LA Clippers: Uneventful
Who sits in third place in the Western Conference after putting together a 25-6 record over their last 31 games? Would you believe me if I said it was the Clips? Crazy, right? This team is kicking butt and taking names.
The team made its big move in the offseason by acquiring James Harden from the 76ers. Things have been going very well for this team after a bumpy 9-10 start to the season. The Clips don't need much, so they didn't do much. They didn't do anything in fact, thus rendering their deadline uneventful.
Los Angeles Lakers: Losers
Potentially wasting the last season of this generation's greatest player would be a sham. There is no way a team, especially a team with as much clout as the Lakers, would ignore this possibility. Oh, wait. That's exactly what happened. Each year at the deadline there will be a deadline winner and a deadline loser. The Lakers are the clear losers.
So the Lakers couldn't land the big-name player. That is not an excuse to disregard any and all roster upgrades. The Lakers have a responsibility to LeBron and AD to put together a competitive roster. Improving the bench would have been reasonable, let alone bringing in a star. This team failed to do anything and unless a miracle happens, this team is destined for an early playoff loss (if they even make the playoffs). This was a loser deadline, to say the least.