Sports in 1

By: Poorit “Sports in 1” Lertpaitoonpan

After the Trade Deadline passed for the NBA this season, there are significant changes throughout the league, and here are the biggest winners and losers in my humble opinion.

Winner: Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers get a red hot James Harden for Darius Garland and a future second round pick. As a team that is gunning for the championship this season, this is a “win now” decision that should greatly bolster the offensive strength tremendously.

Moreover, with acquisition of Keon Ellis, Dennis Schroder, and Emanuel Miller on top of having James Harden is the depth that the Cavs always need to win their second NBA championship, especially in the East that is wide open.

Winner: Indiana Pacers

This year the Pacers are abysmal. Losing Tyrese Haliburton due to torn Achilles is harsh, and losing Myles Turner to the Bucks make it even worse. 

However, for a team that ranks dead last in the Eastern Conference, they make a great move that could bolster their squad when Haliburton returns. Adding Ivica Zubac to the team is an investment move. For Zubac contract stays through 2027-2028 season, he could prove to be a prominent third choice option when the Pacers feels like going on a run again.

Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves

Ditching Rob Dillingham is a tough pill to swallow for the Timberwolves front office, but when you want to cash in on Anthony Edward and a strong squad, you need to round out the team with a reliable starter. In comes Ayo Dosunmu, who could potentially round out this team for a good push in the competitive West.

Winner: Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets this season are doing quite fine honestly, with Lamelo Ball at the helm, this team’s offense is something else. Getting Coby White, Ousmane Dieng, Malaki Branham, and Xavier Tillman Sr. adds the depth that this team needs to punch their tickets to the playoffs.

Winner (somewhat): Chicago Bulls

At first, I was surprised why the Bulls decided to completely go nuclear with their roster, seemingly everyone with a pulse is traded elsewhere. This is especially after a hot start Bulls have initially. However, after a poor run of form, they are now ranked 11 and are slightly below .500. This is when Bulls decided to cash out on the high, shipping out en masse, and gather a total of 13 second round picks throughout 2032.

Though it looks impressive on paper, this is not the most desirable outcome. Second round picks are often not the piece that you desire in a rebuild, as players who succeed in the top level from second round are far in between. It’s not like another Jokic is gonna fall from the sky.

Still, these abundance of picks could be used as a leverage for a future trade. To see whether or not these picks will hold value, that’s the question that will be answered in this offseason by the soonest.

Winner (80%): Memphis Grizzlies

With trouble of chemistry in Memphis, it seems like a time is done for the franchise player Ja Morant, it may be the best time to cash on him right now and build a squad of gritty defense and tough offense. 

Though, they decided that the person who’s going is Jarren Jackson Junior. It is a little out of nowhere, but a 4-for-4 trade that gets 3 first round picks in the future is a good foundation to build upon.

Besides, they don’t have to cash out early on Ja, they can look for the best offers in the future, though it could be hard to get rid of him due to the team being careful of his reputation.

Winner (slightly): Milwaukee Bucks

It’s gutsy to not trade Giannis Antetokounmpo here when the team is in the gutter, especially when he is pushing 32 this year. However, the Bucks don’t have to cash out at this moment, perhaps they can strengthen up the squad and satisfy Giannis in the offseason, and even if they don’t, trading Giannis then is not a huge loss as opposed to trading him now.

They have time, so they don’t really need to rush.

Loser: Golden State Warriors

I have no words on how the Warriors have fallen.

I should be joyful, as Warriors dash the dream of the best Rockets squad since the 90s. Yet, it is hard to not have sympathy for Stephen Curry. For a superstar of that caliber, choosing to stay loyal to The Bay, Steve Kerr, and the Warriors front office is admirable. So, how do they reward him when he needs help?

Kristaps Porzingis.

They finally trade Kuminga though, so at least that debacle is over with.

While Porzingis is good when he’s healthy, that’s not going to be a common sight due to his injury tendencies.

What’s worse is that they were linked with Giannis, making this outcome looks even more underwhelming.

And now you lose Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Buddy Hield. Jimmy Butler also went down for the rest of the season as well.

This season is ruined, and fans of the Warriors must now hibernate until next season.

Loser: Los Angeles Clippers

Why now?

That’s the only question some might ask them. After a poor start, it may seem like the Clipper is going to go down swinging this season once again. However, after their recent run of form, it is not far-fetched to think that they may make a push into the play-in spot.

And then they blew it all up.

First, they traded James Harden, though there were reports that Harden requested for the trade himself, so there’s nothing the Clippers can do. Then they traded Zubac away as well, even though the return piece from Harden is not bad at all.

It seems like the Clippers would like to spend wisely and not just splurge cash at anyone resembling “superstar”.

Still, after that good of a run, it feels like a gut punch to see it all go to dust.

Loser: Washington Wizards

I have no idea what’s going on in the USA’s capital.

After trying to tank and finding good picks, they decided to go swinging hard this season, getting Trey Young and Antony Davis during the trade deadline.

The problem now is that while both are elite at what they do, Young is a one-dimensional player who is a liability on defense, while Davis’s body seems to be made from glass that breaks on any form of solid contact.

After the pain that the Wizards fans go through, this is not a future that they hope for at all.

Loser: Nico Harrison & Those who think THAT Luka trade is a good idea

Defend wins championship is the reason that Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic away. Now, the biggest return of that deal, Antony Davis, is flipped in a 4-for-4 trade with the Wizards.

The Dallas Mavericks are not in the gutter though, they have Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and a good foundation to build upon. Still, one can’t help to think what would happen if Luka had stayed with this squad as his supporting cast.

That team would be ridiculous.

Loser: Miami Heat

The Heat is the only team in the Eastern Conference to not make a move this trade deadline. For a team that looks to solidify their spot in the playoffs, this seems like a missed opportunity, especially when Bam Adebayo needs some help in the guard position.

It’s not the biggest loss, yet it feels like this is a missed opportunity.

Loser: Houston Rockets

The Rockets are screaming for help this season, after their veteran core of Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams is now out injured for the rest of the season.

They are in desperate need of a point guard; Amen Thompson is good but the turnover needs to go down. Moreover, Reed Sheppard is a better shooter than a facilitator, and Alperen Sengun is a good facilitator from center position with his almighty control in mid-post, but he lacks depth as a solid three-point shooter.

They need a point guard, and a guy who shoots three.

Yet they get nothing, Rafael Stone decided to bite the bullets and run with what they have right now.

It’s not the worst decision in the world, they still have a good timeline next year, KD’s contract was also extended for 2 years so they are not running out of fuel yet.

Regardless, for a team that decided to take a leap by adding Kevin Durant, it may be better if they strive more to win immediately.

Did your team have a good trade deadline?

References

https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-nba-trade-tracker
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/live-blogs/nba-trade-deadline-live-updates-news-grades-analysis/UUPOEDhwgyDb/
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-trade-deadline-2026-biggest-winners-and-losers-featuring-the-bucks-cavs-and-warriors-205342608.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMeGEkv6qFcTuce1NePE6UsQCKO5Cts_lDCr_9MTf2djnCpIXDv26ugDJPGHA3Sj60dhxSsLqYrvDUlwS7kljLTJlvnfwnk2QFgZxW1_dlw1t37tnZqx0y9uD9oK89Lts2bjt_Xn583OKV0k1MK1l-uCS9lc-kuDirfqOW5WKKc2&guccounter=2