8 winners and 4 losers from the 2018 NBA trade deadline

The NBA trade deadline came and went with the Cleveland Cavaliers completing approximately 2,300 trades, and little else of consequence. The moves completely reshaped the roster around LeBron James, even at the expense of Isaiah Thomas, who finished fifth in MVP voting last season but who has seriously stumbled ever since.

By our count, 12 trades went down on Thursday before the 3 p.m. deadline hit, and 25 percent of those did involve Cleveland. The rest ranged from minor cap-saving or bench-clearing moves, or the occasional young prospects swapped out for another or minor assets. First-round picks, beyond one Cleveland pick, did not exchange hands. This is shaping up to be a loaded buyout market.

There are obvious winners and losers from Thursday, and there are a few less obvious ones, too. Here you go.

I don’t know how much closer Cleveland is to the finals after a flurry of deadline deals. Between Toronto and Boston, they will still have a tougher path through the Eastern Conference than any season prior. But they had to do what they did on Thursday. There was no other option.

Cleveland’s new look roster now includes George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr., and Jordan Clarkson — roughly ranked in order of importance. Hill is a necessary off-ball guard who can shoot and defend, while Hood theoretically can do the same thing on the wing. (Utah has played way better on both ends with Hood off the floor, but he can do both if motivated and engaged.)

Nance and Clarkson are solid pickups, too, though their ultimate success will depend on how well the Cavaliers coaching staff can integrate them into the system. Clarkson still can’t really shoot and his shot selection is poor, but he’s a better backup than Jose Calderon when LeBron James is off the floor. It’s worth trying, and Clarkson doesn’t have to crack the playoff rotation if that experiment isn’t effective. Nance can take Jeff Green’s role, and with his athleticism, be much more productive. He’s a smart player, and he’ll allow for some fun smallball center lineups, too.

The trades should at least reinvigorate a Cavaliers team whose effort was dragging, even from James at the very top. Congratulations to Koby Altman, the general manager whose name has been dragged through the mud in recent weeks but who came out with two quality deals while retaining Dan Gilbert’s precious 2018 Nets first-rounder.

Due to the moves the Lakers made on Thursday, they now have the space to sign Paul George and LeBron James next summer — or any other combination of superstars who are available next summer including DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony.

Los Angeles unloaded contracts. In unloading the pricy contract of Clarkson and taking on a pair of contracts set to expire this summer, they now they have room to sign two superstars this summer or the next. This is key in making a real run at LeBron James and Paul George, who are both set to become unrestricted free agents this summer.

L.A. capitalized on that desperation. In the process, they might’ve just tricked the Cavs into playing James right into their hands this summer.

Look, that’s an optimistic reading of the situation. It has already been reported that Los Angeles is beginning to look ahead to the 2019 free agency, and George keeps hinting he’ll return to Oklahoma City. Is the Lakers young core really good enough for James to consider them? I don’t think the desired James-George pairing is likely, but it’s possible. That’s a big win for Lakers fans, who will assume speculate that it will happen for the next six months.

(To be clear, these moves were still good in the long term. I’m just not much higher on Los Angeles’ 2018 hopes than before.)

During the Cavs overhaul, they also sent Dwyane Wade back home to the Miami Heat. After a season-and-a-half away, which felt completely awkward the entire time, Wade is back in Wade County. His playing time in Cleveland was about to diminish and Wade was longing for a reunion in South Beach. The fans will welcome him back with open arms because Wade and the Miami Heat belong together:

In the matter of an hour, the Cleveland Cavaliers overhauled their roster, and Twitter was there to experience every second of it.

After the Isaiah Thomas trade:

After the Jae Crowder and Derek Rose to Utah, Joe Johnson to Sacramento, and George Hill Rodney Hood to the Cavs trade:

After the Wade trade (that collectively broke Twitter):

Twitter, once again, is the only absolute winner.

Here’s some names that could hit the buyout market: Marco Bellinelli, Tyson Chandler, Vince Carter, Tony Allen, Brandan Wright, and Corey Brewer. Joe Johnson and Derrick Rose are reportedly both already headed in that direction. Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova have indicated they aren’t interested, but it’s possible that changes. Memphis might retain Tyreke Evans, but he’d immediately be a top target if they change their mind. Across the ocean, Boris Diaw reportedly could exercise a contract out and add his ample postseason experience to an interested squad.

It’s a busy, hectic market that should shore up benches for playoff teams across the league over the next few weeks.

Hill signed with Sacramento this summer because no one else was offering him three years’ worth nearly $60 million. Get that money! But make no mistake — he barely tried with the Kings and only really succeeded in clogging the rotation in front of De’Aaron Fox. We should get an active, engaged Hill back in Cleveland, which is a relief.

No one would part with them, other than Cleveland, who still retained their beloved Brooklyn one. All those first-round picks should feel very loved right now.

In all seriousness, ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz had a great point — it’s harder to make moves when general managers all value the same things:

The clock had run out on both Elfrid Payton and Emmanuel Mudiay in their current situations, even though the two are 23 and 21 years old, respectively. Don’t rule out either player from figuring out, not yet, but both needed knew looks. Payton’s trade to Phoenix and Mudiay moving to New York allows them fresh starts, and we’re hoping they take full advantage.

Comparing Thomas’ highs and lows next to each other is nearly traumatic. In one moment, not even one year ago, he had peaked in Boston while running the show and finishing fifth in MVP voting. By that August, he was injured and traded for a younger version of himself. Over the past two months, he has morphed from being a shell of himself, to feuding with his teammates over who’s at fault, to being traded on deadline day yet again.

There’s nothing more to be said that hasn’t been already, but it’s still sad to see Thomas reduced to this. Here’s hoping he’ll work his way back and find a situation this summer that works for him.

Memphis made it clear it wanted a first-round pick for the resurgent Tyreke Evans, having his best season since winning Rookie of the Year in Sacramento. But no one budged, and neither did general manager Chris Wallace. I’m not sure that was the right move.

Evans is a free agent this coming summer, and it makes sense that he’d cash in somewhere else. It’s not certain, and Memphis may push to retain him. Still, they don’t have his Bird rights or any other advantages to doing so, other than employing his this season. Sure, maybe Memphis’ best offer was two second-round picks, but that’s better than nothing.

There are already reports that Tom Thibodeau would like to sign Derrick Rose, who is expected to be bought out. When Rose inevitably steals minutes from Tyus Jones, a much better player who can actually, you know, hit jump shots, then Timberwolves fans will have a conniption. And it will not be pretty:

The buyout market may change things — and Boston has already secured Greg Monroe, sure — but the possibility that LeBron James’ team would self-implode before meeting them in the postseason has slimmed dramatically. Again, I’m giving both those teams serious chances at an upset — the Cavaliers have improved, but this is still their weakest team since James returned. But they’ll have to earn it.