Yet this year, a Saturday in December, saw two blockbuster trades, with high profile players from three teams changing addresses still relatively early in the NBA season. The Orlando Magic completed an almost complete overhaul of their roster, as they shipped out guard Vince Carter, forwards Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus, and center Marcin Gortat, along with their 2011 first round pick.
In return they received Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and Earl Clark from the Phoenix Suns, who end up with Carter, Pietrus and Gortat, an equally major overhaul for a team that made a strong run in this past season's playoffs.
NBA Trades 2010
A separate deal also sent the Washington Wizards' controversial former franchise player, guard Gilbert Arenas, to Orlando in exchange for Lewis, swapping two exorbitantly paid players that many feel don't live up to their inflated guaranteed dollars on the court anymore.
The three teams at the center of today's trades all have varying motivations for making these moves, be it freeing up cap space, jettisoning underperforming players, or reshuffling their lineup in the hope of providing a different look on offense or defense.
But ultimately, all fans of the three teams care about is who got better, and who got worse on this eventful day. With that in mind, we'll try to pinpoint five major winners in these deals, while also pointing out five people or teams that came out on the losing end.
NBA Trades 2010
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