Finding The Most Impactful Year 2 Trade Deadline Moves
Every year, trade deadline moves are made in haste. Entering the second year, let’s find the most impactful addition from last March.
Trade deadline moves are rarely made when thinking multiple years ahead. For the most part, their rentals. After the season is over, that player hits the open market. But, there are always trade deadline acquisitions that make it to their second season and beyond. Today, I’m trying to find the most impactful one heading into 2023.
Tyrese Haliburton – Indiana Pacers
It’s still hard to fathom that Tyrese Haliburton, one of the best point guards in the league, is no longer on the team that drafted him just two years after the fact. I don’t want to sound like Captain Obvious here, but Haliburton will obviously be impactful in Indiana. He’s the new face of the franchise.
Not only is he the team’s best player, he’s young and exciting. He’ll get people into the stadium. I’ll watch the Pacers more on League Pass. For a rebuilding team, that’s immensely valuable. But, if we’re talking about 2023, I don’t know how impactful Haliburton will be.
Sure, over the next decade, assuming Haliburton stays in Indiana, he’ll be a gem. But, in 2023? The Pacers aren’t going to be very good. Haliburton will put up the best numbers of his career.
Still, the Pacers won’t win many games. That’s still a ways away. But, if we’re talking long-term, Haliburton may be one of the more impactful trade deadline pickups…ever.
Domantas Sabonis – Sacramento Kings
On the flip side, let’s talk about Domantas Sabonis. The finesse post player is one of the better bigs in the league. It’s hard to appreciate him when you know what the Kings gave up. The partnership of Sabonis and Fox looked promising last year, however.
The duo posted a 113.2 ORtg in 243 minutes together. Fox’s offensive production exploded in the second half, a welcome sight for the Kings. This offseason, the Kings did the right thing by surrounding this duo with a ton of shooting.
Sabonis will operate in the middle of the floor, making the offense flow. New head coach Mike Brown, a defensive guru, will hopefully see some change through on that end. For the first time in ages, the Kings are looking competent.
As for Sabonis, I think he’s going to be immensely impactful. You could argue that he’s the best player on this team. He’ll put up another All-Star caliber season. The question is, can he help the Kings make it back to the postseason?
Norman Powell + Robert Covington – LA Clippers
Remember when this happened? When the Blazers traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington for next to nothing? Yeah, me too! Regardless, these two now have very valuable homes on a Clippers team primed for contention in 2023.
Powell is slated to be the third scoring option behind a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. It’s a role that suits Powell well. He thrives off of secondary actions and is a great shooter as well. Covington recently signed an extension and gives LA even more absurd depth and defense at the wing position.
Both of these guys are going to play at a high level on a team who should be a contending one. Sounds pretty impactful to me.
CJ McCollum – New Orleans Pelicans
After a 1-12 start to the 2022 season, things were looking grim in New Orleans. Fast forward to today, and they’re now on the rise in the Western Conference. Their midseason acquisition of CJ McCollum was a sign of their newfound aggressiveness in trying to win with this young core.
Assuming Zion Williamson can stay healthy, the Pelicans will be a playoff lock in 2023. I can’t believe how confidently I’m saying that. CJ McCollum will not only be a mainstay on offense, he’ll be this team’s de facto leader.
McCollum may also play point guard for this Pelicans team. He averaged 5.8 assists with New Orleans to end the regular season. He also played 41% of his minutes at point guard, a sign of things to come. In Portland, McCollum was always a score-first type of player. He has a chance to be more in the Big Easy.
I don’t think it’s outrageous to say that McCollum will be on track for one of the biggest seasons of his career. This, of course, happens the year after he leaves my favorite team.
James Harden – Philadelphia 76ers
I’m not going to get fooled by off-season workout pictures and cakes flying into the ocean. Let’s face the facts. James Harden hasn’t been the same since the bubble. His bothersome hamstring has left him less explosive and less dangerous offensively. While he’s still a master playmaker, he’s not the scorer he once was. Can he change that? Absolutely. But I have to see it to believe it.
The 76ers need MVP Harden to really become a contending team. There’s no other way around that. We saw how far they got when Harden more or less did nothing scoring the ball. Teams aren’t afraid of swarming Embiid when the Beard doesn’t have things going.
Will James Harden be impactful this season? Absolutely. But I won’t give him credit for averaging 18 points and 10 assists on 42% shooting. That’s the bare minimum for him. For me to be impressed by Harden, and this goes for everyone, he has to return to form. That’s how I’m going to gauge him in 2023.
Ben Simmons – Brooklyn Nets
Ben Simmons hasn’t played basketball in 434 days. Since that fateful game 7 against the Hawks, we haven’t seen the “next Lebron” play. A lot has happened in that span. From millions of dollars lost to a supposed mental health block, Ben Simmons’ career has taken a left turn. That’s putting things lightly.
His future with the Nets was in the air when Kevin Durant requested a trade earlier this summer. But Durant soon found out he had no leverage at all. So, he’s re-committed to playing with the Nets. That means we’re going to see Ben Simmons, yes that one, play basketball. That in it of itself is an achievement.
We’re breaking ground here, people. We can no longer make fun of him for wearing flashy outfits on the bench. Now, we can make fun of him for being challenged on the basketball court.
In all seriousness, I hope we see Ben Simmons retain some form of success on the court. The hopes of him becoming a superstar are all but gone. Still, super-utility Ben Simmons is a possibility. But I can only speculate. I would be kidding myself if I said I knew what we were going to see from Ben Simmons. Nobody knows. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Kristaps Porzingis – Washington Wizards
Remember when we all thought Kristaps Porzingis was the next best thing? Yeah…fun times. After burning out as Luka’s running mate, Porzingis now finds himself in a weird situation. He’s under contract for the next two seasons (player option next season), but he’s on a mediocre Wizards team.
