One the stranger trades on deadline day came between two Eastern Conference contenders. The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers swapped backup point guards, in a rare trade between two teams that competing to win the conference.

Here are the particulars:

Milwaukee Bucks acquire: Patrick Beverley

Philadelphia 76ers acquire: Cameron Payne, 2027 Bucks second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Milwaukee Bucks

Incoming salary: $2.0 million in 2023-24

• Patrick Beverley (PG, one year, $2.0 million)

Outgoing salary: $2.0 million in 2023-24

• Cameron Payne (PG, one year, $2.0 million)

The Bucks defense has been underwhelming all season. They are particular bad with their point-of-attack defense. Enter Beverley.

At this point in his career, Beverley isn’t making any more All-Defensive teams, but he’s still a good on-ball defender. And Beverley is already the best defensive guard Milwaukee has. That’s probably worth swapping out the former backup point guard and a future second-round pick for.

Beverley will also infuse some energy into a team that has lacked it this season. Despite all the excitement over adding Damian Lillard, Milwaukee underachieving has left things feeling flat. Beverley will help to change that.

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming salary: $2.0 million in 2023-24

• Cameron Payne (PG, one year, $2.0 million)

Outgoing salary: $2.0 million in 2023-24

• Patrick Beverley (PG, one year, $2.0 million)

The Sixers seem more likely to lean into offense for the next stretch of game while Joel Embiid is out. Philadelphia is probably going to push pace more. That makes Payne a better fit for the team than Beverley.

However, this trade was mostly about getting that future second-round pick. Daryl Morey gave up three picks to get Buddy Hield in an earlier deal. This recoups one pick. And, of course, the 76ers didn’t add any long-term money in the deal.

The Phoenix Suns didn’t have a lot to work with at the trade deadline. Phoenix had second-round picks to offer, along with cobbling together players on minimum contracts. That made the Suns getting Royce O’Neale and David Roddy one of the more creative deals of the weekend. Phoenix worked a three-team trade with the Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies to upgrade their depth.

Here are the particulars:

Phoenix Suns acquire: Royce O’Neale, David Roddy

Brooklyn Nets acquire: Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin, three future second-round picks

Memphis Grizzlies acquire: Chimezie Metu, Yuta Watanabe

Let’s dive in!

Phoenix Suns

Incoming salary: $12.2 million in 2023-24

• Royce O’Neale (SF, one year, $9.5 million), David Roddy (SF, three years, $10.4 million, rookie scale team option in 2025-26, restricted free agent in 2026)

Outgoing salary: $10.0 million in 2023-24

• Keita Bates-Diop (SF, two years, $4.6 million, player option in 2024-25), Jordan Goodwin (PG, one year, $1.9 million), Chimezie Metu (C, one year, $2.0 million), Yuta Watanabe (SF, two years, $4.6 million, player option in 2024-25)

This past offseason, the Suns tried to piece together a bench made up mostly players on minimum contracts. Phoenix had a couple of hits with Eric Gordon and Drew Eubanks, but no one else grabbed a regular rotation role. The Suns were also lacking in wing defenders. That made finding some additional depth a challenging, but important task at the deadline.

This trade solves those issues. O’Neale is an immediate defensive upgrade for Phoenix. He’s become a pretty solid 3&D player over his time with the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets. The Suns will be hoping that O’Neale can give them what they had hoped to get from Bates-Diop and Watanabe.

Roddy is a nice flyer for Phoenix. He’s an undersized power player, who needs to shoot it better to find a real spot in the NBA. If he can start making jumpers consistently, Roddy could be a rotation player.

On defense, Roddy can maybe help Phoenix in some small-ball lineups. He’s very strong, so Roddy can hold up against bigger players. He’s also an excellent rebounder for his size.

For now, O’Neale is the focus, but long-term, it could be Roddy that makes this trade a winner for the Suns.

Brooklyn Nets

Incoming salary: $4.3 million in 2023-24

• Keita Bates-Diop (SF, two years, $4.6 million, player option in 2024-25), Jordan Goodwin (PG, one year, $1.9 million)

Outgoing salary: $9.5 million in 2023-24

• Royce O’Neale (SF, one year, $9.5 million)

O’Neale no longer had a real place on Nets team that is transitioning to a new phase. Getting three future second-round picks for a player that was no longer in the plans is really good for Brooklyn. That’s the real point of this trade.

Bates-Diop will get a look from the Nets. They can use another wing behind Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson. If Bates-Diop can rediscover the shooting form he had with the San Antonio Spurs last season, he’s a steal for Brooklyn the rest of this year and next. If not, he’s probably a trade candidate this summer, assuming he picks up his player option.

The Nets waived Jordan Goodwin following the trade.

