NBA Power Rankings: Dallas mourn Luka loss; Chet back; Trade deadline sees plenty of moves

Posted by author February 10, 2025 NBA

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The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. It marked the last time contenders could make roster upgrades before the playoffs. It was one of the more memorable deadlines as Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox and Jimmy Butler were the headliners for their new squads.

Dallas has reached the anger stage in the Doncic deal. Fans protested the move outside of the Dallas Mavericks‘ arena. Doncic still awaits to make his debut for the Los Angeles Lakers, but the vibes are great over there as they leapfrogged several teams.

As the All-Star break nears, the league will get a chance to collectively rest before the regular season’s last two months commence. The weekend extravaganza will celebrate the league’s best players.

Throughout the 2024-25 season, Thunder Wire will conduct weekly NBA power rankings. Here is the latest edition for the Feb. 3-9 week:

30. Washington Wizards (9-43)

Previous Ranking: 30

The Wizards remain losers. Shouldn’t be surprising to see them active as sellers at the trade deadline. They ate the bad contracts of Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart. Both veterans were on contenders where they struggled to contribute at a good enough level to warrant their massive salaries.

29. New Orleans Pelicans (12-40)

Previous Ranking: 28

The Pelicans have lost eight in a row. Their season is over as injuries ruined a promising campaign. Instead of paying up to Brandon Ingram, they shipped him to the Raptors for Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown. It was a tough time to move Ingram as he’s missed time with injury. His trade value was at an all-time low. But New Orleans didn’t have another choice.

28. Utah Jazz (12-39)

Previous Ranking: 29

Among trade deadline losers, the Jazz haven’t received enough criticism. They stood pat despite several players being perfect candidates to join contenders. A smart team would’ve sold high for draft capital and the added benefit of getting worse for losses. Instead, Utah didn’t do much. Such a weird franchise that’s scared to fully commit to losing.

27. Charlotte Hornets (13-37)

Previous Ranking: 27

A six-game losing streak was snapped when Miles Bridges hit a game-winner against the Spurs. But that’s not the headliner for the Hornets this past week. Instead, a failed deal that would’ve sent Mark Williams to the Lakers is. The deal fell apart days after it was agreed upon. Charlotte can’t keep out of its own way, even when it makes smart moves.

26. Toronto Raptors (16-37)

Previous Ranking: 25

The Raptors are another weird team that’s scared to rebuild. They traded for Ingram. He should help their roster, but it’s a confusing move as they are still far away from contending for anything. Instead, this move brings them closer to the middle of the league.

25. Brooklyn Nets (18-34)

Previous Ranking: 26

Everybody thought the Nets would be the busiest team at the deadline. Early trades with Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith signaled they were ready for a garage sale. They still had interesting parts to sell off. Cam Johnson was the deadline’s biggest name for the longest. Instead, Brooklyn was silent.

24. Chicago Bulls (22-31)

Previous Ranking: 23

There’s a reason why the Bulls have been down here for most of the season. They didn’t do much at the trade deadline despite Nikola Vucevic gaining interest. They did the exact opposite in fact. They signed Lonzo Ball to a two-year, $20 million extension. It makes no real sense as Chicago has a logjam at guards. Just the latest example of a puzzling team.

23. Atlanta Hawks (25-28)

Previous Ranking: 22

After a hot start to their season, the Hawks have waved the white flag. They traded De’Andre Hunter to the Cavaliers and were a salary dump destination for the Clippers. The semi-rebuild is exactly what’s wrong with Atlanta as it fails to commit one way or the other. Trae Young’s patience is running thin as he’s stuck in direction-less mediocrity.

22. Philadelphia 76ers (20-32)

Previous Ranking: 21

The good news for the Sixers is Joel Embiid and Paul George have stayed relatively healthy over the last few weeks. The bad news is they continue to hover around mediocrity despite being promised their presence would fix everything. Philly continues to be a tease but at this point, that’s all they are.

21. San Antonio Spurs (22-28)

Previous Ranking: 18

The Spurs have hit a bump on the road with losses in four of their last five games. They hope De’Aaron Fox can fix that. In the long-term future though, San Antonio envisions Fox as the perfect first co-star for Victor Wembanyama. His scoring and speed could give Wembanyama another weapon to use as he ascends into one of the league’s best.

20. Portland Trail Blazers (23-30)

Previous Ranking: 24

Don’t look now, but the Trail Blazers have caught fire. They’ve won 10 of their last 12 games. That streak has put them right back in the play-in tournament picture. After being a large loser for the last handful of years, Portland definitely should welcome this type of run. Even if it costs them a high lottery pick.

19. Orlando Magic (26-28)

Previous Ranking: 20

The Magic’s struggles continue. They’ve lost seven of their last 10 games. They escaped another bad loss when Paolo Banchero hit a game-winner against the Spurs. It just goes to show how unpredictable the NBA can be. After surviving without Banchero, Orlando has torpedoed down the standings with him back.

18. Miami Heat (25-25)

Previous Ranking: 16

The Heat finally ripped the bandaid off. They traded Jimmy Butler to the Warriors. In return, they acquired Andrew Wiggins. He’s not as talented as Butler, but he could be a nice piece for Miami. The Heat will try to make another postseason push as they’ve always been a playoff threat.

17. Sacramento Kings (26-26)

Previous Ranking: 19

The Kings continue to make confusing moves. After they swapped Fox for Zach Lavine, they added Jonas Valanciunas in a trade with the Wizards. It’s a confusing move that signals Sacramento is still holding onto hope for this season. Domantas Sabonis continues to be a double-double machine and has shown why he was the biggest All-Star snub.

