There is no trade season in all of sports quite like the NBA trade deadline. The NBA's final day to trade players is always jam-packed with moves, both big and small. That has especially been the case in recent seasons, as stars request trades more than ever, contenders are very willing to add the necessary pieces even if it costs them the future and bad teams are hungry for future assets. It has led to a lot of hectic trade deadlines in recent seasons, and last year may have been the best ever.
The 2024 NBA trade deadline is on February 8th at 12:00 p.m. (PT). In this article, we are going to look back at the deadline deals that were made at the 2023 trade deadline. Last season, there were 12 trades involving 24 teams and 49 players, making it one of the busiest trade deadlines ever. In fact, the 49 players moved were the most ever on deadline day.
To qualify for this list, a trade had to be made within 24 hours of the actual NBA trade deadline, as there are always a lot of deals done in the weeks and days leading up to the trade deadline. With that said, we re-graded the biggest trades from the 2023 NBA trade deadline to determine who were the winners and who were the losers from the deadline deals.
Re-grading the biggest 2023 NBA trade deadline deals
Kevin Durant sent to Phoenix in blockbuster deal
- Suns acquire: Kevin Durant, TJ Warren
- Nets acquire: Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Juan Pablo Vaulet, four first-round picks, 2028 first-round pick swap, 2029 second-round pick
- Bucks acquire: Jae Crowder
- Pacers acquire: George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora, three second-round picks, cash
The Phoenix Suns have been aggressive since Mat Ishbia became the team's owner, and the trade for Kevin Durant was no different. It had to hurt to trade as much draft capital and as many promising young players as the Suns did, but that is the price you have to pay for a megastar like Durant. The trade has made Phoenix legitimate title contenders going forward, but we can't give the trade an A because the Suns have actually disappointed compared to expectations so far with Durant on the team.
Last season, Durant struggled with injuries upon arriving in Phoenix. It resulted in he and Devin Booker only playing a handful of games together before a second-round postseason exit. They lost to the eventual-champion Denver Nuggets, but many considered the season a failure for the Suns without a championship.
Expectations were again high this year, though, as the team added Bradley Beal to complete a Big Three. Beal and Booker have struggled with injuries this time around, leading to a slow start in the desert. Phoenix appears to be on track now, climbing the standings and up to a solid record of 20-28.
If the Suns are able to find postseason success, then this trade grade will quickly increase because Durant has looked great all season. He carried the team through Beal and Booker's injuries and is scoring 28.4 points per game. The team will always be a contender with Durant in the fold, and he is under contract for two more seasons after this year. However, the two-time Finals MVP has been known to jump ship when things don't go perfectly as he is playing on his fourth team in the NBA.
- Suns grade: B
The Brooklyn Nets had the makings of a super-team with Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, but things never worked out in Brooklyn, all three players eventually getting traded. Harden was dealt at the 2022 trade deadline, and Irving was traded just a few days before the 2023 trade deadline. By that point, it made no sense for the Nets to hold onto Durant, and cutting their losses on the failed experiment was the only move that made sense. Brooklyn didn't trade Durant for nothing, though. Losing the services of one of the best players ever hurt, but Brooklyn received a massive haul from the Suns.
The Nets fot four unprotected first-rounders and an additional first-round swap option from Phoenix, which sets the team up nicely for the future. Brooklyn already used one of the draft picks to add Noah Clowney. While the youngster hasn't shown much in his rookie season, he still has lots of potential. The draft picks weren't even the prize from the trade package that Brooklyn received, either.
Mikal Bridges was one of the best defensive wings in the NBA with the Suns and the perfect role player to fit on any team. In Brooklyn, he became much more than a role player, taking his game to new heights as his scoring average increased from 17.2 to 26.1 points per game as the team's No. 1 scoring option. While he has fallen back to earth this season, he is still a much-improved player with way more pop to his offensive game than we thought he had in Phoenix.
To boot, the Nets also acquired Cam Johnson, who is a starting-caliber player with great shooting ability at 6'8. Johnson was even good enough to play for the United States National Basketball Team in the FIBA World Cup.
Brooklyn gets a B+ because the they gained a ton of assets that will set them up for a long time. The team even won more games after the trade deadline last year than anyone would have thought. Clowney has contributed almost nothing, and the Nets have regressed significantly this year, though, which prevents a higher grade considering they had to part with a player of Durant's rare caliber.
