The race to the 2023 NBA Championship ends in June. A pivotal moment for many winners and losers occurs at the NBA trade deadline. Deadline day represents one of the last chances to add a playoff-eligible difference-maker to your team and build chemistry before the games really count. There is a human element to uprooting a man from his family and moving him to a different city or state in the middle of the season, which merits discussion. Instead, the NBA has built a cottage industry of insiders, sports shows, and pundits discussing one thing: Who won trade deadline day and who lost. Not to disparage anyone performing a craft at the highest level, but as the old saying goes: “You play to win the game.” With that said, here are the NBA trade deadline winners and losers.
Note: Some water-treading NBA teams were not mentioned (like the Thunder and Hornets). Their outlooks have stayed the same from the Eastern Conference and Western Conference New Year’s Resolutions that you can read here at Belly Up Sports.
Winners: Phoenix Suns
What a splash move by the new Suns’ owner, Mat Ishbia! The Suns put all their chips in the middle of the table so they could see the river card. The card was a seven, the jersey number of NBA superstar and future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Durant. A blockbuster deal with the Brooklyn Nets costs the Suns a defensive stalwart in Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four first-round picks. In a wide-open Western Conference, this is chump change for a player of Durant’s caliber.
Kevin Durant has never been traded before, but this was a trade he requested last summer. Now the Suns have a full house featuring Durant, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul, and veteran depth at each position. Former Sun draft pick TJ Warren also came to the Suns in the deal. The Suns have a minimum two-year window to win the championship trophy. After the Robert Sarver turmoil, the Suns’ fans have reason to celebrate.
Winners: Dallas Mavericks
Though not a trade deadline deal, the recent trade for point guard Kyrie Irving was a considerable gamble to add talent next to superstar and MVP candidate Luka Doncic. Kyrie Irving is in the last year of his contract and could jump ship as soon as this summer. Plus, he is Kyrie.
Dallas now sports the most dangerous backcourt talent in the league. They had to give up player capital in Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith. They also coughed up a few draft picks. Expect seasoned head coach Jason Kidd to address all defensive concerns. The Mavericks will make noise in May.
Losers: The Brooklyn Nets’ Super Team
I’m starting to believe that the franchise should have stayed in New Jersey. Brooklyn’s front office capitulated to player demands by giving them max contracts in free agency. They then allowed them to demand a trade of all of their future assets to get All-Star guard James Harden. When a pandemic arrived, and everyone was asked to sacrifice, one of those max contract players held out. After only 16 games played together, each player demanded a trade and received one. Harden demanded a trade to the 76ers, which was granted in exchange for an experiment gone wrong. Irving and Durant are gone. The Nets mortgaged their future similarly in the short-lived Kevin Garnett era. The super team formula is not a winning mix for them.
Winners: Brooklyn Nets
However, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Nets have the opportunity to build a team with a defense-first mentality. My pick for NBA’s Most Improved player Nic Claxton is teaming with newcomers Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith. These players are tough to score on and don’t miss games due to injury.
Head coach Jacque Vaughn will make this team credible despite the star departures. He has already taken a starless Nets team to as high as sixth in the playoff standings. A star is emerging there with Cam Thomas, a young lead guard who recently scored 40 points in three consecutive games. He is the youngest player in NBA history to achieve the feat.
The Nets have control of Phoenix’s future draft picks and not their own, but that means they have every incentive to stay as competitive as possible.
Losers: Houston Rockets
If the Nets are competitive, their draft capital is less valuable. Rockets fans who celebrate losing for draft picks find themselves unable to watch their team with much excitement. The Rockets did not do themselves any favors at the NBA trade deadline. Eric Gordon, the last man standing from their competitive days, was worth a first-round pick a year ago. They traded him for John Wall, a player the Rockets just sat for a whole season in 2021. Expect Wall to accept a decent pay cut for his freedom. Same with veteran Danny Green who was traded to the Rockets from Memphis. Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky are improvements over the players shipped out, but once they taste the losing culture, they will be looking for the exit. Saying “Houston, we have a problem” is cliché but expect that to be a familiar refrain whenever Rockets basketball is discussed.
Losers: Chicago Bulls
The Bulls made zero moves. How does a large market with a ninth-place team stand pat while the competition makes moves around them? Does that mean they are comfortable with their roster? The Jordan days ended 25 years ago. Chicago has executed few win-now moves since then.
