stepped into a high-usage role as the top offensive piece alongside Victor Wembanyama. The fantasy gods blessed us with this pairing, and the fit within Spurs culture is perfect. Learning some from Chris Paul and having a well-rounded starting group of shotmakers only elevates his value.

Jimmy Butler, Golden State Warriors

Jimmy Butler got a fresh start after the Warriors acquired him from the Heat. While the fit comes with some question marks, Jimmy got paid, and he'll put up better numbers than he did in Miami. He's at 17/5/5 on the season, and as the second option offensively, the Warriors are banking on his scoring and playmaking, which is more dynamic than Andrew Wiggins. Butler's a win-now player whose defense can help the Warriors wrestle out of the play-in conversation.

Mark Williams, Los Angeles Lakers

Losing AD left a massive gap in the Lakers frontcourt, but in a surprising move, Los Angeles acquired the 23-year-old Williams for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and future picks. Williams moves to a winning franchise that likely has a better medical staff and training regime to keep him healthy. He'll start from the jump and offers a high upside as a finisher at the rim and rebounder. His defense hasn't been as good this season, but with higher stakes, there's a strong chance we'll see a more motivated version of Williams. He's about to run up the double-doubles, which is trending towards being a game-changing move for his fantasy value.

Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans

Sending Brandon Ingram to the Raptors was the chef's kiss to unlock Murphy as a fantasy star. He's averaging 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists over his last 15 games and with only CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson vying for touches, he's a player that's going to continue climbing the fantasy rankings. Let's hope he doesn't get shut down late in the season.

Rookies on the rise

Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls

In 10 games LaVine missed this season, Buzelis saw the second-highest minutes boost on the team. Now that LaVine's been traded, fantasy managers can expect Buzelis to play more than 25 minutes a night. Over his last five games, he's averaging 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. The defense is an underrated aspect of Buzelis' game, but his outlook for the rest of the season looks bright.

Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards

Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valančiūnas getting traded at the deadline removes two key elements of the Wizards' frontcourt. Even though Sarr's been starting, their departure offers up more minutes at each position. I don't expect to see huge gains in efficiency; however, the rebounding, 3s and stock numbers should improve with one less chucker and big man around.

Dalton Knecht, SG/SF, Charlotte Hornets

The Lakers had to move their sharpshooting rookie to address greater roster needs, but it's not all bad for Knecht. The Hornets rebuilding efforts continue and Knecht slots in as the eventual starting SG or SF (depending on Brandon Miller's preference). The Hornets have a shortage of scorers with LaMelo Ball out, so in the short term, Knecht is a good candidate to step into a secondary scoring position behind Miles Bridges. I'd add him in all leagues not just for his 3-point shooting, but for the minutes and potential involvement in the offense.

Other winners:

Anthony Davis - PF/C, Dallas Mavericks

Max Christie - SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks

Jusuf Nurkić - C, Charolette Hornets

Yves Missi - C, New Orleans Pelicans

Bilal Coulibaly - SG/SF, Washington Wizards

Zaccharie Risacher - SG/SF, Atlanta Hawks

Kyshawn George - SG/SF, Washington Wizards

Losers

Andrew Wiggins, Miami Heat

From a basketball sense, the Heat got solid compensation for a disgruntled star. With Wiggins a part of the deal for Jimmy Butler, he unfortunately finds himself in a lineup where his offensive role dwindles to at least a third option. Also, the move away from Butler will give Nikola Jović more minutes and get Kel'el Ware into more lineups with Bam Adebayo.

Wiggins is good defensively, and his size offers a ton of versatility for the Heat, so he'll get minutes. However, I think the Warriors was a better look for fantasy production.

Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings

Murray's value was already trending down before the deadline, but once Zach LaVine arrived, that delivered the knockout blow. He'll have spike games where he goes off, but adding another ball-dominant scorer into an already crowded situation will mute Murray's fantasy output.

Jalen Smith, Chicago Bulls

Smith's fantasy upside hinged on Nikola Vučević's being dealt, and because that didn't happen, Smith falls into the loser category. He's been an efficient fantasy asset in deep leagues, but in 10-12 team formats, he's become more of a watchlist guy if the Bulls decide to mail it in late in the season.

Raptors starters

Toronto's decision to acquire Brandon Ingram creates chaos for their existing starters. For as much hate as Ingram gets, he's a high-usage scorer and facilitator who's averaged more than five assists per game in seven of nine seasons. Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes will all likely see a dip in production when Ingram joins the starting unit.

DeAndre Hunter, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs proved that they're ready to make a championship run. While this is a good real-life move, it hurts Hunter's fantasy stock. Hunter was thriving in Atlanta this season, putting up career highs in points, FG and 3-point percentage. He'll play an essential role for the Cavs, so hold him if you need 3s, but the usage and opportunity will decline.

Other losers:

Jonas Valančiūnas - C, Sacramento Kings

Zach LaVine - SG/SF, Sacramento Kings

Chris Paul, PG, San Antonio Spurs

Khris Middleton - SF/PF, Washington Wizards

Jaxon Hayes - C, Los Angeles Lakers