NBA trade deadline 2024 grades and live updates: Analysis of every deal, Knicks, 76ers moves and latest news

The NBA trade deadline has passed, but that doesn’t mean the league’s roster-churning is done. Teams are still reworking rosters in the wake of trade deadline deals, cutting some players loose where they’ll have an opportunity to latch on in other places.

This takes two forms. The first is when a team must waive a player to complete a trade, such as when the Detroit Pistons had to waive Joe Harris on Thursday to take in Danuel House from Philadelphia. The second is when a veteran player isn’t in a team’s plans and they give him his wings, either via immediately cutting him or agreeing to a buyout … like when the Pistons subsequently waived House on Thursday.

When we say “buyout,” what typically happens is that a player agrees to take less than the full salary remaining on his deal to be released from his contract and sign with a different team. Typically, the team and the player’s agent negotiate that amount to exactly match the player’s veteran minimum contract for the remainder of the season, so that it ends up a wash for the player.

Regardless, the key date here is March 1. Any player waived before this date is eligible to participate in the playoffs, so while much of the action will begin Sunday when players begin to clear waivers, this will be a rolling market for the next three weeks.

Our full breakdown of 34 players to watch is here. But these are the top 10 names — split into two tiers. We’re covering anyone who seems at least somewhat likely to be waived by March 1.

1. Spencer Dinwiddie, waived by Raptors (Tier 1)
2. Delon Wright, Wizards (Tier 1)
3. Troy Brown Jr., Pistons (Tier 1)
4. Kyle Lowry, Hornets (Tier 1)
5. Marcus Morris Sr., waived by Spurs (Tier 2)
6. Cedi Osman, Spurs
7. Evan Fournier, Pistons
8. Shake Milton, Pistons
9. Danuel House, waived by Pistons
10. Otto Porter Jr., Jazz

Daniel Gafford has been an effective starting center for the Wizards this season. He’s averaging 11 points and eight rebounds while racking up 2.2 blocks and a steal per game. He tries to contest everything around the rim, something that does end up having a bit of an impact on his defensive rebounding numbers (I’d be a bit worried about playing him with Washington as the four). But Gafford contests 9.3 shots at the rim per game, per the NBA site, which is fourth in the league despite playing just 26.5 minutes per game. Opponents shoot about 58 percent at the rim against him, which is an above-average number for a center. More than anything, Gafford is extremely active.

Beyond that though, the offensive fit is perfect. Gafford is about as good a rim runner as you’ll find in the league. He averages 4.5 screen assists per game, constantly going up to set screens and flying toward the basket. He has made over 71 percent of his shots over the last two seasons, doing a great job of timing his rolls to the rim. He and Lively are seventh and eighth in the NBA in dunks this season, and both suck in the defense on their rolls. You have to tag them. If you don’t, they’re going to sky for open opportunities. If you do, it creates potential for open corner kickouts, which Luka Dončić hits in his sleep.

But it’s also worth noting Gafford has added a little bit of technique to his game too. He knows what the situation calls for in terms of screens. He’ll stay and make contact or slip early and try to get to the rim, and he’s a lot more capable in short-roll situations now. He can catch and take a dribble or two to finish. He’s still not a passer or playmaker, but he’s added a little mini-push shot if the defender stays sagged off him. I also think his hands have gotten a lot better, something that is really important with Dončić throwing creative looks from crazy angles that you have to be prepared for. Gafford can catch balls out of his area and find creative angles to finish around the rim.

Read more here.

I was a bit surprised Washington didn’t convert Delon Wright into a second-round pick at the deadline since he’s unlikely to be back next year, but this was a tough deadline to get value for expiring contracts. Wright is 31, and his infrequent 3-point attempts limit his floor-spacing capability, but he’s still a stealthy ballhawk who can either run an offense or play off the ball at 6-5.

Brad Stevens said the Celtics’ biggest focus at the deadline was adding a big man who could handle playing center in small lineups and power forward in bigger units. Once they checked off that box with the Xavier Tillman trade, Stevens said the organization wanted to use a second-round pick to acquire an intriguing younger prospect. That goal led them to Jaden Springer. He said the Celtics had several conversations with the Philadelphia front office over the months leading up to the trade deadline to say they would be interested if Springer became available.

