Analyzing the Effect of Trade Rumors on NBA Stars

Note:  this article will be published on FanSided's Saving the Skyhook blog.

With the March 15^th NBA trade deadline looming, many players league-wide are wondering what jersey they are going to don by week’s end.  Although it’s hard for the average sports fan to feel sympathy for multi-millionaire athletes dealing with uncertain futures, you have to wonder just how much the psyche of these players are being affected by swirling trade rumors.  One would think that the growing shroud of uncertainty constantly hanging over them has to wear on them in one way or another – both on and off the court. 

We’ve seen several high-profile players being shopped around over the last few years.  This season has been no different; rumors involving Dwight Howard Rajon Rondo, and Pau Gasol have been under the most scrutiny.  How have they been personally handling these rumors?  And what can we expect from them going forward after the trade deadline this Thursday? 

Gasol (left) and Rondo (right) have been saying all the right things,
but how are they really handling the constant trade rumors?

We recently heard Kobe Bryant stick up for his teammate Gasol by calling out GM Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers’ management.  He was publicly trying to relay just how difficult it is for Gasol (or any player being shopped around) to put his whole heart into playing for a team that’s actively trying to trade him.  Due to the sensitive nature of trade rumors and the private manner in which teams address them to the media, we have a relatively limited idea of how much of an effect they have on the implicated players.  We just saw the Lakers management tell their players to cut the external chatter short, in an attempt to minimize the drama caused from trade rumors.  So unless players publicly speak about their feelings, our opportunities to gauge their psyche are limited.  For that reason, the performance of these players in the midst of trade rumors may be our best way to make an assessment. 

Now, let’s examine a sample of prominent players that were involved in trade rumors and blockbuster trades over the last 10 seasons.   Whether these players were driving the trade talks themselves, or their respective teams put players on the trading block against their will, here are some of the more notable cases below.  The blocks highlighted in green denote a 10% improvement after the trade, while the red blocks indicate at least a 10% decline in the respective stats as shown.  For better resolution quality, please click on the figure.  Special thanks to ESPN TrueHoop blogger Ian Levy of Hickory High, who was a great help in putting these numbers together. 

If you go by a case-by-case basis, some players on this list wanted to be traded, and some didn’t.  And some, well, could have cared less.  Obviously, every player’s situation was different, and many variables factored into each player’s performance.  Nonetheless, the before/after comparisons are something very interesting to look at in light of Kobe Bryant’s aforementioned assessment on the impact of trade rumor drama.

Vince Carter made the biggest improvement of any star traded in the last ten  years

Bar none, Vince Carter gained the single-most benefit from the resolution of his situation after being traded from Toronto to New Jersey – and his gargantuan improvement shown in these stats reflect that.  But as he admitted, this was largely attributed to his half-hearted effort during his waning days in Toronto.  More than any star player in the last decade, Vince’s performance was directly correlated to how motivated he was.  In Toronto, he publicly criticized Raptors management for failing to put together enough talent around him to build a contending team.  When traded to New Jersey, he did all the things he failed to do during his last couple years in Toronto:  attacking the basket, playing some defense, and just putting in more effort overall.  Playing alongside Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson was a huge motivator for him, as he spent years being the lone star in Toronto.  All of this led to a vast improvement in nearly every statistical category.  Of course, this was all short-lived, and Carter was not always engaged in subsequent years to date.  To learn about his ups and downs some more, take a look at my in-depth take on his career as a whole, which tries to explain his sporadic effort over the years. 

C-Webb (right) did not find greener pastures in Philly
playing alongside AI (left)

In contrast to Vince’s case, some players didn't exactly benefit from being traded.  Of everyone listed here, Chris Webber seems to be the one who suffered the most from changing jerseys.  Of course, injuries played into his decline (and eventual retirement) more than anything.   Nonetheless, then-Sixers GM Billy King’s experiment of pairing him up with Allen Iverson was obviously a failiure – as the Sixers only managed to obtain a 7^th seed and only win a single playoff game that season.  But given Webber’s and Iverson’s respective situations at the time – as two perennial All-Stars yet to win a title – both felt it was an experiment worth attempting.  I’m not entirely sure if Chris Webber was forcing his way out of Sacramento the same year he was traded, even though he did express a desire to leave before he became a free agent in 2001.  But I suspect that his decline was due to a combination of his injuries, his lack of cohesion with Iverson, and the realization that he had a pretty damn good team in Sacramento compared to his new team in Philly.

