The NBA trade deadline has passed and the biggest name on the market, Josh Smith, was not traded.
In this edition of the three-man weave, we will determine who the winners and losers were, who should have made a trade that didn’t, and which GMs will be hiding in their office (or leaving it.)
First Pass: Who was the biggest winner of the trading deadline? On the opposite end, who ended up as the biggest loser?
Jeremy Bauman: The biggest winner of the trade deadline has to be the Houston Rockets. Not only did they steal Thomas Robinson from the Sacramento Kings, but they also will likely be able to get far enough under the salary cap to make an offer to Dwight Howard this summer.
The biggest loser is, without question, the Sacramento Kings’ fans. Kings fans have watched as their franchise has been rumored to leave town for quite some time and this deal was just icing on the cake.
If you are still a Kings fan, I would try to find a new team to like ASAP.
Not only is your team leaving town, but they’re also tossing away players who have a chance to develop just to save a few bucks (a measly $4 million in this case).
Pretty embarrassing, to say the least.
Maxwell Ogden: Forgive my sentimental side coming out, but the biggest winners of the trade deadline were Marcus and Markieff Morris. The twin brothers were reunited when the Rockets completed a three-team trade that sent Marcus to the Phoenix Suns.
After playing together at Kansas and experiencing All-American caliber success, one can’t help but marvel at how much this will help both players at the NBA level.
As for the biggest losers, that would be the Atlanta Hawks. They were unable to trade Josh Smith and now face the harsh reality of either losing him for nothing or re-signing him for more than they believe he’s worth.
Smith is a great player, but this was a lose-lose for Atlanta.
Ben Baroff: I can’t remember the last time so much was going on, but nothing was actually happening. Let this trade deadline be a reminder to us next year, when we’re refreshing our Twitter feeds every 20 seconds only to be rewarded with a Dexter Pittman trade.
In other news, the Bucks were the big winner. They got the best player moved (Redick) and gave up minor assets to get him. Redick can walk at season’s end, but would you be surprised if he re-signed?
Probably not.
The Bucks are committed to clinching a playoff berth, and Redick should solidify that effort. He’s a very good player and an elite shooter – at 34.8 percent from deep, it’s something Milwaukee desperately needs – and will relieve Monta Ellis of some ballhandling and scoring duties (always a good thing).