Everything You Need To Know About An Absolutely Wild NBA Trade Deadline
How busy was the 2023 NBA Trade deadline? Well, there were only 2 teams in the entire NBA that did not make some sort of trade this year
So I'd say things were fairly busy. Some were blockbusters, some were smaller moves for depth, some were to save money, but overall I'd say things lived up to the hype. With how wide open the season is in each conference and how many teams believe they have a shot at a title this year, I think most fans were hoping for some chaos this week and once again, the NBA has delivered.
Considering this shit happens so fast and before you can even digest a trade our timelines are already filled with 3 more trades, I thought it made some sense to take it from the top and break down every trade we got. As you can see above there's a lot to get to, so let's just dive in. I'll try and keep things in the order they happened to keep things simple, but if a team made multiple trades I'll group them together.
Los Angeles Lakers
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Few teams got more of an overhaul of their roster over this week than the Lakers. The entire world knew they needed to make moves this deadline and even though I hate this team like poison, now that the dust has settled it's hard to argue they didn't get better. Whether it matters or not is a different topic, but in terms of upgrading their talent, the Lakers found a way to pull that off while not having to uload both of those 2027 and 2029 picks. There's always the chance they could move the 2029 one over the summer and add even more.
In looking at what the Lakers are bringing in, each of these players fills a need.
Rui is a nice young stretch four who already has shown some flashes in his brief time in LA. He helps them with shooting/shot creation/etc. The massive 3 team deal does a few things, all of which the Lakers needed. For starters, DLo is an upgrade at the point guard position. Even though he's an exipiring, the talent level alone is an upgrade, regardless of what you think about him. Malik Beasley gives the Lakers some much needed proven shooting. Jared Vanderbilt is a solid 25 year old versatile defensive big who you can slide right in and have him handle 4s and 5s.
Now that AD is back, Thomas Bryant's role was shrinking, so the Lakers decided to essentially flip him for Mo Bamba. Is Mo Bamba good? It's hard to say. Things didn't exactly work out well in ORL, but he is a guy who can stretch the floor and make 3s. He's also only 24 so who knows, maybe a chance of scenary helps. Playing next to LeBron usually makes everyone better, so it wouldn't shock me if he proves to have some value.
Bringing in all that talent and all it costing you being a protected 2027 1st, Thomas Bryant, Russell Westbrook, and Pat Bev seems like a win to me.
Dallas Mavericks
The same way everyone knew the Lakers needed to add at this deadline, the same is true for the Mavs. If their season has told us one thing, it's that they needed to find a way to bring Luka some help. Did any of us see that help becoming Kyrie Irving? Probably not, but Cuban said fuck it and is rolling the dice. Given what we saw last night, an engaged Kyrie can clearly help
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The big question of course is how this all works next to Luka. We didn't see it last night since Luka was out with that heel injury, but Kyrie does give the Mavs a guy who can create his own shot at a high level, which is what their offense desperately needs. One of their bigger issues so far is the fact that defenses can just focus on Luka and ignore everyone else. With Kyrie on the floor, that's no longer possible.
History suggests this isn't going to end well, but that's what makes this time of year so fun. This is either going to be a homerun move or a complete disaster with no in between. They did have to give up some good pieces in Dinwiddie and DFS, but when you need to prove to Luka you're trying to bring him help, it's a price you have to pay.
The other shocking part of the Mavs deadline is the fact they didn't move Christian Wood. They couldn't reach an extension with him earlier in the year, and now he can leave the Mavs for nothing this summer. They aren't exactly flush with cap space, but maybe if things work out he'll be open to sticking around.
Toronto Raptors
This was certainly unexpected given most thought the Raptors would be rebuilding and not buying, and yet they were the ones to pay the price for Jakob Poeltl. They must feel/know that he's open to staying long term since Poeltl is a UFA this summer, and the Raptors did technically have a need at center. Masai obviously is familiar with Poeltl since he drafted and developed him before being traded to SA, so you can understand the connection.
What happened to all that smoke around OG/FVV/Siakam? Or Gary Trent Jr? The Raptors are holding onto their Play In lives and if they end up landing in the lottery you almost have to wonder if they should have just blown it up now when other contending teams would have paid a hefty price for those assets.
