Following the Summer of 2019, most analysts thought that we wouldn’t see much movement this year before the trade deadline. There was a massive shift of power during the off-season, and most teams looked cemented. However, there have been some significant trades made in the last few weeks that will surely affect the landscape of the NBA moving forward. Let’s take a look.
Sixers, Warriors, Magic Three Way Trade
The Sixers add Alec Burks and Glen Robinson III to their bench from the Golden State Warriors and a second round pick.
The Warriors receive 3 second round picks
The Magic receive James Ennis.
Clippers and Knicks Trade
The Clippers add Marcus Morris and Isaih Thomas (Thomas will be waived)
The Knicks add Maurice Harkless, and a 2020 first round pick.
The Wizards receive Jerome Robinson.
Cavs - Pistons Odd Trade
The Cavs receive Andre Drummond.
The Pistons receive Brandon Knight, John Henson, 2023 second round pick.
Warriors Timberwolves Trade
The Warriors Receive Andrew Wiggins, 2021 first round pick, 2022 second round pick.
The Timberwolves receive D’Angelo Russell.
Heat, Grizzlies, Timberwolves Trade
The Heat receive Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill, Jae Crowder.
The Grizzlies receive Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, Gorgui Dieng.
The Timberwolves receive James Johnson.
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A lot went down, and not all of it is exactly straight forward. Here is what we can take away from this star studded trade period.
The Miami Heat are looking to win, and they are looking to win this year. Picking up Andre Iguodala and his massive contract is no small move, and adding a veteran to their roster who has won multiple championships is a great move to get the team in contention THIS year. In my opinion, this bumped the heat up to the two seed in the East.
The Clippers will do whatever it takes to make sure the Lakers don’t get what they want. There had been no talk of the Clippers being interested in Marcus Morris until it was released that the Lakers were in trade talks with the Knicks. It’s obvious that the Clippers number one priority is to beat the Lakers, and so far, they are doing an outstanding job of that.
Cleveland is looking to make a lot of moves in the off season. It is now common knowledge that big man Kevin Love is not happy with the Cavs. It’s also been made known that the Cavs are looking to trade star back up center Tristan Thompson. By picking up center Andre Drummond from the Pistons, the Cavs have set themselves up to make a massive trade in the off-season by shedding both Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love.
The Warriors have said goodbye to the 2020 season and are all about the future. They picked up five draft picks during this trading period. FIVE. Look for the Warriors to be right back where they were by next year with a healthy Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and quite a few young stars. If I were a betting man, I’d say be prepared for Lamelo Ball to be a Warrior.
The Timberwolves are getting desperate. D’Angelo Russell is a huge pick up for them, but is he really what they need? The Wolves have been on a massive losing streak, and now they have traded numerous pieces so that they can pick up their star center’s friend. Seems like an odd move to me, but time will tell how this plays out for Minnesota.
Finally, and sadly, the BIG loser of the trade period. The Los Angeles Lakers. Over the past few weeks, we have seen that the Lakers have some pretty glaring issues. The biggest is their inconsistent shooting outside of Lebron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers have lost twice to their rivals, the Clippers, and it seems that they just can’t win big games. This is BAD news for the playoffs. One more addition, such as Derrick Rose, Marcus Morris, Bojan Bogdonovic, would have been huge for the Lakers. Instead, while contending teams got stronger, the Lakers remain stagnant. Following a ten point loss to the Rockets, it would be nice to see them start to show some motivation. Right now, I feel very uneasy about where the Lakers sit.
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- Beau