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02-06-2025, 05:31 PM
Has officially come & gone now. Probably won't be many post on here about this, but I know one that will.
@Cactus Jack what do you think about some of the moves that happened? There were sure a lot of them.
@Cactus Jack what do you think about some of the moves that happened? There were sure a lot of them.
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02-07-2025, 05:07 AM
(02-06-2025, 05:31 PM)-STAT- Wrote: Has officially come & gone now. Probably won't be many post on here about this, but I know one that will.
@Cactus Jack what do you think about some of the moves that happened? There were sure a lot of them.
That one is going to take more time than I have right now, but to say it's been a whirlwind is an understatement. Definitely one of the most interesting trade deadlines in recent memory.
Moves Everyone Knows About:
De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio
Luka Doncic to Los Angeles
Anthony Davis to Dallas
Jimmy Butler to Golden State
Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee
Moves More People Should Know About:
Andrew Wiggins to Miami
De'Andre Hunter to Cleveland
Davion Mitchell to Miami
Mark Williams to the LA Lakers
Marvin Bagley to Memphis
Sidy Cissoko, Marcus Smart, Reggie Jackson, Khris Middleton, and AJ Johnson to Washington
Quick and dirty:
Lakers management either knows where someone in the Dallas front office has a body buried or the Mavericks organization knows something that no one else does. I can understand why other teams are upset that the Lake Show was the only team who ever got to discuss acquiring an MVP candidate in his 20's that was just coming off an NBA Finals appearance. Anthony Davis was an MVP candidate at one time, and he's not terrible, but his best days are behind him. I also don't see what he adds to the Mavericks that doesn't result in some diminishing returns for guys like Gafford.
San Antonio went into "let's see what we have right now" mode. Popovich's health has been in question. They are a small market team that has to depend on homegrown talent and smart draft decisions. I've never been a fan of Chris Paul (seems like a snake) so I wonder how this pairing is going to play out. The analytics say that Fox and Wembanyama are going to be a fierce pick and roll tandem. I just worry about Fox's injury history and willingness to gut it out, especially given what the Spurs will have invested in him. It's going to work great or they'll be recalibrating in two years. For San Antonio to come out of this trade without having given up Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, or any consequential portion of the arsenal of draft picks that they have is further evidence of why Sacramento is one of the worst-run franchises in the league. Still, the financial position that this leaves the Spurs in probably means that they're going to have to rely on hitting out on more draft picks and/or making more strategic acquisitions of guys that they've been able to pick up on some type of discount (e.g., Michael Finley, Malik Rose, Robert Horry, Avery Johnson, LaMarcus Aldridge... the list goes on and on).
Jimmy Butler to Golden State. Butler seems like a guy who comes in and is great right up until the moment he isn't. Put him on some lowly teams like Chicago, Minnesota, and Miami and watch his grit carry them. Then get all you can out of it before things self-destruct. That's probably the mindset Golden State had going in. I think Miami comes out of this one better. Riley will find a way to incorporate Wiggins and get a lot out of him.
If you are wondering what the Washington Wizards' end-game is here-- they have 9 wins. They didn't take on these names to sell tickets & they also got two 1st Rounders ('25-MEM & '26-Worst of LAC/OKC/HOU), two 2nd Rounders ('28 & '29 - Sacramento), $1 million in cash, and a 2028 pick swap.
The most telling thing might be the teams who didn't make moves-- Denver, Boston, and Minnesota.
Also mildly surprised that Houston didn't move Reed Sheppard. I thought that them sending him to the G-League was to get his value up to fleece the Kings in a trade to bring De'Aaron Fox home. Thought his getting lots of minutes and opportunities in a recent NBA game seemingly out of nowhere once he'd been called back up was also a showcase for someone they were trying to trade with. If his minutes and opportunities keep picking up, that's a good sign that I was wrong about that. If not, then I might have been on to something.
02-12-2025, 02:57 PM
(02-07-2025, 05:07 AM)Cactus Jack Wrote:I'm guessing you were correct on the Shepherd thoughts, the deal just didn't work out.(02-06-2025, 05:31 PM)-STAT- Wrote: Has officially come & gone now. Probably won't be many post on here about this, but I know one that will.
