How is the NBA gonna one up last year’s trade deadline? Are we going to get another James Harden type of a trade or nothing at all? What will be our punishment this time around? Well there’s only one way to find out (Note there are a few trades that we aren’t getting to, simply because some of them aren’t important towards the race for the Finals):
D’Angelo Russell 3 Team Trade: A milestone has just been reached. LeBron James has become the NBA’s All Time Leading Scorer. (I wanted him to break it against the Bucks because of narratives and headlines, but hey I’ll let him enjoy his moment) A record that has stood for almost 40 years has fallen on one stroke. It’s interesting that Kareem’s record for not just the NBA’s All Time Leading Scorer but the Bucks All Time Leading Scorer has fallen in less than a calendar year. Strange times. As for the Lakers themselves they are still the definition of a never ending Boys Club. Their main objective at this Trade Deadline was getting Russell Westbrook out of town. It sounds easy but who wants to take on that contract that’s worth $41M over the next two seasons with next year being a playoff option. And with limited assets thanks to the trade that gave them Triple Double Man, and the AD Trade, there’s not much LA can do. (That and a massive luxury tax) Unless that is they get a 3rd team involved in a trade. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz have also been stuck in mediocrity but they at least aren’t a gong show like the Lakers. But Rob Pelinka is willing to put his job on the line for an underrated blockbuster move. Remember when the Lakers drafted D’Angelo Russell and he was shipped off to Brooklyn to shed Timofey Mozgov’s terrible contract. Turns out he’s good now. Good enough to send Westbrook, and their 1st in 2027 to the Jazz. The Timberwolves get Mike Conley, and LA gets Malik Beasley, and Jarred Vanderbuilt. If the Lakers still miss the playoffs despite this move the entire executive branch will get booted thanks to a power struggle with LeBron. They better because ESPN just wastes time talking about that mess instead of other compelling stories across the league.
Davon Reed/Mo Bamba Trades: Wait a second, the Lakers aren’t done yet. Patrick Beverley hasn’t panned out the way LA has hoped for this season. Their solution is to ship him off to the Magic for Mo Bamba. More of a name brand player, but he still is solid on the defensive side. The other move was trading Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets for Davon Reed. So in those two moves the Lakers traded away some of LeBron’s friends for a bunch of shooters that fit their playstyle. Not gonna lie I’m impressed. If this works out, they should be able to make the play-in. That is if they don’t get in their own way.
The Clippers Guards Trades: As for their LA rivals in the Clippers. They also feel the wrath of going all in. Their window with Kawhi and PG13 is slowly closing. They’re gonna need to strike in order to have a shot at greatness. To do this, the Clips decided to cut ties with their point guards. John Wall, Reggie Jackson, as well as an underperforming forward in Luke Kennard are gone. (Kennard was traded to Houston, and then traded to the Grizzlies) In their places comes Eric Gordon who’s back in LA after a long stint in Houston, a quality backup in Mason Plumlee from Charlotte, and a young guard in Bones Hyland. Gordon should fit in right away, as should Plumlee. If Hyland does as well this could be a deadly string of moves that the Clippers have put together. They saw what big brother did, and they want that for themselves. For the moment they’ve done that. Now will it pan out?
Raptors Keep VanVleet/Anunoby: Toronto was in a tough situation at the deadline. Two of their key starters in OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet were rumored in several trades. Think of the possibilities for teams to add them to their roster. What do the Raptors do? (YoYo Sound) They kept them around. Thinking about it this actually makes sense. Toronto has been putting together a decent win streak to get back in the hunt, thus meaning both of them are here to stay. For now. The Raptors only move was adding Jakob Poeltl in a minor trade with the Spurs. Good value especially since they lack a center that doesn’t play out of position. They’re gonna make the playoffs now aren’t they?
Matisse Thybulle 3 Team Trade: This trade is an underrated one if you ask me. The 76ers have been looking to trade away Matisse Thybulle for a long time. Now it’s happening, but it won’t be easy to pull off. Philly has been eyeing Jalen McDaniels from Charlotte, but they’ll need a 3rd team in order to make this happen. Enter the Trail Blazers. They are willing to acquire Thybulle and send one of their top prospects in Svi Mykhailiuk to the Hornets in the process. The Sixers land McDaniels for two 2nd Round picks. Luckily he has some upside both on offense and defense. Whether it works out who knows, but from the way I see it Philly isn’t pleased with their deadline. They wanted VanVleet but yet again most of their picks were shipped off in the James Harden Trade last year. There’s not much you can do with limited picks.
