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by Andrew Snyder, Staff Writer
A flurry of moves occurred across the NBA over the past couple of weeks, with some moves occurring only a few minutes from the 3 p.m. ET deadline on Feb. 6.
As the dust settles, it’s hard to even keep track of who was traded where and for what, but the landscape has changed for the rest of the season. A recap is much needed after so much player movement, starting with the biggest moves of the trade period.
De’Angelo Russell and Andrew Wiggins were swapped in a trade between the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade also sent a top-three protected first-round pick to Golden State, but Russell and Wiggins were the obvious centerpieces.
This surprisingly will be Russell’s fourth team at just 23 years old, while Wiggins spent the entirety of his six-year career with the Timberwolves. Neither of these teams have been competitive this season, combining for 27 wins overall, which makes this deal a little hard to understand.
However, Golden State will bring back the splash brothers next season and Minnesota is perhaps centering their rebuild around Russell. Time will tell who wins this move as the two young stars continue to develop.
After a period of drama in Memphis, Andre Igoudala was finally dealt to the Miami Heat, along with Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill. In exchange, Memphis received Dion Waiters, Justice Winslow, and James Johnson.
This was essentially an even trade, given that Igoudala wanted no part of playing in Memphis yet the Grizzlies still got solid value. Iguodala will boost the Heat’s quest to make a deep playoff run, while Memphis unloads the disgruntled veteran for solid role players.
Memphis acquired quite a bit of salary, which they will likely unload at season’s end to acquire young talent to compliment the likes of Ja Morant and Jaron Jackson. Memphis has a bright future, and this trade will keep them going forward.
In addition, multi-team deal saw former Rockets center Clint Capela get moved to the Atlanta Hawks. The Rockets acquired Timberwolves forward Robert Covington before the deadline, essentially swapping one for another.
Capela has been the rim protector for the Rockets in the James Harden era, and at only 25 years old, he will get a chance to grow with Trae Young, John Collins, and sharpshooter Kevin Heurter.
The Rockets add even more scoring with Covington, who can also guard four positions with his lengthy frame. The Rockets are building their team around scoring, and it remains to be seen if the shooting barrage style of play will work out.
Pistons Center Andre Drummond was moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for John Henson and Brandon Knight, but the more pivotal move before the deadline occurred between the Clippers, Wizards, and Knicks.
The Knicks and Wizards sent Marcus Morris and Isiah Thomas to Los Angeles, respectively. Jerome Robinson will join Washington, and the Knicks will receive Moe Harkless and a first-round pick in 2020.
Morris was sought after by many teams due to his shooting and physical style of play, and he only makes LA better as they look to win a championship; Morris should compliment Kawhi Leonard and Paul George very well. As for the Knicks, they have eyes on the future. Washington gets a developing guard in Robinson.
Many of these moves were made by non-contenders, or did not involve a whole lot of star power. However, these little moves often prove critical in playoff moments, and it will be exciting to see which move pays off when playoff basketball begins.