@Cactus Jack what do you think about some of the moves that happened? There were sure a lot of them.
That one is going to take more time than I have right now, but to say it's been a whirlwind is an understatement. Definitely one of the most interesting trade deadlines in recent memory.
Moves Everyone Knows About:
De'Aaron Fox to San Antonio
Luka Doncic to Los Angeles
Anthony Davis to Dallas
Jimmy Butler to Golden State
Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee
Moves More People Should Know About:
Andrew Wiggins to Miami
De'Andre Hunter to Cleveland
Davion Mitchell to Miami
Mark Williams to the LA Lakers
Marvin Bagley to Memphis
Sidy Cissoko, Marcus Smart, Reggie Jackson, Khris Middleton, and AJ Johnson to Washington
Quick and dirty:
Lakers management either knows where someone in the Dallas front office has a body buried or the Mavericks organization knows something that no one else does. I can understand why other teams are upset that the Lake Show was the only team who ever got to discuss acquiring an MVP candidate in his 20's that was just coming off an NBA Finals appearance. Anthony Davis was an MVP candidate at one time, and he's not terrible, but his best days are behind him. I also don't see what he adds to the Mavericks that doesn't result in some diminishing returns for guys like Gafford.
San Antonio went into "let's see what we have right now" mode. Popovich's health has been in question. They are a small market team that has to depend on homegrown talent and smart draft decisions. I've never been a fan of Chris Paul (seems like a snake) so I wonder how this pairing is going to play out. The analytics say that Fox and Wembanyama are going to be a fierce pick and roll tandem. I just worry about Fox's injury history and willingness to gut it out, especially given what the Spurs will have invested in him. It's going to work great or they'll be recalibrating in two years. For San Antonio to come out of this trade without having given up Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, or any consequential portion of the arsenal of draft picks that they have is further evidence of why Sacramento is one of the worst-run franchises in the league. Still, the financial position that this leaves the Spurs in probably means that they're going to have to rely on hitting out on more draft picks and/or making more strategic acquisitions of guys that they've been able to pick up on some type of discount (e.g., Michael Finley, Malik Rose, Robert Horry, Avery Johnson, LaMarcus Aldridge... the list goes on and on).
Jimmy Butler to Golden State. Butler seems like a guy who comes in and is great right up until the moment he isn't. Put him on some lowly teams like Chicago, Minnesota, and Miami and watch his grit carry them. Then get all you can out of it before things self-destruct. That's probably the mindset Golden State had going in. I think Miami comes out of this one better. Riley will find a way to incorporate Wiggins and get a lot out of him.
If you are wondering what the Washington Wizards' end-game is here-- they have 9 wins. They didn't take on these names to sell tickets & they also got two 1st Rounders ('25-MEM & '26-Worst of LAC/OKC/HOU), two 2nd Rounders ('28 & '29 - Sacramento), $1 million in cash, and a 2028 pick swap.
The most telling thing might be the teams who didn't make moves-- Denver, Boston, and Minnesota.
Also mildly surprised that Houston didn't move Reed Sheppard. I thought that them sending him to the G-League was to get his value up to fleece the Kings in a trade to bring De'Aaron Fox home. Thought his getting lots of minutes and opportunities in a recent NBA game seemingly out of nowhere once he'd been called back up was also a showcase for someone they were trying to trade with. If his minutes and opportunities keep picking up, that's a good sign that I was wrong about that. If not, then I might have been on to something.
02-18-2025, 02:17 AM
To add to what I've already said:
Miami did well to turn a disgruntled Jimmy Butler into Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell. Terry Rozier is there too, but will be interesting for different reasons. His name was connected with a gambling investigation (re: unusual betting activity on one of his player props in a single game); that may not be indicative of him actually being involved, but he's faced questions in the media and so far seems to have declined to answer and/or stated that he can't comment. He's played since then, but it's still worth monitoring given the off-court distraction(s) alone. Playing at their peak, a line-up of Rozier, Herro, Wiggins, Jacquez, and Adebayo that has Alec Burks, Duncan Robinson, Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson, Kel'el Ware, and Kevin Love coming off the bench could be really dangerous in a single playoff series.
