Trevor Ruszkowski//USA TODAY Sports
The NBA Trade Deadline hit at 3:00 ET this afternoon. After rumors about the potential of big-time NBA Stars being on the move, it was a pretty uneventful day. We’ll take you through all of the most important deals, what they mean, and how they change things as the playoffs loom larger every day.
Phoenix Adds to Their Depth
Phoenix wanted to sure up their wing instability before attempting a big playoff push. In a three-team trade, Phoenix acquired Royce O’Neale from the Brooklyn Nets and David Roddy from the Memphis Grizzlies. In return, Phoenix sent Keita Bates-Diop, Chimezie Metu, and Jordan Goodwin to the Nets, as well as Yutu Watanabe to the Grizzlies.
O’Neale is an NBA vet most notable for his ability to play defense and make threes, he’s hit 37% from beyond the arc this year while averaging 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He also brings 44 games of playoff experience and 495 career NBA games.
Roddy is a 6’4 255-pound wing and the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft from Colorado State. He currently averages 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. Both Roddy and O’Neale will be in the rotation, while O’Neale will most likely compete with Josh Okogie for a crack at the starting lineup.
Dallas Adds A Starter and Some Depth
The Mavericks currently stand at 28-23, good enough for 8th place in the Western Conference. The addition of PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets hopes to inch them closer to a potential home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Washington is an above-average scorer and another critical piece to this Dallas roster, and the answer to their need for a 3-and-D wing. He has averaged 13.6 points a game, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists this season in Charlotte.
Grant Williams, who was Dallas’ big-time free agent acquisition this off-season, is part of the group headed to Charlotte for Washington. After an injury to his knee, Williams’ production fell off, and Dallas couldn’t afford to keep him around. Also going to Charlotte is Seth Curry, and a top-two protected 2027 first-round pick.
Dallas also traded for Washington Wizards center Daniel Gafford. Gafford averaged 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game this season. Gafford will fall into the backup rim protector role behind rookie center Dereck Lively. Gafford will be a key piece off the bench for a team that has struggled when Lively has been hurt and out of the lineup.
76ers Add a Sharpshooter
The 76ers have been struggling on offense since the injury to Joel Embiid; insert Buddy Hield. Hield is an elite scorer, averaging 15.7 points per game on 40% 3-point shooting in his career. With Embiid likely to miss extended time, Hield is a key addition to help spark the offense and sustain enough winning to get the 76ers a spot in the playoffs, and potentially even home-court advantage in the first round and beyond.
In return, the 76ers sent Furkan Korkmaz, Marcus Morris, three second-round picks, and $1.5 million in cash to Indiana. This move, along with Hield's expiring contract, should clear enough space for the 76ers to go after a max contract caliber player this offseason.
OKC Acquires Veteran Leadership
The one-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder are young but extremely talented. Today, the Thunder went out and acquired a savvy veteran from the Charlotte Hornets (who are in full rebuild mode), Gordon Hayward.
Hayward should provide leadership, ball handling, playmaking ability, and be a reliable scorer who will give you 15 points every time he steps on the court. His role is unclear as OKC has played the same starting five throughout the season. Even if he is to come off the bench, he will provide offense for the second unit and will take some of the pressure off SGA and Giddy as the featured ball handlers. Hayward has been in and out of the lineup this year due to injury, in 25 games this season he has averaged 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.
The Thunder sent back Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, and David Bertans, as well as draft compensation. All three sparingly cracked the lineup in OKC, but should be able to get more run in Charlotte. Mann and Micic are young players who could continue to develop if given the opportunity. Bertans is a vet who is known as a stretch four who can shoot the ball and has size.
Knicks Find Brunson Some Help
The Detroit Pistons have agreed to send Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to the New York Knicks. In return, the Knicks will send back Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono, and two second-round picks.
Both Bogdanovic and Burks excel at shooting the deep ball as both average above 40% from three-point. They are capable scorers and that's exactly what the Knicks need to get over the hump. With the injuries to stars OG Anunoby and Julius Randle, the Knicks have had to lean on Jalen Brunson. While Brunson has answered the call and been playing out of his mind, he’ll now have some help with shooters spacing the floor.
This should help cement an already solid Knicks rotation when healthy. They’ll have plenty of scoring options on the roster and will be able to spread the floor and get better looks for their scorers. The Knicks have been hungry for a deep playoff run for quite a while now, and they are loading up with valuable additions at the deadline this year.
Grimes, who was a valuable piece in the rotation as a younger wing with a lot of upside and athleticism, will now be able to most likely start in Detroit and develop. While Fournier, Flynn, and Arcidiacono have played very sparingly for the Knicks, it would not surprise me to see them getting more minutes as Detroit continues to struggle. A guy like Evan Fournier may be bought out as Detroit does not have much use for a veteran like him at this point in his career. Detroit should look to continue to play and develop young talent.
Toronto and Brooklyn Swap Guards
Nets starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie is being sent to Toronto. In return, Brooklyn is getting long-time NBA veterans Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young.
Schroder had been the starting guard for a good portion of the season in Toronto. After the acquisition of Immanual Quickly in the OG Anunoby deal, Schroder's role decreased. Now he’ll go to Brooklyn where he most likely jumps into a starting role for a Nets team that has lost 15 of their last 20. Young has played very little for the Raptors this year, and most likely will fit into some depth position at the wing spot in Brooklyn.
Dinwiddie, who was the centerpiece of a lot of trade conversations involving championship contenders, won’t be in Toronto for long. The Raptors plan on buying out his contract, meaning he’ll become a free agent and free to sign elsewhere. He’s had a down year, but he’s a veteran who has played a lot of ball in his career. He’ll most likely end up on a contender looking to fill a backup guard role.
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