The Trades that Weren't: 2018 NBA Trade Deadline
While last Thursday's NBA trade deadline was a flurry of excitement, there were multiple teams that didn't make a move and a few players that I thought would be wearing new uniforms that didn't end up getting traded. In this piece I'll detail a few of the teams that should have made a move. Let's get into it.
The Players That Should Have Moved
Memphis Grizzlies - Tyreke Evans
Everyone knew this was going to be the first guy on the list. The Grizzlies sat Evans for about a week leading up to the trade deadline because they were so sure that he would be in a rival uniform following Thursday's deadline. It was widely known that the Grizzlies were looking for a first round pick in exchange for the former rookie of the year, but with Evans being on an expiring contract, all of the contenders balked at moving a first rounder for a rental without any indication that Evans would re-sign long term. While many, including myself, believed the Grizzlies were asking for far too much, I thought for sure that the Grizzlies would rid themselves of Evans at the final hour for a couple second round picks. Instead, the Grizzlies opted to keep Evans and attempt to re-sign him themselves.
This makes absolutely no sense as the Grizzlies should be in all-out tank mode. Mike Conley Jr. and Marc Gasol are both out for likely the rest of the season with injury and Memphis' only hope to pick up a third piece was through the draft. Evans will never re-sign with a team after they held him out as they shopped him and so at this point, Memphis will lose Evans for nothing in the off-season. Even a couple second round picks is better than nothing for a franchise that isn't going to be making the playoffs. In my opinion, the Grizzlies should have been looking to blow things up at the deadline, but management would never go for that. The least they could have done was get something for Evans who they will now lose for nothing. Nice going Memphis!
Los Angeles Clippers - DeAndre Jordan and Avery Bradley
It's been reported that the Clippers had a deal set and ready to ship DeAndre Jordan to the Cavaliers. Whether those reports are 100% accurate isn't something we'll ever find out, but this could be a case of the Clippers putting all of their eggs in one basket and then getting the shaft when Cleveland went a different direction. Either way, they could be in the same boat as Memphis where they lose Jordan for nothing in the off-season. The Clippers made a great trade for the future when they moved Blake Griffin to Detroit, but now they will likely get stuck on the wheel of mediocrity with Jordan, Avery Bradley, and Lou Williams. They aren't good enough to do playoff damage, but they aren't bad enough to get a top pick. Not the spot you want to be in the NBA.
The Avery Bradley this is even weirder. Bradley was acquired in the Blake Griffin deal and then was immediately shopped all over by the Clippers. Reportedly, the Clippers had a deal with the Spurs that swapped Bradley for Danny Green and a 1st, but I'm not sold on that deal actually being available at least in that sort of constitution. The Spurs are not one to simply trade away one of their longer-tenured players as well as a first round pick, even if it will be late. That deal just smells fishy to me, but either way, the Clippers probably could have gotten a decent haul for Bradley from a contender looking to shore up their wing defense.
Charlotte Hornets - Kemba Walker
When Michael Jordan said that the Hornets were looking for an all-star in return for Kemba, I knew no deal was going to be made, but in alternate universe in which the Hornets are run by a competent manager, the Hornets could be in much better shape. The Hornets needed to rid themselves of some of the absolutely dreadful contracts (I'm looking at you Nic Batum) and Kemba was really the only asset that they had to sweeten the deal. I had envisioned a deal that would send Kemba and Batum to the Cavs in exchange for salary filler and the first that ended up going to the Lakers. Sure, you lose your best asset and the face of the franchise, but the Hornets need to think long-term and getting out from Batum's mammoth of a contract should be priority numero uno on their to-do list. With the Hornets far out of playoff contention, this would have been the year to really cut things loose and free fall. Kemba isn't enough to get a team to the playoffs, but he's good enough to keep you from the higher lottery slots. That purgatory is the worst place to be in the NBA.
The Teams That Should Have Made a Move
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder were a team that I thought needed to make a move in order to lock in a spot in the final four of the Western Conference. Avery Bradley was the obvious choice after Andre Roberson was lost for the season with a ruptured patellar tendon. Bradley would have been able to guard just about as well as Roberson while giving the Thunder another spot up shooter. With the Thunder beating the Warriors by twenty just before the deadline, I thought they might have earned just enough confidence to force Sam Presti to make a deal in the closing hours of the deadline. We'll have to wait and see whether this really hurts the Thunder or not, but I can't see the Thunder being able to take down the Rockets or Warriors with their current team makeup.
Toronto Raptors
This has been the year of "running it back" with the Raptors and I understand that, but I felt they needed to make a move if they wanted to really compete with the Cavs and Celtics for the Eastern Conference crown. Toronto's best asset is its bench, but as we all know, in the playoffs those bench minutes get squeezed and it comes down to starting units in crunch time. The Raptors bench may be able to soak up some minutes early in the playoffs, especially if Toronto gets the top seed and only has to play one of the Cavs or Celtics, but if they fall into that 2-3 seed, even if they survive the first opponent, the remaining team should be able to douse them. I don't honestly know if any of the available players would have helped Toronto over the hump, but taking a chance on Tyreke Evans couldn't have hurt the team.
Despite what I had thought originally, this year's trade deadline actually resulted in some much-needed drama. The Cavs turned over a new leaf and other teams made small moves to better position themselves for this year and beyond. The real head-scratchers came from the teams that decided to sit out on deadline day. We'll have to wait and see whether these lack of moves really derail the franchises or not, but until then, I think we are in for a pretty exciting second half of the season.
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