The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and the fireworks never really went off.
Sure, there was the blockbuster DeMarcus Cousins trade, but that was days ago. Those looking for some action Thursday likely left work disappointed, especially considering the Boston Celtics decided not to make a deal and kept their assets.
So how does the NBA landscape look now after the deadline? Let’s take a look at our power rankings.
1. Golden State Warriors (47-9) — The Warriors didn’t make any moves, which is understandable considering they already have the best roster and record in the NBA.
2. San Antonio Spurs (43-13) — San Antonio still is the second best team, but it has a lot of competition, some of which made moves at the deadline.
3. Houston Rockets (40-18) — The Rockets cleared some cap space and acquired Lou Williams from the Lakers.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-16) — Does Kyle Korver really count as a trade deadline acquisition? That was so January.
5. Washington Wizards (34-21) — Washington has been on fire for a while now, and it picked up some nice depth in Bojan Bogdanovic via a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
6. Toronto Raptors (33-24) — Toronto was heading in the wrong direction. It still might, but the additions of Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker has the arrow pointing up for the Raptors.
7. Boston Celtics (37-20) — The Celtics did absolutely nothing at the deadline, while the Wizards, Raptors and Atlanta Hawks all made moves. The waiting game might work out in the long run, but that’s not good for these current power rankings.
8. Utah Jazz (35-22) — Utah was quiet Thursday, but so were the immediate teams around it in the Western Conference.
9. Los Angeles Clippers (35-21) — The Clippers are locked in a tight race for the No. 4 seed in the West, and they still have to deal with an injured Chris Paul. Plus, those dreams of a trade for Carmelo Anthony never happened.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (32-25) — The Thunder made some noise before the deadline with the acquisitions of Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott.
11. Atlanta Hawks (32-24) — Ersan Ilyasova’s might have helped itself in what’s a crowded group in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
12. Memphis Grizzlies (34-24) — Memphis could be a tough out come playoff time, even without adding any pieces before the deadline.
13. New Orleans Pelicans (23-34) — The Pelicans went from a potential lottery team to a potential nightmare in the Western Conference playoffs with a DeMarcus Cousins/Anthony Davis frontcourt.
14. Miami Heat (25-32) — The Heat didn’t make any noise at the deadline, but they have been one of the hottest teams in the league with an 8-2 record over the last 10 games.
15. Indiana Pacers (29-28) — Indiana still has Paul George.
16. Dallas Mavericks (22-34) — The Mavs were one of the winners of the trade deadline by getting Nerlens Noel, who could be their center of the future.
17. Chicago Bulls (28-29) — Chicago still has Jimmy Butler.
18. Detroit Pistons (27-30) — Detroit still has Andre Drummond.
19. Denver Nuggets (25-31) — Mason Plumlee was a nice pickup for Denver as it tries to hold on to the final playoff spot in the West.
20. Portland Trail Blazers (23-33) — Portland got Jusuf Nurkic and a top-five protected 2017 first-round pick in the Denver trade.
21. Milwaukee Bucks (25-30) — Milwaukee made some minor moves, but nothing to write home about.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves (22-35) — Minnesota fell short in its attempt to get Derrick Rose.
23. Charlotte Hornets (24-32) — Charlotte has been brutal of late — 1-9 in its last 10 games.
24. New York Knicks (23-34) — Carmelo Anthony still is a Knick, and New York still appears to be a disaster.
25. Orlando Magic (21-37) — Orlando no longer has Ibaka or Victor Oladipo, but it does have Terrance Ross.
26. Los Angeles Lakers (19-39) — Magic Johnson didn’t waste any time trading Lou Williams.
27. Phoenix Suns (18-39) — Phoenix made a pair of minor moves at the deadline and traded away P.J. Tucker to the Raptors.
28. Philadelphia 76ers (21-35) — You had to figure the 76ers would move one of their centers, but Nerlens Noel? What happened to all those Jahlil Okafor rumors?
29. Sacramento Kings (24-33) — The Kings admitted they had a better deal for Cousins, yet they went with the Pelicans’ offer.
30. Brooklyn Nets (9-47) — The Nets still are the Nets.
Thumbnail photo via Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports Images
