The NBA trade deadline: where teams go to keep their championship hopes alive or start the rebuilding process. This year, the trade deadline was one of the craziest and most eventful deadlines in recent years. 63% of teams (19 out of 30) made at least one trade this season approaching the trade deadline, which really shakes things up for the entire NBA.
For starters, star guard Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks to play alongside Luka Doncic. In his first game with the Mavericks, Irving poured in 24 points as they beat the Clippers on Wednesday night.
Along with his former teammate, Kevin Durant was also traded, instead to the Phoenix Suns to play with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton. The Nets basically went from having three superstar players in Harden, Durant and Irving, to rebuilding in a year and a half.
And, after failing to get Kyrie, the Lakers were probably the most active team at the trade deadline. They traded away Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Thomas Bryant among others to bring in a new-look team before the all-star break. The Western Conference is impacted the most by these trades, as it adds even more starpower to an already competitive conference. For the rest of the year, it will be an all-out bloodbath to see who will even make the playoffs.
Speaking of the Lakers, on Tuesday night, almost every basketball fan was tuned in to a seemingly normal regular season game between the Lakers and the Thunder for one reason: to see LeBron James break the all-time scoring record. Coming into the game, James needed 36 points to break the record. Many thought that he wouldn’t break it, but after the game started, you could really feel that LeBron would get to 36 by the end of the night.
Late in the third quarter, James secured his 36th point, and the scoring record, on a fadeaway from the free throw line. This was just the icing on the cake to LeBron’s already storied legacy as a basketball player, and for his case of being the greatest basketball player of all-time. His sustained excellence and longevity are the reasons why he’s top 10 all-time in points, steals, and assists.
Hopefully with all of the trades the Lakers made in the past 48 hours will help LeBron add to his legacy with another NBA championship, but we’ll have to see how it plays out, either way I’m excited. Competition, drama, and the ability to cement a legacy as one of the all-time greats, it’s must-see-TV. How can you not love the NBA?
Tagline: “Hit The Post” covers the latest topics in professional sports, with a focus on professional basketball. Each week, Arkese Claiborne covers the latest news and topics from both on and off the court.