NBA trades precede playoffs (Recap)

Simon Ulibarri, Staff Writer

With the NBA playoffs around the corner, many contending teams are making midseason acquisitions in order to bulk up their rosters for a potential playoff push with their eyes set on the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. In contrast, those teams not in the playoff mix look to add young players with upsides that can fit the timeline of the organization and when they expect to win. 

The Denver Nuggets emerged as the trade deadline winner as they were able to trade for talented forward Aaron Gordon and bench player Gary Clark. In return, the Magic received a solid guard in Gary Harris and a young guard with potential named Roderick Hampton, as well as the Nuggets 2025 first-round draft pick. 

As for the Miami Heat, the defending Eastern Conference Champions were able to get themselves a hold of  All Star guard Victor Oladipo, for center/forward Kelly Olynyk and guard Avery Bradley with a couple of future pick swaps. The Heat look to build off of last year’s Finals run as they fell short to the Los Angeles Lakers in a six-game series. With this acquisition, the Heat will be able to take pressure off their veteran leader Jimmy Butler, as Oladipo is a proven two-way player that can create his own shot and facilitate within the system. 

Regarding local team Portland Trail Blazers, they bolstered their depth chart in the addition of the Toronto Raptors fan-favorite shooting guard/small forward Norman Powell. In exchange for Powell, the Blazers also gave up a couple of their fan-favorite players in a young and talented guard Gary Trent, Jr. and forward Rodney Hood. Though many Blazers fans mourn the loss of an up-and-coming star in Trent, Jr., the Blazers would have been unable to pay him this offseason and saw an opportunity to improve on the wing, as Powell is currently a better player and brings Championship experience to the locker room.  

At first glance, it is easy to see what teams improved and which plan to build for the future, but what brings amusement to NBA fans is looking back on certain players and draft picks and seeing what they became and which teams truly won the trade, as hindsight is 20/20.