NBA Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

Feb 5, 2021; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) reacts after hitting a three point shot against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Hey, the Western Conference feels way more wide open than we expected since the Lakers suddenly are down their two superstars. And if they’re not careful, LA easily could be headed for a very dicey first-round playoff matchup if they can’t tread water until Anthony Davis and LeBron James return. So with the mighty purple and gold looking way more vulnerable these days it was refreshing to see one of the teams potentially standing in their way making significant moves. Acquiring Aaron Gordon for the next two seasons wasn’t necessarily a gigantic need for Denver at the deadline, but what’s not to like? He adds an element of scoring—plus he now gets to ball alongside an extroadinary playmaker in Nikola Jokic—and his most appealing attribute probably is his underrated defense at power forward. While some might pan the JaVale McGee acquistion since it doesn’t all of a sudden make Denver’s defense elite (no move was going to), it does give the Nuggets a boost underneath the basket. And did Denver give up much to get him? Nope. So overall, I’ll also consider that a positive. But Gordon’s a very good get, especially since it meant the Nuggets got off of Gary Harris’s massive money ($20 million next season). 

They say they do things bigger in Texas, and apparently that includes dumpster fires. The Rockets are a god damn disaster right now after they shipped Victor Oladipo to the Heat for practically nothing of consequence. You can argue they didn’t have much leverage and getting something for a guy who reportedly was leaving anyway this summer in free agency is better than nothing, but bruh…It was another miss on a trade for Houston. Deciding not to accept Ben Simmons in return for James Harden earlier this season—opting instead to take Brooklyn’s bounty of future first-round draft picks that could easily amount to nothing—was a colossal brick in retrospect. Then they screwed up the deal they agreed to by shipping Caris LeVert to Indiana for Oladipo who did nothing during his brief stint in Houston. The Rockets will be an afterthought for years to come.

If you disagree with me on this one, you’re nuts. Lou Williams hasn’t quite been the same player without his pick-and-roll/second-unit partner in crime Montrezl Harrell and his numbers and minutes have dipped this season. Plus, he’s been incredibly unreliable in the postseason—he’s actually been a massive liability in the playoffs—and we all know Rajon Rondo, who LA traded Williams for, lives for the bright lights and the biggest stage. The Clippers really needed some stability at point guard and acquiring the steadying force that Rondo can be will give LA’s other team a nasty edge it was missing last year in the bubble.

Toronto made a bunch of moves to clear space (Norman Powell to the Blazers, Terence Davis and Matt Thomas to Sacramento and Utah in two other small deals) in order to ship Kyle Lowry and his massive $30 million salary somewhere. At least that’s kind of what it was feeling like as we approached the 3 p.n. ET deadline Thursday. But the Raptors ultimately couldn’t find a suitor for their point guard before the deadline—despite some heavy hitters like the 76ers, Lakers, and Clippers reportedly taking some shots at acquiring the 35-year-old—and since Toronto ain’t seriously contending this season it would’ve been nice if they could’ve fleeced one of the big boys for a few assets for a rental. While getting Gary Trent Jr. from the Blazers was a nice move on GM Masai Ujiri’s part, failing to get some decent assets for Lowry feels like a miss. I guess he needed to be bowled over, which you have to respect since we all know Lowry means a ton to the Raptors.

They acquired Oladipo for lint, retained the guard’s Bird rights, and should they decide not to sign him made some very valuable salary cap space for themselves this summer when Kawhi Leonard could conceivably be available. While Oladipo is still struggling to find that form that once upon time earned him All-NBA honors, he absolutely adds a dimension to the Heat who are playing good basketball finally. And, if you haven’t heard this before, Heat Culture does wonders for guys who “fit” the franchise’s ethos. Has Pat Riley ever come out a loser in a trade deadline or free agency situation? Obviously that was a rhetorical question. 

Orlando gutted its roster—shipping three of its top four scorers—as it finally decided it was time for a serious rebuild. Perpetually in NBA no-man’s land, it’s been a long time coming for the Magic to tear it all down. Everyone knows barely making the playoffs, never sniffing the top of the lottery, and missing on the high picks you had is the worst position to be in the league. So Orlando is going to suck for a long, long time and Magic fans can start getting hyped about all the future first-round picks you now control. Two future first-round picks, Wendell Carter, and Otto Porter’s expiring contract seems like a good return for Vucevic. So props there. The return on Aaron Gordon, on the other hand, doesn’t feel like enough (Harris and his gigantic salary, RJ Hampton, and a protected 2025 first-round pick in exchange for the versatile forward). And Evan Fournier is gone for some second-rounders. While I understand how Magic fans can spin Thursday as a win, I ain’t buying it since it’s going to be a miserable existence in the very easy Eastern Conference for years to come.     

They nabbed Daniel Theis from the Celtics in an under-the-radar move. But most prominently, Chicago deserves props for acquiring Nikola Vucevic in a surprise move. Unless you’re a massive Wendell Carter Jr., fan you can’t be mad at the reasonable compensation Chicago gave up for the two-time All-Star (Carter, Otto Porter, and two future first-round picks) who is arguably a top 25 NBA player and is definitely underrated offensively since he’s played nine of his 10 NBA seasons in relative anonymity in Orlando. Is he elite? No. But Vucevic is very good and under contract for the next three seasons. Zach LaVine, fresh off his first All-Star appearance, now gets to pair up with a high-level offensive player that should make the Bulls serious threats to sneak into the postseason in a very weak Eastern Conference.  

Might be a stretch to put the Lakers here for some NBA observers, but I makes complete sense to me. While it remains to be seen what LA does on the buyout market, they didn’t make a move to fortify the roster and they probably should have since it’s far from perfect—even when LeBron and AD are healthy. The Lakers could’ve used Lowry. Denver added a very versatile piece in Gordon. And the Clippers, of course, acquired the Lakers third best player in the NBA Finals last year. We’ll keep the Jazz out of it for now, but the Lakers saw arguably their two biggest obstacles in the Western Conference—the Clippers and Nuggets—bulk up for the postseason while the purple and gold—without many assets to fool around with—stood pat at the deadline.