The NBA trade deadline came and went last Thursday, and for a while it had looked like a lot of teams would stand pat. There were teams that wanted to make moves, of course, but it looked like the prices were too high in terms of draft picks and young players. Then came the last day — when 16 different trades happened. Two of the players that many thought would head elsewhere (Kyle Lowry and Lonzo Ball) remained where they were in Toronto and New Orleans, respectively, but there was still plenty of intrigue.
In this week’s NBA Rumor Mill, let’s look at some of the winners and losers from the trade deadline — and how that could influence your online NBA betting.
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Denver traded to bring in Aaron Gordon, who will take the role that Jerami Grant had filled for them. Gordon is a shot creator, giving the Nuggets three of them, and perhaps four if Michael Porter Jr is on his game. He can set picks, roll to the hoop, cut to the basket and distract defenders. He is also making 37.5 percent of his shots from downtown this season, so you can’t leave him alone outside. On defense, Gordon is athletic, has size, and can shut down scorers from time to time. He can spend time on LeBron, Kawhi, Paul George and other top scorers in limited time capacity. Denver also added JaVale McGee to play as a backup inside. He has title experience and can matchup with the likes of Andre Drummond and Rudy Gobert. The Nuggets needed to take some steps to join the elite in the West, and this gets them closer.
Orlando shipped Gordon, Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier out of town to get draft picks. It was time to commit to a rebuild, and the Magic did it. This represented an admission that the Magic had hit a ceiling while still mediocre. Now the team can rebuild, beginning with Jonathan Isaac as the initial key player. The Magic picked up three first-round draft choices, two second-round picks and prospects like R.J. Hampton and Wendell Carter. This isn’t the first rebuild for the Magic, but this is one that had to happen.
Boston thought that they would end up with Aaron Gordon, and they came into the deadline with the biggest exception in NBA history to get things going. However, the team had to settle for Evan Fournier (who does make the team better with his shooting). They don’t have Daniel Theis, but they have enough big men inside. The team is also below the luxury tax.
Brooklyn comes out of the trade deadline as a winner because of none of their competitors took major steps toward contention. They did bring in LaMarcus Aldridge after the Spurs bought him out, and the Nets look like the top roster in the East — although they haven’t yet managed to catch the Philadelphia 76ers atop the conference standings.
Chicago also made their roster better with aggressive change. They brought in Nikola Vucevic to join Zach LaVine. Troy Brown Jr and Daniel Theis came to town to bring in depth, and they did not have to give up any key pieces in their rotation. They did send away two first-round draft choices, which will hurt them a bit, but they needed talent now if they were going to make a move up from tenth in the East and have a better shot at the playoffs. They have a pair of All-Stars, which should add some fuel to the offense. They’re still not on the same level with the top three in the conference, but it is a good sign of things to come.
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