In one of the busiest trades in recent memory, the NBA saw an avalanche of movement across the league. It all started with a trade for Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks on Sunday, and the action has only intensified from there, including an overnight trade for Kevin Durant to the Suns on Wednesday and a flurry of traffic before the deadline expires.
So what does all this mean for the rest of the season? Bell ringerIt took NBA staff some time for the dust to settle and they addressed five questions about the rest of the season.
1. What was your favorite late-night deadline deal?
Michael Pina: Mike Muscala with the Celtics helped solidify what could be a fragile front line, if not for the rest of this regular season, then during the playoffs, when Boston could otherwise start Blake Griffin or Luke Cornet in a big playoff game. off against Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo. The best, deepest team in the league has gotten better and deeper without giving up anything of value (sorry, Justin Jackson!) that could hurt them in the future. They retained Payton Pritchard, Danilo Gallinari’s contract and all of their future first round picks. Boston is a very good team right now, and they still have some flexibility that most of their competitors can’t say.
Justin Verrier: status ban fraudulent core injuryI’ll take the Trail Blazers with Matisse Tibul, Cam Reddish and picks for Josh Hart and Gary Payton II. Portland seems realistic about their situation. It’s not OG Anunoby away from title contention, but he doesn’t need to dump Dame Lillard either. So instead, he made a series of smart decisions, getting a younger version of Mitten in Tibulla and turning Hart, who had risked a flight this summer, into a likely first-round pick. (I would leave Saddiq Bey instead of redirecting him to the bushel of the second round players, but at least this clears the way for Taibull to some much needed minutes.) victories at the same time only make things easier now.
Zach Krem: Rival fans will be in apoplexy when the Celtics win a playoff game this spring because Mike Muscala – a real big and give or take monster – will score five open triples.
Rob Mahoney: Luke Kennard in the Grizzlies. You can almost appreciate the audacity of the Clippers – not only did they trade some of their most trusted role players this season, they sent one of them straight into the arms of a conference opponent. All it took for Memphis to get one of the best long-range shooters in the league was Danny Green (who was already in the buyout market) and a few second-round picks. Not a bad thing for a team with real chances in the West this season to shore up one of their few real weaknesses and maybe even some poetry if Kennard ends up setting the Clippers on fire in the second round.
Sirat Sohi: Gary Payton II is (probably) returning to Golden State. The Warriors invested too much in their growing youth movement too early and responded with a mediocre defense. Payton is a game-changer in this regard, combining rim protection, perimeter protection and veteran experience. Last year, the defense improved by two points when he was on the floor, and his deflections often made him the catalyst for his own incredible lanes in transitions.
Logan Murdoch: It wasn’t a stealth trade, but a stealth catch was what the Nets got for KD and Kyrie. This brings the Nets back to 2018, when they were a redeeming All-Star organization that could develop any player who crossed the threshold. This creed drew their Durant and Irving, but it also drew attention to Brooklyn’s inability to keep its stars happy (for better or worse). Will the Nets return to chasing stars in a few years? Are they building through a draft? They trade for a disgruntled star in the future? I don’t know, but I’m locked up.
Tyler Parker: Jalen McDaniels to Philadelphia. He’s a big, resilient flank, finally in a team that really plays for something. Playing with Joel Embiid and James Harden, he will be more open than ever before. He can play a four-man if Doc Rivers needs it, add some juice to the Sixers frontcourt, which is somewhat grounded, and bounce back from Harden and Tyreese Maxey on defense.
2. Which team will beat themselves up the most for a deal they didn’t make?
Glass blower: As disappointing as the Anuno Derby ended, Toronto deserves credit for understanding it’s best to keep the player every team in the league has wanted. But the rejection of future free agent Fred VanVleet seems short-sighted. The Raps managed to sign and trade Kyle Lowry after they rejected deadline offers, but the fact that they just traded for a center (Jakob Poeltl) to play in place of the center they got in the Lowry (Preses Achiuva) deal ) should signal that Freddie’s value has probably peaked. on Thursday.
