NBA standings since NBA trade deadline: Lakers in driver’s seat

The NBA trade deadline was a busy one this season and has changed the complexion of the NBA standings since. Outside of the Phoenix Suns, no team benefitted more from the trade deadline than the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rob Pelinka and the front office were able to accomplish a lot at the deadline. Not only did he create a roster that is younger, more cohesive and simply more talented, but he did so while also getting rid of Russell Westbrook. The icing on the cake was that all it really cost was one future-protected first-round pick.

It was a masterclass and the results since the trade deadline speaks for themselves (and this is with LeBron James missing games due to injury as well).

NBA standings since NBA trade deadline:

The NBA trade deadline was on February 9, so we are including all games from February 10 and onward. Los Angeles played on February 9 but had a skeleton unit out there as they traded players away but did not have the new players ready to play yet.

These NBA standings are also based off of winning percentage, not total wins.

Western Conference: 

1. Phoenix Suns, 7-2
2. Los Angeles Lakers, 8-3
3. Denver Nuggets, 8-3
4. Sacramento Kings, 8-3
5. Memphis Grizzlies, 6-5
6. Golden State Warriors, 6-6
7. Utah Jazz, 5-6
8. Oklahoma City Thunder, 5-7
9. Los Angeles Clippers, 4-6
10. Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-6
11. Dallas Mavericks, 4-7
12. Portland Trail Blazers, 4-8
13. New Orleans Pelicans, 3-7
14. San Antonio Spurs, 3-8
15. Houston Rockets, 2-9

Look, these records do not mean everything, but it is an indication in the direction that teams are heading in as the NBA Playoffs approach. And it looks like most of the Western Conference is heading in the wrong direction.

Eastern Conference: 

1. Milwaukee Bucks, 10-1
2. Philadelphia 76ers, 10-3
3. New York Knicks, 9-3
4. Boston Celtics, 7-5
5. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7-5
6. Charlotte Hornets, 7-5
7. Atlanta Hawks, 6-5
8. Toronto Raptors, 6-6
9. Miami Heat, 6-7
10. Washington Wizards, 6-7
11. Indiana Pacers, 5-6
12. Brooklyn Nets, 5-7
13. Chicago Bulls, 4-7
14. Orlando Magic, 4-7
15. Detroit Pistons, 1-10 

The most surprising team of this bunch is easily the Charlotte Hornets. Charlotte is a team that should be losing games to tank. Charlotte playing like this has taken the team out of the bottom-three odds and if they continue winning games they might not even be bottom four.

Los Angeles Lakers are proving they are a real team to worry about.

It isn’t a huge sample size, sure, but the records since the trade deadline are proving that Los Angeles is not some faux playoff contender that the media is hyping up. Are they a bonafide title contender? Maybe not. Are they a playoff contender that no team wants to play in the first round? Absolutely.

The Lakers have the second-best record in the West since the break with most of the games coming without LeBron James AND D’Angelo Russell! If LA can just get healthy and take that health into the NBA Playoffs then they are going to be one of the most dangerous low-seeded teams in recent NBA history.

Of course, health is a big if with this team but at least now the season won’t absolutely crater if someone gets hurt.