Although the NBA trade deadline was quiet this year, there were still important deals made around the league. In the 2016 NBA trade deadline roundtable at Last Word On Sports, five basketball writers have been asked to give their reactions to the deals made and those that never came together.
2016 NBA Trade Deadline Reactions Roundtable
1. Which team won the most at the trade deadline?
Lior Kozai: The Phoenix Suns. Despite all of the attitude problems that Markieff Morris publicly displayed during the first half of the season, leaving Phoenix with a complete lack of leverage in trade negotiations, the Suns still managed to dump the disgruntled forward and get a first round pick from Washington. Sure, Phoenix didn’t improve upon its current team, but none of the other teams that made moves improved enough to become title contenders either. The Suns started their rebuilding process strongly, while ridding themselves of a locker room cancer and negative influence on their young players.
Adam Joseph: Detroit Pistons. They acquired Tobias Harris for two expiring contracts (Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova), as well as Donatas Motiejunas and Marcus Thornton for Joel Anthony and a protected first round pick. Currently 9th in the East, these moves should easily see the Pistons end their six year playoff drought. With an exciting five man group of Drummond-Harris-Johnson-KCP-Jackson and some nice bench depth, things are on the rise in Detroit.
Matthew Cardenas: I really like what Detroit did at the deadline. Tobias Harris was a great pickup, and he needed to get out of Orlando. Adding him and Donatas Motiejunas will give the Pistons front court depth. Marcus Thornton is a great shooter and will be able to spread the floor. Head coach and team president Stan Van Gundy made it clear with these trades that he wants to make the playoffs. They now have a solid core in place for the future with Harris, Reggie Jackson, and Andre Drummond. I can’t imagine them missing the playoffs now.
Harrison Marcus: The Detroit Pistons. It was an excellent trade deadline for Stan Van Gundy. Tobias Harris is a versatile, athletic combo forward who will be a tremendous addition for the Pistons this year and for the following three years. Not to mention, he’s only 23 years old and still improving. Trading a first round pick for Donatas Motiejunas hurt their stock a bit, but that doesn’t take away from how much Tobias Harris will help this team, and how little it took to get him.
Thomas Mooney: Detroit Pistons. Shipping out Brandon Jennings, who was likely to leave in free agency, and Ersan Ilyasova for Tobias Harris was a big win. Harris is only 23, he is a versatile player, and he’s on a great contract with the salary cap rising. Stan Van Gundy has quietly built a strong core for the future at a very reasonable cost.
2. Which player won the most at the trade deadline?
Lior: Randy Foye. Foye is a solid three point shooter who can get hot and play great in any given game. If he’s able to carve out a role in the Thunder’s rotation – which is in need of a reliable shooting guard to use in crunch time – Foye will have a chance to make a real contribution in the playoffs for a championship contender. Just like with shooters such as Steve Kerr in the past, it wouldn’t be too surprising if everyone is talking about “The Randy Foye Game” in May.
Adam: Markieff Morris. His behavior in Phoenix was shameful, but he finally got the trade he wanted and he will now start in Washington. He’s in the same conference as his brother Marcus, and guess who the Wizards played on Friday, in Markieff’s first game on the Wizards? Detroit.
Matthew: Channing Frye. He is in a great situation in Cleveland. Frye was never really able to succeed in Orlando due to the fact they were focusing on the young core. In Cleveland, he will fit in nicely. His main role will be to knock down the three ball at a high rate, and he will be able to do that with LeBron James feeding him. We have seen Frye play at his best during his Phoenix days. This is a great move for both Frye and the Cavaliers.
Harrison: Channing Frye. He transitions from the likely lottery-bound Orlando Magic to the likely NBA Finals-bound Cleveland Cavaliers. Frye will get to reap the benefits that nearly every player does when playing alongside LeBron James.
Thomas: Markieff Morris. It’s been clear for months that he’s wanted out of Phoenix, and now he gets the chance to play meaningful minutes for a playoff contender. He could be the missing piece in a Wizards playoff run if he keeps his head straight.
3. Which team lost the most at the trade deadline?
Lior: The Orlando Magic. Tobias Harris may have been the odd man out in Orlando, and Harris’ defense and willingness to pass are questionable. But Harris is already a consistent scorer, he’s versatile enough to play either forward position, and he’s just 23 years old. Donatas Motiejunas and Markieff Morris each fetched a first round pick in trades, so Orlando easily should’ve gotten one for Harris. Instead, the Magic got Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova, who will both likely be gone by next season.