Chris Paul, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Wemby makes a nice, albeit flawed, starting line-up for San Antonio. Stephon Castle was the odd man out in their early line-ups, but I wouldn't be shocked if Chris Paul is eventually moved into a sixth man role, or if they start using a platoon of starters and everyone but Fox and Wemby gets some starts. Sochan seems better suited for the role of a sixth to eighth man that brings tons of energy, but their bench needs more than what I've mentioned and Keldon Johnson. Regardless, they've definitely improved and are shooting for a spot in the play-in tournament. It should be a very interesting off-season for them.
I see what the Grizzlies were thinking with Marvin Bagley, but also see some pretty rough numbers on the season. Taking a flyer on someone like him and/or taking on a player with some question marks or baggage is the only way that the Grizzlies were getting a former top three pick under the age of 26. Looking at his history, dude has played on some pretty terrible teams (Sacramento, Detroit, and Washington) that were fairly invested in him; this may conceivably be one of the last real opportunities he gets.
I can't put my finger on what it is about Cleveland otherwise, but I'm still not sold. Others have probably watched more of them than I have and I hear a lot of buzz around them, I just feel that it's a superstar league and I don't know that Garland, Mitchell, Hunter, and Mobley are enough to win playoff games where the league's best players trade baskets late. They have a really nice record and I could see them ending anywhere from the first round to the Eastern Conference Finals. I just can't see them getting really deep and beating someone whose been there before like Boston, Milwaukee, or even Philadelphia to win the East.
Everyone has covered Luka to the Lakers. My biggest thought: they really can't be worse. They weren't going to win the West with Davis and I don't know that the addition of Luka changes that, but it gives them a much better chance and should make them more fun to watch come playoff time.
The Knetch-Williams trade was rescinded, so that should be... something. I liked the thought of them getting Williams, but looks like he wasn't in the physical condition to really make a difference. I want to see if there's more push-back on the trade and/or if the Lakers play the waiver wire. In the moment, it doesn't look like they were sold on their bigs. I'd say they go as far as that situation takes them, but bigs who can impact both ends of the floor just aren't available at this point in the season. They'll need to pick between someone who can rim run and has at least one other offensive skill or someone that can block shots and grab a few rebounds that's capable of catching a lob-- they don't get both.
Seeing the best of the Lakers also means guys like Cam Reddish, Dorian Finney-Smith or Jarred Vanderbilt add to what they're already getting from Reeves and Hachimura. As you can tell, they're a long way from it, but peak Lakers could give plenty of teams some fits defensively.
Take the Nuggets for example. The thought is that Gordon guards either LeBron or Luka; but if you do that and put Porter on the other, you'd better hope they can keep them in front of them because you've taken away a lot of rim protection and have stressed your defense to the point that Jokic is either playing ole' defense or risks committing fouls at the rim when someone is beat and he has to start moving his feet to help. One obvious alternative is using Westbrook to guard one or both for extended minutes, but then you risk putting him in a role that they've been very careful to keep him out of (i.e., one where he starts being an alpha-dog and trying to take over on offense). Denver is probably best built to guard a peak Lakers offense, but it'd probably require you carving out minutes for a DeAndre Jordan (who you can't play with Jokic, Gordon, and Porter).
If it's Oklahoma City, then Shai is going to guard one of the two for stretches, but that's a lot to ask of your best player, much less the one that's already carried you through the season and will be needed to carry you through multiple series. It also risks them primarily using Luka or LeBron as a decoy that takes Shai out of the play and turns it into a 4-on-4. Cason Wallace is a good defender, but an assignment of Luka or LeBron is just a different animal. Same principle for either of the J. Williams'. Holmgren offers more rim protection, but he isn't the most sturdy and they don't have an Aaron Gordon or even a Michael Porter/Russell Westbrook combo that they can leave on an island or absorb some violent collisions at the rim.
Miami did well to turn a disgruntled Jimmy Butler into Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell. Terry Rozier is there too, but will be interesting for different reasons. His name was connected with a gambling investigation (re: unusual betting activity on one of his player props in a single game); that may not be indicative of him actually being involved, but he's faced questions in the media and so far seems to have declined to answer and/or stated that he can't comment. He's played since then, but it's still worth monitoring given the off-court distraction(s) alone. Playing at their peak, a line-up of Rozier, Herro, Wiggins, Jacquez, and Adebayo that has Alec Burks, Duncan Robinson, Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson, Kel'el Ware, and Kevin Love coming off the bench could be really dangerous in a single playoff series.
