10 NBA Plot Twists That Left Everyone Stunned This Season
Every NBA season is full of surprises. It's part of what makes this league great.
This season in particular, though, has been one for the history books.
As the 2024-25 regular season winds down, it's worth looking at some of the plot twists that shocked everyone. From the Luka Dončić trade to the many teams that unexpectedly struggled or succeeded, this year won't be forgotten.
One of the season's biggest twists of the season even happened while writing this piece, proving this league is never done sending surprises.
'Yes, this is real.'
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Usually, when Shams Charania announces a trade on social media, it is taken as a done deal. However, no one was sure the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade was true. Some assumed he was hacked or this was a hoax. It was so wildly unbelievable that Charania had to post, "Yes, this is real." That is how wild of a plot twist the Doncic trade was.
The trade immediately shook up the NBA contenders picture. The Dallas Mavericks were considered a team that could make the Finals once they got their star back from the calf strain he suffered on Christmas Day. The idea was that Kyrie Irving, paired with Anthony Davis, should lift the Mavs up. Since the trade, Dallas has suffered injury after injury, taking them out of Finals contention.
On the flip side, adding Dončić rejuvenated the Los Angeles Lakers and the fanbase. The trade raised the Lakers' ceilings, making them a dark horse contender for the Finals.
The pairing of Dončić with LeBron James has the Lakers within a moonshot of the third seed in the West.
More importantly, this trade has changed the Lakers' trajectory from a franchise with a fading superstar to one with a young superstar to build around. The Mavs, on the other hand, have lowered their floor and turned their fans against them.
The trade will have a ripple effect for years to come that will affect both franchises and the NBA as a whole.
The Cavs Run the East
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Before the start of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were not considered true championship contenders. In fact, according to BasketballReference.com, their preseason NBA Championship odds were +5000.
Cleveland started the season on a 15-game win streak, then went on a 12-game win streak, and then had a 16-game win streak as they hold the number one spot in the East.
No one saw this coming, even with a coaching change. With 58 wins and counting, the Cavs have the third-best championship odds behind Oklahoma City and Boston Celtics.
It has been a big year of growth for several Cavs. Darius Garland is in the midst of a bounce-back year. He has already played 67 games this season and upped his scoring average to 20.8 from 18. Evan Mobley has taken a leap in his development under Kenny Atkinson. Cleveland is using him as a facilitator more often, and he has been more willing to shoot threes.
The other surprise from the Cavs has been Donovan Mitchell's acceptance that he does not have to always be the "MAN." This season, he has taken a step back, letting Garland and Mobley grow while also being ready to jump in whenever the Cavs need him to take the lead.
Cleveland's run to the top of the East was the plot twist no one saw coming at the start.
Kings Become KANGZ—Again
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It was not long ago when the Sacramento Kings pushed the Golden State Warriors to a seventh game in their first playoff series in 16 years. Things looked promising after the 2022-23 season, but looks were deceiving.
This season, the Kings became the Kangz again. Their season took several turns. First, they shocked many by firing Mike Brown after a 13-18 start. Not long after that, De'Aaron Fox was moved to San Antonio as the trade deadline neared.
The Kings reunited former Chicago Bulls teammates Zach LaViine and DeMar DeRozan in the Fox trade. It has led to similar results for the Kings as it did for the Bulls, as they are running for a play-in tournament.
Just when it seemed like the Sacramento Kings had turned the corner and were starting to become a respectable team again, they made a few surprise Kangz moves that put them back into chaos. At least they still have the beam, though.
Rockets Relaunch Out West
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After going on a run to finish last season 41-41, the Houston Rockets were expected to make a leap this season. Even the highest expectations did not have Houston fighting for the second seed in the West. But that is right where they are in the Western Conference standings.
The Rockets have already surpassed their projected win total of 43.5. That is not a surprise; they are in the race for the two-seed. This after going 5-11 from the end of January to the beginning of March. The team fell in the standings but relaunched after that 16-game stretch, winning 9 of their next 10 games.
