There's no other way to really say this, the trade deadline this year spiraled into utter chaos. What was expected to be one of the calmer trade deadlines in recent years turned into a record-high 39 active players being traded, not including rights to foreign players and draft picks. The trade deadline ended up involving more than half the league (17 total teams) involved in at least one trade.
I'm going to sort through all these trades, as well as give a bit of insight as to how the trade deadline will end up affecting all of the teams involved. More importantly though, I'm going to cover how it will affect those that weren't involved, namely our Cavaliers.
I'm going to sort through all these trades, as well as give a bit of insight as to how the trade deadline will end up affecting all of the teams involved. More importantly though, I'm going to cover how it will affect those that weren't involved, namely our Cavaliers.
I believe the major theme overall to this trade deadline will ultimately end up being the amount of point guards that ended up being swapped between teams, often replacing similarly talented players with another in an attempt to find the perfect fit both on the court and within the cap. The following points all moved teams yesterday for various reasons:
About half of these names are talented young players at the position, which highlights exactly how saturated the league is at the point. It's also telling how expendable point guards can be if you aren't at the absolute top of the talent pool, as I believe Paul, Wall, and Irving are.
The other major theme was the moves in the Western conference that could be boom-or-bust . OKC, Phoenix, Portland, and Houston all made moves at the deadline to try and propel themselves to the top of the West (behind the Warriors and Grizzlies of course). Some of the moves seem good now, though others might end up taking the teams down with them if they don't fall the right way.
Now, to do this breakdown, I figure it will be better to do this team-by-team, instead of trade-by-trade. Most of these moves ended up being linked to other moves in order to make sense, so the end-all is all that really matters here.
- Goran Dragic
- Brandon Knight
- Norris Cole
- Kendall Marshall
- Michael Carter-Williams
- Tyler Ennis
- Reggie Jackson
- D.J. Augustine
- Isaiah Thomas
- Pablo Prigioni
- Isaiah Canaan
- Andre Miller
- Ramon Sessions
- Ish Smith
About half of these names are talented young players at the position, which highlights exactly how saturated the league is at the point. It's also telling how expendable point guards can be if you aren't at the absolute top of the talent pool, as I believe Paul, Wall, and Irving are.
The other major theme was the moves in the Western conference that could be boom-or-bust . OKC, Phoenix, Portland, and Houston all made moves at the deadline to try and propel themselves to the top of the West (behind the Warriors and Grizzlies of course). Some of the moves seem good now, though others might end up taking the teams down with them if they don't fall the right way.
Now, to do this breakdown, I figure it will be better to do this team-by-team, instead of trade-by-trade. Most of these moves ended up being linked to other moves in order to make sense, so the end-all is all that really matters here.
Phoenix Suns:
Incoming:
Outgoing:
Phoenix feels like the perfect place to start, because Dragic's exodus desire was the tipping point for nearly every other trade out there. In order for the rest of the dominoes to fall, Dragic needed to be traded, which spiraled into 8,000 other trades.
Time will tell how well this move will pan out for both teams in the short term and the future, but it seems like a slight step back for the Suns, all for the sake of bringing in draft picks. On the flip side, while definitely a risky move, a shake-up could be exactly what Phoenix needs to make the playoffs, as Thomas and Dragic being unhappy may have bled into their play on the court.
Brandon Knight will most likely prove to be an adequate, if not near-equal replacement for Dragic down the stretch, and is also a restricted free-agent in the offseason, meaning he will be easier to keep than the completely displeased Dragic would have been. The downside is that they are absolutely not getting a player equal to Isaiah Thomas' value in return. Kendall Marshall is an adequate backup and they got several veterans that can help down the line, but it's hard to gauge if they will still be able to operate the same system without three star guards to run it.
Honestly, this return seems like a long term move more than a short term push for the playoffs. The Suns basically said "If we make the playoffs, fantastic. We'll be ready. But if we don't, we'll be able to retool better than anyone else in the conference". Not a bad idea, especially since the rest of the trade deadline in the West was filled with short-sighted moves. Throw in that Bledsoe is locked up for the next several years and you could just as easily do so with Knight, this move will probably look very solid down the line.
Incoming:
- Brandon Knight (MIL)
- Kendall Marshall (MIL)
- Danny Granger (MIA)
- John Salmons (NOH)
- Marcus Thorton (BOS)
- 3 first round picks (1 from BOS, 2 from MIA)
Outgoing:
- Goran Dragic
- Zoran Dragic
- Miles Plumlee
- Tyler Ennis
- Isaiah Thomas
Phoenix feels like the perfect place to start, because Dragic's exodus desire was the tipping point for nearly every other trade out there. In order for the rest of the dominoes to fall, Dragic needed to be traded, which spiraled into 8,000 other trades.
