There are only five weeks left until the NBA trade deadline and five weeks until the postseason. What better time to report on the progress of every playoff team that has shopped on the trade or buyout market?Who is better since then Instant reaction to deadline winners and losers? Who is to blame? Everyone, please put down your pencils.
Tillman will need several weeks to recover from soreness in his left knee, and even if he does return, his playing time remains uncertain. In theory, he provides some insurance for a frontcourt that features Kristaps Porzisis and 37-year-old Al Horford. In fact, he did more harm than good last week as the third-big opposite for Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets, raising questions about his role on a healthy Celtics roster. But who can blame Boston for adding depth without disrupting the chemistry of the NBA's best team?
School year: C
The Mavericks traded the rights to two first-round draft picks for two players who may not even finish games in the playoffs, giving them trade flexibility during Luka Doncic's contract. significantly restricted.
Gafford has played well, making 28 field goals, pushing his record as the Mavs' starter to 5-0, but Derek Lively II is central to their future. Gafford doesn't make the Mavs any better candidates. During. Likewise, Washington doesn't offer much more than Williams can offer. Interfering with their ability to continue building around Doncic with even a small upgrade (at best) could be disastrous.
School year: D-
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Out players: cory joseph
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Select: 2024 R2 (least favorable CHI, CLE, IND, MIL, NOP, UTA)
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Select: 2025 R2 (CHA, top 55 protected)
When you have an aging championship core and are fighting for relevance in the play-in tournament, why not… stand up? Strange not to mention the fading title potential , but the increased contributions of Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podzemski must have given them pause in pursuing upgrades. However, Stephen Curry's recent ankle injury reveals how shallow they have become from a shot creation standpoint.
School year: F
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Affiliated players: Pascal Siakam, Doug McDermott, Corey Joseph
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Out players: Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora
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Select: 2024 R2 (adverse CHI or NOP), 2024 R2 (TOR, CLE or UTA), 2025 R2 (CHA, top 55 protected), 2029 R2 (POR)
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Select: 2024 R1, 2024 R1 (OKC), 2026 R1 (Top 4 Protection), 2024 R2 (IND, CLE, UTA, CHI, NOP or MIL)
The Pacers believed trading Siakam in January would give them a playoff seed at home this season, but they took a step back at the deadline and traded Hield for several second-round picks. McDermott didn't attract much attention, and Benedict Mathurin's season-ending injury didn't help either. They had a historic offense at the beginning of the season, but since the beginning of February, their performance has been middling.
Acquiring Siakam was a long-term investment, assuming he re-signs. His partnership with Tyrese Haliburton has produced a negative net rating thus far, and the Pacers have struggled to create a stable rotation around them. This is always a stepping stone movement, moving us a little closer to completing the puzzle. It was also a fair price to pay in a league where small markets rarely have All-NBA talent.
School year: B
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Affiliated players: James Harden, PJ Tucker, Luka Mitrovic
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Out players: Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin
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Select: 2027 R1 Swap (OKC), 2028 R1, 2029 R1 Swap, 2024 R2 (CLE, IND, TOR or UTA), 2029 R2
The Clippers went all out for Harden, pushing them into the middle of the table and tying up the futures of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in Los Angeles to another aging and unreliable superstar. This infusion of Harden has (so far) been true to the script he played in front of fans in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, an injection of optimism, and then an injection of optimism as Harden's reputation faded due to the rigor of the season. I gradually realized that it was going to happen.
That said, lineups with Harden, Leonard and George outscored opponents by 10.6 points per 100 possessions, and even more when you take Russell Westbrook out of the equation. At least until Harden's heliocentric offense and absentee defense tendencies prevent him from making the playoffs again, optimism remains.
School year: C
There was little difference between signing Dinwiddie to waivers and waving the white flag this season. The Lakers, clinging to a spot in the play-in tournament, were unable to improve anything by the deadline. You can't let Anthony Davis' healthy season go to waste, and you can't let LeBron James' season go to waste at 39 years old, but they still kept the powder dry through the summer, but in the summer This could end in further disappointment as they aim for a third star. . Why trade Dejounte Murray now if you might not be able to get Trae Young later?
School year: F
In seven games since returning from a sprained right knee, Rozier is averaging 18 points (48/39/93 shooting splits) and six assists (with just 1.9 turnovers) as Miami's starting point guard. He hasn't produced the wins the Heat would like, but there's still time to ensure his production produces wins. The combination of Rozier, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo cannot produce -0.5 points per 100 possessions forever.
Wright and Mills will also have playoff moments. None of these are the sexiest moves anyone has ever made in Miami, but reshaping the entire lottery-protected first-round pick position is quite a coup. The Heat's front office will have done its job if it just has a basic level of ability with the ball.
