There was actually a lot more action at the 2015 NBA trade deadline than most experts predicted there would be, including a flurry of deals in the final hour that provided some excellent must-see TV for basketball fans. However, even with all of that movement, there were still a number of teams that decided to stand pat and not make moves to keep up with the competition.
While the idea of chemistry and building a certain way makes sense, it won’t matter much if that team is eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs. We’ve seen both sides of the coin in terms of in-season trades, including the good with the Memphis Grizzlies and Jeff Green and the bad with the Dallas Mavericks and Rajon Rondo. Even so, the following three teams are likely to regret not making any moves.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have managed to remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture even without Blake Griffin. While that is a testament to their resilience and talent, the bottom line is that they could have benefited from making a move at the deadline and they didn’t pull the trigger. Los Angeles was in a tough position when it came to a lack of draft picks and decent depth players that could be traded, but they did have options (such as taking on salary) and decided to stand pat. The Grizzlies, Mavericks and Houston Rockets all addressed their needs and with so much pressure on the Clippers to win in their first year under new owner Steve Ballmer, they could have benefited from adding one or two more pieces that could help them come playoff time in a loaded Western Conference.
Atlanta Hawks
It’s hard to rip on a team that ranks in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, owns the best record in the NBA and is the only team that has already locked up a playoff spot, but the Hawks showed coming out of the All-Star break that they aren’t invincible. They probably could have used at least one more key piece. There is an argument to be made that they didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry in Atlanta but size is still an issue for the Hawks as they rank just 27th in rebounding.
Their -2.4 rebounding rate is as bad as the Orlando Magic and ranks one spot ahead of the New York Knicks, who are 28th. This could be a problem that crops up if they run in to a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs and are forced to deal with Timofey Mozgov and company. The Cavaliers beat everybody else to the punch when it came to acquiring Mozgov and some of the other players like Kendrick Perkins. In the end, it could be the difference in a potential playoff series between Cleveland and Atlanta.
Toronto Raptors
The proof is in the pudding for a Raptors team that is .500 over its past 10 games. They are in tough to hold on to the second seed in the Eastern Conference with both the Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls within a game right behind them. Toronto is in second place for a reason but Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have both looked tired of late and the truth is this team relies far too much on the isolation with those two rather than moving the ball around and having different scoring options. Jonas Valanciunas had been providing support as the third option, averaging double-figures in each month but February was the first time he dipped below (9.8 PPG).
The Raptors have a ton of draft picks and depth players that could have been moved for some help at the trade deadline, and they also have the expiring contracts of Landry Fields ($8.5 million), Amir Johnson ($7 million), Marcus Camby ($4.1 M) and Tyler Hansbrough ($3.3 M), which are attractive assets. The fact that they didn’t make a move could come back to haunt them when they go up against the best from the Eastern Conference come playoff time.
