NBA TRADE DEADLINE

League reshifted, superstars moved, the Title up for grabs

J. Y. Gao

The NBA’s trade deadline brought along with it three juggernaut trades that have now been set to shift the entries league’s attention to a crazed scramble between the 500s in the Western conference. The unusual season has seen a number of teams, including the title-defending Warriors, fail to maximise their team’s potential due to injuries and rotations, which has resulted in 10 teams in the West lying within the .450 to .550 range – all within 5 games of each other. Hence, this article will attempt to describe the shift in power within the league with heavy attention on the West, as well as project future scenarios within the playoffs, and what each might mean for the contending teams and their current rosters. 

In the past decade, the league has grown accustomed to being centred on four to five teams to win the Title across both conferences at this time of the year; the Warriors and Rockets in the West, Miami/Cleveland depending on where Lebron is, Pacers, and Boston. As a result, the trade deadline has conventionally seen more sellers and less buyers – a top heavy league – as the Title was almost guaranteed within the top five. This year, contenders were spread far wider than usual, with the Nuggets, led by MVP candidate Jokic, at number one in the West, followed by contenders in Memphis, Dallas, and Golden State, competing against Boston at number one in the East, followed by contenders Bucks, Nets, and 76ers. The possibility of the title was closer to more CEOs and managers around the league than normal, and the desperate fight for a strong set up of a win-now team with momentum heading into the playoffs has resulted in a trade deadline that did not disappoint.

Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris traded to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, 2027 second-round pick, 2029 first round-pick (unprotected), 2029 second-round pick. Prior to the trade, both Dorian Finney-Smith, who has played to his full potential in providing the Mavs with a reliable option by being first on the floor and on the glass, and Spencer Dinwiddie, who has played to his best ability to accompany Luka as his co-star, have been unable to fill the hole or the vacuum that resulted from the absence of Jalen Brunson. In the first half of this season, it has been clear to Mavs fans the value that Jalen Brunson had provided for the team during his time in Dallas serving as the secondary player who was able to space the floor and open opportunities for Luka. Luka’s lack of a competent co-star has been demonstrated in his frustration this season. Clearly, the situation was similarly recognised by the Mavs front office, and the blockbuster trade for Kyrie Irving is projected to prove to be an invaluable one to the team. 

For Brooklyn, the Kyrie trade acquired the team a hoard of assets that will be critical in the team’s upcoming rebuild (in addition to the assets gained by the Durant trade discussed below). Although Dinwiddie is less valuable than Kyrie, he is still able to fill the role that Kyrie played within the team, and will be surrounded by a strong cast of players likely to pull the Nets through its rebuild. Ben Simmons, who lags behind as the one person left of the superteam assembled in Brooklyn only months ago, will have more space to experiment and find his rhythm, Claxton remains as a DPOY contender, a strong role player in Watanabe and a young talent in Edwards are also present. More on the future of the Brooklyn Nets in the Durant trade discussion. 

Dallas is now a serious title contender. Experienced basketball fans realise the importance of the Robin character in a team where there is a Batman. For Michael Jordan, it was Pippen, for Lebron in Miami, it was Dwayne Wade; every Championship team will have starred a number two that may have been just as valuable as the lead player. NBA history has shown that some players are better in number two spot than the number one– players whose talent is only fully realised on the floor when under an A-list superstar. We’ve seen this in Wade’s performance under Bron, Kyle Lowry with Kawhi, Paul Pierce, Klay Thompson, Jaylen Brown, Anthony Davis – all of whom, except for Brown, have won at least one Championship. Kyrie Irving is one such player. And the global NBA community are well aware of his abilities as a leader, or lack thereof. His most successful season came from his time under Bron in Cleveland, followed by his most recent seasons under Durant in Brooklyn. His worst seasons, discounting his rookie years, has been his time in Boston where he took the mantle as the A-list superstar of the team. Kyrie thrives in the number two spot, he epitomises it. And it isn’t an insult either. Alongside Luka’s magic in Dallas, Kyrie will be able to stretch the floor and gain the team the invaluable asset of space in contemporary NBA better than any of his predecessors in Dallas. Kyrie’s time with Bron showed the league that any attempt at double teaming or scrambling the team leader will be repaid in full with daggers and game-winners in the clutch. There shouldn’t be any anxiety over ‘who takes the last shot’ or ‘who plays the point guard’ – these questions will be worked out in the moment of the game and in due course, with both Luka and Kyrie willing to step down or step up as comfortably as anyone else in the league. Now, the question for Dallas is: who might it send to guard the star of the opposing team? The answer will be revealed in the last months of the regular season. The Kyrie Irving trade puts Dallas, currently fourth in the West, a win-now team making a strong contention for the title.

LA Lakers, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves participate in a three-way trade as summarised in the following: Lakers receive D’Angelo Russel, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt; Jazz received Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones. The 2027 first-round pick; the Wolves received Mike Conley, Nickeil A.W., both two second-round picks. The Timberwolves received Mike Conley, who fulfils the same role as D’Angelo Russel, whilst requiring less time with the ball to be effective on the floor. The Jazz started a rebuild by getting rid of Mike Conley and securing a draft pick, and have also established a substantial cap space, with enough room for an impressive rebuild over the coming seasons. 

