Without question, the 2022-23 season – this year – is arguably the most competitive season of basketball us fans have experienced in a while. The Eastern Conference is stacked with five championship contenders in the Celtics, Sixers, Bucks, Nets, and Cavaliers. Meanwhile, the Western Conference lagged; they only featured two actual contenders: Nuggets and Grizzlies.
But then, the NBA trade deadline happened – so many significant star players, superstar, and role players have shifted teams and conferences! Within this small blog, it’s impossible to analyze every intricate move in this deadline, so we’ll only focus on significant trades. Many NBA fans have deemed this trade deadline to be the greatest one ever; thus, we raise the question: what does the NBA look like after this earth-shattering trade deadline?
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant with the Nets – Louisa Thomas, New Yorker
Brooklyn Nets
Let’s start off with the deadline’s headliner themselves: the Brooklyn Nets. After an abysmal 2-5 start and a chaotic November, the Nets ascended to a two-seed on a 12-game winning streak. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving balled out as a lethal scoring duo.
James Harden on the Sixers after leaving the toxic Nets – Oren Weisfield, Guardian
Nic Claxton made himself a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Ben Simmons struggled offensively but stayed steady defensively. Things were looking bright for this newly born contender.
And then, Kyrie Irving requested a trade because of contract disputes, so the Nets traded him to the Dallas Mavericks, pairing him with superstar point guard Luka Doncic. This Irving trade also destroyed any hopes for the Nets’ championship contention, so Kevin Durant, despite initial hesitation, found himself a new home in a blockbuster trade to the Phoenix Suns, creating a core four of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Ayton along with Durant himself.
Ultimately, the James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant “big three” became the greatest disappointment of all time. Moreover, the Nets continue their reputation as the greatest franchise failure in NBA history, so let’s hope change is on the way, Brooklyn!
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have been the league’s laughingstock over the past two seasons because they traded for one man: Russell Westbrook. The Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis era in LA failed to meet even the lowest expectations; they couldn’t even make the play-in tournament last year!
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The Lakers’ big three of Davis, Westbrook, and LeBron James – Harrison Faigen, Lakers Rumors
The team still struggles this season as they currently rank 13th in the Western Conference, so Rob Pelinka needed to make some changes. Surprisingly, the heavily criticized general manager delivered. He traded away the expensive, most disappointing Westbrook for a starting quality point guard in D’Angelo Russell, long-range shot-making in Malik Beasley, and roster glue man and energy guy in Jared Vanderbilt.
Unfortunately, this move doesn’t really move the needle much; the Lakers will make the playoffs, but they’re not championship threat with this roster. The West just became significantly more competitive given the Mavericks’ and Suns’ moves with the Nets. It’s unfortunate that LeBron James’ record-shattering longevity hasn’t resulted in much success after the 2020 championship.
The Western Conference
Mavs’ new elite backcourt of Doncic and Irving – Bleacher Report
Let’s talk about the league’s new hot shots in the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. These two rosters’ additions of Irving and Durant, respectively, elevated these teams to another level. Luka Doncic finally has an All-Star and All-NBA teammate for the first time, so he no longer has to play exhaustively in the playoffs. They’re not contenders just yet though; the Mavericks must improve significantly on defense, especially after losing their best defensive player in Dorian Finney-Smith.
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The Suns’ star-studded trio of Booker, Durant, and Chris Paul – Rob Mahoney, The Ringer
The Phoenix Suns might have become the best team in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant no longer has any excuses if he doesn’t secure another ring. Look at his teammates: a smooth scoring co-star in Devin Booker, precise, all-time great floor general
in Chris Paul, and reliable big man in DeAndre Ayton. The team also sports a reliable bench depth and strong defense despite losing one of the league’s best defenders in Mikal Bridges. The Suns just extended their championship window with this trade, so let’s hope they don’t embarrass themselves again.
These two trades will shake up the standings in the West. While the Nuggets have a sizeable lead in the standings, the rest of the teams are within reach of each other. The Suns and Mavs made themselves more consistent and stronger, so teams like the Sacramento Kings better watch out!
What about the Others?
The East remains just as competitive excluding the Brooklyn Nets. One storyline this season has been how the West is weaker than the East for the first time, but the Nets undid this narrative in a couple of days. The NBA just became way more competitive, and it’s now going to be a completely different second half for the season. So, make sure to tune in because we may not see this level of parity anytime soon.
02/10/2023 at 5:34 PM
I don’t follow the NBA super closely, but I know that just like the NFL, there can be some big moves right around the trade deadline that can significantly alter the postseason projections. You did an excellent job at summarizing some of the big name moves that occurred, and managed to give a brief analysis on what impacts those moves are going to have for their teams, all while keeping the post easy to read and understand. A little fun fact: I went to the same MS and HS as Mikal Bridges, and from talking with the middle school coaches, he was actually a pretty bad player until he got to HS where he then scored well over 1000 points in his career.
02/10/2023 at 5:38 PM
For me, Kyrie to the Mavs is the most shocking trade this year. I think that it could either be a deadly combo, or a disaster, both guys are great offensively, but I don’t know if Luka will be able to share the ball.
02/10/2023 at 5:43 PM
The trades that have happened in the NBA are definitely interesting and your blog covered it really well. It was really interesting and enjoyable to read. The objective take on the trades was great and you provided a factual representation of them as a whole. I also like how the information was displayed and conveyed because it made the blog much more readable and engaging.
02/10/2023 at 5:49 PM
I love the Nets slander as a diehard Knicks fan! I must say while we are getting better and better, the Nets are going lower and lower. That being said, these trades were crazy and I’m genuinely excited to see how the NBA is shaken up by them. I’m most interested to see the Mavericks now, especially with Luka having assistance.