Looking Back On the Biggest 2024 NBA Trade Deadline Regrets

Looking Back On the Biggest 2024 NBA Trade Deadline Regrets0 of 4

DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVineJeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

The 2024 NBA trade deadline didn’t radically reshape the basketball landscape.

Looking back, it did spawn some regrets for a few front offices, though.

Middling teams who needed a jolt like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers could enter this discussion for some, but they’ll be spared here since the help they needed wasn’t available.

Other possible sellers like the Atlanta Hawks get a pass for now as well, because the same players they could’ve unloaded in February can still be moved at a later date—probably for a richer price than they would’ve commanded.

Not everyone gets off the hook, though.

The following four teams are likely already kicking themselves for deals they made or the ones they didn’t do.

The Raptors Parting with a First-Round Pick1 of 4

Ochai Agbaji and Kelly OlynykVaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

This was a strange trade season in Toronto. The Raptors sort of prioritized the future, but they didn’t always follow that theme.

They traded two of the best players to change jerseys this season in OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, but they collected only three first-round picks in those deals. For comparison, the Dallas Mavericks gave up two first-rounders to get P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the deadline.

The Raptors prioritized young talent over picks in the Anunoby deal, which netted them two potential long-term keepers in Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. That’s fine, since the presence of Scottie Barnes, a first-time All-Star this season, potentially spares them from a top-to-bottom teardown.

Where things got confusing, though, was when Toronto flipped one of the three picks that it initially received for Siakam to get Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji from the Utah Jazz. The Raptors moved quickly to sign Olynyk to an extension, so at least they didn’t cough up a first-rounder for a rental, but why is this non-contender so convinced that the soon-to-be 33-year-old is an essential part of the long-term plan?

Agbaji is at least younger, although he isn’t as young as you think. Since his college career spanned four seasons at Kansas, the second-year swingman is already approaching his 24th birthday. That puts him a lot closer to his ceiling than most of his 2022 draft classmates.

That could be fine if Agbaji had established a high floor, but he hasn’t. Among the 246 players to log 2,000-plus minutes since the start of last season, he ranks 244th with an 8.5 player efficiency rating.

The Wizards Holding onto Tyus Jones2 of 4

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The Washington Wizards wasted no time making it clear that they were headed nowhere this season. That’s what made Tyus Jones such an obvious trade candidate.

He arrived last summer in the three-team deal that sent out Kristaps Porziņģis with the reputation of being a high-end decision-maker and mostly forgettable player in other aspects. Jones was capable of starting for a stretch on this rebuilder, but his previous employers had always handled him as a rock-solid reserve.

It thus felt a pinch ambitious when the The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski brought word that the Wizards were “believed to be seeking a first-round draft pick” for Jones. However, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported rival executives felt confident Washington would “ultimately move on from Jones for a package of second-round picks.” That felt like the sweet spot for a 27-year-old fringe starter who has unrestricted free agency awaiting him after this season.

That package also felt gettable in this market, which featured several clubs needing an upgrade at point guard. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that five teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, had interest in Jones. Even if none put a first-round pick on the table, Washington’s chances of netting multiple second-rounders felt pretty good.

However, the Wizards instead held onto Jones, setting up a scenario in which they either lose him for nothing this offseason or re-sign the not-young point guard to lead this not-ready roster. If Washington views Jones as a starter—and it does, per The Athletic’s Josh Robbins—it might soon compensate him like one, making him harder to move and less valuable as a trade chip down the line.

The Pacers Losing Some Offensive Zip in the Buddy Hield Trade3 of 4

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Back in January, the Indiana Pacers made one of the most aggressive moves of trade season by parting with three first-round picks (plus three players, including Bruce Brown) to get their hands on two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam. So, why didn’t Indiana follow that same go-for-it attitude when it came to Buddy Hield?

Sure, the tea leaves all suggested that the sharpshooter would exit the Circle City in free agency this summer. And yes, Indiana at least managed to bring back a three-point threat (Doug McDermott) in the three-team deal that sent out Hield.

But McDermott has never shown nearly as much volume in his perimeter game (career 1.4 makes per game) as Hield routinely has (3.1). Neither is a shutdown defender, so it’s not like the Pacers gained any ground on that end.

Indiana had the NBA’s most efficient offense with Hield on the roster. In the month-plus since the deadline, the Pacers have slipped to seventh. The defense has leveled up, but that has nothing to do with McDermott and perhaps could’ve been possible even with Hield around.

Indiana, which has gone an uninspiring 10-8 since the trade, has made life harder on the court—and less fun away from it—for its best player, All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.

“His presence shooting on the floor, that opens up a ton for me because you [are] not going to be in as much in the gap if you’re guarding Buddy because you know how he is as a shooter. So it’s been a little different on the court, obviously,” Haliburton said on a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George (via All 76ers). “But I think off the court, it’s been kinda the biggest adjustment for me. He just has always carried this energy around him, and I think who he is as a person every day, not having that energy has been a little different.”

That trade dropped the Pacers’ talent level, which felt like a strange way to follow the Siakam acquisition. Because Hield was such an obvious flight risk, there was a price point at which it made sense for Indiana to cut him loose, but McDermott and a pair of second-rounders wasn’t it. Initially, Indiana reportedly hoped to land “a first-round pick and a rotation player for Hield,” per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

For this return, though, the Pacers would’ve been better off holding onto Hield and addressing his future at a later date. Even if he bolted this summer, there was a chance to help orchestrate his exit with a sign-and-trade, and who knows? Indiana might’ve left that deal with more than it got for him at the deadline.

The Bulls Snoozing Through the Deadline (Again)4 of 4

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It wasn’t shocking that the Chicago Bulls let the trade deadline pass without making a deal. After all, this was their third consecutive dormant deadline. In fact, the last time they made any trade involving a player was back in August 2021.

Now, that might qualify as shocking, particularly given the overall trajectory of this team. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Chicago has a combined record of 120-114. This group tops out at mediocrity, and given how many veterans are in the rotation, it’s hard to even envision the ceiling raising any higher.

That’s why this front office’s unwavering commitment to this core is so baffling for external observers, who’ve long called upon the club to blow up the roster and start over. However, the Bulls aren’t the least bit interested in any kind of future-focused move that would limit the club’s present ability to compete.

“We didn’t see anything that was going to make us better,” Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas told reporters of the team’s inactivity. “We would take a step back, which we don’t want. We want to stay competitive. We have an obligation to this organization and this fan base and this city to stay competitive and compete for playoffs, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Chicago had a .471 winning percentage at the time of the trade deadline. Its post-deadline win rate is .526, which is better but still nowhere in the neighborhood of championship contention.

Most franchises try avoiding the NBA’s middle class like the plague. The Bulls, on the other hand, are busy crafting workout plans for all the mileage they apparently intend to log on the treadmill of mediocrity.

This was Chicago’s (latest) chance to choose a direction, either by loading up for a playoff run or unloading win-now talent for win-later assets. Instead, the Bulls never turned and simply plowed into that fork in the road. Again.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on X, @ZachBuckleyNBA.