NBA Trade Deadline: Early Returns on Key Moves
It’s been a month since the 2026 NBA trade deadline, and while some of the bigger names on the move have yet to play or just returned to the fold, we can start to take stock of the early returns on some of the bigger moves of what was a historically busy transactional period.
James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are 9-3 since trading for Harden and have gone 8-1 with him in the lineup, outscoring opponents by 35 points in his 297 minutes of floor time. Harden’s individual numbers aren’t quite as gaudy as we’ve come to expect from the 11-time All-Star: 19.1 points, 7.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 33 minutes per game.
However, Harden’s shooting 45.6% from 3-point range, getting to the foul line about six times per 36 minutes, and providing a just-what-the-doctor-ordered jolt to Cleveland’s offense. He’s isolating less and moving faster, dropping his usage rate from his customary superstar level (31.3% in L.A. this season) down to a more complementary, second-banana tier (23.5% thus far in Cleveland).
Harden has also quickly developed a rapport with center Jarrett Allen, assisting on 21 of the screen-and-dive big man’s 66 baskets during their shared floor time. While spoons-feeding Allen — and off-ball shooters Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson, for whom he’s already set up 21 combined 3-pointers — represents an important slice of Harden’s playmaking responsibilities, Job No. 1 for the new arrival is to make life easier on incumbent superstar Donovan Mitchell.
Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks
Kuminga has opened his Atlanta account with alacrity: 64 points in 80 minutes, two 20-point performances in three games, shooting 16-for-22 inside the arc and 5-for-9 beyond it, generating more than seven free throws a night.
The more noteworthy — and potentially encouraging — part is what else he’s shown his new club in the early going. Kuminga has demonstrated a willingness to play with the pass, getting connected with his teammates and letting the game come to him. He’s shown maturity in his approach, and his ability to make an impact in the other facets of the game — tracking back on the defensive glass, using his size and athleticism to body up opposing scorers, sprinting out in transition, moving the ball and his body quickly in the half-court — will be crucial to the Hawks’ success.
Other Notable Moves
Keon Ellis has rolled up 19 steals, 15 blocks, and 33 deflections in just 252 minutes of work off the bench for the Cavaliers, during which the Cavs have outscored their opponents by 41 points.
Dennis Schröder can be a game-changer with his ability to provide instant offense off the bench and his work as a defensive change-up at the point of attack. Ramping up the pressure doesn’t always produce the desired result, but having Schröder and Ellis on hand to pick up the full 94 feet puts another arrow in the Cavaliers’ quiver.
Ayo Dosunmu has shown signs of being able to offer the sort of off-the-bench bump that the Minnesota Timberwolves will need to go toe-to-toe and blow-for-blow with the best out West. He’s averaging 11.4 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game as a Wolf, shooting 58.5% on 2s, 37% on 3s, and 92% from the charity stripe.
Coby White has been pretty much precisely what the Charlotte Hornets had hoped — a high-volume, high-level pick-and-roll ball-handler; a shot creator adept at both driving to the basket to pressure the rim and stopping on a dime to pull up and nail a jumper; a facilitator capable of setting the table for teammates; and a credible accelerant capable of keeping the pedal smashed to the metal for one of the league’s highest-octane offenses.
Luke Kennard has made 3-pointers at an elite clip (50%) while not taking as many as you’d like (just under five per 36 minutes), and his team scores really well in his minutes (125 points-per-100, which would rank No. 1 in the NBA for the full season) and defends really badly with him on the floor (118.5 points-per-100, which would rank 25th).
Nikola Vučević hasn’t been quite the Al Horford Lite stretch-5 option some among the Boston Celtics faithful hoped he’d be after arriving from Chicago, making fewer than half of his shots seven times in 11 games with the C’s and shooting just 3-for-12 on pick-and-pop 3-pointers.
Jose Alvarado has been his customarily disruptive defensive self, notching 16 steals and 33 deflections since his arrival — both team highs — while holding opponents to 42.5% shooting in his minutes, during which New York’s defense has clamped down at an elite level.
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