NBA Trades

Following All-Star Weekend, the NBA trade deadline was on Thursday, February 18. Rumors were circulating the final week of the trade deadline about what players would get traded. The biggest trade talks surrounded Phoenix Suns Forward Amar’e Stoudemire being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers which would have made Cleveland a favorite to win the Eastern Conference and head into the NBA Finals at the end of the season. Other rumors included Monta Ellis, leaving Golden State; Carlos Boozer leaving Utah; and Ray Allen leaving Boston. In the end, they all stayed put on their current teams, but big moves were made in other cities.

There are two main reasons a team will trade a player before the end of the season: to open up salary cap space for post season player acquisitions or to better their chances to make the playoffs in the current season.

Of all the trades made, one of the biggest was between the Dallas Mavericks and the Washington Wizards. The Mavericks traded Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross to Washington in exchange for Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson. The seven-player trade consisted of Washington disassembling the current Wizards team and opening up salary cap space after the Gilbert Arenas gun incident gave the Washington Wizards negative publicity. As for the Mavericks, they make the playoffs every year, but the move has bolstered an already impressive Dallas team and has put the Mavericks in a more competitive light in other team’s eyes.

Another big trade was made between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards. Cleveland traded Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the rights to Emir Preldzic and 2010 first-round draft pick to Washington for Antawn Jamison, another move made by Washington to free up salary cap space for next season and by Cleveland to propel their chances of winning the Eastern Conference title. The Cleveland Cavaliers, led by Lebron James, are already the number one seed team in the East and have the best record in the NBA. Antawn Jamison is averaging 20 points per game and 8.8 rebounds this season, is a two-time NBA All-Star, and the acquirement of Jamison by Cleveland will give the Cavaliers more flexibility on the court with Jamison’s ability to stretch the four at the power forward position.

Another last minute trade that was made right before the time deadline on February 18 was a trade that involved the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks. Houston received Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong from Sacramento for Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey and the New York Knicks traded Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, a protected 2012 first-round pick and the right to exchange first round picks in 2011 to Houston for Tracy McGrady. The Boston Celtics got in the mix and sent Eddie House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker, along with a future conditional second-round pick, to the New York Knicks for Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry.

The rest of the season will prove to be entertaining as we watch how far Lebron James can take Cleveland with the addition of Antawn Jamison and how much of an effect the moves in Dallas will have on the Mavericks’ chances at winning the Western Conference.