NBA's Biggest Winners and Losers From February
February may be the shortest month on the calendar, but the NBA manages to pack plenty of action into it every year.
This season's trade deadline, All-Star weekend and February games gave us plenty to talk about all month.
Here, we're breaking down all of it into the tried-and-true "winners and losers" exercise.
But first, a note on those designations. A team, player or some other subject being dropped into either category doesn't mean it (or he) is doomed to stay there. Nor does it mean that subject was necessarily there prior to February.
This is meant to be a snapshot—and some motivation, in some cases.
Loser: Fans of Competitive All-Star Games
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league spent plenty of time and energy over the last 12 months marketing what it hoped would be a more competitive All-Star Game.
The league went back to the East vs. West format. It dropped the Elam Ending (one of the biggest mistakes of All-Star Weekend, if you ask me). It had NBA legends like Larry Bird visit the All-Star locker rooms prior to the game to encourage the players to bring some effort.
Then, the All-Star Game came and went this month without a hint of defense. The final score was 211-186. The winning Eastern Conference All-Stars hoisted 97 three-point attempts (or about two per minute).
While the shotmaking on display was impressive—including two Damian Lillard pull-ups from half court—plenty of fans, including the commissioner himself, couldn't help but express their disappointment in the lack of competitiveness.
In the wake of what felt as much like a 48-minute round of H-O-R-S-E as an actual basketball game, the media and fans unleashed waves of posts, articles and TV segments on how to "fix" this issue.
No idea seems as likely to bring more fire as making the losing team pay the winning team's bonuses—right now, the players from the winning squad get $100,000 each—but there's no chance of that being implemented.
Instead, Silver seemingly gave in to the demands of his most visible stars by reportedly changing the requirements for a city to host All-Star Weekend (more on that in a bit).
Winner: On-Court Technology
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There were plenty of complaints logged in the unofficial suggestion box that is social media over All-Star Weekend.
The Skills Challenge once again lacked some punch. Anthony Edwards going out of his way to show how little he cared about that by shooting lefty didn't help. The judging of the Slam Dunk Contest was also atrocious, although they eventually got the winner right.
Even the three-point contest feels too gimmicky now. Having an entire rack of money balls (instead of just one on each rack) and the rhythm-busting Starry-range balls between the wings and the top of the key are unnecessary.
However, the NBA's new, all-LED floor that was installed at Lucas Oil Stadium for All-Star Saturday was spectacular, at least in person.
The real-time visual effects popped. Players could be trailed by fire. Information on participants could be displayed on the half of the floor not in use. A video of a young Jaime Jaquez Jr. played on the floor ahead of one of his jams in the dunk contest. At one point, the floor instantly flipped from that of the Indiana Pacers to that of the Boston Celtics, which the local fans admittedly didn't love.
Perhaps most importantly, no one slipped (at least not to a noticeable degree) on the new surface.
Celebrating the floor may seem at odds with the above complaints about the three-point contest. It's gimmicky as well. But the visuals were undeniably impressive, and the potential is tantalizing.
Loser: Mid-Market NBA Cities
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After Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green spent much of All-Star Weekend publicly lamenting that he was in Indianapolis and some reports suggesting the players would actually try in the All-Star Game if their bonuses were bigger, The Oklahoman's Joe Mussatto broke the following:
The NBA gently pushed back on that report, saying there are other factors not listed in Mussatto's report that could help a city land the event. But a place like Milwaukee, where two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo plays, looks like it'd have an uphill battle to win a bid.
Whatever the exact criteria is, it now seems trickier for the league's smaller markets to secure this economic boon (the impact for Indianapolis was reportedly worth $350 million).
That response coming from the league following a weekend that many found disappointing, is, well, disappointing.
Players like Draymond who weren't interested in more February weekends in cities like Indianapolis may be winners on this front, but the millions of NBA fans in those regions aren't.
Winner: Player Empowerment
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Whenever it's said and done, Silver's tenure as commissioner will likely be defined by the amount of power that was transferred from the league and its teams to its players.
Player salaries have skyrocketed since he took over. This season's new "player participation policy" may have helped curb load management a bit, but rest is still prevalent. Trade demands in the first year of a four- or five-year contract aren't remotely surprising anymore.
While something like the NBA catering to the stars' wishes on All-Star Game locations may seem like a small deal, it's another reminder of that shifting power dynamic. Much (if not all) of that is good for individual stars, but there are drawbacks as well.
