NBA trade deadline: Execs, scouts on the aftermath of a wild week

nba trade deadline Was expected to remain calm. Until a week ago, there was only one trade in the entire season.

Then the floodgates broke.

No, there was no retribution for last season’s real stunner, when luka doncic was transferred from dallas mavericks till Los Angeles Lakers In the middle of the night. but there Was There are plenty of movements throughout the league – most of which are coming in unexpected ways.

Like many star players–including trey young, anthony davis, jaren jackson jr., james harden And darius garland – As teams changed, three main themes of activity emerged this trade deadline, which continued early giannis antetokounmpo Drama that will now likely extend into the summer and possibly beyond.

Giannis is still a Buck…now what?

For the past several weeks, nearly every conversation I had with sources around the NBA included one question:

Desire giannis antetokounmpo move?

But despite all the talk of the two-time MVP switching teams this week, it came as no shock to the league when milwaukee bucks There were indications Thursday afternoon that they are moving on to other parts of the business.

“It’s no surprise that this was one of the results,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN, “and it was probably a more than 50% possible outcome.”

That result means the ongoing debate about Antetokounmpo’s future will continue into the summer and possibly beyond; He can sign a contract extension on October 1. Antetokounmpo took his stance on things with a social media post shortly after the 3 p.m. ET deadline, which included a famous clip from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s character yells, “I’m not going!”

But, as one executive said later Thursday, “You know, in the movie, he’s gone.”

In a similar saga last season, phoenix sun discussed business Kevin Durant Ultimately he was transferred on deadline day before the summer. boston celtics Did the same to Paul Pierce in 2013 before sending him and Kevin Garnett Brooklyn Nets A few months later in a blockbuster deal.

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Stephen A.: Giannis is giving the Bucks more control than they expect

Stephen A. Smith says Giannis Antetokounmpo is giving the Bucks more control than they want in regards to their trade talks.

Despite some wishing for Giannis Watch to end, the Bucks also earned some praise for how they handled it.

One East scout said, “I think they’re winners by doing nothing.” “They’ve got all the information about the situation, and they can go out and make a deal later.”

And none of the top contenders– Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, minnesota timberwolves And new York Knicks – Did anything at the deadline to prevent an Antetokounmpo blockbuster this offseason. Other teams could easily join them.

For Milwaukee, there was no opportunity cost to waiting, but if Antetokounmpo wants to play the final stretch of the season after returning from his calf injury, there will likely be some uncomfortable conversations ahead.

The Bucks will almost certainly be out of playoff contention by then, and the team is looking to maximize its draft position. (Antetokounmpo has suffered four separate lower leg injuries over the past 18 months and has a prime opportunity to heal his body, especially with no international competition this summer.)

Bad teams plan ahead

It is noteworthy that during a trade deadline in which big names were moved, the only star to join the current playoff team was Harden. Instead, the dominant theme of the deadline was lottery-bound utah jazz (Jackson), washington wizards (Davis and Young) and Indiana Pacers (Center ivica zubac) is loading till Reforms in 2026-27.

The Wizards and Jazz deals were announced Wednesday, while the deal that sent Zubac LA Clippers Pacers need a guard benedict mathurin And the two first-round picks are among the most fascinating in recent history.

One of the two picks the Clippers receive is the Pacers’ unprotected pick in 2029. The second has unique protection: if it lands anywhere from numbers 5-9, it will go to the Clippers; If it falls in the top four or Nos. 10-30, it stays with Indiana and the Clippers will get an unprotected 2031 pick instead.

This sparked widespread debate among multiple sources Thursday afternoon about what the Pacers will do for the rest of this season.

Indiana Lottery can try to stay in the top three of the odds and has a slightly better than 50% chance of keeping its pick. However, with this also comes the risk of losing a mid-lottery selection in a loaded draft.

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Clippers trading center Ivica Zubac for Indiana Pacers

Shams Charania reports that the Los Angeles Clippers are trading center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers.

