All I want for Christmas is… a trade. What did the NBA lockout actually achieve? Did it purely stand in the way of the current trade frenzy starting earlier? For me, it’s a yes.
Since the agreement was reached, the league has seen a flurry of movement and big names ‘providing’ their current GM’s with a wish-list of teams they want to get traded to.
So what has happened so far – who has departed their former teams?
Keyon Dooling, Brandon Bass, Glen ‘Baby’ Davis, Von Wafer, Chauncey Billups (waived), Andy Rautins, Ronny Turiaf, JJ Hickson, Joey Graham (waived), Rip Hamilton, Corey Maggette, John Salmons, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, Gilbert Arenas (waived), Tyson Chandler, Rudy Fernandez, Corey Brewer, Targuy Ngombo (draft pick traded to Portland).
Ish Smith (waived), George Hill, Raymond Felton, Lazar Hayward, Robert Vaden, Andre Miller, Jeremy Lin (waived), Charlie Bell (waived), Lamar Odom, Vince Carter (waived), Zabian Dowdell (waived), Beno Udrih, Omri Casspi, Marquis Daniels (waived), Darnell Jackson (waived) and Eugene Jeter (waived).
Phew.
However, this is not the end.
Enter CP3 (Chris Paul) and D12 (Dwight Howard). Two superstars who have both been linked to several deals, more so with Paul who was headed to the Los Angeles Lakers until NBA commissioner … correction … New Orleans owner David Stern stepped in and canned the three-team deal.
A CP3 deal seems to change everyday. The Clippers were set to receive his skills for half of the LA team until that was taken off the table, then it was back on, and now off again.
Dwight Howard has taken over any Paul trade with his daily change in mind of what he wants. In a recent interview with the Magic big man, Howard said in the same sentence that he loves Orlando and wants to stay, then mentioned he wants a trade.
What the?
The most ‘kind of active’ proposal surrounding Howard involves four teams, a move that would see the man known as ‘Superman’ suiting up for the New Jersey Nets. Gerald Wallace, Brook Lopez, Hedo Turkoglu and Chris Duhon are the names discussed in the trade pitch. New Jersey are ‘very keen’ to enquire after the Denver Nuggets and Nene agreed to terms on a five-year, $67 million deal.
Now, however, Orlando Magic owners are saying that their star player is no longer on the trade table. The Magic seem to have taken the phone off the hook to avoid taking any more calls about a Howard move.
The Howard on and off has occurred in a matter of hours. Quote me if you like, but I have an inkling that this isn’t over. The phone may not be ringing but I bet emails are coming through.
The lockout, the trades, the squabbles, it does seem to have been a positive for the NBA. That’s right I say a positive. Basketball, on a global stage, is once again back in the news, and everyone is looking forward to sitting down and watching five very good games, including the finals series rematch, on Christmas day.
The NBA. Where the amazing really does happen.
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
A Serbian, a Canadian, a Slovenian and a Greek fellow walked into a bar … Well, they’ve actually walked into the NBA and now…
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
The only realistic threat to Boston’s chances of strolling through the Eastern Conference is a team that could still end up in the play-in…
Australian guards Dante Exum and Josh Giddey have both come up big for their NBA clubs in crucial wins in the lead-in to the…
