As it (almost) always does, the NBA trade deadline delivered with drama and headlines on Thursday.
Fans were treated to a bit of déjà vu when James Harden was once again traded, per his request. The Nets and Sixers made a Harden–Ben Simmons deal that both teams should benefit from in the end. As for the rest of the NBA, questions now center around which teams made strides toward genuine improvement and which were perhaps a bit too quiet. Let's get to ranking.
(Note: SI’s NBA staff is ranking every team from best to worst all season long, taking into account how each squad is currently playing.)
