The dust has settled from the NBA trade deadline and the second half of the season is underway. Isaiah Thomas was ejected in his first game with the Boston Celtics, Goran Dragic recorded one assist in his debut with the Miami Heat, and Kendrick Perkins will apparently move on to the Cleveland Cavaliers if a buyout agreement can be reached with the Utah Jazz. So which teams improved the most at the deadline?
The clear winners are the Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat, while the Philadelphia 76ers dumped two of their most promising players and the Los Angeles Clippers failed to acquire a temporary replacement for Blake Griffin. Although the Clippers moved up slightly in the standings to start the second half of the NBA season, the Thunder's moves at the deadline have officially brought them back into a playoff position. They were finally able to rid themselves of Kendrick Perkins, shipping him to the Jazz in exchange for Enes Kanter. While they were unable to acquire Brook Lopez, Kanter suffices as a sufficient addition to the post area alongside Serge Ibaka. In the same deal, the Thunder sent Reggie Jackson to Detroit in exchange for D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler. Several other players were shipped out of Oklahoma City, but the team gained more than they surrendered in much-needed trades at the deadline. Augustin provides a solid backup to Russell Westbrook and Singler is a bench player who can partially fill the void left by Reggie Jackson. Beginning the second half of the season with a three-game win streak, scoring over 100 point in each contest, the Thunder have finally moved into contention. However, Kevin Durant is hurt again, joining Steven Adams on the sideline with injury. While their roster has drastically improved, poor health could be the kryptonite that prevents the Thunder from making a run through the Western Conference playoffs.
One of the teams who swapped players with the Thunder was the Detroit Pistons, who also benefited hugely from a multitude of moves at last Thursday's trade deadline. The Pistons have also come out of the All-Star break strong, putting up over 100 points in back-to-back wins against the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards. Newly acquired Reggie Jackson put up 17 points in his debut against the Wizards and will likely be the point guard going forward-a huge acquisition with Brandon Jennings out for the season. The Pistons dumped several key position players, but the addition of Jackson as well as the return of Tayshaun Prince put them in the trade deadline winner's circle. They have already pulled within a half-game of the Brooklyn Nets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and now have the caliber to move above .500 and into the seventh spot. Appearing to be a likely playoff team this season, the Pistons could have a deadly roster with the return of Jennings next year.
The Miami Heat, who will now be fending off the Pistons, traded for the hottest commodity on the market in Goran Dragic. After virtually requesting a trade to a select list of teams, Dragic got his wish as the Heat pounced on the 6-year veteran. Pat Riley unloaded a ton of pieces including two future first-round picks, Danny Granger, Norris Cole, and Justin Hamilton for Dragic and well as his brother Zoran Dragic. While the Heat are not the most improved team after the trade deadline, they received the best player and moved into serious contention in an open Eastern Conference. That is, until Chris Bosh was unfortunately lost for the season with blood clots in one of his lungs. Sad news for the Heat and their fans, the loss of Bosh nearly nullifies the trade for Dragic.
Other winners that improved their teams at the trade deadline include the Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets. The Blazers beefed up their defense in trading for Arron Afflalo while the Celtics acquired Isaiah Thomas for Marcus Thornton. The Timberwolves were able to pull off one of the more surprising trades by shipping Thaddeus Young to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Garnett who, reportedly, may team up with Flip Saunders to buy the team that drafted him after his playing days are over. The Rockets added another piece in K.J. McDaniels, who was hung out by the Philadelphia 76ers as they continue the most vicious tanking effort in the history of the NBA.