A quieter-than-anticipated NBA trade deadline has come and gone.

Some of the more impactful names on the market like Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray and Toronto’s Bruce Brown stayed put, leaving some smaller trades to be the day’s biggest stories. Many players involved in trades Thursday were then quickly bought out, making them free agents eligible to sign with teams that have open roster spots.

Here’s a look at our top five contenders in each conference and how they match up with the defending champion Denver Nuggets after the trade deadline:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Boston Celtics (39-12, current No. 1 seed)

The Celtics made a smart move Wednesday by sending a couple of second-round picks to Memphis for back-up big man Xavier Tillman. Boston’s going as far as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can take them, but Boston has smartly surrounded them with fitting pieces. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White make for one the league’s premier defensive backcourts. Kristaps Porzingis provides size and perimeter shooting that can challenge the league’s best big men on both ends, and the bench is bolstered by Tillman’s addition. Boston, with a five-game lead over second place in the East, got better before the deadline and looks to be the clear favorite to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 1-0 Denver (102-100, Jan. 19)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: March 7 at Denver

Seed projection: No. 1

2. Milwaukee Bucks (33-18, current No. 3 seed)

It’s been a rough start to the Doc Rivers era in Milwaukee — going 1-4 against Denver, Portland, Dallas (the win), Utah and Phoenix — but there’s plenty of time for the Bucks to get going and plenty of talent to believe that’s what will happen. Milwaukee added some much-needed perimeter defense by getting Patrick Beverley for Cam Payne and a second-round pick Thursday afternoon. Rivers and Beverley spent a few seasons together with the Clippers. That should help the onboarding process. As long as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are healthy, there won’t be many teams who want to see the Bucks by the start of the playoffs.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 1-0 Denver (113-107, Jan. 29)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: Monday in Milwaukee

Seed projection: No. 2

3. New York Knicks (33-18, current No. 4 seed)

Tom Thibodeau’s group was one of the deadline’s winners, though the Knicks suffered a setback later in the day. A couple of veteran shooters, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, are headed to New York from Detroit in a deal that also freed up a couple of roster spots for the Knicks. A few hours later, news broke that OG Anunoby, who the Knicks traded for in late December, will have an operation on his elbow that will force him to miss at least three weeks. The Knicks are 12-2 with Anunoby in the lineup. As long as Anunoby doesn’t miss much more than a month, the Knicks should have ample time to figure things out before what will be a highly anticipated postseason run.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 1-0 Knicks (122-84, Jan.25)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: March 21 in Denver

Seed projection: No. 4

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (33-16, current No. 2)

The NBA’s hottest team is also just getting healthy. Behind Donovan Mitchell’s heroics, Cleveland has won 15 of its last 16 games to climb up the standings. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley getting back in the mix paired with a relatively friendly schedule could see the streak continue. Cleveland was one of the seven teams that did not make a trade, but the Cavaliers have a couple of open roster spots to use on the buyout market. It’s unlikely Cleveland signs a good enough player to become one of the most-feared teams in the conference, but Mitchell is more than enough to make things interesting.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 1-0 Cavaliers (121-109, Nov. 19)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: March 31 in Denver

Seed projection: No. 3

5. Miami Heat (28-24, current No. 7)

Joel Embiid’s injury could be just what Miami needs to avoid another trip to the Play-In Tournament. Miami bounced back from a seven-game losing streak by winning four of five. Miami is a game out of sixth place after the deadline. The Heat didn’t make a move in the last couple of days but added Terry Rozier in late January. Rozier’s just starting to get comfortable in Miami and could help the Heat pick off Philadelphia and/or Indiana to secure a top-six position before the regular season concludes. Wherever Miami ends up, their experience and recent playoff history should have the full attention of their eventual playoff opponent.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 0-0

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: Feb. 29 in Denver, March 13 in Miami

Seed projection: No. 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Denver Nuggets (35-16, current No. 3)

The Nuggets made the quietest move of deadline day. Denver received cash considerations from the Clippers in exchange for Ismael Kamagate’s draft rights. Kamagate was a second-round pick in 2022. He’s played for Denver’s Summer League squads but returned to Europe following each of the last two summers. The Nuggets also finished the deadline with a full 15-man roster, so any additional help appears unlikely. That shouldn’t be an issue. The starting five is the same as the championship squad, while Denver’s bench is getting used to defined roles. The Nuggets won’t run away with the No. 1 seed like they did last season, but they’re on track to be the West’s best by the start of the playoffs.

