Analysis Of Every NBA Trade Deadline Move
Trade Deadline Week has arrived, and this is one of the most peculiar ones in recent memory. The Cleveland Cavaliers look like a team in need of many trades if they want to have any chance of winning a championship, but they have limited resources to improve their roster aside from the precious Brooklyn Nets first-round pick. The Clippers are ready to blow it up and potentially move DeAndre Jordan, but surprisingly don’t seem to have many suitors. But what truly makes this deadline odd is that there aren’t any true stars on the block. Even if there is a flurry of activity, don’t expect many top-tier talents to be moved, rather just a lot of complementary pieces.
Here are instant reactions to each trade made during the week.
Brooklyn Nets trade Tyler Zeller to Milwaukee Bucks for Rashad Vaughn, second-round pick
This is an example of Nets General Manager Sean Marks making the most out of a very difficult situation. He inherited a team devoid of draft picks or promising young players, and continues to make progress. The way he has been able to find players like Zeller and turn them into assets, even when it’s just a second-rounder, bodes well for the future of the Nets.
As for the Bucks, Zeller is a theoretical fit due to his size and rebounding ability, but it’s hard to believe this was the most effective use of that second-rounder. They likely could have gotten a better player either via a trade with that pick, or actually saved it and tried to repeat their past success with drafting players in the second round, as their last two second-round picks (Malcolm Brogdon, Sterling Brown) have both shown surprisingly high levels of promise.
New York Knicks trade Willy Hernangomez to Charlotte Hornets for Johnny O’Bryant, two second-round picks
On paper, this is a good deal for the Hornets- they’re getting a player just a handful of months removed from being named to the All-Rookie first team, who has shown he can at least be a decent scorer as well as a very good rebounder- and has two very affordable years left on his contract after this one. But for Hernangomez, this is just going from one logjam in New York to another in Charlotte- the Hornets have Dwight Howard, Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky, and Marvin Williams already absorbing the frontcourt minutes in the rotation.
For the Knicks, getting two second-round picks for a player who clearly wasn’t in their long-term plans is fine- but why did they handle this situation the way they did? Instead of splitting the backup center minutes between Kyle O’Quinn and Hernangomez, they sat Hernangomez entirely, which not only stunted his development, but it dramatically decreased his value on the trade market. If the Knicks really just felt like Hernangomez could not be a part of their future, they should have traded him this summer, when the return in a trade would have been much better.
Cleveland Cavaliers trade Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, 2018 first-round pick to Los Angeles Lakers for Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr.
The Cavaliers needed to get better this week, and they did- starting with this move. They got rid of Thomas, who has been one of, if not the worst player in the entire NBA since he came back. And while Frye is an undervalued part of their bench, they were able to get a scorer in Clarkson, and a very underrated prospect in Nance, who provides elite athleticism and defensive versatility that the Cavaliers desperately needed. However, they did give up a first-round pick, which is a tough asset to lose. All in all, this is an okay trade for Cleveland- Clarkson and Nance should help.
For the Lakers, this is a home run. While Nance is an intriguing young prospect, Kyle Kuzma plays the same position and is just a better player. Getting off of Clarkson’s contract and receiving a first-rounder is huge for the Lakers. This move gives them the ability to have enough cap space for not one, but two max contracts this summer- where their dream of signing both LeBron James and Paul George could potentially come to fruition.
Three-Team Deal: Cleveland Cavaliers receive George Hill, Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz select Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Sacramento Kings receive Joe Johnson, Iman Shumpert
Let’s start with the Cavs: they may have taken on some more long-term money, but this deal made them much better, and they got a potential young piece for the post-LeBron era in Rodney Hood. Hill is the perfect Point Guard to play with LeBron- he is best used offensively when shooting off the catch, doesn’t need the ball, and defends his position very well. Hood gives them shooting on the wing as well as athleticism. This was a good deal for the Cavs.
