NBA Trades 2012: Winners and Losers from Trade Deadline

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The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and now it's time to name who won and who lost. 

The Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and other teams all made big moves on Thursday. Some made them for the future and some for the present, while some didn't make any sense at all.

Here are the winners and losers following the 2012 NBA trade deadline. 

Winner: Los Angeles Clippers

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The Los Angeles Clippers are big winners simply because of how much they were able to gain by giving up so little. In Nick Young, they have a young, talented shooting guard who can score and is very athletic.

He fills a perimeter need they had for now and looking ahead to the future. And all they had to give up was forward Brian Cook and a second round pick. Simply beautiful.

Winner: San Antonio Spurs

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The San Antonio Spurs won big in a deal that sent Richard Jefferson to the Golden State Warriors for former Spur Stephen Jackson.

Jackson will shore up the shooting guard spot and add a needed dose of adrenaline to a sometimes-slow Spurs offense. He will help them hold onto their current playoff seeding.

Loser: Boston Celtics

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The Boston Celtics lost because they did not do a single thing to improve their team before the deadline.

They are the same old team that is struggling to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Still having Rajon Rondo is good, but still having a bunch of old guys around him isn't.

Winner: Los Angeles Lakers

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The Lakers are another big winner from the trade deadline. Not only did they improve themselves by bringing in Ramon Sessions and getting rid of Derek Fisher, but they also were able to keep all of their important pieces in doing it.

Now, they have an upgrade at the point and a young big man in Jordan Hill who can back up Andrew Bynum. The Lakers got a lot better today.

Loser: New Jersey Nets

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The New Jersey Nets have to be losers after losing out on Dwight Howard for what will probably be over a year. Meanwhile, they did get Gerald Wallace. Hurray?

This is probably the beginning of the end for Avery Johnson in New Jersey, and Deron Williams will probably leave for Dallas in July. So yeah, the Nets lose pretty big.

Winner: Orlando Magic

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The Orlando Magic are another obvious choice in the big-winner category. Unlike Cleveland a few years ago, the Magic kept their superstar in town for at least another year. They now have the opportunity to woo him to stay even longer.

We may look back on this differently in a few years, especially if it ends up being a waste of year when the team could have been rebuilding.