Teams Scrambling to Make Deals as NBA Trade Deadline Approaches
With the NBA trade deadline coming tomorrow, February 23 at noon, rumors of big names moving are rapidly spreading around the league. DeMarcus Cousins, arguably the best big man in the NBA, has already been moved from Sacramento. With teams scrambling to keep up with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, there’s sure to be more stars on new teams soon.
The NBA All-Star festivities that took place this past weekend were far from stellar. Saturday’s NBA Dunk Contest has been criticized as being one of the worse in history and the NBA’s best players were not competing at a high-level in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
The highlight of this year’s All-Star Weekend happened behind the scenes. That’s when Cousins, formerly of the Sacramento Kings, was being dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans. The all-star Cousins found out he had been traded to New Orleans, the 2017 All-Star Weekend hosts, during his post-game interview.
The Cousins-to-New Orleans trade kicked off NBA trade deadline week. The Boston Celtics are sure to make a splash before Thursday’s deadline. They are looking to land either Paul George or Jimmy Butler with the numerous pawns at their disposal.
The Los Angeles Lakers traded Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round pick on Tuesday. Earlier in the day the Lakers announced that they hired Magic Johnson, a legend who wore the purple-and-gold, as their President of Basketball Operations.
In the press conference announcing his hiring, Johnson let reporters know he’s aware that the NBA trade deadline is approaching. When asked if he had any moves in mind, Johnson replied, “we’re just trying to hold on to our young talent.”
Johnson and the Lakers are just one of the active teams in this year’s trade deadline. Top contenders, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Washington Wizards, are trying to make last minute moves. Thursday’s deadline definitely has phones across all NBA team offices going crazy.