The Lakers on the other hand, are, like Dallas, once again a strong Championship contender. The team’s fundamental issue through its entire time with Lebron and AD has been it’s lack of competent shooters – it has been the one piece missing from the team since the beginning, it was widened temporarily with Westbrook’s questionable shooting ability, and now, finally, it has been addressed with the new additions the trade deadline brough to them. Malik Beasley shoots 30% on a catch and shoot from beyond the arc and will prove his worth in his ability to stretch the floor. D’Angelo Russel is, similarly, confident with his shooting ability from three, and role plays as an able catch and shoot player as well as a self-sufficient guard with the capacity to create his own shots. Though the deal’s best asset is Vanderbilt, a two-way forward first-to-the-floor and able to guard the likes of Curry and Jokic and everyone in between. He is fully capable of being an efficient and effective player without the ball in his hands, and will earn a role as facilitator to Lebron and AD. 

The Laker’s struggles in this year’s regular season is largely due to their inability to close out close games. Although a number of a bad calls have dictated the ending of these matchups, including the infamous loss to Boston a few weeks ago, it has been the team’s inability to resurrect within the last minutes a momentum strong enough to gain/keep the lead that has caused their losses and placed them at 13th in the West. Were the four close games with ‘bad’ calls won, the Lakers would be sitting comfortably within playoff parameters at fifth or sixth in the Conference. And it is precisely the ability of the Lakers front office to look past the placing of the team and directly at the pool of .500 teams, and to recognise the missing pieces necessary to fill role spots around Lebron and AD, that have allowed them to gain a strong three player gain who may very well contribute crucially to the closing line-up. The trade for Russel, Beakley and Vanderbilt has rekindled Championship hopes in Lebron and the Lakers Organisation.

It what might be considered the second biggest blockbuster trade in the past decade (only to Durant’s move to the Warriors in 2016), Kevin Durant is traded from Booklyn to the Phoenix Suns in a huge four-way trade between Nets, Suns, Bucks and Pacers. The discussion will start with Brooklyn first. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden joined forces three years ago to conquer the NBA, yet today, all that is left in Brooklyn is a lonely Ben Simmons as far as superstars go. All of the drama that was the trade deadline and the rumours of trade requests in the season prior, as well as the strained relationships with Nets owner Tsai, had perhaps all began in the 2021 playoffs when Durant’s size 17 feet stepped ever so slightly on the three point line of what was thought to be the game-winning shot in game 7. Instead, it was counted as two points, tying the game, which was later won by the Bucks in overtime. The Bucks went on to win the Championship that year, and was perhaps the closest and best chance Brooklyn had of earning a title with Durant and Irving. 

In total over the last three years, that year was the only time they won a playoff series. Kyrie and Durant were able to scrape 57 games together across the period without Harden, but the title, though in sight, was too far for the organisation to risk this year. And so the front office decided to pull the plug before the players walked into free agency so that they might gather some valuable trade assets and young talent. And a mountain did they hoard. In the past week, for three players (Irving, Durant and Morris), the Nets received Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, Juan Pablo Vaulet, 2023 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, 2027 second-round pick, 2028 first-round pick swap, 2028 second-round pick, two 2029 first-round picks, and two 2029 second-round picks. In doing so, the Nets remain a strong playoff team with an armada of assets that promises great opportunities in future drafts and trades. With these assets, the Nets may be capable of building around a young core of Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges, like Boston around Tatum and Brown, and build a formidable team in the coming seasons. 

Conversely, the Suns, with their newly assembled superteam of Chris Paul (CP3), Devin Booker, Durant and Deandre Ayton, are now the heavyweight, Championship favourites. However they do face a couple of questions. Devin Booker is the face of the Suns franchise, which makes the arrival of Durant a tension-full situation. Durant’s extraordinary, once in a generation, talent in basketball has made any team he’s been a part of HIS team. Thus, perhaps tension between Booker and Durant is expected, and the front office, alongside the coaching staff and the team dynamic, need to consider strategies to incorporate the skill of Booker and Durant, as well as the veteran presence of Chris Paul and athleticness of Ayton within their playstyle. With one second to go, game seven of a play off series, will Booker be willing to defer to Durant? The absence of Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson requires the Suns to fill a missing swing forward spot in the line-up. Will it be Warren? Or Saric? Or Craig? Saric is too large for an already big line-up, and will fail to keep up with small-ball matchups. Craig has been coming off the bench all season, is he able to step up into the opening-team alongside four superstars? Warren seems to be the Sun’s best option. Though, all questions considered, the Suns have now shifted the balance of power within the West and across the league, and have gained +220 odds to win the WCF, just in front of the previously obvious favourites, Nuggets, who are at +280. 

The West now looks familiarly dominant, and the WCF may yet again attract more attention than the finals themselves. What would the ideal matchup be? What would look the best on a poster at Coachella? Durant and Book vs Luka and Kyrie? Durant vs Curry? Suns and Nuggets? Durant and Book vs Bron and AD? Curry vs Bron? Bron vs Kyrie? The chaos within the Western conference within the coming weeks will be unprecedented. The Mavs, who are 4th (whilst I’m writing this article), are likely to move up, the Suns, currently at 5th are more than likely to move up, the Lakers, currently at 13th, are likely to move up, the Warriors (7th), who are looking to start to build its playoff momentum, will move up. The Nuggets will stay strong at the top, the Grizzlies (2nd) seem unmoving too. The Wolves (9th) might look for a pre-playoff run with their new assets. The Pelicans (8th) might start to redeem their fall from 1st in the West at the beginning of the season. 

What is sure for now is that the West will see a strange and chaotic few months, and this year’s NBA season seems readily even.