The NBA Trade Deadline was as chaotic as ever this year, with new trades and deals releasing through social media seemingly every 10 minutes.
The deadline (Feb. 5 at 3 p.m.) was the last time teams could make trades before the offseason. Those who finalize deals before the deadline can acquire players for the playoffs or for a playoff push. I’ll be ranking the craziest trades from the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline, not on whether they made teams worse or better, but how I personally feel about them.
Honorable Mention: Anything that has to do with the Chicago Bulls
It was clear going into deadline day that the Bulls were most likely going to be “sellers,” meaning they wanted to part ways with players in order to clear salary cap and hopefully pick up valuable assets like draft picks. Near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, the Bulls aren’t winning now and instead must focus on the future. The Bulls made seven trades by the deadline, signaling a deep reset.
They sent Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. to the Charlotte Hornets for Collin Sexton and three future second-round picks. They also traded Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four future second-round picks.
As a Chicago native, I can only hope these draft picks pan out well for the Bulls, but year after year my spark gets dimmer.
5. James Harden joins Cavs from Clippers
On paper, the L.A. Clippers 2023-2024 roster should’ve been a super-team. Adding James Harden to a roster with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook should’ve worked. However, all this squad accomplished was making it to the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western Conference, where they lost in the first round to the Dallas Mavericks. The next year, they lost Westbrook & George, fell to the fifth seed, and lost again in the first round to the Denver Nuggets.
This year, the Clippers have a losing record and injured stars. Harden knows a sinking ship when he sees one. And so, the trade: Harden was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a future second-round pick.
Garland is a nice young talent that the Clippers can begin to build around. Harden is now paired with star guard Donovan Mitchell on a contending team.
Let us not forget, Harden is 36 years old and a part of a class of superstars approaching their last years. As someone who grew up watching Harden, I’m happy he gets this chance to fight for a ring, but he’s had plenty of chances before.
4. Jaren Jackson Jr. traded away from Grizzlies
For years, the Memphis Grizzlies have been built around Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Both young stars were drafted by the Grizzlies in back-to-back years and have shot to stardom while in Memphis.
Jackson Jr. is a two-time all-star and former Defensive Player of the Year. He has led the league in blocks per game twice and has even been nicknamed “the Block Panther.” All this to say, Jackson Jr. is not the type of player you trade away and leave fans happy.
The details of the trade are as follows:
- Utah Jazz receive: Jaren Jackson Jr., Jock Landale, John Konchar, and Vince Williams Jr.
- Memphis Grizzlies receive: Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang, and three future first-round picks
After eight seasons in Memphis, Jackson Jr. is a beloved figure in the Grizzlies’ fanbase. My advice for Grizzlies’ fans would be to hold out hope. If they could draft Morant and Jackson Jr., they might be able to strike lightning twice.
3. Wizards add Anthony Davis (or better said, the Mavericks lose Anthony Davis)
I’ve tried to make sense of this move for weeks and am still left wondering: what was the Dallas Mavericks front office thinking? As far as the actual trade, I’ll let you see it for yourself as nine players are moved around in this three-team deal.
- Washington Wizards receive: Anthony Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell, and Dante Exum
- Dallas Mavericks receive: Kris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Tyus Jones (via Hornets), Marvin Bagley III, two future first-round picks, and three future second-round picks
- Charlotte Hornets receive: Malaki Branham (via Wizards)
For Washington, this trade is great. They couple Davis with Trae Young, who was acquired in January, and are on path to possibly having winning record next season. Wizards’ fans have even pointed out that none of the six draft picks they traded away were their own.
Davis leaves the Mavs after playing 29 regular-season games and two play-in tournament games. So, when we boil it down, Luka Dončić was traded for 31 games of Anthony Davis. Sometimes you just have to sit back and laugh.
2. Jared McCain traded to OKC
This was the trade that shocked fans, myself included, and sent waves of disbelief across social media.
The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Jared McCain with the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He was an incredibly promising prospect before suffering a season-ending injury after just 23 games with the 76ers. His injury was heartbreaking, but we all expected him to come back and play with Philly for a long time. Little did fans and McCain know, his time in Philadelphia was coming to an end.
This shocking trade sends McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2026 first-round pick and three future second-round picks.
In a vlog on his YouTube channel, McCain offers a vulnerable view on an NBA player’s reaction to being traded. It’s worth a watch and offered a lot of transparency on how the actual process goes down from the players’ point of view.
1. Clippers trade Chris Paul away
This three-team trade might not seem like much, but it ruined my life. Here’s the deal:
- Toronto Raptors receive: Chris Paul (via Clippers)
- Brooklyn Nets receive: Ochai Agbaji (via Raptors) and a 2032 second-round pick (via Raptors)
- LA Clippers receive: the rights to Vanja Marinković (via Brooklyn)
We’re going to ignore everything that doesn’t have to do with Chris Paul.
I’ve been a basketball fan for a long time, but in that time, I haven’t always been a Bulls fan. My first favorite team was the Los Angeles Clippers, specifically the “Lob City” rendition of the team. I stumbled across YouTube highlights of the Clippers in 2014 and was amazed; I loved Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan, and most of all Chris Paul.
So, when Paul returned to the Clippers in 2025, eight years after his exit in 2017, I was happy he would retire with the team that gave him so many great years. However, nothing was as good as it seemed.
For months, Paul was on the Clippers roster and played minimum minutes. This final run was beginning to look lackluster at best. The Clippers trading Paul was seen as a mistreatment of the team’s most iconic player.
The cherry on top was the Toronto Raptors waiving Paul, unceremoniously ending the 21-year-veteran’s career with no fanfare.
The “Point-God” had to announce his official retirement over social media before All-Star Weekend.
This makes me sick because one of my favorite players, the best point guard of his generation, had to retire without a team. He didn’t get to say goodbye to the fans in person or watch any tribute videos. I’m happy he gets to spend time with his family, but Chris Paul should’ve gotten the legend’s goodbye he deserved.
Some NBA Trade Deadline deals that didn’t make this list could totally have more immediate impact on the league, but they aren’t here because they didn’t strike me the way these deals did. I’m a basketball fan who cares about the product, the players, and the league. This list is to offer a fan’s perspective on front office moves and how they can emotionally impact fans. A Warriors fan might put the Jonathan Kuminga trade on this list, but a Warriors fan didn’t write this list — I did, and I love Chris Paul.