2024-25 FTN NBA Power Rankings: Luka’s Shocking Trade Shakes Up the League

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The NBA landscape just shifted in a massive way. Heading into the weekend, this year’s trade deadline seemed relatively quiet, with no blockbuster moves on the horizon. Jimmy Butler trade rumors had cooled due to a lack of interested takers, and De’Aaron Fox was the biggest name reportedly on the market. But then, late Saturday night, everything changed.

The Mavericks and Lakers stunned the league with a trade that instantly reshaped the NBA landscape. Luka Dončić, the third-ranked player in the league according to the FTN Model, is now a Los Angeles Laker – joining the long lineage of superstar talents to don the purple and gold. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis heads to Dallas, aiming to lead the Mavericks back to the Finals.

But that wasn’t the only major move to shake up our rankings. De’Aaron Fox is now a Spur, Zach LaVine is a King and the Bulls have finally decided to hit the reset button. While not as earth-shattering as the Luka blockbuster, adding Fox to a roster with Victor Wembanyama instantly makes the Spurs one of the most intriguing teams – both now and in the future.

Let’s dive into how these trades impact our power rankings, along with other key developments from around the league – including a new No. 1 team.

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Key Takeaways

Did the Mavericks Improve in the Short Term?

More than 24 hours later, it’s still hard to believe – Luka Dončić is no longer a Maverick. After leading Dallas to two Finals appearances in the last three years and securing five consecutive All-NBA First Team selections, Luka was supposed to be the face of the franchise for the next decade. Fans had already envisioned a Luka statue standing proudly next to Dirk Nowitzki’s outside the arena. But despite everything Luka has accomplished, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison made the stunning decision to swap him for Anthony Davis, believing it was the best move for the team, at least in the short term.

Harrison emphasized “culture” as a key factor in the decision, with reports surfacing that the Mavericks had grown increasingly frustrated with Luka’s conditioning and leadership behind the scenes. Whether that justifies trading away a generational talent remains to be seen.

The Mavericks clearly believe this trade makes them better today. After all, no team trades a 25-year-old superstar for a 31-year-old unless they expect an immediate return. Harrison reinforced that sentiment, saying, “I do believe that we positioned ourselves to win now and also win in the future.” Unfortunately for Mavs fans, our model doesn’t agree. Before the trade, our model ranked Dallas as the third-best team in the league when fully healthy. Now, the Mavericks slipped two spots to fifth. While that may not seem drastic, it’s significant when considering that Davis was the primary return in this deal – aside from a single first-round pick.

Dallas is now under immense pressure not just to win this season, but to justify this trade for years to come. If Dallas falls short with Davis while Luka continues his superstar trajectory, this trade will go down as an all-time blunder. And winning won’t come easy. Davis, who has a long injury history, is already dealing with an abdominal strain and won’t be available immediately. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are just ninth in the brutal Western Conference with a 26-24 record. There’s a very real chance they don’t even make the playoffs. If that happens, this trade could unravel faster than anyone expected.

What Is the Lakers’ Next Move?

If the Mavericks call to offer Luka Dončić, you don’t hesitate – you take the deal. Opportunities to acquire a generational talent like Luka are rare, and the Lakers weren’t about to let this one slip away. But while Luka’s talent is undeniable, his fit with this Lakers roster is far from seamless.

Before the trade, the roster had a clear identity. LeBron handled playmaking duties, while Anthony Davis anchored the defense in the middle. Now, with Davis gone, the Lakers don’t have a true center, and their defense looks vulnerable. And then there’s the biggest question: How do two high-usage playmakers like LeBron and Luka coexist? There’s only one basketball, and both thrive with it in their hands.

With these roster concerns, the obvious question is, what’s the Lakers’ next move? Even with Luka, our model ranks the Lakers just ninth when fully healthy – an upgrade, but still outside true title contention. That suggests another move is coming, and it might involve LeBron James At this stage of his career, LeBron isn’t the defensive force he once was, and pairing him with Luka could make getting stops a challenge.

