The NBA Trade Deadline is now in the rear view mirror, the All Star break is set for this weekend and franchises have either bolstered their rosters for a playoff push or set their eyes on this upcoming offseason for the run coming up after.
As always, not every general manager acquired “their guy” or positioned themselves for success. With that in mind, however, it is clear to see the winners and losers of the day, at least for the time being.
The Toronto Raptors are one team that came out on top at the 2019 deadline. They acquired Marc Gasol but did also ship out a number of pieces in Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, and Greg Monroe.
One might question how the Raptors come out as winners when their most, and only, notable addition is Gasol. Gasol positions Toronto as an even greater playoff threat in the East and the team was able to keep much of its core intact. Losing out on Monroe and others, for cash considerations, was essentially a necessary evil to ensure the future success of the franchise.
The Milwaukee Bucks also did very well. Bringing in Nikola Mirotic and George Hill, while shipping out Thon Maker, Matthew Dellavedova, John Henson, and Jason Smith, the Bucks were able to position themselves nicely moving forward.
Milwaukee somehow turned a disgruntled asset, Maker, into a sharpshooting big that only adds perimeter scoring and depth to the team. In addition, the Bucks convinced the Pistons to come along for the ride to ultimately pry Mirotic from the Pelicans. Hill offers veteran depth and presence to an Eastern Conference team that is also ready to make a push in the playoffs.
The Philadelphia 76ers added Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Jonathon Simmons, and a protected 2019 first-round pick.Philadelphia gave up Landry Shamet, Markelle Fultz, a 2020 first-round pick, and a 2021 first-round pick.
It’s safe to say that Elton Brand is not afraid to make moves. This bold-approach was exactly what the needed to make a run in the East.
The Trail Blazers also made some noteworthy and solid acquisitions, including Rodney Hood and Skal Labissiere. In return, Portland gave up Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin IV and Caleb Swanigan.
The Trail Blazers have been desperately searching for another playmaker to position alongside Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum and they may have found their man in Rodney Hood. Hood is a long-bodied scorer who doubles as a gritty-competitor on the opposite side of the court. Labissiere could also benefit from joining a new system after a lackluster stretch with the Kings.
The Dallas Mavericks made arguably the biggest move of the trade deadline, bringing Kristaps Porzingis. They also brought in Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee, Trey Burke, and Justin Jackson. Heading out were DeAndre Jordan, Dennis Smith Jr., Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, and two first-round picks.
Having the chance to trade for a player like Porzingis only comes once in a lifetime and the Mavericks seized the opportunity. Mark Cuban did not hesitate to move on from Smith Jr. once Porzingis became available. Unloading Barnes’ contract, as well as Matthews’, has been on Cuban’s to-do list for quite some time now, too.
As for the losers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the New York Knicks did not have fare well.
The Lakers, they added Mike Muscala and Reggie Bullock and lost Michael Beasely, Ivica Zubac, and Svi Mykhailiuk.
Magic Johnson and the Lakers offered a king’s ransom to acquire Anthony Davis’ services but failed. Instead, Los Angeles was left with relatively the same roster. This team wanted to make a splash before having to compete with the Celtics for Davis in the offseason, but that did not go as planned.
The Knicks dealt Porzingis and the Clippers were willing to deal Harris after a career-year with the franchise, so they are losers, at least for now.
These two teams are better prepared for the future than they were before. The Knicks and the Clippers are prepared to offer as many as two max-contracts in the offseason. They have also stockpiled future picks and young assets while moving away their most-tradable pieces.
This season might hurt for fans of the franchises, but some big free agent signings this summer could make the forget all about it.
Anthony Talarico can be reached at anthony.talarico@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @ant_tal.
