Not much wheeling and dealing as NBA season heads into home stretch
MIAMI — Paul George didn’t move.
Neither did Jimmy Butler, Carmelo Anthony or Derrick Rose.
As the trade deadline passed on Thursday, the NBA landscape seemed remarkably unchanged.
In all, seven deadline-day trades were put together by the deadline — but no last-minute blockbusters.
All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was traded to New Orleans by Sacramento a few days earlier, and every trade that followed paled in comparison.
“You know where all those big dominoes are? They’re still home, with the exception of one,” Miami Heat president Pat Riley said.
“I’m sure there were people that probably made some pretty significant offers. When you have that kind of player it takes a lot to say, ‘OK, we’re going to let this guy go.’ You stay with the sure thing there.”
George remained with the Indiana Pacers, despite widespread speculation that the Boston Celtics were pursuing the four-time All-Star. Butler stayed with the Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks held onto Anthony and Rose.
Anthony would have had to waive a no-trade clause in his contract for the Knicks to move him.
“I wasn’t concerned,” George said. “At the end of the day, I’m in a good situation. I heard the rumors, but I can’t control what was going to happen one way or another.”
The biggest moves came long before deadline day.
Toronto plucking forward Serge Ibaka from Orlando last week for Terrence Ross figures to improve the Raptors’ chances in the Eastern Conference, and Thursday’s move to land P.J. Tucker from Phoenix gives them another outstanding on-the-ball defender.
The deal for Cousins that went down on All-Star Sunday — in New Orleans, no less — gives the Pelicans a frontline like no other in the NBA, with Cousins alongside Anthony Davis.
In another big deal, Cleveland snagged Kyle Korver last month.
But for the most part, favorites and contenders stayed quiet on Thursday.
“It is a delicate balance of short-term goals and longterm goals,” Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said.
Boston has the chance to swap picks with Brooklyn in this year’s draft, and the Nets right now would be favored to win the lottery and hold the No 1 pick — something the Celtics would grab. Any big addition made on Thursday almost certainly would have cost them that chance.
Perhaps the most interesting moves on Thursday were not trades at all.
Dallas put five-time All-Star point guard Deron Williams on waivers, and a source familiar with the situation said that when Williams clears he plans to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which would give LeBron James the extra playmaker he covets for the looming title defense.
“Obviously we have a great deal of interest, and we’ve said it for a long time, in a playmaker,” said Cavs general manager David Griffin.
“I won’t speak to specific names just because nobody’s free currently that’s out there for us to talk about. But, obviously the need for a playmaker still exists ... and we feel that we’ll be competitive in that market for sure.”
Another notable player who might get to choose his next spot is Andrew Bogut, who was traded by Dallas to Philadelphia — and figures to be a buyout candidate.
Of the players traded on Thursday, only Roy Hibbert — dealt for the second time this month, this time from Milwaukee to Denver — has been an All-Star in the past.
Philadelphia kept Jhalil Okafor, instead moving Nerlens Noel to Dallas as part of the deal that sent Bogut to the 76ers.
The backlog of big men in Philadelphia — Noel, Okafor, Joel Embiid, newly acquired Tiago Splitter and No 1 overall pick Ben Simmons presumably at some point — made it seem like moves were going to happen, and Noel wound up being the one to go.
“I’m gonna miss my best friend, but I’m happy for him,” Embiid said.
Whether players stayed or went, when the 3 pm (EST) deadline passed, there was plenty of exhaling going on around the league.
The All-Star break officially ended on Thursday night, and now for the most part everyone knows where they’ll finish the season.
“We’re professionals,” said Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio, the subject of many rumors in recent days.
“But we’re human beings, too. We have feelings. just like everyone else.”
Paul George finished practice on Thursday by laughing, joking and slapping hands with the Indiana Pacers teammates he’s played with all season.
Then he took out his frustration publicly.
After almost a week of speculation about George’s future, the Pacers decided to stand pat at the trade deadline. They kept their biggest star, kept their supporting cast intact — and apparently kept George out of the loop on the trade talks.
“I was kind of on the ropes just like you guys about what was about to happen,” George told reporters.
“It was kind of a dark moment, a lot of uncertainty. That was the frustrating part. You want me to be your guy here, I thought I’d be in the loop a little more on that.”
Of course, he wasn’t completely out of touch.
While George tried to block out the noise, he acknowledged he was aware of rumors being bandied about on television, radio, social media, internet sites and newspapers.
Larry Bird, Indiana’s president of basketball operations, listened to offers and eventually decided not to make the move. He also declined George’s advice about adding more “pieces” to the Pacers’ roster.
Bird did not speak with reporters after watching practice.