The NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, and all 30 teams made some big decisions. Not every team made a trade, but inaction is a decision too, so even sitting on your roster is a Deadline Day action. If you didn't get better, your opponent might have. If you didn't tank, an enemy may have slid ahead in the lottery odds.
Every team was affected at the deadline, whether they made a move or not. So which teams are happiest with the recent player movement, and which teams left fans wanting more? Let's run through all 30 teams one by one…
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks sent out Luke Babbitt for the already-cut Okaro White, then added Sheldon Mac. I like White best of those three, but whatever. Atlanta missed an opportunity to sell Marco Belinelli, Ersan Ilyasova, and Dewayne Dedmon. Those guys only hurt the team tanking, so even a 2nd would've been nice.
Boston Celtics
Boston made no moves, other than signing Greg Monroe. They didn't trade for Tyreke Evans and didn't move Marcus Smart. That feels fine. If Smart was only netting a 2nd, it's more valuable to keep him for a playoff run and keep your summer options open. Tyreke never felt like a huge improvement over what's already there or what they can add on the buyout market.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets traded Tyler Zeller for a 2nd and Rashad Vaughn, then flipped Vaughn for Dante Cunningham. It's nice to get a pick for Zeller, but I'm not sure what the point of adding Cunningham is. It sounded like teams were interested in DeMarre Carroll, Joe Harris, and Spencer Dinwiddie. It's hard to see those players being part of Brooklyn's meaningful future, so it feels like a missed opportunity to keep them.
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets gave up a pair of 2s for Willy Hernangomez. He's on a great contract two more years and looks like a rotation big, but that's a steep price, especially with all the other bigs they already have. They didn't move Kemba Walker, and that's fine. He'll still be a great asset this summer when teams have more flexibility to absorb some of Charlotte's bad contracts too.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls traded Mirotic for a Pelicans 1st and some dead salary. That was probably the best pick traded and one of only three 1sts to change hands, so that's a pretty strong pull. Absorbing Omer Asik's $11 million next year doesn't hurt much, and he can be bought out for $3 million after that. Trading Mirotic also helps Chicago's tank. Of course it's the Bulls, so they stupidly threw in a 2nd for no reason. There goes $3.5 million.
Thursday Chicago gave Jameer Nelson to Detroit for just a 2nd-round pick swap. He's not worth much, but why help a rival and not get at least a pick? The Bulls also picked up Noah Vonleh from Portland, a free 25-game look before deciding if they want to retain him this summer. Other than continuing to ignore the value of 2nds, Chicago did exactly what they should be doing.
Cleveland Cavs
Yeahhh… we'll get back to them at the end.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs sent out Devin Harris and got Doug McDermott. Here's guessing Rick Carlisle is going to find a way to get Dougie McBuckets a lot of open looks. If there's still a future there, Carlisle and Dirk will find it.
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets finally pulled the plug on Emmanuel Mudiay and sent him out for Devin Harris. That basically undoes the dumb early-season move that saw them trade away Jameer Nelson to let Richard Jefferson ride the pine. It stinks to give away Mudiay, but Denver badly needed a veteran point guard and Harris will be a massive improvement to bolster a playoff run. No takers for Wilson Chandler or Kenneth Faried, but that never seemed likely anyway.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons made two little deadline moves that should settle the team for an East playoff run. They gave up virtually nothing for Jameer Nelson, then traded a future 2nd for James Ennis. Ennis is a solid 3-and-D guy who should start over Stanley Johnson, and Nelson gives SVG a familiar option while Reggie Jackson gets healthy.
Of course, Detroit's big move happened a week ago when they traded Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, and 1st- and 2nd-round picks for Blake Griffin. I didn't like that move and already wrote about it, but Detroit is all-in on Blake-Drummond and the duo looks great so far, winning five straight. This team suddenly has a very Grizzlies East feel about them. They'll be an annoying out in the playoffs.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors didn't make any moves, and they didn't need to. The Celtics, Raptors, Rockets, and Spurs did nothing. The Cavs got better, but the Warriors probably aren't shaking in their boots. Golden State was always more likely to play the buyout game anyway, where they could be interested in someone like Channing Frye or Joe Johnson.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets made their big moves this summer. Anyone disappointed they didn't trade for DeAndre Jordan hasn't watched Clint Capela play this year.
