The 2022 NBA title is up for grabs. Only the Phoenix Suns are currently on pace to win 60 games. The preseason Eastern Conference favorite just made a blockbuster trade and gave up one of its superstars, and their Western Conference counterparts are currently slated for the play-in round. Nobody has grabbed the season by the horns yet this season. The trade deadline can change a lot, however.
Leading up to Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, we saw many big deals go down. Below, we detail each completed trade that occurred before the final buzzer.
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Celtics get Theis from Rockets for Schroder, Freedom
The Boston Celtics continued their wheeling and dealing by sneaking in a trade with the Houston Rockets right under the final buzzer. Dennis Schroder, Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernandes will go to Houston in exchange for Daniel Theis, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
When the Celtics signed Schroder to a one-year deal in the offseason, it always seemed like a short-term arrangement, and he was involved in near-constant trade rumors over the last week. The Celtics finally made it happen, and got some much-needed frontcourt depth in return. Theis should fit right in considering he spent three-plus seasons with the Celtics and knows most of the players on the roster.
As for the Rockets, they immediately waived Freedom, and are likely to agree to a buyout with Schroder as well.
Mavs send Porzingis to Wizards in blockbuster deal
The Dallas Mavericks jumped into the deadline day fray with a blockbuster deal that will send Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Porzingis has been involved in trade rumors for years, but there wasn’t much chatter about him leading up to the deadline this year, so this move comes as a big surprise. That the Mavericks only managed to get Dinwiddie and Bertans in return shows just how far Porzingis’ value has fallen. Dinwiddie will give the Mavericks another ball-handler who can take some of the pressure off of Doncic, and Bertans is theoretically a perfect floor spacer if he can find his shot again.
It will be interesting to see what happens with Porzingis in Washington. He’s clearly still talented, but just has not been able to stay on the floor consistently (he’s currently dealing with another knee problem), and his three-point shot has disappeared this season. Perhaps a change of scenery will help, but it’s hard to see how this moves the needle for the Wizards.
Suns get Holiday from Wizards
The Phoenix Suns have the best record in the NBA at 44-10, and are one of the favorites to win it all. They don’t have many weaknesses, but one of them is the back-up point guard spot behind Chris Paul. On deadline day they tried to strengthen it by trading sending cash considerations to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Aaron Holiday, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Hornets get Harrell from Wizards for Smith, Carey
The Charlotte Hornets have traded Ish Smith and Vernon Carey to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Montrezl Harrell, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. While it’s perhaps a bit surprising the Wizards couldn’t get more for Harrell, this move makes sense for both teams.
A recent six-game slide as left the Hornets in ninth place in the Eastern Conference at 28-28, and they desperately needed some frontcourt help for their playoff push. Harrell has his weaknesses, for sure, but he’ll fit right in with a Hornets team that loves to push the pace, and they essentially got him for nothing.
The Wizards, meanwhile, have been a mess for a few months now. Notably, Harrell was involved in a halftime altercation with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder last month. With the team heading toward the lottery, and Harrell set to be a free agent in the summer, moving on from him is wise.
C’s send Richardson, first-rounder to Spurs for White
The Celtics and Spurs have made a deadline day move that will send Josh Richardson and a first-round pick to San Antonio and Derrick White to Boston, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. In addition, the Celtics will send Romeo Langford to the Spurs, per Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
After a slow start to the season, the Celtics have turned things around as of late. They’ve won six games in a row, and 13 of their last 17 to climb up into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. But despite the recent hot streak, the front office was clearly not content with the state of the roster. There’s been a sense since the start of the season that they needed more playmaking, which is why they’ve flipped Richardson for White, who is a better facilitator.
Simmons for Harden gets done
The Brooklyn Nets are trading James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Philadelphia’s interest in Harden extends back to last season, when his former general manager, Daryl Morey, attempted to acquire him from their former employer, the Houston Rockets. He failed then, but finally managed to land his man the second time around.
