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The NBA trade deadline is closing in — it’s at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday — and we finally have some trades.
The first featured the Atlanta Hawks sending star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert.
Three weeks later, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings and Chicago Bulls completed a swap that saw the Cavs add Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, the Kings acquire De’Andre Hunter and the Bulls take on Dario Saric and two draft picks. On Tuesday, the Utah Jazz acquired Jaren Jackson Jr. from the Memphis Grizzlies in an eight-player swap that included three future firsts. Later, the Clippers dealt James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a swap for Darius Garland and a second-round pick.
We’re grading every deal up until the deadline, breaking down the ramifications for all teams and players involved. Let’s get into the latest move:
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Cleveland Cavaliers get: G James Harden
LA Clippers get: G Darius Garland, 2026 second-round pick
Cleveland Cavaliers: B
What this deal means for the Cavaliers: The more I think about it, the more I like Cleveland adding Harden to jolt an offense that ranks just eighth in offensive rating this season after leading the league in 2024-25 with 64 wins.
Garland’s toe injuries have been a key factor in that decline. He has been dealing with toe issues since last April, and offseason surgery hasn’t solved them. Garland suffered a bruise to his troublesome left toe shortly after returning in November and is now sidelined by a big toe sprain on the right foot.
When he has been available, Garland is shooting just 36% on 3s, down from 40% a season ago. His usage rate also has declined as Garland’s steal rate would be the lowest since his rookie season. Those struggles are reflected in team performance. The Cavaliers have been outscored by 3.0 points per 100 possessions with Garland on the court, according to NBA Advanced Stats, worst of any player on the team who has logged more than 500 minutes.
LA Clippers: B-
What this deal means for the Clippers: A drastic change of course from their current path, which was built around contending now while keeping cap space available for the star-studded crop of potential 2027 free agents — a group that includes Donovan Mitchell.
From that standpoint, trading Harden would have made more sense in December, when the Clippers were as many as 15 games below .500. They subsequently ripped off 16 wins in a 19-game stretch to get back in the play-in spot conversation in the Western Conference and suggest they might be capable of a playoff upset.
Nonetheless, I can get the Clippers pulling the plug on their win-now strategy. Projections using ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gave them just a 5% chance of reaching the top six and ducking not only the play-in tournament but also any chance of a first-round matchup against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers would have to climb to at least eighth in the standings to have a chance at avoiding the Thunder in the first round, and the BPI has that happening less than 40% of the time.
Boston Celtics get: C Nikola Vucevic, second-round pick
Chicago Bulls get: G Anfernee Simons, second-round pick
Grade for Chicago: C+
Grade for Boston: C
What this deal means for the Bulls: An upgrade in the second round and doing Vucevic a solid after he was part of three consecutive years of play-in tournament exits.
As confirmed by ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Chicago will get the best of a large group of second-round picks, most likely coming from the New Orleans Pelicans. If the season ended today, that would be the No. 32 pick, though the Pelicans have a good chance of passing a few teams in the standings as they don’t control their 2026 first-round pick. Realistically, I’d bet on the Bulls getting the 36th pick while sending back one in the 50s in 2027.
That’s still a relatively low price for Boston to both save money and upgrade on the court, and it leaves Chicago’s roster a mess. After previously adding guards Mike Conley Jr. and Jaden Ivey in a trade with the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Bulls are perilously guard heavy. They still have starters Josh Giddey and Coby White, plus reserves Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones.
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We’ll see whether the Bulls have more moves in store before the deadline that could even things out. In particular, Chicago has created its own hole in the frontcourt. Zach Collins has been out since December because of a big toe sprain, leaving Jalen Smith as the only rotation-caliber center option for coach Billy Donovan.
In the bigger picture, concerns about the Bulls holding off the Charlotte Hornets for a play-in spot are unimportant. Like Vucevic, Simons has a contract that expires this summer, and Chicago can use its trove of cap space to reorient its roster with a younger focus. Moving Vucevic ends a disappointing era that saw the Bulls give up two lottery picks to the Orlando Magic (one of which was used to draft Franz Wagner) to add him at the deadline five years ago.
What this deal means for the Celtics: A trade involving Simons was one of the most logical outcomes of this season’s deadline given his large salary ($27.7 million) and Boston’s frontcourt needs.
By making this deal, the Celtics not only save nearly $21 million in the luxury tax but they also get all the way under the first apron. As Marks explains, that means Boston is no longer subject to limitations on taxpaying teams signing high-salaried players who are bought out of their contracts after the deadline.
That rule could help the Celtics fill Simons’ spot in the rotation. While Jayson Tatum might eventually play that role if he returns this season from an Achilles rupture, Tatum’s recent comments questioning whether he’ll play this season suggest that even in the best-case scenario, Boston still needs to get through an extended stretch without him.
