Twenty takeaways from an NBA trade deadline that (mostly) did not disappoint - NBA.com

And the 2016 spending orgy continues to have ramifications. The outlay from that summer, in large part, has put two-thirds of the league well over the salary cap, with a number of those 20 teams either hard-capped or perilously close to being so. It made maneuvering this year difficult, if not impossible. No role player was worth a team going over the tax apron, or over the tax threshold -- especially if a team would become a repeater tax paying team by doing so.

And yet, teams made moves, and not insignifcant ones. (The Blake Griffin trade to the Detroit Pistons, even though it technically was made the week before the deadline, was close enough to it here to be considered a deadline deal.) Because, as ever, it's ridiculous to assign ''winners" and ''losers" a minute after a trade was made, it's more accurate to simply observe that some people benefitted from the trades that were made, on and off the court, while others did not, at least immediately.

To paraphrase Al Pacino in the Michael Mann film about whistle blower/hero Jeffrey Wiegand, "The Insider" ...

PERSONS WHO STAND TO PROFIT FROM THESE TRANSACTIONS

1. Altman, reconsidered: Cleveland's rookie GM had so many things to prove in what was a seemingly impossible spot in his first NBA go-round as the Cavs' boss. In fact, he was derided as not even being the boss, the notion being that Dan Gilbert was getting his inner Jerry Jones on and making personnel decisions as well as owning the team.

Altman got heat nationally for holding out for more from Boston before pulling the trigger on the Kyrie Irving trade, then was pilloried for what he got in the deal, then was pilloried for not trading the most important piece of the deal -- the unprotected 2018 first-round pick from Brooklyn that the Celtics had held onto for years before including it to get Irving -- for a short-term fix. And as the Cavs continued to struggle and look less and less like a contender in January, Altman was dismissed altogether as a coatholder for Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who was thought to be the 'real' GM in Cleveland.

10:59

Did Cleveland come out ahead after its deadline-day dealings?

But Altman had his say when it mattered last Thursday, as he pulled the trigger on simultaneous deals that took a blowtorch to the old roster, made the team younger and longer and gave it a foundation for the future regardless of what LeBron decides to do this summer -- while not sacrificing the Brooklyn pick. (And, it must be said, all this happened because Gilbert agreed to take on still more luxury tax payments -- another $7 million -- for this year.)

Out went Isaiah Thomas and Channning Frye, Jae Crowder and Iman Shumpert, Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade (the last a sop to Wade that allows him to finish his career in Miami, where everyone wanted/hoped he would). In came Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr., Rodney Hood and George Hill, Hill being the only one over 30. Hood will be a restricted free agent at season's end but the Cavs are almost certain to keep him and/or match any offer for him. That would leave Cleveland with Hill, Hood, Clarkson, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Nance, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver and rookie Cedi Osman all signed for 2018-19, along with whomever Cleveland takes with Brooklyn's pick, regardless of whether James is there or not.

4:19

Has Cleveland improved its status as a favorite to win the East in 2018?

That may not be a championship contending core, but it's not nothing, either. And, yes, Altman opened the door to the Lakers being able to make a compelling pitch to James to leave Cleveland. But that's life in the big city. You can't make a deal because of what it might do to you down the road; you have to improve the team you have. And, Altman did. If James walks, the Cavs now have a post-LeBron future that would be vastly different from the one they had after he left the first time 2010.

2. LeBron James, revitalized: It was obvious to anyone paying attention that James' spirit was sapped in the last couple of weeks. His defense bordered on nonexistent; his offensive output collapsed, as he made just 13 3-pointers in 14 games and shot a horrific 22 percent from 3-point range in January. His plus-minus in January, per basketball-reference.com, was -8.3, the worst of his career in a full month's slate of games. He didn't believe in the team that Altman had put around him. We will find out what he thinks of his new, younger brethren in due time, but make no mistake -- he's once again engaged, as his 65th career triple-double Friday in Atlanta showed. And an engaged LeBron can take any group to The Finals.

3:24

Will the trades Cleveland made make it more likely LeBron James stays put?

