The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. We saw a bunch of teams be very aggressive, some stand pat, some good moves, and some very questionable moves. The Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Denver Nuggets were some big buyers, while the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets were the sellers of the day. We are gonna talk about some of the big moves of the day like Victor Oladipo to Miami, Rajon Rondo to the Clippers, among others. It was a boring week from a trade perspective, this was not boring.
Let’s start with the Clippers and Hawks. This was a massive deal for the Clippers, they desperately need a point guard, someone who can run the offense, someone who can be a leader, who is a champion, and Rajon Rondo checks all of those boxes. He is a guy who can distribute the basketball and get right in the face of the opposing teams point guard. A dude that always hits massive shots in the playoffs. His numbers haven’t been good this season giving Atlanta career lows in points with 3.9, assists with 3.5, rebounds with 2, and minutes with 14.9 per game, in 27 games this season with the Hawks. However he was dynamite in the playoffs last year for the Lakers hitting a bunch of clutch shots and going right at Damien Lillard, James Harden, and Jamal Murray as the Lakers won their 17th title. He should definitely help the Clippers, and eventually be their starting point guard. Lou Williams is a guy who is returning to Atlanta for a 2nd stint with the team. Sweet Lou is a microwave scorer off your bench, a guy teams need to focus on with a second unit, and is a 3-time sixth man of the year award winner. He is a guy who is going to give the Hawks an instant scoring punch off the bench. Atlanta also received 2 second round picks as a part of the trade.
Let’s talk about the Miami Heat. They acquired Victor Oladipo and Nemanja Bjelica from the Rockets and Kings in separate deals. Bjelica was not getting playing time in Sacramento so they flipped him to the Heat and got back Moe Harkless and Chris Silva, nothing major, this should help Miami’s 3 point shooting and Bjelica could slide into Kelly Olynyk’s starting 4 spot because Olynyk was traded to the Houston Rockets along with Avery Bradley and a 2022 pick swap for Victor Oladipo. I did not expect Houston to get much for Oladipo, but this is pathetic. Olynyk and Bradley are both free agents and the pick swap is unlikely to convey. I might have kept Oladipo if this was the best you could get and try to work a sign and trade this summer. Even if that was not the case, this is bad. Let’s not even get into the Harden part. The Rockets traded Caris LeVert to Indiana for Oladipo, LeVert has 2 years left on his deal and is a very good young player, who can flat out score the basketball. However what’s done is done and Miami has got a guy who was on his way to being an All-NBA player just 2 seasons ago before he got hurt and has not been the same player since the injury. Oladipo is a 20 point per game scorer and is an elite defender when at his best. Oladipo slides into a crowded and very talented rotation of wings for Miami with Jimmy Butler, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro. I really like what Miami did today.
The Chicago Bulls made a statement today when they acquired Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu from the Orlando Magic for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., and 2 first round picks in 2021 and 2023. Vucevic is a legit All-Star who is averaging a career high 24.5 points and 11.8 rebounds. That is massive for a Bulls team that has Zach LaVine on it who is also having a career year and is an All-Star. It is something for Bulls fans to get excited about, it enlightens a new hope in Chicago they have not had since they traded Jimmy Butler. LaVine and Vuc can create an elite pick and roll or pick and pop duo. Vucevic is shooting 40% from 3 point range this season taking 6.5 a game. He is an underrated defender and is a massive upgrade over Carter who has just never taken that leap that Chicago was hoping he would. Vucevic is a guy who can imminently enter and help the Bulls become a legit playoff contender. The Bulls also acquired Tory Brown Jr. and Daniel Theis as a part of a three team trade with the Wizards and Celtics. Brown and Theis should help Chicago’s bench as they make a playoff push.
The Denver Nuggets were quite active yesterday, acquiring Aaron Gordon, along with JaVale McGee. These 2 players fill the holes left by Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee when they both departed for the Pistons in free agency. The Nuggets learned something: they are unstoppable when Michael Porter Jr. plays the 4 with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on the court. They needed a guy who could hide Porter on defense, someone who could guard the opposing team's best wing, and fill that Jerami Grant sized hole. That is what Gordon gives them, acquired along with Gary Clark for Gary Harris, R.J. Hampton, and a 2025 (top 5 protected) 1st round pick. Gordon can come in and immediately help guard guys like Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Devin Booker in the Western Conference. He gives you different things offensively than what Grant gives, as he is a better playmaker but not as effective of a shooter. JaVale McGee is a player who is going to enter the Denver roster and become a plug and play backup center. Denver had a mix of JaMychal Green and Isaiah Hartenstein, who went to Cleveland, playing those minutes and McGee would help when the Nuggets do not want to play small with Green at the 5, while the MVP candidate Nikola Jokic rests.
