Oklahoma City Thunder – Acquired: D.J. Augustin, Steve Novak, Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler. Dealt: Reggie Jackson, Kendrick Perkins. – First and foremost, OKC was a great example of addition by subtraction. Jackson had to go, and even went as far as having his agent officially demand a trade the day before the deadline. Unlike former Thunder player James Harden, who was able to pursue a bigger role on a different team without being a pouting distraction, Jackson was vocal about his desire to be elsewhere, apparently making it known at the beginning of the season, and was very direct with his wishes while dealing with the press this year. The team was tired of it, and more importantly, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were tired of it. Jackson, who has been a stellar backup point guard for most of his time in Oklahoma City, had wavered significantly after the team was back to near full-strength in December. D.J. Augustin, a former teammate of Durant’s at the University of Texas, is more than capable of filling Jackson’s role. In fact, since Brandon Jennings went down with his injury in Detroit, Augustin had been averaging 20.3 points and 8.2 assists per game while filling in at the starting point guard role.
Losing Perkins does hurt however. It’s well-documented throughout the league how much his teammates love him, and he provided an edge and leadership accountability for several years to a young team. Never known as a great offensive threat, Perkins could always be counted on to set perfect screens, and was a physical defender in the post. The recent development of rookie Mitch McGary will help soften the blow, as will the arrival of the offensively-gifted Kanter. Those two better learn some defense quickly though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK9r8Dc0bio
Singler and Novak give the Thunder some reliable sharpshooting forwards that still have some upside left. The only thing OKC really loses, besides Jackson’s bad attitude, is Perkin’s defense, but Enes Kanter, if he can improve even somewhat on defense, can outweigh the loss with nearly triple the offensive production. The Thunder come out of this better off on nearly every level, significantly upgrading their bench while providing head coach Scott Brooks more options for matchup changes to the starting lineup if he needs it.
Portland Trailblazers – Acquired: Arron Afflalo, Alonzo Zee. Dealt: Thomas Robinson, Will Barton, Allen Crabbe, 2016 first-round pick, second-round pick. – The Blazers, who are currently 28th in the league in bench scoring, have been looking to help their woeful rotation for quite some time now. Afflalo is a veteran shooter that can score in bunches, although he has been somewhat of a disappointment since the Nuggets acquired him last summer. His 14.5 points per game this season is good, but it’s coming on some career-worst shooting. Still, Portland needed him in a bad way, and his offensive production will go a long way in providing perimeter scoring when Wesley Matthews is on the bench, and will bring solid defensive play on the wing as well. It’s also worth mentioning that Afflalo was playing on a terrible Denver team that gave up long ago, so a change of scenery might prove to be the jolt he needed to return to the form he was in while a member of the Orlando Magic, where he enjoyed the best playing of his career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuu50Z_8Wr4
Alonzo Gee is a decent backup forward, but with his expiring contract, it’s unlikely that he will be staying in Portland after this summer. His arrival does give Blazers coach Terry Stotts a capable body on the bench, but this trade has everything to do with Afflalo. If Gee becomes a contributor going forward, all the better for Portland.
In summary, the Blazers got a proven scorer to bolster their bench play for the upcoming playoffs, and a young, athletic wing player who could provide meaningful minutes, all in exchange for three players that were not producing much for his team this season. The loss of the draft pick may turn out to bite the team in the future, but this trade has everything to do with the present. Portland knew they needed to do something about their bench if they want to make a run in the postseason, and they have done just that.
Miami Heat – Acquired: Goran Dragic, Zoran Dragic. Dealt: Two future first-round picks, Justin Hamilton, Shawne Williams, Norris Cole, Danny Granger. The Heat are currently 22-30, sitting in the 8-seed with the Brooklyn Nets a game behind them. The team doesn’t want to make it look like the departure of LeBron was as big of deal as it actually was, and fully intend on making a playoff run, which is made easier due to the conference they are in. And since Pat Riley doesn’t really care about whatever draft pick they can get in 2016 or 2017 or 2025, his solution was to grab Dragic, effectively boosting their playoff hopes. Acquiring the point guard from the Suns without messing with the team’s core was a huge coup for the team, and the Heat have a great chance of signing him to a new contract this summer. This move also takes the pressure off of Dwyane Wade and gives them a nice two-man game with Chris Bosh and the emerging Hassan Whiteside, should Bosh return from his current medical issues. Dragic had to share point guard duties with two other players consistently this year while in Phoenix, which is what led to his unhappiness with the team in the first place. He should be able to roam free in Miami while retaining a solid portion of playing time at the one-guard position.
Granger has failed to return to his previous form, and with Cole becoming a restricted free agent this summer, the Heat were okay with dealing him. Williams and Hamilton weren’t very big contributors this season.
Although they are very much grown men, there is no doubt that the two brothers are excited to be on the same team still, although the inclusion of Zoran was really just to appease his brother in the deal. Still, there’s nothing wrong with that, and the Heat, if they can get to full-strength by April, stand a good chance to crash the playoff party, with their blend of youth, experienced All-Star veterans, and a young capable point guard.