Time will tell how well this move will pan out for both teams in the short term and the future, but it seems like a slight step back for the Suns, all for the sake of bringing in draft picks. On the flip side, while definitely a risky move, a shake-up could be exactly what Phoenix needs to make the playoffs, as Thomas and Dragic being unhappy may have bled into their play on the court.
Brandon Knight will most likely prove to be an adequate, if not near-equal replacement for Dragic down the stretch, and is also a restricted free-agent in the offseason, meaning he will be easier to keep than the completely displeased Dragic would have been. The downside is that they are absolutely not getting a player equal to Isaiah Thomas' value in return. Kendall Marshall is an adequate backup and they got several veterans that can help down the line, but it's hard to gauge if they will still be able to operate the same system without three star guards to run it.
Honestly, this return seems like a long term move more than a short term push for the playoffs. The Suns basically said "If we make the playoffs, fantastic. We'll be ready. But if we don't, we'll be able to retool better than anyone else in the conference". Not a bad idea, especially since the rest of the trade deadline in the West was filled with short-sighted moves. Throw in that Bledsoe is locked up for the next several years and you could just as easily do so with Knight, this move will probably look very solid down the line.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
Incoming:
Outgoing:
Though many national media members seem to think Kanter is much better than having Brook Lopez on the team, I'm not as convinced.
Kanter, being the centerpiece of the two trades that OKC was involved in, gives the Thunder a solid big-man to anchor the bench, and they didn't have to give up either Adams or McGary to do it. The downside of acquiring Enes though is that he is more or less a poor-man's Ibaka, minus the insatiable defense. He has a tendency to shoot 3s, which he does convert fairly well (31%), but that doesn't feel like the type of player that the Thunder needed. I felt like a true banger underneath would have served them infinitely better. Furthermore, Kanter is a free agent after this season and the price to resign him could be hefty.
The other pieces to the Thunder received in this trade are nothing to scoff at. Augustin is a proven back-up point that won't have any of the gripes that Jackson had. Novak is a career 3-point specialist that will only be used in case of emergencies. Singler is a solid jump-shooting wing that could flourish on a better team than the Pistons.
Factor in all of this with the fact that they only had to give up Perkins, who was barely playing anyways, and Reggie Jackson, who was threatened by Dion Waiters (seriously, how can you really be threatened by Waiters at this point), and the deals look mostly positive for the Thunder.
Incoming:
- Enes Kanter (UTA)
- Steve Novak (UTA)
- D.J. Augustin (DET)
- Kyle Singler (DET)
Outgoing:
- Ish Smith
- Kendrick Perkins
- Reggie Jackson
- Grant Jerrett
Though many national media members seem to think Kanter is much better than having Brook Lopez on the team, I'm not as convinced.
Kanter, being the centerpiece of the two trades that OKC was involved in, gives the Thunder a solid big-man to anchor the bench, and they didn't have to give up either Adams or McGary to do it. The downside of acquiring Enes though is that he is more or less a poor-man's Ibaka, minus the insatiable defense. He has a tendency to shoot 3s, which he does convert fairly well (31%), but that doesn't feel like the type of player that the Thunder needed. I felt like a true banger underneath would have served them infinitely better. Furthermore, Kanter is a free agent after this season and the price to resign him could be hefty.
The other pieces to the Thunder received in this trade are nothing to scoff at. Augustin is a proven back-up point that won't have any of the gripes that Jackson had. Novak is a career 3-point specialist that will only be used in case of emergencies. Singler is a solid jump-shooting wing that could flourish on a better team than the Pistons.
Factor in all of this with the fact that they only had to give up Perkins, who was barely playing anyways, and Reggie Jackson, who was threatened by Dion Waiters (seriously, how can you really be threatened by Waiters at this point), and the deals look mostly positive for the Thunder.
Portland Trailblazers:
Incoming:
Outgoing:
Portland went out and did exactly what they wanted to do. They needed additional scoring on the wings, as well as a decent defensive presence and they got Afflalo. It cost them a 1st round pick, but the players they had to give up were nothing spectacular. Barton, Robinson and Claver combined for 20 mpg and won't be heavily missed.
