The NBA trade deadline has passed, and the league has been completely shaken up once again. For those unfamiliar, the NBA has a trade deadline of Feb. 5, 2026, at 3 p.m. Before this deadline, NBA executives are allowed to make deals and trades of any kind, before the rosters are locked for the rest of the season. Which teams will be reformed and ready to push for the playoffs, and which teams will be selling out and hoping to rebuild? I will be grading each NBA team’s trades and evaluating which teams won and lost this year’s deadline.
Golden State Warriors trade F Jonathan Kuminga and G Buddy Hield to Atlanta Hawks for C Kristaps Porzingis
Warriors Grade: C
Hawks Grade: B+
The Golden State Warriors have been searching for a stretch 5 for many years. On top of that, Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL injury has only made the Warriors’ desires more dire. Porzingis is seven feet and two inches, can shoot the ball from limitless range and is an NBA champion. Ideally, Porzingis fulfills the exact needs to keep the Warriors in the mix for a championship as Steph Curry gets closer to retirement. However, Porzingis has only played 17 games all season, and is currently suffering from Achilles Tendonitis and POTS—which is a dysfunction of the nervous system. Not the type of setbacks you want to see if you are a Warriors fan.
The Hawks are now fully embracing the rebuild, after also trading away their franchise player, Trae Young. It also made sense for them to move on from Porzingis, as he did not have a team-friendly contract. Kuminga is also seven years younger, so he presents the Hawks with some fresh potential.
New York Knicks land G Jose Alvarado from New Orleans Pelicans for F Dalen Terry, two second-round picks and cash considerations
Knicks Grade: A
Pelicans Grade: B
This was exactly what the Knicks needed to replace the injured Deuce McBride, and provide great depth to the point guard position. Alvarado was a sensation in his rookie season, as he went viral for his tactic of hiding near his team’s bench, then sneaking up on opposing ball handlers and stealing the ball from behind, which was dubbed “Grand Theft Alvarado.” Alvarado has also developed his outside shooting in year two, making him a great two-way option for the Knicks as they hope to pursue their first finals appearance since 1999.
Philadelphia 76ers send G Jared McCain to Oklahoma City Thunder for 2026 first round pick, 2027 second round pick, 2028 second round pick (OKC) and 2028 second round pick (Milwaukee)
Thunder Grade: B+
76ers Grade: D
The OKC Thunder are fresh off the NBA Championship, and are still sitting at the top of the league with a record of 42-14. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been sidelined for multiple weeks with an abdominal strain, so the Thunder require guard depth. McCain was the 14th pick in the 2024 draft and came into the league on fire—averaging 15.3 points per game for the Sixers and leading every poll in the Rookie of the Year race. Unfortunately, he underwent season-ending meniscus surgery, and a thumb injury in the preseason set him back even further. In his second season, he struggled to obtain the numbers he was putting up pre-injury. However, in his past six games, he has shot 58 percent from three—a hopeful sign that he can get back to his rookie self.
The Philadelphia 76ers successfully kept themselves under the luxury tax line with this trade; however, the cons heavily outweigh the pros. The 2026 first round pick will likely be in the late 20’s, so they essentially traded their 2024 14th overall pick for multiple later picks. The Sixers are pretty guard-heavy, after drafting stud VJ Edgecombe with the third pick this year, but McCain is 21 years old and one of the only bright spots on this injury-riddled team. Former MVP Joel Embiid has been injured on and off for the past three years, and Paul George was just suspended 25 games for using performance enhancing drugs. The future is not bright for Philly, and losing McCain makes it even dimmer.
Los Angeles Clippers trade G James Harden to Cleveland Cavaliers for G Darius Garland and 2026 second round pick
Cavaliers Grade: B+
Clippers Grade: F
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the top teams in the East for the past few years, but they have not made it out of the second round of the playoffs since the departure of LeBron James. Superstar Donovan Mitchell has taken the bulk of the offensive load, so adding a pure scorer like Harden definitely balances out the Cavs offense. At 36, Harden has averaged 25.4 points per game with the Los Angeles Clippers. On the negative side, Harden has been known as a defensive liability, and has been on some very talented teams that have all failed to win a championship. First year coach Kenny Atkinson led the Cavs to the East’s number one seed last year, so we will see if the Beard can provide what Cleveland needs to reach the NBA finals.
