The trade deadline in the NBA is a beautifully chaotic time. Smoke and mirrors flood rumor mills and Twitter feeds. Verbal Three-Card Monte dances throughout unnamed sources and gets pushed into all social media streams. We react instantly to every little transaction made, wondering if that’s it or if there is more to come. It’s always going to be a quiet deadline until it’s deafening with reports and confirmations. We grade each move in a moment’s notice, then move on to the next transaction.
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The one problem I have with the trade deadline though is once it ends and we’ve given our important opinions on every single move made that day (and the moves not made), we never really revisit what happened. We just wait for Danny Ainge to leak to the Boston media all of the amazing moves he could have done but decided not to do because he sees more value in his young prospects. Once Ainge has done that, we just wait for the buyout season to happen, the playoffs come, we go through the madness of the draft, free agency hits, and all of a sudden we have a month in August when nobody knows what to do with their NBA time or opinions.
That’s why every time around the trade deadline, I like to throw a little hindsight on the previous year’s deadline. It’s one of my favorite things to do every single season. I did it at CBS Sports, I did it at FRS Sports, and now I’m bringing it to The Athletic. I look at all of the deals in the two weeks leading up to the trade deadline and on deadline day with what we collectively thought at the time and what it looks like one-year later. Were long-term investments or sacrifices worth it? Did the playoff push rentals pay off? Did anybody mortgage the team’s future for a fruitless return?
One thing I’ve added to this year’s column is the Trade Deadline FOMO score on a scale of 1-10. Did teams make deals because they had to make deals or did they make deals because they had the fear of missing out on the trade deadline action? The lower the score, the more legitimate the move was to make for that team. The higher the score, the more likely it was the team making the trade couldn’t stand seeing the scroll on the bottom of the screen not mention their own name.
With all that said, let’s update how we feel about the trade deadline from a year ago.
January 29th — Stan Van Gundy swings for the Blake Griffin fences
Detroit Pistons acquire: Blake Griffin, Brice Johnson, Willie Reed
Los Angeles Clippers acquire: Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, 2018 protected first-round pick, 2019 second-round pick
What we thought at the time of the deal: The Pistons needed to do something big and Stan Van Gundy threw a haymaker with this deal. Detroit was 22-26 with a top-10 defense and a mediocre offense. The combination of Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond wasn’t the winning combination, even in the East. Detroit needed a much bigger star in tow, and Van Gundy was desperately trying to jump start this team in the right direction. For Detroit, it made a lot of sense, even with the big money owed and the injury of Blake Griffin. They were never going to be in the market to sign someone of Blake’s caliber, even if they had the max offer slot to give. It just isn’t a destination like that, unless you’re Charlie Villanueva or Ben Gordon looking to swindle Joe Dumars.
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For the Clippers, it was a huge shock. They had just gone through the faux jersey retirement ceremony and putting Blake’s face on a shirt with Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Jackson that said “Pioneers” in some kind of script beneath them. They sent Chris Paul away and promised the franchise to Griffin. Then a few months later, they made him go be a pioneer in Detroit. It was the type of move that reminded all players around the league that the term “loyalty” only applies to them and not the franchises. The return seemed alright, but nothing spectacular for a player of his caliber. You’d have to really believe in Tobias Harris and hope that first-round pick was going to net them a really good prospect.
What it looks like a year later: A lot has changed in a year. The Clippers came out of this smelling like roses. Tobias Harris might be an All-Star this season and won Western Conference Player of the Month. Boban has become a cult figure in Los Angeles. Avery Bradley … well, he’s been pretty terrible. But they flipped the Pistons pick plus a couple of future second-round selections to Charlotte in exchange for the pick that became Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — a prospect point guard everybody is raving about. The Clippers are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race with the cap flexibility to go after Kawhi Leonard this summer. Somehow, they’ve managed to put themselves in a much better, more versatile situation by jettisoning their only star.
