The 2024 NBA trade deadline hasn’t radically reshaped the basketball landscape.
In hindsight, however, this caused some regrets from some front offices.
Mid-major teams that needed a boost like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers might fit into this discussion for some, but they’ll be spared here since the help they needed wasn’t available.
Other possible sellers, like the Atlanta Hawks, also get a pass for now, as the same players they could have gotten rid of in February can still be moved at a later date, likely for a lower price. higher than what they would have asked for.
However, not everyone copes.
The next four teams are probably already blaming each other for the deals they made or the ones they didn’t make.
It’s been a strange trading season in Toronto. The Raptors have sort of prioritized the future, but they haven’t always followed that theme.
They traded two of the best players to change jerseys this season, OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, but they only collected three first-round picks in those deals. For comparison, the Dallas Mavericks gave up two first rounders to get PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford at the deadline.
The Raptors prioritized young talent over picks in the Anunoby deal, landing them two potential long-term guards in Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. It doesn’t matter, since the presence of Scottie Barnes, All-Star for the first time this season, potentially saves them from a complete dismantling.
Where things got confusing, however, was when Toronto flipped one of the three picks originally received for Siakam to get Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji from the Utah Jazz. The Raptors moved quickly to sign Olynyk to an extension, so at least they didn’t cough up a first-rounder for a rental, but why is this non-contender so convinced the soon-to-be 33-year-old is a vital piece long-term plan?
Agbaji is at least younger, even if he’s not as young as you think. Since his college career spanned four seasons at Kansas, the second-year swingman is already approaching his 24th birthday. That puts him much closer to his ceiling than most of his 2022 draft classmates.
This could have been good if Agbaji had set a high floor, but that is not the case. Among the 246 players to have accumulated more than 2,000 minutes since the start of last season, he ranks 244th with an 8.5 player efficiency rating.
The Washington Wizards wasted no time making it clear they weren’t going anywhere this season. This is what made Tyus Jones such an obvious trade candidate.
He arrived last summer as part of the three-team deal that sent Kristaps Porziņģis out with a reputation as a high-end decision-maker and a mostly forgettable player in other aspects. Jones was able to get started on this rebuilder for a while, but his previous employers had always treated him as an ironclad backup.
So it seemed an ambitious pinch when The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski announced that the Wizards were “seeking a first-round pick” for Jones. However, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that rival executives were convinced Washington would “eventually move on from Jones for a package of second-round picks.” That seemed like the sweet spot for a 27-year-old fringe starter who has unrestricted free agency awaiting him after this season.
This package also seemed accessible in this market, which featured several clubs in need of an upgrade at the point guard position. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that five teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, were interested in Jones. Even though no first-round picks were offered, Washington’s chances of getting multiple second-round picks were pretty good.
However, the Wizards instead kept Jones, setting up a scenario in which they would either lose him for nothing this offseason or re-sign the not-young point guard to lead this not-ready roster. If Washington views Jones as a starter — and it does, according to The Athletic Josh Robbins– this could soon reward it as such, making it harder to move and less valuable as a trading token down the line.
Last January, the Indiana Pacers made one of the most aggressive trade moves of the season by parting with three first-round picks (plus three players, including Bruce Brown) to land two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam. So why didn’t Indiana follow the same courageous attitude when it came to Buddy Hield?
Of course, the tea leaves all suggested the sharpshooter would leave Circle City in free agency this summer. And yes, Indiana at least managed to bring back a three-point threat (Doug McDermott) in the three-team deal that sent Hield away.
But McDermott has never shown as much volume in his perimeter game (career 1.4 marks per game) as Hield regularly does (3.1). A defender doesn’t either, so it’s not like the Pacers have gained any ground on that side.
Indiana had the NBA most effective attack with Hield on the roster. In the month since the deadline, the Pacers have slipped to seventh. The defense has improved, but that has nothing to do with McDermott and perhaps could have been possible even with Hield around.
Indiana, which has gone an uninspiring 10-8 since the trade, has made life more difficult on the court — and less fun off it — for its best player, All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.
“Him being there shooting on the floor, that opens up a lot for me because you’re not going to be in the gap as much if you guard Buddy because you know how he is as a shooter. So it’s been a little different on the field, obviously,” Haliburton said on a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George (via All 76ers). “But I think off the field, that’s been the biggest adjustment for me. He’s always carried that energy around him, and I think who he is as a person on a daily basis, not having that energy has been a little different.”
This trade lowered the Pacers’ talent level, which seemed like an odd way to follow the acquisition of Siakam. Because Hield posed such an obvious flight risk, there was a price at which it made sense for Indiana to release him, but McDermott and two second-rounders did not. Initially, Indiana was reportedly hoping to land “a first-round pick and rotation player for Hield,” according to HoopsHype. Michael Scotto.
For this return, however, the Pacers would have been better off retaining Hield and addressing his future at a later date. Even if he fled this summer, there was a chance to help orchestrate his release with a sign-and-trade, and who knows? Indiana might have left this deal with more than what it brought them at the deadline.
It wasn’t shocking that the Chicago Bulls let the trade deadline pass without making a deal. After all, it was their third consecutive dormant deadline. In fact, the last time they made a trade involving a player was in August 2021.
NOW, that could be considered shocking, especially considering the overall trajectory of this team. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Chicago has a combined record of 120-114. This group peaks at mediocrity, and given the number of veterans in the rotation, it’s hard to even imagine the ceiling being even higher.
That’s why this front office’s unwavering commitment to this core is so confusing to outside observers, who have long called for the club to blow up the roster and start over. However, the Bulls are not at all interested in any forward-looking decision that would limit the club’s current ability to compete.
“We haven’t seen anything that could make us better,” said Artūras Karnišovas, the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations. told reporters of team inactivity. “We would be taking a step back, which we don’t want. We want to stay competitive. We have an obligation to this organization, this fan base and this city to stay competitive and compete for the playoffs, and that’s what we do. “.
Chicago had a winning percentage of .471 at the time of the trade deadline. His post-deadline win rate is .526, which is better but still nowhere near championship contention.
Most franchises try to avoid the NBA’s middle class like the plague. The Bulls, on the other hand, are busy developing training plans for all the mileage they apparently intend to cover on the treadmill of mediocrity.
This was Chicago’s (last) chance to choose a direction, either preparing for a playoff run or offloading win-now talent for win-win assets later. Instead, the Bulls never looked back and simply plowed into this fork in the road. Again.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball reference And NBA.com and current thanks to the matches played on Thursday.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on @ZachBuckleyNBA.
