The trade deadline has come and gone and several teams have made moves for possible long playoff runs while some teams either made head scratching moves or no move at all. At the trade deadline their are always winners and losers whether it be teams who create future championship rosters or teams that missed opportunities to improve either their roster or draft position. Teams that made the most of the trade deadline are contenders like the Knicks, Suns, and Bucks who all made necessary moves at the deadline to improve depth and overall quality of their teams. On the other hand, the Bulls, Mavericks, and Lakers were teams I felt were underwhelming at the trade deadline due to their lack of quality moves. I'll break down who I believe was the biggest winner and loser at the trade deadline.
Biggest Trade deadline winner: New York Knicks
My biggest winner of the trade deadline has to be the New York Knicks who have turned themselves into a championship contender with some of the roster moves they have made. One of their moves I previously covered was the OG Anunoby trade that has been a huge value move for them. However, the acquisition they made at the deadline could have an even better affect on the overall roster. The trade for Bojan Bogdanovic who was one of the most sought after players and Alec Burks gives the Knicks a rotation with depth that could be especially dangerous come playoff time. Bogdanovic's numbers of 20.2 points per game on 41.5% shooting from three will be a major contribution obviously in a lesser but much needed role for the Knicks.
The other guard they traded for in Burks was previously on the Knicks before being traded in a cap clearing move to acquire Jalen Brunson in the summer of 2022. Burks is averaging a career-high 21.6 points per 36 minutes and will likely serve a role similar to Immanuel Quickley as an instant offense back up point guard.
Biggest Trade Deadline Loser: Dallas Mavericks
A team I feel was a loser at the trade deadline was the Dallas Mavericks as their moves do not particularly move the needle for them in a highly competitive western conference. My primary issues with the trades are that the roster issues are not necessarily solved with the players they acquired or traded away. The P.J. Washington-Grant Williams is a move that apparently needed to be made since Williams reportedly "rubbed people the wrong way". Williams also didn't have the impact he was expected to have after he was acquired during the offseason. The problem is the Mavericks are not a great defensive team and they need shooting to space the floor around Luka and Kyrie. Unfortunately, Washington does not vastly improve the team in either of those areas as he is a downgrade defensively from Williams and also shoots 32% from three point range.
The other trade the Mavericks made was for Daniel Gafford who was dealt to the Mavericks to be a more effective backup center than Richaun Holmes who was sent to the Wizards. For this trade, the negative part about is not necessarily the fit for the player as Gafford is a younger more productive option when it comes to paint presence on both sides of the floor. The issue with this trade that could cost the Mavericks in the long run is the 2028 trade swap with the Thunder. The potential downside with this trade is that by the time this pick comes around the Mavericks could possibly be in rebuild mode as both Luka and Kyrie could be unrestricted free agents by the summer of 2028.
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