And just like that, the 2023-24 NBA Trade Deadline has passed.
Let’s start with teams that I feel like had themselves a good deadline.
An an outsider looking in, there are a few things that would excite me as a Knicks fan.
These aren’t the same old Knicks.
We already know the OG Anunoby trade was a slam dunk.
That alone is a win.
But then you look closer and the moves get even better in my opinion.
For starters, Fournier was an expiring $17M, which they had to move.
Oklahoma City Thunder
As I bloggedearlier today, I love the Thunder trading for Gordon Hayward.
This is the exact low risk move that a team like the Thunder should be making right now.
While Hayward isn’t without his concerns, that’s mostly injury related not basketball related.
In a sense, this was almost like the rich getting richer.
PJ Washington isn’t without his faults either, but he’s better than Grant.
If that’s not the case, then this move
is a tad less notable.
If he doesn’t stay in Philly, things also look a little worse.
But let’s assume the Embiid does come back and Hield does stay past this season.
Again, if Embiid is out for the year, none of this shit matters.
Most Celts fans wanted big man depth, and Brad Stevens delivered that with Xavier Tillman.
Then they traded Dennis Schroder for……nothing.
That’s just bad asset management if you ask me.
Not only that, but they didn’t flip Bruce Brown either which was very confusing.
If you’re blowing it up, why not flip him?
What good does picking up his $23M option this summer do if you’re entering a rebuild?
Why not get some assets for that player when you know contenders are interested?
Just very bizarre behavior from Masai Ujiri.
Detroit Pistons
I mean, duh.
None of what the Pistons did today makes sense, but that’s not surprising.
Chicago Bulls
Poor Bulls fans man.
And yet here the Bulls are, willingly choosing to stay in NBA purgatory.
Not good enough for true contention, and not shitty enough for a high lottery pick.
That’s the kiss of death in the NBA.
The alternative is maybe overpaying for a 35 year old player.
Why not just bite the bullet and flip him?
Sitting idle when that’s the case doesn’t usually end well.
Now when you look around the conference and see what everyone else did.
Really, what did they have to move?
Is their wing defense any better?
Does Pat Bev solve their guard defense in 2024?
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers told us a few things today.
They don’t think this team was a trade away from winning a title
2.
And hey, maybe they get a buyout guy.
When it comes to future trade deadlines, I would advise everyone to temper their expectations.
Fewer and fewer stars are even hitting the market, and that’s not changing anytime soon either.
