NBA Trade Deadline Breakdown
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and a multitude of players find themselves in different places. I'll go through every trade that happened today and give my quick thoughts on each one. Let's jump right in.
New Orleans Pelicans get:
F Dante Cunningham
Brooklyn Nets get:
G Rashad Vaughn
The first trade is pretty unassuming. Cunningham was pretty awful at playing the stretch-four position that New Orleans was looking for, mostly because he couldn't actually do any stretching. Rashad Vaughn should add some much needed shooting to a team that lacks just that.
Phoenix Suns get:
PG Elfrid Payton
Orlando Magic get:
2018 Second-Round Pick
Payton is a former lottery pick, so right off the bat the Suns got a bit of a deal here. Payton has been a disappointment by all accounts, but at only 23, the young point guard still has some time to develop. Mostly, he just needs a haircut.
New York Knicks get:
G Emmanuel Mudiay
Denver Nuggets get:
G Devin Harris
2018 Second-Round Pick (via LA Clippers)
Dallas Mavericks get:
F Doug McDermott
Future Second-Round Pick from Denver (via Portland)
The clear winner of this trade in my opinion is Denver. They needed a true point guard and while Harris isn't an all-star, he is serviceable and will be able to run the offense nicely for the Nuggets. The deal is a bit of a head scratcher for New York as they just lost their best shooter in Kristaps Porzingis for the year with a torn ACL and then decide to trade away their next best wing-shooter for Mudiay who has been a disappointment. McDermott on Dallas seems fitting as they continue their streak of having not-so-athletic-white-dudes-that-can-shoot. Overall, this trade doesn't move the needle for any team other than Denver.
Chicago Bulls get:
PF Noah Vonleh, cash considerations
Portland Trail Blazers get:
Rights to C Milovan Rakovic
This move is solely to get the Blazers out of the luxury tax. Nothing more, nothing less. Vonleh might get some minutes on the Bulls, but he hasn't lived up to the hype.
Los Angeles Lakers get:
PG Isaiah Thomas
PF Channing Frye
Cleveland's 2018 First-Round Pick (protected)
Cleveland Cavaliers get:
G Jordan Clarkson
PF Larry Nance Jr.
You can read my full breakdown of this trade here: https://steemit.com/nba/@brandonp/cavaliers-trade-isaiah-thomas-to-los-angeles-lakers. There's not much more to add other than the fact that this was the biggest deal of the day as it signaled that the Cavs would be really shaking things up.
Miami Heat get:
SG Dwyane Wade
Cleveland Cavaliers get:
Second-Round Pick (protected)
Cavaliers brass said they "wanted to do right by Wade" and worked out a deal to get him back to his home of Miami. Classy move by the Cavs and honestly, I think Wade will help bring veteran leadership to a young Miami Heat team that lacks playoff experience.
Cleveland Cavaliers get:
SG Rodney Hood
G George Hill
Utah Jazz get:
PG Derrick Rose
F Jae Crowder
Sacramento Kings get:
SG Joe Johnson
SG Iman Shumpert
2020 Second-Round Pick (via Miami)
Obviously, the big winner here is Cleveland. They retool and get far better defensively. Hill and Hood have both had their injury concerns, but both will hopefully be healthy for a playoff and potential finals push in Cleveland. It's been reported that both Derrick Rose and Joe Johnson will be bought out shortly and that both will search for offers from contenders. Right now, Minnesota is the most likely destination for Rose and Golden State or Boston have pole position for Joe Johnson. Jae Crowder to Utah is not as inconsequential as many people think as the Jazz are currently pushing for the 8th seed in the West. Crowder replaces Hood slightly and is on a team friendly contract.
Detroit Pistons get:
SF James Ennis
Memphis Grizzlies get:
PF Brice Johnson
Ennis will give Detroit another athletic wing to play alongside Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. Johnson basically doesn't matter
Detroit Pistons get:
PG Jameer Nelson
Chicago's 2022 Second-Round Pick
Chicago Bulls get:
C WIllie Reed
Detroit's 2022 Second-Round Pick
Jameer Nelson was never in Chicago's long-term plans and was never expected to suit up for the Bulls. In Detroit, he will join up with former coach Stan Van Gundy to soak up some minutes while starting point guard Reggie Jackson heals from injury.
Miami Heat get:
F Luke Babbitt
Atlanta Hawks get:
F Okaro White
White was immediately let go by the Hawks after his acquisition from the Heat, so that just goes to show you how valuable Luke Babbitt is.
And there you have it folks. Every single trade from what will go down as one of the most interesting trade deadlines in history. It won't be remembered for its star power, but rather, it will be remembered for the Cavaliers basically gutting their roster mid-season. Personally, I think the Cavaliers are in a far better position to compete for a championship following the trades as they got younger and more athletic in the process. Their luxury tax bill will go up, but that's a small price to pay to show the greatest player on earth that they mean business about competing for a ring this season.
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