Although Simons’ numbers are down across the board in a reserve role after spending the previous three seasons as a starter for the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston has played well with Simons on the court. The Celtics have a better offensive rating with Simons alongside either of starting guards Payton Pritchard and Derrick White than Pritchard and White have playing together, per Cleaning the Glass.
The concern from Boston’s standpoint was whether Simons might be difficult to play in the postseason because of his defensive shortcomings. Simons has played just 15 career playoff games, all off the bench early in his Portland career.
It’s far more likely Vucevic will play a key role for the Celtics in the postseason. After losing three rotation centers last offseason (Al Horford, Luke Kornet and Kristaps Porzingis), Boston replaced them with two players making the veterans minimum. Starter Neemias Queta has been strong in that role, averaging 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting nearly 65% on 2s.
Off the bench, Luka Garza has been highly productive, averaging 16.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per 36 minutes while shooting 44% on 3s and 65% on 2s. However, Garza is one of the league’s weaker rim protectors at center and an immobile defender, suggesting he too might be played out of a postseason series.
Vucevic won’t be an upgrade in rim protection (opponents are shooting 68% when he’s the primary defender on attempts inside five feet, according to GeniusIQ tracking on NBA Advanced Stats, slightly worse than the 67% against Garza), but he at least brings more veteran savvy on defense.
Opposing teams are also more likely to respect Vucevic as a floor spacer than Garza, who had shot just 31% beyond the arc in his NBA career before this season. Vucevic has shot 39% over the past two campaigns and attempted at least four 3s per game every season since 2019-20. That’s a different element from what Queta brings that could make playing Vucevic a useful adjustment in a playoff series.
I’m not convinced Vucevic is enough of an improvement in the frontcourt to be worth downgrading in the backcourt, but if the Celtics can find a replacement for Simons on the buyout market, that plus the savings probably made this a trade worth doing.
One last benefit: Because Vucevic fits into Boston’s existing trade exception from the Kristaps Porzingis trade, the Celtics can generate a new exception for the full value of Simons’ salary, good through next year’s deadline.
Memphis Grizzlies get: G Walter Clayton Jr.; F Kyle Anderson; F Taylor Hendricks; F Georges Niang; three future first-round picks
Utah Jazz get: F Jaren Jackson Jr.; G John Konchar; C Jock Landale; G Vince Williams Jr.
Grade for Memphis: A-
Grade for Utah: B-
What this deals means for Grizzlies: This is Part 2 of a Memphis teardown that began last summer when the Grizzlies sent Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic, and this deal is very much in the same vein. Memphis has struck to maximize value at the expense of a roster that fit together but had topped out shy of competing in the playoffs.
I do think it’s worth asking just how good Jackson really is. Although Defensive Player of the Year will always remain a top-line item on his résumé, Jackson hasn’t really performed at that level since. He’s now a good rim protector (opponents are making 54% of their attempts within 5 feet when Jackson is a primary defender, per GeniusIQ tracking on NBA Advanced Stats, putting him in the NBA’s top 10 among players who defend at least four shots per game) but no longer the elite one he was in 2022-23 (when that same mark was a league-low 47%).
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To some extent, that drop-off was probably inevitable because of Jackson’s increased offensive load. He played just 28.4 minutes per game in his Defensive Player of the Year season and sported a 25% usage rate. That ballooned to 30% the following year, when Ja Morant missed all but nine games, and remained at 28% last season.
The issue is this season Jackson hasn’t really been elite at either end. His usage rate is back down in the mid-20s, his efficiency as a scorer is down from last season, and he has been only average (36%) as a 3-point shooter. Having Jackson be more good than great at both ends is fine when he’s making $35 million. On his extension, which averages more than $51 million, that will be a bigger issue.
From that standpoint, I think now was the best time to trade Jackson. We’ve also gotten ample evidence that the post-Bane lineup the Grizzlies hoped would keep them in contention is unlikely to become reality. Center Zach Edey, an ideal fit next to Jackson, has been limited to 11 games by ankle injuries, while Morant can neither stay on the court nor produce at an All-Star level on it.
Making this deal cleans up Memphis’ books — which include a record $29 million trade exception to take on unwanted salaries through the 2027 trade deadline — while continuing to add to a cache of 12 first-round picks, which now trails just two teams (the Thunder and Brooklyn Nets) leaguewide, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Perhaps most importantly, the Grizzlies’ extra picks are coming from a variety of different teams, giving them a number of ways to luck into a franchise-changing lottery pick.