Dwight Howard has his eyes set elsewhere,
but is still playing well in Orlando

Unlike Rondo and Gasol, we know Dwight Howard has publicly requested to be traded.  Since he has been under the most scrutiny as far as trade rumors are concerned, let’s compare his situation to other superstar players demanding a trade in years past:  Shaq, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest (BTW, I still refuse to call him by his new name), and Carmelo Anthony.   Shaq showed slightly greater improvement and efficiency after being traded, which was to be expected after a bad situation (the most memorable part being his feud with Kobe Bryant) got worse in LA prior to being traded.  But of course, pairing up with the young but highly-gifted Dwyane Wade had something to do with that.  Iverson and Artest welcomed a change of scenery, but their +’s and –‘s in their stat comparisons were a relative wash; Iverson’s shot attempts went down, but he had to get used to having a high-volume shooting teammate in Melo.  Years later, Melo benefited from more shot attempts being in Mike D’Antoni’s system, but overall has been playing at about the same level since the trade.  So in the end, the superstars we’ve seen publicly demand a trade have neither improved nor regressed on a significant level.   

While we don’t see too much of a distinct pattern (at least, not to the same degree as with Vince Carter and Chris Webber) with most of the players on this list – at least in terms of individual performance –  this analysis does show that there is some precedence to the situations of Howard, Gasol, and Rondo.  In terms of a prediction, it’s tough to see any of them improving from their already-solid productivity with their current teams.  All three have been able to put up stellar numbers regularly, but they have all expressed disdain over the lack of resolution on their respective situations.   Their individual performances have not suffered, but their uncertain futures have had an effect on the success of their teams as a whole.  We saw the 2010-11 Nuggets improve significantly after Melo’s departure, even with Melo maintaining his productivity in Denver.  So while trades and trade rumors do not have a huge overall effect on individual performance (with a few exceptions), teams as a whole are put at ease upon resolution of the trade talk.  

The Dwight Predicament

As the Orlando Magic’s losing culture is growing stronger by the day, everyone league-wide is wondering the same thing:  is it time to trade the franchise player?  This question is consuming the entirety of Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith’s thoughts, as the NBA community is awaiting his next move in the Dwight Howard trade rumor saga.  A situation that’s gone from bad to worse, this is a team that needs answers.  And fast.

What is going on with the Magic?  Are the trade rumors hurting the team that much?

Things have worsened exponentially over the last week or so.  It started last week with a humiliating blow-out loss to a depleted Boston Celtic team without Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen, and managed to score only 56 points.  Then a few days later, they completely melted down and blew a 27-point 1st half lead against the very same depleted Celtic team.  In case anyone wondered if this would carry over against one of the worst teams of the league, New Orleans routed them 93-67 on Friday.  Sunday night, they got blown out at home by Indiana by 21.  And in their attempt to reverse their disappearing act the next night, they came up short against Philly.

All Dwight can think about is when - not if - he's leaving Central Florida

All teams go through dry spells.  But given the magnitude of defeats and circumstances surrounding the team, it’s hard not to attribute these struggles to Howard’s swirling trade rumors.  After the aforementioned blowout loss to the Hornets, Howard bashed his teammates and their lack of effort.  He’s been known to call out his teammates to the press before, but this time it’s become evident that his peers have given up on him.  He's also publicly criticized head coach Stan Van Gundy's abrasive coaching style.  That’s why, as a superstar, asking for a trade puts you in a TERRIBLE spot.  An irreversible chain of events occurs and the team starts to self-destruct.  First, your teammates and coaching staff begin to question your commitment and loyalty.  Once that happens, you are no longer in a position to call out your team in hopes for a positive result.  In their eyes, they’re thinking, ‘what’s the point of giving your all for a guy who wants to leave anyway?’ 

We’ve seen precedence before of a lame duck superstar in a contract year.  Just to avoid bringing up painful memories for Magic fans of losing Shaq (and better yet, to pick a more recent example), Orlando’s situation is mirroring that of the Denver Nuggets involving Carmelo Anthony last season; Melo demanded a trade at the beginning of the 2010-11 season and, after months of speculation and indecision on the part of Nuggets management, he finagled his way to New York.  

