A way-too-early look at the players who moved at the NBA Trade Deadline
We are a mere week removed from the NBA Trade Deadline, so I can feel your skepticism from here. Assigning winners and losers with a one-week sample size? That sounds like some thirsty Bleacher Report ish. But we’re not here to assign winners and losers, we’re here to simply look at the numbers. Plus, it’s kind of boring to look back on the Ghosts of Trade Deadlines Past. Honestly, would you rather read about how Markieff Morris has remained a solid part of the Washington Wizards in the past year, or would you rather read about the fireballs that Bojan Bogdanovic is tossing NBA Jam-style since his move there a week ago? It’s just human nature to favor the new and shiny toy, so let’s lean in to that feeling. There were 16 “important” (sorry, Langston Galloway et al.) players moved at the deadline and in the weeks leading up to the deadline, and we’ll take a look at each of them.
Mason Plumlee: Portland Trail Blazers to Denver Nuggets
After starting all 54 games for Portland this season, Plumlee has moved to a bench role for Denver. In six games with the Nuggets, Plumlee has just one start and has seen his minutes per game cut by around six — that’ll happen when the team you’re traded to has Nikola Jokic. Plumdog Millionaire has seen his Per 36 Minute stats stay almost the exact same, but he has been a slightly more efficient shooter thanks to more ball movement in Denver than he had in Portland. He is still on his endless quest for a triple double.
Jusuf Nurkic: Denver Nuggets to Portland Trail Blazers
The move north has treated The Bosnian Bear quite well so far. After being buried on the depth chart in Denver, Nurkic is averaging 28.0 minutes a game for Portland and has responded with 13 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. He has also seen his assists per game jump from 1.3 per game in Denver to 3.3 in Portland. He has finished with a positive box score plus-minus in each of his four Portland games so far despite the team’s 1–3 record.
Serge Ibaka: Orlando Magic to Toronto Raptors
Ibaka has to be so happy to be on a contending team yet again. It’s only been four games in Toronto, and his Per 36 Minute stats with Toronto are nearly identical to Ibaka’s Per 36 Minute stats with Orlando, but he just has a zestier vibe to his play already. In Toronto’s showdown win over Boston, Ibaka had one official block but his presence was felt throughout the entire game, all over the court. This is not just a one-way relationship, though, as Raptors fans are downright giddy to have upgraded from Pascal Siakam to Ibaka, and an Ibaka-led small ball unit remains the team’s best hope to taking down The Evil Empire in Cleveland.
Terrence Ross: Toronto Raptors to Orlando Magic
Moving from Toronto to Orlando would typically be a glorious event, especially given that the move happened in late February, but in the case of Ross, it meant moving from a legitimate contender to a legitimate toilet seat. Ross penned (I still like to believe it’s the actual players doing the writing) a moving piece for the Player’s Tribune this week in which he thanked the city of Toronto and their rabid fanbase, the type of fanbase he is not likely to see at home games while he’s in Orlando. One thing Ross is set to see in Orlando is more shots. And Terrence Ross likes shots. So far, Ross is taking five more shots a game in Orlando than he was in Toronto, and, as a result, his scoring is up from 10.4 points per game to 14.3 points per game. He still has to play for Rob Hennigan though, soooooo…
DeMarcus Cousins: Sacramento Kings to New Orleans Pelicans
Hmmm, I really haven’t heard much about this chap and his move to, where was it, New Orleans I think. (For those who care: 4.5 fewer points per game, 2.3 more rebounds per game. Zero wins, duh.)
Omri Casspi: Sacramento Kings to New Orleans Pelicans
Played 24 minutes with the Pellies before breaking his thumb and subsequently being cut by the team :(
Tyreke Evans: New Orleans Pelicans to Sacramento Kings
In the most glorious case of small sample size so far, TYREKE LIVES! Since moving back to Sacramento, Evans is averaging 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on 45 percent shooting (53.8 percent from three). Evans has scored in double digits in each of his four Kings’ games since the move, has looked a bit better than the corpse-like statue he was in New Orleans before the move. Let’s see if it lasts.
Buddy Hield: New Orleans Pelicans to Sacramento Kings
Buddy Hield Per 36 Minute stats since moving to Sacramento: 42.1 percent from three on 6.5 attempts.