As great a story as the Phoenix Suns have been this season — much to the dismay of Memphis, which holds swap rights with Phoenix via the Bane trade — the Suns’ unprotected 2031 first-rounder remains one of the most valuable future picks to change hands. Phoenix’s combination of owing Bradley Beal‘s stretched salary through 2029-30 and a lavish extension that will pay Devin Booker $60-plus million in 2027-28 and 2028-29 makes betting against the Suns a strong play.
Even if the Grizzlies are too good for their own pick to jump up in the lottery and don’t get lucky with incoming first-rounders, the Memphis front office has shown the ability to find rotation-caliber players later in the draft. Rookie Cedric Coward looks like a long-term starter, while Edey was massively productive before his injuries and 2024 second-round picks Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells were both hits.
We’ll see whether the Grizzlies can pull off something similar by developing the young players they got in this trade. Hendricks was the No. 9 pick in 2023, and Clayton is months removed from being taken 18th in June. Hendricks hasn’t yet shown the 3-point shooting he needs to be a contributor since suffering a leg fracture in October 2024, and Clayton is going through predictable issues with his efficiency as a rookie point guard. Both can still become rotation players in Memphis.
The obvious question for the Grizzlies is what’s next for Ja Morant, the last remaining of the three young stars who led Memphis to 50-plus wins in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The reality is no offer like this is forthcoming for Morant, which might mean the Grizzlies are better off just letting his contract play out and hoping he can rebuild his value.
Making the Bane and Jackson trades has given Memphis one of the NBA’s most valuable commodities: patience.
What this deal means for Jazz: An end to Utah’s patient rebuild.
Nearing four years since the “Why would they do that?” summer when the Jazz dealt away Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, they’re finally cashing in some of their bounty of first-round picks in order to add a prime-age star to Lauri Markkanen (acquired in the Mitchell trade) and budding homegrown guard Keyonte George.
From a cap standpoint, Utah is using its 2026-27 space a few months early to take on Jackson’s extension signed last summer, which will boost his salary from $35 million this season to $49 million as part of a deal that has him under contract through 2030. By sending out Niang’s expiring contract and Anderson’s nonguaranteed $9.6 million salary, the Jazz go from having somewhere in the ballpark of $55 million to spend this summer to likely staying over the cap.
Of course, Utah stood no realistic chance of signing a free agent as accomplished as Jackson. A two-time All-Star pick and the 2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson is a fascinating fit in what now looks like a complete Jazz starting five of the future.
In the frontcourt, I love Jackson’s fit alongside injured Utah center Walker Kessler, who is out for the season following surgery to repair a shoulder labrum tear but now seems like a lock to return as a restricted free agent.
Jackson and Kessler are two of the NBA’s top rim protectors, meaning the paint should be a “no-fly zone” for Jazz opponents with one of them on the court at all times. That’s a dramatic difference from the Utah defense we’ve seen this season, which ranks last in defensive rating and 29th in opponent FG% inside the restricted area, per GeniusIQ tracking.
As powerful a shot-blocking force as Jackson is, the Grizzlies preferred to keep him at power forward because of his penchant for foul trouble when defending centers. Playing him with Kessler makes sense from that standpoint, while Jackson’s ability to space the floor (35% career 3-point shooting on six-plus attempts per 36 minutes) will work well when Kessler is screening in the pick-and-roll for George.
The fascinating ripple effect is on the perimeter. Starting Jackson at power forward means sliding Markkanen to small forward, a spot at which he started the first eight games of this season but rarely since. Overall, my analysis of lineup data from NBA Advanced Stats has Markkanen playing about two-thirds of his minutes this season at power forward.
Markkanen thrived on the wing early in the campaign, averaging 30.4 points over the season’s first eight games. However, defending wings could be an increasing challenge as Markkanen — who turns 29 in May — heads into his 30s.
The Jazz’s starting lineup of the future will likely be rounded out by rookie lottery pick Ace Bailey at shooting guard, giving them only one starter (George) listed at shorter than 6-foot-9. If you think of basketball on a fundamental level as being about maximizing shooting relative to size, Utah’s lineup is close to ideal.
The downside is that description doesn’t include dribbling or passing as skills, and the Jazz will inevitably be relatively light on both of those. As ESPN’s Zach Kram noted on social media, Jackson (2.1 assists per game) and Markkanen (1.9) are the lone two players who have averaged at least 20 points and fewer than three assists over the past three seasons.
Historically, Utah coach Will Hardy has emphasized creating via the pass, and the Jazz lead the NBA this season by recording assists on 72% of their baskets. (A little of that might be attributable to favorable scoring as Utah’s assist rate drops to 70% in road games, still fourth highest in the NBA.)
