The Zach Lowe Show: Trade Deadline Winners and Losers (Feb 6, 2026)
Host: Zach Lowe
Guests: Kurt Goldsberry, Kevin Pelton
Podcast: The Ringer
Episode Overview
This jam-packed episode of The Zach Lowe Show dives deep into the NBA's 2026 trade deadline. Lowe, with guests Kurt Goldsberry and Kevin Pelton, breaks down the most consequential, baffling, and strategic moves around the league. The episode focuses on the headline trades—like Anthony Davis to the Wizards and the Clippers-Pacers blockbuster—debates the implications for teams, and awards winners and losers. The show also explores the non-trades (notably, Giannis staying put), the shifting value of positions, the quiet deadline for some teams, long-term consequences for the NBA draft landscape, and the strange asset-driven strategies shaping team rosters.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Clippers & Pacers Blockbuster: Zubac to Indy
Segment Start: 03:24
- Zach Lowe: The Clippers traded Ivica Zubac to the Pacers for a package including Ben Matheran and coveted picks: a 2029 unprotected, and a highly protected 2026 first in a "starry" draft (only conveys if Pacers pick lands 5–9).
- The pick's protections create intense late-season tanking incentives. “Gaming this out, all the hype I’ve heard about this draft, I’m going to assume the Pacers want to maximize their chances of landing a top four pick.” (05:45)
- Kurt Goldsberry: Praises the Pacers fit for Zubac, notes too many modern pick protections (“too many protections, Zach. Like if it’s a prime number under 19, the Clippers get it.” 08:32), and calls the lottery outcome “electric.”
- The Pacers now have a strong core (Halliburton, Nemhardt, Nembhard, Siakam, Zubac, McConnell, Toppin) and filled their roster hole after Miles Turner left for Milwaukee.
- Implication: Sets up a tank race among several teams (Indy, Utah, Wizards, Pelicans, Kings, Nets, Mavericks, Bulls, Clippers); draft protections will produce “tank-tastic” basketball.
“The tankery down the stretch of this season is going to be beyond outrageous.” —Zach Lowe [06:23]
2. L.A. Clippers’ Direction and “Conspiracy Fingers”
Segment Start: 11:01
- Zach & Kurt: Speculate about the Clippers’ intentions—is there something the franchise knows about an impending investigation or punishment? Lowe finds the moves basketball-logical but acknowledges the “unmistakable sort of subtext… a little bit of the NBA Gossip Girl stuff.”
- Zach's Take: Clippers get good value now for Zubac, may be pivoting strategically for cap space and the post-Kawhi era; also got Darius Garland in the deadline’s other big deal.
3. Cavaliers’ Gamble: Harden for Garland
Segment Start: 19:13
- Zach Lowe: Harden fits for the Cavs, giving them more size, defensive robustness, and allows better staggering with Mitchell. “The Cavs are better this season. If all you care about is the next two seasons, they may actually just be better…the next two seasons based on availability alone.” [20:40]
- But—“It is still an astonishing vote of no confidence in Darius Garland, a guy you drafted and developed and liked and just decided he’s never going to be healthy.” [21:16]
Kurt’s Trend Watch: Small guards (Morant, Trae, Garland, Cam Thomas) are losing value as teams fear playoff weaknesses and covet switchable size.
4. Anthony Davis & Trae Young to the Wizards: “No Harm, No Foul” Experiment
Segment Start: 26:59
- Zach & Kurt: The Wizards, early in their rebuild and without a generational prospect, suddenly add AD and Trae Young.
- Kurt’s Take: “Now they have famous basketball players on their team and they might drum up some excitement and…season tickets.” [27:15]
- The move is cap-motivated (new salary floor), costs little, and preserves future flexibility for a bigger trade.
- Zach: Not sure if AD will want to stay in DC; expects the Wiz might flip him soon if he performs well.
“I don’t recall anything quite like this… a team this bad and this early in its rebuilding process just kind of falling in to two top 40 players.” —Zach Lowe [26:47]
5. Dallas Mavericks & The Shrinking Value of ‘Expiring’ Stars
Segment Start: 31:13
- Davis’s contract and injury risk limits his market value. “I just don’t think they were going to struggle to get this equivalent deal in the off season, and maybe they could have done something, but I just think this is…not that great of a trade.” —Zach Lowe [35:14]
6. Flabbergasting Moves & The Chicago Bulls’ Odd Deadline
Segment Start: 39:37
- Weirdest trade: Atlanta gets Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis. “What even…like, like an alien had landed in my house.” —Zach Lowe [39:42]
- Bulls finally go full “asset accumulation,” trading Vucevic, White, and Dosunmu—but waited too long and sold low: “Low and late. That should just be the Bull’s motto for the season.” —Zach Lowe [83:03]
- Now left with a weird, incoherent roster (“Island of the Misfit Toys”); questionable what the vision is.