In Detroit, they failed to make the playoffs and Van Gundy got let go. The deal still makes a ton of sense for them. Griffin is playing at an All-Star level and he’s one of the few good, consistent things about this franchise. They’re looking to upgrade the point guard position soon and try to fill out the wings to get him some help. It’s just tough with so much money committed to Griffin and Andre Drummond. Despite having Griffin, the Pistons are on the outside looking in with the playoffs, currently sitting in ninth place with a below-.500 record.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):1 for the Pistons, 3 for the Clippers
February 1st — Nikola Mirotic punches ticket to New Orleans
Chicago Bulls acquire: Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, 2018 protected first-round pick, second-round pick swap in 2021
New Orleans Pelicans acquire: Nikola Mirotic, 2018 second-round pick
What we thought at the time of the deal: The New Orleans Pelicans were pretty desperate for another big man in the rotation after DeMarcus Cousins ruptured his Achilles’ tendon. Dell Demps has often been willing to bring in a potentially short-term solution in exchange for a first-round pick. He did it with Jrue Holiday (before anybody knew he’d re-sign). He did it with DeMarcus Cousins (before anybody knew if he’d re-sign or if his Achilles’ wouldn’t become a Michael Bay-esque explosion). He did it again for Mirotic, desperate for a stretch-4 to put next to Anthony Davis. This move reeked of desperation for New Orleans, but they felt it was the best option to help them make the playoffs just a couple days after Cousins had blown out his Achilles’ tendon. For Chicago, this made a lot of sense. They were acquiring some dead contract money, but also a first-round pick in 2018 to help their rebuilding process continue.
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What it looks like a year later: It actually looks like a great move for Demps. I’ve been very critical of Demps over the years, thinking he’s wasted years of Anthony Davis’ career instead of putting a proper team around him. And I still stand by that assessment, as the vultures circle New Orleans’ front office waiting to pounce on a trade demand. However, this was a good risk by Demps. Mirotic helped turn the season around as the Pelicans punched their pace into overdrive and surprised everybody after the Cousins trade. They blitzed everybody with their offensive attack and even demolished Portland in the first round. Nothing they gave up has come back to haunt them, not even the first-round pick. That pick ended up being Chandler Hutchison, who seems fine but nobody the Pelicans could desperately use right now.
Desperation is often a stinky colognebut Demps and the Pelicans came out of this smelling pretty good. Who knows if they end up keeping Davis long-term, but the move to bring Mirotic in and watch the wonders of a clean-shaven Mirotic lighting up the league was a fantastic gamble by New Orleans.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):6 for the Bulls, 1 for the Pelicans
February 5th — Bucks finally punt on Rashad Vaughn
Milwaukee Bucks acquire: Tyler Zeller
Brooklyn Nets acquire: Rashad Vaughn, 2018 protected second-round pick
What we thought at the time of the deal: There wasn’t much to think of it. The Milwaukee Bucks needed some depth with their interior. They’d invested mildly in Rashad Vaughn over the years, after drafting him 17th in 2015. At the time, the Bucks needed shooting around Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Vaughn was billed as a sure shooter after one year at UNLV. But the Bucks never really played him much in his 2.5 years with the team, and the team didn’t feel like his long-term projection was more important than the necessity for depth inside for the postseason. Brooklyn had no intention of keeping Vaughn (as you’ll see later on in this piece), but they did net themselves a 2019 second-round pick when they selected Hamidou Diallo with the pick acquired in this trade and then flipped him to OKC on draft night.
What it looks like a year later: It looks like a whole lot of nothing, aside from the 2019 second-round pick the Nets are still owed from the trade with Oklahoma City. Zeller (29 years old) was waived by the Bucks in October and Vaughn (22 years old) is currently averaging 13.6 points per game in the G-League.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):5 for the Bucks, 4 for the Nets
February 7th — Knicks move Wily Hernangomez for Enes Kanter’s peace of mind
New York Knicks acquire: Johnny O’Bryant, two future second-round picks
Charlotte Hornets acquire: Wily Hernangomez
What we thought at the time of the deal: It was a little curious that the New York Knicks quickly gave into Wily Hernangomez’s trade request. The Knicks were so invested in giving time to Kristaps Porzingis, Enes Kanter, Luke Kornet, Kyle O’Quinn, and Michael Beasley. Hernangomez knew he wasn’t going to get consistent time over Kanter, so he wanted a chance to make a name for himself somewhere else. The odd thing about this trade was it came the day after Porzingis blew out his ACL. You’d think the Knicks would want to keep Hernangomez with that news, plus his small deal that has him making less than $2 million per season through next season. Instead, the Knicks gave up on him in exchange for Johnny O’Bryant and two second-round picks. For Charlotte, giving up O’Bryant and second-round picks in 2021 and 2022 wasn’t a huge sacrifice.
