Phoenix Suns: A

Kevin Durant SF | T.J Warren SF/PF

Kevin Durant headlined a gigantic splash at approximately 1:00 AM EST after Woj announced a deal that would send the 12-time NBA All-Star along with Front court teammate T.J Warren to the Suns in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder (who ended up in a trade with MIL for five second-rounders), four first-round picks (unprotected first rounders for ’23, ’25, ’27 & ’29) and a first-round pick swap.

The Suns now have possibly the league’s most lethal pure-scoring tandems with Durant and Booker. The best part of the Suns’ NBA trade deadline wasn’t only landing a franchise-altering talent out of KD, but also finding a way to retain Ayton and their veteran floor general – Chris Paul. The Suns now have heavily shifted the weighted scale in the tight Western Conference battle and appear to be the favorites to make their way to their second Finals appearance in the last three years. You land a player like Kevin Durant without giving up your best player and retain four out of your five starters – you absolutely deserve an A grade.

Fantasy Impact:
↔️ Kevin Durant, Devin Booker
⬇️ Chris Paul, TJ Warren, Ayton

Brooklyn Nets: B

Mikal Bridges SF | Cameron Johnson F

Mikal Bridges is the definition of an iron man in which he has yet to miss a game in his four-year career in the NBA. With the highly encouraging development of DPOY candidate, Nic Claxton, the Nets hyper-focused on acquiring one of the league’s premier two-way wings out of Bridges and look to take a shot at Cam Johnson’s ability to shoot efficiently from beyond the arc. Brooklyn’s roster is bolstered with wing depth, defensive versatility, and unselfish role players. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this gritty team, now led by the all-star caliber Mikal Bridges, finish in the top six in the Eastern Conference come playoffs. Despite trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during the NBA trade deadline the Nets came away with solid pieces they can build around.

Fantasy Impact:
⬆️ Cam Thomas, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson
⬇️ Royce O’Neale, Seth Curry

Trail Blazers: C+

Cam Reddish SF | Matisse Thybulle SG | Kevin Knox PF

If there is one area the Blazers undeniably improved on it is: adding length. Cam Reddish (6’8″ w/ 7’1″ wingspan) Matisse Thybulle (6’5″ w/ 7’0″ wingspan) & Kevin Knox (6’7″ w/ 7’0″ wingspan). Portland reshaped their wing room by adding athleticism and defensive versatility. Reddish coming out of high school was one of the most coveted players, however, has yet to find his footing in the NBA. More recently, reports have come out where the current Knicks head coach and Reddish didn’t see ‘eye-to-eye’, which resulted in benching Reddish through December & January. Cam has displayed flashes of impressive shooting capabilities and bursts of explosiveness to the rim. Consistency will be key, which hopefully Portland could provide for the young forward.

Matisse Thybulle on the other hand is a different player prototype as one of the league’s top perimeter defenders as a two-time NBA All-Defensive team (’21 & ’22) and NCAA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.

The Blazers cut their relationship with Gary Payton II short to cash in five second-round picks and Kevin Knox. Given the failed GPII experiment, the five second-rounders provide a ton of flexibility – either in the draft or the trade market. If Knox impresses over the next few months, they have a team option for 2023-24 that they can exercise to keep him around; if not, which is the more likely scenario, they can just let him walk.

Overall very solid return for dealing Josh Hart & GP two minutes per game, however, if this is Cronin’s vision of ‘surrounding Dame with talent’ and staying aggressive during Lillard’s prime, then I am less than amused.

Fantasy Impact:
⬆️ Cam Reddish, Shaedon Sharpe
↔️ Matisse Thybulle
⬇️ Jerami Grant

New York Knicks: B

Josh Hart SF

Josh Hart is the epitome of a Thibs type of player: a hard-nosed hustler who does all the little things right. Hart’s stay in Portland was cut short due to a need for both size and shooting, however, Josh is an elite rebounder who can help push the pace. Hart is now reunited with his backcourt colleague teammate, Jalen Brunson, which helps Josh assimilate quicker to the bright lights in the MSG by already having chemistry in the clubhouse. This move was one of my favorite underrated trades this NBA trade deadline as the New York Knicks get a plug-and-play competitor who can help close out games by crashing for the loose board or pulling up for a pivotal corner three. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hart average more minutes as a Knick than a Blazer.

