This story originally appeared in the Globe’s Sunday Basketball Notes. Read the rest here.
The NBA trade deadline definitely had its share of winners and losers. The losers are mostly teams who were inactive when they should have been active, or unable to make moves because they are in the daunted second apron.
NBA trade deadline winners
Trading an about-to-be-32-year-old All-Star with a history of injuries for a 25-year-old perennial All-Star capable of leading his team in three categories is a win for the Lakers, regardless of what else they did. And Los Angeles didn’t even have to give up Austin Reaves in the deal. They did move Christie, who will turn out to be a solid rotation piece for the Mavericks, but LA only gave Dallas one first-round pick for a franchise cornerstone. The Knicks gave up five first-rounders to get Mikal Bridges. The Lakers would have been overwhelming winners if Charlotte’s Mark Williams would have passed his physical. They acquired the big man to fill a much-needed slot in the middle but there were several red flags about his long-term health. Instead, the Lakers have to take back Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish and will have to look to the buyout or free-agent market to seek a big.
If folks weren’t sure whether the Cavaliers truly believe they can take the Eastern Conference away from the Celtics, they should be after the acquisition of De’Andre Hunter from the Hawks. Hunter is the wing defender the Cavaliers need to help try to contain Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Cavaliers only had to relinquish the declining Caris LeVert and inconsistent bench player Georges Niang in the deal. And the Cavs have Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro, defensive-minded players available off the bench. The top-seeded Cavaliers didn’t need much and upgraded at the small forward position.
Victor Wembanyama has been pushing for the Spurs to become more competitive and while 39-year-old point guard Chris Paul was a legitimate leader and mentor, San Antonio needed a prime guard to pair with their superstar. Enter the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox, the Texas native who targeted the Spurs as his next team. The Spurs gave up Tre Jones, Zach Collins, and two first-round picks but none of their younger core players. Wembanyama now has an offensive-minded point guard with supreme speed for pick-and-rolls and alley-oops. The Spurs come to Boston Wednesday.
Don’t laugh. The Hornets cleared salaries, picked up some young talent and shifted from trying to compete for a play-in to preparing for the long-term future. They were excited to pick up Knecht and planned to pair him with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller next season to cause spacing issues, but now they’ll have to welcome back and re-integrate Williams. The Hornets moved Cody Martin to the Suns for the disgruntled Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick. Nurkic has one year left on his contract and could serve as a starting center to replace Williams. The Hornets already picked up swingman Josh Okogie and three second-round picks from Phoenix for Nick Richards last month. Charlotte is making plans to eventually be free-agent players, stack draft picks and upgrade the roster until coach Charles Lee.
NBA trade deadline losers
Not sure Khris Middleton was the reason for their struggles this season but shipping him off to the Wizards after what he did for that organization was a crude move. Kyle Kuzma always has been a player with the skills to be an All-Star but never the focus. He’s amazingly three years older than Jayson Tatum — remember there used to be comparisons between the two in their early years — and he is a below average 3-point shooter. He shot 33 percent from beyond the arc in his four years in Washington. Perhaps playing for a playoff-contending team with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard will motivate Kuzma into being that reliable third option but it’s a tough business when you send one of the franchise’s most-decorated players and champions to basketball’s version of Siberia.
The Nuggets did nothing to get Nikola Jokic help. They are just going to push through with a flawed roster, hoping Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. can galvanize and regain their 2023 form to make a deep playoff run. The Nuggets are well behind the Thunder in the Western Conference. Also, key bench defender Peyton Watson is out for at least a month with a knee sprain, meaning the Nuggets may have to use the buyout market or dig deep into their depth to replace him.
Not sure what’s happening in Atlanta. A few weeks ago, the Hawks were playing in the semifinals of the NBA Cup and were knocking off the likes of the Celtics and Cavaliers. Now they are trading away key veterans and not getting much in return. They moved Hunter to the Cavaliers for LeVert, who is on an expiring contract, and Niang. Then they moved sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic, a fearless player with a mean streak, to the Clippers for Lowell native Terance Mann and journeyman Bones Hyland. The Hawks only received six second-round picks out of those deals, no firsts. Point guard Trae Young can’t be ecstatic about a rebuild. Jalen Johnson is out for the season following shoulder surgery. The Hawks were in the thick of the playoff race before a recent swoon and perhaps that convinced management to become sellers.
The Celtics didn’t do much because they are stuck in the second apron, which basically limits them unless they wanted to part with a core piece. They moved Jaden Springer to the Rockets for a conditional second-round pick to save tax money. There were plenty of potential fits, including Bogdanovic, but the Celtics were unable to aggregate players in any trade. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens said he’s content with the roster, most of whom helped win the championship last season.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
