NBA Trade Deadline - Summary & Thoughts
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Obligatory Anchorman reference, for those who don’t get it.
The trade deadline has to be one of the best days in sports. That goes for any major league; NBA, MLB, NHL, and in today’s case, the NBA. Seeing major deals (or Woj Bombs) and even small trades all day is always an exciting time for any sports fan. Us here at Win Column Sports give our thoughts on the NBA Trade Deadline this year! We will be including prior trades, such as the Blake Griffin trade and the Nikola Mirotic trade.
Let us know what you think!
First, a summary of the trades in the NBA.
- Orlando traded Elfrid Payton to Phoenix for a second-round pick.
- Washington is trading guard Sheldon Mac to Atlanta.
- New Orleans is trading forward Dante Cunningham to Brooklyn for guard Rashad Vaughn.
- Portland has traded Noah Vonleh and cash to Chicago for the rights to Milocan Rakovic.
- Denver trades Emmanuel Mudiay to the Knicks. Mavericks trade Devin Harris to Denver. Knicks trade Doug McDermott to Dallas. Denver gets New York’s 2018 second-round pick via Clippers, and Knicks get Denver’s second-round pick via Portland.
- Raptors trade Bruno Caboclo to the Kings for Malachi Richardson.
- Cleveland trades Dwayne Wade to Miami for a second round pick.
- Cavaliers trade Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder to the Jazz and Iman Shumpert to the Kings. Jazz trade Rodney Hood to the Cavs and Joe Johnson to the Kings. Kings trade George Hill to the Cavs.
- Cavaliers trade Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a first-round pick to the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance.
- Grizzlies trade James Ennis to the Pistons for Brice Johnson.
- Miami acquires Luke Babbit from Atlanta in exchange for Omari White.
- Bulls trade Jameer Nelson to the Pistons for Willie Reed.
- Knicks trade Willy Hernangomez to the Hornets for Johnny O’Bryant and two second-round picks
- Nets trade Tyler Zeller to the Bucks for Rashad Vaughn and a second-round pick
- Bulls trade Nikola Mirotic and a second-round pick to the Pelicans for Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, a first-round pick and the rights to swap second-round picks
- Clippers trade Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson to the Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a first-round pick and a second-round pick
Major Trade Thoughts
Lakers acquire Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and Protected 1st round pick.
Cavaliers acquire Jordan Clarkson & Larry Nance Jr.
Parker: I love this trade for the Lakers (Yes, I am a Lakers Fan). LA Clears up tons of cap space both this off season and next (2018 & 2019), with room now for 2 max contracts. Clarkson and Nance were good players for the Lakers, but I would rather have the time for Lonzo to be forced to grow. As well, this clears up more time for Randle and Kuzma at the 4, which will only mean good things. Kicking the tires on IT is good as well, as worst case he gets cut lose at the end of the season. I think Thomas was a poor fit in Cleveland, and his fit in LA should be better (could it really be a worse fit?). An up-tempo offense with the ball in IT’s hands should help out Thomas. They should give LA more shooting over the season as well. A 1st round pick in a deep draft is just the cherry on top. Magic and Rob, nice work.
For the Cavs, its an OK move. It gives them better second unit scoring and some more rim protection. However, is this a move that gets them past Golden State? As well, it doesn’t allow the Brooklyn pick to be traded until the draft, taking their biggest trade chip off the table. Unless they swing something for a player like Kemba Walker or DeAndre Jordan, I don’t think this is an ideal trade for the Cavaliers. UPDATE: This trade looks a lot better now. A Hill/Clarkson/ Smith/ Hood gives a lot more of an opportunity to take on the top contenders then before.
Josh: Cleveland traded almost half their roster today. However, one cannot be surprised as their was clearly dysfunction among the group. It is clear that Isaiah Thomas was not going to work in their offense, despite playing 27-minutes a game, shooting career lows from both inside and beyond the arc at 36% and 25% respectively. Ironically, Channing Frye was having a rather productive season in limited minutes. C’est la Vie.
The Lakers made out on this deal, getting a first round pick (who may lose out their lottery pick to the Celtics) and clearing out much needed cap space in unloading Clarkson’s 12.5-Million a year contract. Isaiah Thomas will be able to fill in for Lonzo Ball, who is still recovering from a sprained knee back in mid January.
Prince: In agreement with the others above, I think it’s a great move for the Lakers. They clear up a bunch of cap space, get a star player with Isaiah Thomas, and also a first round draft pick to add even more young talent to the team. Channing Frye is also a good addition to the team given his veteran status in the league and will be a good locker room presence for the younger players. It will be interesting to see who the Lakers can acquire in the off - season as they now have the cap space to sign on a max deal.
What a day for the Cavs. I think overall today they acquired some solid additions, however this trade in particular isn’t the greatest. I really don’t see Clarkson will add to the team but Nance Jr. will be great. The Cavs needed a presence in the paint and Nance Jr. provides that and I think as he develops he will grow into one of the better power forwards in the league.
Does a complete overhaul for Cleveland put them back into title contention?
Cavaliers acquire Rodney Hood and George Hill
Kings acquire Iman Shumpert and Joe Johnson.
Jazz acquire Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder.
Parker: Jesus Christ, Cleveland. Good for you. I was worried after the deal with the Lakers, but Cleveland is definitely way more athletic and able to play with more tempo now, where Lebron thrives. What I worry about now is defending wings - Jae Crowder gone means Lebron is going to have to play a bit more defense. For Utah, this trade is interesting. Hood was expendable, and surrounding Donovan Mitchell with a solid wing defender to help their defense should benefit (not to mention, Crowder is waaay cheaper). Joe Johnston was never gonna get them a title, so why not go all-in on Mitchell? For the Kings, Hill didn’t fit at all - Shumpert and Iso Joe give them some more veteran players to help the younger players out. I don’t think it’s much to move the needle on their end though.