The Celtics still have an open roster spot after also trading Dalano Banton to the Portland Trail Blazers. Stevens said he will look to bolster his team’s depth but does not anticipate finding a player who would crack the regular rotation. Boston could also use that final roster slot to convert Neemias Queta’s two-way contract into a standard deal, but Stevens suggested nothing is imminent there.

“We have to continue to evaluate everything for that last roster spot we have opened,” Stevens said, “but Neemie’s done a great job.”

When asked about Tillman’s potential role, Stevens declined to share specifics, saying that the Celtics only have one goal.

“And that goal is to ultimately win it, to be our best that we can possibly be, as we continue to move forward,” Stevens said.

Continue reading.

The Knicks began actively fielding trade calls for Quentin Grimes over the past month, league sources said, but it was never guaranteed they would trade him.

The Atlanta Hawks in particular let it be known they were fans of Grimes, according to league sources. The Hawks had tried to land Grimes as part of the Cam Reddish trade a couple of years back and had hit the Knicks up about him since, but chatter with Atlanta — as well as with most other Grimes suitors — fizzled out over the past week.

Considering New York had no interest in trading Grimes just for the sake of it, instead hoping to use him as a way to upgrade the roster, holding onto him through the deadline was a possibility. Of course, the Knicks realized they had their upgrade in Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanović.

Including Grimes in the deal meant not having to part with a first-rounder. Now, the Knicks can include a stockpile of draft picks in an offer for a star this summer.

They will have all of their first-round selections moving forward, as well as three protected ones from other teams. On top of that, they project to own two first-rounders (their own and the Mavericks’) in the 2024 draft.

Once you add up everything, the package becomes overwhelming: Up to four unprotected first-round picks, up to three unprotected first-round swaps, up to three protected first-rounders from non-Knicks teams and two more spring chickens from the 2024 draft — along with whichever players from today’s roster who would be going out in the trade.

Read more here.

Spencer Dinwiddie’s weird refusal to shoot for the last month was one of many reasons the Nets were happy to see him gone, but he’s a talented offensive player and also a quite durable one. He’s only 30, has a career PER of 15.3, got the size to switch across positions, and can generate offense with the second unit. The Spendthrift Seven can’t sign him, but backcourt-needy teams like the Lakers and Mavs are reportedly thirsting for his services.

I probably covered the Warriors dynasty too closely for too long and with my eyes wide open in sheer awe for so much of that time. So when Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. chooses to lean into their storied history at this deadline, holding onto those hopes that Stephen Curry can lead them out of this darkness rather than rolling the dice on whatever deals came their way, I sort of get it. Even with all the bad basketball we've seen from this particular Golden State squad this season.

They won four titles in eight years and went to the NBA Finals six times in that stretch. Their last title was less than two years ago. There were signs of long-term hope in their second-round loss to the Lakers last season. And now, just four months into this season that has been so revealing in the worst kind of way, you're surprised that they want more time to figure out how to forge a new future with Curry still at the center of it all? I am not surprised.

Andrew Wiggins was the only one who was out there in terms of trade talks by the time deadline week arrived. But as my "Tampering" podcast co-host and Warriors beat writer Anthony Slater discussed in our latest episode, Draymond Green's recent return from his league-issued suspension has allowed the Warriors to play Wiggins and the emerging Jonathan Kuminga together much more effectively.

If their convincing win over Indiana on Thursday night was any indication, their quiet deadline was well received in the Warriors locker room.

As for the Klay Thompson situation, which was front and center this week when he discussed his basketball mortality with such vulnerability, that’s a bridge to be crossed when he becomes a free agent this summer. Ditto for Chris Paul, whose $30 million salary for next season is not guaranteed. Those answers, much like a new Warriors era, will come in time.

Read the rest of my All-Standpat Team column.

The Los Angeles Lakers will now turn their attention to the buyout market. General manager Rob Pelinka noted they will be "very aggressive" with their open 15th roster spot and said there is "a really good group of names" available to sign. Because the Lakers didn't spend their full mid-level exception on Gabe Vincent this summer, they can offer free agents a prorated amount of roughly $1.5 million, compared to most other teams being able to roughly $1 million prorated.

Los Angeles is looking for a "ballhandling guard" and if not, the "best available" player.

