We don’t need another handful of hours to know the biggest winner of the 2019 NBA trade deadline.

With a Harrison Barnes deal that came with some controversy because news broke about it in the middle of Wednesday night’s win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Dallas Mavericks are victorious.

Sure, there could a big Anthony Davis blockbuster that could give LeBron James everything he wants and sets himself and the Los Angeles Lakers up for a summer of more free agency wins.

But if you look at what Mark Cuban and the Mavs just pulled off in the last couple of weeks, you realize they went from a slow rebuild to a position to compete right away:

1. They took expiring contracts and turned them into Kristaps Porzingis

Could the Knicks have gotten even better value out of Wes Matthews, DeAndre Jordan, Dennis Smith Jr. and a couple of first-round picks? It’s possible. But the deal with the Mavs paired The Unicorn and Luka Doncic, and if Dallas commits long-term after seeing how Porzingis comes back from a knee injury, it could be one of the more dangerous duos in the league. And it didn’t cost much — the team is competitive enough that the first-rounders won’t be that high (and there are protections on the second one).

Harrison Barnes got traded while playing in a game for the Mavs and Twitter couldn't believe it

2. They got out from under the Barnes contract

The forward is a scorer (17.8 ppg this season) but an extremely inefficient one (40.6 percent from the field, ugh) who isn’t necessarily known for his defense. He has a $25 million player option for 2019-20, which the Mavericks could have been okay with eating and moving into contention after his deal expires.

But Dallas found a taker for Barnes in the Sacramento Kings. In exchange, they get Zach Randolph’s expiring contract, which means …

3. They now have cap room this summer

It’s possible they have $30 million!!!

Now: They don’t have the room the Clippers or Knicks might have to tell a free agent, “Pick another big name who’s on the market and convince him to join you here.”

What they do have is this pitch: “Have you watched Luka Doncic play basketball? Yeah, he’s amazing. Oh and he’s about to be just 20 years old. And that Porzingis kid? He’ll block some shots and hit some threes and not have to be the focal point he was in New York. Tim Hardaway Jr. will score off the bench. Remember: You don’t have to pay taxes on your salary down here. And I’m Mark Cuban, I pull off miracles.”

If you’re a free agent, isn’t that a better immediate situation than some other possible destinations? I think so. Amazing work, Mavs.

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