It's Deadline Time!

...And things promised to be a especially hectic this year, as the sinking luxury tax threshold and anticipation of July's impending free-agent exodus added other dimensions to the usual clamor to improve contenders, re-build disasters and move disgruntled stars. Not to disappoint, several blockbuster deals stood out amongst a flurry of moves made with a wide variety of motivations. Let's break down the important deals and see who came out on top:

Mavericks get: Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, Deshawn Stevenson

Wizards get: Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, box of spare pistol ammunition

This deal, announced over the weekend, kicked off the madness and signaled the beginning of Washington's voluntary implosion. Here, they were lowballed for their best player and although they gained some long-term flexibility by shedding Stevenson and Haywood's, this franchise - given their preseason aspirations - is at rock bottom. Dallas meanwhile, is loving this trade. They added a slasher to their perimeter scorers in Butler, who also becomes their best and toughest defender. Haywood can rebound, block shots and be much more of a distraction down low on both ends than Erick Dampier, and Stevenson? Well, his weird beard can raise morale as locker-room joke fodder. They got significantly better, and could potentially become the biggest threat to the Lakeshow. Who wins? 80% Mavs, 20% Wizards

Blazers get: Marcus Camby

Clippers get: Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, ca$h money

Great move for the Blazers. Down two centers to season-long injury, Portland went out and nabbed maybe the best rent-a-center they could've by landing the former DPOY. Assuming Camby himself doesn't revert to his injury-prone ways (and Brandon Roy comes back), he'll solidify the middle for a playoff run and come off the books for about $11 mil in June. They give up a guard they didn't need and an injured swingman they likely couldn't afford to re-sign. The Clippers get to shave a little more money off the cap next year, knowing that their season was going nowhere and Camby was going anywhere else. Who wins? 70% Blazers, 30% Clippers

Bobcats get: Tyrus Thomas

Bulls get: Flip Murray, Acie Law, future 1st rounder

Thomas' departure was inevitable; his inconsistent play and apparently shitty attitude endeared him little to Vinny D kept his teammates constantly guessing; will he make this play?...Will he make the team flight? This seems like addition by subtraction for Chicago, who also boost their scoring punch and backcourt depth with their new players. Meanwhile, Charlotte's painfully thin frontcourt gets bolstered by Thomas' addition; regardless of his disposition he can become an impact player if he keeps his head on straight. Maybe a change of scenery was what he needed, but he'll fill a serious void on a team that relies on their small forward for almost 12 boards every game. Bonus points to Charlotte for pilfering a potential stud, whose name has been floated in rumors for awhile, when his value was at an all-time low. Who wins? 50% Bulls, 50% Bobcats

Bucks get: John Salmons

Bulls get: Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander

The Bulls quietly dumped Salmons' $6 million salary for two expiring deals. This will do little to help their playoff cause (not that it'll amount to anything beyond a swift first-round exit), but methinks Chicago might be cleaning house to make a run at a hometown kid who's looking less and less at home down in Miami. If we're to take Wade's recent encouraging comments about playing in Chi-Town seriously (and why woulnd't we?), then this would be a worthwhile venture. The Bucks pick up some backcourt competency in the trade, probably not enough to dodge the lottery though. The expiring deals they give up limit the flexibility of a team that needs to rebuild regardless of Michael Redd's status, and picked up only a serviceable swingman. Who wins? 60% Bulls, 40% Bucks

Celtics get: Nate Robinson, unknown player (as of Thursday afternoon)

Knicks get: Eddie House, Bill Walker's corpse, JR Giddens

The Knicks made another payroll have, acquiring a bunch of soon-to-be-null contracts and getting rid of a player who had clearly fallen out of favor with Mike D'Antoni and hardly played anyway. The Celtics traded an erratic, undersized shooting guard for an erratic, undersized point guard who won't match House's playoff experience or be effective unless he's dominating the ball on a team of very good players. Robinson's a better player talent-wise, but I worry about his ability to contribute to a contender. Who wins? 65% Knicks, 35% Celtics

Knicks get: Tracy McGrady, Sergio Rodriguez

Rockets get: Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries

Kings get: Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and...sigh..Larry Hughes

In the most complex deadline deal, the Kings decided Kevin Martin wasn't fitting into their scheme (in all honesty, they played much better without him) and shipped Houston exactly what they needed: first an elite scorer, then working New York into the deal to add a legit 7-foot prospect (of which Houston currently has none) and a great defender in Jeffries, while doing right by Tracy McGrady (for some reason) and sending him to a preferred destination. T-Mac gets a chance to revive his career in a high-octane offense under the bright lights of MSG, and if things don't work out, his league-high $23 million price tag comes off the books in a few months. Despite his recent ineptitude, McGrady - having been almost voted an All-Star starter - is clearly still one of the most popular players in the League and will give fans something to care about as the Knicks grind to another lottery season. The Kings pick up maybe the A's most underrated player in Landry, who will be a nice, consistent piece on a team that's had little stability this season. You have to think a top-tier scorer like Martin, whose trade value hadn't been slandered at all, could've netted more. Who wins? 50% Rockets, 40% Knicks, 10% Kings

Cavaliers get: Antawn Jamison, The Artist Formerly Known As Sebastien Telfair

Wizards get: Zydrunas Ilgauskas' contract, Al Thornton

Clippers get: Drew Gooden

The Wizards firesale/complete fucking meltdown spread yesterday, consuming their other All-Star calibre forward and sending him to the (record-wise) best team in the conference. We know that Washington's trying to cut costs like ties to Gilbert Arenas, and the Clippers needed to shore up their thin front line (although I sincerely doubt they've found the answer), but what this does for Cleveland is significant. It's a shame that Lebron and Amar'e won't be joining forces, but I like this trade for a couple reasons. Not only will Jamison spread the floor better and likely fit very well into Cleveland's offensive scheme, but the Cavs were able to hold onto JJ Hickson, who would've been included in any deal with Phoenix and is becoming a serious beast. Jamison's proven highly effective as a role player; this former 6th Man of the Year wanted to be traded to a contender to help win a title and might be the difference in deciding who brings it home in June. Meanwhile, Big Z's likely going to be bought out, in which case his re-signing with the Cavs for the minimum would be a sure bet. Adding a would've-been All-Star for nothing? That's the kind of shrewd move that'll instill confidence in Lebron and convey the organization's commitment to winning now. Who wins? 90% Cavs, 10% Wizards, Clippers?...well...you got Drew Gooden.

In related news, the Jazz saved some luxury money by shipping Ronnie Brewer to the Grizz for a first-rounder, the Bucks and 76ers exchanged Gatorade coolers for practice balls and Darko Milicic was traded again, but who really cares about him anymore?

I'll be back in a few days to ramble on about some of the trades that didn't happen, why, and what it could mean for the teams involved. 'Til then, peace.