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Miami Heat
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY in the NBA is "interested" in more players every season than the Miami Heat. It's my favorite yearly tradition. It doesn't matter who the player is, chances are leading up to the deadline you're going to see a "Heat are interested in X" tweet from "sources". Year after year after year…..they do nothing.
Well that's not true. They dumped a guy for cash. This is funny because you know, they're paying Udonis Haslem and wasting a guaranteed roster spot on someone who doesn't play. Maybe they'll sign someone in the buyout market, but if you're a Heat fan how could you be happy right now? Everyone else around you added at least something of value and the Interest Kings didn't do a damn thing. Maybe Riley should focus on actually executing trades instead of just leaking that he's interested in every player under the sun.
Brooklyn Nets
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The Nets were obviously dealing with a gigantic shit sandwich this deadline. First Kyrie demanded out, then they weren't going to trade KD only to then immediately change their minds a few days later. Once they pulled the plug on on KD, it marked the end of that Nets Big 3 era which everyone agrees was an abject failure.
Normally when teams blow it up like this, they're lottery bound. I'm not so sure that's the case with the Nets. While it definitely removes them from title contention, there is a lot of legit talent on this roster and they now have a ton of picks to work with moving forward. This isn't all that different from their last rebuild post Celts trade, and if you remember it wasn't long before the Nets were a young and competitive team again. Why can't be that be the case this time around too?
Cam Thomas is exploding, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson are solid wings, DFS takes care of the stretch four aspect and can guard multiple positions, and all of those Suns picks are unprotected. Given the age of that roster, those could prove to be pretty damn vaulable. Considering Kyrie could have left for nothing, I imagine the Nets are looking at their situation and feel pretty good about how they netted out.
The Ben Simmons issue still exists, but I would imagine he'll be moved over the summer as well. There's really no reason to have him on this type of roster, so you may as well get out of that money if possible.
Phoenix Suns
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You could make the case that no team is walking away from the deadline a bigger winner than the Phoenix Suns. They may have paid a hefty price, but Kevin Durant is Kevin Durant. He's one of those talents that is not only league shifting, but title shifting. Suddenly after this move the Suns because the favorite out West to win the title, trailing only the Celtics in the entire league. A core of CP3/Booker/Durant/Ayton is tough, and with a new owner taking over it was only a matter of time before he made a splash.
The Saric trade is a little confusing mostly because I'm not sold Bazley is better than Saric, and the one concern I do have about the Suns is their depth. You're asking a lot in hoping CP3/KD stays healthy, and once you get past that initial unit, things look pretty thin fairly quickly
In a playoff series it's usually more about your top 6-7, but good teams also have legit depth. Can we say that about this version of the Suns? Again it may not matter given what their starting group looks like, but this is a team that is cooked if one of their main guys pulls a groin or some shit. They have a 2-3 year window with this group until it'll be time to retool, and it's not like they have a ton of picks to move down the line.
Minnesota Timberwolves
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I'll be honest, I have no freaking idea what the Wolves were trying to accomplish this deadline. Are they better? Probably not. Look, I like Mike Conley but he's also a billion years old. What exactly is the vision here? Instead of adding legit pieces themselves, they actually ended up helping a team in the Lakers that is trying to catch them in the Play In tournament. That feels….backwards.
You would have thought they learned their lesson of what happens when you trade with Danny Ainge given the whole Gobert disaster, but apparently not. Cool you got some players that most likely won't make a difference as well as 3 2nd round picks. Poor Wolves fans, I feel like they've suffered enough and this deadline didn't exactly help.
Boston Celtics
If you want my in depth thoughts, you can read my entire blog on this move
New York Knicks
This trade sort of flew under the radar last night because the KD trade immediately followed it, but I actually like this move from the Knicks side. Cam Reddish wasn't in the rotation, and I like Josh Hart as a player. He has a player option at $12M next year and it also brings two former Villanova teammates together so that's fun, but I do think Hart will help.
He's a fantastic rebounding guard, a decent defender and someone who doesn't really need the ball to make an impact. He's your classic glue guy that plays with a ton of energy and just makes shit happen. My guess is he'll fit in with the Knicks just fine, and that 1st round pick is Lottery protected. If it doesn't convey this year (it probably won't) then it turns into 4 2nd round picks.
