As is the case every year, the NBA trade deadline brought plenty of expected news of notable names being on the move, as well as a level of shock and surprise due to some teams that were not expected to be very active pulling off some of the biggest moves.
No, there was no Luka Doncic-esque trade this season, but 26 total trades were made before this season's deadline, including 11 former All-Stars being on the move.
Anthony Davis, Jaren Jackson Jr., James Harden, Darius Garland, and Trae Young are among the biggest names who now find themselves in new homes, but several other notable players like Ivica Zubac, Jared McCain, Bennedict Mathurin, Coby White, and Jose Alvarado were traded as well.
Overall, this was a very active trade deadline, but it was a selective one at that for all 30 NBA franchises.
Unlike previous years, where teams look to make additions to immediately help their playoff chances, this trade deadline period almost felt like NBA free agency months before the actual free agency period begins. Teams are now looking ahead to the future, and many front offices are extremely aware of all the tax and apron rules that are thrown at them.
With some teams cutting cap numbers and trying to dip below certain tax marks, others are using the trade deadline as an opportunity to springboard and escalate their success. Just look at the Utah Jazz landing Jackson Jr., the Washington Wizards adding two All-Stars in Davis and Young, and the Indiana Pacers pulling off a stunning move for Zubac.
Before we dive into the clear winners of the trade deadline, there are four teams we want to shine a light on as honorable mentions.
The Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers are basically tied together, as these two teams came together to make the Zubac trade hours before the deadline passed, and they each came out as big winners. Although Tyrese Haliburton won't be back on the floor until the 2026-27 season begins, the Pacers now have their center of the future, one on a very team-friendly contract, who can help get this team back in contention for the NBA Finals.
Out in Los Angeles, well technically Inglewood, the Clippers finally have a clear path forward in the post-whatever-you-want-to-call-the-Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era. Steve Ballmer's team now has a decent amount of draft capital, they added two young, dynamic players in Garland and Mathurin, and this team can attack free agency hard over the next couple of years.
Shoutouts are also in order for the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics for what they accomplished at the trade deadline. Both teams took a very analytical approach, achieving their goals, starting with the Knicks finally being able to move Guerschon Yabusele for Jose Alvarado, a player they have been targeting since December.
While the Knicks struggled to find a trade partner for Yabusele and were even denied trying to trade him straight up for Alvarado with the New Orleans Pelicans, Leon Rose and New York's front office were creative by restructuring his contract to void Yabusele's second-year player option. This led to the Knicks trading him to the Chicago Bulls for Dalen Terry, a player on an expiring salary, who was then flipped to the Pelicans with two second-round picks for Alvarado.
Chef's kiss on this trade and the work by the Knicks' front office.
As for the Celtics, they had been cutting tax dollars since the offseason, and after beginning the summer as a second-apron team, Boston will finish this season under the luxury tax. Most importantly, even though the Celtics traded Anfernee Simons, they got a key center in Nikola Vucevic and did not have to move any of their essential talents in the process.
All four of these teams did a fantastic job of bettering their outlook, both for the immediate and long-term futures, but here are the biggest winners of the 2026 NBA trade deadline.
Wizards, Anthony Davis
The job Will Dawkins and Michael Winger have done completely reinventing the Washington Wizards roster and long-term outlook is remarkable. Just a few seasons ago, this team was living at the bottom of the league standings, and they were the laughing stock of the league.
Now, the Wizards have a plethora of young, athletic players, Trae Young will be their point guard next season, and Anthony Davis will be the perfect mentor for Alex Sarr. Oh, and if you are not aware, the Wizards could end up with the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
It won't be long until the Wizards are back in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and this organization's ability to pinpoint opportunities to buy low on superstar-like talents is why they are one of the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline this season.
A total of 14 All-Star appearances are arriving to this organization by way of Young and Davis, which will help set the standard for Wizards basketball moving forward. What's even better is that the Wizards basically got Young and Davis for free.
Although the Wizards valued Corey Kispert's production, he was the only real asset given up for Young. Then, for Davis, the Wizards only sacrificed expiring contracts, players not in their rotation, and two first-round picks that are not valuable to them whatsoever.
Washington surrendered the Oklahoma City Thunder's 2026 first-round pick, which will likely be the 30th overall selection, and then they traded the Golden State Warriors' 2030 first-round pick that is protected 1-20. Basically, they gave up two picks of little value for one of the NBA's top 75 players of all time.
That's a pretty good deal if you ask me.
This NBA trade deadline presented no risk to the Wizards, and they can move forward with two stars happy to be with a new franchise and can clear the air on their respective careers.
