For most of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, it appeared as if no moves of any significance would materialize. There were rumors of players who were being traded but nothing official. Yahoo’s insider expert Adrian Wojnarowski was on the case all day, and until around 2:30 PM Eastern time, just a half hour before the official deadline, no moves appeared to be imminent.
Then…
This tweet, coming just after the deadline passed, is as simple a way to summarize exactly what happened in that last half hour. Good lord. In an explosion of action, 11 trades were finalized, with details emerging well beyond the 3:00 PM deadline. Let’s take a look and try to wrap our heads around what exactly happened on this year’s NBA trade deadline.
Miami Heat receive Goran Dragic, Zoran Dragic
Phoenix Suns receive Danny Granger, John Salmons, 2017 and 2019 1st round picks
New Orleans Pelicans receive Norris Cole, Justin Hamilton, Shawne Williams
Okay, so this was the trade that seemed to spark a flurry of action, as the most highly anticipated move was finally carried out. On Wednesday, Dragic demanded a trade and definitively stated he no longer wanted to play for the Suns’ front office. Well, his wish was granted, yet the Suns appear to have at least broken even on this deal. They turned their seemingly terrible trade position into two future first-round picks and a reliable swingman. Not a bad haul for a guy who could have realistically mailed it in for the rest of the year.
Meanwhile, Miami will also be satisfied after landing one of the best point guards in the league. The Heat were able to hide their glaring weakness at point guard last year with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade handling the ball most of the time, but with James gone and Wade hurt, it was exceedingly evident just how bad they were at the spot. Bringing in Dragic shores up their weakness, and provides them a stacked starting five when everyone is healthy. The big risk here is whether or not Dragic will re-sign this offseason, but he did request to come to Miami, so that looks like a good bet. Another brilliant move by Pat Riley.
New Orleans’ involvement seemed peculiar at first, but with Jrue Holiday sidelined indefinitely, the Pelicans needed guard depth. Norris Cole was ineffective for the most part this year in Miami, but perhaps with an expanded role he can be a contributor. If not, at least he is productive enough to eat up minutes until Holiday returns. They only gave up John Salmons’ contract in this deal, so it seems like they will be satisfied as well.
Minnesota Timberwolves receive Kevin Garnett
Brooklyn Nets receive Thaddeus Young
Holy moly, could it be? The prodigal son has returned to Minnesota! The Timberwolves opted to bring back Kevin Garnett to where he once thrived in the first half of his NBA career, shipping away Thaddeus Young to the Nets. Garnett waived his no-trade clause to make the deal happen, and this all seemed like a great PR move for the Wolves. However, the move from a personnel standpoint makes little sense. It makes even LESS sense, therefore, that the Wolves are considering a contract extension for KG. What?
Garnett is a fan favorite, of course, but he is well past his prime and the Timberwolves are a team primed for the future. Bringing in Garnett for now makes sense, as he can mentor the young players and eventually move into a coaching role or into the front office if he so chooses. On the floor, however, he is only going to eat up minutes from younger guys like Gorgui Dieng, Anthony Bennett, and others who need the experience. Minnesota never quite committed to Thaddeus Young, and letting him go solidifies that this is a front office in a state of confusion.
For the Nets, this is one of the few deals that they have actually won in the past few years. Young is a solid player who may feel spurned by his lack of opportunity in Minnesota. He can see over the next few months if he is comfortable in Brooklyn, and could perhaps re-sign this summer. The Nets also clear some cap space in their new and financially wise plan to get under the luxury tax line. Whether or not that can be done is another story, but for now Brooklyn moves in the right direction, and picks up a player that can provide more contributions on the court.
Detroit Pistons receive Reggie Jackson
Oklahoma City Thunder receive Enes Kanter, Steve Novak, D.J. Augustin, and Kyle Singler
Utah Jazz receive Grant Jerrett, Kendrick Perkins, 2017 2nd round pick, future 1st round pick, draft rights to Tibor Pleiss
In yet another situation where a player was begging to be traded, the Thunder were able to swing backup point guard Reggie Jackson and Kendrick Perkins for Kanter, Augustin, Novak, and Singler. How? I have no idea. Jackson had been publicly requesting a trade all season, and Perkins has been a nonfactor since losing his starting job to Steven Adams. With Adams injured, the Thunder were able to turn Perkins and a future first round draft pick into a quality big man with tremendous upside in Enes Kanter. Kanter can provide frontline depth until Adams returns, and the Thunder no longer have a Reggie Jackson problem. Additionally, they filled his role with a useful backup in D.J. Augustin, who reunites with Kevin Durant after their lone season together at Texas.
With this move, Utah has made a commitment to Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors on their frontline. Both are young and promising, and Perkins will be a good mentor for them as they grow up in the NBA. Meanwhile, they also scored a couple of draft picks, including a future first round pick, for someone they no longer felt a need for. This was a good move by the Utah Jazz.
