Winners and Losers of the NBA Trade Deadline

Winners:

Houston Rockets:
Daryl Morey is the runaway winner of the executive of the year. After landing Olympian and franchise player James Harden this summer. Morey followed it up with the biggest steal of the trade deadline. When he acquired Thomas Robinson the fifth pick in last years draft for NOTHING, LITERALLY NOTHING! They were able to take advantage of the pocket poor Maloofs and secure a lottery talent in Robinson and still somehow create more cap space for next summer. Allowing the Rockets to make a run at Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, or some other max level player. Just WOW. Daryl Morey can you do my finances please!



Memphis Grizzlies:
The Grizzlies have made three trades in the last month, more than any other team in the league. General Manager John Hollinger formerly of ESPN, has done a superb job in a tough situation. Memphis is the poster boy of small market teams, and he inherited a roster pressed up against the hard cap and has done an excellent job bringing the Grizzlies below the tax line without mortgaging the team's future. Tayshaun Prince is sufficient replacement with championship experience to replace Rudy Gay and his drastically overpriced contract. Added young talent in Ed Davis and even pilfered a pick from Miami at the deadline for freeing up space on their roster.

Milwaukee Bucks 
Anytime you can exchange an overpriced bench warmer in Beno Udrih and spare parts for J.J. Redick, one of the elite shooters in the league, it's a win. So much for all that talk about Orlando wanting a draft pick for Redick's services all they got in return was minor upgrades on their bench. Getting something for nothing is always a good idea.



Boston Celtics:
Anytime you can trade a player out for the season with a knee injury like Leandro Barbosa for anything it's a win. Let alone for a player of similar ability in Jordan Crawford. Danny Ainge wanted to add another player on the wing and he did. To think the Celtics didn't move Pierce, Garnett, or Rondo and still came out winners. Who would of thought?

Losers:

Sacramento Kings:
The Kings are currently owned by worst business managers in America, the Maloofs. Who run failing casinos and the worst team in the NBA. Who are so poor they needed to save just under four million dollars, when they have a 550 million offer for their team on the table. The trade doesn't do anything other than save money, just some owners already on their way out trying to save 3.8 million dollars at the expense of the franchises future. Goodbye Maloofs, you won't be missed.



Utah Jazz:
Does Utah even know that the trade deadline has passed yet? Cause they were in need of a deal just as much as any team in the league. They have a exorbitant number of front court players with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Enes Kanter, and Derrick Favors. The Jazz also have a glaring need for any type of talent on the wing. Jefferson and Millsap contracts both expire this summer and no top tier wing talents are scheduled to be available in the free agent market. So how do the Jazz just let the trade deadline come and go and not move one of them? Jefferson and Millsap were two of the five most coveted players by other GMs at the deadline. Yet, nothing, just puzzling.

Atlanta Hawks:
After months of pushing Josh Smith on the trade market the Hawks came home with nothing. The only move they made after months of being the focal point of trade speculation was Anthony Morrow for Dahntay Jones. They will still go into the summer with as much cap space as anyone, but as the Mavericks proved the last two years, just cause you have cap space doesn't mean you'll be able to translate it into something meaningful.

Toronto Raptors:
How Bryan Colangelo is a general manager of an NBA team, I'll never fully understand. The Raptors have more overpaid players on undesirable contracts than anyone in the league. Andrea Bargnani his number one pick couldn't be traded for a bag of peanuts because of the contract he signed him too. Then his big move was to trade his only valuable player on an expiring deal in Jose Calderon and turn him into Rudy Gay another player on a overpriced long term deal. I mean Landry Fields and Amir Johnson are making a combined 13 million for the next two seasons after this. And somehow the Thunder hold their rights to their first round pick. Sad times north of the border. But they sure can dunk!