Indiana Pacers
I was afraid of this. Indiana is only two games out of the 3-seed in the terrible East, but does anyone fear this team in the playoffs? Yet there they sat on players like Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Cory Joseph, all of whom could've netted draft picks to help the team build a real future instead of hanging onto the chance of stealing a first-round playoff game or two.
Los Angeles Clippers
Are the Clippers in or out? I liked the Blake Griffin deal, and I still can't believe they got picks in a deal in while unloading one of the worst contracts in basketball. But I'd have liked it a lot more if they hadn't dumped $65 million on Gallinari this summer, or if they'd recouped trade value for DeAndre Jordan or Avery Bradley. Now what? Do they re-sign those two and build around two contracts you don't want along with aging Gallo and Lou Williams? What's that team supposed to be? I thought the whole point of trading Blake was to avoid being stuck in the middle.
Los Angeles Lakers
I think there's a good chance we'll look back at today as the day the Lakers' plan turned the corner. They unloaded a bad Jordan Clarkson contract, got double-max cap room, added no long-term salary, and somehow added a 1st, too. And all it cost them was Larry Nance. The Lakers have only $34 million committed next year and $39 million after that, and that's without even dumping the $18 million Luol Deng is owed each year. Now they have a bunch of young talent, the most cap room in the league, and Lakers exceptionalism to offer LeBron, PG, and other upcoming free agents. What Los Angeles did here was downright Magic. They have one of the best future situations in the entire league now. They were the biggest deadline winner.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies got a 2nd for James Ennis but rebuffed interest in Marc Gasol and turned away all offers for Tyreke Evans, and it makes zero sense. This team is not making the playoffs, and Evans and Gasol will only hurt the lottery odds for a team that desperately needs a young blue-chipper. This was the perfect chance to bottom out with Conley injured, and it might have been their last chance to recoup any value for an aging injury-prone center on a hefty contract. Memphis might not have had an offer they loved, but sitting on their hands made them one of the biggest deadline losers.
Miami Heat
After a year away, the Heat brought home their prodigal son… welcome back, Luke Babbitt! Kidding. Babbitt's a great shooter, but the big news was Miami bringing Dwyane Wade home at basically no cost. Wade fills the Dion Waiters role, and he'll look lovely in those Miami Vice unis. Let's just all agree to forget about Chicago and Cleveland. This just feels right, and the East first-round playoffs got a lot more interesting with Miami and Detroit's moves.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks traded a 2nd for Tyler Zeller. They needed another big with Thon Maker struggling, and it was probably not the time for a big move since they've yet to see the team all together with the coaching change. This team made its big move months ago with Eric Bledsoe.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves didn't make any trades but are already rumored to be in the buyout market for Derrick Rose or Joakim Noah. Shoot me.
New Orleans Pelicans
The big Pels move was trading for Nikola Mirotic, who adds shooting and front court depth with Boogie out. Unloading Omer Asik almost means adding Mirotic at no additional salary next year, but it cost New Orleans a 1st, and that pick could be pretty good since there's no guarantee they even make the playoffs. What's Mirotic's role once Boogie presumably re-signs? How much does Mirotic actually improve the Pelicans' long-term outlook? It feels like they really needed that #14 pick. Not sure why they gave away Dante Cunningham for Rashad Vaughn either.
New York Knicks
Knicks fans are still sick after the Porzingis injury, but the team did great business the last couple days, trading Willy Hernangomez for a pair of 2s and adding Emmanuel Mudiay for McDermott. Willy was barely playing and a pair of 2s is no small thing for a team that's given away most of their own. Mudiay is the exact sort of player a team like this should take a gamble on. He's still 21 and has another year on his deal, and point guards are the slowest position to develop. The Porzingis injury should ensure the Knicks pick in the top-7 each of the next two drafts. It hurts now, but help is on the way. In a few years, this Porzingis injury deadline sequence could be a major positive turning point for the franchise.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder weren't able to make any big moves, and they just didn't have much to offer. They can't trade a 1st until 2022, and Terrance Ferguson is the only young player of value.
Orlando Magic
The Magic bailed on Elfrid Payton, dumping him for a 2nd this year that will probably be about the 40th pick. I suppose if they were definitely not re-signing him, that's better than nothing, but it's a pretty puzzling move for a 23-year-old who's gotten better every year and might have finally learned how to shoot (52% field goals, 37% threes this year). The Magic are apparently starting over… but with what?