Adam: Honestly? Nobody, because there were no Sacramento-esque bad trades. Every team made decisions for its own reasons. Orlando traded Tobias Harris, arguably not getting enough in return, but chose long term flexibility by unloading his 4-year, $64 million contract. They also cleared $45 million in cap space for the summer. Don’t judge trades in a vacuum without looking at the reasons why; instead, use individual reasons which are no doubt different depending on the team.
Matthew: Houston. Although they got a first round pick in the Motiejunas trade, the Rockets were unable to trade Dwight Howard. That was their main goal at the trade deadline. Now, it is possible that they could lose Howard in free agency and not get anything in return. Unless Howard decides to stay in Houston, this trade deadline could haunt the Rockets in the near future.
Harrison: The Orlando Magic. The trade with Detroit basically proves that the Magic regretted handing Tobias Harris a 4 year, $64 million deal in the offseason. Brandon Jennings will be an unrestricted free agent, and it doesn’t make much sense for them to keep him beyond this year. Ersan Ilyasova is a solid player, but Harris is much better. Other than salary relief, it doesn’t make much sense why Orlando would do this trade.
Thomas: Houston Rockets. Everyone knew that they were trying to trade Dwight Howard, and they still couldn’t find anyone that would take him on. Right now, they’re only playing for the chance to lose to Golden State or San Antonio in the playoffs, and Howard is a sure bet to leave in free agency this summer. They needed to find a way to get something in return for Dwight Howard.
4. Which player lost the most at the trade deadline?
Lior: Ersan Ilyasova. Ilyasova was in a seemingly perfect situation for him on the Pistons, spotting up as the stretch four around pick-and-rolls featuring Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond. Ilyasova was set to be a starter on a likely playoff team in Detroit; now, he’ll be one of the oldest players on an inexperienced team that’s a longshot to make the postseason. He’ll also be stuck behind Aaron Gordon in the rotation, and Ilyasova may ride the pine if the Magic fall out of the playoff race completely.
Adam: Brook Lopez, mired out in Brooklyn. There was reportedly no market for him (per Chris Mannix), and the Nets didn’t want to trade him. He’s a good player stranded on a bad team, forced to keep him because their asking price was too high for a team to be interested. Furthermore, Brooklyn doesn’t have the assets to improve around him. What a nightmare.
Matthew: Ersan Ilyasova. He really seemed to be enjoying his time with the Pistons. He fit in very well and was playing great. He now goes to the Magic, who are more than likely headed for the lottery. He might play well in Orlando, but it won’t really mean much. The Magic could just choose to play the young guys over Ilyasova, which puts him in a bad situation.
Harrison: Anderson Varejao. He’s been a Cleveland Cavalier for twelve seasons and has witnessed the ups and downs of the franchise. Of course, the NBA is a business, but it’s unfortunate for Varejao that he has to leave the Cavs and his longtime friend LeBron James during what should be another run at the NBA Finals. The Trailblazers waived Varejao after acquiring him, which will allow him to sign with a contender for the remainder of the season.
Thomas: Dwight Howard. He was constantly being mentioned in trade rumors, with everyone attacking his character. It would have been nice to see Howard traded to a place where he could be more involved in the offense and valued more. He would also have gotten the chance to sign for a 5th year in free agency with a team other than the Rockets.
5. Which team that stood pat most needed to make a move?
Lior: The Boston Celtics. Boston already has a nice team, and perhaps Atlanta wasn’t going to trade Al Horford for a reasonable price. But the Celtics needed to do something. GM Danny Ainge has been collecting assets for years now, and the Celtics need to capitalize off of it at some point. With several extra first round picks in the coming years, Ainge should have been able to put together a package and acquire a key piece to lead Boston’s current collection of good role players.
Adam: To make a move there needs to be sellers. There were barely any, so I can’t really criticise all the buyers for not making a move when there aren’t moves to be made. Asking prices across the board were way too high. People always want to win trades, but to get good players, you almost always have to trade good ones too. Teams didn’t want to do that.
Matthew: I would’ve liked to see the Celtics make a move. Although they are the third seed in the East, the roster they currently have will not be enough for a deep playoff run. It would’ve been nice to see them get a true superstar. They have nice assets to give and many first round draft picks. They now have to wait until free agency to try and lure a superstar to Boston.
Harrison: The Toronto Raptors. I really expected GM Masai Ujiri to go all out in full pursuit of catching the Cavs in the East. A combo forward would have fit in really well with this roster, and they had the young assets to offer. Instead, Toronto stood pat at the deadline.
Thomas: Toronto Raptors. I really think that this is an Eastern Conference Finals team as is, but I think making a move for either Pau Gasol or Al Horford would have put them right on par with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I would rather have one of those guys under control now and keep their bird rights, then trying to move contracts and trying to sign them in free agency.