Memphis Grizzlies

Incoming salary: $4.4 million in 2023-24

• Chimezie Metu (C, one year, $2.0 million), Yuta Watanabe (SF, two years, $4.6 million, player option in 2024-25)

Outgoing salary: $13.7 million in 2023-24

• David Roddy (SF, three years, $10.4 million, rookie scale team option in 2025-26, restricted free agent in 2026)

Memphis made a second move this trade season to clear out some long-term salary. After trading Steven Adams to the Houston Rockets, the Grizzlies lopped some more long-term money off their books by trade Roddy.

It’s somewhat of an admission that the selection of Roddy in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft was a mistake. But Memphis can’t afford to be too precious with former draft picks. The roster is mostly full with multi-year players, and the Grizzlies still have picks coming their way. That means making some tough decisions.

This deal helped to open up a roster spot for Memphis to convert G.G. Jackson to a standard contract. Jackson has been a bright spot in a down season for the Grizzlies. Getting him on a long-term deal was a necessity. Between Jackson and Vince Williams Jr., the Grizzlies have done a nice job making lemonade out of a lemon of a season.

Memphis also made a smart upside play by signing Trey Jemison to a two-way contract to backfill Jackson’s spot. Jemison shined in the G League this year and has shown some potential on a pair of 10-day deals in the NBA. He’s a good developmental player to have in the system.

Yuta Watanabe was a fan favorite when he played for Memphis early in his career. For whatever reason, things didn’t work out for Watanabe in Phoenix. He’d been solid previously in other stops. Watanabe will make hustle plays, but it’s really about him getting back to being a good shooter. If he can do that, the Grizzlies might have a rotation guy on a cheap contract.

Memphis waived Chimezie Metu following the trade.

The Oklahoma City Thunder may be a year ahead of schedule, but that doesn’t change that they are already one of the best teams in the NBA this season. That status saw the Thunder make a move towards improving their postseason rotation by adding Gordon Hayward.

For the Charlotte Hornets, this trade is another sign that they are turning towards a new era. The Hornets have moved on from Hayward and Terry Rozier during trade season. They’re building with new players around LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges. Some of those new players came in this deal with the Thunder.

Here are the particulars:

Oklahoma City Thunder acquire: Gordon Hayward

Charlotte Hornets acquire: Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, two future second-round picks

Note: Charlotte also waived Frank Ntilikina and Ish Smith to complete this trade.

Let’s dive in!

Oklahoma City Thunder

Incoming salary: $33.3 million in 2023-24

• Gordon Hayward (SF/SG, one year, $33.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $27.9 million in 2023-24

• Davis Bertans (PF, two years, $33 million, $5.25 million guaranteed in 2024-25), Tre Mann (PG, two years, $8.1 million, restricted free agent in 2025), Vasilije Micic (PG, three years, $23.5 million, team option for 2025-26)

The Thunder didn’t literally go big in terms of size at the trade deadline, but they did in terms of impact. We’ll put the mandatory caveat right here up front: Gordon Hayward has to stay healthy. But if he does, this is a great pickup for Oklahoma City.

When he’s played during his Charlotte tenure, Hayward has been really good. This season he’s averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Hayward also has 47/36/77 shooting splits on the season. That’s great stuff for a high-end role player.

Unfortunately, Hayward has only played in 25 games this season. That includes missing the Hornets last 22 games with a strained calf.

But let’s be positive and hopeful. Maybe on a better team, with less pressure on him to create offense and fewer minutes, Hayward can hold up physically. If he can, he’s an outstanding fit for the Thunder.

When teams have had success guarding Oklahoma City this season, it’s often come via disregarding Josh Giddey on the perimeter. Multiple teams have guarded Giddey with their center floating off him to help against drives. The prevailing theory is that if you lose because Giddey hit four or five three-pointers, you tip your cap and move on.

Now, if that strategy is working for opponents, the Thunder can pull Giddey and replace him with Hayward. That’s a completely different math for opponents. You can’t leave Hayward open. And he provides all the same ballhandling and playmaking as Giddey, and Hayward is nearly as good of a defender too.

Yes, this could fail to work if Hayward can’t get and stay healthy. But it’s a worthy gamble for Oklahoma City to consolidate some pieces. The upside is there, and the Thunder are starting to run out of roster spots to keep everyone anyway.

As far as the future goes, Oklahoma City got out of some money for next year that is owed to the trio of Bertans, Mann and Micic. They’ve got even better flexibility now. The Thunder could go under the cap and create about $30 million in cap space. Of they could stay over the cap, re-sign Hayward and work with the MLE.

A lot of the offseason approach will probably depend on what happens with Hayward and the rest of this season. If he works and the team has a nice postseason, the Thunder will probably invest at least some of that flexibility in re-signing Hayward. If not, they can move on and have a bunch of cap space with only minor roster holes to fill. That’s a pretty great place to be in, both now and moving forward.

