The NBA has become a 24/7 news cycle, with blockbuster trades and signings sweeping through Twitter timelines left, right and centre year-round.
While many of the league’s notable deals are brokered between July and October, the lead-up to the Feb. 7 NBA trade deadline provides contending teams another opportunity to improve their rosters and address points of weakness ahead of a hopeful playoff push; for organizations out of the playoff picture, the deadline gives teams a chance to sell off coveted players for salary relief or future assets.
But deadline deals don’t only bolster a team’s chances at contending or aid in a rebuild, they can help shape the league’s landscape for seasons to follow.
All anyone can talk about in NBA circles of late is Anthony Davis’ recent trade request, and in particular, which team the all-NBA forward may wind up on. The ripple effects that would stem from a deadline deal involving the superstar would be seismic and have the potential to change the league’s hierarchy as we know it.
With that in mind, here’s a look at some past deadline deals that wound up impacting the NBA’s landscape this season:
Demarcus Cousins arrives in the Big Easy — Feb. 23, 2017
New Orleans Pelicans receive: DeMarcus Cousins, Omri Casspi
Sacramento Kings receive: Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, 2017 first-round pick, 2017 second-round pick
The Sacramento Kings were the NBA’s laughing stock for nearly two decades because of their lack of success in the standings and questionable organizational decisions.
Much of DeMarcus Cousins’ time in Sacramento was mired with rumours of dysfunction and in the final year of his contract, the Kings, at long last, made a smart move by trading the dynamic centre to the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Kings successfully improved their future outlook in the process, acquiring talented guard Buddy Hield and a 2017 first-rounder that ended up becoming De’Aaron Fox. Now, after years of mediocrity, Sacramento has its back-court of the future in Fox and Hield, not to mention hope moving forward.
Pairing Cousins with Anthony Davis in New Orleans created a lethal front-court with a skill-set few opposing forwards, let alone teams, could contain.
The Pelicans were one of the more intriguing teams with Cousins and Davis following the trade, as the big men developed strong chemistry as the season progressed. Unfortunately, Cousins tore his Achilles tendon on Jan. 26, 2018. At the time he went down Cousins and Davis were the only teammates in history to each average 25 points and 10 rebounds in a single season.
Davis and Jrue Holiday carried the Pelicans to a sweep against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, but the challenge of taking down the Golden State Warriors proved to be too daunting in the Western Conference semifinals. It’s impossible not to wonder what could have been: Would the club have fared any better against a Warriors team lacking an interior presence if they had Cousins’ services?
If he hadn’t torn his Achilles, Cousins may have also stayed in New Orleans long-term. Instead, the injury diminished his value when free agency arrived, leading the former Kentucky product to sign a one-year, $5 million contract with the two-time defending champion Warriors. With Cousins on board, a third straight title could be headed to the Bay Area (if it wasn’t already before his acquisition).
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Blake Griffin heads to the Motor City — Jan. 29, 2018
Detroit Pistons receive: Blake Griffin, Willie Reed, Brice Johnson
Los Angeles Clippers receive: Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, 2018 first-round pick, 2019 second-round pick
In an effort to provide a spark to their roster, the Detroit Pistons sent a package headlined by promising talent Tobias Harris and draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for a new franchise player in Blake Griffin.
Griffin has flourished statistically since the blockbuster, averaging a career-high 26.3 points per game on 48 per cent shooting this season. Despite the individual success, though, Griffin hasn’t exactly gelled alongside Andre Drummond in the Pistons front-court, not to mention the rest of the team. Pairing Griffin with Drummond appeared doomed from the get-go, and in hindsight seemed like Detroit’s way of trying to resurrect some version of the Clippers’ Lob City duo in hopes of packing more fans into Little Caesars Arena.
Couple that with the Pistons having a serious problem getting meaningful minutes at point guard, and this deal hasn’t exactly moved the needle for a Detroit team desperate to reach the playoffs for just the second time in a decade.
