It was a fairly average week in NBA basketball until two blockbuster trades created shockwaves through the league. The chaos began on Saturday night, when it was announced that the Lakers and Mavericks reached a deal to send Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles, while Anthony Davis and Max Christie would be on their way to Dallas, and the Jazz emerged as a third party, taking on Jalen Hood-Schifino and picks from both teams. Then, on Sunday night, the news dropped that the Kings shipped De'Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin to the San Antonio Spurs, while Zach LaVine and multiple first-round picks headed to Sacramento, and the Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter.
Blockbuster Trades
The Mavs-Lakers trade will likely not result in much change in production from either star player, however, the move will be felt throughout the rest of both team's lineups. On the Mavericks side, Davis will likely fit in at power forward, pushing P.J. Washington to small forward, while Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie will fall into engrained bench roles. Additionally, Klay Thompson will lock back in as shooting guard, which could put him in a better place to thrive after spending the early season in the small forward spot. Daniel Gafford should continue to start at center until Dereck Lively (foot) is healthy. Finally, Kyrie Irving becomes the official point guard and will be in a place to thrive by playing alongside the dominant talent
It was a fairly average week in NBA basketball until two blockbuster trades created shockwaves through the league. The chaos began on Saturday night, when it was announced that the Lakers and Mavericks reached a deal to send Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to Los Angeles, while Anthony Davis and Max Christie would be on their way to Dallas, and the Jazz emerged as a third party, taking on Jalen Hood-Schifino and picks from both teams. Then, on Sunday night, the news dropped that the Kings shipped De'Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin to the San Antonio Spurs, while Zach LaVine and multiple first-round picks headed to Sacramento, and the Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones and Kevin Huerter.
Blockbuster Trades
The Mavs-Lakers trade will likely not result in much change in production from either star player, however, the move will be felt throughout the rest of both team's lineups. On the Mavericks side, Davis will likely fit in at power forward, pushing P.J. Washington to small forward, while Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie will fall into engrained bench roles. Additionally, Klay Thompson will lock back in as shooting guard, which could put him in a better place to thrive after spending the early season in the small forward spot. Daniel Gafford should continue to start at center until Dereck Lively (foot) is healthy. Finally, Kyrie Irving becomes the official point guard and will be in a place to thrive by playing alongside the dominant talent of Anthony Davis and a well-balanced lineup. Meanwhile, Doncic to the Lakers will move Austin Reaves back to shooting guard and open up space in the frontcourt for guys like Jaxson Hayes and Jarred Vanderbilt to pick up significant roles. If Christian Wood can get healthy, he will also be in a position to take on a similar role in the frontcourt. LeBron James should also prosper, as he will have less pressure to be a playmaker and benefit from less defensive attention from opponents. Markieff Morris has seen very limited action this season and it is not likely he will have much of a role to start.
The Kings-Spurs-Bulls deal will have significant implications within each lineup. Fox joining the Spurs to take on the starting point guard role will likely result in a reduced role for Chris Paul, but not result in much difference for the rest of the lineup. Next, from the Kings' perspective, Zach LaVine will take on the shooting guard role but will likely see reduced production, as he will now have to share the scoring spotlight with DeMar DeRozan, Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis. DeRozan and Sabonis should be able to maintain similar numbers in comparison to the last few weeks since Monk has been a starter. The absence of Fox solidifies Malik Monk as the squad's point guard and opens up more minutes for Devin Carter. Finally, Collins and Jones are likely to start in very minimal roles with the Bulls, while Kevin Huerter would be most likely to take a consistent spot in the rotation. The departure of LaVine also opens the door for Coby White to emerge as the top offensive option for the Bulls, as he has shown many flashes of being able to score at a top-tier level, averaging 18.3 points per game and reaching the 25-point mark six times this season. Dalen Terry and Matas Buzelis may also see increased opportunities in the Bulls' rotation.
Injury Trouble... and Jimmy Butler... again:
Jalen Johnson was having a brilliant run, averaging career highs of 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, but it was announced on Wednesday that he is done for the season, diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The absence of Johnson will result in a boost in opportunity for De'Andre Hunter and Vit Krejci, however, it was Dominick Barlow who got the start in the most recent outing. Onyeka Okongwu should also see an uptick in playing time, but it may be hard to predict the Hawks' rotation in the short term, as the team continues to experiment with the lineup.
In the latest chapter of an injury-plagued season for the Pelicans, Dejounte Murray was diagnosed with a torn Achilles on Friday and will be out for the remainder of the campaign. In addition to Murray, Herbert Jones is also out until at least April. Moving forward, Jose Alvarado has a big opportunity to capitalize as the starting point guard, while more responsibility trickles down to CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson to lead the charge offensively. Brandon Boston is also in line for a boost.
After serving a seven-game suspension imposed by the Heat, Butler returned to play three games before being suspended indefinitely by the team due to "a continued pattern of disregard for team rules, engaging in conduct detrimental to the team and intentionally withholding services." The team will continue to move ahead with Tyler Herro as the primary offensive threat, while Duncan Robinson looks to be back in a consistent starting role. