Every year, there are three very intense days of professional basketball. The first day is July 1st when free agency begins. The second day is not as big, but it's the opening/closing day of the regular season for the NBA. With the third being the Trade Deadline, which is always the Thursday after the All-Star Break. The trade deadline is the day when the teams within the league can no longer make moves to acquire players, picks, or even cash from other teams. Some organizations take advantage and play the market to see what they can get for what they have while others follow the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" scenario. The trade deadline for the 16/17 season was Thursday of last week.
Easily, the most stressful day of the season, the trade deadline never disappoints. There are years when nothing crazy happens, but I cannot say that about this year. There was one huge transaction that shook the league along with all of its fans. The Sacremento Kings decided to trade their, literal, only all-star to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels sent a pretty big package in exchange, but the three players and two picks are not making it even. This trade was the biggest move in a while, but things slowed down after that. Many teams decided to trade this past week, even our own Thunder. The trades are dealt through the General Managers of each team. Oklahoma City's GM is the one and only Sam Presti. Presti pushed up until the final minutes of the market before making any plays. When I say the deadline is stressful, I'm talking about managers like Presti keeping the fans on their toes throughout the day.
The beautiful thing of the deadline is the rumors. Uncertain "trades" are always swirling throughout the season but when the deadline is in sight, via the week before, the media just starts saying things. Being a Thunder fan, I am constantly updating to see what player we may or may not be after. For example, many were saying the office of OKC wanted Wilson Chandler from the nuggets, however, at noon on Thursday I got an update from ESPN saying "The Thunder are no longer interested in Chandler". So, to an extent, that was a reliable rumor to watch out for. Then the fans will get the "Pistons open to trade talks for Drummond or Jackson", which I find this one hard to believe based on the fact that Drummond is easily their best player and Jackson being their only good point guard. Another example of the rumors is the showcasing of the Thunder trade. OKC sent three players and a pick in a future draft to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for two players. One reporter said that is was only two players for two players, whereas another said it was certain (false) three for two. Unfortunately, you never know until a valid reporter speaks upon it.
Teams like the Warriors and Cavs almost never make a move at the deadline. One would think a team like Thunder used to be would not need to, but even two years ago Presti made a huge deal that surprised many people because most managers are afraid to dabble, but our man Sam is not. Like I said, not every year is big for the deadline, but every now and then, some teams come together to trade that shows everyone in the NBA it is more than just sports, it's a business.
