Top 5 NBA Teams Following The Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. Many faces went to new places, some more shockingly than others. As we move into the All Star break and the final stretch of the regular season, here is a list of my top five teams in the league.

No. 5: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers pulled off one of the most shocking moves in sports history when they traded Anthony Davis and more for Luka Dončić. Luka was a player seen as untouchable around the NBA, but not to Rob Pelinka and definitely not to Nico Harrison.

Now he’s on a team with LeBron James, the most accomplished active player in the league. While this team has an obvious hole at the center position with the Mark Williams trade falling through, they still have a great supporting cast with pieces like Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht and Rui Hachimura.

Under rookie head coach J.J. Redick, LA is 32-20 this season and will look to get better with Dončić now in the fold.

No. 4: New York Knicks

The Knicks may have the best guard-big duo in the NBA with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both averaging north of 24 points per game. They had a quiet deadline, swapping Jericho Sims for Delon Wright, but weren’t in a dire situation to make moves.

Speaking of additions, Mikal Bridges has shown his value as an iron man, not only playing the most games but also averaging the most minutes on the team. Even without O.G. Anunoby, known as one of the better defenders in the NBA, the Knicks are a top-3 team in the East at 36-18.

The East has some other great teams, but don’t count out New York. We’ll see how far they can go.

No. 3: Boston Celtics

Entering the year as the defending champs, Boston is having what some may say is a down year, but is still the No. 2 seed in the East. The “Jays” duo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are both All-Stars again and are both posting at least 22 points per contest.

Someone that’s really taken a jump for Boston this year is Payton Pritchard; the fifth-year guard out of Oregon is averaging a career high 13.8 points on the season. Despite not being the top team in the NBA, or even the East, Boston’s championship experience and pedigree could prove to be the difference when it gets to playoff time.

No. 2: Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland has been a pleasant surprise this season. One of the league’s better groups, the Cavs feature an All-Star trio of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

They made one of the top moves at the trade deadline this year, bringing in forward DeAndre Hunter from the Hawks, who was averaging 19 points off the bench in Atlanta and can now enter the starting lineup in Cleveland.

Under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson, the Cavs’ 44-10 record is the best in the Eastern Conference and just shy of the best in the league. After losing in the second round last year, the Cavaliers could be a team destined for the Eastern Conference Finals or further this year. Will Cleveland finally be a city of champions again?

No. 1: Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder carry an honor no other team holds this late into the season; they’re the only team left with single-digit losses. At 44-9, Oklahoma City has rebuilt a bottom feeder into a juggernaut.

They’re led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s leading scorer at 32.6 points per game, and he’s the favorite to win league MVP as well. They have not one but two dominant centers, with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein wreaking havoc on opponents.

Third-year forward Jalen Williams made the All-Star team for the first time averaging 21 points. Oklahoma City’s bench is also full of difference makers like Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins.

After an early exit as the West’s No. 1 seed last season, this could finally be the year we see the Thunder back in the NBA Finals.

Adam Pietrzak is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email app5940@psu.edu.