Utah gave up on Rodney Hood, so they turned him into Jae Crowder in an attempt to revive Crowder’s career. And of any team for Crowder to be moved to, the Jazz make for one of the best fits out there. They are a very stable and well-run team with excellent coaching from Quin Snyder. Don’t expect him to be as good as he was in Boston, but he’ll be much better once he becomes familiar with the system in Utah.
The Kings got bailed out after they inexplicably gave Hill the three-year, $57M contract that they did- it wasn’t so bad because Hill isn’t worth the money, but the Kings had no need for another PG and he didn’t at all fit their timeline.
Cleveland Cavaliers trade Dwyane Wade to Miami Heat for 2024 second-round pick
In a deal that was essentially the Cavs allowing Wade to go back home to Miami where he belongs, it was an indicator that as the Cavaliers begin theit youth movement on the wing focused on defense and athleticism, Wade didn’t fit into their plans anyways. Wade doesn’t bring above-average production in the athleticism, shooting, or defensive departments- making him a bad fit with Cleveland.
Orlando Magic trade Elfrid Payton to Phoenix Suns for 2018 second-round pick
Orlando here had clearly decided that Payton was not at all a part of their long-term plans, and figured that even if it was just a second-rounder, they might as well move him for some sort of return. With a new front office in place for the Magic, expect them to tank hard for the rest of this season in hopes of getting the top pick in this summer’s draft.
For Phoenix, this was a fantastic buy-low decision. They get a point guard in Payton who is close to a perfect fit with Devin Booker in the backcourt: he isn’t ball-dominant, and is already one of the better defenders at the Point Guard position in the league, an imperative trait for someone playing with Booker. If he can take advantage of the open looks he’ll get from playing with a scorer as good as Booker and improves his scoring ability, he can be the long-term solution on the perimeter next to Devin Booker.
Portland Trail Blazers trade Noah Vonleh to Chicago Bulls for draft rights to Milovan Rakovic
Rakovic will never play in the NBA, so this was truly just Portland dumping Vonleh’s salary. And this was a deal that was mutually beneficial- getting off of Vonleh’s money got Portland under the Luxury Tax, and for Chicago, why not give an audition to a former top-ten draft pick? All signs have indicated that Vonleh isn’t a good NBA player, but it can’t hurt Chicago to see if a change of scenery can help.
Three-Team Deal: Denver Nuggets get Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks get Doug McDermott, New York Knicks get Emmanuel Mudiay
This was an instance where Denver just decided to cut their losses and move on from Mudiay, who just isn’t good enough to log consistent minutes for them, and get a veteran in Harris who they hope can.
Dallas is taking a chance on McDermott, a shooter who is now playing for his fourth team- as they rebuild, it’s only right that they move on from veterans like Harris in favor of adding young players like McDermott, in hopes that they can find some diamonds in the rough.
And the Knicks gave up one unproven prospect in McDermott for another in Mudiay, a player that the organization was reportedly high on entering the 2015 NBA Draft, even though they ultimately made the right choice and picked Kristaps Porzingis over him. Mudiay has shown flashes and he has the athleticism to succeed, so we’ll see if New York is the right landing spot for him.
Detroit Pistons trade Brice Johnson, 2022 second-round pick to Memphis Grizzlies for James Ennis III
Detroit Pistons trade Willie Reed, 2022 second-round pick to Chicago Bulls for Jameer Nelson
With these two moves, the Pistons used minimal resources to bring in two players who will be very useful off the bench. Ennis is a very underrated wing who can provide some much-needed depth on the perimeter for the Pistons, and while Jameer Nelson may be one of the oldest players in the league, he’s still a solid backup. These two moves, as minor as they may seem individually, combine to make the Pistons a much more viable threat to oust a team like Miami, Philadelphia or Indiana in the playoff picture.
Aside from the hour of Cleveland-related madness, this was a rather quiet Trade Deadline- what will be much more interesting is the buyout market. We’ve already seen Brandan Wright and Joe Johnson get bought out and sign with the Houston Rockets, and Marco Belinelli is gone from Atlanta and will reportedly join the Philadelphia 76ers. It will be interesting to see how many more players get bought out, and which ones go to legitimate championship contenders.
