Post by dcarson10 on Feb 26, 2017 10:03:00 GMT -6
The trade deadline has come and past and a lot of players were on the move. Some teams shifted their entire dynamics, a handful of teams made a couple moves to push toward the playoffs, while a few teams left us scratching our head with the trade deadline decisions. While it really is too early to see who will benefit from the moves (or lack thereof), here are the early winners and losers from the 2017 trade deadline.
Winners
Toronto Raptors:
The Raptors made two moves at the deadline. First, they filled their major hole at PF by shipping swingman Terrence Ross and the lesser of their two first round picks to Orlando for Serge Ibaka. Ross has made some improvements on offense this season and his defense has always been solid, but the immergence of second round pick Norman Powell has made Ross expendable. Patrick Patterson had been getting the majority of the minutes at the 4 this season. He’s solid defensively and can stretch the defense with his range, but he hasn’t been healthy and his shot has been inconsistent. Rookie Pascal Siakim, Bebe Nogueria (who really is a center), and recently Jared Sullinger had been getting minutes at the spot as well. It was no secret the Raptors needed an upgrade and they got a big one with Ibaka. Ibaka is averaging a career high 15.1 PPG while shooting a career best 39% from beyond the arc. While his defensive stats are slipping a bit (defensive stats in basketball aren’t a great indicator of much unfortunately), he will improve the team’s rim protection, while providing spacing and he won’t take away touches from Lowry and DeRozan.
With Ross being shipped out, the Raptors were in need of another wing. They reached out to Phoenix, who are in the midst of a youth movement, and acquired SF (and former Raptor player) P.J Tucker for Jared Sullinger and their next two second draft picks. Tucker is an incredible perimeter defender and reliable three point shooter. Tucker also allows Powell to play more at the SG position where his size won’t be exposed as much. Sullinger barely played this season and when did it was not pretty. The second round picks probably won’t amount to much, although Tucker himself was a second pick so you never really know.
The Raptors gained a top 10 PF in the league and a great backup player, while losing one decent backup, one guy who was pretty much deadweight, and a few draft picks (but still keeping one of their first rounders). A final grade cannot be assigned until the off-season due to Ibaka’s upcoming free agency, but the Raptors did the best they could to compete with Cleveland and still hold onto young assets.
OKC Thunder:
The Thunder weren’t mentioned in too many rumors, but they made a big move on deadline day. They shipped backup PG Cameron Payne, backup wing Anthony Morrow, backup big Joffrey Lauvergne, and a second round pick to Chicago for post Taj Gibson and SF Doug McDermott. OKC was in need of another big. Adams has been great, but Kanter is just returning from an injury, Sabonis is having typical rookie struggles, and Lauvergne never played up the expectations when he was brought in earlier in the season. Gibson, who has been rumored to be traded for a couple seasons now, is an excellent defensive player with a reliable jump shot. McDermott has made improvements each year he has been in the league and has shown signs of being a starting caliber player. They needed some floor spacing, as they are last in the league in three point shooting, and McDermott helps in a big way. OKC gave up very little to obtain two quality players who will help with their playoff push.
Dallas Mavericks:
Dallas traded C Andrew Bogut, SF Justin Anderson, and a heavily protected first round pick (which will likely be two second picks) to Philadelphia for PF/C Nerlens Noel. A great comparison for Noel is Tyson Chandler, who had his best season playing for Dallas’ head coach Rick Carlisle. While Noel has had some injury problems in his short career and he is due for a big pay day this off-season, he has already shown he can be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He is a fantastic rim protector, has the length and athleticism to defend bigger players, but has the quickness to guard smaller players. Offensively he is nothing special, but he runs the floor well and his shot is coming along. Anderson is an O.K player but very replaceable and Bogut was on his way out in the off-season. The Mavericks received a player who can be a big part of their future while only giving up a low asset in Anderson.
New Orleans:
The biggest trade of the deadline saw New Orleans acquire big man DeMarcus Cousins and forward Omri Casspi for rookie guard Buddy Hield, combo guards Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway, and a first round and second pick in the upcoming draft. Pairing Cousins with Anthony Davis gives the Pelicans one of the best 4-5 combos in recent memory. Hield is a decent prospect, but he is already 23 years old and has had a pretty tame rookie season. Evans and Galloway were not playing major roles, and the first round pick they traded will be closer to 20 than 10. It is unfortunate Casspi broke his thumb in his first game; he gave the Pelicans a great shooter and added depth for their playoff run. But just adding Cousins makes New Orleans a dangerous team who could definitely upset a few teams come playoff time.
