Winners, and Losers from the NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline is typically one of the most glorified and anticipated days of the NBA calendar. There’s always hype that a disgruntled star, will get traded and find a new home. 2024 lived up to the hype once again, with players such as Bojan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, Gordon Hayward, and P.J. Washington all being shipped to contending teams. After a day in which 15 trades were completed that moved a whopping 39 players to new locations, let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers of deadline day. 

Winner: The Pistons Young Guards

In trading the aforementioned Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to the Knicks, as well as shedding veteran guard Monte Morris yesterday to Minnesota, the Pistons have finally thinned out their log jam at the guard/wing positions. The trades leave second-year guard Jaden Ivey and rookies Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser with both minutes and production to absorb, which should give the young talent a prime opportunity to showcase their fit with the Pistons for the long term. All three guards have shown flashes this season, but the next 32 games with increased minutes will be largely beneficial to the trio in gaining an NBA rhythm and having the ball in their hands a considerable amount for the struggling Pistons. 

Loser: The Toronto Raptors 

The Raptors have now essentially purged their entire pre-season roster with the exception of newly announced 2024 All-Star replacement Scottie Barnes. Two trades had been made in the past six weeks, one sending OG Anunoby to the Knicks and the other finally letting go of Pascal Siakam to the Pacers for a bevy of future picks as well as established talent. Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Bruce Brown were all part of the return package, and have assumed large roles with the team. However, the team made another two trades today that simply undermined their future plans. The first sent Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young to the Nets for Spencer Dinwiddie, who will reportedly be waived, and the second received Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji for Otto Porter Jr., Kira Lewis Jr., and a 2024 first-round pick. I can’t wrap my head around the rationale for giving up a first-rounder this year that could potentially be in the teens just to compete this year. Maybe they are trying to field an all-Canadian team, adding Olynyk to the previously mentioned homegrown Barrett. Who knows. 

Winner: Marvin Bagley III

Similarly to the Pistons’ situation, the Wizards dealt big man Daniel Gafford to the Dallas Mavericks for Richaun Holmes and a protected first-round pick, leaving Marvin Bagley III as the clear starter at the five position for Washington. While he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations that come along with being the second overall pick in a year that Luka Doncic was selected below him, Bagley III does have career averages of 13 points and seven rebounds and had been looking quite impressive in limited minutes with the Pistons. He will now slot into the starting lineup and will be a top offensive option for a Wizards team that is simply lacking in talent on the offensive end. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bagley III put up averages of 18 points and 10 rebounds in his starting role if he plays 30-32 minutes per night; he’s a freakish talent, but just hasn’t filled out his game and found a strong fit. 

Loser: Mavs’ Asset Vault

The Mavericks traded a top-two protected 2027 first-round pick as well as a 2028 pick swap in order to receive frontcourt help in the form of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. While Washington is an upgrade over Grant Williams and will provide them with added versatility, giving up what essentially equates to an unprotected first-rounder for him will be difficult to justify if this team doesn’t get over the hump. The Mavs now have the controlling rights to just four picks through the next five years, or 2028. With Kyrie Irving constantly up in the air and the team needing to provide Luka Doncic with a sufficient supporting cast, the decision to give up multiple first-rounders today could be frowned upon as soon as this summer.