As you can tell from the clip below, Griffin hasn’t always been thrilled with the Pistons’ play during his first full season in the Motor City, even after wins.
On the flip-side, the Clippers must be thrilled they got out of paying Griffin’s monstrous five-year, $171 million contract. Ridding themselves of that money provided the team significant financial flexibility ahead of the 2019 off-season; Los Angeles could be major players in free-agency, with room to potentially sign two marquee free-agents this summer.
Since parting ways with Griffin and letting DeAndre Jordan walk in free-agency, the Clippers’ on-court product has been impressive, too. Harris has thrived as L.A.’s leading scorer, while rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who was selected with the first-round pick Detroit gave up in the deal) has showed flashes of promise in 26 minutes per game.
At this point, the Clippers are clear winners of the deal based on their future outlook alone. Meanwhile, Detroit is still stuck in the mud with Griffin on its roster, searching for a way to crack the top-eight in a weak Eastern Conference.
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Serge Ibaka is sent north — Feb. 14, 2017
Toronto Raptors receive: Serge Ibaka
Orlando Magic receive: Terrence Ross, 2017 first-round pick
Okay, this deal didn’t go down right at the deadline that season. Nevertheless, its impact continues to be felt.
At the time of the deal, Toronto ranked in the bottom-third of the league in both defensive and overall rebounding. In acquiring Serge Ibaka from Orlando, the Raptors fortified their depth at the four spot — Pascal Siakam hadn’t quite developed into the borderline all-star he is now — giving them a chance to get over the ever-so-daunting playoff hump known as LeBron James.
The LeBron-led Cavaliers ended up eliminating Toronto in both of Ibaka’s first two seasons north of the border. But with James now in the West and head coach Nick Nurse strictly deploying Ibaka as a centre, the Congolese big man finds himself in the midst of a bounce-back campaign for one of the East’s top teams.
Orlando has gotten solid contributions from Terrence Ross, with the Raptors’ eighth-overall selection in 2013 averaging a career-high 14 points per game. With Ross, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier filling complementary roles behind Nikola Vucevic, the Magic still lack the firepower to compete for a playoff spot, though.
Isaiah Thomas goes to Hollywood — Feb. 8, 2018
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, 2018 protected first-round pick
Cleveland Cavaliers receive: Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr.
This deal signified the climax of Isaiah Thomas’ dramatic fall from grace.
A dark horse MVP candidate as a member of the Celtics in 2016-17 when he ranked third in league scoring with 28.9 points per game, Thomas’ severe hip ailment ultimately prevented him from ever reaching an all-star level again. After he was traded to the Lakers, Thomas filled in as the club’s backup point guard, occupying that role until his hip forced him out indefinitely. Now rehabbing as a member of the Denver Nuggets, it remains to be seen whether Thomas can make an impact upon his return.
The Thomas deal was really the beginning of the end for Cleveland’s reign atop the East, as general manager Koby Altman’s attempt at revamping the Cavs’ roster to LeBron’s liking wasn’t enough to keep basketball’s premier talent in Cleveland — even though LeBron may have been set on L.A. regardless.
Fast forward 12 months: Cleveland is the league’s worst team, and the future is bleak in Ohio. Even if Kevin Love was healthy, circumstances would still be dire.
Dwyane Wade takes his talents back to South Beach — Feb. 8, 2018
Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade
Cleveland Cavaliers receive: 2024 protected second-round pick
As noted, the Cavaliers were in a troubling situation heading into the trade deadline, caught between trying to assemble a roster that could compete for titles with LeBron in the present all the while knowing a future was likely coming in which he wouldn’t be there.
Thankfully, Koby Altman did Dwyane Wade a solid by sending the future Hall of Fame shooting guard back to where it all began. Wade playing with the Miami Heat for his final season just feels right.
The Last Dance ceases to exist if not for this deal.
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