Josh Hart Trade: The Knicks are trying to make a return trip to the playoffs as well. They know that getting Cam Reddish at last year’s deadline hasn’t worked out. Their solution is to ship him off to Portland as well as a future 1st Round pick. What did they get in return? None other than Jalen Brunson’s wingman at Villanova. Josh Hart, who is enjoying a career season, is teaming up with Brunson, and Julius Randle in New York. Whether this move works out, who knows. But from the way I see it the Knicks are trying to build around what they have instead of trend chasing like they’ve done for the last two decades. When you have a young core like they have that’s maturing each year you have to strike while the iron is hot. This trade is just that. Keep it up. (They were in talks with the Bulls for Zach Lavine but didn’t want to pay such a big price.)
Mike Mascula Trade: The Boston Celtics have been a force all season despite Ime Udoka getting punished in the offseason. Even with some people thinking that their run isn’t sustainable, they still have the best record in the NBA by a slight margin. They didn’t really need to do much; adding a quality backup center in Mike Mascula was the only move they made. It’s a needed one. Al Horford is solid but ages and injuries are starting to catch him, and Robert Williams still isn’t 100% either. Making this move to me is the only way they have a chance of getting to the Finals. They don’t want to have a lack of size to come back and haunt them in the playoffs, so they’ll get as many of them as they can. Otherwise it should be another serious push towards the Finals in Beantown.
Saddiq Bey/Gary Payton II Trades: The Warriors are in a tough situation. Despite being the defending champs. They’ve dealt with injuries and struggles on the road all season long. With Steph Curry getting injured AGAIN they need more reinforcements off their bench. Depth has also been a major problem this season. Well this is a perfect time for them to fix it. You know what, Gary Payton II hasn’t panned out in Portland and needs a change of scenery. Bring him back to the Bay Area for a ransom of 2nd Round picks. You know what, the Warriors have a better idea. James Wiseman is not going to develop and is blocked by others on the roster. Trade him to the Pistons for a nice stud in Saddiq Bey. Nevermind the trade didn’t go through, and he was shipped off by Detroit to Atlanta. But still the Strength in Numbers motto is back in session. Golden State knows that the Western Conference is getting crazy by the minute. And they want to be in it until the very end. If there’s anyone in that conference that can overcome all of this nonsense that’s hit them. It’s the Warriors.
Jae Crowder Trade: THE BUCKS! A team that has been playing with fire since the Declaration of Doom by Ja Morant after they got blown out in Memphis back in December. Giannis Antetokounmpo over the last month has dropped three separate 50+ point games. Now with Khris Middleton back in the lineup even on a minutes restriction they have broken out into their full potential. Even more insane is that they’ve won 9 straight games without Bobby Portis. That won’t stop their wunderkind GM Jon Horst from upgrading the roster. Bucks Nation has been begging for a while for George Hill, and Serge Ibaka to get traded. They got their wish. And not only that but Milwaukee got a massive asset at the deadline. Jae Crowder after holding out for most of the season due to being in a contract year is heading to the Cream City. All it cost them was five 2nd Round picks as well as Hill, Ibaka, and Jordan Nwora. That’s steep but hey they need a wing defender that has a similar background to PJ Tucker. Not to mention Crowder went to Marquette University so this is sort of a homecoming. (It also opens up a couple of roster spots. They’re getting John Wall or Patrick Beverley aren’t they) Oh and they did upgrade their highly regarded media room as well. They poached Nick Friedell from the Nets to become their ESPN Reporter. Welp, Giannis has another excellent reporter to tell dad jokes and have props around I guess. Never mind he went to Phoenix with KD. At least they have Jamal Collier as consolation I guess.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! (Nets send Kyrie Irving to Mavericks for 2 players and 3 draft picks) This is getting spicy. PAUSE.
Kyrie Irving Trade: (Circus Music) If I already thought the Mavericks were already becoming a soap opera thanks to Jason Kidd learning nothing from his time in Milwaukee, they’ve doubled down on that thinking. Now they’re teaming the NBA’s version of Mike Keenan as well as the biggest ball hog in the league in Luka Doncic with perhaps the most controversial player possibly of this generation. That’s right, Kyrie Irving is heading for Dallas. Just like James Harden last year, Irving demanded out of Brooklyn thanks to pouting once again with GM Sean Marks. Kyrie wanted the first flight out of Laguardia and got his wish. That’s the good news, the bad news is that he wanted to be with LeBron. He at least gets a younger megastar in Luka to play with. (And he doesn’t have to deal with another political clown in Gavin Newsome just he did with Eric Adams) The interesting thing about this is that the Mavericks didn’t lose much. Only Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney Smith, and 3 draft picks. Now the West will get to deal with the wonders of a Luka-Kyrie backcourt for the stretch run. Good times.