Steph Curry Per 36 Minute stats for his career: 43.8 percent from three on 7.8 attempts.
Clearly Vivek is right about everything and the 4-on-5 chapter of NBA history is right around the corner. In all seriousness, Hield actually has been playing well for Sacramento, averaging 13.8 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting from the field. It would be nice if his owner hadn’t put such pressure on him before he even suited up in purple and gray, but Hield is a smart kid who realizes the outrageous nature of those claims and won’t try to play above himself.
Bojan Bogdanovic: Brooklyn Nets to Washington Wizards
If we had to select a one-week winner of all the players moved at the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline, Bogdanovic would be the definitive winner. After playing in relative (read: complete) obscurity in Brooklyn for the past two and a half seasons, Bogdanovic has already played a pair of games (vs. Golden State and vs. Toronto) that likely meant more in the NBA landscape than any of his 212 games in Brooklyn. After an inauspicious start to his Wizards career against the 76ers in his Washington debut (17 minutes, two points, Wizards loss), Bogdanovic has only improved each game since. That improvement culminated with a 27-points-on-12-shots explosion in the Wizards victory over the Raptors on Wednesday. In been only four games (15.0 points per game), but already folks (including this folk) are dubbing Bogdanovic the key bench player the Wizards have lacked all year.
P.J. Tucker: Phoenix Suns to Toronto Raptors
Tucker is not the type of guy you trade for to put up a few flashy box scores in March, he’s the guy you get to do the little things that sends your team to its first-ever NBA Finals. Or maybe that’s just what “smart” NBA fans say to themselves because they’ve never actually watched Tucker play in an NBA game. I don’t know. Either way, the verdict on Tucker won’t be out until June.
Taj Gibson: Chicago Bulls to Oklahoma City Thunder
Consider Gibson the flip side of the Tyreke-assaince going on in Sacramento. Gibson has struggled in his move to OKC, averaging just 8.3 points and 4.0 rebounds a game for the Thunder, while shooting 38.5 percent from the field. Of course, it’s been three games so far.
Doug McDermott: Chicago Bulls to Oklahoma City Thunder
One thing that surprised me in researching this article was how few cases like Gibson and Evans there were. A lot of these NBA players are producing at nearly the exact same level as they were in their previous home, despite moving cross-country and relying on a three or four-game sample. McDermott’s Per 36 Minute stats in just three games with OKC are nearly a mirror image to his numbers in Chicago, with the lone exception of Dougie McBuckets being a bit more efficient in a few less minutes per game for OKC so far. Strange.
Cameron Payne: Oklahoma City Thunder to Chicago Bulls
It’s only been two games so far, but it doesn’t appear that Payne is going to get all that much more run for the Bulls than he was getting for the Thunder. He’s averaging 14.5 minutes for Chicago after averaging 16.0 minutes per game for OKC. For a Payne apologist such as myself, this is thoroughly disappointing, as I was hoping Fred Hoiberg might be able to unlock some potential within Payne. In retrospect, this is silly. Fred Hoiberg couldn’t unlock the potential of a locked door if he was given the key to said locked door. That said, at least he could throw a few more minutes Payne’s way.
Nerlens Noel: Philadelphia 76ers to Dallas Mavericks
This was a move that the Mavs made with an eye to the future, so the Mavs won’t be too worried about Noel’s slow start in Dallas. In fact, the team is probably more worried about the fact that Noel is already displaying a few of those “character issues” that dogged him in Philly since his move to Dallas (late for team bus; taken out of starting lineup as a result). Now this easily could have been a one-off, but it’s worth noting. As for on the court, Noel is getting about four more minutes per game with Dallas (23.7 per game), while still posting solid-while-not-eye-popping numbers (7.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, 56.3 percent from the field). Like I said, this is one where the long-term is all that matters.
Justin Anderson: Dallas Mavericks to Philadelphia 76ers
I had to include my boy Anderson on this list (Wah-Hoo-Wah), but he’s not really doing much in Philly and he wasn’t really doing much in Dallas. But — BUT — he does have some interesting potential, so don’t be too surprised if he gets some decent run down the stretch for the Tank-adelphia 70-tankers.
Andrew Bogut: Dallas Mavericks to Philadelphia 76ers (to Cleveland Cavaliers via buyout)
Bogut is the Lord of Petty. And I love him for it.
