MOST made moves to improve their roster while others are in for rebuilding. Of the thirty franchises in the NBA, only three teams did not make any mid-season trades after the deadline. They are the LA Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers made a significant deal by signing Andre Drummond after clearing waivers with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis out and Marc Gasol past his prime, Drummond would bring instant offense and defense with his per-game averages of 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 1.16 blocks. It is rim protection and rebounding that the Lakers had not gotten much from their bigs and Drummond will provide it for them.
The Brooklyn Nets had become – on paper – a ridiculously strong team with the coming of Blake Griffin and of late, LaMarcus Aldridge. It would be a huge basketball anomaly if they won’t go all the way to the Finals. Of course, coach Steve Nash must master the art of massaging the egos of these super-duper stars which combined, are bigger than the whole state of New York.
A Lakers-Nets Finals? Probably. A Kyrie Irving-James Harden backcourt is almost unstoppable and likewise, is an Anthony Davis-Andre Drummon-LeBron James frontcourt. If Blake Griffin regains his LA Clipper days, big problem for the Lakers because they lack a strong defensive wing along with the likes of PJ Tucker.
Personally, three teams came out trade winners – the Denver Nuggets, Heat, and Chicago Bulls.
DENVER – The two-time champion with the Warriors and Lakers is back in Denver, the team he was with from 2011-2015, and JaVale McGee hopes to bring his championship experience in familiar surroundings. The Nuggets now has a solid backup center when Nikola Jokic takes a breather. They also scored big when they strengthened their frontline after getting power forward Aaron Gordon who thrives in slashing and isolation plays. Denver now has a big four of Gordon, Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter, Jr.
MIAMI – The Heat are serious in their bid to title contention when they got volume scorer Victor Oladipo to complement Jimmy Butler. There were rumors that he wanted to be in Miami and this could be the motivation he needs to revitalize his career. Another scorer the Heat added is Nemanja Bjelica. The Serbian stretch four can shoot but his defensive shortcomings could cut down his minutes especially in the playoffs. Yes, the Heat kept their snipers Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro.
CHICAGO – The Bulls last made the playoffs in 2017 where they lost to Boston Celtics in the first round. They’re making a strong push this time with the addition of bigs Nikola Vucevic and Daniel Theis. Vucevic, alongside Zach Lavine and Lauri Markkanen, makes a strong offensive trio but they need more contributions from Theis, Coby White, veteran Thaddeus Young, and another new addition Troy Brown if they do hope to make it to the postseason./PN