Chris Paul, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, and Wemby makes a nice, albeit flawed, starting line-up for San Antonio. Stephon Castle was the odd man out in their early line-ups, but I wouldn't be shocked if Chris Paul is eventually moved into a sixth man role, or if they start using a platoon of starters and everyone but Fox and Wemby gets some starts. Sochan seems better suited for the role of a sixth to eighth man that brings tons of energy, but their bench needs more than what I've mentioned and Keldon Johnson. Regardless, they've definitely improved and are shooting for a spot in the play-in tournament. It should be a very interesting off-season for them.
I see what the Grizzlies were thinking with Marvin Bagley, but also see some pretty rough numbers on the season. Taking a flyer on someone like him and/or taking on a player with some question marks or baggage is the only way that the Grizzlies were getting a former top three pick under the age of 26. Looking at his history, dude has played on some pretty terrible teams (Sacramento, Detroit, and Washington) that were fairly invested in him; this may conceivably be one of the last real opportunities he gets.
I can't put my finger on what it is about Cleveland otherwise, but I'm still not sold. Others have probably watched more of them than I have and I hear a lot of buzz around them, I just feel that it's a superstar league and I don't know that Garland, Mitchell, Hunter, and Mobley are enough to win playoff games where the league's best players trade baskets late. They have a really nice record and I could see them ending anywhere from the first round to the Eastern Conference Finals. I just can't see them getting really deep and beating someone whose been there before like Boston, Milwaukee, or even Philadelphia to win the East.
Everyone has covered Luka to the Lakers. My biggest thought: they really can't be worse. They weren't going to win the West with Davis and I don't know that the addition of Luka changes that, but it gives them a much better chance and should make them more fun to watch come playoff time.
The Knetch-Williams trade was rescinded, so that should be... something. I liked the thought of them getting Williams, but looks like he wasn't in the physical condition to really make a difference. I want to see if there's more push-back on the trade and/or if the Lakers play the waiver wire. In the moment, it doesn't look like they were sold on their bigs. I'd say they go as far as that situation takes them, but bigs who can impact both ends of the floor just aren't available at this point in the season. They'll need to pick between someone who can rim run and has at least one other offensive skill or someone that can block shots and grab a few rebounds that's capable of catching a lob-- they don't get both.
Seeing the best of the Lakers also means guys like Cam Reddish, Dorian Finney-Smith or Jarred Vanderbilt add to what they're already getting from Reeves and Hachimura. As you can tell, they're a long way from it, but peak Lakers could give plenty of teams some fits defensively.
Take the Nuggets for example. The thought is that Gordon guards either LeBron or Luka; but if you do that and put Porter on the other, you'd better hope they can keep them in front of them because you've taken away a lot of rim protection and have stressed your defense to the point that Jokic is either playing ole' defense or risks committing fouls at the rim when someone is beat and he has to start moving his feet to help. One obvious alternative is using Westbrook to guard one or both for extended minutes, but then you risk putting him in a role that they've been very careful to keep him out of (i.e., one where he starts being an alpha-dog and trying to take over on offense). Denver is probably best built to guard a peak Lakers offense, but it'd probably require you carving out minutes for a DeAndre Jordan (who you can't play with Jokic, Gordon, and Porter).
If it's Oklahoma City, then Shai is going to guard one of the two for stretches, but that's a lot to ask of your best player, much less the one that's already carried you through the season and will be needed to carry you through multiple series. It also risks them primarily using Luka or LeBron as a decoy that takes Shai out of the play and turns it into a 4-on-4. Cason Wallace is a good defender, but an assignment of Luka or LeBron is just a different animal. Same principle for either of the J. Williams'. Holmgren offers more rim protection, but he isn't the most sturdy and they don't have an Aaron Gordon or even a Michael Porter/Russell Westbrook combo that they can leave on an island or absorb some violent collisions at the rim.
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