Biggest Winners and Losers of the Trade Deadline

Each year, the NBA Trade Deadline is a date that is circled on the calendars of fans, players, and front office members the same. All for their own individual reasons, but the date itself is a big reason the NBA is the best league in sports. Countless intrigue, plots, compelling storylines, compilations of trade packages, posturing between front offices, you name it, it occurs.

Aside from the entertainment aspect, it is the most effective avenue for teams to build their rosters in season. There are a multitude of intricacies both big and small that make the process complicated, but when executed precisely, the results can be fruitful for any franchises aspirations. With that, let's take a look at who the biggest winners and losers of the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline were.

Winners

Boston Celtics

For Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics, who have aspirations of attaining Anthony Davis, their best move was no move. Absolutely no move.

For starters, they are loaded on paper, at least two viably talented guys at each position. That alone would bring solace in not making a move, but also being incentivized by the fact that you are now in the driver's seat of those with the same endeavor or attaining the services of Davis helps as well. Their trade package. The way that their cap situation stands and with the way their contracts currently align, they have the best opportunity to find a middle ground with New Orleans and to get a deal done for Anthony Davis this summer.

Philadelphia 76ers

For all teams who made trades with specific goals for this season in mind, the Sixers are absolutely the winners of the deadline. Newly hired GM Elton Brand was given the blessing to go forward with acquiring the best talents available, and boy did he do just that.

Earlier in the season, the Sixers made a great (yet risky) trade with the Timberwolves to acquire all-star wing Jimmy Butler. This acquisition proved fruitful right away as Butler would come up clutch in multiple scenarios over his first weeks worth of games. He proved his worth in the leadership department (both by action and verbally... at least initially).

On top of that, Brand and the Sixers would swoop in out of the blue and suddenly acquire one of the most efficient and complimentary stars in the league in Tobias Harris.

Those being the major names, they have also acquired a multitude of bench talent to solidify their second string by attaining G/F Jonothan Simmons, F Mike Scott, F James Ennis, and C Boban Marjanovic.

They have added some nice pieces to their roster and now could very well be the favorites in the Eastern Conference.

The Top of the Eastern Conference

Excluding the Indiana Pacers who are in 3rd place at the moment, the Eastern Conferences 4 most talented teams all benefitted in one way or another at the deadline. Each teams benefit will result in even more parody moving forward in the new LeBron-less Eastern Conference. It is all but certain which four teams will be in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Bucks, Raptors, Sixers, and Celtics, in any combination of match-ups, will be extremely intriguing. This season it could very well rival the potential Western Conference Semi-Finals. The Raptors added skilled veteran C Marc Gasol. While the Milwaukee Bucks added stretch forward, and an extremely versatile weapon in Nikola Mirotic to add to their plethora of floor spacers surrounding Giannis.

Losers

Los Angeles Lakers

It's been well publicized that their best chance at attaining Anthony Davis was a before this seasons Feb. 7th trade deadline. They did not execute on that, and seemingly left too much of a focus on Davis. They are now left with the same flaw filled roster. However, it's now coupled with disgruntled young players and veterans alike who are either mad at coach Luke Walton, or at the fact that their names have been involved with rumors. They are also currently 1.5 games behind the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. Their season is essentially at a crossroads of sorts as we near the all-star break.

LeBron James will have his work cut out, as he is tasked with what could be his toughest leadership task to date, and that is solidifying a spot in the playoffs. Disgruntled young players, a disconnect between other players and the head coach, and the pressure of being the best player for this franchise are a lot of weight to carry. The team also still has plenty that is yet to manifest in identity, second and third options, and rotational roles.

The stage is set. It has been a worst case scenario for the Lakers so far, but they have time to right their wrongs... or at least put a bandage over them.

For what it's worth, they did acquire a little defense and shooting in G/F Reggie Bullock, and a capable shooter (although he has not been good this season) in Mike Muscala.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz entered deadline week with, in my eyes, the best opportunity in the NBA to get better. They are surging, currently sixth in the West, and were seemingly primed with the perfect salary cap situation and contracts that were movable to acquire pieces to help them better their roster. They were in heavy talks regarding the services of veteran G Mike Conley, which made all the sense in the world. However, after drawn out conversations with the Memphis Grizzlies, a deal never materialized. Even more, other targets of theirs in Otto Porter Jr. and Tobias Harris, were both traded in deals that the Jazz seemingly could have had little to no issue matching compensation-wise.

Those three players all would have complemented their duo of Mitchell and Gobert, but also would have catapulted them closer to that upper tier of teams in the West. They remained idle, and it very well could hurt them when it matters most come playoff time. These opportunities are the one's smaller market teams have to seize, as their chances of acquiring players of that level are slim to none via free agency.

This was one of the most interesting trade deadlines in recent memory. It served as a great prelude to what should be a talented buyout market as well as an even more intriguing free agency period after the playoffs and NBA Draft.