Charlotte Hornets

Incoming salary: $27.9 million in 2023-24

• Davis Bertans (PF, two years, $33 million, $5.25 million guaranteed in 2024-25), Tre Mann (PG, two years, $8.1 million, restricted free agent in 2025), Vasilije Micic (PG, three years, $23.5 million, team option for 2025-26)

Outgoing salary: $33.3 million in 2023-24

• Gordon Hayward (SF/SG, one year, $33.3 million)

The Hornets have reset things in a major way throughout the course of trade season. They moved off of long-term money for Terry Rozier and P.J. Washington in previous deals. And they cleared minutes and an offseason roster question by trading Hayward in this deal.

For the players coming in, Mann and Micic should both a chance to play. Charlotte has been piecing things together at point guard while LaMelo Ball has missed time. With Mann and Micic, they get two very different, but capable point guards. Mann is more of a get-it-and-go type, while Micic is an old school, probing playmaker. Both should have more opportunities to play with the Hornets, especially while Ball remains out.

Bertans is in a weird spot. He could theoretically provide the Hornets with some perimeter shooting, but he’ll be behind a few other guys for minutes in the frontcourt. This one could end up in a waiver, or maybe Charlotte carries Bertans into the offseason for trade purposes.

Mostly, this deal was about adding some additional draft capital for the Hornets, and taking flyers on the point guards. They’ve rebuilt their draft coffers during trade season by a good amount. And they have some cap flexibility this summer too. Pending what happens with Bridges, the Hornets could have nearly $26 million to spend.

Here’s the key: Charlotte can’t get impatient and overpay veterans just for a minor lift. They’re better off building around their younger players and signing free agents to value deal. Spending it all in one place has rarely worked for this franchise in the past. Let’s see if they’ve learned from that mistake.

The Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets swapped powers forwards who signed contracts as restricted free agents this past summer. Dallas is moving on from Grant Williams to bring in P.J. Washington, in a swap of two players who have gone head-to-head a lot.

Here are the particulars:

Dallas Mavericks acquire: P.J. Washington, two future second-round picks

Charlotte Hornets acquire: Grant Williams, Seth Curry, top-2 protected 2027 Mavericks first-round pick

Note: Charlotte waived James Bouknight in order to complete this trade

Let’s dive in!

Dallas Mavericks

Incoming salary: $16.9 million in 2023-24

• P.J. Washington (PF, three years, $46.5 million)

Outgoing salary: $16.4 million in 2023-24

• Grant Williams (PF, four years, $53.3 million), Seth Curry (PG/SG, two years, $8 million, contract is non-guaranteed for 2024-25)

The Mavericks made it clear they wanted to upgrade their front court in the weeks approaching the trade deadline. Earlier in the day, Dallas acquired Daniel Gafford for backup center depth. In Washington, the Mavs added some power forward depth too.

Washington may start, or Jason Kidd may stick with Derrick Jones Jr. as his starting four. Either way, Washington is going to play a lot. He’s proven capable of playing well as either a starter or a reserve.

In a somewhat reduced role, the 6-foot-7 big man has still been productive for Charlotte. Washington has averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game. He’s a more athletic player than Williams is, so Dallas may be able to deploy him more in the trap-and-recover schemes Kidd likes to employ on defense.

Dallas didn’t take on much long-term money here either. Washington makes more than Williams does, but he’s on a declining contract. That’ll help as the Mavericks fill out their roster around Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the coming seasons.

The downside to this trade is Dallas is out yet another first-round pick. And this pick stings more than some of the others, because it’s partially due to admitting sign-and-trading for Williams last summer was a mistake. The Mavs did get back two second-round picks in the deal, which helps balance out the draft capital some.

Curry was rarely playing regular minutes for Dallas, as younger players had passed him in the rotation.

Charlotte Hornets

Incoming salary: $16.4 million in 2023-24

• Grant Williams (PF, four years, $53.3 million), Seth Curry (PG/SG, two years, $8 million, contract is non-guaranteed for 2024-25)

Outgoing salary: $16.9 million in 2023-24

• P.J. Washington (PF, three years, $46.5 million)

Charlotte has begun another rebuild of their roster, while adding valuable draft capital. Williams should slide in and play the same role Washington was, as the top reserve big. It’s unclear if Curry will stick in Charlotte or not. If he does, he could provide some consistent shooting to a roster that is short on that skill.

In getting Williams, the Hornets acquired a player who has won a lot on his career. He has as much, if not more, playoff experience than anyone else on Charlotte’s roster.

Williams remains a solid defender, as long as he’s not tasked with switching out to the perimeter too often. Against most bigs, Williams does a nice job staying in front of them, and he’s strong enough to hold his ground too.

