Deadline Drama: Recapping a huge day in the NBA
Trey Stewart, Sports Editor
image courtesy of unsplash.com
3 p.m. eastern time on February 6th.
To most, that specific time and date likely drives home no point of relevance at all. To most, it holds no meaning whatsoever.
But to basketball fans, and more specifically, fans of the NBA, it is one of the most important moments of the entire year.
3 p.m. on February 6th marked the official 2020 NBA Trade Deadline, signifying the last opportunity for players to be moved around the league. Teams from across the association attempted to either trade away players to obtain draft picks in order to bolster their chances of future success, or trade away assets to acquire big-name players that would allow them to compete for a title immediately.
Perhaps the most important and most publicized trade right before the deadline went down between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Miami Heat.
The Heat sent Dion Waiters, James Johnson, and Justise Winslow to the Grind City in exchange for Solomon Hill, Jae Crowder, and most importantly, former NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodola.
Iguodola had recently made headlines (along with a few Memphis-based enemies as well) by refusing to play for the Grizzlies for the entirety of the current season, despite being under a hefty 17 million dollar contract with the team.
“We don’t really care,” Grizzlies third-year small forward Dillon Brooks said of Iguodola’s decision. “It’s not a distraction at all. I laugh at that type of stuff. A guy that’s on our team that doesn’t want to be on our team. I can’t wait until we find a way to trade him so we can play him and show him what really Memphis is about.”
But while it’s safe to say very few folks from Memphis will be waving to Iguodola on his way out the Fedex Forum doors, they’ll certainly be welcoming the newly-acquired and full-of-potential Justise Winslow with open arms.
Another massive trade before the deadline sent D’angelo Russell, former point guard for the Golden State Warriors to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for small forward Andrew Wiggins. Russell will be reunited with long-time friend Karl Anthony-Towns in an attempt to bring the Timberwolves to Western Conference relevance for this first time since the early 2000’s.
13 other teams across the league also made moves at the deadline in an attempt to position themselves properly for the future. Keep an eye out throughout the rest of the season to see how these fresh faces fare on their respective new teams, and if any of these trades take teams from pretender status to the ranks of the contenders for an NBA championship.
