A total of 45 players were traded in hours before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. About half of the league's teams got involved and the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls and the Denver Nuggets became the biggest winners on the market.

Heat land Victor Oladipo via last-minute deal

The Heat sent Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a 2022 draft pick swap to the Houston Rockets for two-time All-Star guard Victor Oladipo. Moreover, the Heat traded Moe Harkless and Chris Silva for Nemanja Bjelica from the Sacramento Kings.

Almost seven years after LeBron James left, the Heat have established their new "Big 3." Oladipo has played 20 games for the Rockets since he was traded there and he has averaged 21. 2 points, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals. He could make 2.5 triples per game but his 32.0-percent 3-point rate is not pretty.

If you watch his game, it's not hard to agree that Oladipo still has a defense in place. His penetration and shooting are rusty, but Oladipo can make good enough offensive production via fast break and dribble-draw-dish.

Imagine what the Heat's defense will look like with Oladipo, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo together on the court and how many fast break opportunities can be created through their aggressive defense. Furthermore, Oladipo's existence will ease the Heat's defensive pressure playing with Goran Dragic, Tylor Herro or Duncan Robinson.

As for Bjelica, he is a very underestimated power forward who can both stretch the floor and deal with the ball. Though his 3-point rate this season so far is disappointing 29.3 percent, he was over 40 percent from downtown in all three straight previous seasons. Bjelica's defensive problem is that he is more dynamic than Olynyk but he does not share the Canadian's toughness.

Another concern for the Heat is that the contracts of both Oladipo and Bjelica will come due after this season. It won't be cheap to keep them, especially after Oladipo turned down contract extension offers from both the Indiana Pacers and Rockets. He's after a maximum contract.

Bulls bet playoff qualification on Nikola Vucevic

The Bulls traded Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks for two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic.

Magic, he has averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Though the Magic did not create the most comfortable environment for him, Vucevic has always been able to make his contributions. He has good enough size, strength and footwork to beat most big men in the paint. Meanwhile, Vucevic has quite a soft touch which enables him to attack in the middle and long-range – he can bury 2.7 triples at a 3-point rate of 40.6 percent. Even if the defenders managed to make it hard for him to score, Vucevic's court vision and passing ability make him a first-class to do post.

It's an acceptable price for the Bulls to pay, letting Carter Jr. and Porter Jr. go. 2.08-meter-tall Carter Jr. is a good defender but not irreplaceable – Vucevic's defense is underestimated. Moreover, in his third year in the league, Carter Jr. remains sloppy on offense. As for Porter Jr., his size, wingspan and 3-point shooting make him a perfect 3D player, but it's hard to believe in someone who has missed a total of 103 games in the previous three seasons, especially when his annual salary is almost $28.5 million this year.

The Bulls kept 33-year-old Thaddeus Young. He basically gave up 3-pointer but still managed to reach a career-high 60.3 true shooting percentage. Young's one-on-one offensive and defensive ability will be very helpful to the Bulls if they make the playoffs.

Now that the Bulls can put up a squad led by two All-Star players – Vucevic and Zach Lavine – it only makes sense to fight for playoffs. Lavine Vucevic and Lauri Markkanen are all all-round attackers. Though the Bulls are currently No. 10 n the Eastern Conference, the No. 4 Charlotte Hornets are only three games away. Moreover, Lavine will become a free agent in 2022 summer. The best thing to persuade him to stay is the team's competitiveness.

Nuggets enhance themselves where it's needed the most with Aaron Gordon

The Nuggets acquired Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark by sending Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton and a first-round draft pick to the Magic. Meanwhile, the Nuggets also brought JaVale McGee back by trading Isaiah Hartenstein and two future protected second-round picks to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

McGee played for the Nuggets between 2012 and 2015. He did not fit in George Carl's system back then and that's not the most favorable time for him either. Today's McGee has already won three rings after finding his role on the court. He will find his place wherever he goes.

Gordon matters more to the team. His role in the Magic has been awkward for years. The team kept switching him among different positions. On the one hand, he is both strong and agile enough to switch everything on defense; nonetheless, the only thing people are impressed with Gordon on offense is still his dunking. Though he was trying very hard to change that, his skills and touch are good enough to serve that purpose.

Fortunately, Gordon is a good option defending monsters like Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James or Anthony Davis. That's what the Nuggets need him to do, especially in the playoffs. When you have a guy like Jokic, you never have to worry about your team's offense. However, Jokic is not built for an elite defender, especially when the teams need him to invest more energy in offense in the postseason.

After sending Mason Plumlee and Jerami Grant away during the offseason, the Nuggets had to rely on 36-year-old Paul Millsap and Michael Porter Jr. for the job. Millsap is tough, experienced, but he is also old, slow and undersized. As for Porter, his defense is even more unreasonable than his shooting choice.

Gordon can do the job better than both of them. More importantly, he does not have to launch offense by himself playing with Jokic and Jamal Murray. His job is to tussle with the league's best-talented forwards on defense and score easy points on offense.

Some of the other trades made also matter a lot. For example:

The Los Angeles Clippers sent Lou Williams and two future second-rounders to the Atlanta Hawks for Rajon Rondo. It's no secret that lacking a qualified orchestrator has been bothering the Clippers since they landed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Rondo is theoretically one of the best they could get and he proved he could still contribute in the playoffs last season in the Lakers. Can he remake his magic in the Clippers this time?

The Boston Celtics paid two second-round picks and Jeff Teague to get Evan Fournier from the Magic. Fournier is a good scorer both with and without the ball. He has averaged 19.7 points, 3.7 assists and 2.8 triples per game so far this season. He can definitely help the Celtics right now.

Nonetheless, the team did not improve their biggest weakness, the inside, at all. Replacing Daniel Theis with Moritz Wagner is nothing but a downgrade in the center position. Perhaps the Celtics have not given up this season, but there is not much for them to chase with a lineup like this.

The Portland Trail Blazers traded Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood for Norman Powell with the Toronto Raptors. Powell is one of the league's best weak-side attackers. He can contribute both in the fast break and from the 3-point line. That's how he scores 19.7 points per game at a 64.5-true shooting percentage. Furthermore, though he is only 1.90 meters tall, Powell has a strong enough body and a long enough wingspan to defend three positions. Rip City has betted their new attempt to enhance wing position on the 27-year-old.

The Dallas Mavericks sent James Johnson, Wes Iwundu and a second-rounder to the New Orleans Pelicans for J.J. Redick and Nicolo Melli. The Mavericks' performance so far this season has proved that their decision to sacrifice shooting for defense during the off season was wrong. In that case, it will never go wrong to add more shooters around Luka Doncic.

The Philadelphia 76ers made a three-team trade with the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder and acquired George Hill. 34-year-old Hill is not a guy who can carry a team's offense via sharp screen plays, but he can offer a qualified defense, finish a hand-to-hand play from time to time and make some spot shots. He should be able to work as a good lubricant among Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris.

Having sent all of their three best players away, the Magic is entering rebuilding immediately. They even told Teague not to report because they will waive him to create a $17-million trade exception. Currently, the Magic are 15-29, ranking No. 14 in the East. They should be able to receive a good draft pick for that.

Two big fish, LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs and Andrew Drummond of the Cavaliers, stayed because their teams failed to trade them. Both of them were bought out and can sign economic contracts with other teams after 48 hours. The Heat are reportedly the leading runners in chasing Aldridge, and the Lakers are their major rival for both big men.