2023 Official NBA Trade Deadline/Buyout Thread

[Vermont Green]

Mo Bamba is an interesting get for the Lakers. That would give them a twin towers vibe next to Anthony Davis. Two mobile long athletic shot-blocking big men.

LeBron could be great for Mo Bamba. Bamba spends far too much time on the perimeter and popping instead of rolling off of PnR/PnP actions. Bamba could be a lethal finisher rolling to the rim. With LeBron, Bamba now finally has a passer to set him up for easy finishes ... if LeBron can direct him into rim running more often which if he could do could be great both for Mo Bamba and the LA Lakers.

High upside move for LAL.

I wonder if they will start Mo Bamba next to AD or start AD at center next to Vanderbilt at PF and bring Mo Bamba off the bench. Either way has a lot of utility for LAL.

I actually think they were better off with Patrick Beverley.  He gave them a gritty veteran presence that I think they will miss.  Bamba wasn't even able to get regular minutes on Orlando.  We'll see but I think this was an unnecessary move by LAL and one that will not make them better.

[Who]

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Pacers have waived Goga Bitadze.

This action was necessary due to the Pacers' involvement in a three-team trade with the Bucks and Nets. Indiana will receive Jordan Nwora and two second-round picks, hence the need to free up a roster spot. Bitadze wasn't in the rotation most nights, so his exit will not impact fantasy basketball.

I thought Bitadze was showing some promise last season. Can pass and really protect the rim. Will be interested in seeing if anyone picks him up, or if he is another Ante Zizic.

I'd swap out Kornet for him.

Why?

Similar player but with more room for improvement moving forwards. 3rd string C today, possible rotation player in the future.

[#1P4P]

The Warriors regaining Gary Payton II is a huge move. They realized their biggest mistake this past offseason was letting him go and immediately corrected it at the expense of Wiseman. His play in the Finals was vital to the Warriors; he was very disruptive with deflections, steals, offensive rebounds, and guarding a perimeter player at a critical juncture. Looking at the stats, he was over +15 in all of the wins.

If there's one thing that this team still struggles with it's getting outhustled (part of the reason we struggled mightily against the Magic, Thunder, and Bulls (Bulls' bench in particular)). We are one of, if not, the most polished team in the NBA, we execute better than most teams, but the aggressive, hustling opponent that gets back in transition has been our Achilles heel. Hopefully, our increased depth and trust in the bench can be a good counter to that this season.

It's going to be harder for them to come out of the West this season, but they'll be a tough team to beat if they do.

[Who]

LA Clippers

G: Bones Hyland,
G: Norm Powell, Eric Gordon, T Mann
F: Kawhi, Batum, R Covington
F: PG13, Marcus Morris
C: Zubac, Mason Plumlee

You could see Westbrook filling a role there.

There were reports saying they saw T Mann as a possible PG; I wonder if that will happen. Or maybe Eric Gordon as backup PG. They could use Batum as the lead ball-handler as a point forward in the 2nd unit.

Westbrook's speed on the break and passing would be a big asset to LAC. I'm not sure it is worth the minuses he creates by taking too many low percentage shots. They got such good scorers in PG13 and Kawhi, I wouldn't want Westbrook taking shots from them which he would do.

I'd pass on Westbrook despite the need.

Beverley would be a better option if they could bring him back to LAC. He could start there. Bring Bones Hyland off the bench as backup PG.

[JSD]

For those looking to catch up on everything today

https://www.spotrac.com/transactions/

[Yuckabuck33]

Mo Bamba is an interesting get for the Lakers. That would give them a twin towers vibe next to Anthony Davis. Two mobile long athletic shot-blocking big men.

LeBron could be great for Mo Bamba. Bamba spends far too much time on the perimeter and popping instead of rolling off of PnR/PnP actions. Bamba could be a lethal finisher rolling to the rim. With LeBron, Bamba now finally has a passer to set him up for easy finishes ... if LeBron can direct him into rim running more often which if he could do could be great both for Mo Bamba and the LA Lakers.

High upside move for LAL.

I wonder if they will start Mo Bamba next to AD or start AD at center next to Vanderbilt at PF and bring Mo Bamba off the bench. Either way has a lot of utility for LAL.

I actually think they were better off with Patrick Beverley.  He gave them a gritty veteran presence that I think they will miss.  Bamba wasn't even able to get regular minutes on Orlando.  We'll see but I think this was an unnecessary move by LAL and one that will not make them better.

LOL that you don't consider Lebron a "gritty veteran."

[gouki88]

The Warriors regaining Gary Payton II is a huge move. They realized their biggest mistake this past offseason was letting him go and immediately corrected it at the expense of Wiseman. His play in the Finals was vital to the Warriors; he was very disruptive with deflections, steals, offensive rebounds, and guarding a perimeter player at a critical juncture. Looking at the stats, he was over +15 in all of the wins.

If there's one thing that this team still struggles with it's getting outhustled (part of the reason we struggled mightily against the Magic, Thunder, and Bulls (Bulls' bench in particular)). We are one of, if not, the most polished team in the NBA, we execute better than most teams, but the aggressive, hustling opponent that gets back in transition has been our Achilles heel. Hopefully, our increased depth and trust in the bench can be a good counter to that this season.