"Obviously, we signed Gabe Vincent and thought he fit really well, but his health just hasn't (been there)," Pelinka said. "He's played five games. I think that would be sort of top of the list. … That would probably be the area we're trying to address the most, just because right now we have D'Angelo Russell at point guard, but after that, we don't have a point guard on the roster."

The Lakers have interest in Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Lowry as backup point guard options, according to team sources. Dinwiddie, who will be waived by the Raptors after a deadline-day trade from Brooklyn, is the Lakers' preference. Lowry, meanwhile, is expected to be released by Charlotte after it could not re-trade him following its earlier trade with the Miami Heat. The Lakers are expected to have competition with Dallas for Dinwiddie and Philadelphia for Lowry, among other potential suitors.

Read more here.

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers (27-26, ninth in West) decided to put the message out that they're open for business … this coming summer, not yesterday. This summer is when they can trade three first-round picks for a third star. That's good news because it’s not like LeBron James will be 40 years old next season or anything. 🤷
2. The other Wizards: I feel bad for Kyle Kuzma and Tyus Jones because Daniel Gafford got out while they're stuck enduring the Jordan Poole malaise. The Wizards (9-41, 14th in East) are a game and a half ahead of Detroit for the NBA’s worst record.
3. Dejounte Murray: Maybe the Hawks (22-29, 10th in East) have another inexplicable in-season turnaround, but Murray had to hope he'd be on the move to a better team. Atlanta needs an overhaul.
4. Chicago Bulls: I know they've played well as of late, but the Bulls (25-27, ninth in East) really need a true, hard reset on this roster. Chicago is building toward nothing, so it would've been better off sending out veterans for assets.
5. NBA fans: Yes, we had some cool trades earlier in the season, but the deadline should throw disgruntled stars onto new teams to invigorate fan bases. We needed more big action than what we got.

Here are my five biggest trade deadline winners.

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For those who cheer for this Trail Blazers team religiously, there is little patience to hear this is year one of the rebuild. It’s year three. That's three trade deadlines, two drafts, two free agent periods. And the Blazers are still among the worst teams in the league. The lowest form of relevancy — competing for a playoff spot — is years away. Meanwhile teams that shared similar predicaments two-and-a-half years ago — Houston, Indiana and Utah after it traded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert — are well past, or in the process of, escaping the abyss.

This is not to deride general manager Joe Cronin for making only a clerical move Thursday, acquiring guard Dalano Banton and cash from Boston for a protected second-round pick, which allowed Portland to reach the NBA requirement of carrying at least 14 players. This is to say Cronin's inactivity further tests the patience of a fan base that has watched him change courses during his two and a half seasons. It makes it all feel as if he’s making it up as he goes. He has been good at two things since taking over: losing and selling hope. On Thursday, his inactivity brought no hope.

Of course, there is value to keeping guys such as Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant, even though rookies such as Scoot Henderson, Rayan Rupert and Kris Murray could benefit with more liberal playing time. This is a team that needs some adults in the locker room. The value of Brogdon won't dip before the summer. And although I'm not wild about Grant’s game or contract, I can see the value in keeping a consistent scorer (he had 49 on Thursday), even if he rarely passes and has questionable handle. And if you are serious about saying you value improving this franchise's years-long run of poor defense, then you can't ship out the menace that is Matisse Thybulle one year after acquiring him.

But I would have liked something bold. A trade of Deandre Ayton, for starters. Although his play has spiked for the better in the past month, his first months in Portland were defined by tardiness and tantrums, according to team sources. And there has been an eerie resemblance to Hassan Whiteside, the former Blazers' center whose statistics looked nice, but had little to no impact on a game. The quicker the Blazers can move off Ayton, the sooner I will believe this franchise is headed in the right direction.

I agree with Cronin that there is some potential here. I really like Jabari Walker. I have yet to see someone play harder than him on any given night. Toumani Camara has been a refreshing defensive force. Henderson, as much as I think Cronin oversold his ability after the draft, is starting to show signs he can make an impact down the road. And as much as I wished Anfernee Simons could dribble well enough to handle pressure defense, his shot-making is elite enough to make him a must keep. And I think Shaedon Sharpe has some unique physical ability.

But Thursday was another red-letter day on the NBA calendar that passed, leaving the Blazers selling that things will get better down the road, all while neglecting to make things better.