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What it looks like a year later: It looks like a horrendous deal for the Knicks. There are three things that make this look so terrible. First, Hernangomez doesn’t affect the salary cap in any negative way. Again, he’s paid $1.5 million this season and his $1.6 million salary next season is non-guaranteed. So even if he decided he wanted to travel the world in the 2019-20 season following Justin Timberlake on tour instead of showing up to play in the NBA, it wouldn’t negatively affect the Knicks’ books. Second, the Knicks don’t even want to play Kanter anymore. If the Knicks last year struggled on deciding to play Kanter or Hernangomez regular minutes, they’ve punted on those Kanter minutes this season for Mitchell Robinson, Noah Vonleh, and Luke Kornet. Third, Hernangomez has been pretty effective for the Hornets.
He was effective in limited minutes for the Hornets last season. He’s effective in limited minutes for the Hornets this season. This deal was a no-brainer for the Hornets then and it’s still a no-brainer. Even if the Knicks grab decent players with their second-round picks, those players typically struggle to have the potential of someone like Hernangomez, even if you think it’s low.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):6 for the Knicks, 2 for the Hornets
Deadline Day — Heat add Luke Babbitt
Miami Heat acquire: Luke Babbitt
Atlanta Hawks acquire: Okaro White
What we thought at the time of the deal: There are two types of teams in the NBA — teams that don’t make a serious run at the playoffs and teams that try to acquire Luke Babbitt at the trade deadline. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but I stand by it. At the time, the Miami Heat desperately needed outside shooting and Babbitt’s biggest asset is his shooting stroke. The Heat just needed someone to fill in the shooting gaps when Wayne Ellington wasn’t on the floor. Okaro White had barely played for Miami, and Atlanta was in the process of continuing to trade off any possible value player they had. That’s probably overselling Babbitt here, but shooting is shooting in the NBA. You never know when someone will get hot in the playoffs.
What it looks like a year later: Luke Babbitt did not get hot in the playoffs. In three minutes over two games, he missed his only shot attempt — a midrange jumper. It was the first playoff appearance of Babbitt’s career. Funny enough, this was the second time the Heat had traded for Babbitt. White was waived by the Hawks immediately and has played three games for the Washington Wizards this season. He’s currently playing for the Long Island Nets in the G-League.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10): 4 for the Heat, 9 for the Hawks
Deadline Day — Pistons add another point guard into the mix
Detroit Pistons acquire: Jameer Nelson, 2022 second-round pick
Chicago Bulls acquire: Willie Reed, 2022 second-round pick
What we thought at the time of the deal: Van Gundy just couldn’t help himself from making more deals to shore up that roster for a playoff run. Reed (remember he was acquired in the Griffin deal) and the Pistons’ 2022 second rounder was moved to Chicago in exchange for Jameer Nelson’s veteran savvy (he’s on the move again!) and Chicago’s 2022 second rounder. Chicago gets to choose to make the swap if they want to. It looked simply like an insurance policy for Detroit in the backcourt. For Chicago, it was just about giving them a little more power on draft night in 2022.
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What it looks like a year later: Nelson played in seven games for the Pistons and shot 28 percent from the field. Reed never played for the Bulls, and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury for the Salt Lake City Stars earlier this month. The G-League team waived him. Needless to say, this one probably won’t go down in the record books as one of the craziest moves in deadline history.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):4 for the Pistons, 8 for the Bulls
Deadline Day — Pistons add James Ennis as SVG fights for relevancy
Detroit Pistons acquire: James Ennis
Memphis Grizzlies acquire: Brice Johnson
What we thought at the time of the deal: Van Gundy just couldn’t stop himself from making moves. You know when you’re out having beers or drinks with friends and you finally give in to urinate for that first time at the bar. It feels like that’s the exact relief you need, but the term “broke the seal” comes into play. After that, it feels like you have to go every 20 minutes or so? That’s what happened with the Pistons (pun not intended for once but sound it out just in case you don’t get it) and the trade deadline. They made a big move and then just started trying to punch up little moves here and there once that trade seal was broken.
They flipped Brice Johnson (acquired in the Griffin trade) to Memphis for James Ennis, who was tasked with beefing up the wing rotation. It was a low risk move for Detroit in acquiring Ennis, who had shown potential as a 3-and-D guy but never consistency with the role. For Memphis, they wanted to see if the Clippers and Pistons were wrong about Brice Johnson being useless on an NBA court.
