Unlike in past years, the NBA trade deadline did not spark any seismic changes.
No team traded its superstar. No team acquired the missing piece of a championship puzzle. No team appeared to make a deal that could significantly backfire.
Nonetheless, NBA executives expectedly stayed active with offers and counter offers through calls and texts. The efforts didn’t mirror fake hustle, either. They produced a few important developments, even if they didn’t amount to any fireworks.
Below are the major takeaways.
Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls stand pat at NBA trade deadline
No matter what messages LeBron James delivered through cryptic emojis or behind closed doors, the Lakers declined to make any moves. Despite lingering questions about Zach LaVine’s health and the team’s playoff ceilings, the Bulls didn’t make any moves either.
The Bulls will still have LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso for the remainder of this season. The Lakers will still have D’Angelo Russell and their first-round pick. Though both teams face tenuous playoff positions due to inconsistent health and performances, the Lakers and Bulls had reasonable reasons to refrain from making any changes.
The Lakers can make more significant moves this offseason with three first-round picks. They didn’t encounter much of a market for Russell. And they’re more likely to experience success around a healthy and dominant James and Anthony Davis with continuity than with integrating new pieces.
The Bulls faced a depressed market for LaVine because of concerns about his right ankle injury. Though DeRozan and Caruso are valuable players, the Bulls couldn’t attract the necessary long-term assets to accelerate a rebuild. So for better and for worse, both teams will try to sneak into the playoffs and hope that improved health and chemistry at least gives themselves a chance.
Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks going all in
Oklahoma City and New York have become serious championship contenders. That didn’t stop them from pursuing other moves, though.
The Thunder acquired Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets for guard Tre Mann and Davis Bertans, ESPN and The Athletic both reported. Though Hayward has dealt with injury concerns, he bolsters the Thunder’s wing depth with size, shooting and experience. Oklahoma City has enough talent that Hayward’s health won’t significantly disrupt its title hopes, either.
The Knicks acquired Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks from the Detroit Pistons for a handful of guards (Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono) and second-round picks (two), ESPN and The Athletic reported. Bogdanović helps the Knicks with outside shooting (41.5% from 3 this season) and to alleviate pressure from their injured power forward (Julius Randle) and their productive All-Star guard (Jalen Brunson).
Both the Thunder and the Knicks threaded the needle well with upgrading their roster without disrupting team chemistry.
Philadelphia 76ers agressive compensating for Joel Embiid injury
How Philadelphia handled the trade deadline reflects the organization’s outlook on Embiid’s recovery after having a left knee procedure.
With the Sixers maintaining optimism that Embiid will return at some point this season, the franchise neither punted nor presumed its current roster is enough. Instead, the Sixers acquired Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers for Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks, ESPN and The Athletic reported.
ESPN also reported that the Sixers dealt Danuel House Jr to the Pistons along with a second-round pick (via the Knicks). Shortly afterwards, Philadelphia dealt Patrick Beverley to Milwaukee for Cameron Payne and a second-round pick, ESPN reported.
So what do these moves accomplish? Philadelphia will lean more on small ball without Embiid and with Hield and Payne giving the team additional 3-point shooting punch. The Sixers also cleared up some cap and roster space to pursue potential buyout candidates.
Should Embiid return, the Sixers will still benefit with the added depth to reduce pressure on their star big man. Philadelphia also hoped to alleviate a season-long weakness with ranking poorly in the NBA this season in both 3-point attempts (26th) and makes (27th).
Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards look to the future
As they remain stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, Charlotte, Detroit and Washington made moves that prioritized financial and roster flexibility.
Charlotte dealt a proven rotation player that has struggled with his durability (Hayward), both to clear cap space and ensure a larger role for rookie Brandon Miller. The Hornets then traded PJ Washington to Dallas in exchange for roster depth (Grant Williams, Seth Curry) and assets (first-round pick). By trading Bogdanovic to New York, the Pistons grabbed a first-round prospect (Grimes), a defensive player set up for a larger role or a potential buyout candidate (Fornier) and assets (two first-round picks). Lastly, the Wizards sent center Daniel Gafford to Dallas for another big man (Richaun Holmes) and to-be-determined draft compensation, ESPN reported. That move could give the Wizards some cap relief since Holmes could decline a $12.8 million player option next season.
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.