It’s that time of the year again where NBA trading is the talk of the town. Thursday definitely showed some major movement in what could be a defeat for some and a victory for others. Here are the highlights:

• The Orlando Magic made quite the impact by opening up shop. When they sent Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Evan Fournier to separate drafts, they were able to acquire Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, Otto Porter Jr., and Wendell Carter Jr.
• Orlando has quite the draft capital mixed in with their other young players, such as Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Issac. They really can build a dominant force.
• With the Portland Trailblazers acquiring Norman Powell, it was the icing on the cake because he’s a great defender and outside shooter
• Between Powell, Damian Lillard, and C.J. McCollum, they’ll be a triple threat on the court.
• The Houston Rockets lost out big-time when they traded James Hardin earlier in the season with no high-caliber MVP player to replace him. Not to mention, they also traded Victor Oladipo for a less than stellar package of Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2022 first-round pick swap. The fact that they don’t even have a young player they can nurture into a force is just abysmal.
• The Denver Nuggets played it smart by not giving up too much of their roster but still getting what they needed Aaron Gordon, who’s a versatile defender, good scorer, and solid rebounder. Not to mention, the veteran center JaVale McGee makes them well-rounded.
• The Los Angeles Lakers took a loss by not getting Kyle Lowry because they weren’t able to come up with a deal. This is an unfortunate situation because star players Lebron James and Anthony Davis are out of the lineup currently.