Despite things not working out with the Mavericks, Williams is still a good shooter. He’s hitting 37.6% of his 4.5 three-point attempts per game. Where things really fell apart was with Williams finishing in the paint. He’s fallen off from a solid 47% from floater range to just 33.3%. Williams is also missing more shots directly at the rim too. If that cleans up, he’ll be a productive rotation player on a solid contract.

Ultimately, the key to this deal for the Hornets was getting a very lightly-protected 2027 first-round pick. That pick is top-2 protected for the 2027 NBA Draft. And that just happens to be the year Luka Doncic has a player option for. Given how quickly things can change in the NBA, that’s a good just-in-case kind of bet for Charlotte.

The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors got together to swap point guards. The Nets got a player they can incorporate for the next couple of season, while the Raptors cleared out some additional salary for next season.

Here are the particulars:

Brooklyn Nets acquire: Dennis Schroder, Thaddeus Young

Note: Brooklyn waived Harry Giles III to complete this trade

Toronto Raptors acquire: Spencer Dinwiddie

Let’s dive in!

Brooklyn Nets

Incoming salary: $20.4 million in 2023-24

• Dennis Schroder (PG, two years, $25.4 million), Thaddeus Young (C/PF, one year, $8 million)

Outgoing salary: $20.4 million in 2023-24

• Spencer Dinwiddie (PG, one year, $20.4 million)

The writing was on the wall for Dinwiddie’s time in Brooklyn. The veteran guard the Nets hadn’t been able to agree on a contract extension. Brooklyn still wanted some certainty at the position, so in comes Schroder.

Schroder has had a nice season for the Raptors, but he was supplanted in the starting lineup by Immanuel Quickley after the OG Anunoby trade. As Toronto is resetting their roster, they don’t need a high-end backup point guard, which made Schroder very available.

The 30-year-old lead guard will bring some stability to the position for Brooklyn. Schroder can score and run the offense. He’s shot relatively well from deep. And he can still be a pesky defender at times.

Schroder’s contract shouldn’t be an impediment to any plans Sean Marks has for the offseason. If it is, the veterans deal is tradable enough that Brooklyn should be able to move him without worry.

It’s been reported that the Nets will waive Thaddeus Young. He’ll be a target for playoff contenders that are looking to add some veteran experience to their frontcourt.

Toronto Raptors

Incoming salary: $20.4 million in 2023-24

• Spencer Dinwiddie (PG, one year, $20.4 million)

Outgoing salary: $20.4 million in 2023-24

• Dennis Schroder (PG, two years, $25.4 million), Thaddeus Young (C/PF, one year, $8 million)

This trade was about creating even more cap flexibility for Toronto. It’s already been reported that the Raptors will waive Dinwiddie. He’s already got teams lining up to add him for the playoff run, so that’s probably a win for him in the end.

This deal, combined with Toronto's earlier trade with the Utah Jazz, has created near max cap space for the Raptors this summer. If Toronto keeps their own top-six protected 2024 first-round pick (it’s hovering right around the line of where they’d convey it to the San Antonio Spurs), they’ll have about $34.4 million in cap space this summer. If the Raptors deliver that pick, they’ll have over $40 million in cap space.

Given the Raptors don’t have a ton of rotation holes to fill, that’s some impressive spending power for this offseason. Masai Ujiri said he wasn’t doing a teardown rebuild, but more of a reset. Toronto’s trades today further that notion. The Raptors are set up to bounce back very quickly.

(Note: This is a revised post, as the previously reported Sixers-Pacers trade was expanded to a three-team deal to include the Spurs)

Before the season started, after extension negotiations went nowhere, Buddy Hield requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers. Months later, Hield finally got his wish. After making his request, but continuing to play hard and well, Hield is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers, who are loading up despite Joel Embiid being out for a while. In an expanded three-team deal, the Pacers replaced Hield’s outside shooting by adding Doug McDermott from the Spurs.

Here are the particulars:

Philadelphia 76ers acquire: Buddy Hield

Indiana Pacers acquire: Furkan Korkmaz, Doug McDermott, three future second-round picks

San Antonio Spurs acquire: Marcus Morris, future second-round pick, cash considerations

Let’s dive in!

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming salary: $19.3 million in 2023-24

• Buddy Hield (SG, one year, $19.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $22.5 million in 2023-24

• Marcus Morris Sr. (PF, one year, $17.1 million), Furkan Korkmaz (SG/SF, one year, $5.4 million)

The Sixers made it clear months ago that they wanted to upgrade their roster for this season, while maintaining flexibility for the summer. This trade does that.

Hield is a good player and will provide some scoring punch and spacing. He’s also on an expiring contract. So, if it works out, Philadelphia can look to bring Hield back. If it doesn’t, they can move on and still create the same cap space as before.

