Breaking Down the Trade Deadline

Many superstars were mentioned throughout the waning days until the trade deadline, but in the end none of the aforementioned stars moved from their teams. Amare Stoudamire, Vince Carter, and even Shaquille O'Neal were all thought to be departing before 3 pm this past afternoon. A number of trades were completed before though that featured many role players swapping teams.

Toronto Raptors send Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

The first and the largest trade prior to the deadline featured players that were relatively new to their teams. O'Neal joined the Raptors this past offseason and Marion joined the Heat last season in the trade that sent Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns.

The Heat desperately needed an inside presence and needed to depart with it's starting small forward that had little to no impact in most Heat games. The Raptors needed a true small forward and got it with Marion.

The four players have all played for their new teams already with O'Neal scoring 13 points and registering a rebound and a block in 27 minutes of play, Marion with 10 points, six rebounds, six blocks in 40 minutes. Moon only played eight minutes and didn't take a shot, while Banks came off the bench and scored four points. Each team wins, but it looks like the Heat might benefit in the long run.

Chicago Bulls send Larry Hughes to the New York Knicks for Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson.

The Knicks completed two trades this afternoon and this was the first one to be heard. The Bulls finally dropped the contract of Larry Hughes and in return got three seldom used role players. Tim Thomas has been the most effective of the three averaging near 10 points per game while James and Roberson have been seen very little on the court.

The Knicks and Bulls plans for the 2010 offseason do not change as all four players involved have contracts ending prior to 2010. Hughes only played 30 of the Bulls 54 games and desperately wanted out of Chicago.

The Knicks get one of the most journeyed players in the NBA and a good role player that will help the team for the next few years. The Bulls receive Tim Thomas who has been an effective player for the most part of his career and will help a team that needs a decent big man.

Oklahoma City Thunder send Chris Wilcox to the New York Knicks for Malik Rose.

A day after the Tyson Chandler deal fell through, the Thunder still managed to trade away Chris Wilcox. Wilcox has been seldom seen since the acquisition of Nenad Krstic. Malik Rose as well has only been in three games since December. The Knicks will get help in the middle, but the Thunder are still without a capable big man and will continue to struggle.

Chicago Bulls send Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni to the Sacramento Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons.

The Bulls got the better part of this deal, not only do they get a well rounded player in John Salmons, but also an effective post presence in Brad Miller. That's right Bulls fans, no more relying on Joakim Noah to control the paint. Gooden who has been injured for the past month is a stable post up player when healthy and Andres Nocioni is a good role player who will complement the Kings, but still don't expect anything too dramatic to happen.

Houston Rockets send Rafer Alston to the Orlando Magic, the Memphis Grizzlies send Kyle Lowry, Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks to the Rockets and receive a first round pick along with Brian Cook from the Magic.

Who doesn't love a three-team trade? The Magic needed a point guard due to the loss of Jameer Nelson and were lucky enough to get it in Rafer Alston. Alston was the Rockets leading passer and has always been a viable part of a team's lineup for years.

The Rockets acquire Lowry who they have been hoping to get since 2006 when he was drafted by the Grizzlies. Lowry has only been averaging a little over 21 minutes a game, while averaging seven points per game along the way. Lowry will see a more developed role in Houston's lineup.

Foyle will add some size to the lineup as well. The trade was much needed for the Rockets considering their all star shooting guard Tracy McGrady said he was out for the season earlier this week.

Minnesota Timberwolves send Rashard McCants and Calvin Booth to the Sacramento Kings for Shelden Williams and Bobby Brown.

It's his prerogative. Sorry I had to. The Kings continue to strip down their team and acquire a suitable guard in McCants after a breakout season where he averaged over 14 points per game, but has been malcontent with the Wolves this season and has been wanting a trade. The other three players part of the deal have been seen very little on the court and might see themselves in larger roles on their new teams.

Chicago Bulls send Thabo Sefalosha to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a first round draft pick.

This one just baffles me. Sefalosha is not worth a first round pick to any team no matter how bad he is needed. Sefalosha has only averaged five points per game this season and has not performed up to the Bulls standards and was benched early in the season before finally being traded.

Boston Celtics send Patrick O'Bryant to the Toronto Raptors, Raptors send Will Soloman to the Sacramento Kings. Kings send a conditional second round pick to the Celtics.

Not too big of a move here, but it's a move. Soloman has been solid coming off the bench while O'Bryant had a season high five points earlier in the season. Nothing to see here.