NBA 2020-21: 5 Offseason trades that have not worked out so far

The blockbuster deal that sent James Harden from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 NBA season was one of the best pieces of business this year. However, not every trade move worked out for the involved teams and there have already been a few glaring disappointments.

In this piece, we review five trades that have not yielded the expected results in the 2020-21 NBA season.

5 Offseason trades that have not been productive so far in the NBA 2020-21 season

A lot of factors decide whether a trade ends up being a success. Sometimes, personal chemistry or basketball fit could disrupt deals that looked like a good idea on paper.

In the NBA, trades are made fairly often and teams can unload a big contract off their salary sheets, or when a contending team's front office is convinced that a new piece is exactly what could push them to an NBA Championship.

However, even the most thoroughly planned moves can fail to pan out. Here are the five most disappointing trades of the 2020-21 NBA campaign.

#5 Kelly Oubre to the Golden State Warriors

Marc Gasol #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers blocks Kelly Oubre Jr. #12 of the Golden State Warriors

Kelly Oubre was initially traded, on November 16th, 2020, from the Phoenix Suns to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the deal that sent NBA All-Star Chris Paul to Phoenix. Subsequently, on November 22nd, OKC sent Oubre to the Golden State Warriors for a first-round pick and a second-round pick.

Oubre is a high-energy player who has great intangibles on the basketball court. However, Golden State's offense needs him to be a solid three-point shooter or match what he has done previously in his career (he made 35% of his threes last year).

Oubre has not been effective from the field and has made 39% of his field goals and 28% from the three-point line.

Nonetheless, he is averaging 13 points despite his struggles and could yet turn things around on offense, as he showed by scoring a career-high 40 points recently against the Dallas Mavericks.

#4 Ricky Rubio to the Minnesota Timberwolves

Despite the struggles, Rubio's leadership and guidance could be huge for Minnesota's young players.

Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio was also a part of the trade that sent Chris Paul from the OKC Thunder to Phoenix. On November 20th (NBA Draft night), Rubio was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves for James Johnson, draft rights to Aleksej Pokusevski, and a 2024 second-round draft pick.

The Timberwolves have the worst record in the NBA's stacked Western Conference, and while it has not been Rubio's fault that the team have been hindered by injuries, the Spaniard has not performed well.

The veteran is averaging six points and six assists per game in 23 minutes and has made 35% of his field goals and just 16% of his three-pointers.

Rubio has never been an efficient shooter (he has made 39% of his field goals in his NBA career), but he shot 36% from beyond the arc last year, and his current 3-point percentage of 16% (with 31 attempts in 21 games) is holding his team back.

#3 Robert Covington to the Portland Trail Blazers

Robert Covington #23 of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers gave up veteran Trevor Ariza, a 2021 first-round draft pick, and draft rights from the 2020 NBA Draft to acquire Robert Covington from the Houston Rockets.

The former NBA All-Defensive player was expected to have an impact on the Blazers with his 3-and-D approach. However, he has not been shooting the ball well and is currently the ninth-worst 3-point shooter (in terms of percentage) in the NBA 2020-21 season (among qualified shooters) with 30.6%.

Covington is underachieving on offense (he has made 35% of his three-pointers in his career) and is also posting the worst Defensive Rating of his career so far with a 113 grade.

#2 Josh Richardson to the Dallas Mavericks

Josh Richardson #0 of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Dallas Mavericks traded Seth Curry to the Philadelphia 76ers in order to acquire Josh Richardson and the draft rights to Tyler Bey (picked in the second round.

Initially, the trade was subject to criticism because the Mavs shipped one of the most efficient three-point shooters in the NBA, who also had the highest 3P percentage among active players.

The other part of the trade, that has really hindered Dallas, is that Richardson has underperformed so far. In the first five seasons of his NBA career, Richardson averaged 12 points per game and made 36% of his threes. In the current season, he is averaging 12.8 points per game but has made just 30% of his three-point attempts.

On defense, Richardson has not helped the Mavs, and their current 10-14 record (second-worst in the West) has a lot to do with the team's inability to stop the opposition from scoring. Richardson is posting the worst Defensive Rating of his career so far (117) in the NBA 2020-21 season.

#1 Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards

Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards.

The Washington Wizards swapped a big contract for another humungous contract when they shipped John Wall to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook. Though shipping Wall has not really hurt Washington, the team has found success by pairing the former MVP with the current best scorer (statistically) in the NBA, Bradley Beal.

The Wizards traded for Westbrook on December 2nd, 2020, and they gave up Wall and their 2023 first-round pick. They did not overpay for securing Westbrook's playmaking and contagious energy, which will never be in question, but the former MVP has not been efficient so far.

Westbrook has never been particularly efficient in the NBA (apart from last year, when he made 47% of his field goals). Though he has five Triple-Doubles in 13 games with Washington and is making a career-high 36% of his three-pointers, Westbrook has made just 41% of his field goals (lowest since his rookie season).

He is averaging 20 points per game (lowest since his sophomore season in the NBA) and the Wizards are 2-11 in Westbrook's 13 appearances.

Westbrook's main issue has been his defense, as he currently has the worst Defensive Rating of his career (116).

Even though his Defensive Rating is bad and the Wizards have not benefitted hugely from the trade, it is shocking that Russ' Defensive Rating is tied for the best among the team's starters with Deni Avdija!

The Wizards are simply bad defensively (they are ranked 29th out of the 20 NBA teams). However, Westbrook and Beal are hugely talented and they may turn things around in Washington.