Do the Lakers flip LeBron for a big man to address their defensive concerns? Do they keep him and move Austin Reaves in search of a better roster balance? Or do they ride out the season as is and look for answers in the offseason?

No matter what the front office decides, one thing is clear: The Lakers have landed their next franchise superstar.

Fallout Of the De’Aaron Fox Deal

The Luka blockbuster stole the headlines, but Sunday brought another major shakeup – a three-team deal between the Kings, Bulls and Spurs. The prize of the trade? De’Aaron Fox is headed to San Antonio, where he and Victor Wembanyama will form one of the most dynamic young duos in the league. Spurs fans should be thrilled, as the team landed Fox without giving up any key rotational pieces. With Fox in the fold, San Antonio, already rich in young talent, made the biggest leap in this week’s power rankings, jumping five spots to 14th. Cracking the playoffs in a brutal Western Conference will be tough, but the future has never looked brighter.

Meanwhile, the Kings should walk away satisfied. Zach LaVine isn’t quite on Fox’s level, but he’s playing some of the best basketball of his career and should help keep Sacramento competitive. More importantly, the Kings picked up three first-round picks – an impressive haul, considering Fox was unlikely to commit to the franchise long-term. They may not be title contenders yet, but our model still ranks them as a top-10 team.

Then there’s the Bulls, the most puzzling team in this deal. Chicago has been trying to move LaVine for years and finally shed his contract, but the return is shockingly weak. For a player of LaVine’s caliber, the Bulls should have gotten more than just a few back-of-the-rotation pieces. At least they’re finally embracing a rebuild instead of clinging to mediocrity, but their motivation for getting involved in this deal remains murky at best.

A New Team At the Top of the Rankings

For the first time all season, we have a new No. 1. Despite holding the top spot in our power rankings all year, the Boston Celtics have finally been overtaken by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC’s surge is powered by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has elevated his game to an MVP-caliber level. Already an elite player, SGA has somehow found another gear, scoring at an all-time efficiency rate while continuing to anchor the Thunder’s dynamic offense. The scariest part? We still haven’t seen this team at full strength. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein have yet to share the floor, meaning OKC’s best basketball could still be ahead.

Boston remains a title favorite, but the Thunder’s rise signals a shift in the league’s balance of power. If they continue on this trajectory, a deep playoff run, and possibly much more, could be in store for OKC.

Check out some more interesting NBA Information on ftnfantasy.com

Conference:

