Review of the Impactful Trades

Over the past few weeks, there has been an undeniable increase in trade activity. Increased discussions, increased trade block posts, increased completed deals. There is no motivator like the trade deadline! Last call for drinks!

Below, lets explore the most impactful or interesting deals of the weeks leading up to the trade deadline.





The Portland Trailblazers receive Kevin Durant. The New York Knicks receive Kawhi Leonard and 2^nd rounders. The Dallas Mavericks receive Brandon Ingram, Bobby Porti Jr. and lots of picks.

Portland finally finds a suitor for Leonard who was willing to move enough value, adding the incredible Kevin Durant, albeit injured, like Kawhi was. It allows the team to maximise their built to win team this season. The Knicks add a superstar for the price of a star, all for the cost of waiting until next season. After the season from Hell, Dallas is willing to hit the reset button, taking on Ingram and Portis as key cogs of their new core, and a slew of picks. Great deal for Knicks, good deal for the rest.

The Dallas Mavericks send Victor Oladipo to the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send Jalen Brunson to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks send a 2nd-Rounder (Por) to the Washington Wizards.

A cost cutting move by the Wizards which also nets them the better 2k player and the better fit, at the cost of his inability to stay healthy and his upcoming FA status. I think it makes the Wizards a more dangerous team, for sure, and it gives the Mavericks another new core player. Good deal for both.

The Golden State Warriors send Ziaire Williams to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Golden State Warriors send Kyle Lowry, Timothy Hardaway and Nassir Little to the Sacramento Kings. The Memphis Grizzlies send Enes Freedom and Nick Richards to the Sacramento Kings. The Sacramento Kings send Goran Dragic, Will Barton, Robert Covington, Delon Wright and DeAndre Bembry to the Golden State Warriors.
The Memphis Grizzlies send a 1st-Rounder (Mem) and 2nd-Rounder (Cha) to the Sacramento Kings.

Big deal. The Warriors surprise the NSL world, cashing in their valued young wins in Little and Williams and their floor general Lowry in order to add a whole unit of veterans. High risk move, considering their free agent status, but I admired the swagger. They got better. Memphis offload some fodder and get better in the process, adding a high pick in Williams who has shown he can play already. Memphis added value and talent, get used to that statement! The Kings also did great out of this deal, finally getting some stability in with long term contracts and a legitimate point guard in Kyle. Love the restructure for Kings, liked the risk by the Warriors and a no risk move for Memphis.

The Boston Celtics send Steven Adams to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Memphis Grizzlies send Serge Ibaka and Joshua Primo to the Boston Celtics.
The Boston Celtics send a 2nd-Rounder (Orl) to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Boston Celtics send a 2nd-Rounder (Por) to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Memphis Grizzlies send a 1st-Rounder (Phi) to the Boston Celtics.

Another great move by the Grizzlies, moving some draft assets and an unproven lottery pick for Steven Adams. Finally, poor Steve is free from Tobys tyranny. Memphis had the margin for this by a long way, with lots of first and second round picks at their disposal. They ship off their least valued ones in the deal. Boston always gets value back, always, and they add another first and another rookie. They dont get out of bed unless they are getting better than a fair return. Both teams get what they want. Good dealing.

The Toronto Raptors send Montrezl Harrell to the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send Ivica Zubac to the Toronto Raptors.

A smaller deal, that is clearly fair. The Wizards moved a solid player who was backing up their star in Embiid for a dynamic scoring, rebounding forward who can play alongside him in a more complementary fashion. Raptors could have Zubac as their starter, and also benefit from a longer Zubac deal.

The San Antonio Spurs send Seth Curry and Gary Clark to the Sacramento Kings. The Sacramento Kings send Cody Zeller and T.J. McConnell to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Sacramento Kings send a 1st-Rounder (SA) to the San Antonio Spurs.

A classic Nelso shuffle, showing off his trading prowess with a patented move. Injured TJ, injured Cody, who if they were both healthy, would be arguably as good as Seth in the game. Banking on his stars, and his want to have them all play 40+ minutes a game, the Spurs front office takes the risk to move Seth Curry for three assets, that have value this season (Zeller) or next. The Spurs also get back their first quite cheaply, ensuring that if a rebuild occurs sooner rather than later, they are insured. Kings add the best player in Curry and one of the games best shooters.

The Dallas Mavericks send Chuma Okeke to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Memphis Grizzlies send JaeSean Tate to the Dallas Mavericks. The Milwaukee Bucks send Mitchell Robinson to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Memphis Grizzlies send a 1st-Rounder (SA) to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks send a 2nd-Rounder (Was) to the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks and the Grizzlies, two of the most active trade deadline dealers, join forces with the Bucks in a deal that pushes the Grizzlies even closer to the precipice of being the best team in the league, pushes the Bucks to an even broader portfolio of assets and security, and the Mavericks bank even more picks for the future. It makes sense for all teams. If Robinson signs back with the Grizzlies, they are the big winners.

The Dallas Mavericks send Patrick Mills, Kristaps Porzingis and Kevon Looney to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send Kemba Walker, Julius Randle and JaMychal Green to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks send a 1st-Rounder (Dal) to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send a 1st-Rounder (SA) to the Dallas Mavericks.

It finally happened! The trade that happened but shouldnt have happened and almost couldnt happen but did happen! The Thunder seem to be happy to get off or Julius Randle, who never lived up to expectations. On the flip side, the often injured Kristaps Porzingis kept LJ awake at night with concerns about his health and motivation to be a Maverick after being in trade talks forever. The teams swapped really good forwards, good guards and average big men, oh, and a pick swap. What a fair and reasonable deal. I dont like Randle, so I am in the OKC camp on this one. But, the value was fine for both. Hope Julius proves me wrong and does great things in Dallas.

The Chicago Bulls send Louis Williams and Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Golden State Warriors send Isaac Bonga and Armoni Brooks to the Chicago Bulls. The Golden State Warriors send Paul Millsap to the Sacramento Kings. The Portland Trail Blazers send Taj Gibson and Keita Bates-Diop to the Golden State Warriors.
The Portland Trail Blazers send a 2nd-Rounder (Cle), 1st-Rounder (GS) and 1st-Rounder (Min) to the Chicago Bulls. The Sacramento Kings send a 2nd-Rounder (Chi) to the Chicago Bulls.

Will this be the final deadline deal of note? I dont think it will be. The people are hungry for change, hungry for more. Portland relinquishes the trade ban on firsts and coughs up TWO firsts for two unrestricted free agents who are great veteran players. Whiteside in particular is seen as somewhat of a 2k unicorn, does he still have the juice? The ability goes to Portland and the value goes everywhere else. Kings get Millsap for a cheap 2^nd, Warriors upgrade their pieces to longer term contracts and the Bulls get 2 first and 2 2nds for expiring players.



Did I miss any?

Let me know the winners and losers in the comments.