Much of the Jazz’s playmaking this season has come via veteran center Jusuf Nurkic, who has operated as a hub in the high post and out of short rolls since replacing Kessler in the starting five. His 4.9 assists per game aren’t far behind George (6.6) among Utah’s starters, with backup point guard Isaiah Collier averaging a team-high 6.7 assists off the bench. It will be interesting to see whether Hardy can generate that same ball movement without a single starter who would be rated an above-average passer for their position.
At the same time, the leaderboard for team assist rate doesn’t exactly align with offensive rating. The best offenses are typically those that create one-on-one advantages, and the Jazz now have multiple options there and should surround them with credible spacing if Bailey can continue to hone his 3-point shot.
Despite giving up three valuable first-round picks in this deal, including the most favorable of three in 2027 (among Utah’s own and those coming from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves from the Gobert and Mitchell deals), the Jazz still have at least one pick in every draft going forward after 2026. They still have upside from Cavaliers and Timberwolves picks and swaps down the line, and surely still hope to ensure their pick this year lands in the top eight and isn’t conveyed to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
From that standpoint, Utah might not yet be a finished product. The Jazz’s rebuild hasn’t yielded a star to compete with the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama in the West, but with this deal Utah has built a deep starting lineup that could follow the Houston Rockets’ more balanced model. It’s time for the Jazz to get serious about winning games again in 2026-27, and adding Jackson should help do just that.
Chicago Bulls get: G Jaden Ivey; G Mike Conley
Detroit Pistons get: G Kevin Huerter; F Dario Saric; 2026 first-round protected swap from Minnesota
Grade for Detroit: B
Grade for Minnesota: B
Grade for Chicago: B+
What this deal means for the Pistons: For the second consecutive year, Detroit was in a unique spot at the deadline as a contending team with the ability to add salary via nearly $19 million in room below the luxury tax line.
Instead of looking to turn veteran Tobias Harris into a difference-making player at power forward, the Pistons aimed more modestly to add to their rotation. Huerter could end up playing the role off the bench on the wing that Detroit hoped Caris LeVert would fill. LeVert hasn’t played in two weeks due to illness, though he was upgraded to available for Tuesday’s game at Denver, and had shot 1-of-14 from 3-point range in January before being sidelined.
Huerter, too, has slumped beyond the arc this season, hitting just 31% of his 3s, down from 37% career. When Huerter was a key starter on the Sacramento Kings’ 2022-23 playoff team, he shot 40% and attempted nearly seven 3s per game, a memory that now seems distant. Huerter had remained an important part of Chicago’s rotation by virtue of his active cutting (his 63% accuracy on 2s is a career high) and secondary playmaking.
If Huerter’s shooting comes back around, I could see him finishing playoff games at times in place of Duncan Robinson as a more capable defensive option, or at least serving as the offense half of a late-game platoon with Ausar Thompson if Thompson’s non-shooting becomes an issue in crunch time.
As for Ivey, the No. 5 pick of the 2022 draft, he was clearly not in the Pistons’ plans beyond the final season of his rookie contract. After a breakthrough 2024-25 campaign was ended early by a fibula fracture on New Year’s Day, Ivey had struggled to find his spot off the bench this season.
In theory, Detroit surely hoped Ivey would move into more of a playmaking role when Cade Cunningham rested. Instead, he’s averaging a career-low 3.4 assists per 36 minutes, and the Pistons’ offensive rating ranks in the 8th percentile leaguewide with Ivey at point guard, per Cleaning the Glass lineup data.
Clearly, Detroit was better off with two-way standout Daniss Jenkins leading the second unit. Lineups with Jenkins but not Cunningham have outscored opponents by 9.1 points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass. The next order of business after the trade deadline is converting Jenkins’ two-way contract into something long-term, presumably to take Saric’s roster spot, barring another move.
I’m not sure the Pistons maximized what they could do by adding $13 million in salary, but they’re a better playoff team after this deal. They also upgraded their 2026 draft pick, potentially significantly. We haven’t yet seen details on the swap protections, but if the season ended today, Detroit would jump up from No. 29 to No. 23. Given ESPN’s Basketball Power Index rates the Timberwolves’ remaining schedule as fourth-hardest in the NBA, there’s some upside for the Pistons to move higher than that.
What this deal means for the Timberwolves: With 48 hours left until the deadline, that remains to be seen.
For now, moving Conley was a necessary sacrifice for what has been an expensive team. At 38, Conley is nearing the finish line of a terrific career highlighted by an All-Star appearance at age 33. An important starter as recently as last season, Conley is shooting a career-low 32% from the field and is averaging a career-low 18.5 minutes per game.