Detroit, meanwhile, turned a bench swingman and their backup point guard into Jackson, a capable guard who is hungry to prove he is starter quality. With Brandon Jennings out for the year, they needed a guard who could match his athleticism and scoring prowess, and Jackson fits that bill. All parties seem to have won in this deal, a rarity in today’s competitive landscape.
Phoenix Suns receive Brandon Knight, Kendall Marshall
Milwaukee Bucks receive Michael Carter-Williams, Tyler Ennis, Miles Plumlee
Philadelphia 76ers receive 2015 1st round pick
In a flash, the Phoenix Suns turned Dragic into Brandon Knight, another potential all-star point guard from Milwaukee. They also bring back an improved, yet injured, Kendall Marshall, who started his career by being drafted by Phoenix a few years ago. They gave up Ennis and Plumlee, but given their circumstances with Dragic (see above), they were fortunate to bring back such a quality starter.
Milwaukee’s side of the deal looks less promising on the surface, but a deeper analysis shows that they may be better off in the long run. Ennis has shown potential in his short time in Phoenix, but was buried in the depth chart. Now he has a real shot at playing time behind MCW with no other point guards on the roster. Carter-Williams is the centerpiece of this trade, as Philadelphia oddly gave up what seemed to be their future point guard for another draft pick. Plumlee is a serviceable big man, and with the team reportedly buying out Larry Sanders, they were short on bodies in the frontcourt.
Philadelphia once again showed that they have no plan other than to keep delaying the building process. The 76ers are approaching double digit draft picks in 2015, which is astonishing and highly dangerous. This isn’t a particularly deep draft in most experts’ eyes, but maybe Philadelphia has another trick up their sleeve in turning those picks into actual players. Maybe not, and at this rate we may never know.
Boston Celtics receive Isaiah Thomas, Jonas Jerebko, Luigi Datome
Detroit Pistons receive Tayshaun Prince
Phoenix Suns receive Marcus Thornton, 2016 1st round pick
Hats off to the Phoenix Suns, who went from being the goats of the trade deadline to being the winners. Not only did they spin Dragic, Ennis and Plumlee into Brandon Knight and two first round picks, but they also turned their other spurned point guard, Isaiah Thomas, into a proven scoring guard and yet another first round pick. They were able to pull off the unlikely feat of staying competitive in the present and accumulating assets for the future. Excellent job by Phoenix, as they emerge one of the true winners of this deadline.
The Pistons reunited with Tayshaun Prince, but this appears to be more sentimental than anything else. Much like with Garnett in Minnesota, Prince is past his prime, yet is still somewhat useful. With Jerebko and Singler gone, Prince will likely play significant minutes on the wing on a team that needs veteran leadership as they try to mount a playoff push.
Boston’s fate here remains unknown, as Thomas could turn out to be an excellent fit or he could struggle with the primary point guard role. Jerebko can help on the wing, and Datome is a prospect, but at the moment it appears they may have overpaid for Thomas.
Portland Trail Blazers receive Arron Afflalo, Alonzo Gee
Denver Nuggets receive Thomas Robinson, Victor Claver, Will Barton, 2016 1st round pick
Portland made a move to shore up their bench as they make a push towards the playoffs. Afflalo is a proven scorer who may be able to provide a serious spark offensively off the bench. Afflalo was very effective in both Denver and Orlando, and should be a welcome addition in Portland.
Denver, meanwhile, was clearly trying to clear house on this deadline. They received a few nice young pieces in Robinson and Barton, and Claver could be good down the line. The real get here for Denver was the 1st round pick in the 2016 draft, that is lottery protected. Given how good the Trail Blazers have become, it seems unlikely that they’ll be missing the playoffs any time soon.
Houston Rockets receive Pablo Prigioni
New York Knicks receive Alexey Shved, two 2nd round picks
Houston Rockets receive K.J. McDaniels
Philadelphia 76ers receive Isaiah Canaan, 2nd round pick
In a series of moves, the Rockets tried to add depth to their backcourt, and in the process they received a heady point guard in Prigioni and an elite athlete in McDaniels.
The Knicks were clearly looking to score draft picks here as they bottom out for the rest of this season. Philadelphia may have found a steal with Canaan here, but like the Knicks they were looking for a pick here.
Sacramento Kings receive Andre Miller
Washington Wizards receive Ramon Sessions
The Kings reunite Andre Miller with his former coach George Karl, and he is a solid veteran addition to help mentor Darren Collison.
The Wizards receive Ramon Sessions, who has played well during his time in the league but will be resigned to a backup point guard role in Washington. He provides depth on a team that could need it as they make a legitimate playoff push.
Philadelphia 76ers receive JaVale McGee, 2015 1st round pick, draft rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum
Denver Nuggets receive draft rights to Cenk Akyol
In one of the rare moves where Philadelphia won the deal, they received JaVale McGee, who can still play pretty well when healthy, as well as a first round pick in 2015 for essentially nothing. Their role here was to take on McGee’s contract, as Denver looked to unload expiring assets at the deadline.