Topline
The NBA’s trade deadline passed Thursday at 3 p.m., following several last-minute trades—including a blockbuster exchange between two Eastern Conference contenders—that left the league looking slightly different than it did just a few days ago.
Key Facts
The Brooklyn Nets sent All-Star guard James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for disgruntled guard Ben Simmons, who hadn’t played a game for the 76ers this season after demanding a trade in August.
The Nets sent Harden and forward Paul Milsap to Philadelphia in exchange for Simmons, guard Seth Curry, Center Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks, ESPN first reported.
The Dallas Mavericks cut ties with center Kristaps Porzingis, sending him to the Washington Wizards along with a second-round pick in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie and forward Davis Bertans, according to The Athletic and ESPN.
The Wizards held a bit of a fire sale after it was revealed Tuesday their star guard, Bradley Beal, would have season-ending wrist surgery, also sending center Montrezl Harrell to the Charlotte Hornets and guard Aaron Holiday to the Phoenix Suns, according to The Athletic and ESPN.
The Sacramento Kings acquired Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVencenzo, along with forwards Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson, in a four-team trade that sent center Serge Ibaka, along with two second-round picks and cash, to Milwaukee, guard Rodney Hood and forward Semi Ojele to the LA Clippers, and center Marvin Bagley III—whose father demanded his son be traded over a year ago—to the Detroit Pistons, according to ESPN.
The San Antonio Spurs sent forward Thaddeus Young, center Drew Eubanks and a second-round pick to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for guard Goran Dragic and a protected first-round pick, and separately sent guard Derrick White to the Boston Celtics in exchange for guards Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson and a protected 2022 first-round pick.
The Celtics sent guard Dennis Schroder and centers Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando to the Houston Rockets in exchange for center Daniel Theis, who played in Boston for nearly four years before they traded him midseason last year, according to ESPN and The Athletic.
Key Background
Trades started ramping up earlier in the month as the deadline approached. On Tuesday, the Portland Trail Blazers parted with longtime guard CJ McCollum after nearly nine years of service, sending him, along with forwards Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell, to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for guards Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Tomas Satoransky and forward Didi Louzada along with a protected first-round pick, according to ESPN. The Blazers, seemingly in rebuilding mode after star guard Damian Lillard opted for abdominal surgery in January, also dealt guard Norman Powell and forward Robert Covington to the Clippers last week in exchange for guard Eric Bledsoe, forwards Justise Winslow and Keon Johnson and a future second-round pick, according to ESPN. On Tuesday, the Indiana Pacers sent two-time All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, along with guards Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb and a 2023 second-round pick, to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for promising second-year guard Tyrese Haliburton, along with guard Buddy Hield and center Tristan Thompson. On Wednesday, the Utah Jazz sent forward Joe Ingles, who is on an expiring contract and is out for the season with a torn ACL, to the Trail Blazers in a three-team deal that netted them the rerouted Alexander-Walker, according to ESPN.
What To Watch For
Two of the league’s marquee franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, did not make any trades before the deadline despite their respective struggles. Some thought Pistons forward Jerami Grant could fill a role in Los Angeles, but The Athletic reported Grant and the Pistons “have comfortability with each other moving forward.” The Lakers and Knicks, being in two of the largest and most desirable markets in the league, will be prime candidates to sign players who will be bought out of the final year of their contracts now that the deadline has passed. The Spurs are expected to negotiate a buyout for Dragic, making him a free agent, with teams like the Mavericks, Bucks, Clippers and Chicago Bulls interested in signing him, according to ESPN. Orlando Magic guard Garry Harris could be another buyout candidate given his team’s disappointing record, Bleacher Report reported.
