NBA · 1 hour ago

10 Biggest NBA Trade Deadline Moves: Ranking 6 Winners & 4 Losers

John Canady

Host · Writer

Who DIDN'T Get Traded?
While many big names were moved, several stars rumored to be traded stayed put on their current teams, including the biggest fish of all.

Top NBA Stars NOT Traded
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
2. Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
3. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
4. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
5. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
Which teams won the trade deadline? Which teams lost? Which players moved will have the biggest impact this season? Who could be traded in the offseason?

We'd love to hear from you in the comments!
NBA Trade Deadline Recap
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, with a lot of movement happening over the last couple of days. With the trade season officially put on pause until the offseason, here are the biggest stars moved this February:

Top NBA Stars Traded At The Deadline
1. Anthony Davis (DAL --> WASH)
2. Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM --> UTAH)
3. James Harden (LAC --> CLE)
4. Darius Garland (CLE --> LAC)
5. Ivica Zubac (LAC --> IND)
6. Jonathan Kuminga (GS --> ATL)
7. Nikola Vucevic (CHI -->BOS)
8. Kristaps Porziņģis (ATL --> GS)
9. Ayo Dosunmu (CHI --> MIN)
10. Bennedict Mathurin (IND --> LAC)
Here's a look at both the biggest winners and losers from the 2026 deadline frenzy.
1) Winner: Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz came out of left field, shocking the entire NBA world, not only landing one of the best young big men in the league, but also acquiring one in Jaren Jackson Jr. that not many expected to be available. Obviously, it cost Utah a steep price of multiple young players and three first-round picks. Still, the ability to pair a 26-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year alongside a young core of Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler, who the team will make a priority to re-sign in restricted free agency, was simply too good to pass up. And that's not even considering the other players the Jazz managed to net within the blockbuster trade to land Jackson and other deals.

Trade Deadline Additions:

Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM)
John Konchar (MEM)
Vince Williams Jr. (MEM)
Lonzo Ball (CLE)
Chris Boucher (BOS)
2) Winner: Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are yet another rebuilding team that pulled not one, but two blockbuster trades out of left field with the acquisitions of four-time All-Star Trae Young and future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis. Washington's addition of Young was a bit more expected, considering the playmaker listed them as a preferred landing spot after his split from the Atlanta Hawks. Not to mention the Wizards' glaring hole in the backcourt as the team continued to exhaust all options to find a point guard of the future. Considering the discounted price of CJ McCollum's expiring deal and Corey Kispert, it's hard not to label this deal a win for the rebuilding Wizards.

However, the bold swing to land Davis from the Dallas Mavericks certainly came at random. The Wizards sent a package built around Khris Middleton's expiring contract to Dallas, along with three future first-round picks, none of which belonged to them.

Nonetheless, the best part of these deals for Washington is that the team managed to land both Young and Davis using assets flipped from the Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma trades, which is impressive in its own right.

Trade Deadline Additions:

Trae Young (ATL)
Anthony Davis (DAL)
D'Angelo Russell (DAL)
Jaden Hardy (DAL)
Dante Exum (DAL)
3) Winner: Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers made arguably the biggest deadline deal of them all just before the buzzer, landing double-double monster Ivica Zubac from the LA Clippers. Indiana's Kevin Pritchard paid the steep price to land a center of the future, but the idea to pair Big Zu alongside a contending core next season when Tyrese Haliburton returns is exactly why. The Pacers are well-positioned to still select in the top five in the 2026 NBA Draft, considering the protections placed on the draft pick sent to LA.

Trade Deadline Additions:

Ivica Zubac (LAC)
Kobe Brown (LAC)
4) Winner: LA Clippers
This one may be controversial. The Clippers were dealt a tough hand when James Harden seemingly forced his way off yet another team, but the return of a former All-Star in Darius Garland, who's only 26 years old is a win considering the cards the team was dealt. Beyond that, the departure of Zubac only stemmed from the Clippers' high asking price being met by the Pacers, which netted them an extremely intriguing prospect in Bennedict Mathurin as the headline of a package that involved multiple first-round picks. Now, the Clips' revamped roster will attempt to make a run with newly named All-Star Kawhi Leonard leading the way.