Celtics send PJ Dozier, Bol Bol to Magic in cost-cutting deal
In a move clearly to save money for Boston, the Celtics are sending guard PJ Dozier and big man Bol Bol to the Orlando Magic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Both players are already out for the season with injuries.
Raptors trade Dragic to Spurs for Young
Goran Dragic’s brief time in Toronto is over. The veteran guard is being shipped to the San Antonio Spurs for forward Thaddeus Young, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. San Antonio is also receiving Toronto’s protected 2022 first-round pick, while giving Drew Eubanks and the 2022 Pistons second-round pick as part of the deal.
Dragic has hardly played for the Raptors and was a clear trade piece ahead of the deadline. Young, meanwhile, was removed from the rotation and needed a change of scenery as well. The Spurs are reportedly expected to work on a buyout with Dragic. Both players are on expiring contracts.
Kings acquire DiVincenzo from Bucks, send Bagley to Pistons in 4-team trade
Fifteen months later, the Sacramento Kings got their man. After the failed Bogdan Bogdanovic sign-and-trade that eventually resulted in a league investigation and the Milwaukee Bucks losing their 2022 second-round pick, Donte DiVincenzo is finally heading to Sacramento.
The Kings will reportedly acquire the 25-year-old wing in a four-team trade that will send 22-year-old big man Marvin Bagley III to the Detroit Pistons. DiVincenzo and Bagley were drafted 17th and second, respectively, in the 2018 NBA Draft, and both will be restricted free agents in July. ESPN first reported that DiVincenzo is going to Sacramento; The Athletic first reported that Bagley is going to Detroit. Also involved in the deal: Sacramento receives Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles from Detroit, Los Angeles receives Rodney Hood and Semi Ojeleye from Milwaukee, and Milwaukee receives Serge Ibaka from Los Angeles along with two second-round picks and cash.
Heat send Okpala to Thunder, amend protections on a pick
The Heat thought they were being sneaky when they announced that they’d traded KZ Okpala to the Thunder for a second-round pick. That move had meaningful implications on its own. It opened up a roster spot to promote two-way standout Caleb Martin. But snuck in the press release was a far more significant transaction. The Heat already owed the Thunder a first-round pick that could have conveyed any time between 2023 and 2026. The protections on that pick were altered in this deal, though, so the Heat can now trade either their 2022 or 2023 first-round pick without having to worry about the Stepien Rule.
Jazz acquire Alexander-Walker in 3-team trade
The Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz are making a three-team trade, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Utah will land Spurs forward Juancho Hernangomez and newly acquired Blazers guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the deal. Portland, meanwhile, will pick up former Jazz forward Joe Ingles (who’s out for the season) along with Elijah Hughes and a second-round pick from Utah. The Spurs will take on the expiring contract of Tomas Satoransky and get a second-round pick from the Jazz for their troubles.
Kings give up Haliburton to get Sabonis
The Indiana Pacers are trading Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson, CBS Sports HQ’s Bill Reiter confirms. Both sides had been heavily featured in trade rumors of late, and now, they are helping one another shuffle the deck two days before the deadline.
The Kings had long-coveted Sabonis, but rumors of a possible deal involving De’Aaron Fox had been refuted. It had been widely reported that the Kings were planning to build around Fox rather than trade him, but apparently, their other top young guard in Haliburton was available after all. In Sabonis, the Kings land a two-time All-Star who represents Fox’s best hope yet at a real co-star.
Pelicans getting McCollum from Blazers in seven-player deal
The Portland Trail Blazers are have finalized a deal to send CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package centered around Josh Hart and draft compensation, the teams announced on Tuesday night. McCollum has spent his entire eight-year career sharing the Blazers backcourt with Damian Lillard, but is now set to move on to a New Orleans team desperate for his scoring punch.
