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Welcome to February Daily Topics at Golden State of Mind. A question (almost) every day this month to give the community a prompt to talk about!
The 2026 NBA trade deadline was, in a word, bizarre. The one big move that had gained steam — a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade — not only failed to materialize, but turned into smoke and mirrors before our very eyes.
And yet, while that move floundered, one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, James Harden, was shockingly traded. Another Hall of Famer, Anthony Davis, was shipped across the country. And former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. was … traded to a team that’s openly tanking? Am I reading that correctly?
The Golden State Warriors, for their part, hung around in the middle. They didn’t acquire Antetokounmpo, or make a franchise-altering move like last year, when they traded for Jimmy Butler III. But they did acquire an All-Star in Kristaps Porziņģis, while ending their saga with Jonathan Kuminga and clearing future money off the books by getting rid of Buddy Hield.
Unlike last year, when the Los Angeles Lakers shockingly nabbed Luka Dončić near the deadline, there’s no clear winner this February. But there are a lot of teams that made good moves — both postseason contenders who bolstered their roster, and rebuilding squads who strengthened their future.
Who, in your eyes, made the best moves at the deadline?
For me it’s the Cleveland Cavaliers. Harden may have his fair share of both foibles and detractors, but I love the move for the championship-contending Cavs. It gives Donovan Mitchell a co-star to shoulder the scoring burden, while allowing them to keep their dynamic defense centered around their two bigs, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. And with Harden likely to opt into his player option for next season, it makes Cleveland the clear Eastern Conference favorites next year if LeBron James decides to return home for a final season, as has been rumored lately.
My runner-up is the Memphis Grizzlies, who got a trio of first-round picks for Jackson, as they started their rebuild right on time, rather than waiting too long.
What team do you think did the best at the deadline?