As the clock struck 3 p.m. EST on Feb. 24, NBA teams pass around players from franchise-to-franchise like a hot potato, sending the trading carousel into full service.
Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Bobcats, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies were part of marquee trades either as a “salary dump,” filling a void at position, or simply bolstering the roster in hopes of a deep playoff run.
Carmelo Anthony and the “melo-drama” officially came to a close when the Denver Nuggets reached a preliminary 3-team deal Feb. 21 that sent Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman, and Corey Brewer to the New York Knicks for Timothy Mozgov, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton and Kosta Koufos from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves then acquired Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry from the Knicks.
The Knicks took a huge gamble, sending four starters to the Nuggets in exchange for Anthony and veteran point guard Chauncey Billups. The Knicks “won” in the sense that they finally rid themselves of Curry’s large salary by sending the struggling center to the Timberwolves. The Nuggets had been in negotiating talks with the Knicks and New Jersey Nets ever since Anthony rejected the Nuggets’ 3-year, $65 million contract extension this past off-season. The Knicks were the team Anthony most desired, and a team he will most likely sign an extension with after he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
However, the Nuggets receive four of the Knicks’ five starters, a first-round pick in 2014 or later as well as $3 million in cash. The 3-team deal created a domino effect as the hour glass began to fill up.
The Chicago Bulls sent James Johnson to the Toronto Raptors for Miami’s 2011 first-round pick on Feb. 22, and on Feb. 23 the Nets completed two huge deals, the most surprising of which sent Utah Jazz guars Deron Williams to the Nets in exchange for Devin Harris and rookie forward Derrick Favors.
The Nets had originally proposed a deal with Denver that would have involved a very similar 3-team deal that involved Harris, Favors and Troy Murphy, but the deal fell through. Instead the third party was the Golden State Warriors, who shipped forward Brendan Wright and center Dan Gadzuric to the Nets for the expiring contract of forward Troy Murphy.
The Atlanta Hawks also made moves Feb. 23 sending guards Mike Bibby and Jordan Crawford, along with forward Maurice Evans to the Washington Wizards for Kirk Hiinrich and center Hilton Armstrong. Hinrich was a mentor for John Wall in the nation’s capital, and is a solid veteran who excels in the passing game and on the defensive end.
The Hawks were spiraling downward as of late and looking for a veteran guard to provide a strong playoff push to compete against Eastern Conference powers Boston, Orlando and Miami. They also filled a much needed void at center with the acquisition of Armstrong, a position that was thin over the past three years, and an achilles’ heel that led to early playoff exits.
The Los Angeles Clippers also shook things up by dumping Baron Davis’ large salary to the Cleveland Cavaliers for guard Mo Williams and forward Jamario Moon. This came as a bit of a surprise considering Davis was just starting to settle back into the Clippers’ rotation, but certainly had been a disappointment since signing with the Clippers for five years and $65 million in 2008.
The Cavs are in the process of rebuilding and were really yearning for the Clippers 2011 first-round pick more than Davis. Davis simply allowed them to have their cake and eat it too.
Other trades right at the Feb. 24 deadline included the Charlotte Bobcats, who sent forward Gerald Wallace to Portland, along with Nazr Mohommad to Oklahoma City for D.J. White and Morris Peterson. The Thunder finally received the center they needed to be considered a contender in the Western Conference on a guard-dominated team.
The Memphis Grizzlies also welcomed back Shane Battier, who was reunited with the team that drafted him, and sent the Grizzlies’ disappointing third overal pick from 2009 Hasheem Thabeet and forward DeMarre Carroll to the Rockets. The Grizzlies also received Ishmael Smith from the Rockets.
The Grizzlies also had a deal in the workings that would have sent forward O.J. Mayo to the Indiana Pacers, but the deal fell through. The Rockets also switched guards with Phoenix by sending Aaron Brooks to the Suns for Goran Dragic, who backed up Steve Nash in Phoenix. Once again, the Rockets’ intention here was to grab the Suns’ 2011 first-round pick and dump Brooks’ pretty substantial salary.
Notable teams who did not make any deals before the trade deadline were the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. However, one could argue the Magic made their major deal earlier in the season when they acquired Gilbert Arenas from Washington and Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu from Phoenix in a three-team deal that sent the bloated contract of Rashard Lewis to the Wizards and Vince Carter to the Suns on Dec. 18.
But it was the Boston Celtics trades that surprised almost everybody in the media. The Celtics took the biggest gamble of all, going “all in” by sending injured center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Kristic. Perkins played a vital role in the Celtics run to the NBA Finals last season, but injured his knee in game six of the NBA Finals.
Many would argue that the Celtics might have been able to win the title if Perkins was able to play in game seven, but Perkins had not played the majority of this season due to his injury, and the Celtics were already decimated at the center position. Free-agent acquisitions Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal are injured, and Jermaine is not expected to be ready to play until mid-March.
The Celtics also sent rookie forward Luke Harangody and center Semih Erden to the Cavaliers and forward Marquis Daniels to the Sacramento Kings, but these trades seemed less surprising due to the feasability of receiving two second-round picks in return.
The trade deadline usually entails last-minute deals that transpire when teams are exploring options for ways to bolster their rosters. However, it becomes a gamble when the buzzer sounds and the trade deadline is over, knowing the deals are permanent.
Winners of this year’s trades include: Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Los Angeles Clippers. The losers include: Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trailblazers.
The Celtics and Knicks could turn out to be losers, but only time will tell whether or not each team played their cards right.
The Celtics dumped their key starting center from last season, and the Knicks relinquished four of five starters for a superstar that will need time to assimilate into Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s system.
The NBA is supposedly where amazing happens. The trade deadline is where gambling happens. And in this gambling game, nobody is bluffing.