Philadelphia 76ers
No moves for the Sixers, and that's fine. This season is all about fighting for that last playoff spot and positioning the team for free agency.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns picking up Elfrid Payton for a middling 2nd (not their own) was one of my favorite moves of the day. They'll own his restricted rights and could get him on bargain deal this summer, and Payton has improved every year and plays a position of team need that often takes players til age 25 to figure out (he's 23). No-downside low-cost reclamation-project gambles are exactly the sort of moves a team like Phoenix should make.
Portland Blazers
The Blazers dumped Noah Vonleh, and it got them under the luxury tax. They've done well to unload salary without giving up picks.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings remain an absolute disaster. They're the reason both Utah and Cleveland got better in a three-way trade, cutting bait on this summer's prized free-agent acquisition to save salary they don't need, moving George Hill for Joe Johnson, Iman Shumpert, and a 2nd. Shump should opt in, so they're not even saving much money ($8 million next year) and will probably just blow the space next summer on another Zach Randolph or Vince Carter signing.
And if that wasn't enough, Sacramento also cut bait on not one but two first-round picks they made only a year ago, cutting #13 pick Georgios Papagiannis and trading Malachi Richardson for Bruno Caboclo. Caboclo is two years away from being two years away from forgotten.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs didn't make any deadline deals. Do they ever?
Toronto Raptors
The Raps traded Bruno Caboclo for Malachi Richardson. Why not? Caboclo sucks, and Richardson is 22 and under contract two more years. Beyond that, Toronto looked around the tattered East and decided they liked their chances.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz sent out expiring Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson deals for Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose. Crowder is the prize here. He was one of my favorite reclamation projects, still on a bargain deal two more seasons and a guy that needs a fresh start after a nightmarish 2017. This probably hurts Utah's playoff chances this year but it was good quiet business.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards traded away Sheldon Mac. They feel like the Thunder East, a team everyone wanted to make a deal but one without many assets. Last year they traded a 1st for Bojan Bogdanovic, and it didn't get them anywhere. This year they kept their picks and are better off.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Lots to unpack here, obviously.
The three-way deal was an absolute slam dunk. Rose and Shumpert were non-contributors, and Jae Crowder just didn't fit. Turning that trio into a new backcourt of George Hill and Rodney Hood is a masterclass (thanks Kangz). Hill is not better than Isaiah Thomas, but he's a far better fit. He's a much better 3-point shooter, a better fit off-ball, and a vastly superior defender. It's impossible to state how much better Hill is than all the crap Cleveland has thrown out at point guard. Hood is a little overrated and probably just JR Smith from a few years ago. He's a great shooter, and that's mostly it.
On its own, this deal is an A+ day for Cleveland. Hill and Hood is a vastly superior backcourt than broken IT and JR in every conceivable way. And an underrated factor here is that Hill and Hood played together last season, so that's a lot of built-in chemistry for a team that won't have much after turning over half its roster. Both Hill and Hood will shoot better than ever here.
But I hated the other two deals, which aggregate to Cleveland giving away IT, Frye, Wade, and a 1st for Larry Nance and Jordan Clarkson. I like Larry Nance's energy, but I'm not sure how many minutes he gets with LeBron, Love, and Tristan. Clarkson does nothing for me. He can create some offense off the bench, but he can't shoot and is atrocious on defense, and he's on a terrible contract, $26 million the next two years. What does Clarkson give this bench that Wade couldn't have? And it cost them a 1st, valuable expiring deals, and any possible future cap flexibility.
Add everything together and the Cavs sent out $18 million next year and brought back $34 million. They're already at $102 million next season, up against the cap before even bringing back LeBron or Hood. If LeBron leaves, they're capped out anyway with a litany of bad money and a borderline playoff roster. If he stays, they're locked into this roster until they half-measure revamp everything again next year. But that's how Cleveland has always done things. Punt to tomorrow for a quick fix today.
At the end of the day, these deals make Cleveland better right now. George Hill is a massive improvement over the point guards, and Hood provides what JR can't anymore. Cleveland got more athletic, got better defensively, and added more shooting. The Cavs have more switchy guys on defense now, and the roster is much younger and better prepared for a potential Finals. Hopefully Hill and Hood are still healthy if they get that far.
But the most important part of the trade is the re-energized and happier LeBron James they're about to get. The entire offense is going to run through him now, and he may average 10–12 assists a game the rest of the season and might've even traded his way back into the MVP conversation.
If these moves re-energize the Cavs and convince LeBron into staying, any cost will have been worth it. And if they don't and the Clarkson deal ends up paving the road for LeBron to sign in L.A. with another max free agent… well, at least the Cavs are going down fighting.
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