As valuable as Conley’s veteran leadership remains, it was hard for Minnesota to justify paying him $10.8 million in the final season of his contract for limited contributions. If the Timberwolves sit tight, they’ve saved more than $20 million in luxury tax payments for a draft swap that amounts to something like a second-round pick of value.
Given Minnesota’s hopes of getting back to the Western Conference finals for a third consecutive year, and maybe going further, I’d be surprised if that’s the end result when the dust clears Thursday afternoon.
Between now and then, the Timberwolves would create a $10.8 million trade exception to use or could fold this deal into a larger one that uses Conley’s salary in conjunction with other players’. The obvious marquee target is Giannis Antetokounmpo, given that Minnesota is among four “serious suitors” in pursuit of Antetokounmpo per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Moving Conley now would allow the Timberwolves to offer the Bucks more savings this season.
Alternatively, a smaller deal might see Minnesota deal away one or both of 2024 first-round picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. and take back more money while remaining below the lower luxury tax apron. Until we see how things play out, this grade is officially a B but really is an incomplete.
What this deal means for the Bulls: A swing on a talented guard who turns 24 later this month.
Despite the concerns about Ivey’s fit in Detroit, there are encouraging signs in his individual numbers. Ivey is shooting 37% from 3-point range, carrying over his hot start to 2024-25 after shooting just 34% in his first two NBA campaigns. Combining Ivey’s quickness with defenses having to respect the threat of him pulling up beyond the arc makes him far more difficult to guard, while spot-up shooting makes Ivey viable off the ball.
The latter skill is particularly important in Chicago, where Josh Giddey is likely to have the ball in his hands much of the game. Ivey fits alongside Giddey in a similar manner to incumbent Bulls starter Coby White, and Chicago stockpiling guards Tuesday surely raises the question of whether White — an unrestricted free agent this summer — might be moved before Thursday.
The Bulls will be in a tricky spot handling Ivey’s restricted free agency. Last year, they waited out the market for Giddey, who didn’t re-sign with the team until September. Because Chicago aspires to use cap space, that likely won’t be an option with Ivey, who will carry a massive $30.3 million cap hold as long as his rights are maintained.
Rather than carrying that cap hold for an extended period, the Bulls would be better off re-signing Ivey quickly to replace it with what will surely be a smaller starting salary on a new contract. Chicago just has to be careful not to let that become a reason to bid against itself.
Overall, turning the older Huerter into the younger Ivey is exactly the kind of move a team in the Bulls’ position should be making.
Atlanta Hawks get: C Duop Reath, two second-round picks
Portland Trail Blazers get: G Vit Krejci
Grade for Atlanta: B
Grade for Portland: A-
What this deal means for the Trail Blazers: Portland has been one of the season’s best stories, carrying over a strong finish to 2024-25 into what will likely be its first postseason appearance since 2021 despite a crushing set of backcourt injuries.
Lately, however, a back strain for Deni Avdija forced him to miss five games in late January and play at less than 100 percent when he was on the court. The Blazers went 0-3 during a disappointing East Coast road trip, losing to the lowly Washington Wizards and getting blown out at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Although Portland is hoping to get perimeter players back soon, shooting was also a need at full strength. The Blazers are third in 3-point attempts per game but dead last in accuracy beyond the arc. Krejci, who has hit 42% beyond the arc this season and throughout his time in Atlanta, should help there while fitting into Portland’s aggressive defense.
Better yet, Krejci is on a team-friendly contract that pays him the minimum through 2027-28 with no guaranteed money beyond this season. That could be particularly important if the Blazers shed some salary before the deadline with an eye toward using cap space to renegotiate Avdija’s contract in conjunction with a long-term extension.
Even before Reath was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot earlier this week that required season-ending surgery, he looked like an odd man out for Portland, having played just 258 minutes this season after the Blazers drafted center Yang Hansen in the first round last June.
From that standpoint, the most interesting part of this deal is it leaves Portland in need of finding two roster spots to convert the contracts of two-way standouts Sidy Cissoko and Caleb Love. Veteran wing Matisse Thybulle, who has been sidelined since October and is in the final season of his contract, could be moved before the deadline.
What this deal means for the Hawks: Adding sharpshooter Corey Kispert in the trade sending Trae Young to the Washington Wizards last month helped cut Krejci’s playing time in recent games. Before starting and getting 27 minutes with Atlanta short-handed on Thursday, he’d totaled 17 minutes over the previous three games.
Unlike Portland, which was $1.5 million from the luxury tax prior to what is largely a salary-neutral trade, the Hawks have a bit more room to operate. So Atlanta will surely waive Reath, who’s in the final season of his contract, and could utilize the roster spot to convert two-way contributor Christian Koloko.
