Just one year after the most bananas NBA trade deadline in recent memory, the 2016 trade deadline came and went with a series of small moves that said more about the wallets of ownership and the firm grip of the top teams in the Western Conference.
The best move at the trade deadline took place well before it, not even on the same day. Hornets GM Rich Cho pulled the trigger on some minor deals and ended up with Courtney Lee. A 3-and-D type wing, Lee does just what the moniker states – takes shots and gets stops. In exchange, they sent out P.J. Hairston to Memphis, Brian Roberts to the Miami Heat. The Heat sent Chris Andersen and two second-round draft picks to Memphis in the deal.
And those two teams are worth talking about at this point. The Godfather, Pat Riley, ducked a major tax bill! He sent Brian Roberts right back out – along with a second-round pick – to the Trail Blazers and moved Jarnell Stokes to the Pelicans in exchange for… a second-round pick!
Meanwhile, Memphis did a lot of things. The got P.J. Hairston and a few draft picks, turning into the crazy train during the process. Hairston and Andersen will join Matt Barnes, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph in Memphis. Turn the temp up to 350 degrees, remove tin foil and cook for an additional 29 games. For flavor, sprinkle Lance Stephenson on top. Stephenson was acquired along with a protected first-round pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Jeff Green.
Rivaling the Lee trade by Charlotte, the Detroit Pistons also made some moves – big moves. Somehow, inexplicably, the Pistons acquired Tobias Harris from the Orlando Magic for Brandon Jennings, Ersan Ilyasova and a second-round pick. This is remarkable, because they didn’t need to use a first-round pick to grab Harris. That was fortunate because Detroit then used an available first-round pick as part of a deal to acquire Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton from the Houston Rockets. The Pistons also included Joel Anthony.
Fun fact: Scott Skiles was coach in Milwaukee when the Bucks traded Harris to Orlando. Now, Skiles is coach when Harris is traded again – to acquire two other former Bucks that also played under Skiles.
Worth mentioning that a few moves made off the court were also really big. The Sacramento Kings failed to complete a trade with the Chicago Bulls which was rumored to include some combination of Ben McLemore and Pau Gasol, but they had no problem firing assistant coach Vance Walberg. This was simply another poor move by the Kings front office.
The Brooklyn Nets did something good! Remarkably, they successfully pursued San Antonio Spurs Assistant General Manager Sean Marks. Marks will take over as GM for the Nets. Should be interesting to see what happens here. Either Marks turns the Nets into a mean machine or is submarined by the team’s eccentric owner – should be fun to watch.
Oklahoma City paid a decent price for Randy Foye, sending out Steve Novak, D.J. Augustin and two second-round picks. However, they were another team that was looking to save a huge amount of money by ducking the tax.
Speaking of the tax, the only thing more remarkable than Cleveland completing a trade that didn’t involve Kevin Love was that they completed a trade that didn’t involve Kevin Love. Listen, the Cavs should not have traded Love – and they didn’t. However, it’s incredible that they found a way to acquire an asset in Channing Frye from the Magic in exchange for Jared Cunningham and a second-round pick. No team has less to offer in a potential trade than Cleveland and somehow they still managed to pull something off. It’s likely that this trade makes them better if they can figure out their front court rotations. That is a big “if.”
The least surprising deadline move: Markieff Morris traded away from Phoenix. The guy was a problem, despite his team-friendly contract and decent upside. Washington did a good thing to get him. Clearly, the Wizards intend to push into the playoffs and want to be in a position to win some games if they get there. Phoenix gets a protected first-round pick for this year and the contracts of Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair.
The most surprising deadline move: Kirk Hinrich is no longer a Bull! This was not the move that the Bulls should have made or would have been predicted to make. Noah is still a Bull. Gasol is still a Bull. Rose is still a Bull. Gibson is still a Bull. Hinrich is gone.
More fun facts: via K.C. Johnson of the Star Tribune, Hinrich ranks 3rd all-time in games, assists and steals for the Chicago Bulls behind Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. He’s 4th in minutes behind Jordan, Pippen and Jerry Sloan. He’s the all-time Bulls leading three-point shooter. Wow.
Part of that deal also sent Shelvin Mack to the Utah Jazz, from the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks got Hinrich, sent Justin Holiday to the Bulls and the Bulls also get a second-round pick from the Jazz. Got it? Good.
The Anderson Varejao exit from Cleveland was overlooked amid the chaos. He was sent to Portland and appears to be headed for some type of buyout. Buyouts, for the record, are going to be a potentially bigger story than the trade deadline. David Lee, Novak, Varejao, J.J. Hickson and possibly Lance Stephenson, among others, are all headed for negotiations on buyouts. And the word was that all of them are set to get bought out before March 1, which means they would be eligible to sign for playoff teams.
Here is the moral of the 2016 trade deadline: NBA owners wanted to save money, and the threat of the luxury tax and repeat offender penalties are real. The paltry moves of teams like the Heat, Thunder, and the Bulls all helped them deal with some level of tax relief. Even amid an incoming television revenue windfall, teams are doing what they can to save money and get some payouts instead of being the one caught paying the bill. The Clippers and Cavaliers are going to have a good time figuring that one out eventually.
But, there’s more. Both Dwight Howard and Al Horford weren’t moved. Why? Probably multiple good reasons, like tax, player age and health, team fit and asking price. But also, the fact that the market is set to boom and these players are interested in getting paid. No one was ever going to trade their entire future for a rental on Howard or Hortford. When free agency opens up this summer, it’s reasonable to expect a flurry of activity akin to what we thought the trade deadline was going to give us.
Finally, the biggest lesson of all: The West has been won. No big moves from the Thunder, Clippers or Rockets. No moves from San Antonio or Golden State. Things are quiet in the West, for the most part. The regular season is a loss for any other team and even those teams have to be realistic about their ability to challenge the Spurs and Warriors. There is a significant difference between the top and the rest of the league. Many teams probably see that these teams are poised to be the next dynastic franchise (as if the Spurs ever stopped being a dynasty). No team is going to mortgage the future for a run now when the writing is on the wall. The Warriors are the only team that can beat the Warriors and that reality isn’t lost on any front office. It’s like John Witherspoon says as Mr. Jones in Friday, “You win some. You lose some. But you live to fight another day!”
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