Fans in smaller markets like Milwaukee may now have less of an opportunity to experience something like All-Star Weekend in their hometown. Ticket holders for regular-season games are routinely disappointed to find out a star player is sitting out hours before tipoff.
And organizations are often flipped upside down when a star forces a premature rebuild with a trade demand.
Loser: Doc Rivers
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There was a three- or four-day period over the All-Star break in which Doc Rivers was a meme. A certified, genuine meme.
After one eyebrow-raising quote after another from the veteran NBA coach, X users took to the social media streets to share all the things Doc knew would happen before they happened.
This trend came on the heels of Rivers being named the coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars despite replacing the recently fired Adrian Griffin and having a losing record with the Milwaukee Bucks at the time, and this takedown from JJ Redick on ESPN's First Take.
This has been far from an ideal start to Doc's stint with the Bucks, and many of his problems have been self-induced.
Winner: Doc Rivers
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Although Rivers caught plenty of heat in February, things have started to turn around for him and the Bucks.
Patrick Beverley and Austin Rivers, Doc's son, both defended him from Redick's criticism on their own prominent media platforms. His Bucks are starting to string together some wins post-All-Star break. And despite his repeated playoff struggles over the last decade-and-a-half, he's coaching one of the most talented rosters in the NBA.
Rivers has Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and plenty of supporting talent at his disposal in Milwaukee. That would've been enough to meaningfully contend with Griffin at the helm. It'll be enough for Rivers, too.
Despite a bumpy start to his Milwaukee tenure, Rivers might wind up being just fine in the long run.
Loser: Brooklyn Nets
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The Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs have been in an epic tank-off all season. The Memphis Grizzlies have been ravaged by injuries about as badly as a team can be. The Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz seem to be straddling the line between rebuilding and winning now.
The Brooklyn Nets have a better season-long net rating than all of the above, but February made it feel like they're the furthest from anything resembling a coherent vision or direction.
Charlotte at least has LaMelo Ball. The Wizards don't have a surefire star on the roster, but they're on track to keep their own first-round picks in 2024 and 2025 (assuming it's in the top 10 next summer). Scoot Henderson has been bad as a rookie, but Portland fans can still talk themselves into his upside as a playmaker. Detroit has plenty of intriguing young talent being submarined by horrific coaching. Memphis should get Ja Morant back next season. And of course, the Spurs have Victor Wembanyama.
Brooklyn's highest-paid player, Ben Simmons, rarely plays. Its best player, Mikal Bridges, is better suited as a third or fourth option. Everyone else on the roster is probably two or three spots higher on the Nets' pecking order than they'd be on legitimate title contenders.
After getting blown out by the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, the Nets are now 3-8 since the calendar flipped to February and 1-3 since Kevin Ollie took over as interim head coach for Jacque Vaughn.
As the Nets continue to spiral below the East's play-in range, they don't even have much to look forward to in the draft. Brooklyn doesn't have control of its first-round picks from now through 2028.
Winner: Boston Celtics
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The Boston Celtics have had the best net rating in the NBA for most of the season, so being 9-1 and plus-15.7 points per 100 possessions in February is easy to take for granted. But that's an utterly dominant stretch of basketball.
Boston actually raised its stellar season-long net rating with its play in February. It's now safe to start talking about this team among some of the all-time greats.
This year's Celtics currently have the eighth-best simple rating system (SRS combines point differential with strength of schedule) in NBA history. Most of the teams ahead of them are legendary.
- 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks
- 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
- 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers
- 2016-17 Golden State Warriors
- 1971-72 Milwaukee Bucks
- 1996-97 Chicago Bulls
- 2015-16 Golden State Warriors
It'll be easy to forget this regular-season dominance if it doesn't end with a championship, but Boston confirmed that it's a full-fledged, regular-season juggernaut this month.
Loser: Portland Trail Blazers
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It seems unfair to single the Blazers out among the tankers, but February was particularly bad for Portland because it included a missed opportunity.
Without being privy to what other teams offered for Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant, and knowing full well that there's value in keeping veterans around a rebuild, it still feels like the Blazers should've tried to flip one or both.
Having them on the roster for the rest of this season decreases Portland's chances of getting into the bottom three of the standings and securing a 14 percent chance at the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. With Henderson struggling to show any hints of star upside through February, the Blazers need as many shots at the top of the lottery as possible.
