Eastern contenders make their moves, but Davis must wait
Toronto, Milwaukee and Philadelphia made their moves. Anthony Davis will have to wait until the summer for his.
The New Orleans Pelicans held onto Davis, but dealt Nikola Mirotic to the Bucks, one of the Eastern Conference contenders who fortified their teams Thursday before the NBA trade deadline.
The Raptors sent Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, C.J. Miles, and a 2024 second-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Marc Gasol.
The trades were confirmed to The Associated Press by people with knowledge of the details because they couldn’t be announced before they were approved by the NBA.
A busy swap season that included Dallas’s acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis from New York ended without a move for Davis, the player who dominated the discussion in recent weeks. The Pelicans didn’t find a preferred deal for Davis, who had requested a trade and informed the team he wouldn’t sign a contract extension.
But the Lakers couldn’t put together a package to the Pelicans’ liking for the all-star forward, who will go back into the trade market after the season ends. There will be other marquee names available then with a free-agent class that could be highlighted by players such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard.
The Boston Celtics didn’t jump into the trade deadline fray, but may try to get involved by summer.
The other conference contenders looked for upgrades — and went out and got some that likely will fit well.
Milwaukee (40-13) already has the NBA’s best record and Mirotic’s outside-shooting ability for a big man would appear to fit perfectly in a lineup around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 76ers have made two major trades during the season, getting Jimmy Butler from Minnesota before the deal to bring in Harris.
Those clubs and Toronto feel they improved their chances to be the first East team to reach the final without LeBron James since 2010. Things were quieter in the West, where there were no upgrades by teams currently in a playoff position.