We thought last year was a busy deadline… This year absolutely takes the crown!

Superstars moving conferences, Teams on the bubble making a push, Teams at the top bolstering their bench and others getting ready for the Victor (and Scoot) sweepstakes. This was truly a few days that will be spoken about for a very long time.

Here’s a recap of what teams did and the winners…

Los Angeles Lakers: Rui Hachimura
Washington Wizards: Kendrick Nunn and three second round picks
Winner: Los Angeles! Adding a forward and depth to the line up can only help the team.

Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt
Dallas Mavericks: Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris
Brooklyn Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorain Finney-Smith, 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks
Winner: Both! Dallas receives another (much needed) superstar to play along side Luka Doncic. This improved back court will have opposing teams scratching their heads trying to defend this dynamic duo. Two ball handlers that can score and pass will push the Mavericks to a deep playoff run. Brooklyn does well as they receive a solid point guard familiar with the franchise and a forward who plays defense at a high level. Acquiring a future first-round pick helps the organization down the road as a possible trade, or a future team asset.

San Antonio Spurs: Dewayne Dedmon
Miami Heat: Cash considerations
Winner: Miami! They clear a roster spot for a possible buyout market free agent.

Sacramento Kings: Kessler Edwards
Brooklyn Nets: Draft rights to David Michineau
Winner: Sacramento! Adding another good role player to bolster their bench.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and three second-round picks
Utah Jazz: Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones and a 2027 first-round pick
Winner: Los Angeles! General Manager Rob Pelinka knew since the beginning of the season he had to make a move to shake up the roster. Not only did they trade Russell Westbrook, who never quite meshed with the team and to be fair was not the problem in L.A., they receive a solid starting point guard familiar with the team. Adding depth to the roster with Beasley and Vanderbilt is also a huge accomplishment. Coach Ham and LeBron should be ecstatic with the upgrades. Look for all three players acquired by Utah to be waived.

New York Knicks: Josh Hart
Portland Trailblazers: Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk and a 2023 lottery-protected first-round pick
Winner: New York! This is an interesting one, however Josh Hart will instantly help the Knicks with the second unit.

Toronto Raptors: Jakob Poeltl
San Antonio Spurs: Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick and two second-round picks
Winner: Toronto! I’ve been saying this for about a season and a half that the Raptors desperately needed a true starting Center. I included Poeltl as one of the possible targets. This works well for the team as Jakob is familiar with the core of the roster, coach Nurse and of course the organization.

Phoenix Suns: Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren
Brooklyn Nets: Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap
Winner: Both! Yes the best player in the deal is Durant who now heads west and forms a big four with Paul, Booker and Ayton. The Suns depth has taken a hit, however I’m sure they’ll pick up a player or two from the buyout market. The Suns are now back to being one of the leagues top teams competing for a championship. The Nets did quite well in the trade by adding Bridges and Johnson to their team. People should not sleep on this updated Nets team. The new additions, plus current talented players of Claxton, Thomas (and others), will keep the Nets in the playoffs and be very competitive. The Nets also restock with quite a few draft picks, which bolds well for their future (could be used for picks or upgrade the roster for trades).

Boston Celtics: Mike Muscala
Oklahoma City Thunder: Justin Jackson and two second-round picks
Winner: Boston! Adding another big to the bench only helps the Celtics who hope for a deep playoff run.

Denver Nuggets: Thomas Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers: Davon Reed and three second-round picks
Winner: Denver! Adding an athletic big who was having a very good year backing up the current MVP, will definitely help the Nuggets with their championship aspirations.

Portland Trail Blazers: Matisse Thybulle
Philadelphia 76ers: Jalen McDaniels and two second-round picks
Charlotte Hornets: Svi Mykhailiuk and two second-round picks
Winner: Portland! Thybulle is a decent defender and he replaces the traded Josh Hart, coming off the bench.

Brooklyn Nets: Two second-round picks
Indiana Pacers: George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora and three second-round picks
Milwaukee Bucks: Jae Crowder
Winner: Milwaukee! By adding Crowder, this move adds depth and defense to the forward position to the former yet recent championship Bucks squad.

Denver Nuggets: Two second-round picks
Los Angeles Clippers: Bones Hyland
Winner: Los Angeles! Hyland has shown his potential over the last couple of seasons. This was a great move by the Clippers. His energy off the bench will only add to one the leagues deepest rosters.

Atlanta Hawks: Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando
Houston Rockets: Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky and two second-round picks
Winner: Houston!

Atlanta Hawks: Saddiq Bay
Detroit Pistons: James Wiseman
Golden State Warriors: Gary Payton II
Portland Trail Blazers: Kevin Knox and five second-round picks
Winner: Detroit! Did the Warriors give up too early on Wiseman? Was he not able to learn in their system and culture? Bit of a head scratcher on this one. Coach Casey and his staff are great with developing young talent. Wiseman joins a solid young nucleus of highly drafted players. This will benefit everyone! (While the Warriors gave up on Wiseman, getting back Payton is a great move for a player who’s familiar with the team).

Los Angeles Lakers: Mo Bamba
Orlando Magic: Patrick Beverley
Winner: Los Angeles! Solid young Center who can start or come off the bench. General Manager Pelinka makes another great acquisition.

Houston Rockets: Danny Green, John Wall and a 2023 first-round pick swap (from Clippers)
Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon and three second-round picks
Memphis Grizzlies: Luke Kennard
Winner: Los Angeles!

New Orleans Hornets: Josh Richardson
San Antonio Spurs: Devonte Graham and four second-round picks
Winner: New Orleans!

Oklahoma City: Dario Saric and a second-round
Phoenix Suns: Darius Bazley
Winner: Oklahoma City!

Los Angeles Clippers: Mason Plumlee
Charlotte Hornets: Reggie Jackson and a second-round pick
Winner: Los Angeles Clippers! More size on the frontline is never a bad thing.

NOTE: As always after the deadline, it’s time to see what teams do with the players being waived and who’s a ‘player’ in the buyout market. Look for Teams like the Suns, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Mavericks and Heat, amongst others, to reinforce their line-ups.