An Agitated Week

The trade deadline came to an end yesterday, as teams made their last moves to improve their rosters. Like everything, there’s always winners and losers in these type of deals, and we decided to carefully analyze which ones were the best and the worst. It’s safe to say this wasn’t the most interesting trade deadline ever, with almost every movement coming in the last few hours, but it could prove to be decisive in the latter stages of the postseason. Another option, mainly for contenders, is the buyout market. Several players are probable to be bought out for their current teams, as they look for a chance to help some teams in their quest for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Winners

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers were one of the favourites to lift the trophy at the beginning of the season. They’ve got even better now with the addition of Marcus Morris. Moe Harkless made his way to New York along with their 2020 1st round pick. Jerome Robinson went to the Wizards, as Isiah Thomas packed his bags to LA, but for a few minutes only, as the franchise decided to waive him almost right after the trade was made. This was one of the most talked three-team trade that occurred yesterday. Obviously, the Clippers come out of this trade as the real winners. They’ve replaced Moe Harkless, who was averaging 5.5 PPG and 37% from 3-point land, for Marcus Morris, a player with 19.6 PPG, shooting 44.2% from the field, 43.9% from distance and 82.3% from the free-throw line. Although Harkless is considered a great defender, Morris proved two years ago that he’s capable of guarding LeBron James, giving Doc Rivers another option when the playoffs arrive. They added a much improved offensive player, without giving up too much on defense. The biggest question here is not the player’s ability, but his demeanor, as he’s known for being a headcase sometimes.

"It does hurt the Lakers because the Clippers got Marcus Morris. I think the Clippers are better… Marcus Morris is a 44% 3-point shooter, he can guard the post and he's a dog." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/mQHC0oFSk6 — UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 7, 2020

Minnesota Timberwolves

The bromance is real. Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell are finally playing together for the 1st time in their NBA career. Best friends out of the court, they’ll team up for the Minnesota Timberwolves starting tonight. On a trade that implied Andrew Wiggins making his way to the Bay Area, along a protected 1st and 2nd round pick in 2021 for Golden State Warriors, the Wolves got their much desired target on this trade deadline. They’ve completely rebuilt the team on the last week, but D’Angelo Russell was the most notorious signing of them all. The guard is averaging 23.6 points along with 6.2 assists, and should compliment very well KAT’s overall game, although the center likes to explore outside zones as well. Getting away from Wiggins’ contract was also one of the T-Wolves biggest wins, as he never had that breakout season, something that could happen with the Warriors due to their culture and quality of the team.

Golden State has agreed to trade D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota for a deal that includes Andrew Wiggins, a 2021 protected first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick, league sources tell ESPN. Warriors will send Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman to Timberwolves too. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 6, 2020

Losers



Detroit Pistons

Nobody knows what’s going in Detroit. Starting the season, their goal was to make the 1st eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, but after Blake Griffin’s injury, things went sour real quick. After a very bad start, it was time to make decisions in Detroit’s front office, whether to get the highest pick possible, or to try and improve the squad for a playoff push. Seems like neither of those options happened. They trade Andre Drummond for John Henson and Brandon Knight, both expiring contracts, along a 2nd round pick. Even though they’ll be off the books next season and Drummond’s value was not high at all, I feel Detroit could have gotten something more for a player averaging 17.8 points per game and 15.8 rebounds per game. His next season contains a player option, so it’s hard to imagine someone competing for the title hesitant to make a move for Drummond. The same applies for Derrick Rose. Although he’s on a friendly contract, several teams could have used the former MVP services. It seems like they didn’t go full rebuild here at this deadline, sticking with guys like Rose or Reggie Jackson, not acquiring any type of compensation for players whose stock are riding high at the moment. All in all, the Pistons could have come out yesterday much better than they currently are.

Kevin Love on #Cavaliers acquiring Andre Drummond pic.twitter.com/ILONR1x9TR — Tony Zarrella (@Tony_Zarrella) February 7, 2020

Houston Rockets

First of all, let me just say that the Houston Rockets are still championship contenders. Many people are saying that Mike D’Antoni’s team bolstered their chances at a title in this trade deadline. I don’t agree with that. In a four-team trade, Clint Capela and Nene made their way to Atlanta, while Gerald Green and a 2020 1st round pick went to the Wizards. Robert Covington and Jordan Bell travelled the opposite way, reinforcing the Rockets options, although Bell was already waived by them. More moves could be headed the Rockets way, as Isaiah Hartenstein is their only true center on the roster. They’ll go all in with their small ball for the reminder of the season, including the playoffs. That’s where I’m not sold on this team. The playoffs are an entirely different beast than the regular season. Teams study to detail their opponents weaknesses, and this one seems too glaring. Obviously, the Rockets will find a way to create several mismatches for whoever they play as well, but the lack of size could be a big issue for them, especially when almost all of the top teams in the Western Conference have an All-Star on their frontcourt. We should see how everything pans out in the future, but seeing how their last two playoff runs have ended, they decided to try a different approach.