Tag: NBA Trade Deadline

Mark Daigneault shushes roster construction criticisms following playoff exit

Mark Daigneault shushes roster construction criticisms following playoff exit.

Following the Oklahoma City Thunder’s season-ending loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the roster construction criticisms were loud.

The rebounding issues raised their ugly heads again in OKC’s Game 6 loss to Dallas. It was outrebounded, 47-31. That resulted in the Mavericks scoring 27 second-chance points on 14 offensive rebounds.

As Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington played massive roles in the Thunder’s second-round demise, many wondered why OKC didn’t go after either player ahead of the trade deadline.

The criticisms were even louder considering the Thunder facilitated a three-team deal to help the Mavericks land Gafford. Considering Gordon Hayward was out of the rotation, a lack of more moves to upgrade the roster turned into a talking point.

According to Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault in his exit interview, he believed they had everything they needed to maximize this year’s roster.

“I thought we had everything we needed with this team to be the best team that we could,” Daigneault said. “We proved in the regular season with the season we had, that there’s no one we couldn’t beat literally.”

The Thunder finished as the top seed and top-four in net, offensive and defensive ratings. The 39-year-old said he shouldn’t waste time thinking about possible what-if situations.

“It’s just never my mentality to look left and right. Looking right in front of me, we had everything we needed,” Daigneault said. “We had a special group of guys. Part of what made them special is how they operated collectively.”

After their season-ending loss, Daigneault admitted the Mavericks were the better squad all series. Dallas’ defense did an excellent job bogging down OKC’s offense and funneling 3-point attempts to the players Dallas likely wanted to take them.

“I thought from a team standpoint we had what we needed to win this series, and we ran into a team that played better than we did,” Daigneault said. “But I don’t think that’s an indictment on the roster. I don’t think that’s an indictment on any individual person or where we are.

“It’s simply we could have played better in the series, but it wasn’t an indictment on anything else.”

The Thunder will have more shots at a championship over the next few years. Most of the roster is still on rookie deals, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is under contract until 2027.

The youngest first seed in league history will have plenty of cap space and draft capital to work with in the offseason if they seek outside improvements to this roster. No other team in the league is set up for better long-term success.

This will be the first offseason where the Thunder are viewed as serious title contenders heading into the next season since Russell Westbrook was in town. While their playoff exit was a heartbreaker, it’ll be the first of many deep postseason runs.

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Chicago Bulls lack of realism hindering their ability to progress

The Chicago Bulls are incapable of facing reality.

When the 2024 NBA trade deadline rolled around, it presented the Chicago Bulls with an opportunity. They had a bunch of players on the roster who were wanted by other teams. Squads around the NBA were willing to throw picks at the Bulls in exchange for these players, and not only was the fanbase ready to accept a rebuild, they were eager for it.

Instead, the Bulls decided to do nothing. Absolutely nothing. For the third year in a row, the Bulls made zero moves at the trade deadline, instead choosing to keep the same roster that’s been a middle-of-the-pack team since its inception.

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times recently ripped into the team, noting that their lack of realism is hindering them and that hope is all they have.

“The Bulls announced Friday that forward Patrick Williams will have season-ending surgery to repair an injury to his left foot,” Cowley wrote. “It wasn’t a real surprise, considering he had missed the last 10 games, but his absence will leave them with a lack of physicality on defense.

“Add in a sprained right knee for forward Torrey Craig, who will be reevaluated in two to four weeks, and there’s a reason rookie Julian Phillips was the sixth man against the Celtics.

“Then there are minutes concerns for starters DeMar DeRozan and Coby White, not to mention coach Billy Donovan being forced to use guards Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu to defend bigger players on a nightly basis.

“The Bulls’ hope is that it will be sustainable. Then again, hope is all they have.”

Chicago is stuck in the mud, but only because that’s where they chose to be.

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Bulls executive clapped back at frustrated fans after trade deadline

A recent comment made by a Chicago Bulls executive sheds an interesting light on their lack of trade deadline action.

When the Chicago Bulls decided not to make any moves at this year’s trade deadline (for the third season in a row), fans were upset. They were, and still are, frustrated with the direction of the team. However, according to a conversation Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic had with a Bulls executive, they aren’t the fans the team is worried about.

Mayberry detailed his conversation as the lead-in to a recent mailbag he wrote. He noted that when mentioning the fans’ willingness to accept a rebuild and their discontent with the decisions, the Bulls executive countered with the phrase, “Your fans.”

No, not fans of Mayberry. The executive was referring to the fact that United Center is still packed every night. Those fans.

“But the comment wasn’t made to downplay anyone,” Mayberry wrote. “It was delivered to emphasize the difference.

“The Bulls fans the executive was referencing are paying customers. My “fans,” by and large, aren’t the segment that fills United Center on cold Chicago winter nights.

“That exchange, albeit brief, provided tremendous insight into the minds that make up the Bulls’ management.”

Chicagoans are still attending Bulls game. The team is still making a profit. And if the team is decent, then that will remain the same. So, no rebuild for the Bulls. For now.

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Lack of point guard trade labeled ‘regret’ for Spurs post-deadline

If the San Antonio Spurs could have a redo, maybe they would have made a move for a point guard upgrade at the trade deadline.

While there was a bit of smoke heading into it, the San Antonio Spurs didn’t end up making any significant moves at this year’s trade deadline. They moved Doug McDermott to the Indiana Pacers for a second-round pick and Marcus Morris, who they subsequently bought out, but that’s not a big-time impact deal.

