NBA Trade Deadline Biggest Winners

The NBA is just a few days away from taking center stage when the NFL goes into hibernation after the Super Bowl. And what a way to set the table for the All-Star Game next weekend and the run-up to the NBA Playoffs. The trade deadline was Thursday, and it did not disappoint. With a postseason that now includes a total of 20 teams, more general managers see themselves as just one or two moves away from a championship.

But who did themselves the most good by deadline day?

Los Angeles Lakers

Trading for a Hall of Fame talent who is still only 25-years-old will always be a good move. For the Los Angeles Lakers, getting Luka Dončić at such a cheap price makes it one the best moves in recent memory.

There is no guarantee, of course, that this leads to another championship in L.A. Their odds have improved considerably since the deal, and they now sit at +1500 to win their 18th NBA title. But they do now have a hole at the 5 spot without Anthony Davis, and the Western Conference does have the championship favorite Oklahoma City Thunder, who are paying +230. But L.A. is now firmly in the conversation, with arguably two of the best five players in the league now on their team.

Golden State Warriors

Reports are that a deal was in place to send Kevin Durant back to the Golden State Warriors, but he vetoed the trade. It also has to hurt the Warriors to know that Dončić was available and nobody told them. But the guy they did get, Jimmy Butler, is really good at basketball, too.

He left Miami on pretty awful terms, which included two suspensions for a total of nine games and lost pay and fines for more than $3 million. But he now gets to play with Stephen Curry, he gets a two-year, $111 million extension at age 35, and he got his wish to be traded.

The Warriors are down the board a bit, paying +4000 to win the NBA Finals. But Curry said after the trade, “It creates expectations, which I love. I want to be in that kind of environment, whether you get it done or not, that is meaningful basketball that we all love and thrive in. I think we’re going to be up for the challenge.”

A happy all-time great is good for the NBA and good for the Warriors going forward.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers sit atop the Eastern Conference, and they are +750 to win the NBA Championship. But in order to compete with the Boston Celtics, who are the current favorites to advance out of the playoffs from the conference, they needed another big body.

Enter De’Andre Hunter, who moves to Cleveland from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for two players, two pick swaps, and three second-round picks. In the end, it is very little gain for the Hawks, and potentially a season-winner for the Cavs.

Hunter is averaging a career-high 19.0 points per game this season, and his 6-foot-8 frame gives him good reach on the defensive wing for future playoff matchups against the Celtics, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks.