The NBA trade deadline has come and gone with no shortage of fanfare. Giannis Antetokounmpo did not change teams in the end, but this was far from a quiet deadline. Multiple All-Stars were exchanged, many in completely unexpected fashion. From the Utah Jazz swooping in for Jaren Jackson Jr., to the Washington Wizards of all teams acquiring Anthony Davis, this deadline sets the stage for an intriguing next couple of years.
In the end, 65 total players were moved in the month leading up to Thursday's 3 p.m. ET cutoff. Let's rank 'em all based on current ability.
Ranking every player moved at the 2026 NBA trade deadline
| Player | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | Nigel Hayes-Davis | PHX | MIL |
| 64 | Hunter Tyson | DEN | BKN |
| 63 | Dario Saric | SAC | DET |
| 62 | Georges Niang | UTA | MEM |
| 61 | AJ Johnson | WAS | DAL |
| 60 | Julian Phillips | CHI | MIN |
| 59 | Kobe Brown | LAC | IND |
| 58 | Duop Reath | POR | ATL |
| 57 | Guerschon Yabusele | NYK | CHI |
| 56 | D'Angelo Russell | DAL | WAS |
| 55 | Jaden Hardy | DAL | WAS |
| 54 | Gabe Vincent | LAL | ATL |
| 53 | Eric Gordon | PHI | MEM |
| 52 | Ousmane Dieng | OKC | CHI |
| 51 | Vince Williams Jr. | MEM | UTA |
| 50 | Trayce Jackson-Davis | GSW | TOR |
| 49 | Taylor Hendricks | UTA | MEM |
| 48 | Dalen Terry | CHI | NYK |
| 47 | Lonzo Ball | CLE | UTA |
| 46 | Leonard Miller | MIN | CHI |
| 45 | Nick Richards | PHX | MIL |
| 44 | Malaki Branham | WAS | DAL |
| 43 | Chris Paul | LAC | TOR |
| 42 | Rob Dillingham | MIN | CHI |
| 41 | Cole Anthony | MIL | PHX |
| 40 | Amir Coffey | MIL | PHX |
| 39 | Dante Exum | DAL | WAS |
| 38 | John Konchar | MEM | UTA |
| 37 | Walter Clayton Jr. | UTA | MEM |
| 36 | Ochai Agbaji | TOR | BKN |
| 35 | Mike Conley Jr. | MIN | CHA |
| 34 | Kyle Anderson | UTA | MEM |
| 33 | Chris Boucher | BOS | UTA |
| 32 | Isaiah Jackson | IND | LAC |
| 31 | Jose Alvarado | NOP | NYK |
| 30 | Khris Middleton | WAS | DAL |
| 29 | Buddy Hield | GSW | ATL |
| 28 | Tyus Jones | ORL | CHA |
| 27 | Marvin Bagley III | WAS | DAL |
| 26 | Jock Landale | MEM | ATL |
| 25 | De'Andre Hunter | CLE | SAC |
| 24 | Corey Kispert | WAS | ATL |
| 23 | Vit Kreji | ATL | POR |
| 22 | Josh Minott | BOS | BKN |
| 21 | Collin Sexton | CHA | CHI |
| 20 | Kevin Huerter | CHI | DET |
| 19 | Jonathan Kuminga | GSW | ATL |
| 18 | Jared McCain | PHI | OKC |
| 17 | Jaden Ivey | DET | CHI |
| 16 | Dennis Schroder | SAC | CLE |
15. Luke Kennard: ATL → LAL
Luke Kennard never seems to get the credit he deserves, but this was a nice little pull for the Lakers — even if he does not address any major needs. Kennard, a sharpshooting wing from Duke, ought to find some kinship with L.A. coach J.J. Redick. Kennard has converted 49.3 percent of his 3s this season, with underrated chops as a secondary playmaker. The defense ain't great, but Kennard is a very capable spacer and connector.
14. Keon Ellis: SAC → CLE
Keon Ellis has seen his scoring efficiency drop this season, but it's hard to blame him given the outsized mess in Sacramento. He joins a Cleveland team prepared to contend, where his stifling on-ball defense and propensity for spot-up 3s should fit nicely as a third guard behind James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. Ellis is a classic glue guy whose impact is often not encapsulated in the box score.
13. Bennedict Mathurin: IND → LAC
Bennedict Mathurin enjoyed the newfound freedom afforded by Indiana's temporary tank job, but now he joins a slightly more competitive environment alongside Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland in Los Angeles. The added infrastructure should ultimately prove beneficial for Mathurin, whose incredible explosiveness and shot-making are, at times, offset by excessive ambition. He's a deadly slasher who can take over a game at a moment's notice, though, with postseason bonafides to boot.
12. Anfernee Simons: BOS → CHI
Anfernee Simons carved out a nice role for himself as Boston's sixth man, but that was always a temporary arrangement. He's a weak defender, to be sure, but Simons' dynamism as a ball-handler and shot-maker makes him a classic spark-plug option off the bench. He joins a comically small and guard-heavy Bulls team, with half a season left to earn his next paycheck. When he's on the floor, however, buckets will rain.
