The biggest acquisition that the Phoenix Suns tried to make at the deadline was signing forward Jeremy Sochan after he was let go by the San Antonio Spurs.
He instead opted for the New York Knicks, in a move that looked like a blow at the time but which has actually ended up working out perfectly in Phoenix.
Sochan would have blocked development of other players
Since landing in New York, Sochan has played just over five minutes a night across 10 games. He is currently listed as day-to-day with an illness, but the reality is the Knicks didn't need him like the Suns did.
Had Sochan opted for The Valley he would have become an ideal backup (and perhaps eventual replacement) to Royce O'Neale at the four, despite the veteran giving the Suns all he can each night.
Phoenix also went out and got Haywood Highsmith to remedy this problem, and although he is not a long-term solution and arrived with a knee issue of his own, he is a better stop gap for this roster.
The Suns have exceeded expectations this season, and this coming summer they will have to make a couple of roster moves to remain competitive.
Sochan may not have fit into that way of thinking, while the organization will have no problem letting Highsmith walk. As things stand Jamaree Bouyea might even be following him.
No Sochan has also meant head coach Jordan Ott has turned to rookies Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach to try and help them win some games.
Both are raw but have benefitted greatly from the experience, while even Oso Ighodaro has looked like a more capable role player in recent weeks.
Sochan might not have stopped all of that happening, but he would have arrived and been given a chance by coach Ott.
A chance that so far in New York he has not taken, although on a contending roster it is hard for him to make that kind of impact.
That is the reason the Spurs were ok with letting him walk, they too could win it all this season and simply don't have space for him in their rotations.
Perhaps this summer Sochan will come on the market again, and the Suns would be foolish not to consider a 22-year-old available on the cheap.
But for now at least, the timing of not landing the one player they wanted the most at the deadline looks to have worked out extremely well for the playoff-chasing Suns.