Trades T d for f the th present, t trades for the future
HE NBA trade deadline has commenced. Staying awake till 12am (the deadline was 3am, Manila time, Friday) then giving up proved to be a wrong move.
A flurry of moves came right near the end. NBA GMs, just like college students and professional writers, are deadline-driven.
Some of them will tilt the tides of this year’s NBA playoffs, and some of them are preparations for the future. As we previously mentioned, the NBA trade deadline divides the league — the contenders and the tankers.
Surprise contender in the East
In the pre-season projections, there ar are just a few contenders in the East. Fo Foremost was the Philadelphia 76ers w which dealt away Jimmy Butler, but go got Al Horford from Boston. Horford w was acquired for one primary reason — stop Giannis Antetokounmpo. H Horford was also known as the “E “Embiid-stopper” so they also took aw away a thorn on their side.
Nobody predicted that the Miami H Heat will face the deadline with a better te record than the Sixers. It seems like Bu Butler has finally found a home. This is another lesson — just because they ar are professionals, doesn’t mean you can pl plug them anywhere.
That’s also a lesson for the Sixers — they have two uber-talents in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Any other team with two players at their level would be fearsome — but they are just not a good fit. The playoffs will heavily shape the narrative on this team’s summer.
The Miami Heat was not subject to pressure. Many skeptics were wondering how Butler would cope to what was presumed as a lottery team. Butler second option was Goran Dragic. After that, they had mostly youngsters.
Then, Coach Erik Spoelstra’s player development kicked in. Third year center Bam Adebayo turned into an AllStar. Undrafted players Kris Nunn and Duncan Robinson were absolute steals. Tyler Herro was worth his lotto pick.
Now, the Heat armed themselves for the playoffs. Trading away Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters and his gummies and James Johnson. Winslow was the prize for Memphis, since he fits with young stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson.
The Heat will have battle-tested, Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder to add along with the new core. They will be legit contenders in the East.
Blockbuster shapes the future
The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves are at the bottom of the West, but they have a clear message for their Conference-mates: Enjoy your playoff runs, we’ll take back our slots next season.
The Warriors will return the splash brothers and get a lottery pick. Now, they will have 2014 first overall pick Andrew Wiggins. While he is the league’s biggest underachiever, there is a chance a change of scenery will give his career a boost. We know he has the talent and he can be unleashed anytime.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will finally give Karl-Anthony Towns a reason to stick around. They now have the first two picks of the 2015 draft, and two of three of the next aspiring “superfriends.” They only need Devin Booker to complete the triumvirate.
These are the trades that shape the playoffs this year and next year. The Clippers got their goal of grabbing a Morris twin, but the Lakers may have won the trading deadline by not doing anything (or managing to stop LeBron from trading anybody). Kyle Kuzma also wins by staying in Hollywood. No matter how much he says it doesn’t matter, being a Laker always has its perks. Anthony Davis knows.
Dilemma in Diliman?
It has been confirmed that the Gomez de Liano brothers, Juan and Javi, will not return as Fighting Maroons for UAAP Season 83.
The GDLs were homegrown stars, they even have a younger brother (Jordi) in UPIS. When they made the Finals in Season 81, everyone thought they’d be happy having Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero to help their campaign in Season 82.
Is the GDLs decision a sign that they actually did not like how they were upstaged?
They hinted that they could still play for UP — but that would be Season 84 at the soonest, when Paras and Rivero have left. Not sowing intrigue, but it makes me go “Hmmm.”