The teams that made the biggest splashes at the NBA trade deadline

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone with a whirlwind of moves. In the end, 26 teams made at least one in-season trade. Some moves were small, but several teams went all-in on this season or for the future. Here are the teams who made the most intriguing moves at the deadline.

The Dallas Mavericks

When the Mavericks traded for Kristaps Porzingis, the assumption was the team was taking more of a future look than a present one. The Mavs doubled down on that by shipping Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings. Now, Dallas is left with the tantalizing young combo of Porzingis and Luka Doncic, and a few other interesting young pieces to build around.

In the Porzingis trade, the Mavericks had to take on the contracts of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, which seemed to take them out of any hopes of having cap space this summer. After dealing Barnes, Dallas is once again positioned to be a free-agent player. The Mavs got two building blocks in Porzingis and Doncic, and they like what newly acquired Justin Jackson brings on the wing, along with undrafted finds Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith.

Now Dallas will look for younger veterans who fit in free agency. The Mavs will target defensive-minded players who can also shoot the ball. By moving Barnes, they’re trying to rebuild quickly to get in the mix in the West as soon as next season.

The Milwaukee Bucks

Over the summer, new Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst did a nice job filling out his rotation by signing Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova. Once the season started, Horst really got to work. He took advantage of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ sell-off by snagging George Hill, while also getting rid of future money owed to Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson. But Horst wasn’t done there.

With the East getting tougher, Milwaukee had to get a little better. The key was not sacrificing in one area to marginally improve in another. Horst hit it out of the park. He got together on a three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans in which the Bucks gave up only Thon Maker and some second-round picks to get Nikola Mirotic.

Mirotic was a rumored trade target of several contenders because of his ability to stretch the floor from the power forward position. With Ilyasova having a bit of a down year, Milwaukee needed another big with range to go along with Lopez, and it got the best one available. Mirotic will immediately be an upgrade in the big rotation. He also gives the Bucks some insurance in case young big man D.J. Wilson falls off, or if Ilyasova can’t get back to form.

One other thing to note: with their deals the Bucks created a lot of financial flexibility for this summer. They’ve got several free agents of note, including All-Star Khris Middleton and fellow starters Lopez, Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon. Having a relatively clean cap sheet to work around makes it easier to go for more years or money to keep the key cogs around.

The Orlando Magic

It’s been a long time since anyone has really cared about the Magic. They’re never bad enough to stand out and certainly haven’t been good enough to draw attention. Even this year, as they continue to push for the playoffs, the Magic are still an afterthought. Nikola Vucevic gave the franchise its first real highlight since trading Dwight Howard by making the All-Star team, but many still said some version of, “Really? Vucevic?” Orlando has been down for a while, but by making one move, it is positioned to rise.

As much as the Magic need a fresh start, so does Markelle Fultz. Now they get to do that together. Orlando gave up precious little to get the player who was the No. 1 pick in the draft just two years ago. Jonathon Simmons was out of the rotation, and the first-rounder it gave up is coming from Oklahoma City and is top-20 protected. Essentially, team president John Weltman gave up a protected first for Fultz.

The Magic won’t push Fultz. They’ll let him work his way back at his own pace. Orlando has no reason to rush things. It’ll continue its run at making the playoffs behind Vucevic. Getting Fultz was all about the future.

The Magic have bigs with all sorts of potential (Mo Bamba, Jonathan Isaac), but the backcourt was sorely lacking any upside. They’ve got solid veterans at the guard spots, but Fultz has the potential the franchise has been lacking since trading Victor Oladipo in 2016. Again, just two seasons ago, Fultz was the consensus top player in the draft. If he can get back to form, the Magic hit a home run. If not? They didn’t give up much and can move on. That’s the kind of low-risk, high-reward gamble you have to make when you’re trying to get back on the NBA map.

The Philadelphia 76ers

Before the deadline, the Sixers were a team whose depth issues were starting to catch up to them. Philadelphia had fallen behind Milwaukee, Toronto and Boston in the Eastern Conference, and only the Victor Oladipo injury kept it in front of the Indiana Pacers. How quickly things change.

