NBA Trades 2019: Post-Deadline Roundup and Twitter Reaction
If you were looking for an eventful trade deadline, the NBA did not disappoint.
A flurry of deals went down before the 3 p.m. ET deadline Thursday, with former All-Stars and No. 1 picks among the fracas.
Here is a look at everything that went down, along with some analysis from the most reliable place for nuance: Twitter.
Raptors Trade for Marc Gasol in Blockbuster
Raptors Get: Marc Gasol
Grizzlies Get: Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, 2024 second-round pick
(via ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski)
Masai Ujiri is not fooling around. The Raptors general manager threw all his chips into the 2019 playoffs Thursday, acquiring Marc Gasol in a move Ujiri hopes will put Toronto over the top.
From an asset perspective, Toronto did not give up much. Gasol is an instant upgrade over Valanciunas, and neither Delon Wright nor CJ Miles were going to be integral parts of the Raptors playoff rotation.
The deal essentially puts the Raptors in win-or-bust mode come the postseason. Gasol and Kawhi Leonard can both be free agents this summer. Another playoff flameout would all but surely send both players elsewhere when they hit the market. A Finals appearance or even an upset of the Golden State Warriors would make Toronto a lot harder to leave.
Regardless, the Raptors got nothing but praise for their Gasol caper.
Sixers End Markelle Fultz Experiment
Magic Get: Markelle Fultz
Sixers Get: Jonathon Simmons, 2020 Thunder first-round pick, Cavaliers second-round pick
(via Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer)
When the Sixers traded up to take Markelle Fultz in 2017, they hoped he'd be the solidifying piece of their Big Three with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. They traded the injured point guard Thursday for a player who had recently been taken out of the Magic's rotation.
There's not much to say about this trade other than it marks the end to a wildly disappointing tenure for Fultz in Philly. Injuries and shot confidence ruined the Washington product's shot to the point he was bobbling and gathering before free throws. A thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis helped bring some clarity to issues many wrote off as mental, but Fultz's readiness to return to the NBA and his production level when he does is a complete mystery.
The Sixers will hope a change of scenery helps Jonathon Simmons, a useful rotation player who is in the midst of a miserable 2018-19. Simmons saw his scoring average cut in half (13.9 to 6.9) while posting a dip of more than 10 percent on his field-goal percentage from last year. When he's playing well, Simmons is a 3-and-D threat who could replicate some of what Philly lost when trading Robert Covington.
Social media was mostly a postmortem for Fultz, though:
Clippers Send Avery Bradley to Memphis
Clippers Get: Garrett Temple, JaMychal Green
Grizzlies Get: Avery Bradley
(via Woj)
This is essentially a swapping of veteran deck chairs. Temple and Green are expiring contracts, and Bradley's $12.5 million salary has only $2 million in guarantees next season. The Clippers are making every penny count in hopes of landing a max-level free agent this summer.
Memphis could see this as an opportunity to take a chance on Bradley, who has been among the NBA's worst high-minute rotation players this season. Bradley is averaging just 8.2 points in 29.9 minutes per game, shooting 38.3 percent, his worst mark since his rookie season. His defense has also slipped a bit due to injuries that cost him large chunks of the last two years.
With Mike Conley staying in Memphis until at least the summer, the backcourt pairing with Bradley could be interesting to test down the stretch.
Bucks Grab Mirotic To Solidify Playoff Push
Bucks Get: Nikola Mirotic
Pelicans Get: Jason Smith, Stanley Johnson, four second-round picks
(via Marc Stein of the New York Times)
In what may have been the biggest steal of the day, the Bucks acquired Nikola Mirotic to give them the stretch 4 they've desperately needed all season. Mirotic will almost certainly supplant Ersan Ilyasova in the rotation. Ilyasova has struggled to make an impact after signing a three-year contract in Milwaukee this summer.
The move is a no-brainer win for the Bucks, who essentially turned Thon Maker and some draft picks into Mirotic. Milwaukee agreed to send Maker to Detroit for Stanley Johnson earlier this week and then rerouted Johnson to New Orleans.
Four second-round picks and a former lottery guy in Johnson is a decent haul for Mirotic, who will be a free agent at the end of this season. That said, Milwaukee is essentially losing nothing. Second-round picks are available for purchase every June; the Bucks could easily get those selections back if ownership is willing to pony up the cash.
Blazers, Kings Swap Young Bigs
Blazers Get: Skal Labissiere
Kings Get: Caleb Swanigan
(via Woj)
The Kings and Blazers swap former late first-round picks in hopes a change of scenery will invigorate the young talents. Not much else to say here.
Labissiere showed occasional flashes his first two seasons but has been out of the rotation for the surprising Kings in 2018-19. He's appeared in only 13 games, averaging 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.
Swanigan has appeared in 45 games since the Blazers took him with the No. 26 overall pick in 2017. He averaged 1.9 points and 2.9 rebounds with Portland this season.
Rockets Send Ennis To Philly for Tax Purposes
Sixers Get: James Ennis
Rockets Get: Swap rights to 2021 second-round pick
(via Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium)
The Rockets' main goal Thursday was getting under the luxury tax. They pulled it off, though don't expect fans to be thrilled with the result.
Houston's most eye-opening move was sending Ennis to Philadelphia for a future second-round pick. Ennis has been part of Mike D'Antoni's rotation throughout the season, averaging 7.4 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing 23.7 minutes per game.
There is no justifiable reason to trade Ennis, aside from getting under the tax. The Rockets are among the NBA's thinnest teams, and Ennis played 28 minutes in Wednesday's win over the Kings.
Lakers Send Beasley, Zubac Across Hallway
Clippers Get: Michael Beasley, Ivica Zubac
Lakers Get: Mike Muscala
(via Woj)
The Lakers got a big man they wanted at the deadline.
Just not the big man they wanted.
The Lakers agreed to a deal to send Michael Beasley and Ivica Zubac to the Clippers for Mike Muscala. The Lakers hope Muscala brings a floor-stretching presence to their big rotation they haven't had all season. This is the latest indictment on the front office, which for some reason did not re-sign Brook Lopez last summer.
It's also a shockingly low return for Zubac, a 21-year-old 7-footer who at worst looks like a long-term rotation piece. Zubac is averaging 19.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per 36 minutes this season and had recently played his way into the starting lineup.
A truly befuddling trade for the Lakers.
Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin IV On the Move Again
Pacers Get: Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin IV, second-round pick
Rockets Get: Future second-round pick
(via Woj)
Shelvin Mack Sent to Atlanta
Grizzlies Get: Tyler Dorsey
Hawks Get: Shelvin Mack
(via Mike Wallace of the Grizzlies website)
Raptors Send Greg Monroe to Nets
Nets Receive: Greg Monroe, 2021 future second-round pick
Raptors Receive: Cash considerations
(via Michael Scotto of The Athletic)
We'll group all of these in together because they all amount to salary dumps. The Rockets got under the tax by trading Stauskas and Baldwin, who will be waived by the Pacers.
The Hawks plan to waive Shelvin Mack, as do the Nets with Greg Monroe.
The only notable part of these trades is the adventures of Stauskas and Baldwin, who have been traded three times this week. They began as members of the Portland Trail Blazers, got traded to Cleveland as part of the deal that sent Rodney Hood to Portland, then got rerouted to the Rockets in a three-team trade, who finally pawned them off on the Pacers.