On the bright side, Deandre Ayton has looked a little more like a No. 1 option in February with averages of 17.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
But this rebuild is otherwise looking more painful than originally expected, especially if the organization continues to pass on opportunities to expedite it with more draft picks.
Winner: Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks began February with a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks and had back-to-back road losses to the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers (the second of which was about as heartbreaking as losses get) toward the end of the month.
Struggles against the Central Division aside, the Dallas Mavericks rattled off seven straight wins in the middle of the month, acquired two win-now bigs in Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington and got a sustained stretch with Kyrie Irving available.
For much of the season, Dallas has looked inconsistent on both ends and particularly uninspired on defense. But February reminded us of the title-contending upside that any halfway decent roster with Luka Dončić has.
Dončić can be the best player in any given playoff series. Kyrie is one of the league's best second options. And the Mavericks' supporting cast is stronger than it was prior to the trade deadline.
Loser: Spencer Dinwiddie
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Singling out Spencer Dinwiddie as a loser of February probably isn't fair. There are more than 300 players with fewer wins over replacement player than him this season, and he went from a lottery team to a playoff contender when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers.
But Dinwiddie also got traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors, who promptly cut him. He then offered this explanation for why he joined the Lakers over his former team, the Mavericks:
There's no guarantee he'd have been better in Dallas, but Dinwiddie is now "fighting till he wins" to the tune of 4.8 points on 31.0 percent shooting in 24.9 minutes per game.
There's still plenty of time for Dinwiddie to turn his season around. He could prove to be a valuable addition to the Lakers' backcourt rotation.
But February was rough on the journeyman guard.
Winner: Nikola Jokić
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The Denver Nuggets entered the All-Star break on a disappointing three-game losing streak. For most of this regular season, they've appeared to be in post-championship cruise control.
But reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokić has seemingly decided to take this campaign more seriously coming out of the break, and he wants his teammates to join him.
Since the break, Jokić has been absurdly productive.
On Feb. 22, he had 21 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists while shooting 10-of-10 from the field in a win over the Washington Wizards. One night later, he had 29 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists against the Portland Trail Blazers. And he closed out that three-game run with 32 points, 16 assists, 16 rebounds and four steals in a 16-point win over the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 25.
Jokić suddenly looks fully engaged, with February averages of 25.4 points, 13.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists. As long as he's playing like this, Denver looks like it has a real shot of going back-to-back.
Loser: Dunk Contest Judges
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We now return to All-Star Weekend, where the judges of the Slam Dunk Contest handed out some of the most confusing scores in recent memory.
After teasing a dunk that had never been seen in a dunk contest, Mac McClung delivered exactly that when he leapt over and grabbed a ball from a helper, then let the ball go, grabbed it again, and reverse dunked all in one motion.
The judges denied McClung a 50 on his innovative jam, but they could at least argue that they wanted to leave themselves somewhere to go. McClung eventually won the event, so it's hard to argue he was shortchanged.
The bigger issue was the panel's general overrating of Jaylen Brown's dunks. He deserves credit for being in the contest at all, but there's no way his run-of-the-mill slams should've put him in the final over Jacob Toppin.
Those mistakes cost us the opportunity to see this.
The dunk contest has taken a lot of heat in recent years, but it probably didn't have to this season. Toppin and McClung could've put on a show in the final had they been given the opportunity.
Winner: Damian Lillard
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In a lot of ways, Damian Lillard has endured a tough first season away from the Portland Trail Blazers.
His 2023-24 box plus/minus is less than half his career mark, and his three-point percentage is well below the league average. He's also been the target of plenty of criticism regarding the Bucks' underwhelming defense.
But the All-Star break gave fans a reminder of Lillard's superstar upside.
Lillard won the Three-Point Contest on All-Star Saturday night, then drilled multiple half-court pull-up threes on the way to an All-Star Game MVP nod.
In his three games since the All-Star break, he's scored at least 20 points all three times and hit at least half of his shots twice.
If Lillard begins looking like his old self again (or at least something close to that), the Bucks will absolutely be in the mix for this year's title.
Loser: Talent in Need of New Teams
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There were several players in the rumor mill leading up to the trade deadline who seemed destined for better situations than the ones they're currently in.
