6 Deals That Should've Happened at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline
No superstars moved on trade deadline day in the NBA, but it was a fascinating week nonetheless.
Role players were shuffled all over the league. Teams made moves on the margins. The general approach seemed to prefer tweaks to overhauls.
That meant a handful of the more oft-discussed players stayed where they are, and in some cases, they probably shouldn't have.
Below, we'll go over some of the moves that should've gone down on Thursday.
Bruce Brown to the Knicks
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Before we get into the explanation here, it's worth noting two things.
The New York Knicks had one of the best deadline days of anyone in the league (and if you extend back to include the OG Anunoby deal, one of the best trade seasons overall). Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors' approach was a bit of a head-scratcher.
But even if the Knicks did well to add Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanović from the Detroit Pistons, a Bruce Brown deal might've made the deadline better for New York and certainly would've for Toronto.
Initial reporting on the Burks deal made it seem like a standalone that sent Quentin Grimes to the Detroit Pistons. If that'd actually been the case, and the pieces used to add Bogdanović to the mix (including Evan Fournier's salary) were instead sent to Toronto for Brown, the Knicks would've been smaller but more versatile, particularly on defense.
Early in the day, HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that they and the Raptors had indeed discussed that possibility, but "New York was looking to part with a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, considered a weak draft class, and that didn't appeal to Toronto."
For a team with nearly twice as many losses than wins, it should've.
Sure, this draft class does seem to be a little short on star power, but Toronto's found talent later in the first round in the past (including Anunoby and Pascal Siakam).
Right now, the Raptors should be prioritizing rebuild-ready assets like picks and young talent over veterans like Brown and Kelly Olynyk (who they acquired on Thursday).
Kelly Olynyk to a Playoff Team
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They may well have made this move to acquire soon-to-be-24-year-old Ochai Agbaji, but Toronto sending a 2024 first-rounder to the Utah Jazz for Olynyk was one of the day's stranger moves. And that is a comment on both teams involved.
If Toronto thinks it will be right back in the mix for a playoff spot as early as next season, picking up Olynyk and re-signing him this summer may make a little sense, but that doesn't feel terribly likely.
The Raptors are minus-3.5 points per 100 possessions when Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett are all on the floor. Another year near the bottom of the East could be on the way, and picks and young talent would hold more value for Toronto than Olynyk (who turns 33 in April).
For Utah, if this was the only team willing to surrender a first for Olynyk, fine. But he may have been the best backup big available on the market (he's one of just seven players averaging a triple-double per 100 possessions this season). The rest of the league presumably not being willing to give up a draft asset for him is surprising. Having to attach a young wing to move him is also surprising.
Olynyk's combination of outside shooting and passing could've been a boost to a number of teams' reserve units. Prior to today's move, he'd reportedly been connected to the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks. He would've helped any of those teams.
Andre Drummond to the 76ers
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The 76ers were active on deadline day, adding Buddy Hield and unloading Patrick Beverley, Jaden Springer and Danuel House.
But even as they hold out hope that Joel Embiid might return at some point before the season ends, Philly needed to add some size. Andre Drummond (or Olynyk) would've helped to keep the Sixers in the East's top six even without Embiid.
Drummond only makes $3.4 million, and he's averaged 11.0 rebounds, 10.5 points, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals in just 20.5 minutes over his past 20 games.
Chicago should be entering rebuild mode, so perhaps someone like Springer might've been intriguing to them. With Drummond being on an expiring contract, a second rounder should've been enough to sell the Bulls on moving him.
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Bulls Core Pieces to Anywhere
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Speaking of the Bulls, the time to reboot passed them by months (and probably even years) ago.
During the two-plus seasons they've been together, Chicago is minus-2.8 points per 100 possessions when DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević are all on the floor.
That's a genuinely awful mark for a team's three best players, and the Bulls should've been willing to take whatever they could get for any and all of them.
You can probably even expand that take to include the aforementioned Drummond and Alex Caruso (who probably would've commanded best return, in terms of draft assets).
Chicago's current core isn't going to compete for a title (or even a top-six seed) any time soon. It should recalibrate for a future more focused on Coby White and whatever it can add to him through the draft.
Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans
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Early on deadline day, Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported, "A deal between Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans for Dejounte Murray has halted with no progress in sight by the trade deadline."
Then right before the deadline, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski wrote, "The Atlanta Hawks are keeping guard Dejounte Murray."
As is the case with Chicago standing pat, this just doesn't make a ton of sense.
Since Murray joined the Hawks, they're minus-1.8 points per 100 possessions with both he and Trae Young on the floor, compared to plus-2.5 when Young plays without Murray.
It's time to break this duo up, and the New Orleans Pelicans have a number of players (even if they're not that team's best assets) who'd make more sense alongside Murray (like Jordan Hawkins, Naji Marshall or Dyson Daniels).
Of course, New Orleans might've had a similar issue with Murray that Atlanta does. He and CJ McCollum would make up a pretty small backcourt, but the latter has sort of been masquerading as a point guard since he became a Pelican.
Murray may have cost more than the Pelicans were willing to pay, but he would've bumped McCollum back to his normal spot. On a playoff team with plenty of length around him, Murray may have been motivated to defend the way he did when he was a San Antonio Spur.
Malcolm Brogdon to the Rockets
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There's real value in keeping veterans like Malcolm Brogdon and Jerami Grant around young talent, but if the Portland Trail Blazers could've gotten some developing players and/or draft picks for either, they should've.
The Oregonian's Aaron J. Fentress wrote that "the offers simply weren't good enough for the franchise to part ways with the veteran guard," but the reported interest in him from the Houston Rockets was intriguing.
Houston already has more talent on the wings than it can probably afford down the line in Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson. They're all on rookie contracts now, but once they start signing extensions, keeping all four alongside Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Şengün will probably be impossible.
Plugging Brogdon's playmaking and more consistent outside shooting into, say, Green's minutes, would accelerate Houston's return to playoff contention.
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