Winners and losers from the 2026 NBA trade deadline

An eventful NBA trade deadline passed with superstars changing teams, longtime veterans getting cut loose and contenders choosing tax savings over competition. Here are the winners and losers from the 2026 NBA trade deadline.

Winners

Indiana Pacers

It would have been easy for the Indiana Pacers to stand pat at the trade deadline. A lost season without Tyrese Haliburton was leading to a high lottery pick, and Bennedict Mathurin's impeding restricted free agency gave them time to make a decision on their young guard.

Instead, they made an aggressive move to acquire All-Defensive center Ivica Zubac for the Los Angeles Clippers, sending two first-round picks. They gambled by protecting next year's pick for 1-4 and 10-30, risking a very good pick to get a very good center on an affordable (two years, $40.6M through 2028) to replace Myles Turner and jump right back into contention next season.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The rich got richer when the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder added sharpshooter Jared McCain, who is shooting 48.7 percent on threes in 2026. All it cost them was a 2016 first-round pick — the worst of the Thunder's four firsts this year — and three second-rounders. 

Chicago Bulls

Would it be better if the Chicago Bulls had acquired a first-round pick instead of a whopping nine second-rounders? Yes, but they deserve credit for finally moving on from their perennial play-in-losing roster. Out went Nikola Vucevic, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, in came young guards Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey and Rob Dillingham. No first-rounders, but they did get two former lottery picks with upside in Ivey and Dillingham.

Charlotte Hornets

Perhaps inspired by their seven-game win streak (now eight!), the Charlotte Hornets upgraded from Collin Sexton to Coby White, giving them the NBA's most overqualified sixth man. They added more guard depth with Tyus Jones and scooped up three second-round picks for their trouble.

Losers

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors began the week believing they could trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. They finished it by trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield for the injured Kristaps Porzingis, a lackluster return for a former lottery pick they waited too long to trade. They also alienated Draymond Green by putting him in trade offers. It was a huge flop for the Warriors, who look bound for the lottery.

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards didn't give up much to add Anthony Davis and Trae Young, two veteran stars who could help the Wizards' extremely young roster. Both players are injured, which will help the Wizards keep their top-8-protected pick this year. But it seems likely the Wizards will extend both players on big-money deals, which would be a huge mistake.

Los Angeles Clippers

Did the Clippers pivot well in the after math of James Harden's trade demand? Yes, but the end result was being forced into a rebuild that will tank this year's playoff push, just 10 days before the Clippers host the All-Star Game. They looked like a serious playoff threat after a 16-4 run in Harden's last 20 games. Now their All-Defensive center is gone and the season is a wash.

Free agency

Three of the teams with the most cap space for the summer of 2026 opted to use it on trade deadline deals instead, with the Wizards the most prominent example. The Utah Jazz ate up their cap space by trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. The Bulls traded for Ivey and Anfernee Simons, both impending free agents they're likely to take off the market.