The 2018 NBA trades blew us away. Right before the deadline yesterday, it was complete madness. However, doesn’t it seem like only one team was tremendously active (Cleveland)? Where were the other blockbuster trades we wanted to see?
Here are three blockbuster deals that we were hoping for.
Trade 1
Boston Receives: Anthony Davis
New Orleans Receives: Al Horford, 2018 Lakers 1st round pick, 2018 Boston 2nd round pick, and 2019 Boston 1st round Boston pick
Anthony Davis is a proven commodity. Both teams benefit greatly by this trade. Davis is a tremendous upgrade from Horford and with DeMarcus Cousins going down, it makes sense for New Orleans to (once again) stockpile draft picks.
DeMarcus Cousins is as good as gone next season and the Pelicans would do right by Davis in sending him to a contender. The Pelicans receive a slew of draft picks and a formidable big man in this trade. If this trade did go through, the Pelicans could turn right around and trade Horford to receive more compensation.
Synopsis: Davis gets moved to what is certain to be a dynasty and goes to a contender and the Pelicans go back to the drawing board with more assets than they can count.
Trade 2
Washington Receives: Carmelo Anthony, Steven Adams, and the 2018 Boston 2nd round pick
Oklahoma City Receives: Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat, and Tomas Satoransky
I had some fun with this one. The Wizards are constantly in no-mans land and The Thunder are trying to get over the hump. It’s obvious the Thunder want Paul George to stay past 2018 and this could be a trade that increases that likelihood. But if you were George, why would you? The Lakers just freed two max-deal roster spots.
This trade would show Paul the Thunder’s commitment to him. So how does this benefit the Wizards?
It is widely known that John Wall and Marcin Gortat are unhappy together. This would subtly break them up while adding a prolific scorer to their roster. Additionally, they get Thunder big man Steven Adams who seems to be a proven commodity.
Synopsis: The Thunder bolster their backcourt while dumping Carmelo’s salary and the Wizards move a problem big man for better, younger one while adding a Hall of Fame scorer.
Trade 3
Cleveland Receives: DeAndre Jordan
L.A. Receives: Tristan Thompson, Jared Dudley, and 2018 Brooklyn 1st round pick
Pheonix Receives: J.R. Smith and Patrick Beverly
The trade we were all waiting for – Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. In this trade, the Cavaliers dump the bad salaries of both J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson (while giving up the Brooklyn pick) for DeAndre Jordan.
Because of the excess salaries, the Suns need to get involved. L.A. now has the chance to nail the 2018 NBA draft with two first-round picks (one possibly top five). And the Pheonix Suns get a veteran defensive point guard and the unique scoring ability of J.R. Swish.
Synopsis: The Cavs get the big man they want, L.A. now has two first-round picks, and the Suns help their backcourt.
Which trades do you wish happened yesterday?
