WINNERS, LOSERS
The Knicks score a rare victory as the Porzingis deal frees up salary-cap space in the quest for star free agents
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, with more than 20 teams swinging deals and more than 20 draft picks changing hands in the days leading up to the closing of the window at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Some of those draft picks extend until 2024.
And that means there are players perhaps in eighth or ninth grade, right now, who essentially have gotten traded in the last couple days — because the draft slots they’ll fill five years from now have changed hands already. So nobody will know with absolute certainly what the full impact of Trade Deadline 2019 will have on the NBA, but in the short term, there’s some clear teams that did really well and others who didn’t come away happy from trade season.
The breakdown:
Salary-Cap Winners
• Dallas Mavericks The way the Harrison Barnes trade went down was awkward and unforgettable — Dirk Nowitzki will be the answer to the trivia question — “who replaced Barnes when the Mavs had to take him out of a game because they agreed to trade him during play?” — but Dallas transformed itself during trade season. They
now have a ton of cap space for this summer, and the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. to play alongside Luka Doncic suggest that Dallas is ready for the long haul.
• Los Angeles Clippers Their trade where they sent Tobias Harris to Philadelphia was truly smart for both sides. Getting a pair of future first-round picks is huge for the Clippers, who are well-positioned financially (and in terms of roster flexibility) to be in the mix for Kawhi Leonard this summer. The whole week was a series of good moves for the Clippers.
• New York Knicks Though it wasn’t a true trade-deadline move, the trade last week that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas means the Knicks will have room for two max free agents this summer.
• Washington Wizards John Wall’s Achilles tear changes everything for Washington, which managed to deal Markieff Morris and Otto Porter Jr. to escape the luxury tax. (So at least, they’re winning on the money front.)
On-Court Winners
• Philadelphia 76ers The Harris trade from the Clippers says the 76ers are all-in, right now, on trying to win the Eastern Conference. Best starting five in the East, arguably.
• Milwaukee Bucks Team with NBA’s best record adds Nikola Mirotic, who gives Mike Budenholzer so many new options with the big-man lineup. The Bucks got better.
• Toronto Raptors Marc Gasol will fit perfectly with this roster, and although the Raptors were fond of Jonas Valanciunias this one is unquestionably an upgrade.
• Houston Rockets They got better with the Iman Shumpert addition, and escaped the luxury tax.
• Erik Spoelstra The Miami Heat coach has had to juggle a massive logjam at guard all season, to the point where he said he was sickened by not being able to find minutes for Wayne Ellington. Trading Ellington and Tyler Johnson to Phoenix for Ryan Anderson gives Miami some big tax relief, but the more important part of the deal is that it gives Spoelstra some relief from the headaches he’s had managing
a rotation with too many wings.
Jury Still Out On ...
• Sacramento Kings Give the Kings credit. They’re all-in on winning now. By getting Barnes from Dallas and adding him to their young core, the Kings are saying they have a plan not only for their playoff push this year but — since Barnes has a $25.1 million option for next season — they obviously have a plan for 201920 as well. There is a playoff spot to be had in the Western Conference, and the Kings haven’t been to the postseason since 2006. That’s the longest current streak of futility in the NBA, and it might be ending in a couple months.
• Carmelo Anthony He’s free to find a new home following his acquisition and subsequent waiving by Chicago, and now that the trade chips have settled Anthony will finally be able to decide where he fits best and target those teams as he offers himself up as a late-season rental. His closest friends in the league, players like Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul, insist that Anthony can still play. Soon we’ll know which NBA team agrees.
• Wayne Ellington Ellington was stuck in a rotation crunch with Miami, so getting traded to (and then waived by) Phoenix means he gets to choose his own future. Contenders will come calling for Ellington, the Heat recordholder for 3-pointers made in a season.
• Boston Celtics Toronto, Philadelphia and Milwaukee all made significant moves. The Celtics stood pat. Clearly, the plan is to get Anthony Davis.
• Golden State Warriors They were not expected to be a major player in the trade market. But now they can survey the landscape, look at who’s out there on a loaded buyout market, and fine-tune their roster. Which, one would expect, they will.
Special Recognition
Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin IV started the week in Portland. Then they got traded to Cleveland. Then Houston. Then Indiana. And they’ll be waived by the Pacers. By the weekend, they could each be on their fifth team in about seven days.
They didn’t win or lose. They probably just feel dizzy.