NBA Trade Deadline Winners

 

I’d be crazy not to use that picture right??

But seriously, yesterday went from 0 to 100 real quick. Sorry, Drake just dropped an album and I wanted to pay some sort of homage to him so there it is. Anyway, the NBA was bananas with all the trades that took place. I’m not really concerned with non-contending teams so I’ll focus on the two teams that I considered to be the “winners” of the trade deadline.

1.       Oklahoma City Thunder

 

 

There were plenty of winners yesterday, but the biggest has to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. In case you missed it, they received D.J. Augustin, Kyle Singler and Enes Kanter while giving up Reggie Jackson and Kendrick Perkins. I wouldn’t call it a blockbuster trade but I do think that it now makes OKC one of the favorites to win the title now – you know, after GoldenState. I’m praying that the Warriors and Thunder don’t have to play in the first round of the playoffs because it would be a travesty for NBA fans. I mean, it would be fun to watch but it would be sad to see one of the two teams get bounced so early.

I absolutely loved this trade. Sam Presti proved once again why he’s one of the best, if not the best, GM in the NBA. Reggie Jackson has said numerous times that he wants to be a starter and he’ll never start on this team as long as Russell Westbrook wears a Thunder uniform. He’s also a free agent after this year and probably wouldn’t have signed with the Thunder after this season because he’s probably going to ask for a near max level contract which the Thunder couldn’t afford.

They traded away James Harden – which, by the way, was one of the worst trades in the history of the NBA – when he was in the same situation a couple of years ago. Reggie Jackson is nowhere near the players James Harden was/is. Presti also got rid of Kendrick Perkins (FINALLY!!!). Perkins has been useless for about 3 years now and provided no value aside from veteran leadership. I understand the importance of that but the Thunder’s window to win a championship is now. Winning now requires players who produce on the basketball court and Perkins no longer produces (has he ever?).

The players the Thunder received are exactly what they needed. D.J. Augustin is a quality backup point guard who will understand his role much better than Reggie Jackson did. Jackson was more of a scoring guard who needs shots to thrive whereas Augustin is much more balanced – a true point guard, if you will. He’s started and has also come off the bench throughout his career and will provide stability to the Thunder’s inconsistent second unit. Kyle Singler provides some shooting and is a much more capable defender than Anthony Morrow. He’ll help beef up the second unit and can play multiple positions. Enes Kanter might not be well known among your average NBA fan because he was rotting away in Utah, but he’s going to provide some quality minutes for this team. He can stretch the floor unlike Perkins and is a body that can spell Serge Ibaka or Steven Adams should either of them get into foul trouble. I promise you people will get familiar with Enes Kanter at some point in the playoffs and he’s going to have some big moments if he’s given the opportunity.

Currently, the Thunder starting lineup looks something like this:

PG – Russell Westbrook

SG – Andre Roberson
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Serge Ibaka
C – Nick Collison (replacing Steven Adams who is injured)

Their bench will be some combination of:

PG – D.J. Augustin

SG – Dion Waiters
SF – Kyle Singler
PF – Mitch McGary
C – Enes Kanter

Throw in Anthony Morrow, Perry Jones and even some Jeremy Lamb and that my friends, is the scariest team in the NBA. It was already a team that no one wanted to face in the playoffs and now teams really won’t want to play them once they start building a little chemistry. Put it this way; I’m not saying that I’m putting my life savings on the Thunder to win it all but I’m also not saying that I’m not putting my life savings on them either.

2.       Miami Heat

The other team that I think really won the trade deadline is the Miami Heat. I’ll just say it now but Goran Dragic is one of my favorite basketball players to watch.  There’s just something about lefties and guys who can get to their left hand even when you know they’re going left (James Harden is another) that’s always intrigued me. He’s one of the best point guards in the NBA and he’s about to prove why in the second half of this season. I didn’t even think to include him in my rankings here because he’s been playing more of shooting guard role this year on the Suns. Now, he gets to be the primary ball handler on a team that, in my opinion, actually has a shot at contending.

Dragic, without Eric Bledsoe on the floor, is averaging 20.9 PPG and 7.4 APG per 36 minutes, according to ESPN. Only three players average 20 points and 7 assists per game: Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. In other words, not bad company. Aside from the numbers, Dragic is a playmaker, capable of both scoring and setting up teammates. He’s an above average shooter and one of the best at finishing at the rim, specifically among guards. He was a third team all NBA player last year and though his numbers have dipped this year, I expect him to excel with the Heat.   

A starting lineup of Dragic, Wade, Deng, Bosh, and Whiteside can go toe to toe with any team. Wade has lost a step and Whiteside still has to prove he belongs in the NBA, but that’s about as balanced of a starting five that you could ask for. Erik Spoelstra will bring out the best in Dragic and the Heat’s offense suits him perfectly.

The team has no bench which is necessary to win a title but adding Dragic makes this a team that none of the top seeds in the East wants to see in the playoffs – assuming they make it. Currently, they’re 8th in the standings and would play Atlanta in the first round if the playoffs started today. The Hawks – at least record wise – are the best team in the East. That would be a hell of a first round if these two teams met. Personally, I’m rooting for a Cavs/Heat first round because that would provide fantastic drama. Again, the team has no real bench whatsoever but who knows, maybe they can play their starters 40+ minutes in every playoff game? Crazier things have happened I guess.

Bonus!

 

Another winner whom I just want to briefly mention is the Portland Trail Blazers. They sneakily picked up Arron Afflalo who is a damn good player. He can defend multiple positions and knock down shots – something Nic Batum forgot how to do this season. They were already contenders so this doesn’t change the team all that much. It does, however, provide some stability to the second unit which might prove crucial in the bloodbath that will be the Western Conference playoffs.  

Lastly, the real biggest winner(s) of yesterday has to be all NBA fans. I wouldn’t say that the entire landscape of the NBA changed because the Thunder and Blazers were already going to contend, while the Heat were fringe contenders at best. A lot of the teams that made trades though, were playoff contenders like the Suns, Bucks and even the Pistons. All these teams have new faces that they expect to make big contributions and a short window to do so. Whenever a team makes a trade, it’s to benefit the team in the short run or long run. Most of the trades that were made yesterday were short run trades and it’s going to be so much fun seeing how it all plays out. I’m getting my popcorn ready and I’m sure all NBA fans would agree that yesterday was one of the best trade deadlines days ever.