NBA winners and losers: Thunder make statement, Kawhi Leonard returns, Heat mired in Jimmy Butler saga

Posted by Admin January 6, 2025 NBA

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The term “go time” is probably a little overused and somewhat ambiguous, but it’s seemingly the perfect phrase to describe what’s occurring in the NBA right now. Between the Christmas Day showcase and the Feb. 6 trade deadline, teams have to decide whether to stand pat, add a little bit here and there, go all-in with a big move or sell off their surplus parts for scrap.

Teams that fancy themselves contenders have about a month to figure out just how much they’re willing to gamble in order to get a shot at a title, and those who are trying their best to get one of the tantalizing prospects at the top of the 2025 Draft need to decide which vets they can part with in order to get some assets (and hey, if it leads to more losses, so be it).

One team that seemingly has no worries right now is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have showcased their chops with back-to-back wins over the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, which makes it 15 straight overall (not counting the NBA Cup). They lead off this weekend’s winners and losers — but unfortunately, not everyone in the league fared as well (*cough* Miami Heat *cough*).

Winner: OKC

Fifteen straight regular-season wins, including consecutive victories over two of the best teams in the NBA, make Oklahoma City a winner — and I don’t just mean the Thunder, I mean the whole city. After the breakup of the Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook-James Harden Finals team, the fans never lost faith or enthusiasm. The city deserves this team. (Side note, they’re also remarkably proficient at halfcourt shots).

You can’t say enough about where the 30-5 Thunder are right now — the youngest team in the entire NBA sitting atop the Western Conference with just five losses as the calendar flips to 2025. And about a billion first-round picks on the docket. Just insane. Now they turn to Tuesday’s matchup with the NBA-leading Cavaliers followed by a rematch with the Knicks. If they can come out of this gauntlet unscathed, without Chet Holmgren, it will be hard not to consider OKC the favorite to win the title — if they’re not already.

Loser: Miami Heat

No matter how you feel about the pending departure of Jimmy Butler, you can’t possibly argue that this process has gone the way that the Heat intended. When reports surfaced that the franchise player might be on his way out, Pat Riley immediately and emphatically shut down the rumors, taking a stance as clear as his hair gel: “We are not trading Jimmy Butler.”

Well, fast forward just a week and a new Miami Heat statement comes out saying, “Jimmy Butler and his representative have indicated that they wish to be traded, therefore, we will listen to offers.” The team suspended Butler on Friday night, and in their lone game since the suspension, the Heat lost to the nine-win Utah Jazz by 36 points.

Take it away, Ferris.

It’s fair to say that any leverage the Heat possessed has vanished, just as Butler seemingly will at some point prior to the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Riley and front office whiz Andy Elisburg have pulled a few rabbits out of their hat in their day, but this situation is going to take some serious finessing.

Winner: Superstar trade demands

Kyrie Irving. Kawhi Leonard. Anthony Davis. James Harden. Kevin Durant. Damian Lillard. Now Jimmy Butler (again). At this point the number of active NBA superstars who haven’t demanded a trade might be smaller than those who have. And no matter what kind of PR hit the players took for their actions, the result is always the same: The superstar gets what he wants.

Irving, Davis, Harden and Durant landed at their chosen destinations. Leonard won a championship in Toronto. Lillard wanted to go to Miami, but had to “settle” for being paired with a former (and maybe future) NBA MVP in Milwaukee. Ultimately if a star is unhappy, the track record of trade demands is virtually undefeated, with Butler being just the latest example. He claims he doesn’t have a list of preferred suitors, but there’s a strong chance he’ll end up on a contending team.

Everyone hates the guy at the gym who sits on the basketball until he gets his way, but usually the rest of the players end up caving because they just want the game to resume. The tactic is annoying — verging on insufferable — but it’s tried and true.

Loser: Kawhi’s knee inflammation

Oh hey, guess what? Kawhi Leonard played an NBA basketball game on Saturday! The knee inflammation that has kept him sidelined for the entire season has been defeated … at least for one night. As for whether this means a permanent return to the court for the superstar forward, his guess is as good as ours.

“I don’t know. Last time, I just woke up and it was flared up and I couldn’t move,” Leonard said, nearly inaudibly, after the Clippers‘ 131-105 win over the Hawks. “Now, it’s just keeping it moving. I don’t know, it’s day-to-day.”

Not exactly brimming with confidence, but the fact that Leonard was able to get nearly 20 minutes under his belt is a huge step. He finished with 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, and was a plus-22 in his minutes. The Clippers have already overachieved in most peoples’ minds with a 20-15 record, and a healthy Leonard would only bolster their chances in a crowded Western Conference.

Winner: The other Thompson twin

So far this season, we’ve seen much more of Amen Thompson than his twin brother Ausar (they went back-to-back in the 2023 draft, in case you forgot), largely due to the Rockets‘ hot start and the fact that Ausar missed the first 18 games of the season with the Pistons while recovering from scary blood clot issues that ended his rookie season prematurely.

Last week Amen made headlines, and garnered significant social media attention, for tossing Heat guard Tyler Herro to the ground, which eventually earned him a two-game suspension. Not to be outdone, Ausar did some stuff on Saturday that vaulted him ahead of his brother in the League Pass rankings for at least one night.

First, he took off from the dotted line to throw down an off-the-backboard lob from Cade Cunningham.

Then he completed one of the most spectacular post-whistle NBA plays that you’ll ever see. Just watch these replays and try to not to spit out your drink (all you 90s/2000s basketball connoisseurs out there will immediately hearken back to this absurdity from Ricky Davis).

Ausar’s offensive game is still a work in progress, as he’s averaging seven points per game this season on 22% 3-point shooting, but his athleticism — like his brother’s — is absolutely off the charts. Expect more plays like these over the course of his career.

Loser: Referee bounce passes

Nikola Jokic has never been afraid to chastise referees, but it usually involves a foul that was or was not called. Rarely do you see an NBA player complain about the quality of the pass that the official gives them at the free throw line. But Jokic is a MVP in every way, including complaining.

During a trip to the line in the third quarter of Saturday’s 122-111 overtime win over the Spurs, Jokic was thoroughly disgusted with the bounce pass he received from official Mark Lindsay, and the Nuggets star wasn’t about to let it go. He screamed out, “Mark!” multiple times while throwing his hands in the air before tossing the ball back in Lindsay’s direction in a similar fashion that he received it.

Ultimately he not only got a fresh, crisp pass from Lindsay — Jokic also earned a “my bad” from the 17-year veteran official. An overreaction on Jokic’s part? Maybe. More entertainment from arguably the most entertaining player in the league? Book it.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, he made the free throw.