Much like Dwight today, Melo had to address
trade rumors on a daily basis last season

Let’s compare the similarities between this year’s Magic and last year’s Nuggets.  While Melo was still a Nugget during the first half of the season, the team chemistry was horrific.  Yes the team was still winning some games, but deep down, his teammates knew he wanted to leave.  They knew his heart wasn’t in it.  They knew Melo was playing only to pad his stats and sell himself to the Knicks.  I’ve never seen a player so emotionally detached from a team – until now with Dwight.  Much like Melo last season, Dwight’s body language has been visibly terrible since the start of training camp.  Even though he’s still putting up decent numbers, you can tell his heart is not in the game.  And you can tell his teammates have quit on him.

But why is Dwight so hell bent on leaving Orlando? They really aren’t that bad – they’re only 3 years removed from an NBA Finals appearance…

From a pure basketball standpoint (turmoil aside), the Magic
 aren't too many pieces away from returning to the Finals

I honestly don’t know, and I don’t think anybody really does.  Despite being only 3 seasons removed from an Eastern Conference title, Howard feels change of scenery is needed.  Like many marquee free agents before him, Dwight Howard is looking for greener pastures – but his motive is unclear.  He says he wants a better chance to win a championship, but it makes you wonder when he makes outrageous David Kahn-like suggestions – such as telling the front office to keep Gilbert Arenas.  Does he want to play with his buddies, be in a bigger market, or have a better supporting cast?  Based on his wish list of destinations, the answer to that is not very clear.

As of now, he has a short wish list of destinations:  New Jersey, LA (Clippers AND Lakers), Dallas, and now Chicago.  Just by simple reasoning, you can figure out why a trade hasn’t happened yet with any of these teams.  We know the Nets have NOTHING of value to trade for him – particularly with Brook Lopez’s broken foot.  The Clippers would have to give up Blake Griffin (who, btw, just mesmerized the league with his ridiculous dunk theother night) to get Dwight, which I don’t think they would be willing to do right now even if the trade itself makes sense.  Otis Smith has told the Lakers he will not settle for less than Pau Gasol AND Andrew Bynum (they’ve only offered Bynum).  Dallas and Chicago are already championship-caliber teams that will be hesitant to gut their rosters to get Dwight during such an abbreviated season.  Thus, trade talks have been at an impasse.

What’s next for the Magic?

That’s a tough question that only time will tell.  In any case, Magic fans better brace themselves for many seasons of mediocrity.  Even though the Nuggets went through the same situation last year and came out smelling like roses, the results for Orlando parting ways with their superstar will be completely different.  Right now, the Nuggets are now a MUCH better team than they ever would have been with Melo, and so everyone in Denver is glad to see him gone (and struggling in NY).  You can’t complain about the results of the trade as a Nugget fan – since the trade, the Knicks have gone 21-27 with Melo, while Denver improved remarkably without him – and is now sitting at 2^nd overall in standings of the loaded Western Conference.  In contrast with Orlando, it’s hard to envision a similar result when Dwight leaves.  Melo is more of a ball-stopper (which is KILLING his Knicks right now), while Dwight has more of a team anchor-like presence and is not the one dictating his team’s offense.  Since Melo’s departure, Denver improved tremendously on defense, while it’s hard to imagine Orlando replacing Dwight’s superior defensive presence.

The Denver Nuggets couldn't be better without Melo, but it's hard to see the same
success story panning out for the Magic without Howard

If you’re Otis Smith, here are your options:

1)      Trade Dwight ASAP in hopes of ending the current state of turmoil and take the best offer on the table.

2)      Call everyone’s bluff and wait until the trade deadline to solicit everyone’s BEST trade offer, or...

3)      Wait it out until free agency and see if you can keep him, or get the best possible sign-and-trade deal.

Option 3 should be ruled out at this point, as he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to stay.  So, unless he wants to lose Howard for nothing this summer, Otis Smith should just bite the bullet at some point this season and follow one of the first two options.

