2022 NBA trade deadline winners and losers

Share

The 2022 NBA trade deadline did not disappoint.

Over the last week, we saw a former MVP, several current or former All-Stars and a bunch of other quality role players dealt to new teams.

There was a ton of action on Thursday in the hours leading up to the 3 p.m. ET deadline, including the blockbuster deal between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets involving Ben Simmons and James Harden.

Resetting Celtics' depth chart, assets, cap space after flurry of trades

Which teams improved their team for this season and the future? Which teams took a step back? Here are the notable winners and losers of the 2022 trade deadline.

Winner: Nets

The threat of James Harden leaving as a free agent in the summer made this deal necessary for the Nets. Simmons, with his all-around skill set and elite perimeter defense, should be an excellent fit alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (assuming he plays full-time later in the season). Simmons won't have to be the No. 1 or No. 2 scorer on this team, and he'll be able to push the pace and create quality shots for Durant and Irving with his excellent playmaking ability.

The addition of Seth Curry gives Brooklyn another top-tier 3-point shooter, which is very valuable in the playoffs. The Nets also getting two first-round picks in this trade gives them even more assets to bolster the team in the summer.

Winner: 76ers

The Sixers got absolutely nothing from Ben Simmons this season, and yet they were still able to move him for one of the league's best players and a former MVP in James Harden. 

Not only that, Philly was able to get this deal done without giving up its two-best young players in Matisse Thybulle and Tyrese Maxey. 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey gave up a significant package for Harden, but he didn't overpay. 

Harden will give the Sixers another go-to scorer who should compliment elite center and MVP candidate Joel Embiid quite well. The 76ers are better equipped to win the Eastern Conference because of this trade. Morey took a team that went 32-22 without Ben Simmons and added Harden while subtracting Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. That's a win for Philadelphia.

Winner: Ben Simmons

Yes, a third winner from this trade!

Simmons didn't want to play for the 76ers again, and not only did he get his wish, he's going to a team with two superstars and championship aspirations. This was a pretty good outcome for his future. Sure, Simmons lost a good chunk of his 2021-22 salary by holding out, but his contract still has three years and more than $100 million in salary remaining.

Winner: Indiana Pacers

The fit between Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner wasn't great, and the Pacers solved it by trading Sabonis as part of a package to acquire point guard Tyrese Haliburton and wing Buddy Hield, among other pieces, from the Sacramento Kings.

Haliburton is just 21 years old with two more years left on his rookie contract. He's averaging a career-high 7.5 assists and shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range. He could potentially be a franchise cornerstone for the Pacers. 

The Pacers also did well to acquire Ricky Rubio's expiring contract, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick and two second-round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers for guard Caris LeVert. It was a solid haul for a player of LeVert's caliber.

Indiana had a strong trade deadline by acquiring a couple good players in Haliburton and Hield, as well as valuable picks in what promises to be a deep and talented 2022 NBA Draft.

Winner: Celtics

The Celtics accomplished a few objectives Thursday. 

For starters, they went from over the luxury tax to under the luxury tax, which not only saves the franchise money but creates valuable financial flexibility for the offseason.

From a roster perspective, the Celtics upgraded at guard by acquiring Derrick White from the San Antonio Spurs. Boston gave up a lot to get White, with Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a protected 2022 first-rounder and a 2028 pick swap going to San Antonio. But it was a good move because White gives the Celtics another strong perimeter defender, a quality playmaker and a consistent scorer off the bench. He's also just 27 years old and signed to a reasonable contract through 2024-25.

Here's what Celtics fans should know about Derrick White after reported trade

The Celtics also traded Dennis Schroder, Bruno Fernando and Enes Freedom to the Houston Rockets for Daniel Theis. Schroder's departure opens up minutes for 2020 first-round pick Payton Pritchard. Theis, who spent the first four years of his career in Boston, is a significant upgrade over Freedom. 

A lineup of White, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams would be the best defensive group in the league.

The C's, who've won six consecutive games with dominant defense, made their roster a little better with these trades, while at that the same time leaving themselves about $3.5 million under the luxury tax. With a couple open roster spots, Boston could be in the mix for a buyout market addition as well.

Loser: Lakers

The Lakers are a trainwreck. They lost at home Wednesday night to a Blazers team that started what looked like a G-League lineup due to recent trades and injuries. Russell Westbrook was the Lakers' splashy offseason acquisition and he's been a disaster. He's become almost unplayable late in games.

Los Angeles made zero trades leading up to the deadline, despite having several roster weaknesses. LeBron James remains an elite player, but he's also 37 years old. The Lakers are wasting what's left of his legendary career by surrounding him with a flawed roster unable to compete with the top contenders in the Western Conference.

Loser: Knicks

The Knicks have been dropping in the standings recently with a four-game losing streak and just two wins in their last 10 games. New York entered Thursday outside the play-in tournament picture as the 12th-place team in the Eastern Conference. 

The Knicks didn't make any moves to bolster their squad for a playoff push. There is a strong chance the Knicks miss the postseason entirely after such a strong 2020-21 campaign during which they finished as the No. 4 seed.

Loser: Kings

It feels like we put the Kings on the "losers" list every year, but again, it's deserved. Trading a super-talented young point guard in Tyrese Haliburton -- who actually wanted to be in Sacramento -- as part of a package to acquire former All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis from the Indiana Pacers was a laughable move. Sabonis is a consistent double-double threat and signed for a couple more years, but you need to get a better player in return for someone like Haliburton.

Sacramento is chasing a spot in the play-in tournament and that will prove to be a horrible decision. There doesn't seem to be a logical long-term plan for the Kings, but what else is new? This team hasn't made the playoffs in 15 years.

Loser: Bulls

The Bulls were the only team among the Eastern Conference contenders that didn't make a trade to improve their roster. The Bulls instead are hoping that injured players such as Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams return to the court and have no further issues the rest of the season. It's a pretty big gamble.

Chicago has a good team, but it's hard to imagine the Bulls beating the Bucks, Heat, Nets, Sixers or even the Celtics in a seven-game playoff series after Thursday's moves. The Bulls might look back at the trade deadline and regret not bolstering their roster for the postseason. 

Contact Us