Houston Rockets:
The Rockets traded Corey Brewer and a first round pick to the Lakers for G Lou Williams. Brewer has been struggling on both ends of the floor and was losing minutes to Sam Dekker. Williams is having arguable his best season of his career and his play styles fits perfectly with Houston’s fast-paced offense. Losing a first rounder is always a bit of a bummer, but Houston is a top 5 team right now and lacked depth at the guard position. Lou won’t help them with their defense, but as previously mentioned, Brewer wasn’t helping too much either, and paring Lou with Eric Gordon gives Houston the best scoring bench in the league.
Houston also moved K.J Daniels to Brooklyn for cash, but Daniels was playing very little minutes. PG Tyler Ennis was also moved to L.A in a separate deal for PG Marcelo Huertas. Ennis is a better player to have, but neither is making much of an impact and it saves Houston some money down the road.
Atlanta Hawks:
Atlanta needed a little more depth to try and play catch-up in the East and they may have gotten their man. They traded injured Tiago Splitter and a second round pick to Philly for F Ersan Ilyasova. Ilyasova is having perhaps the best season of his career, putting up over 14 points on a respectable 55 true shooting percentage. Mike Scott, who was moved to Phoenix, was having a very disappointing year and Ilyasova can play the backup forward role better than anyone imagined Scott would have be able to. Splitter has not played all season and they kept their higher first round pick (owed to them from Brooklyn) so they gave up little substance for a solid player.
Trade Deadline Losers:
Sacramento Kings:
As mentioned above, Sacramento gave up Cousins and Casspi for Evans, Galloway, Hield, and a couple of draft picks. Cousins is possibly a top 10 player in the league and should have easily garnered multiple first round picks and a very talented youngin. Sacramento’s owner is supposedly in love with Hield and thinks he will be the next Steph Curry, but no one on the planet seems to agree with. If there were no better deals on the table (unlikely, even Vlade Divac said he had better offers earlier) you should hold on to DeMarcus Cousins.
Philadelphia 76ers:
Philly made a couple moves, with the most (in)famous being the Dallas trade. Moving Noel is somewhat understandable. He has had some health issues, they have lots of bigs in Embiid, Okafor, Simmons, Saric, and Holmes, and he is due for a large payday this offseason. But two second picks, a player who will be immediately waived, and a swing-man who may develop into a starter, is not worth shipping off a talent like Noel. If they did not want to pay him, they could work a sign-and-trade in the off-season. They could also match any offer and trade him in a year or two. They should have given Noel and Embiid more a chance to play together. Even if Noel struggles, he could still easily get a return equal to what Dallas sent them. If the Dallas pick was not protected (or only top 5 protected) this deal isn’t too bad. But the protection of the pick makes it a horrible deal for Philly.
They also moved Ersan Ilyasova for what is essentially a second round pick. They have younger guys at Ilyasova’s position and he is a free agent after this year, but he was playing some decent ball this season. The 76ers have an abundance of second round picks and honestly, Ilyasova contributing to a couple more wins and mentoring some of the younger guys could be more beneficial than a player who might make the team.
Boston Celtics:
Boston had a chance to become an instant contender and they did not pull the trigger. Maybe an offer wasn’t there, but seeing what Noel and Cousins went for, they could have landed a big time player for that Brooklyn pick. Boston owns Brooklyn’s first round pick this, and right now it’s guaranteed to be top 4, more likely even better. Boston has a good starting lineup and some depth, but they are still a notch below Cleveland and some of the top teams in the West. I understand wanting to keep a high pick in a talented draft, but if that pick can have a return of Cousins, George, or Butler, that is a move you need to make.
The top 3 players in the draft are PGs, Boston has three great to very good players capable of playing the point position. The next best player is a SF. Boston just drafted a SF last year and their starting SF now is on one of the best contracts in the league. Given what players are considered top 5, it makes that much more sense to trade the pick, especially with Washington, Toronto, Atlanta, and Cleveland making moves.
Even if the player Boston drafts reaches expectations, they likely won’t be hitting prime seasons for 3-5 years. By then, Thomas will be pushing 30, Horford will be on his legs, and Smart and Crowder will be getting big money contracts. Trading the pick makes Boston a contender now and for the next few seasons. Holding onto it means they will be a fringe contender for a few more seasons and maybe have a player to keep them at that level for a few more seasons.