Winners: Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks were right to stand pat for the most part because they have been playing a lot better. They did acquire some Houston Rocket trade fodder. Saddiq Bey can impact with a better system (assuming the trade goes through). But making a drastic move would have left their title prospects static. If the Hawks face a team with injuries, they could sneak into the second round of the playoffs. But the top half of the East is too strong this year to give up significant assets. John Collins will play better now that the threat of a trade is gone. If a superstar wants out this summer, the Hawks have a good mix of contracts and picks to make competitive offers. For example, Damian Lillard here would instantly alter the Eastern Conference landscape.
Winner: Victor Wembanyama
There is more clarity on which teams are gunning for the first pick in the NBA Draft. Victor Wembanyama can start envisioning where he will be playing next season.
Remember that Wembanyama can choose not to come over if a perennial loser has the number one pick in the draft. As an international star, he could hold out for a trade by remaining with his overseas team.
Winners: LA Lakers
Patrick Beverley and his ridiculous antics are gone to Orlando. Russell Westbrook did everything that was asked of him, including coming off the bench. He got shipped to Utah. Kendrick Nunn is rarely healthy and is now a Washington Wizard. D’Angelo Russell returns to the purple and gold, playing some high-level ball. Jarred Vanderbilt is an excellent pick-up. Mo Bamba, a strong shot-blocker, was practically given away by the Magic. Bamba, Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley add tremendous depth to a frontcourt that badly needed Anthony Davis insurance.
Add Rui Hachimura to the mix, and now something is cooking in southern California. It may be too late because the Lakers are in 13th place with 25 games to go. At least this roster will be a lot more fun to watch. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, now has a squad that can make noise. A seventh or eighth-place Laker team would give a top seed all they can handle.
Losers: Minnesota Timberwolves
Every move the Timberwolves make are head-scratchers. The latest is a trade for Mike Conley from Utah. How did this help when you traded D’Angelo Russell? Minnesota is an eighth-place team with no identity on offense or defense.
Losers: Toronto Raptors
If the goal was to compete instead of tank, acquiring Jakob Poeltl in exchange for Khem Birch and draft picks makes sense. Poeltl is a defensive center and the team was devoid of centers. However, the Raptors are five games below .500 and should have strongly considered selling at the deadline. It wouldn’t dramatically change their record if they traded a few players. They could have used the draft capital to make a serious run next season.
Losers: LA Clippers
I recently addressed the needs of the LA Clippers at the NBA trade deadline. The Clippers responded by shipping off the point guards on the roster and bringing in Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland. Both are best served as spot-duty point guards and will only improve the roster slightly. Mason Plumlee was an excellent pick-up that bolsters their front line, but the Clippers also gave up their best shooter in Luke Kennard – mixed-bag results for another player-driven super team.
Winners: Denver Nuggets
This choice was a close call as the Nuggets acquired Thomas Bryant, who was excellent for the Lakers this year but lost former first-rounder Bones Hyland in exchange for two second-round picks. The number-one seed in the West does not need much, if fully healthy. They are considered title contenders, but playoff toughness is a concern.
Winners: Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies made one addition by acquiring Luke Kennard from the Clippers. He is one of the best three-point shooters in the league and sitting him in the corners will provide superstar Ja Morant all the spacing he needs for his acrobatic flair. The Grizzlies have battled playoff contenders enough times to prove they have what it takes to make the Finals.
Losers: Miami Heat
The Heat got rid of Dewayne Dedmon in a cost-cutting move which doubled as a move to rid themselves of a poor attitude. That’s it. No more movements from a team that was essentially one shot away from the NBA Finals last season. It is disappointing that the Heat have only made two trades in the previous two years. Miami could truly scare teams if they had bench depth.
Winners: New York Knicks
Josh Hart is a young, high-energy player coveted by several teams at the deadline. He is a rebounder, defender, and all-around utility player that fits any scheme and is coachable. The Knicks were fortunate enough to snatch him up, and they will now be a tough out in the playoffs.
Random Thoughts
The death of the cap space super team has arrived. With the blow-up of the Nets, teams would be wise not to let players play general manager and buddy up with their max contract friends. The only super team success story involves (arguably) the greatest player of all time. Even that took a historic Game 6 in Boston to prevent that experiment from going bust.
The NBA absolutely has it right when it comes to Christmas Day games, NBA Draft (plus summer league), NBA Trade Deadline, and the play-in games for the playoffs. They are shooting themselves in the foot with the three-point contests disguised as competitive basketball, the length of the season, and the referees. As collective bargaining discussions continue, I hope the NBA and the Player’s Association put more emphasis on on-court fixes rather than money squabbles. Avoiding a lockout is in everyone’s best interests, but please focus on the product on the court.
I wrote previously that the Eastern Conference is the varsity league. No one else was writing about how Utah would be competitive in this rebuild. I predicted the Kings’ success this year.
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