NBA Futures Tracker, Trade Deadline
Have you recovered yet? Because this year’s NBA trade deadline was insane.
After a quiet start and no real indication of much high-profile player movement, the entire script was flipped on its head when Kyrie Irving successfully requested a trade from Brooklyn to the Mavericks.
Forty-nine players were subsequently traded in the last 24 hours before the deadline, with 25 teams engaging in 16 monumental deals.
Bet Nation looks at the significant moves and how they will impact the remainder of the season.
The Sun rises in the West
Phoenix Suns
While the Irving trade to Dallas was the first big domino to fall, there’s no denying that Phoenix was the overall winner from the trade deadline with the acquisition of Kevin Durant. The market has certainly agreed with the Suns launching into Western Conference favouritism ($3.10) ahead of the Nuggets ($4.20) and Clippers ($6).
New owner, Mat Ishbia, was only officially hours into his stewardship before laying down the gauntlet with the blockbuster trade for the 13x NBA All-Star. He realised that Phoenix is a team on the rise – fifth in the Western Conference with 10 wins from their last 13 games – and successfully added what he hopes is the missing piece to a line-up consisting of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton.
As for Durant himself, James Harden’s defection to Philadelphia in September spelt the start of the end to the most underwhelming ‘Big 3’ in NBA history, and it was solidified with Irving’s move to Dallas. The 4x scoring champion wasn’t going to achieve the title success he was after with an out-of-form Ben Simmons and now has the opportunity with Booker and CP3.
The Denver Nuggets once ruled the Western Conference, but this deal has changed the landscape entirely and bodes as the catalyst for an incredible end to the season.
Mavs go chips in on Irving
Dallas Mavericks
The other major player in the Western Conference story is the Dallas Mavericks after they traded for Kyrie Irving as the Robin to Luka Doncic’s Batman. The Mavs are $8.50 to win the West, but it depends on how the Irving experiment pans out.
At 31-27 (4th in the West), there’s no doubt the Mavericks needed additional firepower to make a play for the championship. Is Kyrie the answer to Mark Cuban’s prayers though? We all know his off-field antics have disrupted Brooklyn and Boston, and he’s already publicly claimed he was ‘just tolerated’ in Brooklyn. It’s a big move from Cuban, and he’ll know better than anyone that it could blow up in his face.
First impressions have been good, however, with the Mavs winning their first two games with Irving against playoff contenders the Clippers and Kings. Irving was a major presence in both games, with 24 and 25 points, respectively. The big question revolves around how Luka and Kyrie will gel as a pair, but again the first look was positive after they combined for 55 points in an OT loss to the Kings.
While they’re a tier below the Suns and Nuggets on paper, the Mavericks will cause a stir in the West if the Batman and Robin experiment proves successful.
Who benefits from Brooklyn's rebuild?
Brooklyn Nets
Wow. What a failure that was. Brooklyn’s major push for their first NBA title has been left in tatters after the last of the ‘Big 3’ departed with Kevin Durant’s trade to the Suns.
James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and KD could have been anything, but instead, they played 16 games together before becoming the punchline to every ‘Superteam’ joke ever created.
While the three players involved have legitimate shots at title contention at their new teams, the Nets are left to pick up the pieces with a young roster and an out-of-form Ben Simmons. Once a favourite to take out the Eastern Conference, the Nets are now $41 and sliding.
It’s not all bad for Brooklyn fans, though, with Cam Thomas’ star continually rising after he became the youngest player in NBA history to put up three consecutive 40-point games. It also allows Simmons to fully recover from his back injury without the pressure of success.
Those who benefit most from Brooklyn’s rebuild are their main rivals in the East. Boston, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia are rubbing their hands together at the sight of one less contender. Even with their off-field issues, the Nets were a major threat with KD, Irving and Simmons, but the path for the top three just got a little bit clearer.
Lakers looking to save season
LA Lakers
If the West wasn’t so close, we’d be giving the Lakers no chance to feature in playoffs this season. But as luck would have it, the 13th-placed Lakers (26-31) are just three games behind the Timberwolves in 8th, and they’ve made some trade deadline moves that could turn their season around.
First, the headache that was Russell Westbrook’s contract has been solved with the Lakers moving him to Utah and reacquiring D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota in the process. Reports coming out of the Lakers’ camp regarding Westbrook were far from positive, and the decision was made for the benefit of both parties. And LeBron.
The other major departure was Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets – very handy for the Western Conference leaders – but they added Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Rui Hachimua and Mo Bamba.
With LeBron and Anthony Davis leading the Lakers’ charge towards playoffs, they should prosper in the short term, even if it doesn’t lead to a deep playoff run.
