Many Pieces Move at 2024 NBA Trade Deadline
John ‘JJ’ Misiewicz
Staff Writer
With the NBA Trade Deadline now in the rear-view mirror, let’s look back at some of the notable trades made that have turned some teams into playoff contenders, and others into lottery contenders.
A few teams got an early start to the deadline, as on January 17, the Toronto Raptors agreeing to trade two-time All-NBA selection Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for a package that included Bruce Brown and two 2024 first-round picks. The Pacers, who are currently a 6th-seed in the Eastern Conference, found a big to pair with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who leads the league with 12.6 assists per game.
That same day, the Hornets agreed to trade guard Terry Rozier to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a lottery protected first round pick. The Heat, coming off an NBA Finals loss, looked to get younger at the point guard position to replace the 37-year-old Lowry. Rozier, who was averaging 23.2 points and 6.6 assists per game for a struggling Hornets team, finds himself now on a Heat team that sits behind the Pacers at 7th in the East, and looking to make their third finals appearance in five years.
The Hornets, on the other hand, have had a season they would want to forget. A season which star point guard LaMelo Ball has only played 23 games, and at 10-35, the Hornets are only ahead of the Washington Wizards, and the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference.
Following two weeks of nothing, the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies decided to swap long-term injured players, who just so happened to be in the same 2013 draft class. The Rockets received center Steven Adams in exchange for Victor Oladipo and three second-round picks.
Adams, who will miss the whole year after having knee surgery to repair a sprained PCL, is a reliable big man who plays his role well, is averaging 9.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for his career. However, by the time he will be able to play again, he will be 31 years old, so we’ll have to see if these injuries will catch up to him or not.
For Oladipo, he is still recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during the playoffs with the Heat last year. Oladipo, 31, is not in his first rodeo with leg injuries, as in 2018, he ruptured his quad and missed the rest of that season. Since then, he’s only played 102 games over the past four years.
The last two days saw quite a few trades. Most notably, Buddy Hield got traded from the Pacers to the Philadelphia 76ers. For Philly, they needed three-point shooting in a major way, and the Oklahoma product has been just what they needed. Hield is currently averaging 12 points on 38% from three-point range.
The Hornets sale of any talent not named LaMelo Ball continued, as forward Gordon Hayward was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic and draft considerations. The Thunder currently sit tied for first in the west, and this is a solid move for them to still improve, without giving up key pieces.
The Pistons have agreed to send both Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to the New York Knicks for a package that includes Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier. Detroit is looking to haul off anything they can, and did so with not only this trade, but a couple of other minor trades throughout the last 24 hours.
Some minor trades occurred, such as the Boston Celtics receiving more forward depth in Xavier Tillman from the Grizzlies for two second-round picks. There is also the Pistons acquiring Simone Fontecchio from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Kevin Knox, a first-round pick, and the draft rights to 21-year-old Gabriele Procida, the 36th overall pick in the 2022 draft.
Contact JJ at john.misiewicz@student.shu.edu