2017 Trade Deadline Moves Make Zero Difference on NBA Landscape
The NBA Trade Deadline is an exciting time. Wasting time on Twitter following the meaning of emojis is what makes late February an exciting time of year.
Unfortunately, none of the deals made around the time leading up to the deadline will make a difference in terms of the NBA’s landscape. The Warriors and Cavaliers are still the favorites to reach the NBA finals, and I also don’t see the league’s playoff picture changing either.
Here are some notable trades that were made before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Pelicans Receive: DeMarcus Cousins, Omri Casspi
Kings Receive: Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, Top-3 Protected 2017 first round pick, 2017 second round pick
Seriously Vlade? Seriously? This was the worst return for a superstar I have ever seen. The Pelicans can now pair their franchise player Anthony Davis with the best center in the NBA to create one of the most polarizing front courts in the league. The Kings will now rival the Nets for being the NBA’s worst team.
However, this trade doesn’t change anything in the West. Sure, Boogie and Davis will be fun to watch, but the only playoff chance they’ll have is a first round sweep against the Warriors. After this season, Gordon Hayward and Chris Paul are their only realistic options. Even if they add one of those two players, New Orleans wouldn’t even be a top two team in their conference.
This was a fun trade to see, and it confirmed the Kings’ dysfunction, but it doesn’t change anything in the Western Conference — besides who is getting beaten by the Warriors in the first round every year.
Raptors Receive: Serge Ibaka
Magic Receive: Terrence Ross, 2017 first round pick
This was a good move by the Raptors, filling the hole they had at the power forward position. Ibaka will prove to be a legitimate third option alongside Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan.
Toronto also acquired P.J. Tucker from the Suns for Jared Sullinger and two second round picks. Tucker will provide wing defense and three point shooting, which will come in handy in the playoffs.
The Raptors moves will probably make the most difference, but it still doesn’t change much in the East. Boston has a solid hold on the No. 2 seed, and they managed to do it without their full starting five for more than half of the season. If anything, these moves should move the Raptors past Washington, who only added Bojan Bogdanovic at the deadline.
The Raptors are going all in on this season, but even after all of their moves they might only be the third best team in the conference.
Sixers Receive: Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson, 2018 first round pick
Mavericks Receive: Nerlens Noel
Bad deal for the Sixers here, but a move that should help Dallas make a push for that strangely coveted 8th seed in the Western Conference. While this is a good move for the Mavs’ future plans, it doesn’t change much in terms of their outlook this season.
For Philadelphia, the only significant development from this deal is that the clock might be ticking on GM Bryan Colangelo. Fans were frustrated with his handling of the Jahlil Okafor situation, and now he has traded a promising big man in Noel for basically nothing, while keeping Okafor.
There were other minor deals made on Thursday, like the Rockets clearing cap space to chase bought out players, and the Bulls weirdly giving up McDermott, Gibson, and a first rounder for Russell Westbrook’s dance parter, Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow, and Joffrey Lauvergne.
All in all, it was a relatively exciting deadline that saw a superstar traded for pocket change. That’ll always be fun. The important thing to remember is even though the trade deadline is packed with intrigue and emojis, the moves that are made rarely effect the NBA’s landscape. This year is another example of that, so I would recommend everyone tune into the NBA Draft this June. That’s usually where the big moves are made.
