MIAMI (AP) — Most of the top NBA playoff contenders stayed out of the down-to-the-wire frenzy at the trade deadline.
Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers beefed up instead.
And a slew of other teams — including the Golden State Warriors — made moves with short-term finances and long-term ramifications in mind.
The NBA’s 3 p.m. EST deadline Thursday for trades to be consummated did not arrive quietly, with a flurry of deals getting struck in the final hour and at least one other notable move falling apart before reaching the finish line. Deals that included at least 41 players and 15 future draft picks were struck on either Wednesday or Thursday — the biggest move likely being the one Thursday that saw Andrew Wiggins going from Minnesota to the Warriors so D’Angelo Russell could leave Golden State finally be paired with his good friend Karl-Anthony Towns with the Timberwolves.
Marcus Morris leaves New York for Los Angeles, going from the woebegone Knicks to the title-hoping Clippers — who added a piece many teams wanted. Three-time champion Andre Iguodala is ending his exile and going to join the Heat along with Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill, with Miami sending three players who’ve combined to score a mere 254 points this season to Memphis for that trio. And NBA rebounding leader Andre Drummond got moved by Detroit to Cleveland, then took to Twitter to express his dismay with the trade process.
“If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty,” Drummond wrote. “I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons, and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business! I love you Detroit...”
The Warriors decided to make the Russell-for-Wiggins move, giving Wiggins a fresh start that he likely needs — the former No. 1 overall pick will get to reap the benefits of playing alongside a healthy and rejuvenated Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green starting next season. And by throwing in a couple extra players, the Warriors also will likely escape the luxury tax this season. That’s not an insignificant point for a team that will go from five straight NBA Finals to the bottom of the Western Conference this season and, it hopes, back to title contention starting next year.
Miami’s trade with Memphis also lowered the Heat potential tax bill, and Portland made a minor trade with Atlanta with a lower tax in mind as well.
Most of the trades were still getting finalized Thursday afternoon. The only one from this week that got NBA approval before the deadline was a four-team, 12-player, three-pick swapping between Atlanta, Houston (which notably sent Clint Capela to the Hawks), Denver and Minnesota.
But the three top teams in the East — Milwaukee, Toronto and Boston — as well as the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers all remained out of the trade mix. It remains possible, and probably even likely, that at least some of those teams could look to bolster their rosters by adding free agents or when players become available through buyouts in the coming weeks.
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