Chandler Parsons Names 2 Players Who Emerged as the Biggest Winners at the NBA Trade Deadline

The 2025 trade deadline is officially over allowing people to finally rest. However, the next stage of the process is analyzing the players and teams who emerged as winners. This deadline featured the most movement of star players in NBA history. However, former NBA player Chandler Parsons believes there are only two players who benefited more than the rest. Those two are De’Aaron Fox and De’Andre Hunter.

Parsons took to FanDuel TV’s Run It Back to share his thoughts on the chaotic trade deadline. With time to analyze each trade accordingly, there were a couple that stood out to him the most. The Spurs’ ability to acquire Fox and the Cavaliers adding Hunter took the cake for him. He said,

“Player is De’Andre Hunter. Him going to the number-one team in the NBA is huge for him. Another one is De’Aaron Fox. He is now the starting stud franchise point guard of an up-and-coming awesome team.”

His reasoning for choosing those players is due to the improved situations they are going to be joining. The Hawks are currently a team battling mediocrity sitting at the ninth seed at 23-28. They most likely are going to continue to fall down the rankings as Jalen Johnson is going to miss the rest of the season.

Hunter now joins the Cavaliers who are the best team in the East and has an opportunity to compete for a championship.

Although Fox isn’t on a championship contender, he joins forces with one of the league’s most polarizing stars in Victor Wembanyama. The two will serve as a formidable duo for many more years to come—a significantly higher ceiling for Fox than what he had with the Kings.

Parsons’ co-host Louis Williams chose two other players as his winners of the deadlines but followed similar criteria. He favored Kyle Kuzma and Jonas Valanciunas since they are free from playing for the league’s worst team, the Wizards. Williams said,

“It’s Black History Month, ‘Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last!” Williams said. “Anything is better than being on the Washington Wizards right now.”

Williams and Parsons both chose a team as the winner of their deadline, with their choice being no surprise.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the deadline

It is hard to refute any opinion that claims the Lakers won the trade deadline by acquiring Luka Doncic. Parsons didn’t feel there needed to be much explanation for why the Lakers won the deadline. “The Lakers go Luka Doncic, like, game over,” Parsons said.

However, trading for Doncic wasn’t the only move the Lakers made. Trading away Anthony Davis left a void at the center position, which they found a solid replacement for by adding Mark Williams. Williams credits that as a reason he believes the Lakers won the deadline.

“No other team got a player of Luka Dončić’s caliber,” Williams said. “After trading Anthony Davis, they were lacking at the big man positions. Then they went out and got Mark Williams.”

These assessments are all based on first impressions of the team as we haven’t seen Doncic or Williams suit up for the Lakers yet. However, it’s safe to assume Doncic is going to continue to wreak havoc while donning the purple and gold.