In the final hours of the 2026 trade season, NBA fans were waiting for the Giannis of it all. As the clock struck 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, however, there was no Greek Freak sighting in the Bay Area. Or South Beach. Or the Land of 10,000 Lakes.<\/p>\n
So much for \u201cThe time has come now.\u201d Guess we\u2019ll have to wait till the summer for the next wave of Antetokounmpo antics! (Or not\u2026I hear he\u2019s \u201cthreatening\u201d to play and possibly spoil the Bucks\u2019 lottery position.)<\/p>\n
Though Milwaukee\u2019s disgruntled son was the domino piece that everyone was closely eyeing, several NBA teams went ahead and made their moves in an intricate game of one-upsmanship. As we look back at all the transactions that went down, we see a number of ball clubs taking a step closer to playoff (or even title) contention, along with other franchises that appeared to have hurt their own cause.<\/p>\n
In short, some NBA squads made you go LFG. Others left you thinking WTF. Let\u2019s take a look at which is which.<\/p>\n
LFG: Boston Celtics<\/p>\n
This season, the Celtics were supposed to be a charity case, an underdog that would be lucky to secure an outright playoff spot. Lo and behold, Jaylen Brown made it his personal mission to prove that he could carry the storied franchise on his back. Now a five-time All-Star, Brown (29.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 5.8 apg) is playing the best basketball of his career and getting valuable help from the likes of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard (who apparently reminds Reggie Miller of Caitlin Clark. Okay.).<\/p>\n
Now, Brown won\u2019t have to wait with bated breath to see if his partner-in-crime Jayson Tatum will return in a month or so. With one of their All-Stars still out of commission, the Celtics (33-18, 3rd in the East) scooped up two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick. Vucevic (16.9 ppg on 50.5% FG shooting,9.0 rpg) provides much-needed scoring from the center position, and by joining the Celtics, he puts himself in position to reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career.<\/p>\n
WTF: Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n
A European with freakish size and an NBA title on his resume has joined the Warriors lineup at the cost of Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. The bad news: His name is not Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n
I wish I could take a more optimistic tone towards Golden State (a team with unyielding fans, like my mom and dad), but I can\u2019t. This was an organization that opted for radio silence in the offseason and needed to make a big splash, all to assure Steph Curry that they give a damn about the final stage of his career. This past week, they reportedly offered a pick-heavy package in exchange for Antetokounmpo, only for the Bucks front office to throw it back in their faces.<\/p>\n
So, what is Curry surrounded with in Golden State? An injured Jimmy Butler, a disillusioned Draymond Green (whom the Warriors dangled on the trading block), and a host of young talent whose potential has not translated into consistent winning. And now, they have Kristaps Porzingis, who has played a grand total of 17 games this season. Sorry, Chef.<\/p>\n
LFG: Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n
Imagine if Steph Curry left the West Coast to play for his hometown\u2019s squad. Wouldn\u2019t that be a sight?<\/p>\n
The Charlotte Hornets, however, aren\u2019t sweating that. While they didn\u2019t land a future Hall of Famer last week, they turned an unsatisfactory Collin Sexton experiment into a Coby White acquisition. Since the back end of the 2024-25 season, when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls, White has been torching nets and gaining recognition as one of the most gifted young scorers in the league.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-4 dynamo (who played for North Carolina, by the way) is putting up 18.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 4.7 apg this season. Now, he joins a formidable backcourt ensemble that already has the scoring punch of Brandon Miller and the playmaking of LaMelo Ball. The streaking Hornets (eight straight wins, as of this writing) will have to mull over extensions for Miller and White this summer, but they\u2019ll cross the bridge when they get there. Right now, the addition of White has their playoff aspirations looking pretty good.<\/p>\n
WTF: Chicago Bulls<\/p>\n
A side note on local hoops: When a PBA team inexplicably fills its roster with too many backcourt players, fans mockingly call that team a \u201csecurity guard agency.\u201d (Shoutout to all security guards around the country. Yours is a thankless job.)<\/p>\n
A day before the trade deadline, NBA analyst Kevin O\u2019Connor said something to that effect when describing a certain team in Chicago. \u201cThe Bulls roster is hilarious,\u201d O\u2019Connor tweeted. \u201cNot a single player taller than 6\u20199\u2033 and 10 guards under contract lmao\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one thing to blow up a roster and begin a rebuild with a clear vision in mind. It\u2019s another thing to add Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, and Jaden Ivey to a team with a largely forgettable rotation of forwards and centers. Come on, Bulls.<\/p>\n
LFG: OKC Thunder<\/p>\n
Not all NBA GMs are created equal. At the trade deadline, Sam Presti once again showed why he\u2019s Napoleon at the top of the food chain.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s an Orwellian reference, but really, Presti is Big Brother-ing his 29 other counterparts with moves like trading for Jared McCain. Thanks to the treasure trove of draft assets that the Thunder GM has nurtured for years on end, he has the upper hand in just about any negotiation that he chooses to engage in. In the case of McCain, Presti had a 2026 first-round pick and three second-round picks to spare. No biggie.<\/p>\n
As our kababayans will remind the rest of the world, McCain was an early contender for Rookie of the Year last season before he suffered a meniscus tear in December 2024. As Ajay Mitchell continues to deal with an abdominal strain, Presti has restocked the Thunder backcourt with a fresh supply of young talent that can help with both their immediate goals and their long-term future.<\/p>\n
LFG: Memphis Grizzlies<\/p>\n
Presti might as well be called \u201cThe Blueprint.\u201d Whether they like to admit it or not, some GMs have clearly been influenced by his approach of collecting draft picks to secure the future.<\/p>\n
Seriously, you can\u2019t look at Grizzlies GM Zach Kleiman and tell me that he hasn\u2019t been inspired by the man in OKC. After all, two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. could have been anointed the next cornerstone in Memphis after Ja Morant is eventually set loose. Instead of building around a 26-year-old who was already at hand, Kleiman decided to look further down the road and remodel the team essentially from scratch.<\/p>\n
In the deal that sent JJJ to the Utah Jazz, the Grizzlies received four reserve players and three future first-round picks. With all due respect to Kyle Anderson and Walter Clayton Jr., the draft assets acquired by Memphis are the real story here. Aside from the picks acquired in the JJJ trade, the Grizzlies have a 2026 first-round pick swap involving the Magic, the Suns, and the Wizards; first-round swaps in 2027 and 2029; and a stash of second-round swaps over the next three seasons. Well played, Mr. Kleiman.<\/p>\n
WTF: Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n