Hield’s shooting has dipped a bit this season, but he’s still an elite shooter. The 31-year-old is hitting 38.4% from deep on 6.9 three-point attempts per game. Hield is also regularly available and rarely injured. For a 76ers team that has been very banged up, that’s important.

With Joel Embiid out, Philadelphia has run even more of the offense through Tyrese Maxey. The secondary scorer has been Tobias Harris. Now, they’ll have an additional player who can scale-up and scale-down his game as necessary. If the Sixers need Hield to take 20 shots one night, he’ll get them up. If they need Hield to play a complementary role and mostly draw the defense with his gravity, he’ll do that too. And he should be a terrific fit once Embiid is back in the lineup, as he’ll create space for Embiid, Maxey and Harris to work in.

One minor issue for the Sixers: Morris has played regular minutes in their injury-hit frontcourt. This could mean more minutes for someone like Kenyon Martin Jr. are on tap. Or, more likely, Daryl Morey isn’t done tweaking his roster.

Philadelphia still has several good-sized expiring contracts that they can move. And they’re sitting on some tradable draft picks too. Morey will keep working to round out their depth. Keep an eye on a center who can start for Embiid while he’s out, then slide into a backup role when Embiid returns. And we’re saying “when”, because this trade seems to indicate that the Sixers believe the reigning MVP will return this season.

Indiana Pacers

Incoming salary: $19.1 million in 2023-24

• Doug McDermott (PF, one year, $13.7 million), Furkan Korkmaz (SG/SF, one year, $5.4 million)

Outgoing salary: $19.3 million in 2023-24

• Buddy Hield (SG, one year, $19.3 million)

The Pacers had a logjam at the guard position. They’ve used Hield as a starter and off the bench this season. Lately, with a healthy roster, Indiana has gone to Andrew Nembhard as the starting backcourt mate next to Tyrese Haliburton.

That move put Hield in a bench role. Indiana also has Bennedict Mathurin coming off the bench, as well as T.J. McConnell. That’s a lot of overlap in skills and roles. Simply put, someone was going to lose out on minutes somewhere.

The real get in this trade for Indiana is three future second-round picks for a player that was coming to the end of his run with the team. Because of what we laid out above, Hield was likely not in the long-term plans.

McDermott will could help replace some of the shooting that was lost by trading Hield. He’s bigger than Hield, so McDermott should be able to play in lineups that feature two guards. He’s on an expiring deal, so the Pacers long-term cap flexibility takes on no hit.

It’s already been reported that the Pacers will waive Korkmaz.

San Antonio Spurs

Incoming salary: $17.1 million in 2023-24

• Marcus Morris Sr. (PF, one year, $17.1 million)

Outgoing salary: $13.7 million in 2023-24

• Doug McDermott (PF, one year, $13.7 million)

The Spurs side of this deal is fairly simple: They added a second-round pick and some cash to cover the difference between Morris and McDermott’s salary.

It’s been reported that Morris is expected to work a buyout with the Spurs. That makes sense, as San Antonio is prioritizing playing younger players for the rest of this season. Morris was fairly productive in his stint with the Sixers, so he should be able to find a new home. Two things to note: Morris can’t return to Philadelphia, as they just traded him. And because his salary is above that of the Non-Taxpayer MLE amount ($12.4 million) Morris can’t sign with any of the apron teams either.

The New York Knicks pulled off one of the biggest moves on trade deadline day when they acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons. The Knicks sent the Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, two second-round picks and salary filler to the Pistons in the deal.

This move sets Detroit up to actually increase their 2024 cap space, and they get to incorporate Grimes with their young team. For New York, the move took on increased importance with an injury update that came out later in the day on Thursday.

Here are the particulars:

New York Knicks acquire: Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks

Detroit Pistons acquire: Ryan Arcidiacono, Malachi Flynn, Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, two future second-round picks

Note: Detroit also waived Killian Hayes and Danuel House Jr. to complete this trade.

Let’s dive in!

New York Knicks

Incoming salary: $30.5 million in 2023-24

• Bojan Bogdanovic (SF/PF, two years, $39 million, $2 million guaranteed in 2024-25), Alec Burks (SG, one year, $10.5 million)

Outgoing salary: 27.1 million in 2023-24

• Ryan Arcidiacono (PG, one year, $2.0 million), Malachi Flynn (PG, one year, $3.9 million), Evan Fournier (SG/SF, two years, $37.8 million, team option for 2024-25), Quentin Grimes (SG, two years, $6.7 million, restricted free agent in 2025)

Whew, boy!

The Knicks went big in trade season. They traded for OG Anunoby in an earlier deal, and then swung arguably the day’s biggest trade in terms of players and impact. And New York didn’t sacrifice much draft capital, while still retaining some salary flexibility too. That’s good work.

