Hello Smash fans! I hope you all are having a fantastic day. Since the last article, there were a plethora of trades in the NBA, so I thought today I would recap the 2 biggest trades of the past week and how those trades could impact the future of those franchises.
Trade 1:
Chicago Bulls receive Nikola Vucevic and Al Farouq Aminu
Orlando Magic receive Otto Porter Jr., Wendell Carter Jr., a 2021 first round pick, and a top 4 protected 2023 first round pick.
When I first heard about this trade, I was extremely heated at the Bulls organization for making such an idiotic decision. However, the more and more I thought of the trade, the better and better it sounded not just for the Bulls but for the Magic as well. Now, I believe this trade to be a win for both sides as long as the Bulls can keep Zach LaVine. If the Bulls can’t keep Zach, this trade will look like a disaster for the Bulls because they would have given up two first round picks just for them to stay at the same tier of relevancy they were before that trade. On the Magic side of things, the trade made sense because it was time for them to give up on Vucevic. It was clear that there was no way for the Magic to win at a high level while Nikola was still on the team. This trade now allows the Magic to feel free to tank this season and the season after giving them two top 5 to 10 picks to work with. Additionally, the Magic also got a good young player in Wendell, an expiring contract in Otto, and two first round picks that could very end up in the lottery. I would say that is a pretty good haul for a 30 year old center.
Trade 2
Miami Heat receives Victor Oladipo.
Houston Rockets receive Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2022 pick swap.
This trade is great for the Heat and absolutely horrendous for the Rockets. The Heat are able to get a star level piece without having to give up any of their young players or even a player with any real value. Not only that, but Victor is perfect for the Heat culture. He is an amazing defender who is an absolute grinder and is tough as nails. The only question for the Heat in relation to Oladipo is what position is he going to play. Victor’s natural position is shooting guard, however, the Heat have two quality, young shooting guards on the roster already in Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson. This means that the Heat will either have to play their new acquisition at point guard or they will have to run him at small forward and run Jimmy Butler at power forward. Since both Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo are good defenders, I believe that small ball will not be that much of a negative especially with Bam being there to protect the paint. It an adjustment that the Heat will have to make. On the Rocket’s side, this trade is horrid because it means all that the Rockets got for James Harden is a bunch of first round picks. This is especially troubling when both Ben Simmons and Caris LeVert were on the table.
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