3. Unnamed ESPN Executive, again hopeful: See No. 2. Whoever ultimately replaces John Skipper, the Four-Letter's longtime president who suddenly resigned last December, will cry Kevin Hart-sized tears of joy if the Cavs re-ignite and find themselves in a fourth straight Finals against the Golden State Warriors, or face "The Beard" and "CP3", in June. Nothing against the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors, but LeBron is gold-plated ratings magma, which ABC/ESPN have ridden to wildly successful numbers the last three years in June, among the best for Finals games since Michael Jordan's days in Chicago.

4. Daryl Morey, sitting pretty: The Warriors didn't make a move at the trade deadline to bolster what has been a shaky bench, leaving Morey's Houston Rockets right where they were before the deadline: right on Golden State's heels. Getting a post-buyout commit from Joe Johnson also keeps him from going to the Warriors, who coveted his low-post abilities as a small-ball four just as the Rockets did. Morey has methodically built his team to this point since getting Harden: Houston, right now, is a real and credible threat to topple Golden State in the Western Conference.

5. Derrick Favors, queued up: The 26-year-old power forward didn't get traded, as many around the league figured he would once Utah didn't give an extension last fall. But with Gordon Hayward and Hill already gone from last year's roster, and with Hood getting dealt to Cleveland, there aren't many parts of the existing Jazz nucleus left that Utah has to pay signficant dollars. They already have Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and Ricky Rubio inked for 2018-19 at a total outlay of around $51 million, with another $11 million due Alec Burks if Utah keeps him. It then stands to reason that Favors, with full Bird rights in Utah, could be in line for some of that money in July that the Jazz offered Hayward last year. Favors has played extremely well next to Gobert when both have been healthy, and he's been outstanding during Utah's nine-game win streak. If he doesn't stay in Salt Lake City, he'll be among the top free-agent big men available this summer.

Derrick Favors could be a big winner in free agency this summer.

6. Jeanie Buss, Tinseltown Boss: Cleveland took on Clarkson's $12.5 million for 2018-19 in the Thomas deal. Doing so puts the Lakers back in business this summer, giving them the option to make max offers to two free agents at the same time. So, after the Lakers' president fired her brother, Jim, and former GM Mitch Kupchak last year, and installing Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka in their place, Jeanie Buss has her hand-picked management team in place, plenty of cap room and some promising young guys around which to build. The Lakers have a story to tell that should be compelling. They've struck out on free agent after free agent for the last several years, sounding out of touch and tone deaf to elite players and their representatives. It's Showtime.

2:17

Did the Lakers come out ahead after their trade deadline-day dealings?

7. James Ennis, unearthed: The fourth-year forward was having a solid though relatively anonymous season in Memphis, averaging almost seven points off the bench in 23 minutes a game. A lot of teams were trying to get him at the deadline. The Pistons did, to finish a solid fortnight of trades that revamped their roster and injected life into the franchise as they were sinking in the Eastern Conference. Ennis doesn't have the start power of Griffin and he's not as familiar with coach Stan Van Gundy as Jameer Nelson is. But the 27-year-old is going to help the Pistons in the last months of the regular season, as they fight for a playoff spot.

8. Mike Malone, keeping the band together: Denver was much less active at the deadline than many thought the Nuggets would be. In the end, they only moved guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who had fallen out of favor and the rotatiion anyway with Jamal Murray assuming the point. The Nuggets didn't move Will Barton, Wilson Chandler or Kenneth Faried, all of whom had suitors, and they're expecting Paul Millsap back no later than early March. So Malone, the Nuggets' coach, has his team essentially in place for the stretch run, which should result in a playoff berth if Denver can stay healthy and Millsap doesn't have any relapses. And no one at the top of the West wants to see Murray, Gary Harris, Nikola Jokic and company in the first round.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone (left) is trusting his young team can complete its playoff push.

9. Hornets fans, not abandoned: Some around the Association figured that Charlotte, once it let it be known it would listen to offers for Kemba Walker, would have to move him before the deadline. After all, the Hornets don't have much of a chance at the playoffs this year, and Walker is rapidly approaching free agency in 2019. The idea was, make a good deal for him now (maybe to his native New York) and get assets around which you could build, before he walks in a year and you get nothing. But the Hornets stood pat and didn't deal, and it's a good thing for that franchise.

Why should Charlotte be any more inclined to move its best player for pennies on the dollar than, say, the Knicks or the Lakers or any big-market franchise that's struggling this season? People in North C

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