This trade took on a whole other meaning when news broke that OG Anunoby is out at least the next three weeks after undergoing surgery on his right elbow. That’s on top of Julius Randle, who is in the midst of a multi-week absence after dislocating his right shoulder.

Instead of Bogdanovic coming in as a fill-in starter and then a key reserve, he’ll become a key starter as soon as he’s ready to play. And that’s a good thing. Bogdanovic is still a very good offensive player. He’ll help lessen the burden on Jalen Brunson to create everything for New York while Randle is out.

The 35-year-old remains equally adept at creating his own looks, as he is as a spot-up shooter. That kind of versatility should fit in nicely with Brunson right away, and then with Randle when he returns. Bogdanovic is shooting 41.5% on a career-high 7.4 three-point attempts per game. That’ll help boost a Knicks team that is middle-of-the-pack in terms of shooting.

Defensively, Bogdanovic is competitive. He’s better against bigger forwards now, because he’s fairly strong and a solid positional defender. When he draws a quicker player, he’ll need some help. But the Knicks have enough good defenders to cover for Bogdanovic when necessary.

As for Burks, think of him as the Immanuel Quickley replacement. He’s not as good as Quickley, but that’s the role the Knicks will ask him to play. New York is going to want Burks to provide the sort of instant offense they’ve been missing since trading Quickley.

After a really rough start, Burks has bounced back as a shooter. He’s up to 40.1% on 5.7 three-point attempts per game. He’s also a pretty good creator off the dribble. Burks isn’t nearly the defender Quickley could be, nor the passer, but as a bench scorer, he’ll help New York a lot.

On the cap sheet, things stayed relatively neutral. Bogdanovic is only guaranteed $2 million out of his $19 million deal, but expect the Knicks to guarantee the whole thing. If nothing else, that rolls over a big expiring contract into next year’s trade market for New York.

Giving up Quentin Grimes had to be hard for a Knicks front office that prized the young guard. However, he had struggled to adapt to a backup role this season. Grimes needs consistent minutes and a role. He’ll get that in Detroit, and he wasn’t likely to in a crowded Knicks backcourt.

Detroit Pistons

Incoming salary: 27.1 million in 2023-24

• Ryan Arcidiacono (PG, one year, $2.0 million), Malachi Flynn (PG, one year, $3.9 million), Evan Fournier (SG/SF, two years, $37.8 million, team option for 2024-25), Quentin Grimes (SG, two years, $6.7 million, restricted free agent in 2025)

Outgoing salary: $30.5 million in 2023-24

• Bojan Bogdanovic (SF/PF, two years, $39 million, $2 million guaranteed in 2024-25), Alec Burks (SG, one year, $10.5 million)

So…there is a lot going on here. First, this is a 4-for-2 trade. That meant the Pistons had to waive two players. They did that by waiving Killian Hayes and recently-acquired Danuel House Jr.

Let’s start with the Hayes part, as it’s fascinating how quickly he fell out of favor. In his fourth season, Hayes has only shown incremental progress from the flawed prospect he was as the 7th overall pick at the 2020 NBA Draft.

Hayes can’t shoot. He’s never become the defender he looked like he might. His playmaking has been solid enough, but the utter lack of scoring ability sunk Hayes as starting point guard. The good news? Hayes is only 22 years old. He’s a nice “second draft” flyer for team with a good player development staff and available minutes to let Hayes figure things out.

As for the trade, the Pistons main gets in this deal were Quentin Grimes and two future second picks. Even if we consider Grimes a pseudo first-round pick substitute, this is still a bit off the two firsts and two seconds that Detroit insisted they needed for Bogdanovic and Burks.

That said…this is more realistic value.

Grimes is a nice player who should fit in nicely with the Pistons young core. He’ll be able to play with Cade Cunningham, Jade Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser in versatile guard/wing groupings. Detroit should also have the ability to give Grimes plenty of minutes, which is something he was seeing less and less of in New York.

The two second-round picks, combined with Grimes, are more reasonable value for Bogdanovic and Burks. Both players are still good, but they are aging and they both are coming to end of their contracts.

Detroit also acquired Evan Fournier in this deal. It’s not clear if Fournier will get a chance to play much. Given Monty Williams’ fondness for having vets on the floor, don’t bet against it. If he does get to play, Fournier will have a chance to show he can still shoot and score. He didn’t forget how to play basketball, despite the Knicks shelving him for the better part of the last two years. Fournier will be motivated to show he can still play, given his contract status for next season.

Detroit will likely decline Fournier’s $19 million team option for next season, as they pursue max cap space. It’s unclear if Ryan Arcidiacono or Malachi Flynn will make it to next week, never mind next season. They aren’t likely to be part of the Pistons beyond this season either.