At the cost of nickels and pennies, the Wizards came away with a lot of value at the trade deadline.
Jon Horst and the Bucks
Everyone who thought Giannis Antetokounmpo would be traded was bamboozled. The Milwaukee Bucks never seemed to have any intention of trading Giannis at this deadline, and while they did listen to offers coming their way, teams were left knowing Antetokounmpo truly wasn't available.
Although Jon Horst and the Bucks still face an uphill slope attempting to reinvent this roster and build a championship contender around Giannis, the key takeaway for them from the NBA trade deadline is that Giannis is still on the team and has not ever requested a trade.
The biggest takeaway from the deadline for the Bucks is that they have gathered a lot of intel from rival teams.
Giannis was drawing significant interest from teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat before the deadline, and now the Bucks can take all this information about what they were being offered and what those teams thought about their own assets into the offseason.
Whether or not the Bucks ever truly look to trade Giannis will depend on their ability to build this roster into something special and him actually requesting a trade. This summer, the Bucks will be aggressive in their pursuit of talent, and they could retain their first-round pick to add a young, dynamic player at the top of the draft.
As long as Giannis is in a Bucks uniform, this organization will have a chance to build something special.
James Harden
James Harden is now on his fifth team in the last six seasons after being traded from the Clippers to the Cavs. Will this be Harden's final stop before retirement?
Nobody really knows, but the main reason why he's happy going to Cleveland is that he can opt out of his contract in the offseason and get a new two-year deal at the price he wants. Not to mention, he goes from a Clippers team that wasn't going anywhere in the West to joining Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley on a Cavs team with serious title aspirations.
Cleveland was very busy at the trade deadline, cutting some costs and adding talent around their stars, which sets this team up to pursue LeBron James and other superstars in the offseason, should they choose to do so. Perhaps they could even get in the mix for Giannis should the Bucks “entertain” trade offers for him again.
Although Harden is not known for his defense, his offensive skills will elevate the Cavs more than Garland could. He will also take a lot of pressure off Mitchell to have to do everything for this offense, which should help this team remain off the injury report heading into the postseason.
Harden finds himself in a position to contend for a championship at the end of his career, which is his ultimate goal.
Anyone who traded with the Bulls
What are the Chicago Bulls doing? It seems like the Bulls keep trading their players well past their value expires, and as a result, this team is left gathering scraps for really good players.
Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Dalen Terry, and Julian Phillips were all moved by the Bulls at the deadline. All Chicago got back was nine second-round picks, extra cash, and too many guards who can't all play together.
Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey, Collin Sexton, and Rob Dillingham are all good players, but how can the Bulls possibly think they can fit in alongside Josh Giddey and Tre Jones? Half of the players on this roster are guards, and the Bulls got ZERO first-round picks for any of their players.
On the other side of things, every team that traded with the Bulls got better.
The Celtics are real title threats after adding a former All-Star in Vucevic at center. The Detroit Pistons have furthered their championship aspirations with a big sharpshooter in Huerter. The Timberwolves, who were in dire need of backcourt help, get a dynamic, athletic two-way guard in Dosunmu. And then the Charlotte Hornets added arguably Chicago's best scorer, White, for future second-round picks that will be used on kids who are either currently freshmen in high school or in eighth grade.
Every single team that made a trade with the Bulls came away with exactly what they wanted, and they did so by sacrificing little value.
The Bulls may have a lot of cap space in the summer, but there's no denying that they have no clear path in front of them to be competitive anytime soon.
Sam Presti… Again
Once again, the rich are richer after the NBA trade deadline. Nobody ever knows what the Oklahoma City Thunder have planned since Sam Presti moves in silence and in the shadows, yet they always come away from everything they do as major winners.
This was true in their championship run last year, it was true during the 2025 NBA Draft, and now it's true after the trade deadline.
The Thunder traded Ousmane Dieng, four second-round picks, and a 2026 first-round pick for Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers, a player who was in contention for Rookie of the Year last season before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Second-round picks are irrelevant to Presti, especially since the Thunder are tied for the most first-round picks in the league over the next several years, and the 2026 pick that was sent to Philadelphia was the Houston Rockets' pick. If the draft were today, that pick would be the 23rd overall selection, so the Thunder basically gave up little to no value for a guy who can immediately contribute to their championship goals.
Now that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out indefinitely with an abdominal injury, McCain will receive clear playing time for the defending champions.
Somehow, some way, every team in the league keeps getting fleeced by Presti and his magic.
