NBA 2023 trade deadline

Here are answers to the five most important questions that NBA fans are wondering about the rest of the season after the expiry of the trade deadline.

The Boston Celtics in a file photo (Image credits: twitter/celtics)
By Karthik Raman | Feb 16, 2023 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

In one of the NBA’s most exciting trade deadlines, the league saw an avalanche of player movements across different teams. The action started with Kyrie Irving moving to the Mavericks on Sunday and the action picked from there. That includes Kevin Durant’s overnight move to the Suns on the following Wednesday and a slew of trades before the deadline expired.

So, what does all this NBA action mean for this season’s performance? Here are answers to the five most important questions that NBA fans are wondering about the rest of the season after the expiry of the trade deadline.

Which was the best under-the-radar deadline trade?

Mike Muscala’s move to the Celtics fortified what appears to be a fragile frontline for the regular season when Boston could have otherwise found itself starting Luke Kornet or Blake Griffin in a playoff game against Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid. The league’s best and deepest team got deeper and better without giving anything valuable that might hurt the team going forwards.

The Celtics held onto Danilo Gallinari and Payton Pritchard’s contracts, alongside all their first-round picks. That makes Boston an extremely good team at the moment and still has some flexibility, something that not many of its competitors can say.

Which team shot itself on the foot over a missed trade?

While the Anuno-derby was quite disappointing, Toronto deserves the credit for realizing that it’s better to retain the player that everyone wanted in the team. However, not trading Fred VanVleet seems shortsighted for the team as he’ll soon be a free agent.

The Raps signed and traded Kyle Lowry after rejecting deadline offers, but the fact that they traded for Center Jakob Poeltl to play over Precious Achiuwa shows that Freddie’s value peaked on Thursday. However, that promises an exciting NBA season and the Mobilebet bonus code is offering to benefit from the gameplay.

Which is the most nostalgic trade deadline homecoming?

While the Nets weren’t looking for this specific trip down memory lane, Spencer Dinwiddie makes things a full circle for the team. His original departure from Brooklyn was an indication of the last two to the culture that the team has spent the last five seasons building to attract Kyrie Irving and Durrant. At the moment, the Nets are back to where they started without owning any of their picks following the Pierce-Garnett era.

While it’s heartwarming to see Spencer Dinwiddie back in Brooklyn with his fellow crypto bros, it’s Eric Gordon trade that’s more nostalgic. After being taken by the clippers during the Chris Paul Trade, Erik Gordon has played a key role of a sourpuss. Gordon grew sullen in New Orleans after being denied the opportunity to relocate to Orleans and fell further in Houston following James Harden’s departure.

Gordon is finally back in L.A. and although he isn’t the downhill attacker he was over a decade ago, he’s the type of switchable shooter and defender the Clippers need to reach.