I’ll close this blog post with one thought, as I talked to my friend John about this recently:  why the hell is Orlando not a more appealing destination for free agents?  Brand spanking new arena, great weather, no state taxes – I’d really like to know why players aren’t biting at the bit to move to Central Florida.  Of all the superstars who have been wanting to move in the last few years – Chris Paul, Deron Williams, etc. – NONE have even entertained the idea of wearing a Magic uniform – even to play with the league’s best center.  Perhaps that's really why Howard is moving forward with a trade request?  Please comment with your theories on this, because I’m at a loss.

If you think that trade rumors don’t affect players and their teams that much, think again.  

Reaction to all the trades at the 2011 Trade Deadline

As a widely-expected lockout looms next season, NBA teams were very active on the eve of this year’s trade deadline.  LeBron James and Chris Bosh’s departures from Cleveland and Toronto, respectively, have affected more than just the franchises they abandoned.  Their exits have instilled fear in every GM in the league that has a superstar player with a soon-to-be expiring contract.  Consequently, no team wants to end up like Cleveland or Toronto.  One further aftermath of the LBJ/Bosh departures is the fluid movement of big-name players that want to team up with fellow NBA juggernauts.  As a result, NBA teams are going to incredible lengths to make moves.  Seven trades happened at the deadline, while two blockbuster trades happened earlier this week.

Here's a list of this week’s trades for your convenience (thanks, Henry Abbott):

·         Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks.

·         Deron Williams to the Nets.

·         Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic to Boston for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

·         Gerald Wallace to the Blazers for Joel Pryzbilla.

·         Kirk Hinrich to the Hawks for Mike Bibby.

·         Baron Davis to Cleveland for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.

·         Aaron Brooks to the Suns for Goran Dragic.

·         Shane Battier to the Grizzlies for Hasheem Thabeet.

·         Carl Landry to the Hornets.

·         Troy Murphy to Golden State for Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric.

·         James Johnson to the Raptors.

·         Semih Erden and Luke Harangody to the Cavaliers for Boston’s 2^nd Round Pick.

With all due respect to Semih Erden and Luke Harangody, let’s go over the biggest trades:

New York Knicks get:  F Carmelo Anthony, G Chauncey Billups, F/C Shelden Williams, G Anthony Carter, F Renaldo Balkman, G/F Corey Brewer

Denver Nuggets get:  G/F Wilson Chandler, G Raymond Felton, F Danilo Gallinari, C Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, 2014 1^st Round Pick

Minnesota Timberwolves get:  F/C Anthony Randolph, C Eddy Curry

I already talked in length about this trade, particularly how it affects NY and Denver.  As for Minnesota, I don’t know what they’re doing besides making friends with teams looking to get rid of huge contracts.  I know they want to clear cap space for future free agents and trades, but let’s be real:  nobody wants to come to Minnesota.  Since KG left town, they were doomed for years of futility.  Hopefully they can get good draft picks in the coming years and become relevant again.  The only good team they put together was in 2003-04, when KG, Sam Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell formed the NBA’s highest scoring trio and gave the Western Conference a real scare in the 04 playoffs.  Then reality hit, and Sprewell turned down a $21 million contract because it was “beneath” him and he thought it wasn’t enough to feed his family.  I still can’t get over that.

New Jersey Nets get:  G Deron Williams

Utah Jazz get:  G Devin Harris, F Derrick Favors, 2 first round picks and Cash

D-Will apparently fell out of favor with the Jazz front office

Unlike the Melo-to-Knicks deal, this was really unexpected.  While NJ is glad to finally land an All-Star, this is one risky move for the Nets.  Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov was clearly desperate to land a superstar after missing out on several big names (LBJ, Wade, Melo, etc.), essentially giving away promising future assets in the deal.  D-Will was noticeably saddened to suddenly be on a 17-40 team, and may very well be in trade talks by next year’s trade deadline.  I guess it was smart of New Jersey to see how things work out until then.  But if they end up keeping Deron through the 2011-12 only to see him leave the team, the Nets will be in an even bigger predicament before the team moves to Brooklyn.  There’s a lot of risk in giving up your future for a star player who might only be around for 1.5 years.

From Utah’s end, you have to wonder what made Utah give up on D-Will this early.  Even though it was clear he was not going to re-sign with the team, his contract isn’t up until next summer.  Clearly, he worn out his welcome with the Jazz front office, and was accused of being the main driver behind Jerry Sloan’s resignation.  The team was clearly struggling despite having a solid roster, and was on the verge of missing the playoffs. Now, they have some hope for the future with a very good point guard in Harris and promising young players.

