Portland Trail Blazers: Disappointing
Maybe the trades never presented themselves. Maybe teams weren't interested in Jerami Grant Malcolm Brogdon or Rob Williams III. Or maybe the Blazers could have initiated trade talks in the hope of bringing in more assets to propel their rebuild.
The deadline is reserved for fireworks. Rarely do they show, but when they do it's magical. The Blazers felt like the team that had the potential to blow up the league's dynamic. Instead, they will keep three veterans on their roster in the quest for reaching 30 wins this season. Yay. A pretty disappointing deadline if you ask me.
Sacramento Kings: Insufficient
Last season's playoff run was cute. The Kings broke the longest streak of playoff-less basketball in the NBA and quickly became the darlings of the sport. The Warriors ousted them in the first round. The Kings decided to run it back this offseason with the re-signing of Harrison Barnes. It didn't seem like enough at the time. It definitely doesn't feel like enough now.
The deadline was an opportunity for the Kings to improve its team on the margins. Reports were swirling that Barnes and Kevin Huerter could be available for the right asking price. The Kings acquired Robin Lopez in a trade with the Bucks, but they intend to waive him, meaning they didn't really do anything. That is insufficient for a team that is hoping to make a deeper playoff push than last year.