The NBA trade deadline came and went without the kind of earth-shaking blockbuster that sends shockwaves through the league-Giannis is still a Buck, Luka stayed put-but that doesn’t mean teams weren’t busy. Far from it. Several franchises made moves that could reshape their futures, whether they’re pushing chips in for a title run now or laying the groundwork for 2026-27 and beyond.
Let’s start with the trio of teams that took a long view: the Wizards, Jazz, and Pacers. All three made win-now acquisitions-Washington landed Anthony Davis, Utah brought in Jaren Jackson Jr., and Indiana grabbed Ivica Zubac-but here’s the twist: none of them are trying to win this season.
These moves are about next year. Each team is leaning into a strategic tank for the rest of this campaign, hoping to land a franchise-changing player in the draft while setting themselves up with a more competitive roster for 2026-27.
If you were looking ahead to 2027 title odds, these three would be climbing the board. But we’ve still got a 2026 champion to crown-and one team made a move that could shake up that race right now.
Enter the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland made the boldest play of the deadline, trading Darius Garland for James Harden. It’s a swing-for-the-fences move, and the betting markets reacted accordingly.
Before the deal, the Cavs were sitting with the eighth-best title odds at +2000. After the dust settled, they jumped to third-best at +1200-trailing only the Thunder and Nuggets.
In the East, they leapfrogged into the favorite slot, going from +440 to +300.
That’s a seismic shift, and it speaks to how much faith oddsmakers have in Harden’s ability to raise this team’s ceiling. But it’s also a reflection of how Cleveland viewed its own limitations.
The Garland-Mitchell backcourt had its moments, but the pairing never fully clicked. Garland’s injury history and underwhelming playoff showings made him expendable, and the Cavs clearly felt the need for a different kind of backcourt partner for Mitchell-someone with more size, more playmaking chops, and a little more scoring punch.
Harden brings all of that. Say what you will about his playoff past-yes, the postseason resume is spotty-but he’s still one of the most gifted offensive players in the league.
He’s averaging 25.4 points per game and ranks third in assists. That’s not just production, that’s elite production.
And now he’ll be running pick-and-rolls with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, two bigs who thrive as vertical threats. That’s a lot of firepower.
Even more intriguing? Harden and Mitchell are now one of only two duos in the league where both players are averaging at least 25 points per game. That kind of offensive pairing doesn’t come around often, and it gives Cleveland a dynamic one-two punch that could cause serious problems for opposing defenses.
It wasn’t just the Harden deal, either. Cleveland also moved on from De’Andre Hunter, flipping him to the Kings for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis.
Hunter never quite found his rhythm in Cleveland, and after a season shooting just 42.3% from the field and 30.8% from three, the Cavs decided it was time to cut bait. In return, they picked up Schroder, a solid guard who adds depth behind Harden and Mitchell, and Ellis, a tough perimeter defender who can give them spot minutes against elite wings.
So yes, the Cavs are deadline winners. But are they the team to beat in the East? That’s a tougher call.
The Knicks, who had been the betting favorites before Cleveland’s surge, are still very much in the mix. They’ve won eight straight and have the kind of playoff-tested roster that knows how to navigate the grind of a deep run. Despite a rocky January, they’ve steadied the ship and look like a team built for May and June.
Then there’s Detroit. The Pistons don’t have the postseason résumé-this core hasn’t won a playoff series together-but they’re sitting atop the East with a five-game cushion and boast the NBA’s second-best defense. Their physicality and defensive identity are going to make them a nightmare matchup, especially in a conference that’s suddenly wide open.
And don’t sleep on teams like the Celtics or Sixers, either. Boston’s been flying under the radar but still has the talent to make noise, and Philadelphia-though not quite the juggernaut it was with Embiid healthy-still has enough firepower to be dangerous.
Cleveland’s move to bring in Harden is a statement. It says: We’re not content with just being in the mix.
We want to win now. And while the concerns about Harden’s playoff performances are fair-he’ll have to prove he can deliver when it matters most-his presence undeniably raises the Cavs’ ceiling.
Whether that ceiling is high enough to get past the Thunder, Nuggets, or even their Eastern Conference rivals remains to be seen. But for the first time in a long while, Cleveland has a roster that feels built for something more than a first-round exit.