Instead, Indiana can try to win the game. With Zubac, pascal siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron NesmithWith an excellent coach in Rich Carlisle and several tanking teams with him in the standings, it is possible.

In this scenario the Pacers would try to move up to 10th in the lottery standings, where they would have a 100% chance of retaining the pick and an 11% chance of jumping into the top four, something that has happened at or below 10 in two of the last three years (Atlanta starting 10th in 2023, and Dallas starting 11th last year).

One East executive said, “If it were me, I’d run and get the best possible chances at a higher pick.” “But if they choose to get to 10, I think they can do that.”

There really wasn’t much debate about whether Indiana can Move up to 10th – That’s quite an indictment of the impending tank race, considering the Pacers enter Friday’s game in Milwaukee with a 13-38 record. Instead, the debate was over whether Indiana Would like.

Either way, adding Zubac came at a premium, especially compared to what Washington gave up to pick up Anthony Davis. Washington potentially gave up the 30th pick this year, as well as a top 20-protected pick in 2030, from the Warriors.

The difference is that Zubac is four years younger than Davis and will make a combined $40 million over the next two seasons. Davis is booked for $120 million.

The Western Conference scout said, “I don’t blame Washington for the cost of admission to get Trae and AD, it’s basically nothing.” “There is a huge difference in the quality of picks. You can’t say two picks for AD and two picks for Zubac and think they’re the same.”

One lottery-winning team that didn’t make the expected move was Memphis, which stopped keeping ja morant Through the deadline.

And while there was mild surprise across the league that Morant stayed after weeks of speculation, the Grizzlies struggled to get a deal they felt strongly about. (Miami was a rumored destination, according to sources, but the Heat were not a real option.)

“I never saw where [Morant] Was going to land,” said a West executive.

Perhaps Morant can rebuild his value in the final months of the season, but the Grizzlies will be heavily incentivized to join the tanking teams — a group that is expected to grow to such an extent that multiple sources expect the league will soon consider adjustments to curb the annual race to the bottom.

An East executive said, “It’s going to be a brutal, ugly race.” “There will be so many good players sitting out… it will be a story every night.”

The teams at the top remained largely unbeaten

Of the 10 teams with the league’s best records entering Thursday, only one had a first-round pick for a player: oklahoma city thunder.

That doesn’t mean the top NBA teams weren’t active this week. boston celtics, denver nuggets and the Phoenix Suns all avoided the luxury tax. philadelphia 76ers And Toronto RaptorsSo did those who are just outside the league’s top 10 records.

And Minnesota saved significant money by trading mike connelly And a pick swap. (However, Conley is likely to be traded a second time and return to Minnesota after clearing waivers on Thursday.)

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Windies: James Harden trade ‘about money’

Brian Windhorst breaks down the Clippers trading James Harden to the Cavaliers for Darius Garland.

But by and large, teams at the top lacked trade assets, were waiting out a potential Antetokounmpo deal, or were feeling the constraints of the luxury tax and its apron strings.

A West scout said, “These aprons are hard to make.” “This means teams will have to have tough conversations moving forward.”

But, as a result, many of these teams at the top are headed to the postseason because of how they were constructed at the beginning of the season. With that inactivity also comes the question of what happens when those teams start falling short of their set goals.

Cleveland, addressing concerns about Donovan MitchellThe future beyond 2026–27, the final guaranteed year of his contract, was traded for Harden.

Conley’s move saved Minnesota money because it had to work hard to get into the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes with minimal assets, just to add a good depth player. Ayo Dosunmu From Chicago Bulls. But that deal meant moving forward Rob DillinghamThe No. 8 pick in 2023 that the Wolves traded up for this selection.

detroit pistonsWho included much needed shooting in their deal Kevin HuerterAll-Star center facing restricted free agency for the first time Jalen Duren. The Knicks faced immense pressure after firing coach Tom Thibodeau in the offseason, but their only move was to essentially replace a now-injured player miles mcbride with New Orleans Pelicans guard jose alvarado.

These bets could set up an unpredictable race to the final. And with so many trade sagas still unresolved, perhaps this is an even more fraught summer.