It may be safe to say that the 2023 NBA trade deadline was a very active one. Many teams, specifically in the Western Conference, swung deals aplenty. As always, some teams successfully upgraded their team, and then there are the ones that stayed put or could not find their boost.
Winner- Los Angeles Lakers
We all knew that the Lakers needed to make changes- they only ranked 26th in three-point percentage, LeBron James is not getting younger, and they are out of the play-in tournament. There was a sense of urgency from general manager Rob Pelinka, and it showed in the past 24 hours.
The biggest difference is that they were able to add shooting. In a three-team deal, they brought D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley from Minnesota and Utah, respectively. Russell is having his most efficient season offensively, with a career-high 60.4% true shooting while shooting 39% on seven threes a game. Beasley has been having a down season, with his lowest true shooting percentage since the 2017-18 season. However, he is also shooting 36% on nearly nine attempts per game.
They were also struggling with size as a smaller team, hence the acquisitions of Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba. Both players are expected to bolster the backcourt rotation alongside Anthony Davis, especially with Thomas Bryant traded to Denver.
Loser- Miami Heat
Simply put, the Heat were radio silent throughout the deadline. We have seen executive Pat Riley active at the trade deadline in the past. However, the only move they made was offloading Dewayne Dedmon to San Antonio, which supposedly freed up a spot on the roster.
They could be active on the buyout market, as they have been rumored for Russell Westbrook. Miami is currently sitting at the sixth seed at 30-25 but they need help on offense. They are currently 26th in offensive rating, 27th in three-point percentage, and 29th in field goal percentage. In simpler terms, they need more shot making and they missed an opportunity to add it at the deadline.
Winner- Phoenix Suns
When you add a talent like Kevin Durant, it is hard to exclude you from an article like this. When you factor in the package that was put together to get him, it is even harder to say they lost at the trade deadline.
It did cost them Mikal Bridges, one of the best role players in the league, and Cameron Johnson, one of the best shooters. However, they did manage to keep Deandre Ayton in Phoenix in the process. And yes, they brought Kevin Durant to Phoenix. Durant is having his most efficient season, specifically in mid-range. He is shooting 61% from 3-10 feet and 60% from 10-16 feet, both career highs and ranking among the top ten in the league, even despite the higher volume. He is also the fourth Suns player averaging over five assists, next to Chris Paul, Booker, and Cameron Payne.
In the Durant trade, they also landed T.J. Warren, who coincidentally played for Phoenix for his first five years. Warren, playing in a reserve role in Brooklyn, is averaging 9.5 points on 51% shooting from the field.
Loser- Portland Trail Blazers
It can be very hard to understand what direction the Blazers are going in at times. This year’s trade deadline is one of those times.
Last year, it seemed clear that the front office wanted to emphasize defense around Damian Lillard. They landed Josh Hart in the C.J. McCollum trade, they traded for Jerami Grant in the offseason and signed Gary Payton II. After the deadline, Hart and Payton II are both out of Portland.
Hart has been having a down year (shooting 30.4% from three on 2 attempts per game), and Payton has been limited to 15 games due to injury. However, the return is what makes them lose the deadline was their return. Matisse Thybulle is known as one of the better perimeter defenders in the league. However, he is averaging career lows nearly across the board this season. Cam Reddish, acquired from New York in the Hart trade, has shown potential at times but he had fallen out of the Knicks’ rotation before the trade.
They did get five second-round picks from Golden State for Payton. However, it appears that the Blazers are spinning the wheels with their same formula, only with different players.
Winner- Los Angeles Clippers
With a duo such as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, both players having durability concerns, it is good to have depth. Thankfully for the Clippers, they did so.
The main takeaway is that they revamped their guard rotation, replacing Reggie Jackson and John Wall with Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland. They did send Luke Kennard to Memphis in the trade that landed them Gordon, but Gordon is a veteran who can shoot and handle the ball at times. Hyland is more of a microwave scorer who can either be very hot or cold at any given moment, however, he also has room to grow at 22 years old. While they do not have a playmaking point guard, they have multiple players who can handle the ball as well.
They also traded for Mason Plumlee from Charlotte, having a career year averaging 12 points and nine rebounds per game, to back up Ivica Zubac. He can also help as a passer, as he was averaging 3.7 assists in Charlotte and has had seasons in Denver and Detroit where he averaged nearly five assists per 36 minutes.
Loser- Atlanta Hawks / John Collins
The Hawks as a franchise did not have a bad trade deadline. They traded for Saddiq Bey out of Detroit, a 23-year-old wing who has shown signs as a shooter and ballhandler early in his career. And for a team that heavily leans on their guards in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, it helps to have the size and shooting around them.
However, there is still John Collins‘ awkward fit on this team. Despite him being rumored to be on the move, the Hawks decided to keep Collins on the roster. He had been steadily losing shot attempts over the years with additions such as Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu in the rotation. Collins is currently down to 10 attempts a game, his lowest since his rookie season despite playing 31 minutes a game. Making matters worse, he is only shooting 25.6% from three-point range, a career low.
With Capela, Okongwu, and Bey, Collins’ place in Atlanta continues to get hazy. John Collins is still a productive NBA player, but it is puzzling that the Hawks are holding on to him while giving him a lesser role.
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