Ranking Eastern Conference contenders after the trade deadline: Bucks still on top, followed by Sixers, Nets

The Eastern Conference looks much different than it did a few days ago

After weeks of speculation and intrigue, the 2022 NBA trade deadline finally arrived on Thursday, and it was even more wild and unpredictable than we could have imagined. Here's just a quick recap of some of the top-line items in case you aren't caught up:

And that doesn't even include some of the smaller deals, or moves that were completed earlier in the week. In short, the league looks a lot different than it did a few days ago. The Eastern Conference, in particular, went through a massive shake-up with the Nets and Sixers blockbuster. And with the top eight teams in that conference currently separated by just 5.5 games, it's going to be a mad dash to the end of the regular season.