NBA Trade Deadline

Posted on February 27, 2013February 27, 2013 by Danni Sonnenberg

Put simply, the trade deadline was uneventful. The 2013 deadline was a clear manifestation of the new collective bargaining agreement at work. Regardless, many were left scratching their heads in disbelief. Josh Smith was anyway. Still, the moves that were made and the moves that were not made will have a significant impact on this season and next. So, let’s look at the winner’s and loser’s of this most underwhelming trade deadline:

Winners

1) Houston Rockets- Not only are the Rocket’s this season’s Cinderella story (for more see my column: https://thetipin.com/points/the-houston-rockets-a-team-of-destiny/), GM Darrel Morey was the big winner at this year’s deadline. The Rockets traded Marcus Morris to Phoenix for a second round pick and they traded Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, and Toney Douglas to Sacramento for Thomas Robinson, Francisco Garcia, and Tyler Honeycut. In short, the Rockets gave up bench players for the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft. While some may point to the struggles of Robinson this season (4ppg), his upside is enormous. Robinson is very athletic and has a sweet mid-range jump shot. Further, his is young- betting on that potential is usually a smart play as evidenced by players like Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups (both who were high draft picks, started slow, and went on to have excellent careers). And it cannot be forgotten that Robinson is on a terrible team and battling for playing time with a logjam of forwards (DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thomson), which means limited playing time and limited touches.

History, acting as a higher truth, will ultimately remember Darrell Morey as a genius. Quietly, he has amassed a lot of young talent- Harden,Lin, Asik, Parsons, and Robinson. And with no state income tax in Texas, he just might have added enough to sway Dwight Howard or Josh Smith to join the mix this offseason. Therein lies the true genius of the move, Morey has put together a team no one wants to face in the playoffs, and still has enough room to offer Howard or Smith the max in the offseason.

2) Boston Celtics- The Celtics traded Leandro Barbosa and Jason Collins to Washington for Jordon Crawford. So the Celtics nabbed a 24 year-old scorer, who at 13.4 ppg, can give them a boost off the bench, for a guy who will be injured the rest of the season and a center who averages 1.2 ppg. I rest my case.

3) Milwaukee Bucks- The Bucks traded Doron Lamb, Beno Udrih, and Tobias Harris for J.J. Redick, Gustavo Ayon, and Ish Smith. This move was primarily for security. The Bucks now know they will be able to retain at least 2 of 3 talented guards (Redick, Ellis, Jennings) this offseason. It also gives them confidence that they will be able to maintain their playoff standing. Redick has been great this year averaging 15.1 ppg, playing stellar defense, and shooting 39% from three. Adding a shooter of Redick’s caliber was critical for the Bucks because they are currently 21^st in the league from three.

Losers

1) Sacramento Kings- A center who averages 2.2 ppg. An undersized power forward. And a shoot first point guard who averages 8.1 ppg. Well, at least you saved 4 million dollars!

2) Chicago Bulls- The Bulls, along with the Spurs, did not put enough forward to land coveted sharpshooter J.J. Redick. This move, particularly for the Bulls, could prove costly. Reggie Rose, Derrick’s brother, told Scott Powers from ESPNChicago.com: “Joakim Noah is a great player. Luol Deng is a great player. But you need more than that. You have to put together pieces to your main piece. The players can only do so much. It’s up to the organization to make them better.”

While some have criticized Rose’s brother for speaking out of turn, he may be right. Richard Hamilton and Marco Belinelli are not the long-term answers at SG. And worse still, they are the weak link on this year’s squad. Not making a play for Redick could prove very costly come playoff time against Miami where his shooting and aggressive defense would bring more than both Hamilton or Belinelli can provide.

3) Memphis Grizzlies- The Griz dealt quality bench players in Ellington and Speights to save money. They previously traded away their best player, Rudy Gay, to save money. Now they are left with Tayshon Prince and a depleted bench and no hope for a championship. Yikes!.