What it looks like a year later: The Grizzlies waived Johnson about a month and a half later, so it looks like all three teams are on the same page now. As for Detroit, Ennis played decent minutes for them but he was never a shooter for them. It was a solid attempt at mining out a gem, but it turned out to be nothing of value for them. Ennis is now trying to be that 3-and-D guy on Houston, where his jumper looks a lot better this season. Johnson is not playing basketball at this time.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):2 for the Pistons, 7 for the Grizzlies
Deadline Day — Cavs shift roster to save the season in three-team deal
Cleveland Cavaliers acquire: Rodney Hood, George Hill, rights to Arturas Gudaitis
Utah Jazz acquire: Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, option to swap 2024 second-round pick with Cleveland
Sacramento Kings acquire: Iman Shumpert, Joe Johnson, rights to Dimitrios Agravanis, 2020 second-round pick from Miami, cash from both the Cavs and the Jazz
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What we thought at the time of the deal: Now THIS is where things got going on deadline day. One of three deals by the Cleveland Cavaliers to reshape their sorry, underperforming roster around LeBron James in a desperate attempt at another playoff run. The first move had them kicking Jae Crowder and Derrick Rose (then waived) to Utah with Iman Shumpert and his contract with hilarious trade demands headed to Sacramento. In exchange, George Hill and Rodney Hood were reunited in Cleveland. It gave the the Cavs a bigger point guard who could defend and knock down shots (in theory). It also gave them a versatile scoring wing with Hood (in theory).
Utah coveted Crowder, hoping his toughness on defense would boost an already stellar group. They also wanted to see if his shooting form could return (Narrator: it couldn’t) to give them another catch-and-shoot option. They had no use for Rose, who still looked quite broken most nights, so they immediately waived him. The Kings really just wanted out of Hill’s contract after he mailed in so much of the first half of the season with Sacramento, not exactly embracing the mentor role to De’Aaron Fox. Overall, this deal made a ton of sense to all three teams involved, but the focus was clearly on the reconfiguration of Cleveland’s roster.
What it looks like a year later: Still looks like the right move for all parties involved. Cleveland has moved Hill onto Milwaukee, but they did make the Finals in LeBron’s final year with the team. Hood struggled quite a bit for them, but they still maintain his development in hopes that he’ll recapture some of the potential he flashed in Utah. The Jazz loved having Crowder for last year’s stretch run, and still hope he can find that shooting stroke that happened the one year in Boston (seriously, guys, he’s not a shooter). Most surprisingly, Shumpert has been an important part of the Kings’ success on the court this season. He’s been the veteran presence a lot of the young guys needed. I’m not sure how anybody could have seen that coming.
So far, the first of the three Cavs trades looks like a success.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):1 for the Cavs, 1 for the Jazz, 8 for the Kings
Deadline Day — Heat reunite with Dwyane Wade
Miami Heat acquire: Dwyane Wade
Cleveland Cavaliers acquire: Future second-round pick
What we thought at the time of the deal: Cue up the Skylar Grey because Dwyane Wade is coming home! After chasing some glory in Chicago and then hoping a reunion with LeBron James would rejuvenate his game, Wade resigned to the fact that his final dance (#OneLastDance) should happen in Miami. Based on Wade’s play for the Cavs, he seemed pretty washed and done with his career. This was merely a chance to sell a ton of those Vice jerseys (they sold out almost instantly) and wrap up Wade’s career with a warm fuzzy feeling. They weren’t going to let Wade be Patrick Ewing in Seattle or Hakeem Olajuwon in Toronto in his final seasons in the NBA. Nostalgia and sentimentality ruled the feelings of this transaction.
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What it looks like a year later: Hey, it turns out that this move had basketball significance too! The Heat didn’t treat Wade like the player of old, but they also didn’t give him the Udonis Haslem treatment. For a team fighting for the playoffs, they let Wade come in and try to cook as much as possible without force-feeding him too much. At times, it worked beautifully, like when he knocked down that step-back jumper over Ben Simmons to win a regular season contest. He had an explosive scoring game in the Heat’s only win against Philadelphia in the first-round series. Maybe this move was born out of nostalgia but it actually became a good basketball decision for the Heat. Now he’s on his farewell tour (#OneLastDance) and exchanging jerseys with almost anybody.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):1 for the Heat, 1 for the Cavs
Deadline Day — Cavs punt on the Isaiah Thomas experience
Los Angeles Lakers acquire: Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, 2018 protected first-round pick
Cleveland Cavaliers acquire: Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr
What we thought at the time of the deal: This was the biggest deal of the deadline day for the Cavaliers because it was the move that punted so quickly on the Isaiah Thomas experience in Cleveland. The big return for Kyrie Irving was mostly shipped away less than a year after the deal happened. Crowder was moved to Utah (mentioned above) and Thomas was sent to the Lakers. The Thomas experiment had been a disaster. He was the scapegoat (and some of the cause) of their locker room strife. His hip injury still hadn’t completely healed and he wasn’t very good when he came back to the court. That put even more pressure on the front office to make a move like this.
