The NBA trade deadline isn’t until Thursday. But like me when I was 8am on Christmas, some teams just couldn’t wait! Several deals closed on Tuesday and big, big names moved. And some are not big either. Let’s find out.
Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah
Oooooook, Danny Ainge. No one has seen that one, and since there are multiple draft picks in the deal, I think JJJ will stick around. The scoring won’t increase much because Utah doesn’t have those types of playmakers and they play at a slower pace than Memphis. The hope is that they will use his defense more effectively, and the stocks and threes will rise.
The biggest fear, however, is the Utah Shutdown. Utah has a protected pick in the top 8 of the first round this season and there is no way they lose that pick. They won’t be playing JJJ much this season. It’s a catastrophic deal for Jackson owners.
VERDICT: Loser in this deal. Also, don’t worry if anyone goes to Memphis.
James Harden traded for Darius Garland
Harden will do just fine in Cleveland, he’s not the 45% usage guy anymore. Donovan Mitchell still drives the train. I really think Jarrett Allen will benefit from it. Harden is now a great passer to the post, and the Cleveland big man can get big dunks. Should still help the shooting percentage. Evan Mobley is also not injured by this, even though he is currently injured in real life.
CAVS VERDICT: Everyone wins here. Not the most popular draft, but adding a true playmaker instead of what Garland did will help the Cavs numbers.
Winston Garland’s kid becomes the second option instead of the third and moves to a faster team. Yes, he is a winner, he scores, more chances on the ball. The Kawhi Leonard thing just gives him more room to operate. Clear winner here.
VERDICT: I just said this as a dummy, but Garland is a winner.
Bulls Chaos Hour
Nikola Vucevic is headed to the Celtics where he will play fewer minutes and have a lesser role. Néemas Queta and him will likely split minutes and this really hurts the value of both. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vuc averaged 12-6 in the future. I’ll have to hold out for now, but it’s very disheartening for those of us who found his constant availability and accumulation of numbers useful. Be well, Sir Vooochie.
As of Wednesday, Jalen Smith will be the Bulls’ lone center. He’s a clear winner here. Think 15-10 with some big three-point shooting plays. Biggest pickup for now and I really regret putting it in a league!
Anfernee Simons went to Chicago but could be turned around. No comment until we see where he lands.
In a smaller deal, Jaden Ivey went to Chicago for Kevin Huerter. Huerter is a bench player for Detroit and you can keep forgetting he’s in the league. Ivey is intriguing if he gets minutes and the Bulls trade more guards. Now that his broken leg has healed, he might be more of a guy to watch next season than he was this season. Again, we’ll see how the Bulls look on Friday. Ivey is a pickup to see what happens in 12 teamers.
Quick taste here! More to come as the news drops. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
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