Chicago Bulls:
Chicago decided to hold onto Butler and Wade, but still made their team worse by losing Gibson and McDermott. Payne is a decent backup PG, but the team already has two O.K young guards in Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant. Morrow is old and a shooter who isn’t shooting very well. Lauvergne is looking like a backup big at best. It is a bit puzzling to give up Gibson, a youngish player in McDermott, but still hold onto to their big –time players. A playoff push is definitely possible, but I have a hard time seeing this team moving past the first round. It would have made more sense not to make any moves than the ones they did make.
Too Early To Call
Indiana Pacers:
Paul George was a big name being mentioned by Indiana did not make the move. George has been struggling a bit on offense, but a lot of that can attributed to playing with a ball dominate PG in Jeff Teague compared to his previous seasons of running with George Hill. Indiana is likely to make the playoffs and could even finish as high as fourth. Trading George would knock them to the bottom of the playoffs or just on the outside. He’s still young enough to build around so they should definitely hold out for a big return if they do move him.
L.A Lakers:
The Lakers shipped Lou Williams for a first round pick (Brewer was only included for salary purposes) and got a former lottery pick in Tyler Ennis for an older backup PG in Huertas. Trading Lou opens up more minutes for Russell, Clarkson, and potentially Ennis so they can go full out with their youth movement. A first round pick is a decent return for Lou, but the team has played poorly with Lou off the court. Getting minutes for the young guys is good, but losing can influence how they develop as well. I say they definitely made the right call in the move, but if the player they pick amounts to nothing special, Lou may have been better to hold on to.
Denver and Portland:
Two teams competing for the 8th seed in the West swapped centres with Portland getting Jusuf Nurkic and a protected first round pick for Mason Plumee and a second round pick. Neither player is known for their defensive abilities, but Plumlee is a stat sheet stuffer who will likely see a decrease in minutes playing behind Jokic. Nurkic is a strong rebounder with low-scoring potential, but fell out of Denver’s rotation and did not hide his displeasure about it. It looks like Portland may have the edge on this trade, but we will see how the season ends for both teams before we can make a fair call on it. Denver did also land Roy Hibbert from Milwaukee for a protected second pick which should be a decent pickup at best.
Winners
Toronto Raptors:
The Raptors made two moves at the deadline. First, they filled their major hole at PF by shipping swingman Terrence Ross and the lesser of their two first round picks to Orlando for Serge Ibaka. Ross has made some improvements on offense this season and his defense has always been solid, but the immergence of second round pick Norman Powell has made Ross expendable. Patrick Patterson had been getting the majority of the minutes at the 4 this season. He’s solid defensively and can stretch the defense with his range, but he hasn’t been healthy and his shot has been inconsistent. Rookie Pascal Siakim, Bebe Nogueria (who really is a center), and recently Jared Sullinger had been getting minutes at the spot as well. It was no secret the Raptors needed an upgrade and they got a big one with Ibaka. Ibaka is averaging a career high 15.1 PPG while shooting a career best 39% from beyond the arc. While his defensive stats are slipping a bit (defensive stats in basketball aren’t a great indicator of much unfortunately), he will improve the team’s rim protection, while providing spacing and he won’t take away touches from Lowry and DeRozan.
With Ross being shipped out, the Raptors were in need of another wing. They reached out to Phoenix, who are in the midst of a youth movement, and acquired SF (and former Raptor player) P.J Tucker for Jared Sullinger and their next two second draft picks. Tucker is an incredible perimeter defender and reliable three point shooter. Tucker also allows Powell to play more at the SG position where his size won’t be exposed as much. Sullinger barely played this season and when did it was not pretty. The second round picks probably won’t amount to much, although Tucker himself was a second pick so you never really know.
The Raptors gained a top 10 PF in the league and a great backup player, while losing one decent backup, one guy who was pretty much deadweight, and a few draft picks (but still keeping one of their first rounders). A final grade cannot be assigned until the off-season due to Ibaka’s upcoming free agency, but the Raptors did the best they could to compete with Cleveland and still hold onto young assets.