Josh: Talk about the Circle of Life for Jae Crowder. Last year he was emphatic that the Boston faithful shouldn’t cheer opposing players, after the arousing cheers for the then Utah Jazz Gordon Hayward. He now lands on that very team. Derrick Rose, a once though super star in the league a mere journeyman. I wish him well. But the Jazz look to be already planning for 2018-2019 season. The Kings, well, they’re headed for their 12th year of their playoff drought but Iman Shumpert and Joe Johnson, effectively known throughout the league as “ISO Joe”, are headed to basketball purgatory. I don’t see him taking over any games anytime soon but he’ll be fun to watch.
Prince: Sharing some of Parker’s thoughts, I was worried after the deal with the Lakers but the Cavs really came through with this trade. Hood and Hill will be good additions to the team as their athletic presence will help the Cavs play more a speed game. The Kings get some veteran talent that will help out their younger players, but it’s not going to help them drastically. Utah is looking to build for the future and Crowder and Rose may or may not help with that. I feel bad for Rose, I wish him nothing but the best.
Denver acquires Devin Harris & NY 2018 2nd round pick.
Mavericks acquire Doug McDermott.
Knicks acquire Emmanuel Mudiay & DEN 2nd round pick.
Parker: This trade is great for the Knicks. A buy-low on Mudiay is a great risk to take, especially after losing Porzingas for the year. He either will help them in the future or help them tank. The Mavericks are ok after this too, as Harris was a valuable player - but he was redundant on that team IMO. McDermott fits their timeline way better then Harris. As for Denver, Harris should help some of their young players and help them buy into their offensive outlook. Harris should help put points on the board and should be a good started to go with Millsap and Jokic.
Pistons acquire Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson.
Clippers acquire Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a first-round pick and a second-round pick
Parker: Van Gundy made a move to keep his job safe. So far, so good. Pistons are winners of five in a row and Griffin has played very well with Drummond. With the Pistons acquiring James Ennis today too, the Pistons look like they’ll be climbing the rankings in the East soon. The clippers are in a bit of a weird situation. I thought for sure that DeAndre would be traded today, but hes still a Clipper. Why not embrace a full rebuild? This current core has ZERO chance of getting out of the west - clear some cap space, get some picks and tank. But if you’re looking along the current plans for the clippers: A Lou Williams, Harris, DeAndre, Bradley and Gallanari core should get them into the playoffs… but no further.
Josh: Early returns on the acquisition of Blake Griffin have pointed to the rising stock of Detroit. They have won 5 straight since his arrival and he is playing as if he hasn’t missed a step scoring 21.5-points a contest along with 6.3-assists and 7.8-boards. Not to mention added quite a formidable front court duo alongside Andre Drummond and his league leading 15.6-boards and a new found stroke at the charity stripe, shooting 100% than his career mark.
Prince: Drummond and Griffin are going to be an amazing front court duo. It’s a shame that the Clippers traded Griffin though. People want to give Durant hell for going to the Warriors but how about we give management hell when they do shady stuff like this? Griffin was the face of their franchise and poof… hes gone. Speaking of which, the Clippers need to do more to be taken seriously in the West. As Parker mentions above, they might have a playoff team but nothing more than that.
Winners & Losers
Parker
Winner: I think the Lakers come out as a winner. Now, I know I’ll probably get some flack for this. I won’t dispute that it hurts to see Nance and Clarkson go. However, Nance leaving opens the door for Randle and Kuzma to take a ton of minutes at the 4, as well as forces Lonzo to pick up some of the scoring load. I won’t dispute that Thomas has been terrible with the Cavs though. But an opportunity to receive the ball a lot in LA (not to mention avoiding the Cavs drama) should help him improve again. Worst case, he’s off the books and the Lakers have tons of cap space after this year - as well as another first round pick in a talented 2018 class.
Loser: Staying in LA - DeAndre Jordan should have been traded in my opinion. No way the Clippers have a solid run in the west with this team. They could have gotten a good haul for him and started a full scale rebuild - but why would Doc Rivers do something smart. If I was Jordan, I would be looking for places to play in 2019. I just can’t see the Clippers making moves in this off-season to get them over the top.
Josh
Winner: Pistons and Lakers as mentioned above.
Loser: Cavaliers - They traded one dysfunctional team for another. Remember Love was the name everyone through under the bus. Wrongly. I just don’t know how a team can essentially trade have their team in the middle of the season and hope to make a run in the playoffs, regardless if they have the best player in the game.
What to Look out for: If Joe Johnson is bought out by the Kings and gets picked up by an Eastern conference team. This could really add some excitement to the Eastern Conference Playoff race, which besides the Washington/Boston series was forgettable.
Prince
Winner: The Lakers. Gotta agree with Josh and Parker.
Loser: The Clippers. Ironically, one LA team gained while the other lost. The Lakers have a bright future ahead of them, while the Clippers have a dark future ahead of them. Let’s see what the off - season brings but I think this situation will remain the same.
“I shoulda stayed with Dallas.”
Did the trade deadline live up to the hype? Who are your winners and losers today, Win Column’ers? Let us know by tweeting us @WCSportsCA, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest on everything sports! Thanks for the read!
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