You know when you get off the treadmill and it still feels like you're moving even though you're on solid ground? That's what it feels like following a blitzkrieg of a 2023 NBA trade deadline that saw superstars dealt, role players swapped and countless draft picks change hands.
The biggest move was, of course, Kevin Durant heading to join Devin Booker and Chris Paul with the Phoenix Suns, as the Brooklyn Nets brought an end to their own superteam by creating another one. This is on the heels of Brooklyn sending Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks to join Luka Doncic. In return, the Nets received plenty of young players and draft assets that should help them have a promising future ... eventually.
Our heads are all still spinning from all the moves (you can see every deal here in our trade tracker), but while we sort things out, here's a look at some of the winners and losers from an eventful trade deadline.
Winner: Phoenix Suns
Not sure there's ever been a more obvious trade deadline winner in the history of the NBA. Durant revitalizes a Suns team that hasn't been the same since its inauspicious Game 7 playoff exit at the hands of Luka Doncic and the Mavericks last season, and immediately turns them into the favorites to come out of the Western Conference. A foursome of Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton is as formidable as any in the league, and even though the trade depleted their depth, they still have capable, experienced role players like Torrey Craig, Cam Payne, Damion Lee and Landry Shamet.
The biggest question mark is health, but that's the case with any contender. Huge move by new Suns governor Mat Ishbia just days into his tenure.
Winner: Kevin Durant
After the Kyrie Irving trade, Durant was faced with the prospect of being the lone superstar on a Nets team attempting to thread the needle between rebuilding and contention. Instead, he's left that situation and now plays for a title favorite -- and the team at the top of his list when he first requested a trade last summer. Fans may not like the idea of superstars bailing on their franchises to form superteams, but there's no doubt that Durant has come out a winner in this scenario.
Loser: Brooklyn Nets (past)
The KD-Kyrie era in Brooklyn is over, and there's no way to characterize it as anything but an abject failure. One playoff series victory, just 74 games played with Irving and Durant on the floor together, and plenty of coach firings, trade requests and off-court drama along the way. In the last few days the Nets have gone from a legitimate title contender with Durant and Irving to a rebuilding franchise looking for the clearest path back to the top of the mountain. That's a rough hit to take.
Winner: Brooklyn Nets (future)
Despite the depression of the aforementioned fall from grace, Brooklyn squeezed about every asset it could out of Durant and Irving. Five unprotected first-round picks (replenishing their cabinet after dealing most of their draft assets to Houston in the James Harden deal), a 2028 pick swap, a young, borderline All-Star in Mikal Bridges, proven role players in Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie, and a couple of second-round picks is a solid haul. Now the Nets have decisions to make regarding their future, but they at least have options moving forward -- not something every team can say after dealing one superstar, let alone two.
Winner: LeBron James
I'm not saying the Lakers are now in position to compete for a title, but they're at least in position to compete. LeBron has made it clear that he's not interested in spending his waning NBA days on a bottom-dwelling team, and now with the record chase behind him he has a new set of teammates to attempt to climb the standings. The Lakers have eliminated Russell Westbrook, and all the issues he brings, while adding solid players in D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt -- only sacrificing one of their two coveted future first-round picks in the process. That's a team that can at least make a run in the Western Conference and, with a healthy Anthony Davis, have a puncher's chance at an upset of one of the higher seeds should they make the playoffs. While James likely would have preferred to have snagged Kyrie Irving or a player of that ilk, he has to at least be happy that the Lakers improved with their deadline moves rather than remaining stagnant.
Loser: Denver Nuggets
It's not that the Nuggets did anything wrong, but they were hit by a nuclear bomb courtesy of Phoenix when the Durant trade went down. Denver had started to create some separation in the Western Conference, leading the Grizzlies by 4.5 games as of Thursday, and Jamal Murray's resurgence had them looking like favorites to make the NBA Finals. Now they have to contend with a superteam in Phoenix, while the Nuggets' only trade deadline move was acquiring big man Thomas Bryant from the Lakers and cutting bait with talented young guard Bones Hyland after reported discontent. Denver went from West favorites to second-fiddle overnight, making the team a loser this deadline through no fault of its own.
Winner: Kyrie Irving
I already wrote about this in the winners and losers from the Irving trade a few days ago, so please allow myself to plagiarize ... myself.