Fantasy Impact:

⬆️ Josh Hart
↔️ Jalen Brunson
⬇️ RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes

Los Angeles Lakers: B+

The Lakers were able to find a team that would take on Westbrook’s contract and simultaneously added solid young pieces to their rotation. D’Angelo Russell is back in LA and provides another ball handler that could run the offense especially when LeBron is off the floor. It also gives the Lakers three-point shooting which is something they desperately need. He’s shooting a career-high 39 percent from three this season. However, his Achilles heel is defense and it remains to be seen how the Lakers will adjust when teams target him. Malik Beasley gives the Lakers another three-point threat. He’s knocking down three three-pointers per game and shooting it at around 35 percent.

Jarred Vanderbilt is a defensive-minded player whose specialty is rebounding. He can play alongside Anthony Davis, but there will be floor spacing issues as he spends the majority of his time around the paint area. Russell, Beasley, and Vanderbilt all played together in Minnesota last season so there is some familiarity between the three. Mo Bamba is a solid rim protector and can space the floor on offense. If the Lakers want to go big they can play him next to Anthony Davis as well. Overall, the Lakers brought in some young players that fill gaps in their rotation.

Fantasy Impact:
⬇️ D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt

↔️ LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Mo Bamba

Utah Jazz: B+

Russell Westbrook PG | 2027 first-round pick (top-four protected)

Danny Ainge does it again by acquiring another first-round pick! The Jazz have an abundance of draft picks and on top of that, they saved some cap space by dealing Mike Conley. In addition, Westbrook’s contract expires after the season so there’s no hit toward their cap space. The Jazz are in rebuilding mode and going into the season they wanted to tank. Now they can look to build around guys like Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.

Fantasy Impact:

⬆️ Walker Kessler, Jordan Clarkson

↔️ Russell Westbrook, Lauri Markkanen

Minnesota Timberwolves: C

Mike Conley Jr. PG | Juan Toscano-Anderson PF | Damian Jones C | and Nickeil Alexander-Walker PG | 2024, 2025, and 2026 second-round picks

The Timberwolves essentially turned D’Angelo Russell into Mike Conley. They gave away a ton of draft capital for Rudy Gobert, but three second-round picks do not make up for it. They needed to get something in return for Russell since his contract expires this season and it seems like they’re trying to make Gobert more comfortable in their system hence Conley. Conley played with Gobert for three years in Utah, but in my opinion, the Wolves need some more young pieces to build around Anthony Edwards.

Fantasy Impact:

⬆️ Anthony Edwards

↔️ Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert

Toronto Raptors: C

Jakob Poeltl C

The Raptors were rumored to be sellers at the NBA trade deadline but turned into buyers. In fact, they gave up a 2024 first-round pick, a 2023 second-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick to acquire Poeltl. Poeltl provides the Raptors with the interior defensive presence they need in order to guard bigs like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was originally drafted by the Raptors so it should be a seamless transition. Masai Ujiri has been known to drive a hard bargain and the asking price for Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby were rumored to be high. We’ll see what Ujiri does in the offseason.

Fantasy Impact:

⬆️ Zach Collins

↔️ Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet

⬇️ Jakob Poeltl

Golden State Warriors: C

Gary Payton II G

The Warriors had to make a move during this NBA trade deadline. The defensive specialist Gary Payton II reunites with the defending champions. Despite concerns regarding his physical and abdominal injury, the deal has been finalized. Payton II thrived in the Warriors system last season as their best on-ball defender and hit the occasional three. He’s a great slasher and can also play with Curry and Poole in small-ball lineups. One reason why the Warriors have been hovering at .500 all season is because of their lack of defense. Although their defense improved with Payton II there are still numerous deficiencies with this Warriors team.

Fantasy Impact:

↔️ Steph Curry, Jordan Poole

Detroit Pistons: B-

James Wiseman C

The Pistons have always been intrigued by Wiseman even before the NBA trade deadline. The former number two overall pick finds himself in Detroit where he will get the opportunity to play more minutes without the pressure of winning. Health has been the biggest issue in his career thus far, but the talent is definitely there. With the injury to Bagley, Wiseman will be able to showcase his skills for the remainder of the season.

Fantasy Impact:

⬆️ James Wiseman

↔️ Jalen Duren

Los Angeles Clippers: B+

Mason Plumlee C | Bones Hyland PG | Eric Gordon SG

The Clippers somewhat went under the radar as having one of the best NBA trade deadlines, picking up two potential difference-making guards in veteran Eric Gordon and sharp-shooting Bones Hyland. The Clippers also added backup center Mason Plumlee without giving up a first-round pick. Cutting ties with John Wall, while also adding offensive firepower and depth will pay dividends for this team as they look to preserve the health of their stars: Paul George & Kawhi Leonard.

Fantasy Impact:
↔️ Bones Hyland, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Norman Powell
⬇️ Ivica Zubac, Mason Plumlee, Eric Gordon

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