Around the NBA: Analyzing the biggest additions from the craziest deadline ever

Yesterday at 09:00 AM

The craziest trade deadline in history is (kind of) over, so it's time to see how. the league has. shifted.

Breathe, everyone — the craziest deadline ever is over, I think.

Even without the most shocking trade in league history, the other transactions that have taken place over the past week still made it one of the most memorable deadlines in recent memory.

So, how will the big moves impact the rest of this season? Let's find out.

Lakers

Additions: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, Mark Williams

Subtractions: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Dalton Knecht

If you feel embarrassed about anything in life, remember that Nico Harrison traded a 25-year-old Luka Doncic just because he has bunny cheeks.

I'll never get over the shock of seeing him in a Laker jersey, but given his impending debut, it's time to analyze how he'll impact LA's playstyle. For starters, the Lakers' pace will decrease. They're already ranked 22nd in that respect while the Mavs are 15th, but that's because Luka has missed time and Kyrie's been spearheading the offense. With LeBron and Luka taking turns running the show, the Lakers could become the slowest team from here on out.

Of course, that doesn't mean LA's offense will struggle. On the contrary, it'll likely become supercharged with the best half-court initiator on their side, and the bigger question is what happens defensively.

With AD this season, only 29.9% of opponent field goal attempts have come at the rim against the Lakers, good for the 70th percentile. Simply put, players don't want to challenge AD around the basket, even though they're shooting a robust 68.2% in that area (25% percentile for LA) when he's playing. Both the number of opponent shot attempts and their FG% will increase given that the Lakers' starting center is now Mark Williams sorry, Jaxson Hayes.

Only time will tell if LA can outscore their defensive issues, and because of that, I expect them to remain the same caliber team this season. Remember, though, the Luka trade was made for the long term, so don't prematurely praise Nico Harrison if the Lakers don't make it far this season.

Mavericks

Additions: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, Caleb Martin

Subtractions: Luka Doncic(?!?!), Quentin Grimes, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris

AD played like a man possessed for three quarters before straining his adductor, and he's now sidelined for multiple weeks as a result.

Mavs fans really can't have anything nice.

When he returns, though, Dallas' 15th-ranked defense will rocket into the top 10. Their already elite rim protection (opponents are shooting just 62.1% around the rim, second best league-wide) will become even better, and the Mavs can play bully-ball lineups that feature PJ Washington, AD, and Daniel Gafford/Dereck Lively all on the court.

In the backcourt, Kyrie is now their only reliable creator. I don't understand trading Grimes away when Luka's already gone, but hey, Nico Harrison will Nico Harrison. Only 31% of Dallas' shots this season have come around the basket (20th), a number that will undoubtedly increase. Even so, they'll attempt fewer threes, and the current 7th-ranked offense will inevitably take a hit.

With a healthy lineup, this team is still a contender. The most important x-factor, though, will be what Kyrie decides to do with his contract. He has a player option for next season, and if that isn't picked up, then Dallas will be in big trouble.

Spurs

Additions: De'Aaron Fox, Jordan McLaughlin, Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Subtractions: Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Sidy Cissoko

Arguably the second biggest trade of the deadline, the Spurs finally found their point guard for Wemby in De'Aaron Fox. The fit isn't perfect given Fox's mediocre shooting and his score-first mentality, but for the cheap price, this was a deal San Antonio couldn't refuse.

Currently 17th league-wide on offense, the Spurs should finish in the top half with Fox's addition. Even with the imperfect fit, he'll help San Antonio in multiple ways. Firstly, the pick and roll between him and Wemby will be lethal: Fox has averaged 7.1 P&R possessions per game this year, which is the 18th-highest mark league-wide. More importantly, he's scoring 1.07 points on such plays, tied for the best number among every player within the top 20 for P&R volume.

Fox's gravity will give Wemby easier looks when they run pick and pops, and if the opposing center is pulled to the perimeter by the Alien, then Fox will have an easier time finishing around the rim, where he's already making a whopping 75% of his shots (good for the 96th percentile among all guards).

With that in mind, don't be surprised if the Spurs go on a run after the All-Star break.

Bucks

Additions: Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr., Jericho Sims

Subtractions: Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Delon Wright

The Bucks just added two of the lowest basketball IQ players league-wide in Kuzma and KPJ.

But hey, at least they got younger and more athletic!

Even with all his natural talent, KPJ's decision-making hurts his teams as much as it helps. The same can be said about Kuzma this season, but he at least has a track record of playing winning basketball.

During the Lakers' championship season, Kuzma was their third scoring option and averaged 12.9 points while shooting 36.1% from three and playing decent defense. Now that he's back in a serious situation, I'm optimistic that he can tap back into his former self, so this was a worthwhile gamble considering Middleton's lack of availability.

