With the 2024 NBA deadline two days away, it's worth revisiting some of the blockbuster trades made last February -- including a pair made by the Brooklyn Nets sending former MVP Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns and All-Star Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, as well as the Los Angeles Lakers using a first-round pick to turn Russell Westbrook into multiple players en route to advancing from the play-in tournament to the Western Conference finals.
In addition to the big names, we'll also look back on smaller deals that had notable ripple effects, such as the deal that helped the Houston Rockets nab promising rookie Cam Whitmore. I graded all those trades at the time. Now I'm revising those marks with the benefit of hindsight to see whether my analysis of which teams did the best and which overpaid holds up after 12 months.
Beyond the grades, we'll also study the results to see what lessons teams can take heading into this season's trade deadline so they don't repeat mistakes and can learn from what worked well.