School year: B
The Bucks spent most of their money trading Damian Lillard in the offseason, so they had little to work with. This deal requires its own performance, and while they didn't like it for half the season, they are showing signs of settling into the type of contender they should be. Since Doc Rivers was benched for Adrian Griffin, the defense has returned to top-10 level. Beverley's 18 minutes a night was just a small part of that improvement, but his attitude is worth emulating if Milwaukee intends to play this season for that purpose.
School year: B-
Minnesota might have made a bigger decision had they known Karl-Anthony Towns was going to injure his knee, but that news came too late and they were left with signing Warren from the couch. It was the only option and it wasn't a good option.
Before replacing Towns on offense, the Timberwolves needed help behind point guard Mike Conley, while Monte Morris was gathering rust in Detroit. Part of that was due to a lingering quadriceps injury in the leg opposite his current hamstring injury. There's a world where Morris' decision-making can help Minnesota as you imagine, but it requires health at the top end of the rotation.
School year: C-
Everything went to hell amid a rash of injuries, but Anunoby was a formidable force when the Knicks first acquired him, averaging 10.9 points per 100 meaningful possessions in his minutes, according to Cleaning the Glass. It is said that he outperformed his opponent. The absence of Anunoby and Julius Randle hampered that development, forcing Bogdanovic and Burks to take on more important roles than the New York newcomers.
Still, it's possible that everything works out again and the former Pistons line up behind them. The Knicks are deep and tough and could be the type of team you don't want to face in any round of the playoffs. If not, Anunoby is expected to be re-signed and the Knicks retained their most coveted draft capital of the summer.
School year: a-
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Affiliated players: Gordon Hayward, Bismack Biyombo, Mike Muscala
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Out players: Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Alexei Pokuszewski, Vasilije Micic
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Select: 2027 R1 Swap (LAC), 2028 R1 Swap (DAL)
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Select: 2024 R1 (second least favorable HOU, LAC, OKC or UTA), 2026 R1 (most disadvantageous HOU, LAC or OKC), 2024 R2 (HOU), 2025 R2 (PHI)
Hayward has come off the bench for 15 minutes every night since joining the Thunder, hitting 16-of-41 from the field, so he's a seamless fit as a veteran wing on a young team that needs a veteran wing. I may have overestimated the feeling. He could replace Josh Guidi in crunch time, but the injury risk is high as well. This is Hayward's experience.
What the Thunder really needed was a big backup, and they had the assets to go after the player they wanted. Instead, they acquired Biyombo and Muscala from the scrap heap and platooned them on defense and offense behind rookie center Chet Holmgren. It feels like a missed opportunity in the size-based Western Conference.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma City executive Sam Presti squeezed a trade for two or three more first-round picks from the team that was plucked from draft capital. Think of these as fees for doing business with Presti Bank. It would be great if the Thunder could cash in from time to time, especially as a No. 1 seed.
School year: C-
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Affiliated players: Buddy Hield, Kyle Lowry, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Cameron Payne, KJ Martin
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Out players: James Harden, PJ Tucker, Beverly, Jaden Springer, Danuel House Jr., Furkan Korkmaz
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Select: 2026 R1 (Most Favorable HOU, LAC or OKC), 2028 R1 (LAC), 2029 R1 Swap (LAC), 2024 R2 (CLE), 2024 R2 (Most Favorable CHI or NOP), 2027 R2 (MIL), 2028 R2 (DET, top 55 protected)
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Select: 2024 R2 (NYK), 2024 R2 (most favorable IND or LAC), 2029 R2 (POR)
Harden put the Sixers in a no-win situation, but they did their best to ride it out, turning him into an expiring contract for several veteran wings and an unprotected first-round pick. . This was a predicted downgrade at the start of the season, but it allowed Tyrese Maxey to blossom into an All-Star at age 23.
Hield's deal would be commendable if Joel Embiid hadn't rehabbed another torn meniscus. Hield is doing his job, shooting 42% from eight 3-pointers per game, but the space he provides won't be appreciated until Embiid fills it. It feels increasingly unlikely that this will happen before the playoffs. It wasn't an easy task for Philadelphia to balance its desire to improve this season with its ability to create cap space this summer, but Hield's expiring contract was a tightrope walk. The Sixers could have re-signed him or let him walk, and the cost would have been the same as the several second-round picks they got back in a move on the margin.
School year: C+
Just when you think the well has run dry, the Suns manufacture yet another second-round pick protected at an even more complex level to acquire another role player. This time, they acquired O'Neal, a 30-year-old 3-and-D wing. So far, so good. Like many of his teammates, O'Neal rarely got a chance to play with Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. and bradley beer. When paired with two of them, Phoenix overwhelms the opponent. Durant and O'Neal alone are +16.9 points per 100 non-trash possessions, according to “Cleaning the Glass.” For Phoenix, finding enough draft capital to put together a lineup will lead to victory.
School year: a-