The real prize of this deal for the Hawks is getting back their own 2027 second-round pick, which had been sent to the Boston Celtics in a 2023 draft-night trade and rerouted multiple times before ending up in Portland.
Cleveland Cavaliers get: G Dennis Schroder, G Keon Ellis
Sacramento Kings get: F De’Andre Hunter
Chicago Bulls get: F Dario Saric, two future second-round picks
Grade for Cleveland: B+
Grade for Sacramento: C
Grade for Chicago: A
What this deal means for the Cavaliers: Ellis improbably became one of the most in-demand players at the deadline while playing a smaller role than last season because of his minimum salary and combined with a 3-and-D skill set that fits better on a contending team than it did in Sacramento.
In part, Ellis’ role has shrunk because he hasn’t shot the ball as well as last season, when he hit an effective 64% of his shots when accounting for the added value of 3-point attempts. This season, he has slumped to 37% on 3s and just 46% inside the arc, both his lowest marks in a full season. (He played just 71 minutes in 2022-23 as an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract.)
Over the full sample of his career, Ellis is at 42% on 3s and 56.5% for 2s for 61% effective shooting that makes him one of the league’s most efficient perimeter role players. At 6-foot-4, he also has the size to defend either backcourt spot and particularly excels on the ball with his quickness. He has defended the opposing player who brings the ball up on 24% of his defensive possessions this season, according to GeniusIQ tracking.
I particularly like how Ellis will fit alongside Donovan Mitchell, who has played nearly as much point guard this season as he has off the ball as Darius Garland has experienced toe injuries. Ellis can free Mitchell from having to defend ball handlers in those lineups while also spacing the floor at the other end.
It’s less clear how Schroder fits in, particularly if Garland is able to get healthy. The Cavaliers are adding Ellis and Schroder to a backcourt that includes All-Stars in Garland and Mitchell, an ace outside shooter in Sam Merrill, a capable backup point guard in Craig Porter Jr. and a veteran in Lonzo Ball. It’s unlikely Schroder will play anywhere near as much as with the Kings, for whom he averaged 26.4 minutes per game despite losing his starting job to Russell Westbrook.
From a financial standpoint, Cleveland has significantly cut its luxury tax bill, saving nearly $40 million in tax payments alone by rerouting Saric to Chicago. Perhaps more importantly, the Cavaliers have moved within striking distance of going under the second-apron threshold, a necessity if they want to aggregate salaries before the deadline.
Before, accomplishing that might have required shedding Hunter’s full $23.3 million salary, which was too big for any team to take into cap space or a trade exception. By cutting nearly $7 million in salary, Cleveland could now duck the second apron by dealing either Schroder ($14.1 million) or Max Strus ($15.9 million) without taking back contracts, giving the franchise more options to pursue a star.
Down the road, Cleveland’s roster could get more expensive if the team re-signs Ellis. Schroder will make $10 million less than Hunter for 2026-27, which might not cover Ellis’ starting salary on an extension or a new contract as an unrestricted free agent. Schroder also has $4.35 million of his 2027-28 salary guaranteed, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks, while Hunter’s contract will be up after next season.
Those are concerns for another day.
The most realistic way for the Cavaliers to save money remains Mitchell leaving as an unrestricted free agent in 2027, when he holds a $53.8 million player option. That’s the scenario they hope to avoid. Strengthening a team that is tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference after finishing atop the standings a season ago is the best way to keep Mitchell. This trade is a step forward in that regard — and, perhaps, a step toward a bigger one by Thursday’s deadline.
What this deal means for the Kings: This deal is a tough reminder of the Kings’ missteps last summer, when they were still hoping to compete for the postseason before new general manager Scott Perry shifted his focus to building something more sustainable, as he described last month to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
In order to add Schroder as an unrestricted free agent via sign-and-trade without pushing into the luxury tax, Sacramento had to cut salary. That meant dealing Jonas Valanciunas to the Denver Nuggets for Saric, a move that backfired when Valanciunas subsequently signaled a desire to walk away from his contract for an offer from Greek power Panathinaikos. (The Nuggets, who wanted Valanciunas, ended up denying that request.)
Saric ultimately played just five games with the Kings, while Schroder has started only twice since Nov. 12. (Those ended up being Schroder’s final two games with Sacramento, ironically, with Westbrook sidelined by a foot contusion.)
Adding those two newcomers into a deal for Hunter ended up costing the Kings the two second-round picks in this trade, which are instead headed to the Bulls despite Ellis being the single most valuable player who changed teams.