Read the rest of my column here.

In acquiring James Harden, the Clippers also took on the contract of Filip Petrušev (later traded to the Sacramento Kings to create Daniel Theis' roster spot and waived) and P.J. Tucker, who was starting at power forward for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The front office was looking forward to Tucker's physicality and toughness making an impact, and Lue had Tucker in the rotation for the first 12 games of November. The Clippers lost eight of those 12 games, including the first six consecutively. In Tucker's last six games, he went scoreless in 79 minutes while compiling more fouls (14) than rebounds, steals or blocks combined (12). By the end of November, rookie Kobe Brown took over Tucker's rotation spot. Now, with Brown showing he's too green for that role this season, Amir Coffey has emerged as a rotation fixture.

When the Clippers went in another direction with the rotation, Tucker made it clear that he wanted to play elsewhere. Tucker was open about wanting a trade in December, though he was disgruntled by the end of the six-game losing streak as well even when he was playing at the thought of his minutes being reduced. At the end of January, Tucker reiterated to The Athletic not only his desire to be traded in order to play more, but also his reluctance to forego a 2024 player option that would pay him $11.5 million in his age-40 season.

I asked Harden, Tucker's teammate in Philadelphia and with the Houston Rockets for six of the last seven seasons, about Tucker's situation ahead of the trade deadline. Harden suggested there was still an opportunity for Tucker to be in the rotation if he wasn't traded.

It should not be considered a surprise that Tucker did not get traded. The combination of his age, contract status, skill set, production and potential team fit all conspired to tank his trade value. The Clippers tried to move him for two months and found no takers. Again, this was predictable in December — though that does not make Tucker any less frustrated.

The front office still believes Tucker could contribute in a playoff series. He is willing to guard bigger bodies like Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and New Orleans power forward Zion Williamson. But that was also the case with Robert Covington last season, and the coaching staff never quite got around to making Covington a consistent part of the rotation that spring.

Tucker can be upset, but the Clippers should not kowtow to him. The team has a solid nine-man rotation, one that does not include players like Theis and Brandon Boston Jr. when the team is fully healthy. It remains to be seen whether or not the passing of the trade deadline changes Tucker’s DNP-CD streak. But Tucker’s situation highlights another glaring reality.

Read the rest of my post-deadline Clippers dispatch here.

The 25-year-old P.J. Washington, acquired by the Mavericks Thursday in a package including a 2027 first-round pick, has long been seen as one of those players who would be "better on a good team." That's why he's maintained his trade value. But beyond his scoring, Washington hasn't necessarily been as impactful on Charlotte's bottom line in terms of wins and losses in the way you would expect from someone many think will scale down well onto a better team.

Largely, it's because Washington has been a lot more of a theoretical positive defender than an actual good defender. Standing 6-foot-7 with a 7-2 1/2 wingspan, you'd expect him to be able to fly around and wreak havoc with his length. He doesn't do that as consistently as you'd like rotationally despite racking up blocks and steals. What he can do is body up against bigger wings and initiators and play in switching schemes. That's where he was able to find his most success, particularly in his third season. When he's locked in, Washington is mobile and can move his feet. He has a strong chest that is hard to drive through, and his length gives him a lot of room in recovery.

So, what holds Washington back, particularly from being able to play a small-ball five role consistently? First, his attention to detail and focus tends to wane. He's never been a good defensive rebounder nor posted a defensive rebounding rate over 19 percent, despite playing about half of his minutes at center in the second and third seasons. This season, he's played about one-third of his minutes as the long big, and his defensive rebounding rate is below 17 percent. According to Dunks & Threes, Washington, in his minutes at the center position, has a 19.3 percent defensive rebounding rate, which would rank in the 34th percentile among centers.

It seems unlikely Washington will play a ton of center in Dallas, given that Luka Dončić loves to have a rim-rolling big who can either catch lobs from him or set Gortat screens — essentially acting as a lead blocker on a drive from a ballhandler — for him. The team already has Dereck Lively II and acquired another perfect fit in that role in Daniel Gafford.

Still, a lot of Washington's issues in general tend to be about focusing and things that don't show up on the box score. "Get Back" is not just a song by The Beatles. It's what you need to do in transition defense.

