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There have been exactly a dozen NBA trades made this season, from small to significant. Some teams wanted to clear up money, some teams wanted to continue rebuilding, while others took bold steps in ensuring present and future success on the court.
But in our society of instant gratification and unceasing competition, we almost have an unquenchable thirst for deciding winners and losers.
As good as Damian Lillard has been in his rookie season, his impact on the Portland Trail Blazers ends April 17.
That’s the last day of the regular season, and the Blazers are not making the playoffs. While they currently are just two losses out of eighth place in the Western Conference, they also are in 11th place, with Utah and Dallas in front of them.
Lillard is not alone; most of this season’s top newcomers will be watching the postseason on TV. In fact, very few rookies will have the ability to impact the playoffs.
Power forward for the Houston Rockets has been a revolving door.
The Rockets have had seven different power forwards on their roster this season. At last month’s trading deadline, they took a bit of a risk and moved the two men who had manned the position for most of the season – Patrick Patterson and Marcus Morris – in separate deals.
That shuffling brought back Thomas Robinson in a deal that most believed was a fleecing of the Sacramento Kings, who gave up on the struggling fifth overall pick in last year’s draft way too early and did so simply to save a couple million dollars.
But the deals left the Rockets without an established power forward. Second-year man Greg Smith, with 53 games under his NBA belt, was their most experienced 4-man.
When former AAU teammates Dwight Howard and Josh Smith were not traded Thursday, they made the offseason all the more interesting.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak held onto Howard and Hawks GM Danny Ferry was unsuccessful in trying to trade Smith. And there is no guarantee that either player is sticking around this summer, possibly leaving $30 million on the table for a fresh start elsewhere.
