Deadline deals include Pelicans but not Davis
“Those teams were already really good. And the assumption would only be that they’d only benefit from those moves.”
– BOSTON CELTICS COACH BRAD STEVENS
The Milwaukee Bucks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors all made their moves.
Anthony Davis will have to wait until the summer for his.
The New Orleans Pelicans held on to 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 are getting former All-Star center
Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies. The 76ers, a day after acquiring forward Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers, sent Markelle Fultz to the Orlando Magic and will hope Jonathan Simmons can provide some production where the former No. 1 pick couldn’t.
“Those teams were already really good. And the assumption would only be that they’d only benefit from those moves,” said Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens, whose team must contend with them in the East. “It will be quite a challenge. As we knew it would be.”
All 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 swapping season that included the Dallas Mavericks’ acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis from the New York Knicks ended without a move for Davis, the player who dominated the discussion in recent weeks. The Pelicans didn’t find a deal for the 25-year-old six-time All-Star, who had requested a trade and informed the team he wouldn’t sign a contract extension this summer.
But the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t put together a strong enough 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 class of free agents that could be highlighted by players such as Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), Kyrie Irving (Celtics) and Kawhi Leonard (Raptors).
Boston didn’t jump into the trading deadline fray but may try to get involved in the summer. For now, the Celtics appear to feel they have enough to win the East.
The other conference contenders looked for upgrades — and went out and got some that likely will fit well.
Milwaukee already had the NBA’s best record at 40-13, and Mirotic’s outside-shooting ability for a big man would appear to fit perfectly in a lineup around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Two games back of the Bucks, the Raptors sent center Jonas Valanciunias to Memphis to acquire Gasol. Valanciunas had been coming off the bench and Toronto coach Nick Nurse will have to decide whether he uses Gasol in the same manner or returns to a traditional bigger lineup with the former defensive player of the year in the middle.
The 76ers have made two major trades during the season, previously getting Jimmy Butler from Minnesota before the deal to bring in Harris, Boban Marjanovic and forward Mike Scott.
Things were quieter in the West, where there were no upgrades by teams currently in playoff position.