When Houston is rolling, its defense has been dominant and physical. They have unleashed Amen Thompson and Tari Eason on the defensive end. Alpren Sengun, Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet keep the offense humming. The finish in the West is up in the air, but after some turbulence, they have stabilized. The fact that they are in the running for second after finishing 11th last season is quite the twist.
The Sun Setting In Phoenix
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There have been a few disappointing teams this season, but it would be hard to find a team more disappointing than the Phoenix Suns. It seems like ages ago when the Suns started the season 8-1, and it has been all downhill since.
This team, with a win projection of 48.5, was expected to be competitive in the West. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley led the team, with Mike Budenholzer replacing Frank Vogel as coach. The thing is, there were several plot twists within this disappointing season.
Durant went down with an injury after the 8-1 start. Beal struggled with his role on the team, and Booker is having one of his worst three-point shooting seasons in his career. Jusuf Nurkić and Budenholzer clashed quite a bit, eventually leading to Nurkić being traded to Charlotte for Nick Richards at the trade deadline after several DNPs.
While that was going on, there were whispers that the Suns wanted to trade for Jimmy Butler. As the deadline approached, the whispers grew to mainstream talk. Beal, being one of two players with a no-trade clause, was not willing to waive it, thus ending any Butler pursuit involving him.
The next plot twist centered around Durant and the Suns beginning to shop him. There was a deal in place to send Durant to Miami for Butler (more on him in a moment) that the Heat ultimately killed. Then there was a deal to send Durant to Golden State, but he declined to join his old teammates in the Bay. This has all led to rumors of Durant's exit from Phoenix this offseason.
Even if the Suns make it to the playoffs as an eighth seed, this was not the season Phoenix expected. This season had more plot twists than an episode of Game of Thrones, none of them for the good.
Jimmy Butler Becoming a Warrior
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It was not surprising that Jimmy Butler was traded after failing to agree to a contract extension with the Miami Heat. His whole trade saga was filled with plot twists and turns until he ultimately ended up with the Golden State Warriors at the deadline.
Butler not only demanded a trade but was intent on making it ugly and uncomfortable in Miami until he got his wish. There were three different suspensions: a seven-game suspension to start 2025 for conduct detrimental to the team, a two-game suspension for missing a team flight, and then an indefinite suspension after walking out of a practice.
Phoenix was more than the preferred landing spot for Butler; it was the only spot. He was sending signals to teams like Memphis and Milwaukee not to trade for him. The Warriors were not interested in the early days after the trade demand. It felt inevitable that Butler would be a member of the Suns at some point; it was just a matter of how they would come together on a deal.
For their part of the trade, Golden State was more focused on other players. Their first targets were Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. When that fell through, they turned their sights on trading for Kevin Durant before KD himself shot that down. After that, the Warriors revisited the Heat and executed the Butler trade.
The Butler trade was not a surprise, but his landing in Golden State was a nice twist, and now the Warriors are trying to make a run at the title.
Pistons Go From Worst to Playoffs
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Twenty-eight was the number of straight losses the Detroit Pistons had last season. That tied the record for most consecutive losses in the NBA. Detroit would finish the season with just 14 total wins.
The offseason led to changes in the front office and on the sidelines. Trajan Lagden came in as team president and hired JB Bickerstaff to replace Monty Williams. There were tweaks made to the roster, but nothing earth-shattering. Nothing that would lead someone to believe that the Pistons would not be better but also would be right into the top-six in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit's turnaround has been the plot twist of the season. They needed just 33 games to surpass last year's win total, beating their 25.5 win total in 52 games. The Pistons will likely have their highest win total since the 2015-16 season.
Cade Cunningham will likely win the Most Improved Player award and has to be in the running for an All-NBA spot. He has taken the "leap." He's averaging career-highs in points (25.7) and assists (9.2), and he has become a true leader for the team.
It goes beyond Cunningham's leap, though, for Detroit. Bickerstaff is in the running for Coach of the Year for the job he did on this turnaround. Malik Beasley is in the running for Sixth Man of the Year. Ausar Thompson has come back strong after missing a good chunk of the start of the season.
This is a plot twist that no one can say they saw coming. Even if they thought the Pistons would be better, a run in the play-in tournament would have been a win for the organization. Instead, they are bypassing that altogether and making the playoffs outright.