OKC Thunder:
The Thunder weren’t mentioned in too many rumors, but they made a big move on deadline day. They shipped backup PG Cameron Payne, backup wing Anthony Morrow, backup big Joffrey Lauvergne, and a second round pick to Chicago for post Taj Gibson and SF Doug McDermott. OKC was in need of another big. Adams has been great, but Kanter is just returning from an injury, Sabonis is having typical rookie struggles, and Lauvergne never played up the expectations when he was brought in earlier in the season. Gibson, who has been rumored to be traded for a couple seasons now, is an excellent defensive player with a reliable jump shot. McDermott has made improvements each year he has been in the league and has shown signs of being a starting caliber player. They needed some floor spacing, as they are last in the league in three point shooting, and McDermott helps in a big way. OKC gave up very little to obtain two quality players who will help with their playoff push.
Dallas Mavericks:
Dallas traded C Andrew Bogut, SF Justin Anderson, and a heavily protected first round pick (which will likely be two second picks) to Philadelphia for PF/C Nerlens Noel. A great comparison for Noel is Tyson Chandler, who had his best season playing for Dallas’ head coach Rick Carlisle. While Noel has had some injury problems in his short career and he is due for a big pay day this off-season, he has already shown he can be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He is a fantastic rim protector, has the length and athleticism to defend bigger players, but has the quickness to guard smaller players. Offensively he is nothing special, but he runs the floor well and his shot is coming along. Anderson is an O.K player but very replaceable and Bogut was on his way out in the off-season. The Mavericks received a player who can be a big part of their future while only giving up a low asset in Anderson.
New Orleans:
The biggest trade of the deadline saw New Orleans acquire big man DeMarcus Cousins and forward Omri Casspi for rookie guard Buddy Hield, combo guards Tyreke Evans and Langston Galloway, and a first round and second pick in the upcoming draft. Pairing Cousins with Anthony Davis gives the Pelicans one of the best 4-5 combos in recent memory. Hield is a decent prospect, but he is already 23 years old and has had a pretty tame rookie season. Evans and Galloway were not playing major roles, and the first round pick they traded will be closer to 20 than 10. It is unfortunate Casspi broke his thumb in his first game; he gave the Pelicans a great shooter and added depth for their playoff run. But just adding Cousins makes New Orleans a dangerous team who could definitely upset a few teams come playoff time.
Houston Rockets:
The Rockets traded Corey Brewer and a first round pick to the Lakers for G Lou Williams. Brewer has been struggling on both ends of the floor and was losing minutes to Sam Dekker. Williams is having arguable his best season of his career and his play styles fits perfectly with Houston’s fast-paced offense. Losing a first rounder is always a bit of a bummer, but Houston is a top 5 team right now and lacked depth at the guard position. Lou won’t help them with their defense, but as previously mentioned, Brewer wasn’t helping too much either, and paring Lou with Eric Gordon gives Houston the best scoring bench in the league.
Houston also moved K.J Daniels to Brooklyn for cash, but Daniels was playing very little minutes. PG Tyler Ennis was also moved to L.A in a separate deal for PG Marcelo Huertas. Ennis is a better player to have, but neither is making much of an impact and it saves Houston some money down the road.
Atlanta Hawks:
Atlanta needed a little more depth to try and play catch-up in the East and they may have gotten their man. They traded injured Tiago Splitter and a second round pick to Philly for F Ersan Ilyasova. Ilyasova is having perhaps the best season of his career, putting up over 14 points on a respectable 55 true shooting percentage. Mike Scott, who was moved to Phoenix, was having a very disappointing year and Ilyasova can play the backup forward role better than anyone imagined Scott would have be able to. Splitter has not played all season and they kept their higher first round pick (owed to them from Brooklyn) so they gave up little substance for a solid player.
Trade Deadline Losers:
Sacramento Kings:
As mentioned above, Sacramento gave up Cousins and Casspi for Evans, Galloway, Hield, and a couple of draft picks. Cousins is possibly a top 10 player in the league and should have easily garnered multiple first round picks and a very talented youngin. Sacramento’s owner is supposedly in love with Hield and thinks he will be the next Steph Curry, but no one on the planet seems to agree with. If there were no better deals on the table (unlikely, even Vlade Divac said he had better offers earlier) you should hold on to DeMarcus Cousins.
