NBA notes: Did Clippers alter Western Conference balance of power at trade deadline?
The days and weeks leading up to the NBA trade deadline were relatively quiet, but the final hours brought on a flurry of activity as contenders added reinforcements and rebuilding teams accumulated assets for the future.
The Los Angeles Clippers already had championship aspirations, but they might have shifted the balance of power in the Western Conference at the deadline. The Clippers made a major move minutes before the deadline arrived at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, acquiring Marcus Morris in a three-team trade involving the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards.
Morris is a tough, physical 6-foot-8 forward who will be useful against the likes of Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He was averaging a career-high 19.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 43.9 percent from 3-point range for the Knicks.
Morris will likely start alongside Patrick Beverley, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac with Lou Williams, Landry Shamet, Montrezl Harrell and JaMychal Green coming off the bench. The Clippers had to give up Maurice Harkless, Jerome Robinson and a first-round pick in the deal.
That’s a small price to pay to add talent and depth while preventing Morris from going to Lakers, the team they seem destined to face in the Western Conference finals.
From Golden State to Gopher State
The other blockbuster on deadline day was the deal that sent D’Angelo Russell from the Golden State Warriors to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors also received a top-three protected 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick.
Both teams seem to have done well in this deal. Wiggins has largely failed to live up to the five-year, $147.7 million max contract he signed in 2018, but he has been better this season, averaging career highs of 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. If he settles into his role as a complementary scoring option behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and commits to the idea of defense, the Warriors might be able to unlock his potential. They also managed to escape $50 million in repeater luxury tax penalties, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger.
The Timberwolves picked up an All-Star point guard to pair with Karl-Anthony Towns. Russell is a pick-and-roll specialist, playmaker and shot creator who just so happens to have a close relationship with Towns. Neither is very good defensively, but Minnesota has building blocks to go along with two first-round picks this summer.
Welcome to Miami
The Miami Heat is being lauded for acquiring Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Justice Winslow, Dion Waiters and James Johnson. Iguodala is a 16-year NBA veteran who helped the Warriors reach five consecutive NBA Finals from 2014-19, winning Finals MVP in 2015, but he’s 36 years old and hasn’t played all season. Miami might have solidified itself as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference with this move, but without adding Danilo Gallinari – the other player Heat president Pat Riley wanted to acquire – it’s hard to see how the Heat has gained ground on the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
Memphis on the move
Meanwhile, Memphis offloaded an aging Iguodala, who wouldn’t even play for them, and acquired Winslow, a 23-year-old talent who still has big upside despite a history of injuries. Winslow averaged 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals last season, shooting 37.5 percent from 3-point range.
Less than a year after making the difficult decision to move on after more than a decade with Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies’ brain trust has done a masterful job of fast-forwarding their rebuild. Memphis now has a nice young core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Dillon Brooks, Brandon Clarke, De’Anthony Melton and Winslow, all of whom are under the age of 25.
