Gabriel Chaney / Staff Writer

     NBA is making some blockbuster trades this year. 

     The main trade everyone seems to be talking about is the three-team trade that included the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. 

     Big names were moved around such as Anthony Davis and Max Christie to the Mavericks.  The Mavericks also received a 2029 first-round pick. The Lakers received Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. 

     The Jazz got Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 second-round pick from the Clippers and the Mavericks 2025 second-round pick. Many people believe the Lakers benefit more from this trade, but diving deeper it’s not as good as it seems. 

     The Lakers gave up Anthony Davis who is averaging 25.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG and 2.1 BPG. Davis is a key piece to the Lakers puzzle, and losing him will loom large. When healthy, Davis is a top-five defender in the NBA; he is also a great rebounder. 

     The Lakers received Luka, who is averaging 28.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 7.8 APG. Luka is an offensive mastermind, and where he struggles on the defensive side of the ball, he is a mediocre defender. Luka has also played in just 22 games this year due to injury. The Lakers defense will be struggling without Davis. 

     The Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino who has played in only two games this year and is averaging 2 PPG, 0.5 RPG and 0.5 APG. The Jazz seem like the overall loser of this trade. The Mavericks getting Davis is a huge piece, and with the addition, they could very well make it deep into the playoffs this year. The winner of this trade is the Mavericks as they push for a championship with Davis. 

     The next trade was another three-team trade that involved the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs received De’Aaron Fox and Jordan Mclaughlin. The Kings got Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko in three first-round picks and three second-round picks. 

     The Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and a first-round pick. The Spurs new lineup looks scary as they pair Fox and Chris Paul in the backcourt. The duo of Fox and Victor Wembenyama will be scary and make the Spurs a deep playoff team. The winner of the trade is definitely the Spurs as they added a key player to the roster. 

     The Kings also improved by adding LaVine to team back up with Demar DeRozan. LaVine also joins Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray making the Kings lineup a lot more fierce. The Bulls add size in Zach Collins and a great 3-point shooter in Kevin Huerter. Tre Jones has been a not-so-great bench piece for the Kings, but moving him to the Bulls alongside Josh Giddey and Nikola Vučević might just unlock his full potential. 

     The winner of the trade is the Spurs, but all around, it’s a fair trade for every team involved. Overall the power rankings have shifted significantly due to these trades, which heavily influences the outcome of the playoffs.