7. Non-Trades and Summer Scenarios: Giannis Drama Continues
Segment Start: 43:22
- Giannis Stays in Milwaukee: No deadline trade, but drama dominated the week. Giannis posts the Wolf of Wall Street “I’m not going anywhere” clip.
- Kurt’s POV: Bucks smart to wait—bigger bid market this summer, more time to possibly re-convince Giannis.
- Zach: Not worried about reduced leverage from expiring contract, thinks market for Giannis will remain robust if he wants out. Multiple teams, notably Miami, disappointed they couldn’t make something happen.
- Kurt: “People who know him very well have told me he’s one of the most stubborn people that you’ll ever meet… those qualities lead him to kind of wanting to stay in Milwaukee and prove everybody wrong.” [52:58]
8. Winners & Losers with Kevin Pelton
Segment Start: 60:45
- Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder—only above-.500 team to trade a first-rounder, smartly added Jared McCain from Philly, and benefited from Clippers downgrading.
- Losers: Warriors and Sixers’ fan bases—disappointed by inaction despite clear needs around their stars.
- Positional Value: Small guards falling out of favor (reinforces earlier discussion).
- Pistons & Spurs: Light moves with open cap space; patience/optionality wins.
- Eastern Conference (2027): Race tightened, with Boston, Detroit, Indiana, Cleveland all stronger for the near future.
9. Other Notable Trades and Trends
- Lakers get Luke Kennard for (their last!) second-rounder [41:42]; but it's a marginal move.
- Hornets quietly build a strong team, poised to surprise in a future playoff push [78:13].
- Minnesota Wolves quietly title-ready after landing Dosunmu (Zach’s stealth contender) [93:50].
- Value of 1st-rounders rising—teams more wary of massive pick outlays.
- Asset Acquisition as Walk of Shame: Bulls, Kings, Kaminga, Porzingis, and others mentioned as teams/players jettisoned too late, for too little (86:15 – 87:15).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the protected Pacers pick:
“That is such a juicy pick… the protections thing annoys me. Like… too many protections, Zach.”
—Kurt Goldsberry [08:32] -
On the logic of Pacers’ aggressiveness:
“I love this trade for the Pacers… I think it’s worth it because this team comes in next year absolutely loaded.”
—Zach Lowe [07:58] -
On Bulls finally pivoting:
“They sold low and late. That should just be the Bull’s motto for the season. Low and late after paying through the nose to get him… what are they trying to do?”
—Zach Lowe [83:03] -
On Giannis, the Bucks & loyalty:
“People who know him very well have told me he’s one of the most stubborn people that you’ll ever meet, and he’s a very proud person, and… wants to stay in Milwaukee and prove everybody wrong.”
—Kurt Goldsberry [52:58] -
Asset-walk-of-shame winners and losers:
“The meme I thought of… is like, when someone says the best time to delete this post was before you made it—and the next best time is now. That’s how I feel about the Chicago trades.”
—Kevin Pelton [87:24] -
The new trend in NBA team building:
“In this CBA era the draft picks, Zach, are… more important and, and then the Sam Presti model of like, I just want a lot of first round [picks], other teams are watching and… [now] fewer teams are willing to throw out a bunch of picks.”
—Kurt Goldsberry [57:30]
Important Timestamps
- 03:24: Clippers–Pacers trade breakdown
- 07:58: Zubac’s Pacers fit & Pacers’ upcoming core
- 11:01: Clippers’ broader direction and “investigation” rumors
- 19:13: Garland for Harden swap analysis, small guard value crash
- 26:59: Anthony Davis (& Trae Young) to Wizards – rationale
- 39:37: Flabbergasting trades: Kuminga–Porzingis, Bulls’ fire sale
- 43:22: Giannis non–trade fallout, Bucks’ logic, summer scenarios
- 60:45: Winners & Losers segment w/ Kevin Pelton
- 78:13: Hornets and potential playoff push
- 83:03: Bulls’ asset accumulation, vision and critique
- 93:50: Ayo Dosunmu to Wolves stealthifies them as contenders
- 99:12: Wizards’ experiment: building with stars as “rebuild” continues
Conclusion
The 2026 NBA trade deadline was less about all-in blockbusters and more about posturing for the future, building asset war chests, and placing high-stakes bets on protected picks. Major themes: evolving positional value (big, switchable wings over small guards), the rising importance of draft capital, and teams balancing immediate competitiveness with long-term optionality. While some “walks of shame” (especially Chicago) are finally underway, the biggest potential move—Giannis—will now steer league intrigue into the summer. The Thunder, Pacers, and quietly the Hornets and Wolves, come out ahead. The Bulls, Kings, and Warriors face existential questions about their direction. The bizarre new era of “asset-maximalist” rosters is here—whether it builds a winner or not, only time and a bouncing lottery ping-pong ball will tell.
For a complete, often hilarious, and always insightful trip through the trade deadline’s chaos, this episode is required listening for any NBA fan following the league’s ever-shifting landscape.