The Trade Deadline Special

My thoughts on a wild 2023 NBA trade deadline

[Ed. note: This article was originally published at raymondsimms.com, a temporary personal blog I ran during the 2022-23 basketball season. It was ported over to Crucial Baskets on April 20, 2024.]

Liking the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers front office came out of this trade deadline looking way more competent than I ever expected them to. They shipped out two guards in Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley that should be venerated for what they’ve contributed during their respective NBA careers, but just weren’t meshing well with what the team needs to compete in the Western Conference.

In D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers acquire a competent point guard that can also score off-the-ball, meaning he’ll be useful even when LeBron is on the floor. With Malik Beasley, they get a sharpshooter that can help bolster the perimeter shooting of a team that’s 25th in three-point attempts per game and 26th in three-point percentage.

In the frontcourt, Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba may have different body types and shot profiles, but the story on them is still they same. They’re both sorely needed youthful, rotation-caliber players that can fill-in minutes for Anthony Davis or take the pressure off of him defensively.

Coupled with the earlier addition of Rui Hachimura, the Lakers seem to have the roster to put them back on track to securing a spot in the Play-In rounds.

Role Player Island

The KD & Kyrie Era is over in Brooklyn. Good riddance. All of the drama, none of the winning. Funny enough, now that the dust has settled on all the trades, the make-up of this team feels similar to the 2019 Nets, the squad from the season before KD & Kyrie arrived. Just a bunch of hard-working glue guys on a roster together. A real “why don’t they make the whole plane out of the black box?” sort of team.

Much like the 2019 team, the basketball won’t be as flashy but it should be much more exciting and fulfilling overall. They will at least close out this season competing on a nightly basis. It’s honestly impressive that Sean Marks was able to pivot back to a team like this when it looked like it would be impossible to shake the team’s superstar albatrosses.

Fortunately, Marks was able to. I feel like the KD & Kyrie Era is a case study about chasing superstars and the limits of player empowerment. Hopefully the Nets’ next chapter has a more solid foundation.

Bearish on the Bulls

The trade deadline passed and the Chicago Bulls did nothing. Again. Then those Bulls, at mostly full strength (no Lonzo Ball, no Javonte Green), went out and lost on national television to a “Oops, All Role Players” Nets team that was without Nic Claxton, Seth Curry, and the newly-arrived Mikal Bridges. An embarrassing Thursday all-around for the franchise.

I lost interest in watching the Bulls following their November 18th loss to the Orlando Magic. In that game, Zach LaVine went an atrocious 1-of-14 from the field with five rebounds, two assists, and nothing else. This prompted Billy Donovan to bench the unhelpful LaVine down the stretch of the close game.

Following the game, LaVine conceded he had a bad game, but still felt that Donovan should “play a guy like him down the stretch“. Ever since then, any time I think about Zach LaVine, the fire in my heart goes out and my mind temporarily goes to a cold, dark place.

To have such an entitled, self-awareness-lacking presence on your favorite team’s roster with such a high usage rate. I guess this is how Nets (Irving) and Lakers (Westbrook) fans were feeling before the trade deadline.

For two hours, I thought my own team would also purge itself of a bad egg. Not only were the rumors rumbling that he would go far away, but that in exchange the Bulls would get back a franchise legend and the reigning slam dunk champion.

Alas, 2:00 PM central passed and the deal was not done. No deal was done. Zach LaVine is still here. The team embarrassed themselves on national TV again. The 26-29 Bulls remain in purgatory.

Sunrise

Oh, and the Phoenix Suns are pretty big title contenders with addition of Kevin Durant. Obvi.