Seed projection: No. 1

2. Minnesota Timberwolves (35-16, current No. 2)

Tim Connelly brought another former Nugget to Minnesota as the Timberwolves try to do what Denver did last season. Monte Morris will soon make his Timberwolves debut after Minnesota sent Shake Milton, Troy Brown Jr. and a future second round pick to Detroit. Morris gives the Timberwolves steady guard play behind Mike Conley and some playoff experience from his days in Denver. Chris Finch’s squad didn’t appear too far off in last season’s first-round series against the Nuggets. Anthony Edwards looks even better this season, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert have taken another step with their frontcourt pairing. Minnesota missed Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid last postseason.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 1-0 Timberwolves (110-89 Nov. 1)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: March 19 in Minnesota, March 29 in Denver, April 10 in Denver

Seed projection: No. 2

3. Los Angeles Clippers (34-16, current No. 4)

No team in the conference is playing as well as the Clippers. Ty Lue’s crew has won nine of the last 11 and started Thursday half a game back of the three-way tie atop the Western Conference thanks largely to Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden. The trade for Harden is working out better than most would’ve guessed. For as good as the Clippers have looked lately, there are still a couple of questions that will have to go right to represent the West in the Finals. Health of their stars is always going to be a concern, while Harden will have to play better than he has in recent playoff history. The trade with Denver was the only move the Clippers made Thursday, and they also have a full roster.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 2-1 Nuggets (111-108 Nuggets on Nov. 14, 113-104 Nuggets on Nov. 27, 111-102 Clippers on Dec. 6)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: April 4 in Los Angeles

Seed projection: No. 3

4. Phoenix Suns (30-21, current No. 5)

It was a good deadline for the Suns, but some issues still persist. Phoenix added a steady shooter, Royce O’Neale, and a young reserve in David Roddy in a three-team deal with Brooklyn and Memphis. The Suns still don’t have much size behind Jusuf Nurkic or true guards on the roster, but Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have all been available lately. That’s the most important thing for the Suns moving forward. They probably won’t be able to catch the top four teams, starting the night 4.5 games behind the Clippers, but the top four should be angling for a top three seed to avoid a first-round matchup with Phoenix, especially if the Suns can add a contributor or two on the buyout market.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 1-0 Nuggets (119-111 on Dec. 1)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: March 5 in Denver, March 27 in Denver

Seed projection: 5

5. Oklahoma City Thunder (35-16, current No. 1)

Sam Presti made a half-measure move at the deadline. Oklahoma City didn’t give up any of its most valuable draft assets to acquire Gordon Hayward from Charlotte, but the Thunder shouldn’t be feeling too much better about their chances this season. Hayward gives the Thunder some added experience, and he’s an improvement over Josh Giddey when he’s healthy, but Oklahoma City still lacks some size behind Chet Holmgren. If that’s not addressed via the buy-out market, that’s going to be an issue in the postseason. The Thunder still have the means to make a big splash in the future. It just didn’t happen at the deadline.

Season series vs. Nuggets: 3-1 Thunder (128-95 Nuggets on Oct. 29, 118-117 Thunder on Dec. 16, 119-93 Thunder on Dec. 29, 105-100 Thunder on Jan. 31)

Games remaining vs. Nuggets: 0

Seed projection: 4

Vinny Benedetto, The Gazette

Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic (15) drives past Boston Celtics’ Al Horford (42) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan 19, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Michael Dwyer