OKC Thunder get:  C Kendrick Perkins, G Nate Robinson

Boston Celtics get:  F Jeff Green, F/C Nenad Krstic

I am completely baffled by this trade.  Either there’s some monetary reason for this, or something behind the scenes happened that prompted Danny Ainge to pull this off.  I just can’t figure out why he would do this at this stage of the season.  There's no possible basketball-related reason for this, which makes me think either Rasheed Wallace might come back and/or Ainge thinks Perk is leaving after this season (the latter being more likely).  With Perk, the Celtics had the size to go against any bigs they would encounter in the playoffs.  Don’t forget last year’s NBA Finals, where they arguably would have won the championship if he was healthy for Game 7 against the Lakers.  Now, suddenly they think they can win without him altogether?  I’m skeptical.   

If all their remaining bigs – Shaq, Jermaine O’Neal, Krstic – are healthy, they should still be favorites to win the title.  But look at those names I just listed – that is a BIG “IF.”  What made the Celtics so tough for teams like Orlando is their ability to guard dominant bigs one-on-one.  Now, if Shaq goes down and they were to play Orlando in the Eastern Conference Semis this year, who guards Dwight one-on-one?   They shut down last year’s lethal Magic team by NOT double-teaming Dwight, and thus staying home on the shooters.  No other team, other than the Lakers, could have contained their deadly outside shooting game.  Luckily for them, the Magic don’t look so hot these days.  With Atlanta and New York getting better this week (I’ll get into those trades later), Orlando may not even get home court advantage in the first round.  Still, they may face the Lakers in the Finals.  Without Perkins, I’m not so sure they can beat them - unless Shaq gets 10 years younger. 

Let’s get away from Perkins for a second:  the loss of Nate Robinson should not be overlooked, either.  Nate made the Celtics backcourt very tough to deal with.  Having him back up Rajon Rondo has been extremely effective; when teams backed off of Rondo and dared him to shoot, Doc Rivers brought Nate in the game to be a scorer.  Having both pass-first and shoot-first point guards gave Boston a variety of options as far as how they ran their offense, confusing most defensive units in the league.  Now who backs up Rondo?  I don’t like this trade at all for Boston.

Without Perk in the middle, guys like Dwight would have a much easier time against Boston

From OKC’s end, this is a great trade.  Jeff Green is a decent player, but is very inconsistent.  With great upside coming out of Georgetown, he and Kevin Durant were supposed to take the reins of the franchise.  But with Westbrook emerging as the clear 2^nd-fiddle behind KD (and perhaps the real leader of the team), Green became expendable.  Perk will give a great boost to the Thunder defense, which has slipped considerably since last season (their suffocating D really gave the Lakers fits before going out in a very close six-game series).  The team desperately needed a big, physical presence in the middle.  Now they got one, and they have no real gaping holes heading into the playoffs.

So – great trade for the Thunder, and a real head-scratcher for Boston.

Portland Trailblazers get:  G/F Gerald Wallace

Charlotte Bobcats get:  C Joel Pryzbilla, F Dante Cunningham, 2 1^st round picks

Wallace's versatility and athleticism will fit in nicely with Portland

What a great trade for Portland.  With Brandon Roy’s health issues, the team needed help to finish the season strong.  Currently a 7^th seed, the Blazers should be a tough out for whoever they match up with in the playoffs.  All-Star snub LaMarcus Aldridge has been a beast of late, and Wallace should compliment him nicely.  His talents have been a little forgotten in Charlotte, but he still is a tremendous high-flying athlete that plays terrific defense, and he rebounds well for his position.  Since he doesn’t need the ball to be effective, I see him fitting in fairly seamlessly in Nate McMillan’s schemes.  If Brandon Roy can somehow get healthy by the playoffs, their starting lineup will be comprised of this:  Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Marcus Camby.  I don’t care who they play; that is a scary lineup for anybody to go against.  Of course, it’s the Blazers, and health is always an issue.  I won’t put money on them to get past the 1^st round, but if they’re healthy then I really wouldn’t be surprised if they upset anybody in the playoffs.