That means the only long-term money Detroit took on was the $4.3 million for Quentin Grimes. The Pistons weren’t going to just waive Bojan Bogdanovic next year, so they actually created almost $15 million more in cap space next summer. Look for the Pistons to have north of $60 million in cap room come July.

In a move that helped the Philadelphia 76ers dodge the luxury tax, the Detroit Pistons picked up an additional 2024 second-round pick.

Here are the particulars:

Detroit Pistons acquire: Danuel House Jr., 2024 Knicks second-round pick

Philadelphia 76ers acquire: 2028 Pistons second-round pick (top-55 protected)

Let’s dive in!

Detroit Pistons

Incoming salary: $4.3 million in 2023-24

• Danuel House Jr. (SF, one year, $4.3 million)
• Detroit also waived Joe Harris to create the roster space to bring in House. House was acquired via the Marvin Bagley TPE that the Pistons had available.

Outgoing salary: None

• None

This is pretty simple on the Pistons side. Detroit gets a second-round pick for taking on some money for House. The pick won’t be a great one, as the Knicks are playing well, but it’s something Troy Weaver can add to his draft capital stash.

The Pistons pick is top-55 protected in 2028. If that conveys, Detroit will be thrilled as it means they are one of the best teams in the NBA.

As for House the player: the Pistons waived him to be able to complete another trade they made with the Knicks. Detroit also waived Joe Harris to create space to acquire House. Harris was out of the rotation for the Pistons and will count as $19.9 million dead money for the rest of this season.

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming salary: None

• None

Outgoing salary: $4.3 million in 2023-24

• Danuel House Jr. (SF, one year, $4.3 million)

Combining this trade with the Sixers sending Marcus Morris Sr. and Furkan Korkmaz to the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield, Philadelphia is out of the luxury tax. That’s the motivation behind giving up a pick to dump House.

The 76ers now have the ability to play in the buyout market. Because they are well under the apron, Philadelphia has no restrictions on who they can sign after a buyout. And the Sixers have a lot of roster spots to fill, so Daryl Morey has a busy couple of weeks ahead of him.

The Dallas Mavericks wanted to upgrade their frontcourt. They got that done by trading for one of the more underrated centers in the NBA. In exchange, the Washington Wizards added some additional draft capital as they continue their rebuild.

Here are the particulars:

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Daniel Gafford

Washington Wizards acquire: Richaun Holmes, 2024 first-round pick via the Thunder

Let’s dive in!

Dallas Mavericks

Incoming salary: $12.4 million in 2023-24

• Daniel Gafford (C, three years, $40.2 million)

Outgoing salary: $12.0 million in 2023-24

• Richaun Holmes (C, two years, $24.9 million, player option for 2024-25)

Dallas was motivated to build up their frontcourt. They accomplished that in a pair of trade deadline moves that saw the team acquire Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. We’re going to focus on the Gafford acquisition now, and we’ll hit on the Washington in a separate piece.

Gafford is in the midst of the best year of his career. He’s started in 45 games he’s played, and Gafford has averaged 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

It’s the latter two stats that are particularly encouraging for Gafford. He’s been an improved defender, even if that gets lost somewhat in the overall sloppiness of the Wizards team defense. The 25-year-old big man is also a solid rebounder. That’s been a weakness for Dallas this season and one Gafford should help shore up.

For the Mavericks, Gafford is probably coming off the bench. He’ll replace Dwight Powell as the primary backup for Dereck Lively II. That gives Dallas three very capable centers that they can use at any time. That’s important because Lively has had some issues staying on the floor. The Mavs can now make sure he’s fully ready to play, because they have Gafford in the fold.

Dallas took on an extra year of salary in this deal, but it was only $14.4 million in 2025-26. That’ll be roughly equivalent to the Non-Taxpayer MLE. Gafford should return that much value with ease.

As for the draft pick compensation, the Mavs had to get a little creative. Dallas worked with the Oklahoma City Thunder to send a 2028 first-round pick swap to the Thunder for a 2024 first-round pick. That allowed the Mavs to route the draft compensation that the Wizards needed for Gafford.

Washington Wizards

Incoming salary: $12.0 million in 2023-24

• Richaun Holmes (C, two years, $24.9 million, player option for 2024-25)

Outgoing salary: $12.4 million in 2023-24

• Daniel Gafford (C, three years, $40.2 million)

The Wizards were able to get a first-round pick for Daniel Gafford. That’s something they couldn’t do in the Bradley Beal or Kristaps Porzingis trades.

Washington also got off an additional year of salary for Gafford in 2025-26 in this trade. As the Wizards continue along with the rebuild, additional draft capital and cap flexibility are desirable commodities.

