The NBA’s trade deadline has come and gone. While we didn’t see a deal as shocking as the one that sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers last year, the league saw an abundance of moves that will impact franchises for this season and beyond.
Teams signal their intended path forward in the form of the moves made at the deadline. Acquiring star players with large contracts is a sign that a team that wasn’t looking to compete on the surface is ready to flip the script, while the opposite is a symbolic punt on the current roster in favor of draft assets and young players who could use a change of scenery.