The Philadelphia 76ers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the New York Knicks agreed to a 3 team trade that netted the Sixers George Hill and Ignas Brazdeikis, The Thunder got Austin Rivers, Tony Bradley and 2 second round picks, and the Knicks added Terrence Ferguson (the Knicks also received Vincent Poirier but he was waived). It is a deal that does not hold much relevance to the Knicks or Thunder. However, Hill is a big add for the 76ers. He is a veteran point guard who can hit open 3’s and defends relatively well. This deal shows there was clearly an interest in Kyler Lowry from Philly but Toronto’s price was just too high. It is a deal that the Sixers needed to make even though losing Bradley will hurt, while another MVP candidate, Joel Embiid is out, as he was filling in at starting center. Hill can come in and help take some of the ball handling duties off of Ben Simmons’ shoulders and can be a key closing piece that will not get roasted defensively in the playoffs. George Hill is not half the player Kyle Lowry is, but he still fills a hole Philadelphia needed to fill, as another ball handler.
The Boston Celtics were very active. They acquired Evan Fouriner (do not Google “Fournier”), Moe Wagner, and Luke Kornet (I expect Kornet to be waived), in a pair of deals that saw them send out Daniel Theis, Jeff Teague, and Javonte Green. Fournier has had a monster year for the Magic, averaging 19.7 points on 46% shooting from the field and 38% from 3 point range. He will give Boston the instant offense off their bench that they have been searching for all season. However, Boston was looking to avoid the tax and after adding Fournier’s $17 million into a traded player exception they needed to clear out money to avoid said tax. Consequently, they sent their starting center, Daniel Theis, to the Chicago Bulls. They acquired Moe Wagner and Luke Kornet as a part of the deal but neither player is as good and reliable as Theis has been for Boston. He is a good 3 point shooting big man who has rebounded the ball well over the past two seasons since the Celtics began starting him at center. This now puts a lot of pressure on youngster Robert Williams who has been excellent this season as a rim runner and shot blocker, and veteran Tristan Thompson, who has not been so excellent, struggling in his first season as a Celtic. I think the Celtics did get better, the question is; how much better?
The Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers made a trade that sent Norman Powell to Portland for Gary Trent Jr., and Rodney Hood. Hood has been bad this season since returning from a torn achilles last season, and is a free agent this summer so he is irrelevant to Toronto’s future and was simply a salary filler. The deal then becomes Gary Trent Jr. for Norman Powell. Which I am not a fan of for the Blazers. Gary Trent is a really good three point shooter who can flat out score it and is a restricted free agent this summer. Norman Powell does very similar things, but he will be an unrestricted free agent and is older. Powell is more athletic than Trent but what does Powell add that Portland does not have? C.J McCollum and Damian Lillard are the primary scorers so Powell becomes a guy who probably stands in the corner and either takes open threes or cuts to the basket. For Toronto they get off a player who is going to opt out of his player option and bring in a guy who they can extend this summer and keep for their future. Norman Powell is a very good player who is having a career year for the Raptors, and they took advantage of that by using him to acquire a very good young player.
The Dallas Mavericks acquired J.J. Redick and Nicolo Meli from the New Orleans Pelicans for James Johnson, Wes Iwundu, and a 2021 second round pick. It is a move that should help Dallas’ shooting, something they have missed more than they expected since trading Seth Curry to the Philadelphia 76ers this past offseason. The deal allows for the Pelicans to open up more guard minutes for young guys, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kira Lewis Jr. The Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons swapped back-up point guards Delon Wright for Cory Joseph. It is a deal that makes a lot of sense for the Pistons as they also acquired 2 second round picks from the Kings in the trade. For Sacramento, it gives them a more reliable option at the back up 1 spot than Joseph is as they try to make a run at the play in tournament.
Thursday’s trade deadline was the most active deadline in NBA history, with 16 trades made and 46 players traded. That is a very active deadline. The Orlando Magic were the most active starting the tear down of their team by trading their 3 best healthy players. There should also be a very active buyout market as players like LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Drummond have already hit that market, with guys like Otto Porter and Kelly Olynyk potentially entering it soon. Overall, a lot of teams made deals on a very fun and active day.
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