"Will the Detroit Pistons keep up their remarkable run to start the season and run away with the No. 1 seed? Could the Boston Celtics get Jayson Tatum back and make another deep playoff push, or will the New York Knicks deliver on their heavy expectations? How will the James Harden trade impact the Cleveland Cavaliers, and could this -- finally -- be the Philadelphia 76ers' season to break through?"
"Bontemps: Weirdly, it feels like nothing has changed. Typically at this time of the year, we see contending teams make moves to try to improve their title chances. But among the 10 teams with the best records as of Thursday's deadline, only one -- the Oklahoma City Thunder -- gave up a first-round pick to add a player. And five of the top 13 -- including the Celtics, 76ers and Toronto Raptors in the East -- made maneuvers to duck out of the luxury tax."
The trade deadline produced relatively few transformative moves in the Eastern Conference, leaving the standings and title-hope tiers largely intact. Only one top-10 team gave up a first-round pick, and multiple top teams adjusted rosters primarily to avoid luxury-tax penalties. Detroit added Kevin Huerter, Boston acquired Nikola Vucevic, and New York picked up Jose Alvarado, but no single transaction elevated any team above its prior tier. Key uncertainties persist: Detroit's ability to sustain its start, Jayson Tatum's availability for Boston, the Knicks meeting expectations, the impact of James Harden’s move on Cleveland, and Philadelphia’s potential breakthrough.
Read at ESPN.com
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