Currently in eighth place in the conference, the Brooklyn Nets finally managed to scare James Harden away with their latest ongoing 10-game losing streak. In return for the former MVP, the Nets drew Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two future 1st Round picks.
This team will be scary in the playoffs. Their ideal starting lineup, consisting of Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Andre Drummond, has combined for 30 All-Star appearances and allows for Durant and Aldridge to slide back to their traditional positions.
This team’s second unit, likely consisting of Patty Mills, Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Blake Griffin, and Nicolas Claxton, is perhaps the most efficient three-point shooting lineup in the league. Luckily, the Bulls don’t face the Nets again this season, having won two of their three matchups.
The most dramatic mid-season day of the NBA season has come and gone, and despite choosing to steer clear of the mayhem, the Chicago Bulls will feel its direct impact as the other top teams of the Eastern Conference all made significant moves to improve in the short-term.
Some playoff-bound teams chose not to shake things up too much. Milwaukee turned struggling rotation players into a washed-up Serge Ibaka in an attempt to replace Brook Lopez. Miami and Toronto made negligible peripheral moves. Boston turned Dennis Schroder into the younger, streakier Derrick White Jr.
The Cavaliers made some noise by reuniting former Brooklyn teammates Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert. LeVert will join All-Star Darius Garland to make a very talented frontcourt duo. Allen, rookie Evan Mobley, and former Bull Lauri Markkanen boast lots of size for Cleveland, which helped them trounce the Bulls earlier this season.
The Bulls took the next game but shouldn’t be too thrilled about having to face the Cavs twice more this season with the addition of LeVert, who went off for 42 points on 26 shots the last time he saw us.
Perhaps the biggest winner of the deadline was Philadelphia. The 76ers got rid of two pieces who’ve hit their ceilings and a player who refused to play for them and received a more-than-capable running mate for Joel Embiid.
They didn’t have to fork over any of their young talent, and they’ve done the right thing in making their MVP candidate happy while in the prime of his career. The Bulls are 0-3 against the 76ers, and they play them once more before the end of this season.