It's going to be harder for them to come out of the West this season, but they'll be a tough team to beat if they do.

I like GPII, but I don't think he gets the same minutes there now that he did last season. DiVincenzo is a better player, and Kuminga has made significant strides. Unless they plan on cutting into the minutes of Poole and Klay.

Which is what I think they should do, as both Poole and Klay have been woeful defensively this season, I'm just not sure Kerr does it. I think he might mistakenly reduce the minutes of DiVincenzo, Kuminga and/or Lamb, all of whom provide better defence.

The Warriors have a slightly above average offence and a slightly below average defence. They do play at the highest pace in the league, but I'm just not sure Payton moves the needle for them

[Vermont Green]

Mo Bamba is an interesting get for the Lakers. That would give them a twin towers vibe next to Anthony Davis. Two mobile long athletic shot-blocking big men.

LeBron could be great for Mo Bamba. Bamba spends far too much time on the perimeter and popping instead of rolling off of PnR/PnP actions. Bamba could be a lethal finisher rolling to the rim. With LeBron, Bamba now finally has a passer to set him up for easy finishes ... if LeBron can direct him into rim running more often which if he could do could be great both for Mo Bamba and the LA Lakers.

High upside move for LAL.

I wonder if they will start Mo Bamba next to AD or start AD at center next to Vanderbilt at PF and bring Mo Bamba off the bench. Either way has a lot of utility for LAL.

I actually think they were better off with Patrick Beverley.  He gave them a gritty veteran presence that I think they will miss.  Bamba wasn't even able to get regular minutes on Orlando.  We'll see but I think this was an unnecessary move by LAL and one that will not make them better.

LOL that you don't consider Lebron a "gritty veteran."

Yeah, I get what you mean but he is the star.  Beyond star really.  Kind of the difference between what Smart brings to the personality of the Celtics vs. Tatum.  And I know LeBron and Tatum are different but based on what I saw, I think they are going to miss Patrick Beverley and that Bamba is not going to help them much.  They are going to miss Beverley in many of the same ways that we would miss Smart if we traded him for say Poeltl.

[Roy H.]

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
3 minutes ago
The #Sixers came close to trading Matisse Thybulle to the #Mavs, according to sources. One source said that deal was 95% completed. The only holdup was the Sixers’ insistence on receiving a 1st-rounder as part of the package. So Dallas balked.

Lol.  95% done, other than the teams couldn’t agree on compensation.

[Who]

I wonder if Atlanta will go small; drop John Collins from the starting lineup, play DeAndre Hunter at PF and move Seddiq Bey to starting SF to give them better floor spacing.

G: Trae Young
G: Dejounte Murray
F: Seddiq Bey, Bogdanovic
F: DeAndre Hunter, John Collins
C: Clint Capela, Okongwu

[Roy H.]

Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: The Wizards are working on a contract buyout for veteran G/F Will Barton, allowing him to become a free agent. Barton, 32, has had a limited role with Washington this season, but started 71 games and averaged 14.7 points for the Nuggets a season ago. – via Twitter wojespn

[celticinorlando]

Bet Barton is the wing Boston targets

[Who]

Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: The Wizards are working on a contract buyout for veteran G/F Will Barton, allowing him to become a free agent. Barton, 32, has had a limited role with Washington this season, but started 71 games and averaged 14.7 points for the Nuggets a season ago. – via Twitter wojespn

It is surprising Barton couldn't get minutes for Washington. They have no bench. Why wasn't he playing? Dodgy. I wonder how much his game has dropped off.

[todd_days_41]

Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
3 minutes ago
The #Sixers came close to trading Matisse Thybulle to the #Mavs, according to sources. One source said that deal was 95% completed. The only holdup was the Sixers’ insistence on receiving a 1st-rounder as part of the package. So Dallas balked.

Lol.  95% done, other than the teams couldn’t agree on compensation.

Keith Pompey's like..... 462 trades were made today and i haven't done ****! I'm gonna get fired if I don't tweet something!!

[Celtics2021]

Adrian Wojnarowski: ESPN Sources: The Wizards are working on a contract buyout for veteran G/F Will Barton, allowing him to become a free agent. Barton, 32, has had a limited role with Washington this season, but started 71 games and averaged 14.7 points for the Nuggets a season ago. – via Twitter wojespn

It is surprising Barton couldn't get minutes for Washington. They have no bench. Why wasn't he playing? Dodgy. I wonder how much his game has dropped off.

Barton will be fine here.  I think he's missing Jokic and in a bad system for him.  He's best off of catch-and-shoot, but he's doing that less this year than last.  Boston and Denver are two teams that emphasize catch-and-shoot the most, while the Wizards are in the bottom third of the league.

He's also shooting remarkably poorly at the rim, but again, he's going to the rim much less than last year, which could also be a function of the offense.  We won't have a Jokic to give him easy layups on his cuts, which he undoubtedly misses, but I also think we're better at finding cutters than is Washington.

He's not great, mind you, but he'd be an upgrade on Justin Jackson and improve our wing depth, which is all that matters.  He's got a lot of playoff experience, which could make him a better option than Hauser in the postseason.  It's the buyout market -- if you're looking for a major piece of your rotation, you'll likely be disappointed, but if you're looking for depth, he'd be a good option.