There was a lot of movement prior to the trade deadline, with 27 of the 30 teams in the NBA pulling off a trade in one form or another. Some pulled off salary dumps. Some traded away veteran stars to bring in draft capital. Other teams sense blood in the water and acquired superstars to expedite their contending timeline. But three teams, namely the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs, sat out the trading festivities completely, as pointed out by the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter).
The Heat were one of the most prominently mentioned teams on the market, as they were in on Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, Miami, as has been the case for much of the past few years, could not get a deal done over the line.
Meanwhile, there is a chance that the Rockets regret their passiveness on the trade market. They are experiencing speedbumps as of late, including back-to-back double-digit losses to the shorthanded Boston Celtics and the upstart Charlotte Hornets. Their lack of a true point guard to lead the team seems to be hurting them, and the loss of Steven Adams for the season is causing damage to the team's identity.
Only the Spurs' refusal to get themselves involved on the trade market appears to be of their own choice. They are confident in their current core, and they already pulled off their blockbuster trade last year when they acquired De'Aaron Fox. With a 35-16 record, this confidence of theirs is well-placed.
Even without Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, the NBA trade deadline delivered
Many were waiting for the Antetokounmpo shoe to drop, but it never did. Nonetheless, All-Stars such as James Harden, Anthony Davis, Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Darius Garland, just to name a few, switched teams, while quality players such as Ivica Zubac, Kristaps Porzingis, and Nikola Vucevic were also moved.
Some of these trades, such as the Washington Wizards' acquisitions of Davis and Young as well as the Utah Jazz's trade for Jackson, are geared towards making a leap next season.
