The 2023 NBA trade deadline was one of the more active deadlines in recent years. Sixteen trades were agreed upon from Feb. 5-6 (one of which was finalized on Sunday; the four team deal including GP2 who failed his physical opening up the process which the Warriors eventually accepted the terms of the deal) including two separate deals that moved two All-Star starters from the Eastern Conference to the west. As NBA teams attempt to compete for a spot in the playoffs and a chance to hold the Larry O’Brien, some came out on top and others exited with questionable moves that left fans of the league wondering. Here’s our take on the winners and losers of the NBA trade deadline.
Winners:
Phoenix Suns
Added:
Kevin Durant
TJ Warren
Darius Bazley
Lost:
Mikal Bridges
Cam Johnson
Jae Crowder
Daric Saric
Four unprotected first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029)
2028 pick swap
Second-round pick
The Phoenix Suns are one of the clear winners of this year’s trade deadline. Any team acquiring a 13-time All-Star in Kevin Durant would’ve received the title. The new owner of the team, Mat Ishbia, officially took over the reins and made a huge splash that shows an immediate commitment to winning at the highest level.
It took a haul to bring in Durant, but the Suns retained a good portion of their contributors including DeAndre Ayton. The losses of Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson will hurt depth, but does depth matter if Kevin Durant is on the floor alongside Devin Booker and Chris Paul? The four unprotected first-round picks that Phoenix sent to Brooklyn were for 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 seasons. The first two likely will fall to the later end of the draft since Durant is under contract until 2026 and Phoenix will be contending, but four firsts are still significant.
Durant, who hasn’t played since Jan. 8, is currently laboring a knee injury. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 55.9% from the field. The Suns also brought in TJ Warren in the deal with the Nets and Darius Bazley in a separate trade.
Phoenix, which is 30-27 and nearly two seasons removed from its NBA Finals loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, now look to make another run and hoist the Larry O’Brien for the first time in franchise history.
Los Angeles Lakers
Added:
D’Angelo Russell
Malik Beasley
Jarred Vanderbilt
Mo Bamba
Davon Reed
Three second-round picks
Also added Rui Hachimura in an earlier trade on Jan. 23.
Lost:
Russell Westbrook
Damian Jones
Juan Toscano-Anderson
Thomas Bryant
Patrick Beverly
2027 first-round pick
The Los Angeles Lakers made significant roster rearrangements at the deadline this February. Rightfully so. The team is 13th in the Western Conference at 25-31 and clinging on to play-in hopes.
They needed a change and Rob Pelinka shipped off five rotational pieces and a series of picks for a terrific return.
Los Angeles reunited with its former second-overall selection in the 2015 NBA Draft, D’Angelo Russell. The 26-year-old is averaging 17.9 points and 6.2 assists this season. Russell gives the Lakers a 46.5 field goal percentage and a 39.1% clip from 3-point range. The deal also brought in key contributors in Malik Beasley, who’s averaging 13.4 points, as well as Jarred Vanderbilt to help on the rebounding end.
Departing from Los Angeles is Russell Westbrook, who is in the final year of the five-year, $206 million extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook played his role but it was never a marriage between the point guard and the Lakers, who end up acquiring assets instead of letting Westbrook go in free agency.
Another notable exit from the Lakers was Thomas Bryant, who carved out a role averaging 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes. However, according to Ramona Shelburne, Bryant was unhappy with a “diminished role” due to the return of Anthony Davis.
The Lakers also added Mo Bamba through a trade that sent Patrick Beverly to Orlando and Rui Hachimura via trade with the Washington Wizards on Jan. 23.
It’s not often a team reshapes a large part of its roster and turns out better than before, but Pelinka did his homework. This is a brand new team surrounding LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and after everyone adjusts to their roles, it should be a team that can secure a play-in spot and possibly compete in the playoffs.
Utah Jazz
Added:
Russell Westbrook
Damian Jones
Juan Toscano-Anderson
Lakers’ 2027 first-round pick (protected 1-4)
Own 15 first-round picks through 2029
Lost:
Mike Conley
2025 2nd round pick from Utah
2026 2nd round pick from Utah
The Utah Jazz started the season on a tear but quickly fell back down to Earth as the year continued.
Given they traded both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert this offseason, the start exceeded expectations among the NBA community. But as they came back to their preseason projections, Danny Ainge and management approached the trade deadline accordingly.
This was an asset-building deadline for the Jazz and that means taking on some salary, which they did by acquiring Russell Westbrook from the Los Angeles Lakers in a massive deal. While Westbrook is likely to be bought out, Utah also brought in a potentially valuable 2027 first-round pick from the Lakers. The pick has a top-4 protection attached.
Utah now has 15 first-round picks through 2029 due to a flurry of trades this trade season. They also cleared a considerable amount of cap space for future use. While Salt Lake City isn’t a historically attractive free-agent destination, money talks.
