Another NBA trade season has come and gone. With it, has been one of the busiest trade flurries in recent memory. We’ve seen a franchise disassembled, over four stars traded, and plenty of fat to chew until the offseason. Let’s go through some of the biggest storylines that came out of trade season, and what they mean.
Giannis Stays in Milwaukee – For Now
Let’s get it out of the way – the biggest story coming into trade season was the uncertain future of 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The forward was apparently ‘ready for a new home’ ahead of the deadline, and despite loads of rumours, nothing materialized.
I’d still be surprised if Giannis was still a member of the Bucks at the start of the 2026/27 season, but for now the story continues. Perhaps Bucks GM Jon Horst believes he can change the 9x-All-Star’s mind, but again, I’d be incredibly surprised. For the rest of the year, a deep uncertainty will run through Milwaukee, and the team will be in the limbo of Giannis. It’ll be a long few months for Bucks fans.
Alternatively, though, having Giannis represents having an asset wanted by 29 other franchises, and the Bucks can use that. If I was in charge, I’d do everything I could to get the #1 pick this offseason and start the franchise rebuild around whoever that is – whether it be Darren Peterson, Cam Boozer, or AJ Dybantsa.
The Bulls Blow it up
This trade deadline really represented the end of the limbo era for the Chicago Bulls. Out went some key pieces, such as Nikola Vucevic, Coby White for a mishmash of pieces, the biggest ones being Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, and Jaden Ivey.
The Bulls now have an overload of guards, employing Josh Giddey, Tre Jones, Rob Dillingham, Mac McClung, and Yuki Kawamura to go along with the three guards acquired at the deadline. The size in their team amounts to no more than Matas Buzelis and John Collins. The Bulls are finally looking to tank, and while it won’t be fun, it’s better than being stuck in the middle.
The Cavs Speed Up the Process, Clippers Focus on Future
Another big trade that was made was the exchange of James Harden and Darius Garland between the Cavs and Clippers. It’s a trade that represents both teams’ differing goals. The Cavs, once the East’s young exciting team, is getting older and older. Donovan Mitchell turns 30 this year, and only having two more years on his deal, the Cavs will be hesitant to offer him a deal that pays him over 45 million a year going into his late 30s.
Jarrett Allen also turns 28 this year and isn’t getting any younger, so the Cavs want some winning now in a historically-weak Eastern Conference. Their avenue of achieving that? Trade a young Darius Garland for James Harden, a win-now guard who, while 36, provides some much-needed experience for the Cavs. It’s a massive gamble, but worth it to potentially push this team over the line in the East.
Meanwhile, at the second-best Los Angeles team, the Clippers have realized that, despite their red-hot form, they can’t sustain this team. Kawhi is 34, Harden’s 36, Beal’s 32, and Zubac is turning 29 in a month. In response, in comes a 26-year-old Garland for Harden, and a 23-year-old Bennedict Mathurin for Zubac. The Clippers are slowly building their identity for the future, and this trade deadline helped build a massive part of it.
It’s Over in Memphis, the Jazz Shake it up
The first big trade of the deadline was that to trade Jaren Jackson Jr to Utah, a trade that represents statements of intent for both franchises involved. The Memphis Grizzlies, trading their former DPOY and crucial roster piece, are officially blowing up that team that finished 2nd in the West in 2023.
All that’s left is Ja Morant, who, while still young, is the disgraced young star who waved a gun on Instagram live not once, but twice. Any team willing to trade for him must be willing to take a massive chance. The Grizzlies are looking to rebuild and get a new identity, and this trade needed to happen for them.
In Utah, however, the Jazz are tired of being bad. They now have a very solid, and rather young, big three of Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Keyonte George. Now, with the Jazz looking like having a good pick on top of that, this will be a big team to watch in the West next year.
New Hot Roster in Washington, Mavs Incompetence Continues
Arguably, the largest trade of the deadline happened between the Wizards and the Mavs. Going to Washington are Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, with Khris Middleton, Marvin Bagley, and three picks going the other direction. This completes the full scope of the Luka Doncic trade, where we finally see just what the Mavericks got back in return for their transcendent franchise star, who would have certainly matched Dirk’s legacy with the team.
That being said, I won’t get too much into that, I’ll be making a full length post about the Mavs soon enough.
In Washington, a new team is being formed, a team that looks, on the surface at least, incredibly intriguing. Now with Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr, and likely a high draft pick this June, the Wizards are another team to keep an eye on in 26/27. Neither Trae or AD will make much impact this year, but Washington is building for next year and wants to finally get out of mediocrity. While the experience and grit of this team down the stretch has to be questioned, and so does AD’s fitness, the Wizards have the start of a very solid team.
Cam Thomas Waived Six Months After Demanding Max Contract
The funniest story of the deadline, Cam Thomas is now a free agent after being part of the funniest Nets team in recent years. After 55 games of having to share the ball with Michael “The Possession Ends Here” Porter Jr, the forward has been waived by Brooklyn.
Just over six months ago, this past July, Brooklyn Nets reporter Brian Lewis was recorded as saying:
“A source familiar with Thomas’ thinking said he does not consider himself inferior to Immanuel Quickley ($32.5 million this upcoming season), Tyler Herro ($31 million) or RJ Barrett ($27.7 million)”.
Thomas would only end up signing a $6 million qualifying offer with Brooklyn that offseason, waiting all the way until September to do it, and no team would show interest in over two months on the open market. Now back in free agency, I find it hard to think any team would want to take a chance on the ball-heavy guard at this stage of the season.
That concludes the highlights of a packed trade deadline. Only time will tell how these moves pan out, and that’s half the fun of the deadline, watching the new-look teams and seeing just how good (or bad) they are. Now though, the focus is well and truly on the April playoffs around the league.
