The final days of the 2022 NBA Trade deadline were madness.
Prior to the last couple of days, there hadn’t been much action at all, just rumors.
Then the real madness began…
Three key trades went down.
Caris Levert to the Cavs, CJ McCollum to the Pelicans, and Domas Sabonis to the Kings for Tyrese Haliburton.
Then February 10th comes along. Just hours until the deadline…
WOJ BOMB:
The Brooklyn Nets are trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2022
What?! Did this actually just happen? *slaps self* Yea, that really just happened.
James Harden was traded to Philly for Ben Simmons and a boatload of other assets.
This news had NBA fans’ attention all day long, but there were some other meaningful deals done on the final day of the trade deadline.
Now it’s time to give out report cards for some of the more exciting deals;
Philadelphia 76ers Grade (A-)
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Philly Receives: James Harden
Philly receives top merits for this deal at the deadline. Bravo to Philly GM Daryl Morrey for making a deal happen this season and not waiting until the off-season.
And not just any deal, but a James Harden deal.
Morrey made it clear that he wanted a star player for Simmons. He got his wish. At full health, James Harden is one of the top 10 players in the association.
James Harden departs what will forever be known as the biggest “What-If” in NBA history leaving the trio behind in Brooklyn and joining Joel Embiid in Philly.
Ben Simmons planned on sitting out this entire season anyway, so to get a former MVP in James Harden in return for a phantom haunting your organization, I’d say this is a win.
Philly also lost some meaningful assets to get a hold of James, but overall they are getting the star power that could push them over the edge and give them a real chance at a title THIS season.
James Harden is in the ideal situation. He has never had the chance to play alongside a big with the skill of someone like Joel Embiid and he is surrounded by shooters. James Harden’s dream scenario. With his playstyle, he should fit right in. The pick-n-roll between these two will be unstoppable. James will skyrocket this 76er offense by creating open threes and by letting Joel be Joel and continue to dominate.
Projected Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup
- PG – James Harden
- SG – Danny Green
- SF – Matisse Thybulle
- PF – Tobias Harris
- C – Joel Embiid
Brooklyn Nets Grade (A)
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
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Nets Receive: Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, 2 First Round Picks
You could argue that Brooklyn took more of a risk here by taking on Ben Simmons and splitting up the Big 3, but maybe not.
The Brooklyn Nets were in an awkward spot. They’re on a nine-game losing streak, Kevin Durant is hurt, Kyrie is out for half of the team’s games, and things just didn’t seem right within the organization.
James seemed to be over it at all and these last few weeks haven’t been pretty. He had to have made it known to the leaders of the Nets organization that he wants out. Otherwise, you don’t just break up the championship favorites…
With that being said, what’s done is done and Simmons is in Brooklyn.
Simmons is seemingly an even better fit alongside Kyrie and KD than Harden was. Ben Simmons provides pure playmaking to get open shots for both Kyrie and Kevin Durant, while also allowing them to play their isolation shot-creating game. He will be a much better defender, able to guard the other team’s best player every night. And he also provides great transition offense.
Ben is also 25 years old and still has three years on his contract, while Harden was probably leaving this off-season anyway.
So not only do the Nets improve with just a Ben for Harden swap, but they also get Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and they prep for the future with two first-round picks.
This trade was a win for both, but it was the ultimate win for the Brooklyn Nets.
Projected Brooklyn Nets Starting Lineup
- PG – Kyrie Irving
- SG – Seth Curry
- SF – Kevin Durant
- PF – Ben Simmons
- C – LaMarcus Aldridge
New Orleans Pelicans (B)
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New Orleans Pelicans Receive: CJ McCollum
CJ to the Pels is possibly the second-biggest deal of the season.
This changes the whole outlook for the Pelicans this season and their future.
Adding CJ McCollum should give the Pelicans exactly what they need to push for that final play-in tournament spot, or even higher up the Western Conference rankings if they’re able to go on a real win streak (or if Zion miraculously returns).
CJ McCollum has been one of the most consistent scorers in the league for the past 8 seasons. He’s averaged over 20 PPG in all of those seasons, something very few players have done. He provides the Pelicans with some much-needed 3 point shooting and is an ideal fit next to Zion Williamson when he returns. He excels at creating shots for himself, but can also make plays for teammates.
There are a couple of reasons this trade gets a B.
The Pelicans had to give up Josh Hart, an ideal role player, and defender who fit in great with what the Pelicans were building. Hart plays hard every night and in Willy Green’s system, it unlocked some of his potential and allowed him to play more freely. So losing him does hurt. The Pels also give up a lottery pick and Nickiel Alexander-Walker, a player who could still amount to something.
Secondly, CJ has a fairly large contract for the next few years, so this could bring up some complications in the future with resigning Zion Williamson.
All said and done, New Orleans got better in this deal and a fully healthy Pelicans lineup looks really strong.
Projected New Orleans Pelicans Lineup
- PG – CJ McCollum
- SG – Herb Jones
- SF – Brandon Ingram
- PF – Zion Williamson
- C – Jonas Valunciunas
Portland Trail Blazers (B-)
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Trail Blazers receive: Josh Hart, Nickiel Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, 2022 first-round pick
After the Damian Lillard injury, the Portland Trail Blazers were faced with some tough decisions.
They continued to try and fight for a playoff spot, but once it was announced that Dame will have season-ending surgery, they realized it was time to call it quits. This season was over for Portland.
