The greater NBA has been gradually working toward the promised crescendo of the February 1st trade deadline. A final chance to rejuvenate a lagging roster. A dysfunctional band of ballers. A team blueprint that simply was unsustainable for a future of competitive hoops.
With a disgruntled star anxious for a change of setting, the bidding war was expected to target Jimmy Butler—and Golden State eventually secured their prize—but this deadline will instead be remembered as the year Dallas eviscerated all semblance of sanity by discarding the best point guard in basketball.
In this, the zodiac year of the snake, the Mavericks captured 2025 as the season they betrayed the league and traded Luka Doncic.