NBA TRADE DEADLINE - 2021-2022

 Today is one of my favorite days in sports, especially for the NBA, outside of Opening Night, the playoffs, and the NBA Finals the trade deadline is so exciting, and today lived up to the hype. New beginnings for players and teams, as well as the fans can try to imagine the way their favorite team or least favorite team, will now look after a roster shakeup. If you're a big NBA fan like me, Woj and Shams were blowing your phone up today and the few days leading up to the deadline with notifications. So what I did was take my NBA Showdown format and much like the MLB Trade Deadline set, I tried to make cards for the players that I believe were the most impactful of those moved this past week. Lets go over the trades

THE BLOCKBUSTER 

1:17 p.m. ET: The Brooklyn Nets are trading James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Sixers are sending the Nets an unprotected 2022 first-round pick and a protected 2027 first-round pick, sources tell ESPN

The biggest move of the day, the Ben Simmons saga played out all season, and then out of nowhere this past month James Harden really seemed like he did not want to be in Brooklyn, both teams made great improvements potentially. For Philly I love the go all in for the next few years adding James Harden to front runner for the MVP Joel Embiid. For Brooklyn their biggest issue this season has been availability and depth, this trade sort of checked both of those boxes. Kyrie not playing home games effects continuity and it will continue to effect them for the rest of the season. But adding Ben Simmons gives them a top 5 on ball defender in the league, and a star player that doesn't need to shoot the ball to make his impact on the game. At full strength adding that to two of the most lethal scorers in the league can be a great combination. On top of that they get Seth Curry who will stretch the floor for Brooklyn and Andre Drummond, who will be another big body that they can throw at their opponents in the playoffs. 

2:59 p.m. ET: The Houston Rockets are trading Daniel Theis to the Boston Celtics, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Boston is sending guard Dennis Schroder to the Rockets in the deal. Houston gets Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando as well.

Schroder is a big offensive threat, how will he fit in with all the youth in Houston is the biggest question that I have. Is he going to play for them and if he does, will he start or come off the bench. 

2:37 p.m. ET: The Dallas Mavericks are trading Kristaps Porzingis and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.

A deal that helps make some cap space for the Mavericks, that allowed them to extend Dorian Finney-Smith shortly after the deadline. Porzingis has never been able to be healthy since the Mavs acquired him from the Knicks, maybe Washington will be the fresh start that he needs.

Spencer Dinwiddie struggled to play well alongside Bradley Beal, and the Wizards wanted to move on from him to try to put better pieces around the team going forward.

2:23 p.m. ET: The Charlotte Hornets are acquiring Washington Wizards center Montrezl Harrell for Vernon Carey Jr. and Ish Smith, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Montrezl Harrell is a big time energy offensive bucket getter. The Wizards made a few moves today to try and look toward the future. In Showdown terms Harrell is a tough one to fit on the roster, super high price tag for a guy that doesn't score as much as the other high priced players, he can make a big impact in the game, but at that price you can grab a much better scoring option. 

1:38 p.m. ET: The Boston Celtics are acquiring guard Derrick White in a trade from the San Antonio Spurs, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Romeo Langford, Josh Richardson and a top-4 protected 2022 first-round pick are going to San Antonio. The Spurs will also have rights to swap first-round picks with Boston in 2028.

I just got to watch Derrick White play last night against my Cavs, I like the way he played as a scorer for the Spurs, and should fill a nice role off the bench for them after they moved Dennis Schroder today. 

11:44 a.m. ET: The Sacramento Kings are acquiring Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo in a four-team trade, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Kings forward Marvin Bagley is going to the Detroit Pistons. The Bucks are acquiring the LA Clippers' Serge Ibaka in the deal, according to Wojnarowski. Detroit, which is sending out multiple second-round picks, is sending Josh Jackson and Trey Lyles to the Kings. The Bucks are sending Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood to the Clippers in the four-team deal, too.

I think this can be one of the best moves of the deadline for the Bucks, not a splashy big land, but the Bucks didn't need that. If Ibaka can stay healthy, he will be very useful in the playoffs, he can space the floor, provide some defense and protect the rim. 

Feb. 8th 1:28 p.m. ET: The Indiana Pacers are trading Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday and a 2027 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings for Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Sabonis, a two-time All-Star, is averaging 18.9 points and 12.1 rebounds this season.

A trade that is highly questionable, as the Kings moved on from the young guard for Domantas Sabonis, the kings added an All Star, while the Pacers retooled to get younger as it seems they are moving towards a rebuild. Sabonis is a stud, and if the Kings can make a few more moves they may finally make the playoffs one year, but as a Browns fan I know all about being a fan of a terribly ran organization. 

10:59 a.m. ET: The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to send CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell to the New Orleans Pelicans, sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pelicans are sending Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, a future first-round pick and two future second-round picks to the Blazers.

Portland has gone on to empty the books, any player under contract for a lot of money is basically out of there unless your name is Damian Lillard. The offseason will be huge for them, as they look to retool their entire roster to try to keep their superstar guard happy, and hope he doesn't ask out, although all these moves, makes you wonder, do they want him to ask out?

Feb 6th 4:37 p.m. ET: The Cleveland Cavaliers are acquiring Caris LeVert and a 2022 second-round pick (via Miami) from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Ricky Rubio, a lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick (via Houston) and a 2027 second-round pick (via Utah), sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

My Cleveland fandom will take over here, I was super excited for the Cavs to land Caris LeVert, he can be a lethal scorer, as he showed scoring 42 on the Bulls in his last game as a Pacer and when he scored 22 of his 30 points against the Lakers in the 4th quarter alone. The Cavaliers needed a secondary scoring option and ball handler after the injuries to Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio, this can give the Cavs a little more offensive punch as they continue to shock the league this season. The Pacers will take the picks Cleveland sends them to retool the rebuild, and Ricky Rubio will never play a game for them as he is out for the season and is in the last year of his contract. Rubio was sensational this season sparking the Cleveland bench, and it was a shame to see him go down the way he did. Hopefully he recovers well and whatever team he ends up on next season will enjoy the same benefits he provides.

Feb 4th 2:26 p.m. ET: The LA Clippers are trading Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a future second-round pick to the Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Clippers are sending the Trail Blazers a 2025 second-round pick via the Detroit Pistons, sources told Wojnarowski.

The beginning of the trades, the Blazers started out showing they were going to be sellers at the deadline, and the Clippers made a nice move to add some wing depth for the rest of the season, and look towards the future. Hopefully for the Clippers Paul George and Kawhi Leonard will be healthy next season, if so adding Norman Powell to that dynamic gives them another explosive wing. 

Lets hear your thoughts on the deadline, sorry if I didn't include a player that I personally didn't feel was that impactful, or they just didn't play in many games this season. If there was a massive oversight, I may go back and correct it. Be on the lookout for more NBA content this season, as I gear towards the end of the 2021-2022 Season which a full set will be made and posted, and a special season is being worked on right now that will be released around the same time. I hope I can sway a few of you MLB players to give NBA showdown a shot, at the very least for a change of pace between MLB games.