It’s been a minute (or about a month) since we caught up with the news circulating in the NBA. In the time since the last NBA roundup, we’ve seen the local professional teams step up their game.
The most notable and recent news in the NBA has been the trades that did and didn’t happen. News of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo staying put will make teams refocus their plans heading towards the trade deadline, now just about three weeks away. This saves a lot of teams, like the Knicks, a ton of trade capital in what could have been the largest sum for any trade for one player in the history of the NBA.
Elsewhere, the Atlanta Hawks traded away its superstar in Trae Young to the Washington Wizards for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum. The four-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year runner-up in the 2018-2019 season was traded away because Atlanta, with its recent success with draft quality players like Jalen Johnson and Caleb Houstan among others, was not winning with the star anymore. In his limited time with Atlanta this season, Young and the Hawks went 2-8. When Young wasn’t on the court, Atlanta was 18-14.
Atlanta has been a much better, well-rounded team without Young over the past three seasons. Young is still an elite-level shooter and can help a team like the Wizards who need scoring. The two players, including a 12-year veteran in McCollum, feels and sounds like an underpay especially considering Young was traded on his draft night for Luka Doncic. While Doncic was widely panned, and Doncic is the better of the two, you can’t help but think “why didn’t Atlanta ask for more?”
The two big pieces looking to be moved at the trade deadline now include Anthony Davis, who will certainly get a spike in popularity with Antetokounmpo off the board, and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies. Morant getting traded has been spoken about for the past season or two, but now the team has made it known that they are listening to offers. While Morant has had his personal issues before that were made very public, he’s still a high-level shooter like Young and can change a team’s offense no matter where he goes.
It will be an interesting three weeks leading up to the trade deadline.
Brooklyn Nets (11-26)
The biggest difference with the Brooklyn Nets is that Cam Thomas is back, Michael Porter Jr. is stepping up as the team’s best player by far and Egor Demin is breaking out among the rookies.
Thomas scored 30 points in his return to the Nets following a hamstring injury the sidelined Thomas for over a month. He will be the key piece that teams around the league ask for when calling the Nets over the next three weeks.
Porter Jr. will also be a big discussion piece for the Nets. He’s the team’s leading scorer and is also emerging as a star in the league. Playing for Brooklyn means Porter Jr. has needed to step up and become the top player on the team, or share that title with players like Thomas and Nic Claxton. It’s a big shift from when Porter Jr. played with the Denver Nuggets where he was a role player while Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray led the team. He’s proven his worth and can quietly become the best acquisition for any team looking to improve.
New York Knicks (25-14)
New York played some high-octane basketball heading into the holiday season and now has cooled off at the beginning of the new year.
After a seven-game winning streak that included an NBA Cup Championship win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Knicks have been streaky, settling for a 6-7 record in their last 13 games. During that span, New York had lost four-straight games to the Spurs, Hawks, 76ers and Detroit Pistons. Of these 13 games, seven of them were on the road and the Knicks went 3-4 in those road games.
In the contentious Atlantic Division standings the 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics have all hit their strides recently. Only the Nets are below .500 in the divisional standings while everyone else is at least six games above .500.
Any trade the Knicks make will have to be on the defensive side of the ball and to improve the bench. Anything more than that will feel retaliatory for any big move within the division, and only Toronto can make a big move considering Boston and Philadelphia have their hands tied to a couple of big contracts.
Philadelphia 76ers (22-16)
Philly has played some of its best basketball since the start of the new year and most of that is because of Tyrese Maxey.
The 76ers are 6-2 since December 30 and have gotten notable wins against the Knicks, Orlando magic and the Raptors.
Another reason for their success in the new year has been Joel Embiid stepping up and playing more consistently. While VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George have been in and out of games over the past few days, Embiid has been close to recording a double-double in each of the past three games.
Embiid’s 23.7 points per game has been vital in the absence of the supporting cast. While only playing 20 games this season, Embiid is effective now when it matters most.
