The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and many of the top title contenders bolstered their rosters in hopes of taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy this summer.
There will still be a handful of moves in the coming days on the buyout market, but the trade deadline represented the last chance for most teams to upgrade for the stretch run. Before the seven-week sprint to the end of the regular season, it’s a good time to examine how the trade deadline reshaped the playoff picture.
Philadelphia and Milwaukee both made trade deadline moves to improve their chances of winning the Eastern Conference. The 76ers brought in backcourt depth in George Hill, and the Bucks added P.J. Tucker. Brooklyn didn’t make a major move (Blake Griffin was a buyout addition), but the Nets’ major deal was trading for James Harden early in the season, and Kevin Durant is expected to rejoin the lineup at some point.
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Miami added offense and defense to its resurgence, acquiring Victor Oladipo. No matter where the Heat finish in the standings, they will be tough to beat in the playoffs. The Heat came the closest to making the kind of move that sways the outlook in the East.
Boston made an effort to jumpstart its playoff push, acquiring shooter/scorer Evan Fournier, but the Celtics are a ways from the elite teams in the East right now. They’re closer to missing the playoffs than they are the top three. Chicago made a push to solidify its chances to make at least the play-in game, but adding Nikola Vucevic is just as much about future seasons.
More clarity will emerge on the Western Conference landscape once the buyout market becomes dry. But the immediate returns point in various directions.
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Victor Oladipo and Jimmy Butler are now teammates in Miami. (Photo: Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports)
While the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers remain the favorites to make the NBA Finals out of the West, the Los Angeles Clippers closed the gap by acquiring Rajon Rondo from the Atlanta Hawks. Though the move came at the expense of losing a proven secondary scorer in Lou Williams, the Clippers are aware their new addition is called “Playoff Rondo” for a reason. He remains a proven playmaker and steady veteran that can make timely passes and hold stars and role players accountable. The Clippers have lacked that dominant personality, even with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Denver’s acquisition of Aaron Gordon and JaVale McGee boosted its chances of returning to the conference finals, and Portland’s addition of Norman Powell has the potential to push the Blazers higher in the standings.
Here are four more things to know today in the NBA:
Doc Rivers calls out Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard received his 2020 championship ring and made a rare start Thursday for the Philadelphia 76ers. He didn’t last long, picking up his second technical foul during the break between the first and second quarters for shoving Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell and getting ejected. Sixers coach Doc Rivers wasn’t happy about the ejection that left an already shorthanded Philadelphia team even more thin.
“I know there’s a lot of emotion, but we had one center on our team and he got thrown out,” Rivers said after the Sixers’ 109-101 win. “I was not very happy with that one. I know it’s an emotional game, but he’s a veteran. We got to have better discipline.”
De’Aaron Fox goes off
Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox poured in a career-high 44 points Thursday in a 141-119 rout of the Golden State Warriors. Fox shot 16-of-22 from the field, 3-of-7 on 3s and 9-of-10 on free throws to surpass his previous best of 43 points set on Jan. 17. The fourth-year guard has scored 80 points in the last two games and is averaging 30.7 over the last 10. The Kings have won five of six to pull within two games of the Warriors for 10th place in the West.
Jusuf Nurkic set to return
Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic said he expects to return from a fractured wrist Friday. Nurkic has been sidelined since Jan. 14 and missed 32 games. He said Thursday on Twitter that he plans to play against the Orlando Magic in the second game of a back-to-back. Nurkic’s return should be another big boost for the Blazers after C.J. McCollum came back from a fractured foot last week.
Game of the night: Grizzlies at Jazz
The teams open a back-to-back in Utah on Friday pitting the league-leading Jazz against a Grizzlies team in ninth place and fighting to stay in contention for the play-in tournament. Memphis has won three in a row and four of five to climb back over .500 at 21-20, but its 19th-rated offense will have its hands full against Utah’s fourth-rated defense.