Washington routinely failed this test and other detail-oriented ones in Charlotte, and it was happening before the season went off the rails. Watching current Hornets coach Steve Clifford's exasperated postgame news conferences as he deals with having the worst defense in the NBA has become a favorite pastime of mine. I thought he summed up a lot of Charlotte's issues well after the team's loss to the Lakers earlier this week.

"I will just say this: Do you know how many guys there are in our league that can average 15 or 16 (points) in our league, and they're no good?" Clifford said. "Their team never wins when they're out there. And because they score 15 or 16, they stick around for five or six years, and then people say, 'Wow, look, he must screw everything up because everywhere he goes, when he's on the floor, they lose.' It happens all the time. That's why them learning at a young age that the coverage is the coverage, the set is the set, the after-timeout play is the after-timeout play, knowing what a great shot is, is everything in this league. Being able to play with both intensity and technique for 48 minutes is everything. That's what I want this group to get out of this."

Clifford wasn't talking about Washington specifically in that answer, and I don't think Clifford would say Washington is "no good." But it's easy to apply a lot of what was said to his play.

Read the rest of my scouting report of Washington and Daniel Gafford here.

The night before the NBA trade deadline, following the LA Clippers’ tiring 117-106 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, I asked small forward Paul George about the feeling around the locker room this time of the year compared to past seasons. After all, George has seen his team change significantly at every trade deadline since he was acquired by LA in 2019.

"We're just focused on moving forward," George said Wednesday night. "I guess that's different, more so than the other years. We're honestly not looking to make any moves. I don't think that we are looking in this locker room thinking, 'where can we get better?' We know we have enough to win right now. So, yeah, I don't think anyone's nervous or worried about their position and their spot here. I think we're in a good place with a great locker room."

By Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, the only trade the Clippers had executed was one for the future. As The Athletic first reported, the Clippers traded cash to the Denver Nuggets for the draft rights to 2022 second-round center Ismaël Kamagate. As our front-office insider John Hollinger explains, the Clippers can't use cash in a trade as a second-apron team after this trade deadline. Kamagate is a worthwhile prospect to keep an eye on, but the Clippers drafted two-way contract center Moussa Diabaté three spots ahead of him in 2022, and this trade was strictly to attain an asset for now.

While the Clippers kept up their run of president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank always executing a deal within a week of the trade deadline (the last season they didn’t, 2016-17, former head coach Doc Rivers was still in charge of the front office), it was the most minor deal the Clippers could have possibly made. The entire 18-man roster that the team has had since signing backup center Daniel Theis remains intact.

Now, there are several takeaways here. We will get to all of them. But we have to start with the obvious.

Read more here.

1. New York Knicks: Yes, OG Anunoby missing a few weeks after surgery sucks, but don’t let the parade be rained upon! The Knicks (33-19, fourth in East) gave up Quentin Grimes and some contract filler to bring back Alec Burks and acquire Bojan Bogdanović from the Pistons (8-43, last in East). This is a major victory for the Knicks’ front office and their roster construction. If New York can get Julius Randle and Anunoby healthy, this team can absolutely make the conference finals.
2. Philadelphia 76ers: Even though Joel Embiid is out for the foreseeable future, I love the move to bring Buddy Hield aboard. The Sixers (30-20, fifth in East) really didn’t give up much to get this deal done. When Embiid is healthy, Hield will be a perfect shooter to space the floor.
3. Phoenix Suns: The Suns (31-21, fifth in West) desperately needed a proper 3-and-D option on the wing, so they ended up getting Royce O’Neale for a pu pu platter of minimum-salary role players. And they’re set up for the buyout market with open roster spots.
4. Detroit Pistons: Yes, the Pistons of Detroit won! Not a game. They don’t do that. But they made some really good moves. Simone Fontecchio was a nice pickup. Grimes was a fantastic acquisition by the Pistons, who can develop him further. And they waived Killian Hayes, noteworthy because was drafted No. 7 in 2020.
5. Dallas Mavericks: Bringing Daniel Gafford into the mix to have a proper big-man rotation with Dereck Lively II and Maxi Kleber was huge for the Mavs (29-23, eighth in West). And that only cost them a pick swap with OKC in 2028 and Richaun Holmes being traded to Washington. Then, they removed their mistake from last summer by swapping out the recently signed Grant Williams for PJ Washington. This roster looks so much better.

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