Team	Conference	Record	Current Rank	Previous	Week Diff	Preseason	Pre Diff	Notes
Oklahoma City Thunder	WEST	38-9	1	2	+1	2	+1	For the first time all year, we have a shake-up at the top. SGA continues to dominate, and the Thunder's role players continue to improve
Boston Celtics	EAST	35-15	2	1	-1	1	-1	A 26-point comeback is impressive, but the fact that they were down so much to the 76ers without Embiid or PG shows the issues Boston is dealing with
Cleveland Cavaliers	EAST	40-9	3	3	-	8	+5	Hopefully their cold streak is behind them, as they now have 4 straight comeback wins
New York Knicks	EAST	32-17	4	5	+1	9	+5	The Knicks were rolling into Saturday, but the Lakers had a smart gameplan to shut down Towns. The bigger question is how long is OG going to be out?
Denver Nuggets	WEST	30-19	5	4	-1	5	-	The Nuggets are in a bit of a funk. They lost 3 straight and then won their next 2 by single-digits to below-average opponents. But they still have the best player in the world
Houston Rockets	WEST	32-16	6	6	-	19	+13	They may have lost a fun matchup against Memphis, but we give them a very slight edge in our ratings
Memphis Grizzlies	WEST	33-16	7	7	-	17	+10	Jaren Jackson, who just scored 37 to beat the Bucks, is developing into an elite offensive player. That is scary for the rest of the league
Milwaukee Bucks	EAST	26-21	8	10	+2	10	+2	Not only have the Bucks lost 4 of 5, but all of the losses were by double digits. The Pacers are offically ahead of the Bucks in the standings, though we still prefer the Bucks H2H
Sacramento Kings	WEST	24-24	9	8	-1	13	+4	We only drop the Kings 1 spot after the Fox trade. Being able to obtain Zach Lavine will lessen the burden in the short term, but the Kings failed to obtain any long term assets in the trade
Minnesota Timberwolves	WEST	27-22	10	11	+1	7	-3	The Timberwolves had won 5 straight going into their loss to Washington, though Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle both sat in that game. When healthy, this is a dangerous roster
Los Angeles Clippers	WEST	28-21	11	9	-2	11	-	The Clippers are happy to be 7 games over .500 despite minimal production from Kawhi this season. If Leonard returns to form, no one will want to face the Clippers in the playoffs
Indiana Pacers	EAST	27-20	12	14	+2	18	+6	The Pacers remain hot, and are now just outside our top 10 teams. They have a real shot to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs
Orlando Magic	EAST	24-26	13	12	-1	15	+2	The Orlando Magic are finally healthy, but they haven't found their form from early in the season. We still like their talent, but they need to turn things around soon
San Antonio Spurs	WEST	21-25	14	19	+5	22	+8	The biggest risers in our rankings, the Spurs jump to 14th thanks to the addition of D'Aaron Fox.
Dallas Mavericks	WEST	26-24	15	17	+2	3	-12	With a healthy Anthony Davis, we rank the Mavericks 5th. They ranked 3rd with Luka
Phoenix Suns	WEST	25-23	16	16	-	6	-10	The Suns hope to make a deal at the deadline, but salary ristrictions are going to make that difficult
Golden State Warriors	WEST	24-24	17	18	+1	16	-1	They are supposedly out of the running for Jimmy Butler. It's hard to see what move the Warriors can make to make them a contender
Miami Heat	EAST	24-23	18	15	-3	20	+2	With all the trades in the NBA this weekend, the Heat were able to escape the headlines. But they still need to figure out what to do with Jimmy
Los Angeles Lakers	WEST	28-19	19	13	-6	12	-7	We have them 9th when Luka is healthy, which is a big jump from 12th with AD. While the pieces don't fit perfectly, the Lakers couldn't pass up the opportunity to add Doncic.
Detroit Pistons	EAST	25-24	20	21	+1	24	+4	Our model continues to be skeptical about Detroit's improvement this season, but the playoffs are looking more and more likely thanks to Cade's improvement
Atlanta Hawks	EAST	22-27	21	22	+1	21	-	Losing Jalen Johnson is a crushing blow, and any playoff hopes they had are out the door
Philadelphia 76ers	EAST	19-29	22	20	-2	4	-18	The 76ers almost shocked the Celtics last night before blowing a 26-point lead. The people of Philadelphia are just ready for the Super Bowl
New Orleans Pelicans	WEST	12-37	23	23	-	14	-9	The Pelicans run of bad luck continues, this time with Dejounte Murray going down for the year. Fans should at least be excited about Trey Murphy's improvement
Toronto Raptors	EAST	16-33	24	27	+3	27	+3	Immanuel Quickley cannot stay healthy, making it difficult for Toronto to decide if they have their PG of the future
Chicago Bulls	EAST	21-29	25	24	-1	25	-	Not that the Bulls were going anywhere this season, but will be even worse now that Zach Lavine is in Sac town
Utah Jazz	WEST	11-36	26	26	-	23	-3	Discovering Isaiah Collier's ability as a passer is a nice silver lining in an awful season for the Jazz
Portland Trail Blazers	WEST	20-29	27	28	+1	30	+3	Believe it or not, Portland has won 7 of their last 8 games and are just 9 games under .500. Credit to coach Billups, who is doing this with a roster devoid of top-end talent
Brooklyn Nets	EAST	16-33	28	29	+1	26	-2	The trade deadline will be more interesting than the actual games for the Nets this week
Charlotte Hornets	EAST	12-34	29	25	-4	28	-1	Without Lamelo or Miller, the Hornets just don't have the talent to compete
Washington Wizards	EAST	7-41	30	30	-	29	-1	They were able to beat the short-handed Timberwolves, but the Wizards continue to be historically bad.
	Conference