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So the trade deadline day has finally come to an end on February 7th 2019 and the NBA has finally taken a collective sigh as everyone's eyes are now firmly set on the off season. Still, there were a huge number of trades that went down this season that have already changed the landscape of the NBA this season.
Teams like Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers changed their rosters to be in contention for the NBA title starting this season itself rather than in the future. But there were also deals that were rumored to be in the works, but never reached fruition.
Let us have a look at the moves that almost happened in the 2018-19 NBA season.
5. Enes Kanter to the Sacramento Kings:
Enes Kanter has been one of the more polarizing stars off the court rather than on it. He had been playing really well for the Knicks to start the season, but once the Knicks' season started derailing, his playing time started dwindling, so much so that he stopped getting on the court altogether for the Knicks. He was averaging 15.9 points along with 12.2 rebounds per game in the month of November, before it all fell apart. Sacramento Kings had seemingly noticed.
The Kings were one of the feel good stories of the 2018-19 season and have been trending upwards all season. They were looking to get Kanter in as he will be able to provide some instant offense and rebounding ability to either replace or play alongside Willie Cauley Stein. They offered the expiring contract of Zach Randolph in order to get Kanter, but in the end, the deal failed to materialize and Kanter ended up as a Knick when the deadline ended. He has now been bought out and is free to join a title contender.
4. Trevor Ariza to the Los Angeles Lakers:
Trevor Ariza has been one of the better 3 and D wings in the NBA for the past few seasons. Even though he is not a very young player anymore at 33, he is still a player that can contribute to a team in a big way. There are not a lot of 3 and D wings in the NBA who play at such a high level. He's averaged 14.5 points per game for the Wizards, along with a combined 2 steals and blocks a game. No wonders the Los Angeles Lakers came calling, a team in need of such veteran talent.
The Lakers were interested in bringing Ariza back to the Staples Center, but first Robert Sarver, owner of the Phoenix Suns, made sure he did not go there. Then, with the Wizards, Lakers thought they would have an easier time negotiating, offering the expiring contract to a Wizards team that had just lost Wall for this season and most of next, thus not really trying for the playoffs. They even traded off Otto Porter Jr. and Markieff Morris, making Lakers case stronger. But in the end, Wizards kept Trevor Ariza and the Lakers left empty handed.
3. Nikola Vucevic to the San Antonio Spurs:
Nikola Vucevic is having the best season of his career currently, averaging 20.6 points per game, along with 11.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game as well. He is one of the few big men who can score the ball from the 3 as well as create a shot for their teammates. He is defending at an elite level too, averaging 1.2 blocks per game, along with 0.9 steals as well. He is a great player this season but if the Magic have Bamba in their long term plans, they needed to trade Vucevic and the Spurs were one of the best options there.
The San Antonio Spurs apparently had interest in trading for Vucevic, one of the few big men who still manages to post up with a certain skill that Gregg Popovich highly admires. He would also be a massive upgrade over Jakob Poeltl, Pau Gasol, and Dante Cunningham. Acquiring Vucevic and his Bird rights would allow San Antonio to add a third major piece to its core of DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge that it otherwise wouldn’t be able to sign this summer. A deal including any of Derrick White, Pau Gasol, Davis Bertans and a future pick would have certainly been intriguing for the Magic. But with the deadline over, Vucevic is still a part of the Orlando Magic roster.
2. Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz/Detroit Pistons:
Mike Conley and Marc Gasol were the 2 pillars on which the Memphis Grizzlies established their Grit-n-Grind era. They led the Grizzlies to multiple playoff runs and have achieved a lot of success. Last season, when Conley and Gasol, both were out due to injuries, Grizzlies realized that they needed to rebuild. With Conley, 31, and Gasol, 34, both were actively shopped and had various suitors. Gasol managed to move on, but Conley was a difficult one to trade.
He was 31, along with 67 million in salary left on his contract and the Grizzlies asked for too much in the end. The Pistons tried to get him in a deal involving Reggie Jackson, a first-round pick and either Luke Kennard or another first-round pick, but the Grizzlies wanted more. The Jazz too were aggressive, including multiple draft picks and the expiring contract of Ricky Rubio, but when the Jazz refused to add Dante Exum, the deal seemingly fell through, making sure Conley ended the season with the Grizzlies.
1. Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers:
Anthony Davis was probably the biggest name that was linked with being to a trade this season after his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, announced that the big man will not be signing a new contract with the New Orleans Pelicans and would be looking to move on to bigger and better teams. This led to a flurry of activity from the Los Angeles Lakers, who seemed to be in pole position considering the Boston Celtics could not trade for him until the current Kyrie Irving contract expires.
The drama lasted till the final day, where the mammoth offer of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, Rajon Rondo, Micheal Beasley, Lance Stephenson and 2 first round picks was rejected by the New Orleans Pelicans, as they held out for 4 first round picks and second round picks as well. The Lakers rejected this proposition and ended their interest. The Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks were all suitors, but in the end, Anthony Davis ended up staying in New Orleans itself, making the off season one of the most intriguing ones in recent years.
Guess the Lakers players!