16. Phoenix Suns (26-26)

Previous Ranking: 13

The Suns will learn the hard way about not putting the toothpaste back into the tube. After they shopped Kevin Durant before the trade deadline, the All-Star stayed put at Phoenix. All that did was put the rest of the season in an awkward situation. They’ve been a mess all year and it will only get messier. The Suns have little hope.

15. Golden State Warriors (26-26)

Previous Ranking: 17

As Stephen Curry tries to extend his twilight years, the Warriors gave him one last co-star. Butler was traded to the Warriors and then signed a two-year, $121 million extension. He represents Golden State’s last hope of being competitive with their greatest franchise player ever. He scored 25 points in his debut with the Warriors.

14. Detroit Pistons (27-26)

Previous Ranking: 15

The Pistons added Dennis Schroder at the trade deadline. It’ll be his third stop of the season. This was a sneaky upgrade for Detroit as it needs a backup guard when Cade Cunningham is off the floor. That used to be Jaden Ivey’s role before he was injured. They’ve had their best season in years.

13. Dallas Mavericks (28-25)

Previous Ranking: 14

It’s been a disaster for Dallas. A week after they shockingly sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers, the wound has stayed fresh. It likely won’t heal for the rest of the franchise’s existence. Protests occurred outside demanding a change in leadership as the Mavericks played their first home game since the deal. Meanwhile, Dallas received the full Anthony Davis experience. He dominated the Rockets before he suffered a groin injury. He’ll be out for maybe a month with an adductor strain. Just a brutal blow.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (28-23)

Previous Ranking: 11

Fighting against the clock, the Bucks made the tough decision to part ways with franchise icon Khris Middleton. To make it worse, they did it for Kyle Kuzma, who has a case to be the worst player in the league with his minutes and usage. Milwaukee is scrambling to contend with an old and expensive roster. It lost Giannis Antetokounmpon through the All-Star break with a calf strain too.

11. LA Clippers (29-23)

Previous Ranking: 10

Even though Kawhi Leonard is back, there are still holes on the Clippers’ roster. A recent slide down the standings showed that. They added Ben Simmons to help fix some of that. The Nets bought him out. LA shed salary during the deadline and is all-in with its current roster filled with James Harden and quality role players in their career seasons.

10. Indiana Pacers (29-22)

Previous Ranking: 9

The Pacers overcame a 22-point deficit in a win over the Clippers. Pascal Siakam led the way with 33 points. They’ve played better recently. Indiana didn’t make a move at the trade deadline and are instead happy with its current roster ahead of the playoffs.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves (30-23)

Previous Ranking: 12

The Timberwolves have won three in a row. An Anthony Edwards explosion was highlighted this past week. He scored 49 points against the Bulls and 41 points against the Rockets in back-to-back games. Minnesota has put all its eggs in Edwards’ basket. He’s paid it off with a career season.

8. Houston Rockets (33-20)

Previous Ranking: 6

The Rockets have plummeted down the standings. A six-game loss streak was mercifully ended with a close win over the Raptors. Houston has missed Fred VanVleet as its offense has put up ugly outings. If this past week showed anything, it’s the Rockets’ lack of a top scorer could come to bite them in the playoffs.

7. New York Knicks (34-18)

Previous Ranking: 5

In a chance to make a statement, the Knicks suffered a blowout loss to the Celtics. Jalen Brunson called the lopsided loss an unacceptable outcome. Even though New York has had one of the top offenses and has two All-Star starters, it’s still behind the Celtics as the second-best team in the East.

6. Los Angeles Lakers (31-19)

Previous Ranking: 8

The vibes are at an all-time high for the Lakers. They continue to wait for Doncic’s debut, which should come soon. Los Angeles has circled that game since they shockingly traded for him last week. He’ll change the franchise’s trajectory for the next decade. The Lakers have won five in a row and Austin Reaves scored a career-high 45 points in a win over the Pacers.

5. Denver Nuggets (34-19)

Previous Ranking: 7

The Nuggets have won six in a row. They’ve hit a stride. Nikola Jokic has been a triple-double machine. Denver didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline and have banked on improvement from their players. It’s worked as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. has had some of their best stretched this past week.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (35-17)

Previous Ranking: 4

The new CBA has forced contenders to shed salary. That’s what the Grizzlies did at this past deadline when they shipped Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart. Despite that, they’ve played well. They were winners of 10 of 11 games before they dropped a possible statement game in a blowout loss to the short-handed Thunder.

Previous Ranking: 3

The Celtics also didn’t make any moves at the deadline. Instead, they’re relying on last year’s results to translate over in the playoffs this year. It’s worked with five wins out of their last six games. The Celtics blew out the Knicks for the second time as Jayson Tatum scored 40 points in a statement win.

Previous Ranking: 1

The Cavaliers strengthened their rotation when they added Hunter from the Hawks. He could be the perfect forward piece they’ve missed this season. Meanwhile, Cleveland continues to get wins. Darius Garland hit a game-winning 3-pointer against the Pistons. They’ve sat pretty at the top of the East for most of the year.

Previous Ranking: 2

Even though they didn’t make a move, the Thunder had one of the biggest mid-season acquisitions. Chet Holmgren surprised the NBA world when he returned from a three-month absence due to a hip fracture. If he gets back to form, OKC will be even scarier, which is almost impossible to imagine. The Thunder continue to be a winning machine despite juggling injuries.