That’s it, the trade deadline is over. And ended in a boom. Most of the shifts, the least interesting ones, happened in the East and changed the summit of the conference which became perhaps closer than ever. Three of the four teams nominated at the start of the season as candidates for the championship – Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Philadelphia – have made important changes to the roster, as well as Boston, Cleveland and Toronto, who will also fight Miami and Chicago Holdings. All this with only 6.5 games separating the first Miami and the Brooklyn eighth, compared to 18 games separating Phoenix and the Clippers in the West. pleasure.
So what did we have there? Lots of intriguing passes, and one huge trade between two of the most talked about and controversial players in the last year – Ben Simmons and James Harden – who switched teams after doing everything to leave where they were. By the way, already in the hours after the end of the trade window, it was possible to get interesting responses when the captains of the All-Star Game, Kevin Durant and LeBron James, chose their teams. There KD decided to ignore Arden and did not go for it even when he had one player left to choose. So who is today’s big winner? Let’s start from the bottom.
Loser: LeBron James
LeBron and his teammates missed this season back in the summer, when they decided to go for Russell Westbrook instead of bringing in Damar Druzen as a free agent. By the deadline they still had a chance to make amends, but no team was likely willing to take Russ. Meanwhile, the disgruntled star remained on the bench and showed dissatisfaction. And so, in his final years, whoever will always be remembered as a frenetic, energetic and fast player, has turned his advantage into a disadvantage, with countless ball losses and a legacy lost.
“Every Lakers game lately is something that’s just hard to watch,” the TNT commentator claims. Charles Barkley Rightly so. “In one of their games I ended up switching channels to watch Olympic curling. And it was more interesting.” LeBron mentioned after the defeat to Milwaukee this week, that the Lakers are not currently at the level, and in fact not close to the Bucks’ level. Now, after the deadline has passed with no shift and with Russell remaining on the roster, it turns out that another great season for the King is lost – just like the ball when it is in Westbrook’s hands.
The big trade belongs to Brooklyn
Ben Simmons who was offended by his guys in Philadelphia and lost nearly $ 20 million in fines imposed on him for wanting to move a team, eventually got what he wanted after eight months. And he found a house on paper, seemed to suit him best. Brooklyn is laden with clutch players and gifted shots – the two elements he has always lacked in some way. Now imagine Simmons taking out a burst with Patty Mills, Seth Kerry or Joe Harris across the arc, alongside Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving who always space the pitch. The amount of options is endless and he should not take too much on himself.
With the exception of Simmons, who could work alongside Kyrie and replace him in games he will not play, Brooklyn also received Seth Kerry and Andre Drummond’s shooting as an effective back-up to Marcus Aldridge in color, plus two first-round picks in the draft. Not a bad achievement considering the fact that the team’s split locker room needs a serious refresh after 10 consecutive losses. Harden did not speak to Durant for a long time after KD chose Golden State instead of Houston at the time. Now that Brooklyn’s Big 3 has played just 16 games together in two years, he’s once again leaving the shadow of his former Oklahoma City partner, in order to get another chance, probably last, for the title.
Still, the feeling is that if one had to decide who’s the big winner of the day, it would probably be Brooklyn. Not because of the package she received, but because of the fact that Philadelphia was the one who sent her the reinforcement. Philly’s GM, Daryl Murray, has turned down quite a few offers over the past few months, promising not to move Simmons for a package you would not want. We ended up with the feeling that Murray was the one who gave up too many assets, settling for an aging star who has not provided too many great moments in the last two years, suffered from a tendency to get injured and obese, when on the road for fun, he also manages to sword more than one locker room.
The best star pair in the league?
“Potentially this may be the worst day of Murray’s career,” an ESPN commentator stated. Stephen A. Smith. “He gave up one of the best shots in the league. He gave up two first-round picks and it’s not at all clear how he went about asking for a draft pick, to the one who gives them. “Drummond, it turns out they actually helped their biggest rival.”
While the Sicers managed to keep Tyris Maxi and Tobias Harris who was a candidate for the trade (and will be like that again in the summer), but was it a move that made them real contenders for the championship? So like that, in Philadelphia quite a few things have to happen for that to happen, but in the meantime she has given up the future there for the here and now. One of the main reasons for the pressure Murray must have felt while agreeing to the trade, was the fact that Ambide was in MVP’s shape, and that’s something he could not miss. For him it was better to bring in any player who could help, and he did get an aging star, but one that would take a lot of pressure and attention off his chin.
“First of all, everything is better to bring any good player on one who sits on the side and does not want to play,” concluded the former player and commentator Kendrick Perkins. “For Philadelphia, if all goes well, it’s a trade that makes it one of the best teams in the East with the best duo in the NBA right now. “It’s also something that can overwhelm close games. It will be difficult to stop them if they are both healthy in the playoffs.” Anyway, who wants to meet an actor like Harden, who will come from constant hunger with a huge monkey on his back?
The Israeli angle: The Washington Wizards
Let’s start with the Israeli angle. After failing to get Washington mixed up the roster, it took down a bit from the number of mediocre players plus it had, and decided to splurge on the roster, hoping to sign Bradley Bill on a new contract this summer. Briefly we are told that Davis Bartans, Arun Holiday, Spencer Dinwiddie and Monterey Harrell left, while Christopher Forzingis and Man Smith arrived. So the trades have helped Washington financially right now, but will also help general manager Tommy Shepard, decide which direction he is going in the summer based on Bill’s decision.
Meanwhile he brought back a very loving trail player (Smith) and passed away because his star did not get along with him (Dinvidi). What it means? You decide. In the same breath he came to the city of Forzingis, who could play alongside Bill Am and when it stays next season, as an additional points provider and who can help with the pitch.