Instead of pushing for a play-in spot alongside LeBron James, Dejounte Murray is still with the Atlanta Hawks. Tyus Jones and Kyle Kuzma are on the lottery-bound Washington Wizards. DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond are all still on the Chicago Bulls. Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant are still in Portland.
All of those players could've helped playoff teams. Instead, most will be done playing when the regular season ends. (Chicago and Atlanta are currently slated to face off in the 9-10 play-in game.)
February's trade deadline was their chance to move to a better situation. Instead, they now have to wait till the next player-movement window opens after the playoffs.
Winner: Veterans Going from Tankers to Playoff Contenders
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On the other side of that coin are several veterans who escaped tanking teams to wind up on playoff and/or title contenders.
The New York Knicks acquired Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanović from the Detroit Pistons. Monte Morris escaped Detroit and wound up with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Royce O'Neale went from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns. The Charlotte Hornets sent Gordon Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And we already detailed the Mavs acquiring Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington.
Most (if not all) of the above will have real impacts on playoff races the rest of the way. A few could swing playoff series. One or two might even have an impact in the Finals.
All of them are in better spots than they were in before February began.
Loser: Teams That Missed Out on Victor Wembanyama
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We'll pick on the Utah Jazz for a second, but they're far from the only team that might be kicking itself watching Victor Wembanyama this season. Utah just gets special attention because it straddled the line between tanking and winning for too long.
Once the Jazz traded Mike Conley last season, they quickly fell out of the playoff race. Had they moved him sooner, they likely would've had better odds at landing the No. 1 pick and the right to select Wemby.
This February, it's become clear what that indecision may have cost them.
Wembanyama's trajectory has spiked. He's way ahead of schedule. Now, the teams that weren't fully committed to tanking for him last season must be watching Spurs games in a mix of awe, rage and regret.
Winner: Victor Wembanyama
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The losses keep adding up for the San Antonio Spurs, but Victor Wembanyama makes it clearer every game that he has "best player in the world" potential.
This month, he secured his first 5x5 game. Across all of February, he's averaging 20.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.8 blocks and 2.0 steals while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three.
This hot stretch has pushed Wembanyama into top-25 territory for season-long production. It might force San Antonio to rethink its organizational timeline, too.
Wemby is good enough to lead a winning team now. While the Spurs might be tempted to keep angling for losses through the 2024-25 season since Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey should be in the 2025 NBA draft, Wemby's talent simply might not allow it.
Loser: Stars in Range of the Play-In Tournament
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The number of NBA legends currently in or near the play-in tournament is wild.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis' Lakers are in 10th place in the West. Stephen Curry and the Warriors are in ninth. Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving's Mavericks are in eighth. Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are only a game ahead of them and a half-game ahead of De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings for the final guaranteed playoff spot in the West.
The East doesn't have the same problem right now, but the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat are both close enough to slide into that 7-10 range before the postseason starts. Joel Embiid (if he returns) and Jimmy Butler would certainly spice up that bracket's play-in.
While that volume of star power in the play-in tournament would likely increase fan interest, the stars themselves can't love their current positions. All of these guys are firmly in the "title or bust" portions of their careers, and they could find themselves in loser-goes-home games as early as mid-April.
Winner: NBA's New Torchbearers
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As LeBron, Curry and Durant age out of being the faces of the NBA, the likeliest candidates to assume their mantle are in solid position to chase the 2024 title.
The top 4-5 teams in both conferences are loaded with talent right now. While February has somewhat solidified the play-in-level teams, it's also provided opportunities for the likes of Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Kawhi Leonard and Zion Williamson to shine.
This month, those stars have put up ridiculous numbers.
- Tatum: 27.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists
- Mitchell: 28.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 threes
- Antetokounmpo: 29.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists, with a 65.4 field-goal percentage
- Brunson: 32.4 points, 7.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 threes
- Edwards: 30.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.2 threes
- Gilgeous-Alexander: 30.5 points, 7.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks
- Jokić: 25.4 points, 13.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists
- Leonard: 23.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.3 threes, with a 53.4 field-goal percentage and a 45.7 three-point percentage
- Williamson: 24.0 points, 6.7 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks
That doesn't even include Dončić, Tyrese Haliburton and Devin Booker, all of whom are in or near play-in territory right now.
KD, Curry and LeBron have carried the NBA's torch for over a decade, and some seem to be worried about what will happen when they retire. But this month—frankly, this whole season—has provided plenty of evidence that the league has more than enough talent to be fine even without those three.
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