3 trades that should've been made
Stay on top of all the deals that went down on deadline day with theScore's NBA trade tracker.
The 2016 NBA trade deadline ended rather tame compared to last season's furious finish, with many of the bigger names staying with their current squads.
With a number of contending teams remaining unchanged, several general managers whiffed at the opportunity to improve upon a clear weakness.
Here are three trades that should've happened:
Al Horford to the Toronto Raptors
With four first-round picks coming in the next two seasons and seven players on the roster aged 23 or younger, the Toronto Raptors had plenty of room to make a win-now move.
35-year-old veteran Luis Scola is struggling as the team's starting power forward, making the second-seeded Raptors an obvious choice to make a run at the Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford.
A good defender, passer, and shooter, Horford would've fit much better next to slow-footed center Jonas Valanciunas and given the Raptors a realistic chance at taking home the Eastern Conference title.
Horford is set to become an unrestricted free-agent and will almost assuredly command a maximum deal. Whether Toronto would've been able to keep the big man is a different story, but a potential trip to the Finals would've made the move worthwhile.
Ryan Anderson to the Boston Celtics
Similar to the Raptors, the Celtics have a handful of first-round picks and rookie-level contracts they could've moved in a potential trade.
With Boston's offense almost non-existent with Isaiah Thomas on the bench, GM Danny Ainge would've been smart to trade for a stretch-four to help a Celtics team that ranks 23rd in 3-point percentage.
Ryan Anderson's name had been floated around in recent months, and could've given Boston a notable upgrade at power forward.
With an expiring team-friendly $8.5-million contract, Anderson is sure to command a significant pay raise this summer. Unless the Pelicans are willing to re-sign the 27-year-old to a multi-year contract, they should've moved Anderson instead of losing him for nothing.
Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets
The Houston Rockets and Hornets reportedly discussed a potential swap involving Dwight Howard earlier in the week, however, both teams failed to agree on a deal.
The Hornets could've dangled Al Jefferson's $13.5-million expiring contract with a combination of picks and young assets to acquire the big man.
At 27-26, the Hornets currently rank eighth in the Eastern Conference, but could suddenly be in trouble following the moves of the ninth-ranked Detroit Pistons and 10th-ranked Washington Wizards.
With Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum carrying the team for the majority of the season, the Hornets could've used Howard's inside presence to make a run in the playoffs and possibly steal a round.