San Antonio isn’t gearing up for a playoff push or anything close to that, but they could have looked to add more talent in an attempt to spearhead Victor Wembanyama’s development. Most notably, adding an upgrade at the point guard position would have been a huge help for the 20-year-old rookie.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report wrote an article listing every team’s post-deadline regret, and for the Spurs, he said it was their lack of a move for an impact point guard.

“San Antonio, of course, has time to find its offensive initiator, but if the Spurs had been able to add one at the deadline, they could’ve used the stretch run to see what this group could do and what it still needs to eventually get on a championship track,” Buckley wrote. “Instead, they won’t find their floor general until this offseason at the earliest, meaning it might be a while before San Antonio even starts building a blueprint for constructing a contender around its young star.”

The point guard position continues to be the biggest area of need for the Spurs.

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Get to know new Thunder addition Gordon Hayward after trade deadline deal

Get to know new Thunder addition Gordon Hayward after trade deadline deal.

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a splash during the 2024 NBA trade deadline when they acquired veteran wing Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets.

In exchange, OKC sent Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans, 2024 second-round pick via Rockets, 2025 second-round pick via the Sixers and cash considerations to Charlotte.

The 33-year-old is on an expiring $31.5 million salary, so it could be a rental situation for both parties.

Hayward is out until after the All-Star break with a calf strain; once he returns, expect him to come off the bench with the possibility of starting.

Get to know Hayward and what he can bring to the Thunder:

Report: Warriors explored trade for Lakers’ LeBron James at deadline

The Warriors reportedly unsuccessful in exploring a trade for the Lakers star forward at the deadline.

Despite struggling through the first half of the season, the Golden State Warriors stayed relatively quiet at the NBA trade deadline.

Outside of trading Cory Joseph to the Indiana Pacers, the Warriors’ core remained intact through the deadline after trade rumors swirled around players like Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Klay Thompson. 

However, the Warriors reportedly explored a blockbuster move with a longtime rival. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Warriors unsuccessfully tried to convince the Lakers to consider a trade for LeBron James.

Via @wojespn on Twitter:

Despite their initial attempt, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and owner Joe Lacob were both told the Lakers wanted to keep the four-time NBA champ, according to Wojnarowski.

Both the Lakers and Warriors have struggled throughout the first half of the 2023-24 season with both teams sitting outside the top-eight seeds in the Western Conference standings.

The Warriors and James have a long-standing rivalry dating back to his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their multiple battles in the NBA Finals. At age 39-year-old, James is still playing at an ultra high-caliber level, averaging 24.8 points on 52% shooting from the field to go along with 7.8 assists and 7.2 rebounds in 49 games.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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The Chicago Bulls are wasting people’s time with their decisions

With the way the Chicago Bulls are running things, they are wasting people’s time.

At the beginning of the year, it seemed obvious that the Chicago Bulls would hit the reset button at the trade deadline. They started off slow and were toward the bottom of an Eastern Conference, but a big-time surge propelled them into the race for the Play-In Tournament. A place where they still sit.

However, when it came time for them to consider some moves at the deadline, they did nothing. The Bulls didn’t trade Alex Caruso, they didn’t trade DeMar DeRozan, and they didn’t trade Andre Drummond. They did absolutely nothing. Not only that, but they did nothing for the third straight season.

ThreeCone on YouTube recently discussed why the Bulls are wasting everybody’s time with the way they are running things.

The Bulls are probably going to make the Play-In this year, but that seems to be their ceiling. And the front office is okay with that… for some reason.

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Chicago Bulls’ version of competitiveness still isn’t good enough

The Chicago Bulls are better than most people think, but it still isn’t good enough.

When the Chicago Bulls went all-in in 2021, adding Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso over the span of a few months, they were trying to win. And for the first half of the 2021-22 season, they did. But since Ball went down with an injury (which he still hasn’t returned from), they’ve been painfully average.

However, despite the fact that they’ve been unable to break out of the Play-In race in two years, the Bulls failed to make any moves at this year’s trade deadline – for the third season in a row. They’ve been relatively competitive since a rough start to the year, but still not at the level a franchise of their caliber should want to achieve.

The Chicago Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed this point, noting that while the Bulls have been better than some might think, it still isn’t good enough.

Heading into the offseason, the Bulls will have some huge decisions to make about the future of their franchise.

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Post-trade deadline 2023-24 Oklahoma City Thunder roster

Post-trade deadline 2023-24 Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

Following the NBA trade deadline, the Oklahoma City Thunder have their roster set for the rest of the way in the 2023-24 season.

After a few transactions, the Thunder are back to having a full 18-player roster — 15 standard players and three two-way players.

The starters will remain the same in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

Meanwhile, the bench was improved with the addition of Gordon Hayward. The Thunder also brought in Bismack Biyombo as a veteran center who can provide spark minutes off the bench.

Here’s an updated look at the 2023-24 Thunder roster following the trade deadline:

Trying to understand the Chicago Bulls’ 2024 NBA trade deadline

What is the plan of Chicago’s front office moving forward?

If you find yourself scratching your head in confusion while you try to make sense of the Chicago Bulls’ 2024 NBA trade deadline, know that you are very far from alone. Despite the team having become the dictionary definition of the proverbial treadmill of mediocrity, the team made no moves on Feb. 8.

This even with the Bulls the focus of the deadline with players like Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, and DeMar DeRozan of interest to teams around the league who were more than happy to give up young players and draft assets to a team that should be retooling.

What is the plan of Chicago’s front office moving forward? Is the retool coming this summer? If so, why not make use of expiring deals like Big Penguins?

The hosts of the “Athletic NBA Show” sat down to try to wrap their heads around the Bulls’ deadline decisions. Check it out above!

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