What happened and what didn't on NBA deadline day

A: No, except for NBA fans frantically hitting refresh on their Twitter feeds in hopes of seeing something interesting. There were nine deals, but the day was more about what didn't happen than what did. Josh Smith is staying in Atlanta, Utah is keeping both Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, and J.J. Redick was the biggest name that was moved, going from Orlando to Milwaukee.

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Q: WHAT GIVES? WHY WERE TEAMS SO RELUCTANT TO DEAL?

A: Well, do you like paying taxes? They don't, either, and the new collective bargaining agreement added some much tougher ones for teams that stray too far, and too often over the spending threshold. That's scared off even some of the biggest spenders, let alone the small markets who can't afford risks that might not pan out.

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Q: YEAH, BUT IT CAN'T JUST BE ABOUT DOLLARS, RIGHT?

A: Of course not. Talent still matters, and there just wasn't a lot of it available at the deadline. For all the focus on Josh Smith, he's never even been an All-Star, which suggests maybe coaches don't see as much value in him as his numbers suggest. If players like James Harden and Rudy Gay were available Thursday instead of being moved earlier, or if the Lakers had been willing to entertain offers for Dwight Howard, the deadline would've had some buzz after all.

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Q: SHOULD THE LOS ANGELES TEAMS HAVE MADE DEALS?

A: Even though it hasn't been a good match yet, the Lakers should only have dealt Howard if he told them unequivocally that he wouldn't re-sign this summer, and anyone expecting Howard to have a firm answer about his future now probably hasn't been paying attention for the last two years. Otherwise, they lack the assets beyond their stars to get much done, so might as well hope they mesh down the stretch. As for the Clippers, Chris Paul believes they were already a contender even without a deal, and he might be right. Now they'll have the opportunity to prove it.