- Nets grade: B+
At first glance, the Milwaukee Bucks seem like a throw-in to this trade. That is far from the case, though, as they traded five second-round picks for Jae Crowder. Second-rounders clearly don't have the same value as a first-round draft choices, but five second-rounder picks is still a lot, especially for an aging role player.
Crowder fit what the Bucks needed in theory, as he is a three-and-D player with postseason experience. He isn't the same level of player he was during his time with the Suns, Miami Heat and Utah Jazz, though. Crowder has dealt with injuries since the trade, only playing in 35 games with Milwaukee. He has been in the rotation as of late, which is a plus, but still hasn't been all that productive when on the court.
- Bucks grade: D-
The Indiana Pacers' inclusion in this trade was an instance of no harm, no foul. They added a bunch of picks to use in the future just to make the money work for the other teams. With the position Indiana was in last season, that was a smart thing to do.
- Pacers grade: A+
Lakers add three pieces at trade deadline for playoff push
- Lakers acquire: Jarred Vanderbilt, D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley
- Jazz acquire: Russell Westbrook, Damian Jones, Juan Toscano-Anderson, 2027 first-round pick
- Timberwolves acquire: Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, two second-round picks, 2024 second-round pick swap
The Los Angeles Lakers' struggles in the first half of the season last year worried a lot of fans, but the team was much better after making this move at the deadline. While D'Angelo Russell has been inconsistent with the Lakers, he has had some big moments, and he is a much better fit than Russell Westbrook was. Malik Beasley added three-point shooting, and Jarred Vanderbilt added multi-position defense and rebounders for the Lakers' playoff run last season.
The one thing that could come back to bite Los Angeles is that Anthony Davis and LeBron James might not be around by 2027, which means the first-rounder they owe to the Utah Jazz could end up being near the top of the draft.
Lakers grade: A-
While the 2027 first-rounder the Jazz received from the Lakers may become valuable, it still feels like Utah could have gotten a little bit more back for parting with Vanderbilt, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Still, those players were not a part of Utah's future, so something is better than nothing.
On top of the three contributors the Jazz gave up, the team also traded away two second-rounders. They gave up a whole lot for only one pick, which is years away from a team that historically drafts near the end of the first round.
Jazz grade: C-
Russell has long been better on paper than on the floor. His Timberwolves stint was underwhelming, and the team did well to add both Conley and Alexander-Walker in exchange for him at last year's NBA trade deadline. Both players are good defenders, which has helped Minnesota build the league's best defense around Rudy Gobert. Conley's playmaking has also been vital for a team lacking in that department.
While the trade has worked out for the Timberwolves (they are currently first in the Western Conference) so far, the one thing preventing them from getting a grade of an A+ is the fact Conley is 36 years old and on a deal that expires after this season, while Russell is only 27. If the cash-strapped team is unable to bring back Conley in free agency, Minnesota will have a glaring hole at the point guard position.
Timberwolves grade: A
Warriors give up on former No. 2 overall pick
- Warriors acquire: Gary Payton II, two second-round picks
- Pistons acquire: James Wiseman
- Hawks acquire: Saddiq Bey
- Trail Blazers acquire: Kevin Knox, three second-round picks
The youth movement never went the way it was supposed to for the Golden State Warriors, and James Wiseman was the best example of that. The former No. 2 overall pick suited up for the Warriors for only 60 total games before they moved off him for an underwhelming package. With how little Wiseman contributed, though, anything could be looked at as a plus.
Golden State got Gary Payton II back on the team, but he was someone who they could have re-signed the previous offseason. Instead, they had to give up a young player initially viewed as a franchise cornerstone to reunite with Payton. On top of that, Payton hasn't been as productive during his second stint with Golden State, slowed by a series of injuries.
Warriors grade: C-
A rebuilding team taking a chance on a former high draft choice who needed a change of scenery makes sense in theory. It hasn't worked out for the Pistons, though. Wiseman was a terrible fit for Detroit. The team is loaded with big men but lacking at the forward positions. Trading away two young wings for yet another big didn't make sense at the time of the trade, and it hasn't worked for Detroit in the time since.
Wiseman has struggled to find minutes with the Pistons despite the fact they are on pace to potentially finish with the worst record in NBA history. This four-team trade hasn't worked out great for any of the franchises involved, but the Pistons got the shortest end of the stick.