Trade Deadline Additions:

Darius Garland (CLE)
Bennedict Mathurin (IND)
Isaiah Jackson (IND)
5) Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are already widely considered a top contender, as the young roster looks to go back-to-back after winning their first NBA Championship last season. With Sam Presti stacking assets over the past few years, the Thunder have been positioned to take a swing to improve their roster when the right opportunity presents itself. OKC didn't make many moves at the deadline, but the one acquisition they did make could be a huge win, both now and in the long term, is the addition of former first-round pick Jared McCain, who found himself as the odd man out in the Sixers' loaded backcourt rotation.

This move alone is a deal that, when the postseason comes around, many wonder how opposing teams let Presti get away with it.

Trade Deadline Additions:

Jared McCain (PHI)
Mason Plumlee (CHA)
6) Winner: Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks made it clear weeks prior to the deadline that a new era was loading when the team shipped off long-time cornerstone Trae Young. The moves continued to come as the deadline approached, with the Hawks shipping off Kristaps Porzingis to the Golden State Warriors. Atlanta is fully invested in a revamped roster with young talent, and adding the likes of a former lottery pick like Jonathan Kuminga to the mix, along with several other viable vets is a win.

Trade Deadline Additions:

CJ McCollum (WAS)
Corey Kispert (WAS)
Jonathan Kuminga (GSW)
Buddy Hield (GSW)
Gabe Vincent (LAL)
Duop Reath (POR)
7) Loser: Miami Heat
The Miami Heat, who are currently just outside of the playoff picture, failed to make any moves ahead of the trade deadline. After exhausting all options to attempt to swing a Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster trade, Miami wasted more time trying to persuade the Milwaukee Bucks to pull the trigger on a deal than they did to add talent to their roster. Now, they face the harsh reality that another year in the NBA Play-In tournament may be on the horizon.
8) Loser: Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings were a team that had plenty of noise surrounding them ahead of the deadline as they looked to offload the likes of Domontas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Malik Monk; at least that's what reports suggested. Instead, the Kings failed to move on from any of the players' lucrative contracts and instead parted ways with a defensive ace in Keon Ellis, who many contenders around the league viewed as a steal. Sacramento continues to operate as a team that many wonder what exactly is going on in the front office. Based on the deadline, these questions seem warranted.

Key Departures:

Keon Ellis (CLE)
Dennis Schroder (CLE)
9) Loser: Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are another team that wasted their opportunity to improve at the deadline by chasing Giannis Antetokounmpo. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has continuously failed to surround Stephen Curry with a roster that can contend. His pivot to Kristaps Porzingis, who has struggled to stay on the court dating back to his fine days in Boston, it's fair to say that the deadline deal for the Dubs was underwhelming. Not to mention the mismanagement of a talented prospect like Kuminga.

Key Departures:

Jonathan Kuminga (ATL)
Buddy Hield (ATL)
10) Loser: Dallas Mavericks
On principle alone, the Dallas Mavericks have to be listed here. After blowing up the franchise just over a year ago by dealing Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis in a league-altering move, the Mavs opted to offload Davis ahead of the deadline for a deal that makes their return for Doncic only look worse. The questionable decision-making from Dallas continues even with Nico Harrison out as general manager. Not to mention, the team failed to move on from Klay Thompson or Daniel Gafford, two players that many felt would be ideal contracts to offload.

Key Departures:

Anthony Davis (WAS)
D'Angelo Russell (WAS)
Jaden Hardy (WAS)
Who DIDN'T Get Traded?
While many big names were moved, several stars rumored to be traded stayed put on their current teams, including the biggest fish of all.

Top NBA Stars NOT Traded
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
2. Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
3. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
4. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
5. Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
Which teams won the trade deadline? Which teams lost? Which players moved will have the biggest impact this season? Who could be traded in the offseason?

We'd love to hear from you in the comments!
NBA Trade Deadline Recap
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, with a lot of movement happening over the last couple of days. With the trade season officially put on pause until the offseason, here are the biggest stars moved this February:

Top NBA Stars Traded At The Deadline
1. Anthony Davis (DAL --> WASH)
2. Jaren Jackson Jr. (MEM --> UTAH)
3. James Harden (LAC --> CLE)
4. Darius Garland (CLE --> LAC)
5. Ivica Zubac (LAC --> IND)
6. Jonathan Kuminga (GS --> ATL)
7. Nikola Vucevic (CHI -->BOS)
8. Kristaps Porziņģis (ATL --> GS)
9. Ayo Dosunmu (CHI --> MIN)
10. Bennedict Mathurin (IND --> LAC)
Here's a look at both the biggest winners and losers from the 2026 deadline frenzy.