By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The NBA Trade deadline fever isn’t over.
After Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s new destinations, a couple of franchises decided to tweak their respective rosters with hopes of making a deep run into the 2023 playoffs.
Headlining the moves are the Golden State Warriors’ re-acquisition of two-way stopper Gary Payton II who was a vital piece to their NBA championship campaign last season.
The Warriors faced a lot of backlashes when they agreed with Payton II’s decision to move to the Portland Trailblazers for a bigger paycheck last off-season.
However, the leftie guard wasn’t able to mesh well with Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons after starting the season with a lot of injuries.
The trade package was made possible after a three-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons took place.
To tap Payton II again, the Warriors had to ship their former lottery pick James Wiseman to the Pistons while the Hawks will be receiving scoring forward Saddiq Bey from Detroit.
The Warriors have struggled this season after their defensive rating dropped this year. With the return of Payton II, Golden State is expecting tighter perimeter coverage with Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Klay Thompson.
Hours after D’Angelo Russell’s arrival in Los Angeles, the Lakers followed up their guard reshuffle after trading Patrick Beverley to the Orlando Magic.
The Magic will be shipping away versatile big man Mo Bamba who will add more depth to Los Angeles’ frontcourt led by Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura.
Los Angeles’ plans of tapping another big man came after they sent center Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets as a part of a four-team deal.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers unload their roster and let go of Reggie Jackson and John Wall. Jackson, one of their veteran leaders during the past seasons, has been shipped to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mason Plumlee.
Wall on the other hand will be returning to a familiar city when he was signed by the Houston Rockets via a three-team trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and the Clippers.
The Clippers are set to receive shooting guard Eric Gordon, Memphis is expected to land Luke Kennard, while the Grizzlies will be trading NBA champion Danny Green to the Rockets.
What team do you think made the most beneficial trade to help them lock a spot in the upcoming 2023 NBA playoffs?