The Clippers have been a completely dysfunctional franchise, and they continue to be with this trade. The entire Clippers team for the past six years has been centered around league veterans with a win-now strategy, yet the Clippers have failed to even reach the NBA finals once. Two-time champion Kawhi Leonard and Harden have been the backbone of the team this year, but in December, they found themselves well below .500. However, stellar performances from Leonard and Harden led the Clippers to win 16 out of 19 games in the past month. The timing of this trade makes absolutely no sense. If they wanted to give up on the win-now strategy and hedge for the 2026-27 season, they could have flipped Harden in December for a nice haul of draft picks. Instead, they went on a large winning streak, lowering their chances at a good draft pick, just to trade Harden anyway—and for a small return.
Washington Wizards acquire Anthony Davis and Trae Young, among others
Wizards Grade: A-
Washington received F Anthony Davis (Mavericks), G D’Angelo Russell (Mavericks), G Jaden Hardy (Mavericks), G Dante Exum (Mavericks) and G Trae Young (Hawks)
Mavericks Grade: A
Dallas received F Khris Middleton, G AJ Johnson, G Malaki Branham, F Marvin Bagley III, 2026 first round pick, 2030 first round pick, 2026 second round pick, 2027 second round pick and 2029 second round pick
Hawks Grade: C
Atlanta received G CJ McCollum and F Corey Kispert
These were definitely the biggest two trades of the deadline, with the Wizards giving up a massive haul for Anthony Davis and Trae Young. Davis is an NBA champion, a 10-time All-Star, and a 4-time All-NBA first team. However, this is the second time he has been traded in the past two seasons. He has had a tough history with injuries, and is slated to miss the entire 25-26 season with ligament damage in his left hand and a groin injury. Young is a four-time All-Star and was the league leader in assists last season. He was the franchise cornerstone for the Hawks, leading them to an Eastern Conference finals appearance in 2021. However, this would turn out to be the peak of the Young Hawks era, as his defensive liability and lack of surrounding talent led to minimal success. The pairing of Young and Davis won’t play together until next season, but it is the first time since 2017 (John Wall and Bradley Beal) that the Wizards have had such a dynamic duo. I predict they will complement each other well, as Young’s scoring and playmaking skills will work nicely with the seven-foot-tall Davis as a lob threat, and Davis’s elite defense will help offset Young’s lack thereof.
The Mavericks have gone fully away from their blockbuster trade last season and are going all in on building around 19-year old rookie Cooper Flagg. This trade actually makes up pretty well for last year’s blunder, as they have increased their draft capital immensely. With the return of Kyrie Irving looming, the Mavericks should definitely be in contention soon.
Winner: Washington Wizards
Although I only gave the Wizards an A-, I am ranking them as the winners of this year’s NBA trade deadline due to the immense nature of their trades. The Wizards have been a complete joke for the past nine years, almost always ending up at the bottom of the league. They have had some decent talent pass through, but have nothing to show for it. On top of that, they have gotten extremely unlucky with the draft lottery, losing out on a top-five pick last year, and drafting Alex Sarr with the second overall pick the year before. These trades finally put the Wizards into some sort of relevance in the league. Trae Young is only 27, and he hasn’t played with a star as good as Anthony Davis in his career. I still don’t think the Wizards are in contention with the Big Dogs of the East, like the Celtics, Knicks, Pistons or Cavs, but they have upgraded from bottom-feeder to possibly middle of the pack.
Loser: Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have done nothing but lose in every aspect of basketball for the past decade. In 2019, the Clippers traded future 2025 MVP, Finals MVP and Scoring Champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, along with Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick swaps to the OKC Thunder for Paul George, and signed Kawhi Leonard. The pairing of George and Leonard was meant to be the next big duo in the league and set up the Clippers for a win-now period. The Clippers certainly did not win now, as they have one Western Conference Finals appearance to show for it. The Thunder, who entered a clear rebuild after trading Paul George—third in MVP voting at the time—just won the 2025 NBA championship. The Clippers continue to take L after L, adding another one with this disastrous James Harden trade. I highly doubt the Clippers will make a run in the next few years, and it might be time to demote them to the Western Conference’s bottom feeders.