NBA Trade Deadline Moves

Image+courtesy+of+ClutchPoints

Image courtesy of ClutchPoints

Ryan Hogan

March 25, 2021 was the NBA trade deadline. As the season is more than half over, many teams are looking to make a push for the playoffs.  Teams are also hoping to make them a contender for the championship at the end of the season. This can be done by teams making last second trades before the NBA trade deadline. The day of the deadline has been known to hold a lot of trades, as this is their last chance to do so until the end of the season. In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Indiana Pacers are rounding out the bottom 7, 8, and 9 seeds, while in the Western Conference the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs are rounding out the bottom 7, 8, and 9. These teams, along with many others, made moves down the stretch in order to help make their team better. 

Tthe Boston Celtics, got in on some trades as the deadline approached. They traded players like Daniel Theis, Jeff Teague and Javonte Green for players Mo Wagner, Evan Fournier, and Luke Kournet. Fournier is probably the best of the players acquired by the Celtics, as he averages almost 20 points per game. The Celtics were looking to get a little more size on their team, as they have been struggling with their big men, and they hope that their new acquisitions will be able to help. 

Many other teams participated in trades as the deadlines approached. Some of the biggest trades were Victor Oladipo being traded to the Miami Heat, Rajon Rondo being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Nikola Vucevic traded to the Chicago Bulls, and Aaron Gordon going to the Denver Nuggets, all of these according to ESPN. One of the biggest and most surprising moves was the Brooklyn Nets trading for all former rookie of the year, and 6 time all star, Blake Griffin. 

The Nets, who already have a powerhouse big three of Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant, added another all star to their super star roster and are now in first place in the Easter Conference and are possibly the favorite to win the championship at the end of the season. Griffin was asked about being traded from the Pistons, who are currently out of the playoffs, to the Nets who are arguably the best team in the league. Griffin said “It’s time for a change and I’m looking forward to it,” Griffin, 32, said. “It’s been great so far, and honestly I’m just looking forward to getting out there and competing and playing basketball.” according to Yahoo Entertainment. 

This year’s NBA season has already been unlike any other, and in a league of NBA super teams, the NBA trade deadline only proved that more as some of the best and biggest teams in the NBA made some big moves.