The 2026 NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the effects of the new salary cap system are showing. The deadline did not disappoint this season as many contenders made moves on the margins. Teams scrambled to make room for Giannis, and tanking teams took big swings on guys who could define their futures. Surprisingly, many of the big moves came a couple days before the deadline, with the trade of Ivica Zubac to the Pacers being the only blockbuster on the final day.
Winners:
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers started their active deadline by trading James Harden and getting back Darius Garland in what is basically a 1-for-1 deal, plus a future second-round pick. They gave away Chris Paul and got the rights to a 30-year-old, Vanja Marinkovic, who has never appeared in an NBA game. Lastly, on deadline day, the Clippers gave up Zubac and Kobe Brown to the Pacers and netted Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, a 2026 pick that only conveys if it is between 5 and 9, 2029 First, and 2028 Second. The Clippers sold on a lot of their older talent and picked up a couple young guys with a lot of potential and potentially a franchise-altering first-round pick this year.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland started their deadline by getting rid of De’Andre Hunter and his bad contract and getting back Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis, and Emmanuel Miller. Ellis was a very valuable asset coming into the deadline, and the Cavs were able to get very good rotational guards without using picks AND shedding some salary. The Cavs next traded Darius Garland and a future second for James Harden. Garland has been dealing with injuries throughout this season, and Harden provides a massive upgrade. Next, the Cavs got rid of Lonzo Ball and 2 second round picks. Ball has been super bad for the Cavs this year, and this trade sheds 10 million of salary off the books, which goes a long way for this second apron squad.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards over the deadline were able to buy super low on some stars in Anthony Davis and Trae Young, starting off by trading CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert for Trae Young. Young has been dealing with injuries, but was an All-NBA player at one point, and they got him for an aging CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, who has been a steady rotation player. Next, the Wizards traded 2 pretty invaluable future first-round picks, 3 seconds, Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, and Marvin Bagley for Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum (waived). The Wizards traded a couple rotation players with little value for another All-NBA player in Anthony Davis, who is also out for the season, aiding the Wizards in their push for the Number 1 pick.
Losers:
Dallas Mavericks
This is the second deadline in a row where the Mavericks have sold on a star with either no reason or when their value is in a trough. Last year, the Mavs traded Luka Doncic, one of the most valuable players in the league, for Anthony Davis to try to make a title run. This season, the Mavs traded Anthony Davis and got back no rotational players and 2 future firsts that are not very valuable. The Mavs traded Anthony Davis, DLo, Jaden Hardy, and Dante Exum for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Tyus Jones, and Marvin Bagley. This marks a new era for the Mavericks, who are tapping into the Cooper Flagg future and picking up a couple young guys who may have a future in the league.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks were a polarizing deadline team. They made a couple of moves and are somewhat left in purgatory. Most of their trades were selling on their stars, and in return, the Hawks got very little draft compensation. They traded Trae Young for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Young was falling out of favor, but getting no picks in return is not promising. Next, they traded Vit Krejci for Duop Reath and two seconds and subsequently waived Duop Reath. They did pick up Jock Landale for nothing, and Landale had 25 points in his first game. They traded Luke Kennard for Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round pick. Lastly, they traded Kristaps Porzingis for Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga, both of whom were logging DNPs for the Warriors at points this season. All in all, the Hawks made quite a few moves that seemed to be going in many different directions and didn’t pick up any draft compensation.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings had one of the most popular assets due to their incompetence as a franchise in getting Keon Ellis on the floor. He was destined to be traded this deadline, and instead of getting draft compensation for him, they traded Keon, Dennis Schroder, and 2 Seconds for De’Andre Hunter. The Kings are a rebuilding team, and they traded a couple of picks and got De’Andre Hunter, who has been awful this season and is getting paid $24 million a year.
