We just lived through the most consequential NBA trade deadline ever
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Good morning, Winners! Thanks for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate you.
There have been some wild NBA trade deadlines throughout the league's history since it began the "tradition" in 1987. We've seen some pretty big moves come down that have had ripple effects throughout the league before.
There are a few that come to mind. Remember 2011 when the Knicks basically gutted their roster for Carmelo Anthony? There was also that Deron Williams trade that, eventually, led to the Nets making one of the worst deals in NBA history.
Some of you old-heads probably remember the 1994 deadline when Dominique Wilkins was traded for Danny Manning. Or how about when Rasheed Wallace was dealt to the Pistons in 2004? What a nasty decade for the Hawks, man.
The thing about it, though, is that you could combine all of those trades together into one deadline and it would still pale in comparison to what we just witnessed, folks.
There is no doubt in my mind that this will ultimately go down as the most consequential NBA trade deadline ever.
The reason why is apparent. The Lakers got Luka Doncic for pennies on the dollar, which still seems highly fishy to me but whatever.
But, even outside of that deal, lots of other top-tier talent in the NBA changed hands.
In total, four current or former All-NBA players were moved in the week leading up to the trade deadline between Doncic, Anthony Davis, De'Aaron Fox and Jimmy Butler.
JIMMY TRADE GRADES: The Warriors didn't get Kevin Durant, but they got something.
If you count those names and add Brandon Ingram, Khris Middleton and Andrew Wiggins (LOL) we're talking about seven current or former All-Stars who changed teams in the last 72 hours. That's a lot of talent on the move, folks. That doesn't include the Lakers getting Mark Williams or Kings getting Jonas Valanciunas.
The Lakers went into deadline week as a frisky team that could be fun in the playoffs to a legitimate championship contender, thanks to a little help from Nico Harrison and the Mavericks. The Warriors have found a second-fiddle to play with Steph Curry. The Raptors are ... I don't know what the Raptors are doing. But it's something. The Spurs got Victor Wembanyama an All-Star caliber running-mate.
This deadline will shape the NBA for the next decade and there's still a few hours left to go. Things aren't finished.
Buckle in, folks.
The Connecticut Sun can't catch a break
Talk about a complete remake of a roster. The 2025 Connecticut Sun team won't look anything like it did in 2025.
Marina Mabrey — who Connecticut just traded for last season — has requested a trade from the Sun, according to the latest from ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
Assuming that she's granted her request (which she probably will be), the Sun will have lost:
Dijonai Carrington (Dallas Wings)
Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury)
DeWanna Bonner (Indiana Fever)
Ty Harris (Dallas Wings)
Brionna Jones (Atlanta Dream)
Marina Mabrey (TBD)
That list doesn't include losing their head coach, Stephanie White, who went back home to coach the Fever.
Connecticut has been a powerhouse in the W for years. Those days are done. Everything is being torn down to the studs here and it all happened so fast.
The WNBA, man. This league is nuts.
Pete Alonso is back
Pete Alonso is back, folks. It wasn't a guarantee that the Mets would keep him around this season considering how much money the team already spent, but the two sides worked things out.
Here's Cory Woodroof with more:
"News broke on Wednesday night that the franchise had re-signed its beloved first baseman to a two-year contract worth $54 million, per the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman. There will be an opt-out after the first year, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
After New York owner Steve Cohen gave a brutally honest assessment of where the “exhausting” negotiations were with Alonso’s camp last month, things worked out in the end between the Mets and their franchise star."
That's a lot of money. But it also feels like kind of a steal for the Mets, considering that Alonso turned down a massive extension two seasons ago.
Regardless, it's good to see Alonso stick around in New York.
Quick hits: The Tom Brady timeline ... Octopus, explained ... and more
— Here's a look back at Tom Brady's complicated year in the booth with Fox from Charles Curtis.
— Shoutout to Blake Schuster because I wouldn't know what an Octopus prop bet is without him.
— Jimmy Butler is as quirky as ever as he heads to Golden State. Here's Cory Woodroof with more on that.
— Travis Kelce gushed over Caitlin Clark after finally linking up. Meg Hall has more.
— Myles Garrett is consulting the wrong guy about how to leave Cleveland, Robert Zeglinski writes.
— LeBron had one big message for Luka Doncic. Here's Bryan Kalbrosky with more.
That's a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. We appreciate you. Have a fantastic Thursday. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
This article originally appeared on For The Win: We just lived through the most consequential NBA trade deadline ever
