The Winners and Losers of the NBA trade deadline 

[Ron Chenoy – Imagn Images]

By: Adi Kumar

This NBA trade deadline has been one of the most eventful ones in recent memory, including trades involving star players like James Harden and Anthony Davis. I will discuss what I think are the most significant trades this season. 

The NBA trade deadline is one of the most exciting and important times of the season. Bad teams can liquidate their best players for young talent and draft picks to build toward a better future. Contending teams can make moves in hopes it will improve their chances of achieving their ultimate goal – winning an NBA championship. Not to mention, many teams make maneuvers to save money to avoid expensive taxes and penalties. This trade deadline was one of the more memorable deadlines in recent years because of how unexpected many of the trades were. I will go over the most significant trades and discuss how good the trades were for each team.

The Trae Young Trade (January 9th)

Washington Wizards receive 

• Trae Young 

Atlanta Hawks receive 

• CJ McCollum
• Corey Kispert 

This was the earliest trade in the season. The Hawks moved on from their star point guard Trae Young for CJ McCollum on an expiring contract and Corey Kispert. I can see why the Hawks wanted to trade Young. He is a short guard who lacks the ability to defend. The NBA has only gotten more athletic, making winning with such a defensive liability nearly impossible. And while his playmaking is elite, Trae has always struggled with efficiency. For the Wizards, a rebuilding team with young players, trading for Trae might be a good decision. Adding his playmaking to such a young team can elevate their offense and give the players experience running an offense. They also aren’t giving up much for him which is a plus. For the Hawks, this signals the end of an era and a chance to build something better. 

Jaren Jackson Jr. Trade (Feb 3)

Memphis Grizzlies receive 

• Kyle Anderson 
• Walter Clayton Jr. 
• Taylor Hendricks
• Georges Niang 
• 3 future first-round picks 

Jazz receive 

• Jaren Jackson Jr. 
• John Konchar
• Jock Landale 
• Vince Williams Jr. 

The Grizzlies have been in trouble recently. Ja Morant has been involved in off-court drama and has declined as a player, not to mention his injury risk. I thought the Grizzlies would have tried to move him instead of former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. (JJJ) because JJJ is still a solid player. I suppose they would have if there was demand for Morant. Instead they traded Jackson. When I saw the Grizzlies received three first-round picks, I thought this was a good trade for them if they were rebuilding. However, the picks are from good teams in the near future, making them bad picks. Because of this, I think the Jazz won this trade. They landed the better players in this deal and didn’t have to give up many valuable assets for them. Now, the Jazz have a strong frontcourt with Lauri Markennan, Walker Kessler, and Jaren Jackson Jr. They also have a top 8 protected pick in next year’s draft, meaning that next season they can finally stop tanking and try to win instead.

The James Harden Trade (Feb 4)

Cleveland Cavaliers receive 

• James Harden 

Los Angeles Clippers receive 

• Darius Garland 
• Future second-round pick 

Once again, James Harden is on the move, this time to Cleveland. This trade came out of nowhere and had little to no build up. After a disastrous 6-21 start to the season, the Clippers managed to improve their record to 23-26, going 17-4. Then, they traded Harden. Maybe the Clippers organization thinks they can’t win with their geriatric roster and are trying to do a rebuild, or at least a soft rebuild where they remain competitive but retool their roster and acquire young players. Garland is 26 while Harden is 36, so this trade makes the Clippers younger. What I don’t like about this trade for the Clippers is that Darius Garland has a history of injuries. In the playoffs last year, he struggled with a big toe injury that was treated with surgery. This season, he injured on his other big toe. It remains to be seen if Garland can remain healthy, but if he does, I like this trade for the Clippers. For the Cavaliers, Harden is more likely to play games than Garland. I think they realize their window to win a championship is short, and are hoping that Harden will be an improvement over Garland in the playoffs. I believe he is an improvement even if he wasn’t the better player simply because of his availability, though I am skeptical if the Cavaliers can actually win a championship. 

Pacers trade for Zubac (Feb 5) 

Indiana Pacers receive 

• Ivica Zubac 
• Kobe Brown

LA Clippers receive 

• Bennedict Mathurin 
• Isaiah Jackson 
• 2026 first-round pick (protected 1-4, 10-30)
• 2029 first-round pick
• Second-round pick

The Clippers decision to trade Harden makes a little bit more sense after seeing this trade. They added Bennedict Mathurin, a promising young player to the team, indicating that the Clippers might be on the path to a rebuild. I like Zubac on the Pacers as a replacement for Myles Turner, who left last year in free agency. Mathurin didn’t fit very well into the Pacers roster, as he is more of an isolation scorer in a team that emphasizes ball movement and unselfish play. Although I’m sure the Pacers would have preferred to not give up any picks. For the Clippers, they get a young player and receive picks, which is a major positive for them. Short-term, the Clippers do get worse without their starting center. Along with the Harden trade, this trade signals a soft rebuild for the Clippers. 

The Boston Celtics financially savvy decisions (Feb 5)

Bulls receive 

• Anfernee Simons 
• Second round pick 

Celtics receive 

• Nikola Vucevic 
• Second round pick

I can’t say much for the Bulls, but for the Celtics, this was a great trade. They already have enough guards with Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, and needed a quality center which they landed in Vucevic. Not to mention, Vucevic’s contract is less than Simons. Along with other moves the Celtics made, like trading Xavier Tillman, Chris Boucher, and Josh Minott without taking salary back, the Celtics are now under the first apron and out of the luxury tax. This gives them more flexibility when signing players in the offseason, allowing them to prepare for a championship run when Jayson Tatum returns. 

Anthony Davis traded again (Feb 5)

Charlotte Hornets receive 

• Malakhi Brahnam (via Wizards)

Mavericks receive 

• Khris Middleton (via Wizards)
• AJ Johnson (via Wizards)
• Tyus Jones (via Hornets)
• Marvin Bagley III (via Wizards)
• 2026 first-round pick (via OKC)
• 2030 first-round pick (top 20 protected) (via GSW)
• Three future second-round picks (via Wizards)

Wizards receive 

• Anthony Davis (via Mavericks) 
• Jaden Hardy (via Mavericks)
• D’Angelo Russell (via Mavericks)
• Dante Exum (via Mavericks 

This trade finally puts the Luka Doncic trade behind the Mavericks by trading away Anthony Davis. Looking at what the Mavericks got for Davis and adding it to what they got for Luka, it is clear what a disaster that trade was. In this trade, the picks the Mavericks are receiving are not very good. The 2026 pick from the Thunder is worthless as they are the best team in the league. The 2030 Warriors pick would have been useful if it wasn’t top 20 protected (meaning that if the pick is in the top 20, it goes to the Warriors). At least the Mavericks free up some cap space when Middleton’s contract expires next year, a year before Davis would have, allowing for flexibility building around Cooper Flagg. For the Wizards this is similar to the Trae Young trade in the sense that they didn’t give up much for an elite player. Although Davis is injured a lot, this move could make the Wizards more competitive next year especially with him next to Trae Young. Realistically, he won’t play much, but even if he doesn’t, the Wizards didn’t lose anything of value getting him. 

Sources: 

https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-nba-trade-tracker https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47267103/nba-trade-tracker-details-every-deal-2025-26-season