Now that the NBA trade deadline has come and gone, we are left to reflect on the deals that went down rather then the ones that didn’t. Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol and Micheal Beasley all stayed put despite various rumors stating otherwise leading up the the 4pm deadline. But there were some pretty notable names that moved to new homes, both in good and terrible moves.
The Quasi-Blockbuster:
WIZARDS RECEIVE: |
CLIPPERS RECEIVE:
NUGGETS RECEIVE:
- C Nene (From Nuggets)
- PF/C Brian Cook (From LA)
- Draft Pick
- SG Nick Young (From Wizards)
- C Ronny Turiaf (From Wizards)
- C JaVale McGee (From Wizards)
The Winner: All 3 Teams
Analysis: The Nuggets were on the fence about bringing back Nene before the season and although he’d produced, they clearly didn’t want him. The signing to a max contract was a necessity as the Nuggets were in serious danger of not retaining over three-fourths of their playoff roster front he year previous. All the teams won on this one. The Wizards get a really powerful when healthy center in Nene as well as a solid player in Cook. The Clippers are the L.A. tea, that got their needs right and added the shooting guard they need in Nick Young and the Nuggets get back two centers that won’t hurt them int he long run.
Lakers Move Fischer:
| LAKERS RECEIVE: | ROCKETS RECEIVE: |
- C Jordan Hill
- PG Derek Fischer
The Winner: The Rockets
Analysis: The Lakers needed to make a move at the deadline but no one wanted to deal with them. This was aided by the Chris Paul debacle prior to the season which really scared teams off from wanting to waste time submitting a proposal only to have David Stern reject it. But the Rockets were already in that mess so they figured why not try it again. They didn’t get Pau Gasol but they got a solid perfumer in Derek Fischer who will take up the slot opened by the injured Kyle Lowry and the now moved Jonny Flynn. The Lakers get to ass Jordan Hill who can produce but really doesn’t upgrade them like they’d hope. He adds a big body but it is yet to be seen if he’ll gel with the sinking ship in Los Angeles.
More Busy Lakers:
LAKERS RECEIVE: |
CAVALIERS RECEIVE:
- PG Ramon Sessions
- SG Christian Eyenga
- SF Luke Walton
- SF Jason Kapono
- 2012 First Round Pick
- Right to swap this pick for 2013 Miami Heat 1st Rd Pick
The Winner: Even
Analysis: Los Angeles needed to add a point guard for the future and apparently that’s Ramon Sessions. Although Sessions has potential and didn’t have a future in Cleveland thanks to Kyrie Irving, he was a bargain bin choice for the Lakers. The Cav’s seemed to get the better end of the deal because the Lakers needed to dump some serious cap space and they did the flipping Walton and Kapono (and also Fischer in a previous deal). But Sessions can provide the Lakers with some security at point guard and more importantly some talent. But it needs to pan out first. Right now, although improved on paper, there is much doubt in the Lakers right now.
Portland’s Facelift Part I:
| BLAZERS RECEIVE: | ROCKETS RECEIVE: |
- PG Jonny Flynn
- C Hasheem Thabeet
- Future 2nd Round Draft Pick
- C Marcus Camby
The Winner: Split Even
Analysis: The Trailblazers were in turmoil with Jamal Crawford stain a mutiny and unrest growing in Portland. So the solution? Facelift your team and fire your coach. Both teams improved with this trade as both are vying for a playoff spot. The Rockets add Marcus Camby in addition to Derek Fischer from a previous deal with LA and dump Thabeet who has been disappointing. The reason Portland wins even is they get help at point guard and have the chance at having a big center that doesn’t get hurt (Greg Oden has subsequently been cut).
