NBA trade deadline news: Breaking down the top trades as Washington Wizards land Trae Young

With the NBA trade deadline having passed, many teams will be looking to move on and reshuffle their rosters in the hopes of either salvaging the season or pushing for a possible championship.

Here, Sports News Blitz writer Lorenzo Gagliotta examines the trades that went down and considers how it all looks for the rest of the season.

Most intriguing deadline trades

This season’s trade deadline did not disappoint, with the Washington Wizards getting the ball rolling for four-time All-Star Trae Young.

The Wizards didn’t finish there as it seems their aim is to be contenders next year by building a balanced roster, mixing their youthful core with league experience.

They did just that by adding 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis to the squad in a deal which saw the Dallas Mavericks also let go of guard D’Angelo Russell.

The Chicago Bulls were one of the teams looking to offload some assets and they were active in doing so, jettisoning the likes of centre Nikola Vucevic, guard Ayo Dosunmu, and star Coby White.

Vucevic saw himself end up in a favorable situation at the Boston Celtics, with Boston sending Anfernee Simons to join Chicago.

The Vucevic move could be the piece that was missing for coach Joe Mazzulla’s side, the kind that helps build depth in weaker positions and pushes up their rebounding rates.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers kept teams and fans on their toes, with a low-value trade seeing James Harden head to Cleveland and Darius Garland head west to LA.

For a team that’s deeply contending in the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers rolled the dice in hoping that Harden is the player to give them that edge to push for a championship.

It left Cavaliers fans questioning whether the move was actually more of a risk and if focussing more on short-term success rather than long-term viability will lead to reward.

Speaking of the Eastern Conference, a team struggling this campaign is the Indiana Pacers, who set out with the goal of adding more depth in the centre position before the trade deadline.

They successfully acquired big man Ivica Zubac, a dominant player in the paint who can add the grit coach Rick Carlisle needs his squad to have in order to salvage something from the second part of the season.

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Antetokounmpo, Morant stay put

The biggest talking points of the trade deadline surrounded the speculation that Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant and Milwaukee Bucks’s two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo were on the move.

The Greek international seems to have reached the end of his cycle at the Bucks and many felt it was best for both parties to part ways, particularly as they seem to have two different objectives in mind.

The Miami Heat popped up as a potential landing spot but were not able to muster a strong enough package to move for Morant or Antetokounmpo – indeed, they ended up being one of four teams to not make a single move.

Other suitors included the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Golden State Warriors, the two favourites in the running to pull off a trade.

For Antetokounmpo, the speculation dried up quickly as the Warriors made a trade which sent Buddy Hield and star forward Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks for centre Kristaps Porzingis.

A move for the MVP was thus off the cards and as a result, he remains in Milwaukee for the rest of the season.

Over in Memphis, it felt as though the Grizzlies were not happy with any of the trade packages offered for former Rookie of the Year Morant.

They deemed none of the deals to be beneficial to them, especially considering the departure of Jaren Jackson Jr to the Utah Jazz.

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Biggest winners and losers

It’s fair to say that this season’s trade deadline gave rise to clear winners and losers.

Defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder gained the services of guard Jared McCain, who has just come back from a lengthy injury.

Much now depends on the longevity and health of McCain as he looks to boost the squad.

General manager Sam Presti has done good work in Oklahoma over the years, meticulously crafting a team strong enough to be successful, and this could be another master stroke.

One team who has started the year on a hot streak is the Charlotte Hornets, who have turned the tables with an impressive winning streak and an incredibly exciting brand of basketball.

They also bolstered their roster by adding Coby White, a crafty playmaker with an eye for the basket and the ability to rotate well with the likes of Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

Charlotte are currently just shy of the play-off spots thanks to their win column, but added depth on the court can only improve their chances.

On the other side of the coin, there are some teams who have faltered through the trade deadline.

As mentioned, the Bulls lost some key pieces on the court, although they did gain a few draft assets in what is a bit of a gamble given their lack of depth in certain areas.

With Ayo Dosunmu and Mike Conley having already left, the departure of Coby White sees the loss of someone who was always influential and a facilitator when it matters the most, even though he hadn’t faced that many minutes on court of late.

Now it rests on coach Billy Donovan’s shoulders to see what he can muster with the players he has at his disposal.

The Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, find themselves in a little bit of trouble.

They face a disappointing period following the 25-game ban dished out to star forward Paul George and the loss of McCain.

Philadelphia have at least managed to avoid going over the luxury tax, playing it safe in the belief they have enough to cement a play-off berth come the end of the season.

With that said, they may lack the players necessary to be able to rotate main man Joel Embiid, starlet VJ Edgecombe, and guard Tyrese Maxey.

However, it seems that the 76ers have a plan – and they are sticking to it.

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