Pina: Where are the bulls going? What’s happening? It was a little shocking to hear their VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas say he views his team as a buyer approaching a deadline. Like, ok. It’s a mistake, but okay. Then the main problem is that he didn’t buy anything! For some organizations, inaction is tantamount to death. Bulls are one of them; it is impossible now to be optimistic about their short-term or long-term direction.
So hello: When the Raptors consider renewing Fred VanVleet’s contract for more than $100 million after exiting the game and receiving a waiver. 12 being drafted, they will reflect on the benefits of quick retooling. Masai Ujiri has been astute and bordering on Machiavellian deals in the past, but going forward it will be interesting to see how he handles the wobbly future of the team he has created.
Murdoch: The Grizzes, who haven’t taken significant steps to improve their team, will come back to bite them in the postseason, and it speaks to the self-confidence the Grizzes have shown all season. Meanwhile, the Suns and Mavs retooled and got the chance to give Memphis another early outing. The roster is talented but lacks a veteran to keep it stable. Things are looking too rosy in Memphis, and this offseason will have some serious questions for this team, especially if they put their chests forward and crash early by mid-May – again.
Parker: Chicago. Bulls confuse me. No man’s land is a bad place, and they seem to be intent on staying there. At least give Dalena Terry a few minutes.
Mahoney: Aside from all the continued interest in OG Anunobi, Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr. ahead of the deadline, Toronto has held on to Fred VanVleet – a quality guard who may or may not fit into his future plans, starting with the fact that this summer he will become unrestricted free agent. Clearly, the Raptors aren’t ready to completely abandon their current roster just yet (as evidenced by their unexpected deadline buyer with a swing at Jacob Poeltle), but VanVleet’s retention will likely end in one of two ways: a payout. a major new contract for a good but undersized player who may already be in decline or lose him entirely when another team signs him this summer. It’s hard to say which would have been worse, but both outcomes could have been avoided.
Hug: The Raptors went into the last day 26-30, with five of the worst half-court offenses and some super attractive players they could have traded, but they decided buy, sending San Antonio into the top six protected for Jakob Poeltl? They definitely should have traded Gary Trent Jr, they probably should have traded Fred VanVleet and, well, I’m as much of an OG Anunoby fan as anyone, but if the Raptors really offered three unprotected picks for him, as the reports suggest, then Masai Ujiri should have made the move as well. A sell-off would be better for the future of the Raptors, and it would make the rest of this season more fun for national NBA viewers. Imagine VanVleet and Trent punching real opponents! Picture Anunobi on a Grizzly Kevin Durant security! Alas, I hope the road game is worth it.
3. Which homecoming with a trade deadline makes you most nostalgic?
So hello: The Nets didn’t ask for this particular memory lane trip, but Spencer Dinwiddie came full circle for Brooklyn. His initial departure was symbolic of the final blow to the culture they had been creating for half a decade to attract Durant and Kyrie Irving. Now they’re back to what it was after the Pierce-Garnett era: they don’t own any of their picks, they’re motivated to compete for it.
Murdoch: I’m thrilled to see D’Angelo Russell hitting again in purple and gold while the Lakers figure out what the hell to do next. The big vibes of 2016, when LA had no expectations, turned their clocks back to summer and hoped that a big free agent surge would erase all of its dysfunctions. Let this ice into my veins!
Parker: If Nick Young were still in Lakers uniform, this answer would be unequivocally DLo. Since it’s not, it’s John Wall with a landslide.
Glass blower: As much as it warms my heart when Spencer Dinwiddie returns to his fellow cryptographers in Brooklyn, this is Eric Gordon. After being thrown overboard by the Clippers in the (first) Chris Paul trade, Gordon mostly played the role of the surly. He grew up sullen in New Orleans, especially after he was denied the opportunity to move to Phoenix, and eventually grew up sullen in Houston after the departure of James Harden. But…
Source: www.theringer.com