Between signing Brunson and this trade, the Knicks front office is actually making smart moves in my opinion. That has to be refreshing for that fanbase.
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Portland Trail Blazers
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OK, hand up, I have no idea what the Blazers were trying to accomplish with all this. Basically, they traded Josh Hart and GPII and a 2nd, for Cam Reddish, Thybulle Kevin Knox, 5 2nd round picks, and a protected Knicks 1st.
This is how you "win now" with Dame? We have no idea if Cam Reddish is good, but his short stint in the league tells us he probably stinks. Matisse Thybulle's defense is definitely a little overrated when it comes to stopping high profile wings, and he most certainly cannot shoot. It's more than likely all those picks are 2nds.
Where is the direction? Where is the plan? Maybe that comes this summer but for right now? This was a very confusing deadline for them. It's not even like their season is over either! They are just 2.5 games from a top 6 seed, but compare what they did to everyone else in the West. Would you feel confident as a Blazers fan right now? Weird day.
Charlotte Hornets
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The Hornets are in the tanking business, so to me that's what their deadline was about. They got off Plumlee's money/skill, unloaded a young wing in McDaniels (who was expiring) and are looking like they'll be buying out Reggie Jackson.
I'm a little surprised there were no takers for Terry Rozier or maybe someone like PJ Washington, but I'm also sure nobody really cares about the Hornets right now. They're going after Wemby and this in theory helps them get there.
Philadelphia 76ers
Maybe you're of the thought that the Sixers could use some big man depth, and I would agree with you. The good news is you can still probably find that in the buyout market.
In terms of upgrading their roster, the Sixers did that today. Jalen McDaniels is better than Thybulle. It's as simple as that. You can also add in a 2024 Knicks 2nd round pick, and a Blazers 2029 2nd as well. McDaniels gives them some shooting and nice size on the wing, and I can't see how he doesn't fit next to Embiid/Harden since they command so much attention.
The question will be if it even matters if the Sixers still need to rely on Montrezl Harrell for backup big minutes. Those have been pretty terrible this season and those non-Embiid minutes will always be the Sixers achilles heel.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors did a little bit of cost savings with their deadline by shedding James Wiseman, even if that had to be an admission that they blew that pick. Imagine this roster with LaMelo Ball on it? Whoops!
With GPII they're getting a guy that they are obviously familiar with considering he was on the team last year and helped them win a title, and given the perimeter talent now in the West I'd say having a lock down defender is going to be pretty important.
While their ceiling ultimately depends on the health of their core trio, it's not like they were even playing Wiseman so getting a guy you know can help in the immediate future is a win.
Detroit Pistons
Add the Pistons to the list of teams that have me very confused today. How many centers do they need exactly? This now makes Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Nerlens Noel, and James Wiseman all in the same frontcourt, and last time I checked it wasn't 2001. This tells me there has to be other moves coming this summer, but I was shocked Noel wasn't moved. Maybe he gets bought out, but even still I don't really understand the angle from the Pistons side.
Saddiq Bey is a young wing who can shoot the shit out of the ball and is still on a rookie deal. The Pistons didn't even get any picks from ATL for that! Looking at their roster, Bogdanovic is older, Burks is older, so what's the plan here moving forward? I would have thought the Pistons would want to build around a Cade/Ivey/Bey trio to pair with their young bigs, but instead they flipped one of those pieces for a young big? Make that make sense.
Los Angeles Clippers
Something must have been in the water out in LA, because both teams were very active this week. Essentially, they flipped Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard, and John Wall for Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee.
Are they better? I think so. Luke Kennard is a deadeye shooter, and while they replaced that with Eric Gordon, I do think there's a defensive drop off there a little bit. I think most will agree that Bones is better than John Wall, and with Plumlee the Clippers are bringing in a guy who knows his role and is effective to come back up Zubac. This team still has good wing depth, so as long as Kawhi/PG13 are healthy I think this new influx of talent can take them over the hump. Reggie Jackson had big playoff moments for them, but you have to give something to get something.
The Clippers couldn't stand still as everyone loaded up around them, and I don't think they'll reall miss any of the pieces they gave up.
