NBA trade deadline’s 4 winners and 3 big losers after 2026 deals

The 2026 NBA trade deadline didn’t have a superstar deal on the level of last year’s Luka Doncic-to-the-Lakers blockbuster, but there was still a major flurry of deals with some big names and fantastic role players on the move. Giannis Antetokounmpo remains with the Milwaukee Bucks for now, but Anthony Davis, James Harden, Darius Garland, and Ivica Zubac were just some of the players sent packing.

Contenders in both conferences got stronger, with the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks making minor moves around the edges to improve their bench, while the Oklahoma City Thunder finally cashed in a future first-round pick for a shooter, and the Minnesota Timberwolves added one of the game’s best reserve guards for absolutely nothing.

You can find every move of the NBA trade deadline with our updated tracker. We also have a big list of trade grades for every important deal. Now let’s hand out some big picture winners and losers from the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

Winner: Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers don’t control their first-round pick until 2030, but they made a bold move to add future draft capital from another team at the cost of their most reliable player. Los Angeles made the painful decision to trade Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers, but they got an absolutely massive haul for him. The Clippers landed the Pacers’ unprotected 2029 pick, and their top-4 protected 2026 first-round pick, which has about a 50 percent chance of conveying. If the Pacers keep the 2026 pick, it turns into an unprotected 2031 first-rounder going to LA. It’s a phenomenal deal for the Clippers either way. Tyrese Haliburton is coming off an Achilles tear, so there’s no guarantee he’ll return to his previous form. Zubac had two more years left on an affordable contract, but by trading him now they extracted maximum value.

The Clippers also traded James Harden for Darius Garland, and got 10 years younger in the process. Garland has battled a nagging big toe injury, and it’s a scary sign that the Cavs were willing to move him. Still, the Clippers weren’t going anywhere with Harden this season, and Garland’s youth gives them an extended timeline to figure out their next move. The Clippers seemed to have a dark future before this week. Not anymore. Those Pacers picks are super high upside, and Garland has a chance to be really good for a long time if he can get healthy. The trade could absolutely still work out for Indiana if they land Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson in the draft (or A.J. Dybantsa or Caleb Wilson) and Haliburton comes back at full strength, but it’s a great value play for the Clippers either way.

Loser: Chicago Bulls

The Bulls were the most active team at the deadline, trading away half their roster including core players Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic for a haul of second-round picks. All of the Bulls’ moves were defensible in a vacuum, but the big picture shows just how mismanaged Chicago has been under lead executive Arturas Karnisovas. Chicago has made the playoffs just once with one playoff win since Karnisovas was hired. He could have returned a much greater package of assets if he made similar moves the last two years, but instead Chicago doomed itself to mediocrity. The Bulls probably already have too many wins to tank for 2026, and the 2027 and 2028 drafts both look weak for now. Chicago hasn’t won a playoff series since 2015, and they’re not going to win another one anytime soon. Owners Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf need to clean house with Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan and start fresh. At least the Bulls have all their draft picks moving forward and only one bad contract currently on the books (Patrick Williams’ $18 million annual deal for the next three seasons after this one), but there’s no way AK should be trusted to build this thing from the ground up.

Loser: Giannis Antetokounmpo

If Dwight Howard sent out this tweet during his prime, the Internet would still be making fun of him for it.

I like Giannis a lot, and part of me thinks it’s admirable that he ideally wants to stay in Milwaukee forever. If that’s the case though, why not send this tweet before the trade deadline? I predict the Bucks and Giannis will fight over his return to the court this season: the Bucks will want to tank because they can still pick as high as No. 2 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, and of course Giannis will want to get into the play-in tournament as the best player in the East. Maybe Giannis will use that battle as his reason for asking out again this summer. I just think this is lame by Giannis. He knows he can’t win in Milwaukee, and he’s wasting the last years of prime hoping the Bucks can pull off a miracle. Will Giannis sign an extension with the Bucks this summer? I doubt it. If he doesn’t, please remember this tweet.

Winner: Boston Celtics

The Celtics swapped Anfernee Simons for Nikola Vucevic, which adds another big body to their front court for the playoff run. Even more importantly, they got out of the repeater tax without giving away a premium asset to do it. This is masterful work by Brad Stevens, and his bosses should love him forever for it.

I know that I shouldn’t be celebrating saving a billionaire some money, but the current CBA puts real team-building constraints on franchises that repeatedly pay the tax. The Celtics got out in a year where they are still really good without Jayson Tatum. When Tatum comes back, they will now have more flexibility to build a great team in the future. And hey, they still might win the East anyway.

Winner: Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves’ bold bet on Rob Dillingham in the 2024 NBA Draft went bust. That’s a massive organizational failure, but at least Minnesota recouped some value for this upcoming playoff run by nabbing Ayo Dosunmu from the Bulls. Dosunmu is one of the best sixth men in the league, and he’s been having a special season in Chicago. The 26-year-old is shooting 45 percent from three, playing tough on-ball defense, and routinely hitting opposing defenses with sneak attacks to the rim. He’s a wonderful guard to pair with Anthony Edwards this season, and he could be a long-term keeper if the two sides can agree to a contract in free agency. Dillingham was never going to move the needle for a contender, but Dosunmu could.

Winner: Washington Wizards

I liked what the Wizards did buying very low on Trae Young and Anthony Davis this season. Young and AD make a ton of money, but that’s about the only thing the Wizards gave up to get them. Washington will still hope to hit the lottery for Boozer or Peterson this year, and if they do, suddenly they will have a nice core with Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, and Kyshawn George already in place. You can’t tank forever in the NBA, and the Wizards have done enough tanking already. With weaker 2027 and 2028 draft classes coming, Washington nabbed some stars on the cheap to help their young core develop. With Boozer or Peterson, this could be a feisty team in the Eastern Conference playoff race as soon as next season.

Loser: Sacramento Kings

The Kings weren’t trying to tank this year, they just ended up doing it on accident. Sacramento paid the price for trying to recreate the 2021-2024 Chicago Bulls in the Western Conference, and shockingly it was a spectacular failure. The Kings had to do something to get off Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, or Domantas Sabonis at the deadline, and yet all still remain on the roster after it passed. The only move the Kings made was a bad one, taking on De’Andre Hunter for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. The Kings are just hopeless. Like Chicago, this fanbase deserves so much better.