The NBA trade deadline was on Thursday and there were plenty of moves made. There are both winners and losers to come out of the day. Contending teams like the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers got better. Some moves make you scratch your head but some moves make a lot of sense. There were four big moves at the NBA trade deadline that got us talking.
Biggest Moves At The NBA Trade Deadline
Andre Iguodala
Before the season, Andre Iguodala was traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Memphis Grizzlies. Iguodala threatened to sit out and he did because he knew the Grizzlies weren’t contending at all. Of course, they are in the conversation now but they aren’t going anywhere. He waited a long time but he got his wish. Iguodala was traded to the Heat along with Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder for Dion Waiters, Justise Winslow, and James Johnson. The Heat got stronger and they will be a tough out in the East.
D’Angelo Russell
D’Angelo Russell signed with the Warriors in the offseason. The year didn’t go as planned. Klay Thompson was ruled out the whole year with the injury he sustained in the playoffs. Steph Curry injured his left hand so he’s been out since November and there have been some other injuries here and there. The season became a disaster as they only have 12 wins. The Warriors found a trade partner and dealt Russell. They traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman for Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick. The Timberwolves wanted Russell for a while and now they finally got him. Wiggins gets a chance to showcase more talent with the Warriors, especially next year when they are at full strength.
Clint Capela
There was a four-team trade involving Houston Rockets center Clint Capela. Essentially, they traded Capela to the Atlanta Hawks for Robert Covington of the Timberwolves. The Rockets now start games with no true center or big man. They are going with the small-ball lineup. They lose a guy in Capela who can protect the rim and get rebounds but you gain and guy in Covington who can shoot the three and play defense. This is a really interesting move and we will see how it works out in the future.
Andre Drummond
This move puzzled a lot of people. Not the fact that Andre Drummond was moved but the fact that we were moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was good for the Cavs but I don’t know what the Pistons were thinking. They traded Drummond for Brandon Knight, John Henson, and a second-round pick. Drummond expressed his displeasure by saying there’s “no friends or loyalty” and for good reason. He’s averaging a double-double with 15.8 rebounds a game. Not a lot of people get the thought process of this trade but we’ll wait to see how it unfolds.
Last Shot
The NBA trade deadline has gone and past but teams can still get better via the buyout market. The Rockets or the Los Angeles Lakers are teams to watch. The deadline leaves some teams in either good sports or difficult spots so the buyout market is another option to get better. Thursday leaves us with more of a clear picture of what these teams are and what these teams are going to be in the future.
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