The days of Porzingis being in the spotlight are over. I bet you didn’t know that he was actually really good to end last season. In 17 games with the Wizards, Porzingis was playing like his New York self;
22.1 points ~ 8.8 rebounds ~ 1.5 blocks ~ 48% FG ~ beard?
Assuming he can continue his momentum from this year’s international play, I don’t think it’s outrageous of me to say that Porzingis will have a great year in Washington. He’s out of the spotlight and away from all expectations.
Sure, he’s getting paid more than he deserves, but this is his chance for redemption. We could see Porzingis, who’s only 27, redeem himself in his second act. Who knows? He may even compete for a title down the road. Just not with the Wizards.
Spencer Dinwiddie – Dallas Mavericks
Spencer Dinwiddie wasn’t very good with the Wizards. As soon as he signed with the Mavericks, he turned a corner. It might have something to do with Mark Cuban’s cryptocurrency ventures, but I digress. In Dallas’ spaced-out offense, Dinwiddie thrived.
In 2023, he’s going to be asked to do a lot more. Losing Jalen Brunson means that Dinwiddie will have to be that reliable backcourt running mate for the Mavericks to repeat their success from last season. And I think he can do it.
Dinwiddie fits well with Luka Doncic. He can create shots for himself and others. More than that, he doesn’t need the ball to be effective. Dinwiddie knocked down 38.6% of his catch-and-shoot opportunities in a Mavs uniform.
This will be the biggest role of Dinwiddie’s career. If he succeeds, then the Mavericks could find themselves in the Finals. If he fails, it’ll be another frustrating season of wasting Luka Doncic. In other words, IT’S PRETTY FRICKIN’ IMPORTANT!
Derrick White – Boston Celtics
Derrick White’s addition to the Celtics almost directly coincided with their explosion to the Finals. White gave the Celtics playmaking, ballhandling, and good defense. The only problem was he couldn’t keep it up in the playoffs.
Teams dared the Coloradoan to shoot the ball, and he couldn’t. The offseason acquisition of Malcolm Brogdon was a sign that the Celtics weren’t convinced they could win with White alone. But that doesn’t mean he’s not valuable.
White will anchor what should be a juggernaut Celtics team. In a lesser role, he’ll be able to do the same things he did last year. Only this time, he won’t have as much responsibility. It also helps that head coach Ime Udoka trusts White.
We saw him out there in numerous games down the stretch. That trust will continue this season, meaning White can redeem himself when the Celtics need him to. There aren’t many better role players in the NBA than White. And on a championship team, there’s something to be said about the guy who knows his role and plays it to a T.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker – Utah Jazz
Here’s a curveball you probably weren’t expecting. With Danny Ainge doing his classic house cleaning, youngsters like Nickeil Alexander-Walker could find themselves a new home. Assuming Donovan Mitchell is going to get traded (and it looks like he’s going to be), NAW will more than likely be a building block.
If the Jazz really go all in on this tank, it’s an audition. While talented, Nickeil could never piece things together in New Orleans. He wasn’t efficient enough and wasn’t much of a defender, either. Kind of hard to earn minutes with those traits.
But, all of that gets washed away on a rebuilding team. Walker would get more minutes, more touches, and an all-around clean slate. Even if the Jazz keep Mitchell, expect Walker to get some minutes. The Jazz are in a time of great change.
Alexander-Walker was a throw-in in a messy three-team deal. In a perfect world, he could be a valuable role player in Salt Lake City for years to come.
Caris LeVert – Indiana Pacers
Caris LeVert disappointed me last year. He disappointed us all. Sure, he didn’t fit perfectly in Cleveland, but we all expected more from him. It was the perfect storm. A team on the rise who needed scoring got a talented one in Levert. So, what happened?
Well, it’s simple. LeVert doesn’t know how to play off the bench. In 19 regular season games with the Cavs, ten were starts, and nine were not. The results were drastic;
Caris LeVert in Starts (10 Games): 15.8 points ~ 4.6 assists ~ 54% TS
Caris LeVert Off The Bench (9 Games): 11.1 points ~ 3.2 assists ~ 47% TS
This isn’t unusual in Levert’s career. Since the 2019-20 season with the Nets, he’s been miles better as a starter. Maybe it’s a rhythm thing, maybe it’s a mindset thing. It’s not easy to come into a game and immediately be productive. Not everyone can do it.
If the Cavs don’t re-sign Collin Sexton, then Levert should be a lock for a starting role. So, if this weird trend in his career continues, he’ll be productive. And that’s good because we all want the Cavaliers to take that next step and become a playoff team.
The Verdict
We’ve talked about numerous players and their outlooks in 2023. So, which one will be the most impactful? Who will help their team win the most? And I think there’s a clear answer here;
CJ McCollum
CJ McCollum is going to explode in 2023. I’m just going to say it before it happens. He excelled as New Orleans’ point guard last season, and he’s going to resume that role this year. The Pelicans are a team on the rise, a movement similar to when McCollum was on the Blazers.
And most importantly, he’s their leader. In the locker room, he’s the guiding voice right now. For a young team who lacks playoff experience, that’s invaluable. We can’t quantify how valuable that is. So, when CJ McCollum plays well this year, I told you so.
Who Will Be The Most Impactful Acquisition? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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