On the plus side, Sacramento is getting Hunter at a low point in his value. A year ago, the Cavaliers gave up three second-round picks and a pair of first-round swaps in order to add him for the stretch run. At the time, he was shooting a career-high 39% from 3-point range, and he improved after joining Cleveland to shot 46% in the playoffs. This season, Hunter is hitting a career-low 31% of 3s and has seen his playing time decline to 22.4 minutes per game in January.
A 37% career 3-point shooter, Hunter should be more accurate with the Kings, and his ability to play both forward spots is a good fit for a team short on frontcourt size. Adding his $24.9 million salary for 2026-27 will push Sacramento into the luxury tax for now, but the franchise will have plenty of opportunity to cut its payroll between now and then. In the worst-case scenario, the partial guarantee on DeMar DeRozan‘s salary ($10 million) should get the Kings safely under the tax line.
If Hunter plays well enough, he could go back to being a deadline pickup for a contending team next year.
What this deal means for the Bulls: Credit the Bulls for being in position to take advantage of the need for a third team to take back Saric’s salary in this deal. When Chicago and Sacramento were part of a three-team trade in 2024 sending DeMar DeRozan to the Kings and Harrison Barnes to the Spurs, the Bulls’ precarious tax position prevented them from getting the best draft pick in the deal — a first-round swap in 2031 that San Antonio got for taking on Barnes’ salary.
Sitting more than $13 million below the tax line this season, Chicago could use the remaining portion of a trade exception created in yet another Bulls-Kings-Spurs three-team deal (the one sending Zach LaVine to Sacramento almost exactly a year ago) in order to take on Saric’s $5.4 million salary.
The only cost for Chicago is a roster spot. The Bulls will have to waive a player to add Saric, with little-used guard Jevon Carter a likely candidate in the last season of his contract. If they don’t include Saric in a subsequent trade, a buyout seems likely after the deadline, leaving them with a couple of extra second-round picks for their trouble.
Atlanta Hawks get: G CJ McCollum; F Corey Kispert
Washington Wizards get: G Trae Young
Grade for Atlanta: B
Grade for Washington: B
What this deal means for the Hawks: Less than five years ago, the Hawks reached the 2021 conference finals behind a star-making performance from Young, who averaged 28.8 PPG and 9.5 APG in the playoffs at age 22. It seemed like the start of a run for Atlanta, which had just one key player older than 27. Instead, the Young-era Hawks had already peaked.
Quickly eliminated from the playoffs in 2022 and 2023, Atlanta has yet to get back. The Hawks opened this season with high expectations after adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kristaps Porzingis, but Atlanta went 2-8 in the 10 games Young played this season, leading to this franchise-altering deal.
The Hawks defending better with Young on the bench is certainly nothing new. That’s been the case throughout his career. According to Cleaning the Glass data, which filters out garbage time, 2022-23 is the only season the Hawks haven’t allowed at least two points per 100 possessions more with Young on the court than on the bench.
Historically, that’s been counterbalanced by the enormous boost Young provides the Atlanta offense. Flipping that stat, 2023-24 is the only season Atlanta hasn’t scored at least five more points per 100 possessions offensively with Young on the court. That actually hasn’t changed at all this season, despite the emergence of Jalen Johnson as an All-Star. The Hawks are scoring 9.2 more points per 100 possessions with Young, which ranks in the 95th percentile leaguewide.
The issue is twofold: Atlanta is defending better with Young on the bench, and much worse with him on the court.
The latter factor is probably random noise. Based on GeniusIQ’s quantified shot probability measure (qSP), which measures the expected effective field goal percentage (eFG%) given the location and type of shot, distance of nearby defenders and player ability, Hawks opponents get slightly better shots when Young plays. Atlanta’s qSP on defense goes from 54% without Young, which would rank 12th in the league, to 56.6% with him. That would rank 29th, ahead of only the New Orleans Pelicans.
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Still, the actual shooting difference without Young is more than three times larger. Hawks opponents shoot a 63% eFG% with Young on the court and just 54% with him on the bench. The shot quality differential is more in line with Young’s typical defensive impact, and the shotmaking is likely a fluke.
The bigger factor going forward is that Atlanta has found a way to survive without Young. The Hawks’ minus-0.4 net rating this season is their best when Young sits at any point in his career. And although that kind of break-even play is not good enough to escape the play-in, remember that it comes with zero contributions from Young’s roster spot. Replacing him with McCollum should help the Hawks be more competitive the rest of the season.
The Atlanta offense has still ranked around league average so long as Johnson has been on the court. It’s when the Hawks play with neither Johnson nor Young that their offense craters to 107.8 points per 100 possessions according to Cleaning the Glass, which ranks in the 7th percentile leaguewide.