The 76ers swung a series of deals that saw them land Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Mike Scott, James Ennis and Jonathon Simmons, while moving only Markelle Fultz, Mike Muscala, Wilson Chandler and Landry Shamet. Considering Chandler and Fultz are injured, Philadelphia traded two rotation pieces for potentially five, including Harris, who was nearly an All-Star in the loaded Western Conference.

The deals have the 76ers positioned to better handle the rest of the regular season. They now have the depth necessary to weather injuries and to spot Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid and JJ Redick some rest. All three have battled various injuries throughout the season and could benefit from the occasional night off.

For the future, the Sixers are no longer in “Process” mode. They reportedly want to re-sign Butler and Harris as free agents this summer. That means they’ll be operating as an over-the-cap team. That likely means using Redick’s early Bird rights to give him a bump in salary and then using the mid-level exception to help fill out the rest of the roster. Sure, Philadelphia punted on the futures of both Fultz and Shamet, but that’s not the end of the world. Fultz’s future remains unclear. Shamet showed promise as a shooter, but he’s a replaceable guy behind Redick. Most of all, as the rest of the deadline showed, Milwaukee and Toronto were loading up, and Boston is finally playing like the team many expected it to be. Philadelphia not only kept pace with those three, but it is right in the mix for a Finals berth.

The Sacramento Kings

When the Los Angeles Clippers traded Tobias Harris — and with the crosstown Lakers in turmoil — the Kings seemed poised to benefit most. Sacramento doesn’t own its 2019 first-round pick, as it’s headed to the Boston Celtics. So the Kings have no reason to not be all-in on a playoff push this season.

Sacramento added Harrison Barnes from the Mavs in exchange for Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph. While giving up Jackson is tough because he’s blossomed as a wing shooter this season, Barnes is an upgrade. Adding Barnes gives the Kings a player who has been to the NBA Finals, yet is still young enough to fit with their youthful core. He’ll give them solid scoring and defense, along with some versatility to play up a position, which the team’s other small forwards can’t do.

Sure, Barnes likely takes away some of Sacramento’s cap flexibility this summer. He’ll either opt in for $25 million, or the Kings will give him a new, longer contract. But GM Vlade Divac and crew have had a clean cap sheet for a while now. They’ve kept it clean in hopes of trading for and retaining a player like Barnes. This trade might not result in the Kings ending their playoff drought this year, but they’ll be in the race until the end. And they’ve got high hopes going forward. That’s better than Sacramento has had for over a decade.

The Toronto Raptors

The Raptors have played really good basketball all season, but there were a few signs that they were slipping. Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry have both missed time over the last month or so, and Toronto just isn’t the same team without the two All-Stars. That would be the same for any team, but some of the Raptors’ vaunted depth hasn’t quite stepped forward.

Because of that, team president Masai Ujiri was content to sacrifice some of that depth to add Marc Gasol. Jonas Valanciunas has been out for a large chunk of this season because of injury, and while he’s the longest-tenured Raptor, Valanciunas simply isn’t as good as Gasol.

Now the Raptors have a rugged, reliable defender — one who won’t get in foul trouble in the first few minutes of a game — to use against players such as Joel Embiid and Brook Lopez.

On offense, Toronto can run the exact same sets with Gasol as it does with Serge Ibaka. In addition, coach Nick Nurse can open things up even more by making use of Gasol’s passing ability.

Giving up Delon Wright hurts, but he’s a pending restricted free agent and the Raptors already have two good point guards in front of him in Lowry and Fred VanVleet. As for C.J. Miles, he’s more name than game at this point. He’s been in and out of the rotation all season, and Toronto has more than enough on the wing with Leonard, Danny Green, Norman Powell and OG Anunoby.

In the postseason, rotations shrink, so going 10 or 12 deep doesn’t matter as much. Wright and Miles would have been on the bench anyway. Gasol is a huge upgrade over Valanciunas, and it’s a move that helps Toronto keep pace with the other East contenders.

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