It’s a seven-player deal in total, with the Pelicans also receiving Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Blazers are getting Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky and Didi Louzada in the deal. The Pelicans will also receive New Orleans’ 2022 first-round pick (with protections) and two future second-round selections, per Wojnarowski.
Pacers trade LeVert to Cavs for Rubio, picks
With the Feb. 10 NBA trade deadline now less than a week away, the action is truly heating up. The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers got into the mix Sunday with a deal that will have Indiana send Caris LeVert and a second-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for Ricky Rubio, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick and two future second-round picks, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
LeVert is not having the most efficient season, but is putting up 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and is the type of instant-offense player the Cavaliers desperately need. With Collin Sexton and Rubio out for the season due to knee injuries, the Cavs have often struggled on the offensive end — especially when Darius Garland is not on the floor.
As for the Pacers, they are looking to the future. Rubio, again, is out for the season due to a torn ACL, so he will not play for them and his contract will expire in the summer. That will free up some space on their cap sheet, and they’ll get some extra picks for their trouble. It’s not clear yet if they’re going full rebuild, but extra picks never hurt.
Clippers acquire Covington, Powell from Blazers for Bledsoe
Though the Clippers are without Kawhi Leonard — who may not return this season — and Paul George who is still out indefinitely with an elbow injury, they find themselves still firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot. To help continue that journey, L.A. brought in some reinforcements by agreeing to trade away Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson ad a 2025 second-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Powell gives L.A. some extra production on offense, while Covington will add to the Clippers’ already strong defense. For the Blazers, this gets them some salary relief in what has been a lost season while franchise centerpiece Damian Lillard remains sidelined with an abdominal injury. Getting a young asset in Johnson and a future pick is a bonus in this deal.
Nuggets acquire Forbes in three-team deal involving Celtics, Spurs
One team’s trash is another team’s treasure. Bryn Forbes had struggled for minutes in a crowded San Antonio backcourt, but might find more luck on a Nuggets team that sorely needs shooting. Neither Bol Bol nor P.J. Dozier (out for the season due to injury) were going to contribute much to the Nuggets, but the Celtics were eager to scoop them up as long-term additions. In the process they managed to get off Juancho Hernangomez’s contract, a critical step if they plan to avoid the luxury tax. Hernangomez was once a very productive offensive player, and now, San Antonio will have a chance to see if it can rediscover that form.
Knicks land Reddish from Hawks for Knox, protected 2022 first-round pick
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk admitted that bringing back virtually everyone from last season’s Eastern Conference finals appearance may have been a mistake, and in an attempt to rectify that, he dealt Cam Reddish to New York for a heavily-protected first-round pick originally belonging to the Charlotte Hornets. The move opens up some wing minutes on an extremely crowded Atlanta roster, but perhaps more importantly, gets an asset back for Reddish before he became eligible for a contract extension that the Hawks didn’t seem too eager to give him. The Knicks, who drafted Reddish’s college teammate RJ Barrett No. 3 overall in 2019, decided to take a low-risk, high-reward home-run swing on the former top prospect. Reddish wanted a deal. Now he’s gotten his wish.
Jazz trade guard Oni, second-rounder to Thunder for cash considerations
There wasn’t much to this deal. Utah, deep in the luxury tax, managed to save a bundle of money in this deal while opening up a roster spot in the process. Oklahoma City was happy to accommodate for a second-round pick. This one won’t swing the championship, but it’s the sort of minor, bookkeeping deal that the deadline produces every year.
Cavaliers acquire veteran guard Rondo from Lakers
The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the season with one of the deepest backcourts in the NBA. That changed when Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio suffered season-ending injuries. That forced the Cavs to find a veteran capable of soaking up some of their minutes, and they landed on Rajon Rondo. The two-time NBA champion had largely fallen out of the rotation in Los Angeles, so a change of scenery was more than welcome. The Lakers, meanwhile, saved a fair bit of luxury tax cash and opened up a roster spot that has proven necessary for mid-season maneuvering.