Pistons grade: F
Since this trade happened at last year's deadline, Saddiq Bey has been the best player involved. He hasn't been great, though, and his Atlanta Hawks have been a disappointment. Bey also has the worst numbers of his career in a Hawks uniform.
Hawks grade: C+
Payton was the last piece the Trail Blazers added to try and contend in summer 2020, but they traded him away quickly into his stint with the team after deciding to retool. The addition of Kevin Knox and three-second rounders was not a bad haul for Portland, although Knox is no longer with the team.
Trail Blazers grade: C-
Raptors finally add a center in Jakob Poeltl
- Raptors acquire: Jakob Poeltl
- Spurs acquire: Khem Birch, 2024 first-round pick, two second-round picks
Jakob Poeltl is a solid player and has been a good fit with the Toronto Raptors. He fits their mold as a defensive-minded player with great size. However, this trade wasn't perfect for Toronto considering they have since started a rebuild of sorts.
The Raptors have gotten younger after trading stars like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, and they would surely like to still have their first-round pick this given they're no longer looking to contend The good news is that Poeltl still has three more years left on his deal. Toronto's rebuild is more of a retool, and they are looking to contend again sooner rather than later. That means Poeltl may still be on the team when the Raptors are ready to win big around Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
Raptors grade: C-
Moving off of Poeltl directly helped the San Antonio Spurs land the eventual No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Victor Wembanyama. That alone makes this trade worth it for the Spurs. On top of that, getting a first-round pick for someone who barely scores in double figures is solid value.
The trade looks even better now that the Raptors have traded away their best players because the Spurs may end up with a nice lottery selection. The first-rounder is top-six protected, though, so it might not transfer until 2025.
Spurs grade: A+
Clippers scrap John Wall experiment
- Clippers acquire: Eric Gordon, 2023 first-round pick, three second-round picks
- Grizzlies acquire: Luke Kennard, 2026 second-round pick
- Rockets acquire: John Wall, Danny Green, 2023 first-round pick
Eric Gordon is no longer with the Los Angeles Clippers, and the first-rounder they gave up turned into a really good player. The first-round pick the Clippers got back was used to take Kobe Brown, who hasn't done much for LA and will likely have a tough time finding minutes for the foreseeable future. They even gave up Luke Kennard, who was arguably the best player involved in this trade.
Clippers grade: D-
The 2023-24 season hasn't worked out the way the Memphis Grizzlies wanted, but the trade for Kennard made sense at the time of last year's NBA trade deadline. The team only had to give up some second-rounders and an aging Danny Green for one of the best three-point shooters in the league. Pairing the two-time three-point percentage league leader with a great driver and playmaker like Ja Morant made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, Morant has missed significant time with injuries and suspensions, so we haven't been able to see much from this duo. Kennard has a team option on his contract for next season, so hopefully he and Morant can have a bounce-back year. Kennard has had knee problems, though, which makes that idea a little bit worrisome.
Grizzlies grade: B-
The Rockets did well to take on salary in this trade because it allowed them to move up in the 2023 NBA Draft. By doing so, the team capitalized on the draft day fall of Cam Whitmore. Whitmore has shined in recent weeks, and he looks like he will be a an player for a long time in Houston.
Rockets grade: A+
Other 2023 NBA trade deadline deals
- The Los Angeles Clippers gave up Reggie Jackson and a second-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Mason Plumlee.
- The Charlotte Hornets sent Jalen McDaniels and two second-rounders go to the Philadelphia 76ers. Charlotte added Svi Mykhailiuk and two second-rounders, while the Portland Trail Blazers get Matisse Thybulle, Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Ante Tomic and a 2023 first-round pick. The Knicks received Josh Hart, Bojan Dubljevic and Dani Diez.
- Justin Jackson and two second-round picks went to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Boston Celtics in exchange for Mike Muscala.
- The New Orleans Pelicans moved Devonte' Graham and four second-rounders to the San Antonio Spurs for Josh Richardson.
- Darius Bazley was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Phoenix Suns for Dario Saric, cash and a second-round pick.
- The Houston Rockets traded Bruno Fernando and Garrison Mathews to the Atlanta Hawks for Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky and two second-rounders.
- The Denver Nuggets landed Thomas Bryant and two second-rounders, while the Los Angeles Clippers received Bones Hyland. The Los Angeles Lakers got Mo Bamba, Davon Reed and a second-round pick. Patrick Beverley and cash went to the Orlando Magic.
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