The 2021 NBA trade deadline did not disappoint. There was plenty of movement, as a total of 17 deals were completed, some bigger than others. Over half of the NBA were involved in at least one deal this year as well.
The Orlando Magic shocked some people when they decided to part ways with All-Star Nikola Vucevic despite saying they had no interest in trading him and having what was thought to be a very high asking price.
The former All-Star many people expected to be dealt, Kyle Lowry, ended up staying put with the Toronto Raptors and will play out the remainder of his contract with them. The Raptors instead traded away wing, Norman Powell, to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The New Orleans Pelicans surprised some people, holding onto Lonzo Ball despite not agreeing to a contract extension with him before the December deadline. The Atlanta Hawks also held onto their restricted free agent to be, John Collins, amid their surge up the Eastern Conference standings.
As it is with the NBA trade deadline every year, some teams fared better than others. There will always be winners and losers in these deals. Which teams came away as big winners from the deadline so far? We break down the four biggest winners following the 2021 NBA trade deadline.
