Trade season is always hectic, considering last year had one of the worst trades in recent NBA history.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is finally complete. It is time to tally the moves, shockers, and blunders that each team has made (or not made) to further improve their squads.
Notably, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was not traded by the Milwaukee Bucks after much speculation and trade talks with numerous teams, a shock that began to surprise less and less as the week went on.
However, other major trades did occur before the cutoff on Thursday, with one of them being a star guard swap between two teams of opposite conferences and a massive overhaul of a team that made the worst trade in recent NBA history last year.
I will be going through all the team acquisitions and the overall grade of each team before the deadline, with a short assessment of their transactions.
For simplicity’s sake, I will go in alphabetical order.
Atlanta Hawks: B
I can not give this any higher than a B because of some of the trades (Gabe Vincent). However, the Hawks look to aim for a high draft spot, and if they land the No. 1 spot, guard Darryn Peterson’s a lock. They are looking really scary after solid moves getting rid of what won’t work in the future, like guard Trae Young and center Kristaps Porzingis.
Boston Celtics: B
Shooting guard Anfernee Simons for center Nikola Vucevic is definitely a choice. Is it a smart one? Considering how much center depth they lost, yeah, I would say so. The Celtics are just biding their time, considering how injured they are this year.
Brooklyn Nets: B
Brooklyn got some money from the deadline, and picked up recent Raptors guard, Ochai Agbaji, but still nothing too crazy from the Nets. The Nets don’t do crazy. They also dropped guard Cam Thomas, which I think is smart considering how much money he wanted. Navigating that contract in trade deals sounds like a nightmare.
Charlotte Hornets: B+
They picked up guards Coby White and Tyus Jones for guard Collin Sexton. This shuffles the bench up a bit, but spreads the team out well. Great move by the Hornets. Also, congrats on your recent success.
Chicago Bulls: B
The Bulls mix their entire roster around for a ton of 2nd round picks and some solid pickups from other teams like guards Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, and Anfernee Simons. The Bulls are gearing up for a massive acquisition or successful draft splurge. Either way, it is a win.
Cleveland Cavaliers: B-
I am in the middle on the Cavaliers. On the one hand, they build great backcourt depth. On the other hand, they traded guard Darius Garland for guard James Harden.
Dallas Mavericks: B+
The Mavericks are dealing with the consequences of the Luka Doncic trade and doing so in a very realistic manner, by building around forward Cooper Flagg. I like the trades getting rid of some older, injury-prone players to acquire picks and some other veterans. This is a great move.
Denver Nuggets: C
Nothing really happens of note. The Nuggets only lose forward Hunter Tyson, but the Nuggets are good, so there is no stress here.
Detroit Pistons: B+
For losing guard Jaden Ivey, the Pistons were rewarded with guard Kevin Huerter and draft equity. This is a good move, much to the chagrin of a friend of mine. The Pistons might be a solid East frontrunner for a while, and this year might not just be a one-and-done.
Golden State Warriors: C+
I do not like this trade. Guard Buddy Hield and forward Johnathan Kuminga for a center, Kristaps Porzingis, who has not been entirely healthy since 2024. Yeah, no, that’s not good. Considering Kuminga’s value and how he has been arguing his worth, this was the best they could get?
Houston Rockets: F
They did not make a single move. The funniest thing is that they are playing really badly, and a trade might have been the right move to help the depth, but hey, it is not like I want to contend for a title either.
Indiana Pacers: B-
Indiana lost a few strong players, but gained front-court depth to help severely overwhelmed power forward Pascal Siakam. On top of that, they currently have the highest odds at the No. 1 draft pick in the Eastern Division in one of the best draft classes in years. The Pacers are gearing up to bounce back.
Los Angeles Clippers: A
The Clippers did some really great stuff from this deadline. Instead of sticking with the retirement home roster they began with this season, they started flipping their older players for younger starters and more cap space to build on. Moving on from center Ivica Zubac and guard James Harden to guard Bennedict Mathurin and guard Darius Garland was for sure the move. I expect a Kawhi Leonard move in the future or something similar to fully reign in the roster transition.
Los Angeles Lakers: B
I cannot be too biased and give my team an A, but the Lakers finally made a move. And what move was that? Oh, nothing, just getting rid of their worst player in guard Gabe Vincent for a better perimeter shooter in guard Luke Kennard. Lovely stuff. Exciting to see what occurs in the summer.
