The 2020 NBA trade deadline has passed and that means no more major moves will be made this season, unless buyouts occur. With the All-Star break around the corner, teams now have the chance to regroup with their new assets and work them into their squad and style. Let’s recap the trades and see how they affect the league.
Centers on the move
2 of the names that everyone kept hearing before the deadline were those of Clint Capela and Andre Drummond. 2 guarantees at a nightly double-double who provide good defense, but quite a limited skillset offensively. Both got traded yesterday before the 3pm EST-deadline, and both trades were head-scratchers to say the least.
Capela got traded from the Rockets to the Hawks, which left the Rockets without a big (6’5’’ P.J. Tucker has been named the team’s starting center). The team involved 4 teams, with the Rockets getting Robert Covington and Jordan Bell in return, alongside a second-round pick. They immediately cut Jordan Bell, which goes to show that this trade was to get Covington, shed salary and add to their quick tempo, run and gun style of play.
Drummond was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers for John Henson, Brandon Knight and a second-round pick. The only thing that the Pistons gained from this is the second-round pick. Obviously, Knight and Henson won’t give them the same production as Drummond, who was in conversation for an All-Star selection. Drummond had given indication that he would decline his $29M player option, but the lack of cap space around the league might make him rethink that.
In an era where the big man is quickly disappearing, Drummond will struggle to find a deal worth more than $29m per year, but maybe he’ll opt for a tad less annually with long term security. The Pistons are going into full rebuild mode and will probably trade Blake Griffin this summer, while the Cavaliers are heading in a weird direction, where they’re basically in denial that they aren’t good without LeBron James.
Los Angeles power struggle
Speaking of King James, his team stayed oddly quiet around the deadline. The Lakers didn’t make any move, as they feel comfortable with their #1 ranked team in the West. Rumors of Kyle Kuzma being traded were floating around, as were the rumors that they would try and add Derrick Rose and Marcus Morris, but none of those materialized.
That last one did end up in Los Angeles, however, as the Clippers traded away Moe Harkless, Jerome Robinson and 2 first round picks. They also got Isaiah Thomas, who they plan on releasing. The Clippers add another guy who averages around 20 points a game, the 5th guy they have hovering around that total. He’s also shooting 44% from both the floor and deep, as he adds a bit more scoring talent and toughness to their starting lineup.
Darren Collison also was a heavy topic of discussion yesterday, as the Lakers look very close to signing him, with him making an appearance at their game against the Rockets last night. Collison is contemplating an NBA-comeback, after he left a big payday on the table last summer to spend more time with his family and on his belief. The Clippers are also rumored to be interested, and now have a roster spot to sign him as well.
Top picks swapping teams
Elsewhere in the West, the Warriors and the Timberwolves made the blockbuster trade of the day. Minnesota got D’Angelo Russell, who they had been eyeing for a very long time. They gave up on Andrew Wiggins and sent him to the Bay area alongside next year’s first round pick and a second-round pick. The Wolves also got Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans.
Karl-Anthony Towns was more than happy to see Russell join him, as the 2 have been longtime friends. They were the first and second overall pick respectively in the 2015 draft, when Russell got drafted to the Lakers. The Timberwolves weren’t done there, as they welcomed a total of 7! new players.
The Warriors are hoping that Andrew Wiggins can play a similar role to Harrison Barnes during their pre-Durant finals runs. He suits the team better than Russell, since the Warriors were guard heavy with Russell and now have a player at the small forward position to fill the void Durant left. They also have a top pick in the upcoming draft, so look out for James Wiseman.
Memphis and Miami help each other
The Heat finally freed Andre Iguodala from the Grizzlies, as they got Iggy, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill while parting ways with Justice Winslow, Dion Waiters and James Johnson. The Grizzlies immediately traded Johnson to the Wolves for Gorgui Dieng.
For Miami, this means they’re all in for this season and they think they have a legit shot at winning the championship in June. They added very solid wings, which they now have plenty of, but they didn’t jeopardize their 2021 free agency. Danilo Gallinari was rumored to get traded to the Heat as well, but he wanted a guarantee for the 2021-2022 season, something Pat Riley wasn’t ready to give him, as the 2021 class is one of the best ever.
The Grizzlies added players that fit their timeline better. They have a very young core and added even more youth with Winslow instead of Iguodala (who hadn’t played) and Jae Crowder.
The trade deadline was a weird and wild one to say the least, and it will be interesting to see how teams will adjusts in the last straight line to the playoffs.
Courtside 