MIAMI — Most of the top NBA playoff contenders stayed out of the down-to-the-wire frenzy at the trade deadline.

Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers beefed up, however.

And a slew of other teams – including the Golden State Warriors – made moves with short-term finances and long-term ramifications in mind.

The NBA’s 3 p.m. Thursday deadline for trades to be consummated did not arrive quietly, with a flurry of deals getting struck in the final hour and at least one other notable move falling apart before reaching the finish line. Deals that included at least 41 players and 15 future draft picks were struck either Wednesday or Thursday – the biggest move likely being the one Thursday that saw Andrew Wiggins going from Minnesota to the Warriors in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, who will be paired with his good friend, Karl-Anthony Towns, with the Timberwolves.

Marcus Morris is leaving New York for Los Angeles, going from the woebegone Knicks to the title-hoping Clippers – who added a piece many teams wanted. Three-time champion Andre Iguodala is ending his exile from Memphis and going to the Heat, along with Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill, with Miami sending three players who’ve combined to score a mere 254 points this season to the Grizzlies. And rebounding leader Andre Drummond got moved by Detroit to Cleveland, then took to Twitter to express his dismay with the process.

“If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty,” Drummond wrote. “I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons, and to have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business! I love you Detroit…”

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The Warriors decided to make the Russell-for-Wiggins move, giving Wiggins a fresh start that he likely needs. The former No. 1 overall pick will get to reap the benefits of playing alongside a healthy and rejuvenated Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green starting next season. And by throwing in a couple extra players, the Warriors also will likely escape the luxury tax this season. That’s not an insignificant point for a team that will go from five straight NBA Finals to the bottom of the Western Conference this season and, it hopes, back to title contention starting next year.

Miami’s trade with Memphis also lowered the Heat’s potential tax bill, and Portland made a minor trade with Atlanta with a lower tax in mind, as well.

Most of the trades were still getting finalized Thursday afternoon. The only one from this week that got NBA approval before the deadline was a four-team, 12-player, three-pick swapping between Atlanta, Houston (which notably sent Clint Capela to the Hawks), Denver and Minnesota.

But the three top teams in the East – Milwaukee, Toronto and Boston – and the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers all remained out of the trade mix. It remains possible, and probably even likely, that at least some of those teams could look to bolster their rosters by adding free agents, especially when players become available through buyouts in the coming weeks.

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge recently said that he had been looking for some help for Boston’s second unit, but nothing materialized.

“Our number one need is health,” he said earlier this week, noting that the Celtics haven’t had a full complement of players for much of the season. He then added, “we’re going to look to see if there’s ways to strengthen the end our bench, but I think we like all of our guys.”

The Celtics had been keeping expectations low for the deadline, repeatedly saying that any deal, if one was made, would be minor.

“I don’t anticipate any huge changes with our team,” Coach Brad Stevens said Wednesday. “I think the only way we’d make a move is to improve … Our front office is good at what they do. If they decide to make a move, it’ll be to improve us and to add to the depth of a good team.”


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