NBA Trade Deadline: Pacers, Clippers & Biggest Winners

The Pacers

Nice move from the last finalists who went looking for their next pivot after losing Myles Turner during the last Free Agency. The Pacers paid a high price to unearth Ivica Zubac: two first draft rounds as well as Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson.

Indiana has notably weighed its selection in 2026 while it currently occupies one of the last places in the Eastern Conference. But the leaders protected this choice between the first and fourth selection then between the tenth and thirtieth.

In other words, the franchise is betting that there are only four essential prospects in this upcoming crop (Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson) and that it is ready not to draft if it moves up too much in the rankings or lacks luck in the lottery. A position that is defended since Zubac will form a very interesting duo with Tyrese Haliburton when the latter returns from injury.

It was left over

At least he could have a blast in Chicago. While a return to Europe seemed to be looming, the inside of the France team was still offered a way out with this transfer from the Knicks to the Bulls.

Above all, he will still have one (last) opportunity to show himself since the interior sector of his new team is depopulated and the managers therefore want to keep him until the end of the season. He has already started strong by compiling 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Yabusele has no choice, he will have to shine if he wants to convince a franchise to sign him next summer. The same logic applies to Ousmane Dieng, who briefly spent time with Chicago before being sent to Milwaukee, where he should also have minutes as he reaches the end of his contract.

The Clippers

Zubac’s deal is a win-win on its face. Because for a team like Los Angeles, which got rid of almost all of its draft rounds to strengthen the team for its vain quest for the NBA title, drawing between fifth and ninth place would be a pretty incredible boon.

The Californians haven’t drafted in the top-10 for 16 years! They still need a little luck at the time of the draw and they will monitor that carefully. In any case, the Clips will recover two first rounds: that of the Pacers unprotected in 2029 and also in 2031 if that of 2026 remains in Indiana.

That’s far enough away to hope for a Pacers crash. Especially since Los Angeles remains under threat of losing its draft rights if the NBA ever judges that the franchise tried to circumvent the Salary Cap to pay Kawhi Leonard. The investigation is still ongoing.

The Clippers also obviously parted ways with James Harden (and Chris Paul) by recovering in exchange a leader ten years younger, also an All-Star. Darius Garland will be able to relaunch his career at the club where his father played. The various decisions taken by the front office suggest that management did not believe, probably rightly so, in the team’s chances of achieving anything other than a simple qualification in the playoffs. They therefore brought back a little youth and flexibility to a squad that was sorely lacking while remaining a solid team. Nice job.

(Maybe) winner: Washington

There is a team that was not afraid to increase its payroll but it is not the one we expected. A month after bringing in Trae Young, the Wizards dared what no one seemed ready to try: they positioned themselves on Anthony Davis. Washington is therefore greatly accelerating its youth project, even if the club, fortunately, is set to once again draw in the top positions in the 2026 draft. Young and Davis will not make their debut with their new team until next season.

The Wizards will therefore surround their talents of tomorrow, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Bilal Coulibaly and company with two All-Stars both looking for a massive contract extension. All this without any real guarantee that it will work and perhaps even to the detriment of certain young people.

Sarr, who thrives near the circle, will probably have to change some of his game again to evolve with Davis. But Washington should at least start winning a few games, which hasn’t happened in a long time.

Le “Tall Ball”

The Jazz, by daring to associate Jaren Jackson Jr with Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, are following the lead of the Rockets and other teams in the league by sacrificing space and ball movement for size. Not sure it works for every team but it’s still intriguing. Moreover, this revamped Utah team determined to become competitive again will be interesting to follow next season.

On paper: the Cavaliers

Donovan Mitchell would have made it clear to his leaders that they had to be active at the deadline, otherwise they would upset the superstar of the team whose contract potentially expires in 2027. Message well received. The Cavaliers traded Darius Garland and his health problems for a more physically reliable James Harden despite being ten years older. Intrinsically, the former MVP is obviously more talented and the team has strengthened in the very short term. Especially since Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder also arrived in Ohio.

Cleveland parted ways with the three players with the worst differential in the group (Garland, De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball) to add three quality veterans including a superstar. All while even reducing the payroll!

On paper, it’s impeccable. But in practice… how can a team that has defeated so many times in the playoffs think that the miracle solution is the player who tends to disappear more in the hot moments of the most important matches over the last decade? Harden will have three months to acclimatize to his new team while finding his feet with Mitchell. The bearded man is taller than Garland but he remains a potential flaw in defense. The Cavaliers have a window in the East but not many more guarantees.