Afflalo will shore up their 8-man rotation, regardless of who starts, and they'll be set for a strong run in the playoffs. Trading a 1st round pick was necessary to have a shot at the championship this year, but it certainly doesn't leave many options if Aldridge decides to jump ship after this season.
Incoming:
- Arron Afflalo (DEN)
- Alonzo Gee (DEN)
Outgoing:
- Thomas Robinson
- Will Barton
- Victor Claver
- 2016 1st Round Pick (Lottery Protected)
Portland went out and did exactly what they wanted to do. They needed additional scoring on the wings, as well as a decent defensive presence and they got Afflalo. It cost them a 1st round pick, but the players they had to give up were nothing spectacular. Barton, Robinson and Claver combined for 20 mpg and won't be heavily missed.
Afflalo will shore up their 8-man rotation, regardless of who starts, and they'll be set for a strong run in the playoffs. Trading a 1st round pick was necessary to have a shot at the championship this year, but it certainly doesn't leave many options if Aldridge decides to jump ship after this season.
Milwaukee Bucks:
Incoming:
Outgoing:
The Bucks were worried about having to overpay Brandon Knight this offseason because he's been playing marvelously. This move will either prove to be a complete gold mine for the Bucks, who are tremendously overachieving this year even without Parker, or a total catastrophic failure.
Teams don't often trade away their second best player on the team without getting an equally good player in return or a boatload of picks. MCW and Ennis might end up being good point-guards down the road, but Carter-Williams' inability to hit a jump shot and Ennis' inability to get minutes have me wary. The Bucks didn't even get the better of the Plumlee brothers in this trade.
It might be because they don't want to make the playoffs this year and end up too good to truly develop through the draft, but these moves will ultimately hurt the Bucks more than help.
Incoming:
- Michael Carter-Williams (PHI)
- Miles Plumlee (PHO)
- Tyler Ennis (PHO)
Outgoing:
- Brandon Knight
- Kendall Marshall
The Bucks were worried about having to overpay Brandon Knight this offseason because he's been playing marvelously. This move will either prove to be a complete gold mine for the Bucks, who are tremendously overachieving this year even without Parker, or a total catastrophic failure.
Teams don't often trade away their second best player on the team without getting an equally good player in return or a boatload of picks. MCW and Ennis might end up being good point-guards down the road, but Carter-Williams' inability to hit a jump shot and Ennis' inability to get minutes have me wary. The Bucks didn't even get the better of the Plumlee brothers in this trade.
It might be because they don't want to make the playoffs this year and end up too good to truly develop through the draft, but these moves will ultimately hurt the Bucks more than help.
Miami Heat:
Incoming:
Outgoing:
For a moment, this trade terrified me as a Cavs fan. The thought of Dragic, Wade, Bosh, and Whiteside in the first round of the playoffs did not seem like a match-up I would want to see until the Conference Finals.
I then had a small moment of clarity, that the Heat traded away any backups that would provide insurance for Wade (Granger, in particular) and managed to simply move Chalmers to the bench, as opposed to the end of the rotation. The Heat are now entirely reliant on having a healthy Wade, as well as Udonis, Anderson, and Chalmers being fantastic when they come off the bench.
Then... This bit of news came out.
Bosh may be out for the rest of the year with a blood clot in his lung. A blood clot is something you'd never wish upon your worst enemy, and especially not on a seemingly nice guy like Bosh. Hopefully he recovers alright, but in the meantime, the Heat are not in a great place.
Incoming:
- Goran Dragic (PHO)
- Zoran Dragic (PHO)
Outgoing:
- Danny Granger
- Norris Cole
- Justin Hamilton
- Shawne Williams
- 2 1st Round Picks
For a moment, this trade terrified me as a Cavs fan. The thought of Dragic, Wade, Bosh, and Whiteside in the first round of the playoffs did not seem like a match-up I would want to see until the Conference Finals.
I then had a small moment of clarity, that the Heat traded away any backups that would provide insurance for Wade (Granger, in particular) and managed to simply move Chalmers to the bench, as opposed to the end of the rotation. The Heat are now entirely reliant on having a healthy Wade, as well as Udonis, Anderson, and Chalmers being fantastic when they come off the bench.
Then... This bit of news came out.
Bosh may be out for the rest of the year with a blood clot in his lung. A blood clot is something you'd never wish upon your worst enemy, and especially not on a seemingly nice guy like Bosh. Hopefully he recovers alright, but in the meantime, the Heat are not in a great place.
Well, that's it for part 1 of our trade deadline wrap up. Check back tomorrow for the rest!