As for Charlotte – well, they are just another seller in today’s NBA market.  MJ’s tenure as owner isn’t going to draw any more positive reviews in the near future.  Much like the other small market teams of the league, they need to get lucky in the draft to make any noise.

Atlanta Hawks get:  G Kirk Hinrich, F/C Hilton Armstrong

Washington Wizards get:  G Mike Bibby, G Jordan Crawford, G/F Maurice Evans, 1^st Round Pick

This was clearly a reactionary move by the Hawks after seeing New York – a team on their heels in the playoff standings – land Carmelo Anthony.  Bibby has clearly lost a step, both offensively and defensively.  He’s also been somewhat of a no-show in Atlanta’s playoff appearances the past few seasons.  In Hinrich, they get a younger but very solid point guard, and an overall improvement at the position on both ends of the court.  He is a very underrated defensive player.  When he was in Chicago, then-coach Scott Skiles got fired in part because he consistently benched Derrick Rose in favor of Hinrich for defensive purposes.  In addition to Hinrich, Armstrong will provide some size and depth on the thin Hawks bench. 

I’m not really sure why the Wizards even got Hinrich in the first place last summer, knowing they were drafting Wall.  But Bibby gives them veteran experience – something they sorely lack and part of the reason why they are basically win-less on the road.  In trading Hinrich, they acquired a long-term prospect in Jordan Crawford and they have yet another 1^st round pick this year to boot.

Cleveland Cavaliers get: G Baron Davis, 1^st Round Pick

Los Angeles Clippers get:  G Mo Williams, F Jamario Moon

Poor Baron Davis.  First, he ditched a fairly good Golden State Warriors team to sign with his hometown Clippers in hopes to play with Elton Brand.  Then, Brand screws him over by signing with Philly.  After a few Clipper-like seasons at the bottom of the standings, Blake Griffin gets drafted.  Then, Griffin busts his kneecap and sits out an entire season.  This year, Davis struggled early on with injuries and was out of shape.  Owner Donald Sterling even expressed frustration with Baron not being in playing shape.  But after all that, Davis got healthy and the Clippers finally appeared to be coming together as a group.  Davis got to throw one jaw-dropping alley-oop pass to Griffin after another.  Griffin even had Davis assist him in his final dunk of this year’s Slam Dunk contest. 

Baron's days of posterizing opponents is sadly over

Now?  He got traded to the NBA’s worst team.   Tough break.  I think he’ll suddenly have a myriad of season-ending “injuries” and get bought out this summer.  It’s too bad, because Baron is one of my favorite players to watch when he’s engaged.  The last time we saw him at his best was when he spearheaded the demolition of the 2008 1^st seeded Dallas Mavericks in the greatest playoff upset in NBA history.   Only sometimes showing flashes of his unbelievable skill set, he may be one of the NBA’s biggest underachievers.  If injuries and motivation weren’t an issue, he would be a perennial All-NBA selection.  As depressing as it is to say this, it’s hard to see that version of Davis ever showing up again.

Cleveland made this trade primarily for the draft pick.  The Clippers, still hoping to make a playoff push, acquired Williams and Moon to help make it happen.  It’s hard to see how, mostly because Mo gets injured seemingly as often as Davis does.  But maybe playing on an exciting team (yes, playing with Blake Griffin automatically makes you a de facto exciting team, regardless of your team record) will rejuvenate him.  I can’t see it happening, though. 

Every year, you see at least one lose-lose trade for both teams involved.  This was it.

One reported trade – O.J. Mayo to the Pacers for Josh McRoberts and a 1^st round pick – fell through right at the deadline.  With Mayo already having had a rocky season so far, this does not bode well for Mayo or Memphis as a team.  Plus, with Shane Battier coming in, Mayo’s minutes are a lock to diminish significantly.   Things have already been interesting in Memphis after Mayo got suspended for 10 games violating the NBA’s drug policy and got in a fight with teammate Tony Allen.  Think he’ll be a distraction now that he’s staying put?  It remains to be seen whether they can squeeze into the playoffs with a disgruntled Mayo in the Grizzlies locker room. 

So who benefited the most from this year’s trade deadline? 

Winners:  Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers

Losers:  Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers

TBD:  Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets