Three NBA Trade Deadline Flops That Changed Nothing

The flurry of activity leading up to the NBA trade deadline was so dizzying at times, it was hard to catch your breath.

But now that the dust has settled on this year’s roster shuffling, there’s really only one conclusion to draw:

Man, we’re out of shape.

The Thunder went into the future-rescripting week as a prohibited favorite to win the NBA title, and that remains the same.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant watched their teams play Wednesday night as the final hours ticked down on moving day. And Friday, they’ll do the same thing — still stuck where they don’t want to be.

The Wizards and Jazz won the day. When’s the last time we were able to say that?

And will it really matter?

Make no mistake: In terms of landscape-changing impact, the NBA trade deadline fizzled again. Losers outnumbered winners in a landslide.

Here are my three biggest flops …

There’s No Defense for Celtics Blunder

Amid talk of tanking the season, the Celtics have a really nice thing going this year. And just when you thought the only thing that could mess it up was the premature return of Jayson Tatum …

THEY DID WHAT?

Despite having lost key stoppers, the Celtics have become the best defensive team in the NBA. Led by Jaylen Brown, they bring it on the effort side of the court every night.

Neemias Queta has been a big part of that. He protects the rim and rebounds on one end, and pretty much stays out of the way on the other. You know, kinda like Robert Williams III did in the Celtics’ most recent run to the Finals.

Heck, even Luka Garza has proven useful, and now Amari Williams is playing an effective role.

Shockingly, without Tatum, this team might have played itself into the favorite’s role in the East.

But not anymore. Not with Nikola Vucevic anchoring the middle. And I do mean anchoring.

Yeah, he’s big, strong and puts up good numbers. Well, SOME good numbers.

Others are just big. As in his team’s perennial propensity to stockpile losses. And then there’s the scariest number of all: 1,607.

Care to guess what that is? Maybe if it were written as minus-1,607, you’d have a better clue.

That’s Vucevic’s career plus/minus in 15 seasons with the 76ers, Magic and Bulls.

Yeah, I know, those haven’t been great teams the past decade and a half. But they weren’t THAT bad.

In his 31,983 minutes, Vucevic’s teams have been 1,607 points worse off. Simply stated: When he plays, the opponent prospers.

It says here: He’s the worst defensive big man in the league. And now he’s going to be asked to chase Cade Cunningham on the perimeter when Brown gets screened time and time again?

You’ve got to be kidding.

The Twin Bridges To Nowhere

Talk about a trade that really should have happened …

When New York acquired Mikal Bridges from the Nets at a heavy price in July of 2024, it seemed like a brilliant move. Tom Thibodeau was desperate for defensive athleticism on the wing, and few have more of that than the slender Bridges.

But things have changed in Gotham City. OG Anunoby now fills that role just fine, and the Knicks find themselves more in need of a heavyweight to be a bodyguard for Karl Anthony-Towns.

And “brother” Miles is much better suited for that.

Meanwhile, the Hornets have an entertaining thing going down in North Carolina. They’ve turned into a virtual track team seeking more sprinters and one fewer shot putter.

Mikal is that guy.

No, the Bridges boys are not related. But they really deserved to be interconnected this week.

Adding Miles would have made the Knicks a more serious contender. And bringing aboard Mikal would made the Hornets one of those teams to avoid in the playoffs — this year and moving forward.

It would have been a win-win that someone would have labeled the best brother trade in NBA history since the Gasols.

They’d be wrong. But no matter. It was the Bridges, both seeking happiness, who got wronged.

The Dukie of Hazzard Sequel

Even with a dynasty between the end of his playing career and today, many Warriors fans still consider Mike Dunleavy Jr. the franchise’s worst draft pick of all-time. And that includes Chris Washburn.

When he was brought back as GM, doomsayers predicted another decade of darkness. It appears they might be right.

Dunleavy was given a rather simple task about a year ago: Maximize the bring-back on a 22-year-old gazelle who already had demonstrated 20 points-per-game ability.

The 2025 deadline passed and no deal.
The 2025–26 off-season passed and no deal.
And now the 2026 deadline has passed and … Shockingly, the best Dunleavy could get for Jonathan Kuminga was a salary dump.

The goal for the Warriors at this deadline was two-fold:

Do something to enable to team to sneak into the 2026 playoffs and give Stephen Curry a chance to put on another of his must-see shows; and

Most importantly, turn Kuminga into someone who could, with Jimmy Butler III returning, help give Golden State a shot at one more title run next season.

Kristaps Porzingis does neither.

The human stiff is always hurt and has done more damage to franchises than help raise banners. Just ask the Knicks, Mavericks, Wizards, Celtics and now Hawks. All are counting their lucky stars that someone was dumb enough to take him off their hands.

And next year? The $30.7 million saved in Zinger’s expiring contract does nothing to help produce a championship, unless you consider it an addition by subtraction. The club will still be seriously capped.

The Warriors needed Morant, but Dunleavy jumped the gun a day early when the price was still coming down.

So instead of just a headache, they got the full-body torture.