Houston Rockets
This was funny while it lasted for those brief moments after the initial news dropped. It made no sense why the Rockets would need or want John Wall, so shoutout to him for getting a second buyout. They also got Danny Green in that 3 team trade, but it's the same thing with him, I can't imagine he's on the roster after today.
They also traded a decent shooter in Garrison Matthews and an end of the bench big in Bruno Fernando for two more players they'll probably waive, so really it seems like the Rockets were down to just take everyone's trash. I guess that's what a rebuilding team should do, so good job I guess?
Atlanta Hawks
The big piece for the Hawks is of course Saddiq Bey, which makes me start to think one of their other wings on the roster might become available this summer. Between De'Andre Hunter, AJ Griffin, Saddiq Bey, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, there's some opportunity to package and bring in other positions of need. Given what they gave up it's hard to argue the Hawks didn't have a good day, but for me the surprising part if the fact that they didn't trade John Collins.
How many years are we going to do this dance? Every single year we hear about how the Hawks want nothing to do with John Collins, yet they refuse to pull the trigger on a trade. Make up your minds already!
Given the wings that currently exist in the East, adding some size there can only help, but like everything with the Hawks it all comes down to whether or not they ever start to be interested in playing to their potential. Defensively they're a mess, nobody like Trae Young I guess and they might fire their coach. Does Saddiq Bey solve all their problems? No, but he's still a good player and that should help.
Milwaukee Bucks
This wasn't too surprising since we've heard that Jae Crowder was rumored to end up in MIL for some time now, and it didn't cost them all that much. They were in the market for wing help and Crowder does provide it, even if he's sneaky been on the decline these past few years. Crowder feels more like the guy who's name is bigger than his actual on court impact, but you never know. He hasn't played all year so he's certainly fresh, and in theory he should be able to knock down some open threes and provide some toughness.
The concern is Crowder is someone who always thinks it's Jae Crowder time, especially in big games. For all the moments where he's shown up big, he's also shot his team out of a game when the stakes are at their highest. It'll be fascinating to see what type of role he accepts on a team where he's basically the 5th or 6th option. I'm pretty sure the Bucks don't give a shit about the picks, so to them it was probably worth the risk.
Memphis Grizzlies
Many thought there might be an arms race with the Grizzlies to land OG Anunoby, but in the end the only real move of substance they ended the day with was bringing in Luke Kennard. I like this move for MEM because I'm someone who thinks surrounding a player like Ja who is arguably the best guard at attacking the paint in the NBA with elite shooting is a great idea. We see how it works with Bane, well Kennard is just as good a shooter.
It also helps them play some guys that aren't named Dillon Brooks, and that alone makes the Grizzlies better offensively.
New Orleans Pelicans
If you notice a theme here, it's because all the teams out West decided they needed to load up on wing help. Josh Richardson is an expiring deal and also pretty good in terms of being a two way wing, so I can see what the Pelicans were thinking. The picks are whatever for them since they have a billion to play with, and while Devonte Graham is a good little microwave scorer off the bench, to me wing depth is more important for this team.
Whether it's KD/Booker, Kawhi/PG13, LeBron, etc, you have to be ready to lock guys down on the wing this postseason int he West, and JRich does help the Pelicans do that.
Denver Nuggets
The good news is the Nuggets found a pretty solid back up center for the non-Jokic minutes that isn't named Deandre Jordan. That'll be important come the playoffs.
The bad news is their return for Bones was pretty dogshit which was a surprise considering he's still early in his rookie deal, but I imagine they didn't have a ton of leverage once Bones fell out of the rotation. Maybe Nuggets fans were hoping for more, but I do think they found a way to bolster their frontline and not give up too many future assets. Jokic can't play 48 minutes, and my guess is Thomas Bryant will be pretty motivated since he's now on a contender.
OK, I think that's everything. If I missed anything, I'm sorry but this is about 3,600 words and frankly my brain is cooked after a full day of chaos. All in all this year's trade deadline was exactly what I was hoping for, and we're now set up for one hell of a stretch run. If you're team made moves today, I hope they work out (outside of a few teams). If not? Well there's always next year!
See everyone in 365 days so we can do this all over again.