Detroit went from being a team everyone can count on to get a win to the team no one wants to play in the first round of the playoffs.
Trail Blazers' Second Half
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The Detroit Pistons are the surprise team this season, but the Portland Trail Blazers have provided a plot twist in the second half.
For the first 48 games, the Blazers went 19-29. They were awful defensively, with a defensive rating that ranked 26th in the NBA, and they were 26th in net rating and 25th in offensive rating. Portland was looking at another trip to the lottery.
Then came the plot twist.
Since February 1, Portland has gone 13-13. During this span, their defensive and net rating is ranked 12th, plus 17th in offensive rating.
Chauncey Billups has done a masterful job turning the team around. Deni Avdija has blossomed as the second-leading scorer for the Blazers. Scoot Henderson is showing the promise that made him a top-three pick in the 2023 draft. Shaedon Sharpe is continuing to show off his elite athleticism, while Toumani Camera has been a wrecking ball on defense. Rookie Donovan Clingan also has the makings to be a long-time rim-protecting big.
The Blazers' run had them pushing for the last play-in spot. They have flattered lately, which might cost them that surprise trip to the play-in tournament.
More importantly, this plot twist has these young players playing meaningful games late into the season—not that different from the Houston Rockets last year. This end of the season is a good jumping-off point for next season in Portland.
Season from Hell In Philadelphia
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Before the Cleveland Cavaliers showed up to party, the Philadelphia 76ers were supposed to be the big challenger to the Boston Celtics.
Well, this season could not have gone any worse, and it happened right at the start.
Everyone is aware of Joel Embiid's health history, so the plan was to do what it took to get him healthy for the playoffs. Unfortunately, Embiid was never healthy enough for the plan to fully take shape. He missed the first nine games with a knee injury, but that was just a sign of things to come.
Embiid was in and out of the lineup until the Sixers shut down his season after playing just 19 games. Even in the games Embiid played, he never looked comfortable or like his old self.
Embiid's injury woes were not the only things holding the Sixers back this season. Paul George has had an awful first year in Philadelphia after signing a four-year, $212 million max contract in the offseason. He was Daryl Morey's top target all offseason, and he was going to be the missing piece to put the Sixers into contention.
In the 41 games he played this season, he scored 16.2 points a night, his lowest since his second season in the NBA (not including the 2014-15 season).
George's season was also cut short as the Sixers shut him down, and he is recovering from groin and knee issues.
Now onto Tyrese Maxey, who has taken on a larger role as a leader this season but has struggled. His scoring average is up a tick, but he's shooting just 33.7 percent from three, his least efficient season over the last four seasons. Maxey has been out the last 14 games with a back injury.
Even the one bright spot this season turned dark for Philadelphia. Rookie Jared McCain jumped on the scene, adding a nice scoring punch for Nick Nurse's Sixers. He averaged 15.3 points a game and was an early contender for Rookie of the Year. All of this was before tearing his MCL, which ended his season after just 23 games.
This was a brutal season of injuries. Sure, Embiid and George's issues can be expected, but Philly's long list of injured players is massively abnormal. On paper, this team was supposed to be a contender, but in reality, it'll be a lottery team whose pick might be heading to Oklahoma City if it is not in the top six.
The Sixers cannot have nice things.
Grizzlies Fire Taylor Jenkins
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This one is fresh off the presses.
On Friday, with just nine games left in the regular season, the Memphis Grizzlies announced they were parting ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins. A coach getting fired is not a plot twist unless the team is the fifth seed in a brutally hard conference, and the playoffs are just a few weeks away. Then, it becomes a plot twist.
The announcement led to much confusion: Why would the Grizzlies fire their most successful coach in history? Why now? As it stands, it appears this was strictly a basketball decision made by general manager Zach Kleiman. He pushed back on any players being consulted on the decision.
Assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo will replace Jenkins for the rest of the season. There is speculation that this is who Memphis wants to take over the team in the long run and instead of risking another team poaching him in the offseason they made the move now.
This was the second shocking firing of the season and a bigger surprise than the Mike Brown firing.
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