2023 NBA Trade Deadline Recap


 

2023 NBA TRADE DEADLINE RECAP




Written By: Dylan Grodner of Swish Tribune

How does one of the worst expected trade deadlines in NBA history, turn into the greatest deadline of all time? A simple answer to this question is the drama the Brooklyn Nets caused. In this blog, we will take a deeper dive into why this trade deadline was expected to be lax and boring, to becoming one of the greatest trade deadlines of all time. 

During the 2022 NBA offseason, we saw numerous blockbuster trades, where up to 10 players were traded for just 1. Consequentially, teams valued players much higher compared to prior years. Teams like the Raptors were expecting a minimum of 3 picks for guys like OG Anunoby, who is only a role player at best. Many analysts expected that there would not be a lot of action come time of the deadline due to the high value of players. It's safe to say that these analysts were undoubtedly wrong. 

The Brooklyn Nets were the focal point of this year's trade deadline. The Nets were playing fantastic, and everything looked like it was turning in the right direction, up until a week before the trade deadline when Kyrie Irving demanded out of Brooklyn. The first Woj Bomb of the week occurred when the news broke that Kyrie Irving had been traded to Dallas to team up with Luka Doncic, making the Mavericks instant title contenders. This trade included Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris being sent to Dallas, giving the Nets Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 2029 First Round Pick, and multiple second round picks. As soon as this trade happened, a new question arose. What happens to Kevin Durant? 

Fans around the league were on their heels, wondering how drastically different the NBA might look in the next week. Talks of Kevin Durant being traded began to spark, but the rumors were not fully true yet. This was all up until just after midnight Eastern time, where the second Blockbuster trade was announced, leaving many fans in disbelief as they woke up. Kevin Durant and TJ Warren had been sent to the Phoenix Suns, in return for Mikail Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, Four First Round Picks, and a 2028 Pick Swap. This dramatically changed the Western Conference, making the Suns the favorite to win the title. As for the Nets, let's just say their chances are slim to none now. 

Moving onto the Lakers, a team that many consider to be the winner of this deadline, were extremely busy in the last 24 hours. They made a lot of noise by trading Patrick Beverly for Mo Bamba and managed to give up Thomas Bryant for Davon Reed. The biggest splash for them was acquiring D'Angelo Russell in a 3-team trade. This trade included the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Jazz, where the Lakers received D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, and Jared Vanderbilt, the Timberwolves received Mike Conley and a 2nd Round Pick, and the Jazz Received Russell Westbrook and a 1st Round Pick. Of the 3 point guards traded, the Lakers are the clear winner of the trade. Obtaining Malik Beasley is also a great addition in this trade, as they now have a competent starting lineup of D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Anthony Davis. They finally look like they are turning the corner, becoming a fearful team for others in the West. As for the Timberwolves, Mike Conley is definitely a more traditional point guard than Russell, and may be able to change the play of this team. Lastly for the Jazz, they are most likely to buy out Westbrook's contract, leaving him with the freedom to sign with any time of his choosing. 

In addition to these Blockbuster trades, a cluster of other trades happened as well. Jae Crowder was traded to the Bucks, Matisse Thybulle was traded to the Trailblazers, Saddiq Bey was traded to the Hawks, James Wiseman was traded to the Pistons, John Wall was traded to the Rockets, Eric Gordan was traded to the Clippers, Devonte' Graham was traded to the Spurs, Josh Richardson was traded to the Pelicans, Mason Plumlee was traded to the Clippers, Reggie Jackson was traded to the Hornets, Gary Trent Jr was traded back to the Warriors, Josh Hart was traded to the Knicks, Cam Reddish was traded to the Trailblazers, and Jakob Poeltl was traded to the Raptors. The last 45 minutes to the trade deadline were the 45 busiest minutes for these teams this season. The NBA certainly looks a lot different than it did just 2 days ago. 

Overall, I think it is safe to say that the Western Conference clearly got a lot deeper after the trade deadline. There are at least 5 teams in the West that are competing for a title and it will come down to the wire. This truly was one of the most exciting deadline's in history and had multiple Blockbuster trades. With the trade deadline at a close, who is your favorite to win it all? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Midseason Player Rankings

Image
  By Dylan Grodner, of Swish Tribune My Midseason Player Rankings Compared To In The Beginning Of The Year. Nikola Jokic (Same) Giannis Antetokounmpo (Same) Luka Doncic +4 Joel Embiid (Same) Steph Curry -1 LeBron James -1 Kevin Durant -1 SGA +4 Jayson Tatum +1 Jimmy Butler -1 Devin Booker +2 Anthony Davis +5 Donovan Mitchell +1 Anthony Edwards +11 Jalen Brunson +12 Tyrese Haliburton +12 Damian Lillard -9 Kawhi Leonard -2 Ja Morant -8 Trae Young +5 Kyrie Irving -6 De'aaron Fox -2 Paul George -3 Jaylen Brown -6 Domantas Sabonis +6 Paolo Banchero  +20 Tyrese Maxey +21 James Harden -9 Jamal Murray -5 Julius Randle +4 Bam Adebayo -1 Victor Wembanyama N/A Karl Anthony Towns +6 Zion Williamson -12 LaMelo Ball -9 Bradely Beal -7 Pascal Siakam -4 Rudy Gobert N/A Lauri Markkanen -4 Jaren Jackson Jr +1 Brandon Ingram +4 Desmond Bane +7 Mikal Bridges -3 Kristaps Porzingis +3 DeMar Derozan -7 Franz Wagner N/A Zach Lavine -4 Chet Homgren N/A Derrick White N/A Jrue Holiday -8
Read more

ACC & Big 12 Approves new CFP Revenue Model

Image
 Are They ACCtually in Trouble? Sage Rubin, Swish Tribune Despite moving to 12 teams, the College Football Playoff is set to move to 14 teams in the coming years. However, this time, there is a twist: Both the SEC and the Big Ten conferences are set to take 58% of the generated revenue, while the ACC and Big 12 are set to take 32% of the revenue, leaving Notre Dame and the G5 to take the other 10% of revenue. While this may seem like a no-brainer for the ACC and Big 12 as this ensures at least a somewhat large share of the pie in a world where we are beginning to see two power conferences emerge… this was a much more dangerous decision on the ACC’s end and here’s why. FSU and the ACC are currently in a lengthy legal battle involving FSU trying to set themselves up for an exit from the ACC, citing that the conference has hampered their ability to compete with the competition. The most prominent example of this was the controversial College Football Playoff Selection Show that aired ...
Read more

My Knicks Trade Deadline Wishlist

Image
Written By: Spencer Teman, of Swish Tribune The NBA Trade Deadline is just days away and many teams are in need of making a move including the New York Knicks. The Knicks have been one of the hottest teams of late, being 9-1 in their last 10 games, but they are not anywhere near perfect as a roster just yet.  The Knicks already made one of the biggest trades in the NBA this season when they acquired OG Anunoby from Toronto, but their next move needs to be centered around acquiring another shooter that can play valuable minutes off the bench.  Once the Knicks are fully healthy again, they have a tremendous starting lineup, but ever since they traded away RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, and also with multiple injuries, their depth has been tested. The only way you can be successful as a team in the NBA is to be able to knock down 3's at a highly consistent rate.  The perfect guy that comes to mind for the Knicks, who fits Tom Thibodeau's wishlist, is Bruce Brown. Bruce Br...
Read more