11. CJ McCollum: WAS → ATL
CJ McCollum has reached the twilight stage of his career, but the veteran combo guard is still effortlessly smooth in his execution. A versatile shooter, a capable pick-and-roll generator and overall a savvy vet with positive leadership traits, McCollum was more than salary-filler for a Hawks team still hoping to crack the playoff picture. He won't detonate quite as often as he used to, but McCollum is a safe bet to score 15-20 points nightly, with a usefully scalable skill set.
10. Ayo Dosunmu: CHI → MIN
Minnesota finally addresses its backcourt problems with Ayo Dosunmu, whose contributions were too often unheralded in Chicago. Dosunmu is hitting a career-high 45.5 percent of his 3s this season, to go along with efficient slashing and strong connective passing instincts. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, strong enough to handle a few different matchups on defense. This is a huge win for the Wolves.
9. Coby White: CHI → CHA
Coby White lands down the street from his alma mater of UNC, with a chance to help Charlotte finally break into the Play-In race. White couldn't have asked for a much better landing spot in terms of opportunity and fit: His volume shooting and sparky drives should pair nicely with LaMelo Ball's talents as a ball-mover and setup man. White has his limitations as a defender and he's not a true point guard by trade, but he's a truly gifted scorer who can get to his shots in a variety of ways.
8. Nikola Vucevic: CHI → BOS
Boston has surged to a top-three seed in the East despite one of the weakest frontcourts in the NBA. Joe Mazzulla has done an exceptional job of elevating a patchwork roster, but now he has a real interior anchor in Nikola Vucevic. The defense ain't great, but Boston has compensated for lackluster defensive personnel all season. On offense, Vucevic can space the floor, pummel opponents in the post and give Boston a passing hub at the elbow, a la Al Horford. The Celtics aren't messing around in the East, with or without Jayson Tatum.
7. Kristaps Porzingis: ATL → GSW
This has been a stop-and-go season for Kristaps Porzingis on the injury front, and his 2-point efficiency has suffered in mildly concerning ways. Still, he's a towering rim deterrent, which Golden State has lacked behind Draymond Green for far too long. His rangy 3-point shooting and evolved mid-post game should also flourish in Steve Kerr's system, with the combined gravity of Stephen Curry and Porzingis inducing many a headache for opposing defenses.
6. Darius Garland: CLE → LAC
Darius Garland needs to get right and prove that he can stay on the floor consistently, but Los Angeles can hardly complain about swapping James Harden for a two-time All-Star a decade his junior. Garland is a classic pick-and-roll savant, with a more diverse off-ball repertoire than Harden. He should strike a harmonious balance with Leonard as the Clippers' short-term pillars, with Garland also a potential bridge to whatever comes next.
5. Trae Young: ATL → WAS
Trae Young figures to miss most if not all of Washington's remaining games this season, but this nightmare campaign should not define him. There's a reason the Wizards struck this trade and figured the risk worth the reward: Young is one of the most inventive playmakers in the sport, with the ball on a string and his head always on a swivel, and he can still break a defense's back with his pull-up shooting. If Young can get healthy and settle into an offense rhythm next season, he should make life easier on Washington's potpourri of young wings and forwards.
4. Ivica Zubac: LAC → IND
Indiana paid too steep a price of Ivica Zubac on the surface, but he's a legitimate top-five defender in the sport and an incredible boon for their title odds next season. Indiana likes to push the tempo a lot more than L.A., making this a somewhat complicated fit, but Zubac should benefit Tyrese Haliburton with his thunderous screens and interior scoring. He's a nifty connective passer, too. The Pacers would look a bit silly if the No. 5 pick lands in Inglewood, but this was a win-now move in anticipation of Haliburton's return.
3. Jaren Jackson Jr.: MEM → UTA
Jaren Jackson Jr. had barely scratched the surface of his $205 million extension when Memphis pulled the plug. He ends up in Utah, forming a comically large and skilled frontcourt next to Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen. Utah's defense should take a sizable leap at full strength, while the combined shooting gravity of Jackson and Markkanen in the frontcourt — not to mention Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and Utah's other talented scorers — could prove extremely beneficial. Will Hardy is a real coach with a real team now. This season is lost, but 2027 could be a fun breakthrough for Jazz fans.
2. Anthony Davis: DAL → WAS
Washington was able to acquire Anthony Davis for pennies on the dollar. The plan is to tank this season, hopefully add a Cam Boozer or Darryn Peterson to the mix on draft night, and then compete with AD and Trae Young leading the charge in 2027. That feels like a flawed and somewhat shortsighted strategy, but Davis remains highly impactful as a rim protector and No. 2 scorer. His skill set does, on paper, align quite nicely with Young. Washington has plenty of depth, a high defensive ceiling and an appetite for immediate success. This is a fascinating pivot. Doomed, perhaps, but admirable in its way.
1. James Harden: LAC → CLE
James Harden does raise the immediate ceiling for this Cavs team. He's 36 and his defense is a joke, but Harden's late-career pivot from volume shooter to patient, pass-first creator has extended his star window far longer than anyone expected four years ago when Brooklyn shipped him to Philadelphia. Harden's perceived lack of loyalty and complicated postseason résumé are well-documented at this point, but he's still a winning player, and he should do a lot to elevate Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as the Cavs seek to conquer a wide-open East.
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