Starting guards Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels supply enough playmaking in concert with Johnson as a point forward to keep the Atlanta offense flowing. But without a third capable ballhandler in the backcourt, the Hawks’ second units have struggled badly. McCollum should lift those groups.
In particular, Atlanta will benefit from McCollum’s ability to create his own shot. According to GeniusIQ, he has shot an effective 51.5% on half-court shots that are neither an assist opportunity nor a putback. Onyeka Okongwu (50.5%) is the only player on the Hawks above 46% eFG% on at least 50 such attempts, and his shot volume is nearly as high as McCollum’s.
There might be a role for Kispert, too, although his skill set overlaps with that of Atlanta reserve Luke Kennard. Kispert is a more capable defender and younger at 26. He’s under contract through 2028-29, whereas Kennard is on a one-year deal.
Looking forward, this trade gives Atlanta the ability to reshape its roster. The Hawks no longer have any player making more than $31 million at any point during his contract. They can re-sign or extend McCollum (and potentially Porzingis, depending on his health) and have ample flexibility to add to the roster this summer without threatening the luxury tax.
In the longer term, Atlanta is betting on the development of Johnson — a good bet to make his All-Star debut — and the draft picks the team has coming to supply needed shot creation. The Hawks have the better of first-round picks this year from the Milwaukee Bucks and Pelicans thanks to their trade on 2025 draft night.
Only the Indiana Pacers have a worse record than the Pelicans, and the Bucks would also be in the lottery if the season ended today. Projections using ESPN’s Basketball Power Index give Atlanta the No. 1 pick via that trade in 15% of simulations.
If the Hawks can find another star through the draft, they’ve collected enough quality role players with an emphasis on defense to build around them better than they could Young. That offers hope for a new era in Atlanta.
Surely, the Hawks hoped they could get some pick value in return for Young. That Atlanta was willing to make this deal without any reflects how difficult the trade market is for max-level players who aren’t inner-circle stars. Given that reality, the Hawks not having to include picks to incentivize taking on Young’s 2026-27 player option isn’t such a bad thing.
What this deal means for the Wizards: Since hiring Michael Winger and Will Dawkins to lead their front office in 2023, the Wizards have been one of the NBA’s most patient teams, accumulating young talent without a clear path toward competing for a playoff spot. Trading for Young is a course correction that signals Washington is heading into a new phase of its rebuild.
It would be interesting to know how much the Wizards’ recent success played into that decision. Since starting the season 1-15, Washington has gone 9-10, including five wins in the past seven games. That might have suggested to Wizards management that simply playing out the season and collecting another lottery pick was no longer a certainty because they owe their pick to the New York Knicks if it falls outside the top eight.
More broadly, Washington might be at the point where supporting the development of its young talent — most notably starters Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, all of them 22 or younger — with capable veterans is appropriate. We’ve seen how that accelerated the progress of the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons in recent seasons.
I’m not sure Young is a natural fit in that role. He’s an outstanding passer who led the NBA with 11.6 APG last season, but that came in the context of Young dominating the ball in a way the veterans Houston and Detroit added did not.
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Young’s 5.7 minutes time of possession this season, per GeniusIQ tracking on NBA Advanced Stats, is more than McCollum (4.5) in fewer minutes per game. He has held the ball approximately 41% of the time the Hawks have been on offense, as compared with approximately 29% for McCollum with the Wizards. Fred VanVleet, the point guard Houston added at a similar stage, had approximately 35% time of possession during his first season with the Rockets.
Given Coulibaly, George and Sarr will likely end up primarily in off-ball roles, that might work out if they’re OK handling the ball less. Young will be a more dangerous pick-and-roll playmaker than Washington has had since prime John Wall. The Wizards are 25th in points per chance off pick-and-rolls this season. Young ranked 12th in 2024-25 in points per chance among ballhandlers who received at least 1,000 screens.
The trickier fit is Young with second-year guard Bub Carrington, who has played both on and off the ball in his NBA career. Adding Young might push Carrington more toward shooting guard, where Washington already has rookie lottery pick Tre Johnson.
More than anything else, this is probably a value play for the Wizards. Despite his defensive limitations, Young is still a four-time All-Star because of the way he lifted Atlanta offensively. Young picking up his $49 million player option for 2026-27 — perhaps in the context of an extension beyond next season — won’t be an issue for a Washington team that was looking at $90-plus million in cap space, pending the Wizards retaining their draft pick. They’ll still have max-level room to either add supporting veterans or take on contracts for draft compensation.
Acquiring Young now gives Washington three months to evaluate how he and the team’s young players fit together before building around them this offseason. If dealing for Young was the centerpiece of Washington’s efforts to move toward competitiveness, I’d be concerned. As a starting point in that process, it makes more sense.