With the trade for Hill and Hood, this move made a ton of sense because they brought in some youth with Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to round out the rotation. For the Lakers, they kept doing what Magic Johnson wanted to do. They were acquiring cap flexibility (by getting out from under Clarkson’s money owed) and an extra first-round pick. It left the Cavs selling extremely low on Kyrie, but they had to reshape everything around LeBron in order to have a chance at a fourth straight Finals appearance.
What it looks like a year later: It was the right move for both sides. Funny enough, this move helped the Lakers have the flexibility to go sign LeBron away from Cleveland in the summer. The Cavs made the Finals, which was their only realistic goal, and now are in the process of rebuilding that pretty bad franchise. Their only real return so far from the Irving deal last summer is the pick that became Collin Sexton. For the Lakers, Thomas gave them nothing and they had no interest in keeping him. The first-round pick they acquired in the deal ended up being Moe Wagner, whom they see a lot of potential in.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):1 for the Lakers, 1 for the Cavs
Deadline Day — Blazers shed Noah Vonleh’s contract
Chicago Bulls acquire: Noah Vonleh, cash considerations
Portland Trail Blazers acquire: Draft rights to Milovan Rakovic
What we thought at the time of the deal: Luxury tax casualty! The Portland Trail Blazers shipped Vonleh and some straight cash homie to the Chicago Bulls in order to get under the luxury tax. They ended up clearing the tax by about $700,000. The Bulls had no intention of making Vonleh part of their long-term plans as they continued to tear down and rebuild the roster. It was simply a cash grab for them, probably to keep adding onto the pile of money they acquired when they sold their second-round pick (Jordan Bell) to the Golden State Warriors. Portland had the depth inside to make this move.
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What it looks like a year later: Still looks like a luxury tax casualty. Vonleh is now suffering on the New York Knicks after signing there this past summer on a one-year deal. Surprisingly, the 33-year old Milovan Rakovic has not been brought over to Portland. There are two things I enjoy about researching Milovan Rakovic. First, he sort of looks like the “… and I have cable…” version of Jonas Valanciunas. Secondly, there are a lot of articles in which his name is spelled Milocan instead of Milovan. It’s either an acceptable alternate spelling to his name or people simply don’t care to check it before publishing.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):7 for the Bulls, 3 for the Blazers
Deadline Day — Knicks, Nuggets, and Mavs swap reclamation projects
New York Knicks acquire: Emmanuel Mudiay
Denver Nuggets acquire: Devin Harris, 2018 second-round pick from Knicks
Dallas Mavericks acquire: Doug McDermott, 2018 second-round pick from Nuggets
What we thought at the time of the deal: A shuffling of deck chairs on a couple of sinking ships (not Denver). Denver knew that they were done with Emmanuel Mudiay because Jamal Murray was leagues better than him. The Knicks didn’t want Doug McDermott after half a season with him. Dallas had no use for Devin Harris anymore, as they were continuing to tank for their future. At the time, there were only two interesting parts to this deal. First, did the Nuggets secure the veteran depth in the backcourt they needed to complete their playoff push? Secondly, could Mudiay revive a fledgling career after so much pre-draft promise?
What it looks like a year later: It actually doesn’t look like a bad deal for anybody, despite it not being terribly significant all-around. The Nuggets didn’t complete their playoff push, losing an elimination Game 82 to the Wolves. However, that second-round pick became Justin Jackson, who they traded for Jarred Vanderbilt on draft night (you’ll read about that again shortly). The Mavs ended up with half a season of McDermott, and then used the draft pick to select Shake Milton. He was moved on draft night to Philadelphia for Kostas Antetokounmpo, in a clear ploy to eventually land his slightly more famous brother Giannis. Kostas is on a two-way contract with Dallas.