In terms of loss, this is an excellent situation right now, because Washington does not currently have an amazing backline. To say the least, with Smith and Raul Neto. And that’s it. “Danny and Kyle Kozma will help more in leading the ball,” the coach had time to declare Wes Ansald Jr., And already in the first game without the players leaving, the change could be seen. Abdia received no less than 32 minutes, when rarely to this day, he was present on the field in crucial minutes of a close game. Now he will have to prove he has a place of honor on the roster, thinking about next season.
Here we build: Sacramento, Indiana and Portland
Sacramento has shown a lot of courage with deals that might end its long (15-year) playoff form. And maybe not. As part of a four-way trade, the Kings have signed Josh Jackson, who has never reached his potential, as well as Donta Divinchenzo – a player they desperately wanted, with the goal of collaborating alongside Darron Fox and Devion Mitchell with a trio that will surely be nicknamed ‘Triple D’. Even before that they got rid of Buddy the Boy and the failed project called Marvin Bagley Jr..
But along the way Sacramento also lost Tyrese Haliberton, one of the big thefts of the 2020 draft and who was selected three places behind Abdia. All with the goal of landing Domantas Savonis in the California capital. The Pacers achieved a serious dowry over Savonis. Haliberton may yet develop and become a superstar and at age 21 could adapt to the rebuilding that is being planned at Indiana. In the meantime she also got a draft pick and basically got everything she wanted from the Savonis trade in question.
Portland is in a similar situation to the Wizards. And like them, they too have decided to spruce up the roster ahead of a possible return of an injured superstar, in a process that will be completed in the summer with the signing of Perry Agent and a draft pick. Portland, which gave up CJ McCollum and Norman Powell within two days, at least already has another star in the making in the form of Anferni Simmons. New Orleans, which got McCollum, is in a positive momentum and is building a not-so-bad roster behind Zion Williamson, hoping perhaps to maintain relevance until that happens.
The Silent Winners
We’ll start in the West, after Phoenix thickened its bench with Tori Craig and Aaron Holiday, on its renewed journey to the finals. Craig wore the Suns uniform last season (6.3 points per game) and knows the system excellently, while Holiday can give Chris Paul a rest and cover for injuries like the one Cameron Payne has suffered from recently. Utah, another contender at the top, was hurt by the injury of Joe Ingles who finished the season. So what did she do? Sent him in a trade and got Nickail Alexander-Walker, a young player who did not even come close to scratching his ceiling. Ingles, who will become a free agent in the summer, has already announced he is interested in returning to Salt Lake City next season.
And what about the East? There must begin the champion. Milwaukee did not need Divinchenzo while Pat Conaton recently blossomed (until it was just injured). She did need color reinforcement at the time of Brock Lopez’s unending injury, and accepted Serge Ivaka as someone who could match last season’s PJ Tucker. Ivaka could be the right reinforcement in the right place, if he could recreate his beautiful days in Toronto and forget about the bad days in Los Angeles.
While Brooklyn has recovered nicely from the trade for Harden a year ago, Cleveland turns out to be its big winner after getting the two Nets’ diamonds at the time – Jarrett Allen who landed with her last season, and Chris Lavbert who arrived this week from Houston and made it one of the best teams in the conference.
Still, Boston is perhaps the most surprising upgrade in the East. Daniel Theis is a beloved player in Boston and it’s just the opposite of Dennis Schroeder, whom no one is going to miss in TD Garden. On the way she also brought in Derrick White from San Antonio. Make yourself another possible candidate to take the Crazy East.
Power rating
10. Chicago (6)
Perhaps the only group in the East that has not been strengthened, because it has no one it really can or would like to send. The Bulls will remain at the top of the East, but as the injuries continue to plague, how seriously can they be taken?
9. Boston (new entry)
The Celtics with six straight wins and a record-breaking ability from Jason Taitum and Jaylen Brown in recent weeks.
8. Philadelphia (3)
Joel Ambide and the gang continued with another excellent week, despite a lone loss to Toronto. The highlight came in the form of a win over Memphis without the chin given a rest. Blackmailer.
7. Milwaukee (8)
After trips to Los Angeles against the two stuttering teams of City of Angels, a loss came to Phoenix in last year’s final rematch. Still, the Bucks are only a game and a half away from the Eastern presidency.
Toronto (9)
With eight straight wins, the Raptors look just great and meanwhile have also made a quiet trade, passing Goran Dragic who did not want to play in Canada, in exchange for veteran Thedios Young. Young will thicken the skinny bench of Toronto in a team that plays in a style that suits him. Like almost every roster, Young is a tall player who knows how to do everything and will try to recreate what he did last season when he came off the bench in Chicago and scored over 13 points per game.
5. Miami (10)
And here’s the East leader who’s been on great momentum since Kyle Laurie is back and already riding on a streak of four wins.
4. Golden State (2)
The Warriors’ longest streak of losses stands at two, all because of a rare home loss to the New York Knicks. Yes, you heard right.
3. Cleveland (7)
The Cubs are preparing to host the All-Star and meanwhile are in excellent shape with the return of Darius Garland. The theft of Labbert’s deadline made the Cubs an even more dangerous team. “Unlike the situation in Indiana, here we are competing for a championship,” Lavbert concluded the trade. So maybe this championship is an exaggeration, but the direction is definitely positive in Ohio.
Memphis (4)
The Grizzlies have already had seven wins in eight games in which Ja Morant maintains stability. And make an early bet on Desmond Baines in the All-Star Threes competition in a week.
1. Phoenix (1)
After a few more trades on the last day of trading, the Suns look even better than before. Meanwhile the team does not stop winning (15 of the last 16), including the defeat of the rival in the final, Milwaukee, in a game that was not even close in the second half.