Shipping off Mike Conley helped them reach that figure. Conley, 35, had two years and $47 million remaining on the three-year, $68 million contract and no longer fit the timeline Utah was on.
With a monumental amount of picks, nearly $60 million in cap available and young players like 25-year-old Lauri Markkanen, who’s averaging 24.7 points and 8.6 rebounds, as well as rookie Walker Kessler, who is beginning to look like a young Gobert, the Jazz did well at the deadline and are set up for a bright future. Team CEO Danny Ainge’s masterful moves continue.
Losers:
Toronto Raptors
Added:
Jakob Poeltl
Lost:
Khem Birch
2024 first-round pick
Two second-round picks
The Toronto Raptors went into the trade deadline with highly-coveted assets. OG Anunoby was the center of all the buzz surrounding Toronto and it looked like a real possibility he would be moved. Ultimately, he wasn’t. Neither was Fred VanVleet who was said to be pursued by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The only assets that left Toronto were Khem Birch, two second-round picks and their own protected 2024 first-round pick for Spurs’ center Jakob Poeltl.
While it’s a fun reunion for Poeltl and the Raptors, that being the only deal Toronto makes, especially when it was in a prime position to reset and make a run at a top pick, doesn’t make too much sense.
Sure, they may wind up shipping off some of their assets in the offseason, but it’s clear the Raptors overvalued their pieces, which could come back to bite them in future deals.
According to some reports, the Raptors wanted picks and players from the acquiring team for Anunoby. From what has been revealed so far, the Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers offered Toronto three first-round picks for the defending forward. Yet, the Raptors wanted more.
Toronto sought Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors but also wanted other players and picks too. That’s a lot.
It was an all-talk deadline for the Raptors and they failed to capitalize on the opportunity to accumulate future assets by apparently overvaluing their players.
Detroit Pistons
Added:
James Wiseman
Lost:
Saddiq Bey
The Detroit Pistons had a weird deadline. Not because of their lack of deals, but because of the deal they made.
Detroit brought in the 2020 second-overall pick made by the Golden State Warriors, James Wiseman. In the same deal, they parted ways with third-year forward Saddiq Bey.
Why? Well, the Pistons believe Wiseman has a “higher upside” than Bey going forward. Wiseman has only appeared in 60 career games since his draft selection with an average of 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds on a 54.1 field goal percentage. Bey, who has 204 games under his belt, is a career 14.5-point scorer with 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 40.0% from the field.
They also plan to start Wiseman in their lineup ahead of Isaiah Stewart and rookie center Jalen Duren. Stewart, who’s up to 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds, started in 42 games this year. Duren has 23 starts averaging 8.4 points and 8.7 rebounds. This idea may not last too long considering Wiseman’s lack of passion for the game.
Bey was proven and Detroit created a crowded frontcourt between Wiseman, Duren and Stewart. It’s a questionable move that many will keep their eyes on in the future, especially when Detroit is 14-42 and 15th in the Eastern Conference with the possibility of landing the first overall selection in the draft, where they would be foolish not to take Victor Wembanyama, another big.
Portland Trailblazers
Added:
Cam Reddish
Matisse Thybulle
Kevin Knox
Ryan Arcidiacono
2023 first-round pick is lottery protected via Knicks (if it doesn’t convey, turns into four second-round picks)
Five second-round picks
Lost:
Josh Hart
Garry Payton II
The Portland Trailblazers made a bundle of moves leading up to the Feb. 9 deadline. But a lot of moves don’t always equate to a positive return.
The Trailblazers sent Josh Hart to the New York Knicks and split with Gary Payton II, who was in the first year of a three-year, $26 million deal he signed with Portland in the offseason.
Hart, a starter in 51 games for Portland, averaged 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists alongside Damian Lillard. Payton II was a key bench contributor who defended positions well.
Trailblazers management brought in Cam Reddish and Ryan Arcidiacono from New York as well as a lottery protected 2023 first-round pick that turns into four second-rounders if the pick doesn’t convey. They also brought in Matisse Thybulle from the Philadelphia 76ers and looped in Kevin Knox and five second-round picks.
It seems like Portland is heading toward a rebuild, but they shouldn’t wait for Lillard’s approval to ship him off. We know he’s committed but the Trailblazers need to think about the future of the franchise. Lillard is only getting older and decreasing in value. This isn’t saying Portland should’ve traded Lillard at the deadline, they’re here because they didn’t really improve at all.
Despite a heavy return, it seems like Portland is just cutting around the edges again. They have failed to surround Lillard with a group that could compete for a championship. With mainly bench pieces brought in and non-significant picks, the 27-28 Trailblazers continue to bewilder with the non-committal moves they make.