The biggest part of this trade appears to be the Mudiay revival. David Fizdale and his coaching staff have helped turn around Mudiay’s playing career. Instead of looking like he’s on his way out of the league, he looks like he’s definitely talented enough to stick around for a little while. They gave up for little for him, although his presence on the roster does seem to take time away from Frank Ntilikina.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):3 for the Knicks, 4 for the Nuggets, 6 for the Mavs
Deadline Day — Suns rescue Elfrid Payton from Orlando
Phoenix Suns acquire: Elfrid Payton
Orlando Magic acquire: 2018 second-round pick
What we thought at the time of the deal: It’s rare that a player can be traded to the Phoenix Suns and you feel like they’ve been rescued, but that’s essentially what happened with Elfrid Payton and his exodus from the Orlando Magic last trade deadline. Payton had been pegged as the point guard of the future for the Magic and he just never really showed more than a few flashes here and there. Despite Orlando desperately needing point guards, they decided to throw Payton to greener or more arid pastures. The Suns also needed a point guard, so acquiring a chance to feel out Payton’s potential for later in exchange for a second-round pick didn’t seem like a bad idea at all. It was a changing of the point guard for Orlando and a rental with the option to buy for Phoenix.
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What it looks like a year later: Orlando just flat-out wanted away from the Payton experience moving forward. They clearly didn’t think he had long-term value and had no interest prioritizing him over DJ Augustin. The pick Orlando received became Jarred Vanderbilt, whom they traded to Denver for Justin Jackson (See? I told you!) and an oddly protected second-round pick in 2019. As for Payton and Phoenix, it was a solid attempt by the Suns in acquiring him. Payton had some good moments for the Suns in another lost season. He then signed with New Orleans this summer and has been decently effective for the Pelicans.
Orlando still has no idea what they want to do at point guard. It’s like trying to decide what to watch on Netflix at night when you’re sure you’re going to fall asleep 20 minutes in.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):3 for the Suns, 9 for the Magic
Deadline Day — Rashad Vaughn is on the move for the second time in a week
Brooklyn Nets acquire: Dante Cunningham
New Orleans Pelicans acquire: Rashad Vaughn
What we thought at the time of the deal: Rashad Vaughn is on the move again! This is like a zany side game on “Let’s Make a Deal.” The Nets flipped Vaughn and acquired Dante Cunningham from New Orleans. This was clearly a nothing move on the part of the Pelicans in terms of what they were acquiring in the deal. They were just clearing a salary. Brooklyn was trying to snag a more versatile veteran to add to the mix. Essentially in two moves they swapped Tyler Zeller for Dante Cunningham, which was a big upgrade.
What it looks like a year later: Everything about Vaughn stated above is still current. The Pelicans waived him a couple days after the trade deadline. Cunningham was a solid addition for the Nets the rest of the season. He took his versatility and newly created 3-point shot to give them a solid 20 minutes a night off the bench. He signed with the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason, where he currently plays. No long-term repercussions for either team. Sometimes you just need to make a trade so you don’t have trade deadline FOMO.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10): 4 for the Nets, 8 for the Pelicans
Deadline Day — Kings bank on Bruno Caboclo being less than two years away
Sacramento Kings acquire: Bruno Caboclo
Toronto Raptors acquire: Malachi Richardson
What we thought at the time of the deal: Remember the Fran Fraschilla line of “he’s two years away from being two years away” when the Toronto Raptors drafted Bruno Caboclo in 2014? This trade ignited all of those jokes and references on deadline day. The Sacramento Kings had just drafted Malachi Richardson in 2016 (draft night trade). After 1.5 years, they decided the salary flexibility and getting a closer look at Caboclo was simply better for their franchise than what Richardson could become. Buddy Hield was clearly their shooting guard of the present and future. It was a bit of a confusing deal for the Kings, but they also have a history of kicking out recent first-rounders pretty quickly. For Toronto, they knew Caboclo was an infinite number of years away from being two years away, so they sold low on him and received a developable asset.
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What it looks like a year later: Richardson is still on the Raptors and has played a little garbage time here and there this season. He’s still more of a project than anything else at this point, but he gives the Raptors some options of development down the road. Caboclo barely played for the Kings down the stretch of the season. He tried to catch on with the Houston Rockets for the start of the season, but they waived him as they trimmed down the roster. Caboclo just signed a 10-day contract with Memphis. So he was two years away from being two years away four years ago when the Raptors drafted him. Caboclo’s time is now. Also, he has a very active Instagram account.
Trade deadline FOMO score (scale of 1-10):7 for the Kings, 2 for the Raptors
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
