The trade deadline is done and over with, gents. The biggest name on the market, Dwight Howard, wasn't moved and commits to play with the Magic for at least one more season. Personally, I see this as a sick joke from Howard towards me because for another year we'll have to deal with this nonsense. Who else is excited?!
Earlier today the Sixers traded the rights to Ricky Rozay Sanchez for rarely-used Memphis forward Sam Young to get the trade deadline craziness started. The last couple hours got a little nutzo so we at Liberty Ballers decided we'd created one simple place for you to catch up on everything that went down. See, despite what Mike told Spike Eskin last night, we're actually really nice!
NetsDaily's reaction: With a soft schedule, the anticipated return of Deron Williams and Brook Lopez and the acquisition of Wallace, the Nets believe they have a shot at the playoffs ... or make D-Will believe they have done all they can.
Blazer's Edge doesn't know how right they were: Okur is on a $10.9 million expiring contract. Shawne Williams makes $3 million this season and has a player option for $3.14 million for 2012-2013. The Blazers would take on more than $4 million in salary for this year in this proposal. If this trade goes through as proposed I would expect a second deal that trims salary.
The rest of trade deadlineapaloozaextravaganza after the jump.
Leandro Barbosa to the Pacers; Second round draft pick to the Raptors:
Indy Cornrows using Mike Prada: A former Sixth Man of the Year award winner, Barbosa has fallen a bit into obscurity after being traded to the Raptors. The 29-year old is still productive, though, averaging 12.2 points per game in 22.5 minutes per contest. He will give the Pacers another scoring guard off the bench to go along with George Hill and A.J. Price.
Raptors HQ embracing the tank: it gives the Raptors SOMETHING in exchange for Barbosa, instead of letting his contract simply expire, plus, removing Barbosa's scoring really hurts this team's ability to score points, something they already struggled with, so I'm fully expecting the losses to start piling up now.
Despite other fans, Fear the Sword likes the deal: People were quick to slaughter the Cavaliers for what many called "just giving away" Sessions to fill the Lakers' biggest need. Let me say this before I go any further: I absolutely approve of this move by Chris Grant. It was the right move for the franchise considering where they are and what they are trying to do. You may not agree with me now, but hopefully by the end of this post, I'll have convinced you that the Cavs are better because of it.
Silver Screen and Roll likes it as well: Sessions was drafted by Milwaukee with the 56th pick in the 2007 draft and has shown himself as a nice contributor in limited minutes before getting signed by Minnesota and then dealt to Cleveland, where he showed that he was a solid pick-and-roll guard.
Marcus Camby to the Rockets; Johnny Flynn, Hasheem Thabeet and second round pick to the Blazers:
Straight facts from Blazer's Edge: Thabeet, 25, is a project (bust) who was taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He's played just 23 minutes this season for Houston. Flynn, 23, was the No. 6 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and has not lived up to that standing yet. He's played in just 11 games for the Rockets this season.
Tom Martin of The Dream Shake likes the trade: Morey swung a winner by selling Jonny Flynn and Hasheem Thabeet's expiring deals to Portland in exchange for aging center Marcus Camby.
Stephen Jackson to the Spurs; Richard Jefferson and a conditional first round pick to the Warriors:
Pounding the Rock shows it'll save the Spurs some money in the long run: Jackson has played in 26 games this season and is averaging almost 14 points per 36 minutes. Jefferson, on the other hand, has started every game for the Spurs this season and is averaging almost 12 points and four and a half rebounds per 36 minutes.
The deal would save the Spurs about $11m in the 2013-14 season. Jackson is signed for about $10m through the end of the 2012-13 season.
Silver Screen and Roll breaks it down: Hill has produced well this season (15.36 PER), rebounds well (19.4 rebound rate), and provides a lot of energy for an otherwise moribund bench unit. He is a bit of a tweener, too short for the center position but not fast enough to check fours, but those distinctions mean less for backups, especially with Hill's energy.
The Dream Shake is excited just to get something for Hill: for now, I like both deals. The Rockets knew that if they got anything back for impending free agents Jordan Hill, Jonny Flynn and Hasheem Thabeet, that'd be a victory in itself.
Bullets Forever says Wizards time to compete is moving up: In essence, the Wizards decided it'd be better off to pay Nene's deal for four more years than give a similar deal to McGee. Centers are hard to find, sure, but if the Wizards truly were sticking to Leonsis' plan, they'd probably either pay McGee or find a young center option and kick the can down the road a little further until they were ready to compete.