Portland Facelift Part II:
BLAZERS RECEIVE: |
NETS RECEIVE:
- C Mehmet Okur
- SF Shawne Williams
- Furute 1st Round Pick
- F Gerald Wallace
The Winner: Nets
Analysis: The Nets wanted Dwight Howard, plain and simple. They didn’t get him and won’t get him until the trade deadline next year at the ver earliest. That’s a big problem for the Nets who are not only moving to Brooklyn after the season but now have to try and convince Derron Williams to stay when he clearly was banking on (like all Nets fans) the acquisition of Howard. Now the Nets are in danger of being on the flip side of the stick the Orlando was almost on, they might lose Williams to Orlando at the end of the season. The Magic are in a pinch for money so som exchanges will need to be made, but as close to the edge of losing Howard as they were and being bake to live to tell about it will make cutting players to get Williams and keep Howard easier. The one way the artist soon to be formally known as New Jersey can keep Williams is to stock pile draft picks and surround him with talent. The Nets had ZERO small forwards healthy forcing DeShawn Stevenson to play out of position. Adding Wallace gives them talent and an actual position player who can help them narrow the 4 1/2 game gap between the Nets and the playoffs. Plus a front court of Wallace and possibly Kevin Garnett or Ryan Anderson is more appealing to keeping Williams then a front court that has Keith Bogans.
Pacers Playoff Push Trade:
PACERS RECEIVE: |
RAPTORS RECEIVE:
- PG Leanrdo Barbosa
- Second Round Draft Pick
The Winner: Indiana by a mile
Analysis: The Pacers committed highway robbery with this trade, getting a guy that instantly upgrades their scoring ability and giving away the NFL equivalent of a late round draft pick. There was a lot of speculation that the Pacers would trade Paul George who they can re-sign after this season in free agency but they did one better, they got their cake and stuffed their face too. The pacers essentially have two dynamite lines that will be rotated. If their starting lineup wasn’t hard enough to deal with, teams will know have no breather as Indiana’s second unit know contains Tyler Hansrough, A.J. Price, George Hill, Lou Amundson and now Barbosa. The Pacers felt they should have made a deep playoff run last year and are gearing up for some serious revenge and plan on doing some serious damage to the playoffs. The trade for Barbosa for basically nothing has Pacers fans gleaming and the rest of the Eastern Conference on notice.
The Anti-Ricky Rubio Trade:
| 76ERS RECEIVE: | GRIZZLIES RECEIVE: |
- G/F Sam Young
- Rights to PF Ricky Sanchez
The Winner: 76ers
Analysis: This one’s easy, the 76ers clearly win on this trade because they add a player in Sam Young that can actually contribute to their playoff push and trade away a guy who teams have ben banking on playing for over six years. Ricky Sanchez was drafted out of Puerto Rico in 2005 by the Blazers when he was 18. Much like the Ricky Rubio situation, he didn’t play in the NBA his first two seasons but unlike Rubio, he has yet to play an actual NBA minute. He’s had stints in the D-League and has upside as he’s still just 24. The Grizzlies, much like the Blazers and Sixers before them, are banking on Sanchez playing seeing that he’s 24, the age of some college players entering the draft. But Sanchez has yet to play in the NBA and it’s still a mystery as to when he’ll get there.
The Actual Blockbuster:
| BUCKS RECEIVE: | WARRIORS RECEIVE: |
SPURS RECEIVE:
- SG Monta Ellis (From Warriors)
- C Epeke Udoh (From Warriors)
- C Kwame Brown (From Warriors)
- C Andrew Bogut (From Bucks)
- SF Richard Jefferson (From Spurs)
- 2012 1st Rd Pick (From Spurs)
- SG Stephen Jackson (From GS via MIL)
The Winner: Milwaukee
Analysis: This was the real blockbuster of the trade deadline and it took three days to complete. Two days before the deadline the Bucks swapped Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson for Monta Ellis, Epeke Udoh and Kwame Brown, essentially strengthening their backcourt into something that can really be dangerous. The Warriors had made it known they want to build around Stephan Curry and Monta Ellis would be a sidekick. In Milwaukee, despite the presence of Brandon Jennings at the point, Monte Ellis instantly becomes the superstar on that team, something he wanted and wouldn’t have gotten in the Bay Area. The Bucks were falling int he playoff hunt but now have a serious shot at bumping the Knicks at the eight seed. The Warriors have stayed true to their plan of building talent around Curry by adding Bogut, a center who can really be an asset as he was with the Bucks. They continued with their plan by flipping Stephen Jackson for Richard Jefferson, who may be old but can still produce more consistently then Jackson and won’t clash with Curry. They can add future pieces with the draft pick they got from San Antonio who themselves can use Jackson in this own hunt for a championship. Next to the Pacers committing highway robbery to get Barbosa, this is the best trade of the deadline because although the Bucks are the true winners, no one lost anything at all in this trade.
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