(2/9/2023)
Written by John Raley
Today is the trade deadline for the NBA and over the last 48 hours we have seen some absolutely crazy moves made by both contenders and teams looking to make a run at the playoffs. Below is the breakdown for the biggest moves made as of right now.
Kevin Durant teams up with Devin Booker and Chris Paul Out West
The Phoenix Suns have just made the jump from second round exit to legitimate title contender overnight. Phoenix picked up superstar Kevin Durant and role player TJ Warren from the Brooklyn Nets last night while everyone was asleep and in exchange they gave away Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, 4 first round draft picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029) and a pick swap in 2028. This is an absolutely huge deal as Brooklyn traded away their other superstar, Kyrie Irving, earlier this week and seems to have rebuilt some of the drafty capital that they lost to the Houston Rockets in the James Harden trade. Phoenix has clearly gone all in to win a championship this year with an aging Chris Paul and they look to be the favorites to emerge from the Western Conference as of right now. This move does leave Phoenix vulnerable on their bench with a lack of depth, but if this star studded starting five can make it work they will be a very dangerous team come playoff time.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic become the best backcourt in the NBA
Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, has always been very vocal about his desire to win and own a team that is competing for championships year in and year out. This past week his front office traded for Brooklyn Nets superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving, to pair with one of the best players in the league in Luka Doncic. This Dallas backcourt is going to give opposing defenses absolute nightmares and may average a combined 60 points the rest of the season. They still have plenty of complimentary offensive pieces to make life easier on these two stars with guys like Reggie Bullock and Tim Hardaway Jr. on the wing and a guy who can score from the perimeter and the block in Christian Wood. The biggest issue holding Dallas back from being a contender is their weaknesses on the defensive end of the court. Doncic and Irving, as impressive as they are on offense, are lacking on the defensive end as is Christian Wood. They will need to rely on scoring 120+ points night in and night out to have a chance at a title, and in the playoffs when defenses step up to the occasion I think they will struggle.
Lakers deal Russell Westbrook to the Timberwolves to add Depth
I think this is an absolutely outstanding move for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s no secret that the Lakers have struggled this year (currently 25-30 and 13th in the West). This may be the move that puts them in the playoffs. Lakers GM, Rob Pelinka, decided to part ways with former MVP, Russell Westbrook, in a three team trade involving the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Lakers received guards D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley along with wing Jarred Vanderbilt from the Timberwolves in exchange for Rusell Westbrook to the Timberwolves, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones to the Jazz along with a 2027 first round pick. This move bolsters a Lakers roster that lacked shooting and defense. D’Angelo Russell is a great get who can provide scoring and take some of the ball handling responsibility when LeBron isn’t in the game, Malik Beasley is a solid offensive threat who can help to spread the floor, and Jarred Vanderbilt is a guy who can defend 4 positions on the court extremely effectively. This move has transitioned the Lakers from one of the worst constructed rosters pre-season into a well rounded team that has a great chance to make a push into a play-in seed or even playoff potential.
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