The trade deadline is an exciting time in every major sport in the world, but no amount of speculation or hype could have prepared us for what went down in the final hour of today’s NBA trade deadline.
In all, at least 38 players were involved in some type of movement today. It is likely that number is not all-inclusive as there were so many moves, most of which were compounded into the closing minutes of the 2014-15 season trade deadline. There was reason to believe that many players would be on the block and speculation about other players and their discontent. In the end, a power hour of chaos ruled the day, forcing even the likes of Yahoo! Sports insider Adrian Wojnorowski to appear beleaguered at the flood of action.
One of the highlights of deadline day for any sport is that you get some sense of immediate gratification from evaluating the supposed acumen of the general managers, coaches, team ownership, non-descript “front office” types, and players acting to force the hand of the previously mentioned parties. At last count, there were 11 trades that went down on deadline day; eight of those trades were finalized sometime between five minutes prior to the 3 PM EST deadline and 10:30 PM EST that night. Time to take preliminary stock of something that surpassed all expectations.
Losers:
Brooklyn Nets
Yes, they did shed the contract of a player that resembles that designation mostly in name only at this point in his career, but moving Kevin Garnett should only be seen as step one of innumerable steps toward correct the mess in Brooklyn. Essentially, Garnett moving for Thaddeus Young is a consolation prize for a team that was in protracted talks with Oklahoma City leading up to the deadline in a deal that would have allowed them to move Brook Lopez while adding Reggie Jackson. They were also rumored to be looking into moving just about everyone on the roster and supposedly trying to get out of the tax penalty. Jarrett Jack was also rumored to moving out in another transaction, but Nets general manager Billy King found himself torpedoed as the Thunder found a last second offer that allowed them to move Kendrick Perkins and acquire the younger, less expensive Enes Kanter from Utah. The Nets left a lot on the table, and that was not by design.
Philadelphia 76ers
This one isn’t quite so clear cut as the situation in Brooklyn. The 76ers managed to pick up JaVale McGee, who they are supposedly not interested in buying out, also securing the rights to Nigerian forward Chu Chu Maduabum, Isaiah Canaan from Houston, two (!) 2015 first-round draft picks and a second-round pick. Conversely, they sent out the rights to Cenk Akyol and traded away K.J. McDaniels.
We won’t know about the picks for a while, and even after they are spent it could be a few years before we see any real impact from those selections. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, fans are fairly upset. All that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie did here was stockpile more picks while sending out the very popular K.J. McDaniels and former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. While there is plenty of room for criticism and skepticism about the young pieces involved, the Sixers have once again moved pieces that could theoretically help them win or at least give them some stability while they develop the talent they have already stockpiled. The new wrinkle is that now Hinkie is sending out players that were acquired to be part of the supposed rebuilding project in Philadelphia. The only thing that keeps this from being downright nefarious is the two first-round picks that the Sixers secured today; too bad it sets the rebuilding clock back in the process.
New Orleans Pelicans
They acquired Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton, Ish Smith, the rights to Latavious Williams, “cash considerations,” and a 2015 protected second-round pick. They waived Ish Smith, traded John Salmons, released Toney Douglas, and were rumored to be parting with Williams as well. It is a different, less severe level of “loser” than what Brooklyn and Philadelphia have become, but there isn’t anything really inspiring here and it doesn’t appear to reinforce Anthony Davis in any way unless they made all these moves to make sure that they had Norris Cole while Jrue Holiday is out for a few more weeks.
Purgatory
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks did pick up Tyler Ennis, Miles Plumlee and Michael Carter-Williams. They also moved the contract of Kendall Marshall (out for the season) and, not related to a trade, are in the process of waiving Kenyon Martin. Not bad for the young Bucks, who added even more youth to their system in the form of Ennis and Carter-Williams. The Plumlee portion of the move could be seen as a reaction to the departure of Larry Sanders.
This isn’t a clean win situation, however, as the Bucks also traded away Brandon Knight and were rumored to have O.J. Mayo, Ersan Ilyasova, and John Henson available. The inability to make anything happen with Mayo or Ilyasova is disappointing. And then the big bomb from Marc Stein of ESPN, stating that the Bucks said no to Goran Dragic. The full details of that offer may never be known, but it has to be assumed that the Bucks saw a potential Dragic trade as merely a rental in a season where they aren’t a contender.
Denver Nuggets
The rumors of team disharmony and disconnect from Head Coach Brian Shaw have been circling like crows for weeks and it seemed that the Nuggets were ready to disassemble and see what they could get in return. But as the trade deadline passed, Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried were still part of the Nuggets roster, and presumably Faried still has a major disconnect with Shaw. They did manage to move JaVale McGee which has to be seen as a victory and they basically swapped rights by send out the rights to Chu Chu Baduabum while getting the rights to Cenk Akyol. They also acquired Will Barton, Victor Claver, Thomas Robinson, and a pick that is lottery-protected in both 2016 and 2017, which would convert to two second-round picks if not conveyed in ’16 or ’17. Of the pieces they acquired, Thomas Robinson would have to be one of the more recognizable pieces. Of course, that means they have already reached a verbal agreement to buy out his contract.
New York Knicks
They grabbed Alexey Shved and two second-round picks (2017, 2019). That’s probably the least amount of damage a team run by this guy could do. Sending out Pablo Prigioni will have essentially no impact on the outcome of the Knicks lost season and even second-round picks are a welcome sight around Madison Square Garden these days.