Memphis Grizzlies: B+
I really like the Grizzlies approach of trading away older players; they were locked down too because of contracts being spread too thin, like guard Desmond Bane and forward Jaren Jackson Jr, in order to rebuild around younger players. They also get a ton of picks from their exchange with the Jazz, so they are looking pretty solid. I find it funny to be building around center Zach Edey, but we will see how that pans out.
Miami Heat: F
Miami needed to do something and then didn’t do anything. If banking for the offseason is Pat Riley’s plan, it is not going to go too well.
Milwaukee Bucks: C-
Not dealing out Giannis before the deadline is a bad mistake. This gives the power forward a ton of freedom in the offseason, and the Bucks will have to manage. The trades they made at the end of the deadline don’t matter; they should have pulled the trigger instead of getting nothing.
Minnesota Timberwolves: B+
Getting a stronger guard rotation at basically no cost (sorry, Rob Dillingham) is amazing and a great win. Fun fact: guard Mike Conely Jr, the player the Wolves traded, just resigned with them.
New Orleans Pelicans: C
The Pelicans could have done so much more. They basically isolated themselves by saying half their roster is off limits, and only getting a few seconds for Alvarado is not ideal. But hey, they got a center with Dalen Terry!
New York Knicks: B-
I like the Jose Alvarado pick-up. For a team like the Knicks gearing towards a championship, this is a good defensive guard for spreading the roster. I do not like losing frontcourt depth with center Guerschon Yabusele, though.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A+
The Thunder get a strong guard in Jared McCain for the picks they have been accumulating for a while. Immense value for them.
Orlando Magic: C
The Magic freed up some cap space by dumping guard Tyus Jones. It is alright, nothing crazy. The team needs some help, and they are going to look for it in the offseason, it seems.
Philadelphia 76ers: B
I don’t like it, but I guess it makes sense. Trading guard Jared McCain for four picks, one first and three second rounds, is mainly geared toward the strong potential in the upcoming draft to build around your current team, sure. But you are losing McCain, who was going to win ROTY if he didn’t get hurt. OKC gets a great guard pickup for their rotation. The rich get richer.
Phoenix Suns: SUPER F
Need, Need, NEED to make a move, and proceed to not do so. And then, lost to the Warriors bench. THEY ONLY SCORED FIVE POINTS IN THE FINAL SEVEN MINUTES OF THE GAME.
That speaks for the team itself.
Portland Trail Blazers: B
The Trail Blazers picked up a pretty good wing for some frontcourt rotation. This is a good pickup, easy and simple. Definitely need to build more and deal with injuries, but good.
Sacramento Kings: D+
What are you guys doing? The Kings are not learning from their mistakes and are trading some decent rotation players to spread the court this year for bigger names and bigger usage percentages. Forwards De’Andre Hunter, DeMar DeRozan, and guard Russel Westbrook all starting is a nightmare for offensive schemes and will not get anything done. For all Kings fans, you guys are in purgatory for a few years, sorry.
San Antonio Spurs: C
The Spurs have a squad to win the entire thing, so blowing up the roster doesn’t make a lot of sense. A few friends of mine have argued about forward Harrison Barnes, but it seems like he won’t be getting traded this current season. Then again, maybe they could have done something. Overall, just kind of a shrug at the deadline.
Toronto Raptors: C+
Making room for cap space by dropping a player is smart, considering they look to be gearing up to make some pretty major acquisitions. Solid move.
Utah Jazz: B-
The Jazz adds to an already strong frontcourt with forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and a few other transactions to their team. One key problem is losing picks. They are definitely stronger than what other picks went for (ahem, Washington), but it still is cause for concern considering how high the value of the next few drafts is.
Washington Wizards: C+
Picking up Trae Young is good because it did not require a lot of resources in return. I cannot say the same thing about picking up forward Anthony Davis from the Mavericks. Not good to have too many injury-prone players holding down a young team and giving away picks. The Wizards had something going, then lost it.
Some of these teams are done and dusted this year, and for those of you who know your team isn’t winning the championship this year, I offer you to look at the upcoming draft class; it is some exciting stuff.