NBA Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

Keith Smith, Resident NBA ExpertFebruary 10, 2023

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On the heels of the NBA trade deadline, there’s always a rush to declare who won or lost trades. However, as the old saying goes: “Sometimes the best trades are ones you don’t make.”

That means, it’s not always really clear if a team won or lost at the trade deadline. And we often no idea the full impact in the days and week after either. Some deals will take years to have to their stories written.

With all that said, we can start the process of declaring winners and losers. We just have to do it with a hearty helping of understanding that this could all look really silly as things play out over time.

Atlanta Hawks

Status: Losers

The moves: Acquired Saddiq Bey, Bruno Fernando, Garrison Mathews. Traded Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky, seven second-round picks.

Those familiar with this author’s work know he’s a big fan of John Collins. Not trading Collins is almost enough to tab the Hawks as winner. Alas, taking that Collins bias out of the mix, the Hawks are just sort of…well…the Hawks still. Saddiq Bey is a good player, but did Atlanta need a backup forward that badly? Was the market for Collins so poor that they couldn’t have moved on? And the Hawks took on money for next year. As always, the Hawks remain confusing and stuck in the middle.

Boston Celtics

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Mike Muscala. Traded Justin Jackson, two second-round picks.

Boston isn’t a huge winner or anything. Mike Muscala will be a fourth or fifth big for them. But they filled a position of need by trading a non-rotation player. Muscala should be a good fit and the Celtics can now rest Al Horford and Rob Williams as necessary for the rest of the regular season. If Boston adds a decent wing on the buyout market, they’ll have done good in-season work.

Brooklyn Nets

Status: Losers today, Winners tomorrow

The moves: Acquired Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, five first-round picks, one first-round pick swap, three second-round picks. Traded Kevin Durant, Kessler Edwards, Kyrie Irving, Markieff Morris, T.J. Warren.

The Nets are worse today. That’s life when you trade Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But Brooklyn is now pretty well set up for years to come. Mikal Bridges is awesome. We’ll see if he can expand his offense with all the room to grow that he never fully had in Phoenix. Cam Johnson is really good too. And those Suns picks are great. The early ones might be late first-rounders, but the later ones will come long after the Suns might have set. Getting Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith and another potentially post-Doncic first in a no-leverage situation is great work. Sean Marks might have the Nets set up in a reverse-Boston style from their disastrous trade with the Celtics from so many years ago.

Charlotte Hornets 

Status: Push

The moves: Acquired Reggie Jackson, Svi Mykhailiuk, three second-round picks. Traded Jalen McDaniels, Mason Plumlee, one second-round pick.

Charlotte is about in the same place. They opened up more minutes for Mark Williams, which is a big win. He’s pretty good. But they lost Jalen McDaniels. He’s also pretty good. But Charlotte was in a tricky contract spot with P.J. Washington a restricted free agent this summer, and Miles Bridges restricted free agency still dangling out there. Coming away +2 in terms of second-round picks is good, especially getting back their own second-rounder this year, which should be a very good one.

Chicago Bulls 

Status: Losers

The moves: None.

The Bulls didn’t do anything. Despite the idea we espoused in the open about “sometimes the best trade is one you don’t make, that doesn’t apply to Chicago. Are they really re-signing Nikola Vucevic to a new, long-term deal this summer? He’s played fine, but that could be a really messy contract very quickly. Somehow, Chicago still has uncertainty at point guard with Lonzo Ball out, despite having a bunch of in-house options. This roster needed to be shaken up and the Bulls didn’t do it.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Status: Losers (kind of)

The moves: None.

Like the Bulls, the Cavs sat out trade season. But unlike Chicago, Cleveland didn’t have to do anything. They explored upgrading on the wing by dangling Caris LeVert and Kevin Love. Nothing came of it, and that’s ok. The Cavaliers did their big work over the summer and it’s paid off with a pretty stable roster.

Dallas Mavericks

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Kyrie Irving, Markieff Morris. Traded Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, one first-round pick, two second-round picks.

Dallas comes out of this deadline looking pretty good. Kyrie Irving will behave himself for at least the rest of this season. That’ll be enough to give the Mavs a souped-up version of what they had with Jalen Brunson. He’ll be fine playing with Luka Doncic. The defense in Dallas is a question mark, but they’re going to be tough to stop on offense. It’s beyond this year where things get a little worrisome, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.