Boston Celtics
Picking up Isaiah Thomas is good for the Celtics, but adding Gigi Datome and Jonas Jerebko around him isn’t doing Boston any good. Shipping off a top-ten protected 2016 first-round pick, Tayshaun Prince and Marcus Thornton isn’t that much of a loss either. Basically, this is just better than a wash since Isaiah Thomas is, uh, good, right?
Houston Rockets
They acquired Pablo Prigioni and K.J. McDaniels in exchange for Alexey Shved, a trio of second-round picks, and Isaiah Canaan. Nothing here really moves the needle. McDaniels is the highlight, but where he fits in Houston is the bench so we all lose because Philadelphia willingly moved a potentially exciting young player and he probably won’t see nearly as much court time in Houston. This is a bummer.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz moved Enes Kanter which is a plus. He wanted out and they managed to get something in return and can now focus on developing Rudy “Gobzilla” Gobert beyond his already impressive raw ability. They also grabbed a first-round pick, second-round pick, rights to Tibor Pleiss and Grant Jerrett. All they had to do was move Kanter, a protected second-round pick and Steve Novak. They are going to buy out Kendrick Perkins who will likely end up with one of Chicago, Cleveland or the Los Angeles Clippers.
Winners:
Portland Trail Blazers
There were many winners on the day, and the first was Portland. They acquired Arron Afflalo from the Denver Nuggets, along with Alonzo Gee, and did not have to give up Nic Batum. I’m not sure how that worked, but good for the Trail Blazers. Moving a series of second-round picks doesn’t really impact their bottom line at this point and adding Afflalo provides big benefits, such as what Matt Moore of CBS and Kirk Goldsberry of Grantland pointed out today. The Trail Blazers hold the top spot in their division and they just added one of the very best mid-range shooters in the NBA. The West just got a little more crowded at the top.
Detroit Pistons
Stan got his man. Reggie Jackson got his way and is no longer backing up the world’s most dangerous point guard in Oklahoma City. The Pistons also opted to bring back Tayshaun Prince and have said that they do not intend to buy out his contract. In exchange, they moved a second-round pick, GIgi Datome, Jonas Jerebko, Kyle Singler and D.J. Augustin. Only Augustin is a name to remember on that list and he is either a wash or a slight downgrade over what Reggie Jackson brings to the table. Well, as long as you don’t let him fire away from deep. Stan Van Gundy is an extremely capable coach, probably no one better equipped to try and help Jackson develop his guard skills over the remainder of the season.
Sacramento Kings/Washington Wizards
In a swap of Andre Miller and Ramon Sessions, both teams got what they wanted. Nothing complicated or flashy here, new Kings coach George Karl got the man he wanted in Andre Miller. Ramon Sessions, having a down year, will have the chance to push for more minutes on the Wizards and contribute in a larger role than what Miller would have occupied had he stayed in Washingon.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder moved many pieces today, but the two biggest movements were the most needed. Enes Kanter is the guy the Thunder wanted and will some size and offensive ability to the Thunder interior. He can also be a long-term solution at the position for OKC, allowing Adams to focus more on his physical duties when in play. They also picked up a shooter in Steve Novak and added depth with D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler. The only piece they truly sacrificed to get this was a future first-round pick. Oh, and dropping the Perkins contract has to be nice. The Thunder have moved into a tie for the 8th seed in the West and they just significantly upgraded and diversified their roster at the deadline. Watch out, West.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns were in the same boat as the Thunder, dealing a point guard that was unhappy and demanding out. They took that situation and made it work marvelously. They acquired, and then waived, the contracts of Kendall Marshall and John Salmons, moving Goran Dragic, Zoran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, Miles Plumlee, Tyler Ennis, and a top-five protected pick. Goran had to go and I don’t imagine there was any use in keeping Zoran. That still would leave them a bit jammed up at the point so they moved Ennis to the willing Bucks and Thomas to the willing Celtics in exchange for the emerging Brandon Knight, to pair with Bledsoe. They also acquired Marcus Thornton and three first-round picks. That’s probably about as good as it gets when an expiring contract guard demands a trade.
Miami Heat
The trading partner of the Phoenix Suns also made out quite well in the deal. Miami immediately became a team to avoid in the first-round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Miami moved a series of role players and bench guys along with a protected pick and a pick about five years down the road in exchange for arguably the best point guard to be had at the deadline. Move over, Mario, Goran is considerably better than you. The anticipation in Miami has changed in one from an also ran to a team, that if Wade and Bosh get healthy, could make the most of their matchup problems with teams like the Cavaliers. Miami has already made it known in the hours since the trade that they intend to offer Goran Dragic the max five-year deal this summer.
Minnesota Timberwolves
This is the biggest winner at the trade deadline. KG is coming home! This is the way that it should be. The Timberwolves have endured some hard times. The weather, the fan base, the disgruntled stars, the loaded Western Conference, the injuries that linger like a plague year after year. I remember when the Timberwolves, led by Garnett, made a push deep into the playoffs. A lot of Timberwolves fans remember that and while a trade for Thaddeus Young is not ideal; there really wasn’t an ideal situation for the Timberwolves. When you have the calm, kind, smiling, angelic Ricky Rubio and a bunch of teenagers darting around the court, who better to bring in than the most beloved figure in the history of the franchise? The Timberwolves weren’t going to win on the court all that often in the near future, even with Young, but now they can win off of the court where they could really use the help. And there you have it, another (insane) trade deadline day in the books.
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