As certain teams look to lock in and buy at the trade deadline, making notable moves for defensive anchors or some instant offense off the bench, many contenders made moves to solidify their championship runs this year, most notably the Mavericks, Knicks, and Heat. Others looked to sell at the deadline, building up picks and young players to build for the future. Others made questionable moves at the deadline, like the 76ers.
Perhaps the biggest winner of this year’s trade season was the Knicks. They moved on from former #3 overall pick RJ Barrett and sixth man Immanuel Quickley for OG Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors. Anunoby provides an efficient 20 points per game scorer while shooting nearly 40% from three and some of the best perimeter defense in the entire league. The Raptors get a hometown guy in RJ Barrett where he can get the ball in his hands more than he would as the third option on the Knicks. The Raptors also dumped Pascal Siakam to the Pacers, prompting the beginning of their rebuild post 2019 championship run, which has been put off for long enough. The Raptors look to build around their young All Star Scottie Barnes for the future.
The Mavericks also made a few notable moves to help solidify their depth, especially in the frontcourt, with size and rim protection. They picked up P.J. Washington from the Hornets at the deadline, helping to add shooting and depth to their frontcourt. On top of this, they also got a stellar rim protector, in Daniel Gafford, from the Pistons. The Mavericks at the All Star break sit at 32-23 and 7th in the west, where they would have to play in the play-in tournament.
Perhaps the best move of the deadline was the Heat trading for Terry Rozier, getting a 20 points per game scorer and outside shot creator, who they’ve desperately needed. With their best player, Jimmy Butler, missing significant time, this Heat team has needed a spark, one which Rozier will provide for the Heat. The addition should help to bolster the Heat’s championship aspirations, especially after they lost in the finals last season, they should be poised to make another run.
Some other interesting moves include Gordon Hayward to the Thunder, as they add a veteran presence to a young team already at the top of the standings. The 76ers added Buddy Hield to add some outside shooting, despite their MVP Joel Embiid being out for presumably the rest of the regular season. The Suns added a solid wing in Royce O’neale. The Bucks traded for Patrick Beverly, to help try and replace the defensive presence of Jrue Holiday on their 2021 championship team.
However, the most confusing deal of the deadline has to be the Spencer Dinwiddie for Dennis Schroder swap between the Nets and Raptors. Both these players are score first guards who aren’t great defenders or primary facilitators. On top of this, neither team is truly competing – both are entering a rebuild, so the deal just makes no sense.
With their strong additions and aggressive moves, watch out for the Knicks and Mavericks in the playoffs, and watch for the Heat’s annual fun to at least the conference finals.
