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Last week was a chaotic week in the NBA with the Trade Deadline ending this past Thursday afternoon, and I’m just going to get to the winners and losers from this year’s deadline.
Winners
We, the fans, were immediately among the big winners of this NBA trade deadline! What started a week ago with the insane trade of Luka Doncic and was followed by the Spurs trading for De’Aaron Fox should have been a sign of chaos going into this past Thursday afternoon.
De’Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama, and Spurs fans won with that trade, creating the duo that will be the foundation of San Antonio’s promising future.
Jimmy Butler technically won last week and finally got his wish of being traded. While he didn’t land his desired destination, Phoenix, going to Golden State is a great plan B. The combination of Curry, Green, and Butler should be exactly what the Warriors need to make a run back into the playoff picture.
I am not a big Kyle Kuzma fan, but his going to the Bucks is an under-the-radar win for him and Milwaukee. Hopefully, his miserable time in D.C. hasn’t ruined him. He can be a good compliment to Giannis and Dame compared to Khris Middleton, who was not that anymore.
And finally, my last winners are Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers. Granted, how it happened was shocking and confusing, but this could be the biggest blessing in disguise for Doncic and regret for the Mavericks front office and governorship. The Lakers clearly have something to build on once LeBron retires. Still, it can also help with LeBron making a real run in the playoffs, potentially because a pissed-off, focused, and motivated Luka Doncic will be dangerous.
Losers
As a Raptors fan, trading for Brandon Ingram was head-scratching. These past couple of years at the trade deadline raised the question of the plan in Toronto. While I’m sure Barnes, Barrett, and Ingram will be an interesting watch for the remainder of this season, as long as they don’t lose their outstanding draft lottery odds where things can be cleared up this offseason.
The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks’ lack of activity at the deadline is a big loss for these teams. With the Knicks not attempting to trade for a solid rim protector in case Mitchell Robinson is not 100%, Orlando not getting a shot-creating guard may come back to hurt these teams come April.
My next choice for losers from this trade deadline again involves fans, specifically the fan bases of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks. The Kings, who were just a top West team a couple of seasons ago, have returned to being the disappointing team with no direction they have been for most of this century.
Maverick fans were dealt an unbelievable blow when they woke up last weekend to hear the face and future of the team. Luka Doncic was traded in such a shady fashion with a return that left much to be desired, with all due respect to Anthony Davis and his standing. Clearly, the new ownership/governorship and the front office made a horrible miscalculation with this trade. I don’t believe winning a title within the next couple of seasons would make this trade worthwhile to the fans and the city of Dallas.
Now to my final and easily the biggest loser of the trade deadline with Mavericks GM Nico Harrison. This has been the most I’ve ever spoken of this man’s name, but it’s well deserved because of his mind-boggling move. Harrison should be credited for putting the surrounding pieces around Doncic to make the finals last year, but the Mavericks and his success would not have happened without Doncic. Clearly, Harrison had an issue with Doncic’s conditioning and commitment, which has been whispered since the finals. Doncic’s effort on defense was unacceptable but absolutely not worth making this trade at all, let alone how it was done, putting the Mavericks organization in an unpopular spot with the city of Dallas and its fans.