Over the past 8 seasons or so, Portland has made some playoff runs, they even made it to the conference finals once, but were swept by the Warriors.
With what the Trail Blazers have, they just weren’t going to reach the ultimate goal of winning a championship.
This season they decided to try and “rebuild around Dame” and form a new team this upcoming summer.
They’ve already made a bunch of deals and were able to flip NAW for a second-round pick, so this trade looks like a win for them. It’s sad to see Dame and CJ split apart after so many years together, but they knew it was coming.
The Trail Blazers basically got a lottery pick, a second-round pick, and Josh Hart. They could use any of these assets to try and flip for another star this off-season, or move toward a full rebuild. Only time will tell.
Sacramento Kings (C-)
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Sacramento Kings receive: Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, 2023 second-round pick
If Sabonis were to be traded, Sacramento seemed to be the most likely destination. What wasn’t expected was him to be traded for Tyrese Haliburton.
Domantas Sabonis is one of the more underrated players in the league, an all-star, and still only 25 years old.
He is averaging 18.9 PPG, 12.1 RPG, and 5.0 APG. He is one of the top rebounders in the league and puts up Jokic type numbers.
Sabonis likes to have the ball in his hands a lot in the half-court and tends to create for teammates. He is extremely aggressive and can dominate down low with the best of them while also being somewhat of a threat from outside.
He would be a solid addition to most teams, but I just don’t know if I see it here.
A DeAaron Fox / Sabonis duo doesn’t sound very exciting, but maybe it can get the job done. It seems that the Kings just want to try and push to win now and took a roll of the dice with Sabonis. Was this really the answer to win now? They gave up Tyrese Haliburton who’s still on a rookie contract and one of the best 3 point shooters in the league in Buddy Hield.
This trade was pretty surprising. I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out.
Sabonis put up 22/14/5 in his King’s debut.
Kings Starting Lineup
- PG – DeAaron Fox
- SG – Justin Holiday
- SF – Harrison Barnes
- PF – Domantas Sabonis
- C – Richaun Holmes
Indiana Pacers Grade (A)
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Indiana Pacers receive: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Tristan Thompson
The Indiana Pacers are getting a gem in Tyrese Haliburton.
Tyrese is having an outstanding second season and is averaging 14.3 PPG and 7.4 APG while shooting 40% from three. No other 22 year old in NBA history has ever put up these numbers.
He is evolving into an amazing pick and roll playmaker and can score from all over the court. He plays basketball the right way and doesn’t make many mistakes.
Tyrese was showing true potential to become the cornerstone of the King’s organization. There was only one problem, they had already promised DeAaron Fox that.
It simply wasn’t going to work with Tyrese and Fox in the long run since they play the same position, but the Kings may have let go of a young king in the making. He showed tons of potential, embraced the organization, and was putting up one-of-a-kind numbers in Fox’s absence.
Indiana struck gold in this deal and they are now set for the future.
Projected Indiana Pacers Starting Lineup
- PG – Malcolm Brogdon
- SG – Tyrese Haliburton
- SF – Chris Duarte
- PF – TJ Warren
- C – Myles Turner
Washington Wizards (B+)
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Washington Wizards receive: Kristaps Porzingis
This trade came out of left field. I certainly did not expect the Mavs to trade Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis has averaged 19.2 PPG and 7.7 RPG in 34 games played this season. Although, he was shooting a dreadful 28% from three.
This trade was a bit of a head-scratcher in the sense that the Mavs traded for a guy like Spencer Dinwiddie. Since he’s been in Washington, he’s been a shadow of what he was pre-ACL-injury in Brooklyn. They also get Davis Bertans who hasn’t done anything since signing a massive contract.
I like the deal for the Wizards, they’re getting a fringe all-star in Porzingis, the only question mark is his health.
The Porzingis and Doncic duo had its’ potential, but Porzingis always seemed to be hurt, especially when they needed him most. His entire career has been plagued by injuries.
Washington made the right move in trading for Porzingis and hopefully they can build something around the Unicorn and Bradley Beal.
Beal is out with season-ending wrist surgery, but he has been in discussions with management about constructing a better roster and they took the first step in trading for Porzingis while getting rid of Dinwiddie and Bertans.
Dallas Mavericks (D+)
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
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Dallas Mavericks receive: Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans
Hmm, not sure what Mark Cuban is thinking with this move.
Both of these players are having down years.
Bertans could certainly improve playing with a player like Luka, but the Dinwiddie fit doesn’t really add up. Dinwiddie is a ball-dominant playmaker and if you’ve ever watched the Dallas Mavericks play, Luka has the ball in his hands 70% of the time. Aside from that, they have Jalen Brunson who has emerged as that second playmaker at the other guard spot.
The Mavs shake up their roster by adding two questionable defensive players. The Mavs currently rank in the top five in defensive rating and adding players like this doesn’t help there, it more likely hurts.
The only reason I can see the Mavs making this move is that there were some deeper underlying issues between Luka and Porzingis. There had been rumors that Porzingis didn’t like playing alongside him and sitting backseat to all his glory, but those were just rumors after all. I thought the two fit together fine. They’re the fifth seed in the Western conference after all.
The Wizards finessed the Mavericks with this trade and it could really come back to bite the Mavericks hiney down the line.
What did everyone think of all the action at the trade deadline? Comment your thoughts below, I would love to hear them!
