The 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline has passed.
Orlando Magic fans can breathe easy: Dwight Howard will be the center in Disney City for at least one more season. He won't be in a New Jersey Nets uniform, however, to the chagrin of future Brooklynites and quite possibly Deron Williams alike.
But as much as the Howard saga may have overshadowed everything that happened until the deadline, the importance of the trades that actually went down should not be scanted.
Every trade but one happened on Thursday, with only hours and minutes to spare. On March 13, the Golden State Warriors sent guard Monta Ellis, forward Ekpe Udoh and center Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for center Andrew Bogut and forward Stephen Jackson. Ellis becomes the complement to point guard Brandon Jennings, whose name was also churning in the rumor mill, while Bogut becomes the Warriors' long-term option in the middle.
Here is a roundup of all of Thursday's trades and what they mean for all parties involved:
The Philadelphia 76ers acquire guard/forward Sam Young from the Memphis Grizzlies for draft rights to 2005 second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
The 76ers were already two players short of a full roster, so adding Young will bring them even more depth and balance. He is a 6-foot-6, hybrid shooting guard-small forward, which means he will not only be able to overpower or have a height advantage over most other shooting guards, but he will also be versatile enough to get around taller small forwards.
As for the Grizzlies, they dump Young's salary and can add the 6-foot-11, 220-pound Sanchez as a power forward or center option down the line to back up both Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Currently, the 24-year-old plays in Argentina for Wuber Estudiantes de Bahia Blanca, where he has averaged 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 42 games in the season.
The Indiana Pacers acquire guards Leandro Barbosa and Anthony Carter from the Toronto Raptors for a 2012 second-round draft pick.
The Pacers had enough cap room - $14 million - to absorb both Barbosa's $7.6 million expiring contract and Carter's $800,000 expiring contract. Barbosa and Carter fill out Indiana's roster to the max and give it more depth, especially at the guard position. That means George Hill can play more backup point guard while Barbosa would probably now be the most likely play backup to Paul George at the two.
Barbosa, who has averaged 12.2 points and 1.5 assists in 22.3 minutes this season for Toronto, also provides the Pacers with another scoring threat off the bench.
The Raptors can use the second-round pick to continue to retool and form the right roster for the future.
The New Jersey Nets acquire Gerald Wallace from the Portland Trail Blazers for Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a 2012 1st-round draft pick protected through No. 3.
The Nets lost out in the Howard sweepstakes, so they had to the next best thing. In their eyes, Wallace fulfilled that sentiment, and in the process, New Jersey was able to dump a couple of salaries. Wallace is a versatile small forward that can run the floor and decently shoot the ball. For the Blazers, he averaged 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field. However, whether or not Wallace can convince Deron Williams to stay remains to be seen.
The Blazers meanwhile will have an overstock of players on their roster with the addition of Okur, Williams and a couple of other players that were involved in another trade that is mentioned next. Yet, they still get a pick, but only if the Nets don't end up being selected one through three in the lottery.
Nevertheless, getting rid of Wallace only means the rebuilding process continues for Portland, who also fired coach Nate McMillan on Thursday.
The Houston Rockets acquire center Marcus Camby from the Portland Trail Blazers for center Hasheem Thabeet, guard Jonny Flynn and a 2012 second-round draft pick.
Oh, have the Rockets been looking for a big man since Yao Ming retired last summer and since the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers that would have sent Pau Gasol to the Rockets was nixed!
The 6-foot-11 Camby is 37, but he can still bring a much-needed inside presence to the Rockets, who need as much help as they can get as the season winds down with Houston currently eighth in the Western Conference standings. With the addition of Camby, who can play power forward, Samuel Dalembert can remain at center while Luis Scola can move to small forward, all of which can create a formidable frontcourt trio.
The Blazers get Thabeet and Flynn, who because of their expiring contracts and subpar statistics, could very well be on the chopping block of roster cuts.
The Los Angeles Lakers acquire Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, a 2012 first-round draft pick and the right to swap the Miami Heat's 2013 first-round draft pick for the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round selection.
The Lakers finally got the starting point guard that they were looking for in Sessions, who is averaging 10.5 points and 5.2 assists this season. He may not make the Lakers preeminent finals contender just yet, but he is an upgrade that can help them get as far as possible in the playoffs.
Don't count out Eyenga, though. As a 6-foot-7 wing player, he seems to fit the bill of lending both perimeter defense and offense that Los Angeles hasn't had much of this season.
As for the Cavs, they have taken on expiring contracts and are rebuilding like Portland. While they have something to look forward to in the future draft picks that they received, getting rid of a valuable player such as Sessions could hamper their chances a bit of making the playoffs.
The Houston Rockets acquire guard Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round draft pick (via the Dallas Mavericks) from the Los Angeles Lakers for center Jordan Hill.
According to ESPN, the Lakers made the deal for Fisher shortly after getting Sessions. Now, after 13 years as a member of Los Angeles, Fisher will provide depth and championship experience to the point guard position in Houston. However, he may be relegated to a backup role behind Goran Dragic, who has started the last several games in place of starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who is expected to be out two to three more weeks with a bacterial infection.
The Rockets also benefit by receiving an upgrade in the draft. They traded their second-round pick in the Camby deal, but essentially got a first-rounder in return via this deal.
The Lakers get younger overall and taller in their frontcourt by getting the 24-year-old Hill.
The Golden State Warriors acquire forward Richard Jefferson and a 2012 first-round pick from the San Antonio Spurs for forward Stephen Jackson.
At 31 years of age-not old by any stretch of the imagination just yet-Jefferson is now the oldest player on the Warriors' roster. Golden State already traded Ellis and Udoh, two of its most talented players, to get younger by acquiring Bogut. So, Jefferson will be the veteran that can help steer a rebuilding team in the right direction. His numbers have dipped since 2007, but he can still shoot it well and provide perimeter defense and offense.
Jackson is two years older than Jefferson, but is just as much of an impactful swingman. He has had attitude problems in the past, but at his age now, he is capable of putting all the drama behind him to help the Spurs remain a Western Conference powerhouse.
The Washington Wizards acquire center Nene and center Ronny Turiaf from the Denver Nuggets and forward Brian Cook and and a future second-round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers. Wizards center JaVale McGee goes to the Nuggets and Wizards guard Nick Young goes to the Clippers, sources tell Y! Sports.
McGee's antics in Washington are over. It looked like the only way for the Wizards to get rid of him and to acquire the upgrade in Nene was to throw Nick Young into the mix with a third team. Nene solidifies Washington's frontline with Andray Blatche and potentially opens the door for rookie forward Jan Vesely to get more playing time.
The Clippers get the shooting guard replacement in Young to replace Chauncey Billups who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. Young is quick, can get to the hole and, if clicking on all cylinders, can shoot the ball pretty well despite what his 37 percent field goal percentage may say.
The Nuggets could waive Turiaf, who averages 1.5 points and 3.0 rebounds a game, to adhere the 15-man limit of the roster. Even if that happens, Denver is perhaps still weaker than before their trade. McGee has been all over the place this year and still doesn't seem to be the offensive force his 7-foot-1, 252-pound frame conveys. As a result, he might best serve as the backup center to Timofey Mozgov. On the bright side, however, the Nuggets can retool in the future with a draft pick.
