By Ryan Ottiger, Staff Writer

The NBA trade deadline delivered major movement this year, with multiple star players changing teams. 

Some of the most notable players who will represent new teams include Anthony Davis, James Harden, Trae Young, Jaren Jackson Jr., Darius Garland and Kristaps Porziņģis. Nearly every team made a roster move.

The Anthony Davis trade featured eight total players, with the Dallas Mavericks trading Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum to the Washington Wizards for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Marvin Bagley III and draft capital. This marks the end of the Mavericks’ Anthony Davis saga. He played just 29 games for the team in the post–Luka Dončić era. Davis will be joining a new-look Wizards team that also traded for star point guard Trae Young, who was traded a week before the trade deadline. 

Another monumental move was the Harden for Garland swap. In the short term, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired a healthier and stronger point guard in their championship pursuit after also adding Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. 

The Los Angeles Clippers received Garland and are prioritizing the future, having traded for a far younger player while also dealing star center Ivica Zubac for a good young player in Bennedict Mathurin and draft picks. Zubac fills the center gap for the Indiana Pacers, making them a current lottery team likely to improve dramatically next season.

Long-tenured Memphis Grizzlies star Jackson Jr. was sent to the Utah Jazz in a move that included other Grizzlies role players. Memphis received rookie guard Walter Clayton Jr., additional role players and three first-round draft picks. The Grizzlies seem to be heading in full rebuild mode.

More big names who were shipped to different teams include Kristaps Porziņģis and Nikola Vučević. Porziņģis was sent from the Atlanta Hawks to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. 

The Warriors added Porziņģis after having been in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, while finally ending the dramatic Kuminga tenure in Golden State after he requested a trade. Vučević will fill in as the much-needed center for the Boston Celtics, who was traded from the Chicago Bulls for Anfernee Simons. Vučević will insert himself into a key role with an overperforming Celtics team that is competing for a championship while waiting for their superstar Jayson Tatum to return to action. 

The red-hot Charlotte Hornets also added a great guard in Coby White from Chicago, in exchange for Collin Sexton and draft picks. This Hornets team receives more young talent and could be a team that shakes up the Eastern Conference, already having a nine-game win streak under their belt.

Teams with championship aspirations like the Cavaliers, Celtics, Warriors and Timberwolves will be interesting to watch how their dramatic moves shape a playoff run come April. 

In what will likely be the more distant future, the Jazz, Clippers and Wizards will have eyes on what they can do as a healthy team. The Jazz are too far out of the playoff picture, but could be fun for next season, and the Clippers are a question mark for the remainder of this season. The Wizards have the talent and developing pieces to be a great team in the Eastern Conference next year, but looming concerns around health may plague them.

A final sleeper for the next NBA season, especially for many Xavier students, are the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers added Zubac, addressing several of the team’s needs. Superstar Tyrese Haliburton will return next season, as well as what will likely be a top pick in a star-studded 2026 NBA draft class. Some already view them as a potential Eastern Conference favorite and a legitimate championship contender for next year.