Kuzma's addition doesn't vault Milwaukee back into legitimate contender status, but they could give any team a run for their money in the East. So long as they limit KPJ's minutes, that is.

Cavaliers

Additions: De'Andre Hunter

Subtractions: Caris LeVert and Georges Niang

The best non-Luka move of the deadline, Cleveland has finally found the final piece to round out their Big 4. Hunter will add elite shooting to the Cavs' lineup while also giving them a big body to throw onto opposing wings, specifically Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. It's not a stretch to say that this trade was made specifically with Boston in mind, and the Cavs now have a plethora of options to match up with the Celtics' dynamic duo.

Hunter can also reliably create his own shot: his 61.6% true shooting is above the league average, and he's replaced long twos for threes in his game. The Cavs can now trot out a starting five with three above-average to elite defenders who can all handle the ball, and this team has Boston's crown set firmly in their sights.

Clippers

Additions: Bogan Bogdanovic, Ben Simmons, MarJon Beauchamp, Drew Eubanks, Patty Mills

Subtractions: Terence Mann, Bones Hyland, PJ Tucker, Mo Bamba

I loved what the Clippers did. They traded players who were either dispensable or out of the lineup for at least two rotation-level contributors in Bogdanovic and, yes, the young socialite himself.

With that said, Bogdanovic hasn't been himself this season. His numbers are down across the board, emphasized by an abysmal 50.2% true shooting. Given that he had his best season just a year ago and needed to recover from off-season surgery, I'm cautiously optimistic that he can at least become a reliable bench player again. Meanwhile, Simmons can still contribute a solid 10-20 minutes off the bench as a playmaking forward while being decent on defense.

The Clippers remain a deep team that could give any team a headache, even if they don't have a championship ceiling anymore.

Memphis

Additions: Marvin Bagley Jr., Johnny Davis

Subtractions: Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia

Memphis purposely got worse for non-basketball reasons. The Grizzlies are worried about the next contract that Jaren Jackson Jr. could command, so they got rid of an overpaid Marcus Smart and a good young player in LaRavia to mitigate those concerns.

It's a series of unfortunate moves for a team good enough to make the conference finals, but Memphis is deep enough that these trades shouldn't make a big difference for their roster.

Kings

Additions: Zach LaVine, Jake LaRavia, Jonas Valanciunas

Subtractions: De'Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Jordan McLaughlin, Colby Jones, Alex Len

Even with Fox's departure, the Kings had a good deadline. They managed to add a player similar in caliber in Zach LaVine, who will make up for Fox's scoring and help Sacramento's spacing. Questions about their playmaking will naturally arise with Fox's absence, but I think they'll be just fine running Malik Monk at the point.

Like Fox, Monk is also lethal in the pick and roll, as he averages 5 such possessions per game and scores a respectable 1 point on those plays (83rd percentile). I'd say that his court vision is on the same level as Fox's, even if they go about it in different ways. Adding a decent backup center in Valanciunas and an all-around bench player in LaRavia will keep SacTown in the play-in race, and the latter's addition potentially gives them a future starter, too.

Warriors

Additions: Jimmy Butler

Subtractions: Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters III

Oh Jimmy, you just can't go a day without being in the headlines, can you? I, for one, will miss seeing all the crazy reports about bad team morale from Miami. Maybe they can finally bring back the Heat culture courts, now.

Jokes aside, I admire the Warriors for trying to stay relevant during Steph's twilight years. Yes, the fit between Jimmy and Draymond will be awkward offensively, but two of the smartest players in the league can figure that out. Swapping Wiggins out for Jimmy means that the Warriors will be trading threes for more rim attempts, which should make their offense more well-rounded: Golden State is currently third in the percentage of shots from three (43.3%) but 26th in rim attempts (27.2%).

Given that Jimmy also finishes 71% of his shots around the basket (74th percentile) and his propensity to draw fouls, it wouldn't be surprising if Golden State finishes with a league-average offense while still being a top-10 defense. That's no contender, but it is a team worthy of the play-in. And hey, who wouldn't want to see a few more goodnights from Steph in big games?

Raptors

Additions: Brandon Ingram, PJ Tucker, James Wiseman(???)

Subtractions: Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk, Davion Mitchell

I have no idea what the Raptors are doing.

Masai seems to be infatuated with adding big, ball-stopping wings that can kind of create their own looks and shoot... sometimes. Ingram and Scottie Barnes' skillsets overlap the most, as they're in the 100th and 93rd percentile, respectively, in the percentage of shots that come from the long mid-range. RJ Barrett attacks the rim more, but he's also in the 65th percentile for shots from the entire mid-range area.

I get that the Raptors need to trade for talent given that they're not a free-agent destination, but this team seems destined to be in the play-in for years to come. Maybe they're content with that after their 2019 championship run, but I personally wouldn't have given up assets to acquire Ingram.

Who knows, maybe YouTube influencer James Wiseman can prove me wrong.