There’s also a chance that Richaun Holmes could rehab his value as a member of the Wizards. The last two years have been mostly lost campaigns for the 30-year-old big man, but there’s still talent there.

As recently as 2021-22, Holmes averaged 10.4 points and 7.0 rebounds. He should get a chance to play for the Wizards. If Holmes can rebuild his value, it will help him, and it will help the Wizards by virtue of a potential re-trade down the line.

The Toronto Raptors are continuing to reshape their roster, after trading OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam earlier this season. In a deal with the Utah Jazz, the Raptors added a young wing with some upside and a veteran center in exchange for two non-rotation players and a 2024 first-round pick.

Here are the particulars:

Toronto Raptors acquire: Ochai Agbaji, Kelly Olynyk

Utah Jazz acquire: Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr., 2024 first-round pick (likely from the Thunder or Clippers)

(Note: This will functionally be two separate trades, since Lewis can’t be aggregated in this deal.)

Let’s dive in!

Toronto Raptors

Incoming salary: $16.3 million in 2023-24

• Ochai Agbaji (SF/SG, three years, $14.8 million, rookie scale team option in 2025-26), Kelly Olynyk (C/PF, one year, $12.2 million)

Outgoing salary: $12.2 million in 2023-24

• Kira Lewis Jr. (PG, one year, $5.7 million, restricted free agent in 2024), Otto Porter Jr. (PF/SF, one year, $6.3 million)

Masai Ujiri said he wasn’t tearing the Raptors roster down to rebuild after the OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam trades. Instead, Ujiri is resetting things in Toronto. This trade furthers that strategy.

Effectively, Toronto gave up a very late (probably in the 25-30 range) first-round pick in what is considered a weak 2024 NBA Draft for Agbaji. Considering Agbaji was just the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, that’s not a bad upgrade.

Agbaji is seen as a potential 3&D starting wing. As of right now, the “D” part is well ahead the “3” part of that equation. After an encouraging 36% as a rookie, Agbaji has slipped to 33% this season. If he’s going to make it as a regular starter, he’ll need to bring that up considerably.

As it stands, Agbaji is a good defender and a nice bench player. He fits in the new-look Raptors rotation in that sense. He’s a bit older for a second-year player, as he’s already 23 years old, but Agbaji still has some upside left to discover.

And all of that is before we get to Olynyk.

Adding a veteran center on an expiring contract feels like an odd move for Toronto, but they did this a year ago with Jakob Poeltl. The idea may simply be to get Olynyk, and his Bird Rights, and to re-sign him this summer. That would match the path the Raptors took with Poeltl.

Olynyk brings a dimension that no other Raptors big does. He’s a good perimeter player, as Olynyk can shoot and pass. He’s also a solid roll-man, which Toronto has been lacking this season. He’s a good changeup from Poeltl as a center combo.

If the Raptors retain Olynyk, or turn him into another long-term fit down the line, they’ve done well in this trade. If not, then it’s probably more of a neutral value.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Toronto took on very little future money in this trade. They’re still set up to be a major free agency player with north of $30 million cap space this summer.

Utah Jazz

Incoming salary: $12.2 million in 2023-24

• Kira Lewis Jr. (PG, one year, $5.7 million, restricted free agent in 2024), Otto Porter Jr. (PF/SF, one year, $6.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $16.3 million in 2023-24

• Ochai Agbaji (SF/SG, three years, $14.8 million, rookie scale team option in 2025-26), Kelly Olynyk (C/PF, one year, $12.2 million)

We’ve written and said repeatedly that Danny Ainge won’t be seduced by the allure of the Play-In Tournament. If there is a good deal to be made, he’ll make it and let the standings fall where they may. Ainge did it last season, and he’s done it again here.

For Ainge, he acquired another first-round pick for an expiring contract at a position where the Jazz have depth and a player who was blocking a younger player with more upside. In addition, Ainge cleared about $4.3 million in salary off next year’s books.

That’s pretty solid work, even if it potentially weakens Utah’s rotation for the rest of this season.

After trading Simone Fontecchio, and now Agbaji, the runway is clear for Taylor Hendricks to play significant minutes. He’s played well in the G League and is brimming with potential. The Jazz can use the rest of this season to see how he fits in with Lauri Markkanen and others.

Up front, barring further trades, Utah still has Markkanen, John Collins and Walker Kessler in the rotation. They also like Omer Yurtseven and Luka Samanic, who could see some increased minutes too.

It’s unlikely that either Lewis or Porter will play much of a role for the Jazz. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see either of them waived and allowed to catch on elsewhere.

Keep an eye on Utah continuing to try to clear even more cap space for next summer. They’d like to renegotiate-and-extend Markkanen’s deal, plus have some left over to make other moves. This is a multi-year rebuilding process for the Jazz. Their two (so far!) deadline moves signal that the work is far from complete.