I think that’s enough moves for this year, time for some peace and tranquility across the rest of the league BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! (Suns acquire Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with Nets) WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE! PAUSE.
The KD Blockbuster: I knew that Mat Ishbia was going to want to make a splash in his first hours as owner of the Phoenix Suns. I didn’t think it would be this big. Think about it, on his first day of ownership after taking over for Robert Sarver, Ishbia makes the biggest trade of the deadline and probably the season. That’s right. Kevin Durant is going to the Desert! This was his main trade destination back in the summer of 2022. Now it’s reality. It took a while but both sides came to an agreement to make this move. Look at what Phoenix gave up to get KD. Jae Crowder, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, AND Four 1st Round picks. The Suns also get TJ Warren in the deal who should fit right in as well. You may be wondering how Phoenix pulled this off without giving up DeAndre Ayton. That’s simple. Ayton had a no movement clause after having just signed a 5 year deal in the offseason. So now the Suns will be trotting out CP3, Booker, KD, TJ Warren, and Ayton as their Starting 5. With this move and the Kyrie move one thing is simple. GM’s in the Western Conference want to make Ja Morant eat his words in a big way. With him saying that he’s fine in the West woke up both Mark Cuban and now the management crew in Phoenix. Memphis I hate to break it to you but you guys are now the hunted.
(Ding Dong the Witch is Dead playing) Cleveland tried warning you about Olivier Sedra Brooklyn. This man no matter where he goes is in the center of a legendary soap opera that is a recipe for disaster. But Mike you say, he’s just a PA Announcer. He has nothing to do with anything related to the team. Here’s my counter argument. This is the same damn thing that happened with the Cavaliers at the end of the LeBron Era. The Cavs brought in name brand players just for headlines, made a blockbuster move for a player that by the end was toast, they fired their coach for a guy with no experience, traded Kyrie to Boston, and was broken by an Empire in the Bay Area. The same happened in Brooklyn. They brought in Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, Paul Milsap, Lamarcus Aldridge for no reason. Threw their entire future James Harden after failing to lure Giannis over. Then the face of the franchise leaves and wants nothing to do with them. And the piece de resistance. The Nets not only did this with players and coaches, they did this with media members. They lured Katie George and Malika Andrews out of Milwaukee only for them to ditch the Nets and go back to Wisconsin at the end of the 2020-21 regular season. (Those two had their reputations saved by getting out of New York while they could) The next year they poached Nick Friedell from the Warriors and gave him the same treatment they gave the other two. This man is a drama queen that gets clicks because he’s friends with Kyrie and LeBron and the way he announces 3 point shots going in. (The poster child for the THREEEEEEEEEEEE call in the NBA? Eric Jensen of the Milwaukee Bucks) And knowing Sedra he’ll probably follow KD or Kyrie to Dallas or Phoenix next year just like he did with them to Brooklyn just because. At least Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges are solid replacements for KD and Kyrie I guess.
Hold up, I’m not finished. I know that the narrative is the Nets have the greatest failed superteam in NBA History? WRONG! This is not even the biggest failure in the history of the franchise. In fact this is the 3rd superteam they have squandered over the last 20 years, and they have no championships to show for. This team had Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson all in their primes in the mid-2000s. This was the only one of those teams that even made the Finals, and even then they got smoked by the Shaq-Kobe machine and the Spurs Dynasty. All 3 of them would go on to win championships elsewhere. (VC, and Kidd in Dallas, and Jefferson with the 2016 Cavs. WITH YOU KNOW WHO AS THE CAVS PA MAN!) Then they had 5 former All Stars in their starting lineup in 2014 5! Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez, and Kevin Garnett. (Plus Jason Terry off the bench) Result? One playoff series win which was against a young Raptors team. Just like the Billy King Era, Brooklyn only won a whopping one playoff series with this crew. And even then I’ll throw an asterisk. The Boston Celtics were missing Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker, and Al Horford in that entire series, and still didn’t get swept. You know what’s funny. The same figures that destroyed them in their last superteam attempt doomed them here. The Celtics, The Pierce-Garnett Trade, Mike Budenholzer, Brook Lopez, and Giannis playing the role of 2014 LeBron. Before we can move on all that I can is that I saw this coming before anyone did. I knew once they lost the Bucks series that they would never recover from it. And boy was I right the whole time. (In the words of Nick Wright “I TOLD YOU”)
Bragging Rights Sports 