This year saw as wild an NBA trade deadline as we’ve seen in some time, with a genuine blockbuster that saw divisional rivals swap stars and a few shocking trades that saw some big names change teams.
Every team approaches the deadline trying to advance their cause for the rest of the season, which for some means selling off and positioning themselves for the future, while others are desperate to bolster their roster for a playoff push. Here, we’re going to look at that latter group as we head into the closing stretch of the season and highlight the 10 players that made their way to a new team that will have the biggest impact on this year’s postseason chase in both the East and the West.
10. Serge Ibaka (MIL): The Bucks’ title defense hasn’t been particularly impressive on a season-long sample, as they’re 35-22, good for fourth in the East, but this is a team that knows all they want to do is get to the postseason as healthy as possible. They are currently down a key contributor in Brook Lopez, who is still on the mend from back surgery and won’t be back until close to the end of the regular season, so they made the decision that center depth was the most important thing for them to close out the regular season and dealt Donte DiVincenzo, Semi Ojeleye, and Rodney Hood for Serge Ibaka in a four-team deal. Ibaka wasn’t playing much in L.A., but Milwaukee will hope he can keep their frontcourt rotation afloat and provide some spacing as a stretch five (something they value greatly with Giannis Antetokounmpo needing space to work inside). Sending out DiVincenzo hurt backcourt depth and it’s a bit of a gamble on Ibaka finding a snug fit in a comfortable role for him in Milwaukee, but they’ll need to be able to ease Lopez back into the lineup and Serge ought to help them do that.
9. Robert Covington (LAC): Covington came to L.A. alongside Norman Powell, who figured to be the bigger impact player before he fractured his foot. The Clippers still have hopes of getting through the play-in and making the playoffs in the West, and while they aren’t expected to get Kawhi Leonard back, it’s not ruled out entirely that he and Paul George might be able to return by the end of the regular season and make this Clippers team the most dangerous play-in team we’ve seen. Covington’s versatility fits with what the Clippers do with their bigs and wings well, and he provides Ty Lue with the option to play more defensive-minded frontcourt combinations when he sees fit. If the Clippers are going to hold onto the 8-seed and earn a crack at two chances to make the playoffs, Covington figures to play a part in their egalitarian approach to basketball with their two top stars out.
8. Domantas Sabonis (SAC): Sabonis is a better player than some of the guys above him on this list, but the Kings are just so far back that it’s going to be quite the task to claw their way into the mix in the West. They’re just two games back but have two teams between them and the 10 seed, and they’re still learning how to play together. Still, you can see how Sabonis fits nicely with this Kings group when things are rolling, as his passing has stood out in his first games with Sacramento. It’s going to be a work in progress and that might keep the Kings from reaching the play-in, but they are a team now more capable of a run thanks to their new All-Star big man.
7. CJ McCollum (NOP): Ahead of the Kings in the hunt for the last play-in spot out West are the Pelicans, who likewise made a win-now move at the deadline by taking CJ McCollum off of the Blazers hands. McCollum gives them the perimeter, downhill creator they’ve lacked between Devonte’ Graham and Brandon Ingram, and the early returns have been encouraging. Team defense remains the big question mark in New Orleans, but the talent level has certainly risen with McCollum, Graham, Ingram, and Jonas Valanciunas now leading a very lively scoring starting lineup. With just the Blazers in front of them for that final play-in spot, New Orleans is likely the favorites to nab that 10-seed in the West and give themselves a shot at the postseason.
6. Spencer Dinwiddie (DAL): The Mavericks made the most surprising move of the deadline when they sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, as they were clearly done with the Porzingis-era. Luka Doncic seemed pleased with that move, dropping 51 in his first post-deadline game, but going forward it is going to be fascinating to see how this Mavs team handles a sustained run with their new lineup. Dallas had been getting the job done on the defensive end to a rather shocking degree this season in their push to the 5-spot out West, and Porzingis’ rim protection was certainly a factor in that. Now they add another scorer and creator between Doncic and Jalen Brunson, which could be a boost for a team that absolutely leans on Doncic for creation far too much for a contender’s liking, but if Dinwiddie’s struggles from Washington persist, Doncic will still be carrying a huge weight and Dallas will have lost some important rim protection as they look to secure a top-6 seed.
