Well that was anticlimactic. The NBA trade deadline has come and gone with nothing of true substance actually happening. Turns out it was just a lot of hearsay as none of the top names were dealt elsewhere. Paul George is still a Pacer, Jimmy Butler is still a Bull, and hell, even Jahlil Okafor is still a Sixer. Even the Celtics, who had the most to offer and gain from a blockbuster trade, stood pat even in the final hours.

There were some deals that eventually got done by the 3 p.m. deadline, but most could be described as marginal. As it turns out, most of the trade deadline fireworks already happened over the last week or so. Regardless, let’s get into some of the winners and losers from the NBA trade deadline.

Winner: Toronto Raptors

Not exactly who I thought I would be leading this column with when I woke up this morning, but the Raptors made a couple of nice deals to bolster its roster for the postseason. They bring in Serge Ibaka from Orlando to finally give Toronto a stretch-4 and rim protector. Moments before the deadline, Toronto also acquired P.J. Tucker from Pheonix, who is a nice perimeter defender and can shoot in spurts. Bringing two defensive minded veterans into the fold is a great way to get ready for a playoff run with potential matchups against Boston and Cleveland.

Toronto also didn’t have to completely sell the farm either to make these moves. They sent Terrance Ross and a 2017 first round pick to Orlando to get Ibaka. In the Tucker deal, the Raptors shipped off Jared Sullinger and two second round picks (2017 and 2018). Ross had been slipping down the rotation due to his streak shooting while Sullinger has never been more than just a big body down on the block. You can certainly make the argument that Toronto upgraded in those areas. While it would have been nice to have a first rounder in the loaded 2017 draft, it’s a pill that the Raptors could swallow.

Loser: Sacramento Kings

 

See my “Weekend Recap” from Monday. Seriously, the DeMarcus Cousins deal was that bad for the long-term success of the franchise. The Kings were easily the big loser of this year’s trade deadline.

Winner: Houston Rockets

You have got to love the savvy move that Daryl Morey made to get the sharpshooting Lou Williams from the Lakers. Williams gives the Rockets another solid player off an already deep bench. It basically ensures that Houston will have the Sixth Man of the Year on its roster between Williams and Eric Gordon. It’s a move that signals to the rest of the league that Houston could have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Golden State in the postseason.

The Rockets weren’t done dealing either. Morey shipped K.J. McDaniels to Brooklyn to clear cap space and gain a trade exception. It’s a move that makes you wonder what Houston has up its sleeve down the line.

Loser: Philadelphia 76ers

Coming into the trade deadline, just about everyone around the league knew that Philadelphia would be selling a center. The problem is that Bryan Colangelo may have sold the wrong one. Philadelphia dealt Nerlens Noel to Dallas for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a top-18 protected first round pick.There are a few issues with this trade.

The first is that the Sixers will likely never see that first round pick. Due to the top-18 protection, Philadelphia will need Dallas to somehow sneak into the playoffs with a better record than a couple teams in the East. If that doesn’t happen, that first round pick reverts into second round picks in 2017 and 2018. Yikes.

Second, Andrew Bogut is likely going to be bought out, so he was essentially a salary dump. Then you add the relatively unknown Justin Anderson into the mix and you end up wondering what Philly was doing. Anderson could turn out to be a decent piece as a defensive minded guard, but he is not the same type of talent that Noel is and will become down the line.

My final issue with this deal is that it basically forces the Sixers to keep Jahlil Okafor. Most experts would agree that the frontcourt combination of Joel Embiid and Okafor just doesn’t work. You also have gaping holes in Okafor’s game. Yes, he can be an elite scorer, but he plays little defensive and is not a solid rebounder. Any reasonable metric will tell you that.

This deal likely came down to money. Reports surfaced after the trade that Dallas saw Noel as its top free agent target this summer and were likely going to offer him a deal that the Sixers would not match. With Joel Embiid’s contract coming up in a couple of years, Philadelphia would be wise to have cap space ready to pay him handsomely.

Now, the Sixers are still in a great position for the future with Embiid, Ben Simmons, and solid draft picks in the next three drafts. They were able to flip journeyman Ersan Ilyasova into Thigo Splitter and two second round picks. Regardless, Philadelphia whiffed on the Noel deal, which makes them one of the losers at the deadline this year.

Winner: Cleveland Cavaliers

Wait, but they didn’t make a deal. How could Cleveland be a winner? Well, its because Boston didn’t make a deal either. I wrote yesterday about the Boston’s nuclear arsenal of assets and how they could easily turn that into a player like Paul George or Jimmy Butler. As the clock ticked down towards the trade deadline though, Boston wouldn’t pull the trigger on a blockbuster deal.

Simply put, the Celtics are fine playing the long game to eventually take over as the top team in the NBA. That means Cleveland will still be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference for at least one more season.

Loser: Boston Celtics

Danny Ainge punted at the trade deadline, which for this season makes Boston a loser. Long-term though, well, you already know what the Celtics have in its arsenal. However, it puts increasing pressure on Boston to hit big with the Brooklyn pick this season. Clearly the Celtics are opting to play the long con in order to beat LeBron, who is on the back nine of his career. Boston could have gone for the throat this year and gotten a star player to win right now. We’ll see what the plan is, but reportedly the Celtics badly wanted to use the Brooklyn pick in this year’s draft keeping them further from acquiring a game-changing star than most of us thought.

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

The Magic Johnson era is off and running, but not quite in the direction you would expect this storied franchise to go. The Lakers are now in a definitive tank after trading away Lou Williams for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick from Houston. It all but ensures that Los Angeles will have the best possible chance of keeping its own 2017 first round pick, which is protected in the top-three picks.

Possibly the biggest reason why the Lakers come out of the deadline as a winner, was the news surrounding Paul George. Indiana did not deal its star player at the deadline, which could set up a possible homecoming for George during the summer of 2018. Part of the trepidation for teams inquiring about the four-time All Star was his reluctance to sign a long-term extension if traded. Reportedly, the only two teams that George would sign a long-term deal with were the Pacers and the Lakers.

Get worse in the short-term? Check. Keep all of the valuable assets in the fold? Check. Set yourself up to sign one of the league’s top-10 players down the line? Check.

Loser: New York Knicks

You have to wonder what Phil Jackson is doing sometimes. Well, most of the time actually. At a certain point you have to hit the reset button because this latest attempt to win with Carmelo Anthony just isn’t working. Obviously, the no-trade clause was a big roadblock to selling off Anthony, but they couldn’t get a deal done to trade a guy like Derrick Rose? The Knicks are going nowhere right now and time is running out to get any kind of return to help build this franchise around Kristaps Porzingis.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look ahead to a big weekend of basketball. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.