The NBA trade deadline came and went last Thursday. It was not the most active trade deadline as stars Jimmy Butler and Paul George ended up not being moved after there were rumors all week. However, some teams won and some teams lost once the deadline came and went.
The biggest winner is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Yes, I realize they made no trades. However, they signed Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut could be on the way, both of who bought out by their respective teams. The Cavs depth is now crazy good. Williams and Bogut off the bench is very impressive. They are two quality players, and the Cavs got them while giving up anything. I consider that a win.
Another winner is the New Orleans Pelicans, who acquired stud big Demarcus Cousins from the Sacramento Kings by giving up Buddy Hield as the centerpiece. Cousins is one of the best big guys in the NBA and he now joins another one of the best bigs in the game, Anthony Davis. The Pelicans still have ways to go until they're a finals contender, but they are off to a good start.
My team that is neither a winner nor loser is the Boston Celtics. The Celtics did not add either George or Butler or add anyone to help solve their rebounding issue. They are not going to beat the Cavs this year. The Cavs just have way too much in their arsenal. However, the Celtics still have the Brooklyn Nets first round pick this year, which will be a top four pick at least since the Nets have the worst record in the NBA.
And this upcoming draft is stacked with talent so the Celtics should be able to land a very good young player that can help them win in the long term for many years. I can’t call a team that already has a good core of young players and a top draft pick upcoming a loser.
One of the biggest losers from the trade deadline is the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls decided not to trade Butler, which is fine since you should only trade him for an A-plus package. However, the Bulls continue to be stuck in mediocrity, which is the worst place to be in the NBA. The one trade they did make was odd. They traded Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Cameron Payne, Anthony Morrow and Joffery Lauvergne.
Trading Gibson is fine because he is out of his prime and in the last year of his contract. He was a great Bull, but it was time to move on. Trading McDermott is odd. The Bulls front office gave up two first rounders and a second rounder during the 2014 NBA draft to get McDermott. How do you give up on him only two and a half years into his career? He is also one of the only players on the roster that fits the mold of being young and being able to shoot, which is what coach Fred Hoiberg wants in players. At least they kept Dwyane Wade, who is 35 years old and will probably opt out of his contract after this season. The front office continues to make bad decision after bad decision.
My other trade deadline loser is the New York Knicks. I could go with the Kings here, but that is obvious. The main thing the Knicks failed to do was to trade Carmelo Anthony. Anthony and his relationship with the Knicks is a disaster. Team President Phil Jackson does not want Anthony on the team anymore. Jackson might not care about the team anyways but that is a whole different story. There were rumors that they could get some value for Anthony but nothing close ended up happening. The Knicks continue to be a circus thanks to owner James Dolan, Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony. The only argument worth having about the Knicks these days is whether they're a weaker organization than the Sacramento Kings.
Mike Smith is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What teams impressed you at the trade deadline? Let Mike know by emailing him at ms983012@ohio.edu.