Say what you will about Kyrie Irving (and there's plenty to say), but the man tends to get what he wants. Asked out of Cleveland, went to an Eastern Conference contender. Wanted to play with his friend KD, signed with Brooklyn. Didn't want to get the vaccine despite local mandates, team let him play in road games.
Now, just days after requesting a trade from the Nets due to what he viewed as an untenable contract situation, he's off to Dallas to play with one of the game's transcendent superstars in Luka Doncic. And while there's no guarantee that the Mavericks will offer Irving a long-term contract, it's hard to believe they would have traded away those assets for a two-month rental.
No wonder Irving continues to act the way he does. It just keeps working.
Winner: Philadelphia 76ers
While the Suns and Mavericks made colossal splashes with their cannonballs into the deep end, the 76ers executed a perfect reverse one-and-a-half somersault while hardly creating a ripple in the water's surface. Philadelphia flipped Matisse Thybulle -- an excellent defender but a zero on offense who was earning sporadic playing time -- to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a 25-year-old two-way wing on the rise in Jalen McDaniels. The perfect complementary piece to a team looking for a little extra oomph off the bench, McDaniels is at least a capable 3-point shooter (which Thybulle was not), and has the length and quickness to provide nearly as much defensive impact. Philadelphia is sneakily positioning itself as a very tough playoff out, and McDaniels is a piece that could push the Sixers over the top.
Loser: Ja Morant
The Grizzlies like to talk, and sometimes it's going to backfire. Just a couple of months ago, Morant named the Boston Celtics as primary competition for himself and the Grizzlies, while famously proclaiming that he was "fine in the West." Well, since then the Mavericks paired Kryie Irving with Luka Doncic, while Kevin Durant joins Devin Booker and Chris Paul in Phoenix. Leave it to New Orleans Pelicans guard and NBPA president CJ McCollum to say it best:
The timing is also unfortunate for the Grizzlies, who have lost eight of their last 10 games. It's safe to say that Memphis is no longer fine in the West.
Winner: Houston Rockets
The Rockets aren't winners necessarily because of what they did at the deadline (though finally trading Eric Gordon was a wise move), but rather what the Nets did. Houston owns Brooklyn's first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, with the right to swap picks in 2025 and 2027 (and this year, but that's not going to happen). Those selections look a whole lot juicier after the Nets lost Irving and Durant in a matter of days. In theory, if the Nets bottom out and the Rockets improve, Houston could have four consecutive Brooklyn picks at its disposal. This is especially helpful since the Rockets owe Oklahoma City their own first-round picks in 2024 and 2026 (top-four protected). Whether the Rockets end up using Brooklyn's picks or trading them in other deals, the future is looking brighter in Houston.
Loser: Chicago Bulls
With Brooklyn potentially dropping out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, perhaps the Bulls felt they could leave their roster as is and make a run after the All-Star break. Maybe, but they could have missed out on the opportunity to retool by dealing one or more of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. There was reported interest in all three of them, along with guard Alex Caruso, but the Bulls decided to stand pat at the deadline. Either they're invested in this core moving forward (Vucevic is a free agent after this season), or they plan on taking care of things in the offseason. It seems like they could have made a move before the deadline, however, as they've been middling in play-in position for most of the season.
Winner: Golden State Warriors
The James Wiseman situation was a disaster for the reigning champs, and his presence on the team had essentially become a sunk-cost fallacy. The truth is, he was not flourishing in the Warriors' environment and needed a change, and there was no way Golden State was ever going to recoup the full value of a No. 2 overall pick. So they sold him off for a handful of second-round picks, then turned around and flipped those into a familiar, valuable face in Gary Payton II. The Warriors' defense has been one of their main issues in a mediocre season, and Payton will have an immediate impact on that end -- not to mention his familiarity with Golden State's system. Payton should serve as a spark plug for the stretch run, and they got him for a player that -- while talented -- had no clear path to a rotation spot.
Loser: John Collins
Another trade deadline passes and, yes, John Collins is still a Hawk. The explosive forward with a diverse skill set has seemingly been lost in Atlanta for years, leading to rampant trade rumors, but yet again ... nothing. He's reportedly been upset with his role in the past, but he'll have to wait until a later date to see if he gets the opportunity to be unleashed elsewhere. In the meantime, he has yet another forward to compete with for playing time, as the Hawks added Saddiq Bey at the deadline.