Philadelphia 76ers:
Philly made a couple moves, with the most (in)famous being the Dallas trade. Moving Noel is somewhat understandable. He has had some health issues, they have lots of bigs in Embiid, Okafor, Simmons, Saric, and Holmes, and he is due for a large payday this offseason. But two second picks, a player who will be immediately waived, and a swing-man who may develop into a starter, is not worth shipping off a talent like Noel. If they did not want to pay him, they could work a sign-and-trade in the off-season. They could also match any offer and trade him in a year or two. They should have given Noel and Embiid more a chance to play together. Even if Noel struggles, he could still easily get a return equal to what Dallas sent them. If the Dallas pick was not protected (or only top 5 protected) this deal isn’t too bad. But the protection of the pick makes it a horrible deal for Philly.
They also moved Ersan Ilyasova for what is essentially a second round pick. They have younger guys at Ilyasova’s position and he is a free agent after this year, but he was playing some decent ball this season. The 76ers have an abundance of second round picks and honestly, Ilyasova contributing to a couple more wins and mentoring some of the younger guys could be more beneficial than a player who might make the team.
Boston Celtics:
Boston had a chance to become an instant contender and they did not pull the trigger. Maybe an offer wasn’t there, but seeing what Noel and Cousins went for, they could have landed a big time player for that Brooklyn pick. Boston owns Brooklyn’s first round pick this, and right now it’s guaranteed to be top 4, more likely even better. Boston has a good starting lineup and some depth, but they are still a notch below Cleveland and some of the top teams in the West. I understand wanting to keep a high pick in a talented draft, but if that pick can have a return of Cousins, George, or Butler, that is a move you need to make.
The top 3 players in the draft are PGs, Boston has three great to very good players capable of playing the point position. The next best player is a SF. Boston just drafted a SF last year and their starting SF now is on one of the best contracts in the league. Given what players are considered top 5, it makes that much more sense to trade the pick, especially with Washington, Toronto, Atlanta, and Cleveland making moves.
Even if the player Boston drafts reaches expectations, they likely won’t be hitting prime seasons for 3-5 years. By then, Thomas will be pushing 30, Horford will be on his legs, and Smart and Crowder will be getting big money contracts. Trading the pick makes Boston a contender now and for the next few seasons. Holding onto it means they will be a fringe contender for a few more seasons and maybe have a player to keep them at that level for a few more seasons.
Chicago Bulls:
Chicago decided to hold onto Butler and Wade, but still made their team worse by losing Gibson and McDermott. Payne is a decent backup PG, but the team already has two O.K young guards in Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant. Morrow is old and a shooter who isn’t shooting very well. Lauvergne is looking like a backup big at best. It is a bit puzzling to give up Gibson, a youngish player in McDermott, but still hold onto to their big –time players. A playoff push is definitely possible, but I have a hard time seeing this team moving past the first round. It would have made more sense not to make any moves than the ones they did make.
Too Early To Call
Indiana Pacers:
Paul George was a big name being mentioned by Indiana did not make the move. George has been struggling a bit on offense, but a lot of that can attributed to playing with a ball dominate PG in Jeff Teague compared to his previous seasons of running with George Hill. Indiana is likely to make the playoffs and could even finish as high as fourth. Trading George would knock them to the bottom of the playoffs or just on the outside. He’s still young enough to build around so they should definitely hold out for a big return if they do move him.
L.A Lakers:
The Lakers shipped Lou Williams for a first round pick (Brewer was only included for salary purposes) and got a former lottery pick in Tyler Ennis for an older backup PG in Huertas. Trading Lou opens up more minutes for Russell, Clarkson, and potentially Ennis so they can go full out with their youth movement. A first round pick is a decent return for Lou, but the team has played poorly with Lou off the court. Getting minutes for the young guys is good, but losing can influence how they develop as well. I say they definitely made the right call in the move, but if the player they pick amounts to nothing special, Lou may have been better to hold on to.
Denver and Portland:
Two teams competing for the 8th seed in the West swapped centres with Portland getting Jusuf Nurkic and a protected first round pick for Mason Plumee and a second round pick. Neither player is known for their defensive abilities, but Plumlee is a stat sheet stuffer who will likely see a decrease in minutes playing behind Jokic. Nurkic is a strong rebounder with low-scoring potential, but fell out of Denver’s rotation and did not hide his displeasure about it. It looks like Portland may have the edge on this trade, but we will see how the season ends for both teams before we can make a fair call on it. Denver did also land Roy Hibbert from Milwaukee for a protected second pick which should be a decent pickup at best.