5. Seth Curry (BKN): This might be too low for Seth Curry, who led Brooklyn to a win in his first game with the Nets. He fits a role the Nets desperately need, particularly in home games without Kyrie Irving but also with Joe Harris’ continued absence. His shooting is the obvious headliner, but in his time in Philly he became a much more capable on-ball creator and threat off the dribble. That will serve the Nets well during this stretch while they’re still waiting to get healthy, but also provide them some lineup flexibility when at full strength as Curry can lead some bench lineups when the stars get a breather.
4. Derrick White (BOS): The Celtics have been red-hot of late and I thought they had a really good deadline, dealing some guys who weren’t going to be there long-term in Josh Richardson and Dennis Schroder for some help in the short and long-term. Boston knows exactly what Daniel Theis will bring them, but Derrick White arrives from San Antonio with the type of skillset that certainly appears to fit snugly alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. White is a very good defender and has the size to allow Ime Udoka to continue switching on the perimeter with all of the length and versatility on Boston’s roster. Offensively, he’s a good connector and solid secondary creator, but it’s his off-ball savvy from his time in San Antonio that figures to help him play with ball-dominant wings like Tatum and Brown the most. His three-point shooting will be what can take this deal from a nice move to a steal for the Celtics, but he figures to get even better looks in Boston playing alongside his new star teammates. For a team in the 6-seed, trying to avoid the play-in, White is the type of addition that can absolutely help them do that and keep them on this upward trajectory of late.
3. Caris LeVert (CLE): The Cavaliers made their move in the week leading up to the deadline, pouncing on the fire sale in Indiana to nab Caris LeVert without having to give up any of their current rotation, sending out the injured Ricky Rubio and a first in the deal (along with Houston’s second). LeVert’s already shown what he brings to the Cavs in terms of added juice on the perimeter, something they were severely lacking next to All-Star Darius Garland, and the overall floor balance they now have with Garland and LeVert working on the outside with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on the interior is terrific. Whether playing on a better team can get him to cut some of the bad shots out of his diet is going to be interesting to watch, particularly once the playoffs arrive, but for a team that was facing serious backcourt depth issues, they’ve solidified that in a big way as they look to lock down a top-4 seed in the East.
2. Ben Simmons (BKN): On paper, Simmons seems like a damn near perfect fit in Brooklyn: he defends, he rebounds, he pushes the ball in transition, and he’s obviously a terrific facilitator. Still, there’s a wild card factor with Simmons in that we don’t know exactly where his level of play is at in the immediate and whether he can find the level of engagement and aggression is needed from him come playoff time on a consistent basis. Still, once he hits the floor — and he’s already with the team and it certainly seems like it shouldn’t be too long after the All-Star break — he immediately raises the level for the Nets on both ends and Brooklyn certainly isn’t out of the hunt for a top-6 seed in the East, which could push someone surprising into the play-in.
1. James Harden (PHI): We saw Harden sandbag it to get out of a situation and then flip the switch to be an All-NBA caliber performer again last year in Brooklyn prior to his hamstring injury, and now we’ll see if he can make that happen again going from Brooklyn to Philly. His health is, to me, the biggest question for this year, because I have no doubt that he’ll be fully engaged and bought in for at least the rest of this season. If he’s able to shake this hamstring issue for good after the All Star break, the Sixers absolutely have a chance to make a run at the top seed in the East with the way Joel Embiid is playing. There will be some work to do in learning who takes the lead where and the two stars will have to learn where the other likes to be in order to maximize their partnership, but it’s not hard to see how dynamic Harden can make this Sixers offense.