Denver Nuggets 

Status: Push

The moves: Acquired Thomas Bryant. Traded Bones Hyland, Davon Reed, one second-round pick.

Thomas Bryant is a nice enough addition for the Nuggets, but weren’t Zeke Nnaji and Jeff Green fine in the minimal minutes behind Nikola Jokic? And they created a hole at backup point guard, but the Bones Hyland situation was obviously too far gone to be salvaged. If Denver adds a quality point guard on the buyout market, and plenty look to be available, they’ll be fine.

Detroit Pistons 

Status: Push

The moves: Acquired James Wiseman. Traded Saddiq Bey, Kevin Knox.

Detroit is in a weird place. They’ve again got too many centers (even after Nerlens Noel is presumably bought out) and they traded a forward everyone seems to like. But if James Wiseman can find his footing and blossom in a low-pressure environment, Detroit will be a big winner. The talent is there with Wiseman and this will be his best shot to put it all together.

Golden State Warriors 

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Gary Payton II, two second-round picks. Traded James Wiseman, two second-round picks.

The Warriors got back a key cog from last year’s championship team. And they got him for a non-rotation player. That’s a win. Sure, it’s oversimplifying, but it was time for Golden State to but bait with James Wiseman. Getting someone they have familiarity with and that they know they can throw into big playoff games is a big upgrade.

Houston Rockets 

Status: Winners (kind of)

The moves: Acquired Danny Green, Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky, John Wall, one first-round pick swap, two second-round picks. Traded Bruno Fernando, Eric Gordon, Garrison Mathews.

Houston traded Eric Gordon and facilitated a tax-savings move for Atlanta and they landed some draft capital for it. But was that enough? After years of shopping Gordon, the Rockets sort of just settled. They did clear a little more flexibility moving forward, which is always a plus. But there just isn’t a whole lot here. It is kind of funny that after doing that eight-player deal with the Thunder over the summer and waiving everyone, Houston could end up waiving all four guys they acquired at the deadline too.

Indiana Pacers 

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora, three second-round picks. Traded draft rights to Juan Vaulet.

The Pacers got three second-round picks for renting their cap space to facilitate Jae Crowder landing in Milwaukee. That’s a win. And keep an eye on Jordan Nwora. He’s flashed in the past. The Pacers don’t really have a lot of forwards with his size. Nwora could end up popping on his team-friendly deal.

LA Clippers 

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland, Mason Plumlee, three second-round picks. Traded Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, John Wall, one first-round pick swap, three second-round picks, one second-round pick swap

The Clippers upgraded their bench in a major way. Mason Plumlee gives them the backup center they’ve been looking for all season. Bones Hyland gives them a young player at the point guard spot. And Eric Gordon should be an upgrade on Luke Kennard, especially in terms of being healthy. If they can make themselves care enough to push homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers could make a Finals run.

Los Angeles Lakers 

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Mo Bamba, Malik Beasley, D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt, two second-round picks. Traded Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Russell Westbrook, one first-round pick, two second-round picks.

Are the Lakers Finals contenders? No. Are they a lot better than they were before trade season? Absolutely. Each move they made at the deadline brought in a better player, or at least better fit. And that’s without factoring in the Rui Hachimura upgrade from a couple of weeks ago. Los Angeles now has a viable rotation that is deep with NBA players, and they have some size and versatility. That’s not enough to dig them out of their hole for a deep playoff run. But a run to the Play-In Tournament and maybe the playoffs themselves? That’s certainly in play. And the Lakers gave up very little future flexibility to get there.

Memphis Grizzlies 

Status: Winners (sort of)

The moves: Acquired Luke Kennard, one second-round pick swap. Traded Danny Green, three second-round picks.

Luke Kennard fills a pretty big need for Memphis. They had to add more shooting and there wasn’t a better shooter available than Kennard. Memphis also gave up relatively little to get Kennard too. From all the reporting, they put a lot on the table for Kevin Durant and made a very nice offer for OG Anunoby too. But offers and getting it done are too very different things. But if the Nets and Raptors wanted more than some interesting kids and a bunch of draft picks, it was probably best for the Grizzlies to hold off.

Miami Heat 

Status: Losers

The moves: Acquired cash considerations. Traded Dewayne Dedmon, one second-round pick.

