NBA trade deadline verdict: grading winners and losers after a chaotic week

The Spurs and Cavaliers got better, but only one team pulled off a trade so unbelievable the whole internet assumed the reporter who broke it must have been hacked. Well, if last year’s NBA trade deadline was a snooze, this year’s could be likened to something closer to a Red Bull laced with amphetamine. This particular deadline was already destined for the NBA history books with the shocking swap of Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, marking what many agree is the biggest trade in league history. But the seismic move shifted the proverbial tectonic plates of the rest of the league, too, as other teams followed suit with their own dramatic dominos. The annual February musical chairs have never had a more feverish soundtrack, so let’s break down the preliminary assessment of which teams came out ahead, and which ones got left seatless.

Los Angeles Lakers Several teams got markedly better at the deadline. But only one of them pulled off a trade so unbelievable that the entire internet assumed that the reporter who broke the news must have gotten hacked. Players like Luka Dončić just don’t become available via trade, especially not at age 25, but for reasons maybe not ever knowable, he did, and the Lakers were able to capitalize. Yes, losing Anthony Davis and Max Christie stung, but nothing eases the pain of losing your best player and a promising young wing like getting back literally one of the top three best players in the league at the beginning of his prime. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka was able to shake off years-long criticisms that he’s been too inactive and risk-averse by not only executing the splashiest trade in league history, but also basically fully retooling the roster into a bona fide contender between December and February. He swapped rebellious point guard D’Angelo Russell for three-and-D stalwart Dorian Finney-Smith in late December, and then followed up the Dončić acquisition by swapping rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and draft capital for Charlotte’s Mark Williams, who will fill the desperately needed starting center void left by Davis. The Lakers had to overpay for Williams, but they severely underpaid for Dončić, and getting Dončić a big that aligns with his wishes, and thus increases the likelihood of both a championship this year and that Dončić will be interested in staying long term, is worth its weight in (purple and) gold.

San Antonio Spurs There’s a certain expectation of timeline when a team drafts a No 1 overall pick, even a generational one. If you’re bad enough to have the honor of drafting first, you generally have bought yourself a little extra time to “go for it”. But Victor Wembanyama is not your typical rookie, and he’s even more special than the typical No 1 pick. So plans change, and timelines get accelerated. Chris Paul has proven to be a solid choice as both a mentor to the French phenom, and a temporary solution as floor general until some of the younger talent on the roster come into their own, but an upgrade was needed. And an upgrade they got, in the form of fringe All-Star and former Clutch Player of the Year De’Aaron Fox, who requested to be traded from his longtime home in Sacramento to join forces with the most promising young prospect since LeBron James. Fox and Wembanyama are a basketball match made in heaven, one can only salivate at the prospect of the transition lob dunks to come for Wemby moving forward. And just like that, the ceiling is immediately raised in South Texas.

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cavaliers have been having a historically dominant season, but, at least to this point, I don’t know anyone who truly sees them as a frontrunner to win it all. To the Cavs’ credit, they clearly aim to change that and truly go for it this season. They showed as much at the deadline, by upgrading at the wing and swapping Caris LeVert and Georges Niang for Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter, who is having a career year and is owed significantly more future salary than LeVert and Niang combined. They’ve been relatively risk-averse since the LeBron James era, and this move indicates a massive commitment from Cleveland to push their chips in on this roster and give the floundering defending champion Celtics a run for their money, which, while sensical, is impressive.

Honorable mention An additional shout out to ESPN’s NBA Insider Shams Charania, who had, perhaps, a better trade deadline than anybody. Not only did he clear his name once and for all (it is very clear that he was, in fact, correct about Jimmy Butler requesting a trade out of Miami), but in his first trade deadline since the retirement of his mentor/rival Adrian Wojnarowski, Charania had all the shine in the world, and pretty much every trade-breaking exclusive. The cherry on top, of course, is that with the “was he hacked?!” tweet breaking the Dončić/Davis trade, he firmly etched himself into the annals of NBA history.