The Heat have put themselves in a really tough spot with their cap sheet. Kyle Lowry has fallen off a cliff and Duncan Robinson has fallen completely off the planet. That’s essentially $45-$50 million of bad money that the Heat have to work around. That led to salary-dumping Dewayne Dedmon, which is fine. That opens up the flexibility to convert Orlando Robinson to a standard contract. But a lot of teams got better in the East and Miami didn’t.

Milwaukee Bucks

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Jae Crowder. Traded George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora, five second-round picks.

After months of speculation and trying, the Bucks finally landed Jae Crowder. Assuming he can ramp up relatively quickly, Crowder gives Milwaukee that big wing/forward that they need. He’ll be even more important while Bobby Portis is out. Sure, Milwaukee seemingly gave up every second-round pick they could find, but that’s fine. This team is trying to win a title. Jordan Nwora was about out of time on his “he’s interesting” clock in Milwaukee, and removing George Hill from Mike Budenholzer binkie rotation is addition by subtraction.

Minnesota Timberwolves 

Status: Push

The moves: Acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Mike Conley, three second-round picks. Traded D’Angelo Russell.

In a vacuum, D’Angelo Russell is a better player than Mike Conley. But basketball isn’t played in a vacuum. Fit matters and Russell’s fit with the Wolves had worn thin. He needs a new contract and he needs the ball a lot. On a team that is getting increasingly expensive, swapping Russell for Conley works on the cap sheet. It should work on the court too, especially when Karl-Anthony Towns is back. Conley will stabilize and organize things and make sure everyone gets to eat. Yes, even Rudy Gobert.

New Orleans Pelicans 

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Josh Richardson. Traded Devonte’ Graham, four second-round picks.

This move is a win on the floor and on the cap sheet for the Pelicans. They needed to add some size to their backcourt, especially with Dyson Daniels currently injured. Graham had slipped out of the rotation, in part because New Orleans couldn’t play him with C.J. McCollum and Jose Alvarado. Richardson won’t have that issue. He can also play at the three, which is important given the rash of injuries the Pelicans keep running into. And clearing Graham’s long-term money off the books is good work too, given he no longer had a real place on this roster.

New York Knicks 

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Josh Hart. Traded Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk, Cam Reddish, one lottery-protected first-round pick.

The Knicks turned three non-rotation players into a good rotation player. It cost them a protected pick, but that’s fine. Hart gives Tom Thibodeau a bit more size from his reserve group. Look for Immanuel Quickley to move into the on-ball role with Hart taking the backup wing minutes. Hart’s rugged style is a great fit for Thib’s rotation too. Now, if he’d only just start shooting the ball again…

Oklahoma City Thunder 

Status: Losers (but barely)

The moves: Acquired Justin Jackson, Dario Saric, three second-round picks. Traded Darius Bazley, Mike Muscala.

The writing has been on the wall for Darius Bazley in Oklahoma City for months now. Even with a lot of injuries in the frontcourt, Bazley is among the last guys Mark Daigneault turns to for minutes. He wasn’t going to be re-signed this summer either. Muscala is a real loss though. He’s been very quietly effective for the Thunder for years now. And the OKC frontcourt is really thin due to some long-term injuries. That’s why it’s no lock that the Thunder will buy out Dario Saric. He should get a chance to play. Adding three second-round picks is solid work, but did Sam Presti really need more picks? It’s probably all fine, but losing Muscala is a real blow for a team that’s played better than expected this season.

Orlando Magic 

Status: Push

The moves: Acquired Patrick Beverley, one second-round pick. Traded Mo Bamba.

The Magic sold low on a former top-5 pick, but it was beyond time. Once Orlando got healthy, Mo Bamba wasn’t in the rotation. He’s flashed, but five years of flashes not turning into consistent production isn’t enough to keep a guy around. Beverley will get bought out, so this was all about getting a pick. Mission accomplished, even if it’s nothing to get really excited about.

Philadelphia 76ers 

Status: Winners

The moves: Acquired Jalen McDaniels, two second-round picks. Traded Matisse Thybulle, one second-round pick.

The Sixers got better and bigger. Adding a wing was something Philadelphia needed to do and McDaniels was a nice, cost-effective addition. He’s been an inconsistent shooter, but that’s better than Matisse Thybulle who was a non-shooter. Philadelphia also go out of the tax, which is really important for a team that projects to be deep into the tax next season. That’ll be added to, if they re-sign McDaniels in unrestricted free agency.

Phoenix Suns 

Status: Winners (today), Losers (tomorrow, maybe?)

The moves: Acquired Darius Bazley, Kevin Durant, T.J. Warren. Traded Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Cam Johnson, Dario Saric, four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap, one second-round pick.

The Suns are all-in. Kevin Durant is the biggest start to change teams at the trade deadline in years. He, almost alone, can lift Phoenix back into title contention. T.J. Warren will also help quite a bit off the bench for the Suns. Bazley is a flyer and a fine one. The downside? Some of these picks will assuredly come long after Durant and Chris Paul have set off for retirement. But that’s a problem for another day. Today, the Suns are back in the Finals mix.

Portland Trail Blazers 

Status: Losers

The moves: Acquired Ryan Arcidiacono, Kevin Knox, Cam Reddish, Matisse Thybulle, one lottery-protected first-round pick, five second-round picks. Traded Josh Hart, Gary Payton II, two second-round picks.

Shrug. What is Portland doing? Josh Hart is good, even if he’s mysteriously become a non-shooter. Gary Payton II was reportedly unhappy with the Blazers, so it was probably best to move on. But Cam Reddish and Matisse Thybulle now enter a crowded mix that already features Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little and Shaedon Sharpe. What exactly is the goal? Even if Reddish and/or Thybulle finally pop (not a good bet, by the way) they are both free agents this summer. The Trail Blazers probably aren’t significantly worse, but they certainly aren’t any better.

Sacramento Kings 

Status: Losers (but not too harshly!)

The moves: Acquired Kessler Edwards. Traded draft rights to David Michineau.

We aren’t going to bag on the Kings. They mostly stood pat. Kessler Edwards is a decent flyer for them. Maybe he pops, maybe he doesn’t. But Sacramento could, and probably should, have done something to upgrade their rotation. They’re so close to breaking the playoff drought. They had well over $20 million in non-rotation-player salary just sitting there. They could have moved a draft pick or two. Maybe the prices were simply too high. And Sacramento shouldn’t break up even a little bit of their core. But, man, they could have really pushed things closer to the playoffs with a move or two.

San Antonio Spurs 

Status: Push (probably?)

The moves: Acquired Khem Birch, Dewayne Dedmon, Devonte’ Graham, one first-round pick, seven second-round picks. Traded Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson.

Getting a whole bunch of draft picks for Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson seems pretty good. But the Spurs did rent out a bunch of cap space this year (whatever, they weren’t close to the salary floor anyway), but also $19 million in cap space for next year (that’s not great) to get those picks. Graham will help some, as San Antonio is desperately thin at point guard. Birch will probably be fine too. But it feels like the Spurs might have been able to do more with their cap space. Also, why is Doug McDermott still around? Shooting on a bad team is like having a good closer on a bad baseball team: It’s a luxury you don’t really need.

Toronto Raptors 

Status: Losers 

The moves: Acquired Jakob Poeltl. Traded Khem Birch, one first-round pick, two second-round picks.

Getting Jakob Poeltl is fine. He’s a good player. Toronto should be trusted to sign him to a reasonable contract. But when that’s all you do, that’s not great. The Raptors were never going to blow it up, but keeping all of their main guys feels like a missed opportunity. The roster fits aren’t any less confusing after getting Poeltl either. And they still don’t have any shooting. This feels like an unfinished project, but the semester over and we don’t give out incompletes.

Utah Jazz 

Status: Push

The moves: Acquired Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Russell Westbrook, one first-round pick. Traded Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Malik Beasley, Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt, two second-round picks.

The Jazz didn’t do bad, but this isn’t the return they were hoping for. After months of saying they could get a first for each of Mike Conley, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, they didn’t. That’s disappointing. None of the players the Jazz acquired will likely do anything of consequence in Utah. Maybe Juan Toscano-Anderson can find some minutes. So, it’s really one pick for collection of pretty good players. That pick could be a pretty good one. It’s just not what was hoped for.

Washington Wizards 

Status: Push (maybe?)

The moves: None.

Washington didn’t do anything after the Rui Hachimura. That’s probably fine. They seem to like the guys they have. This could all go sideways if Kyle Kuzma leaves for nothing this summer, or if he gets overpaid. But for now, it’s probably fine for the Wizards, who remain stuck in the middle, forever and always.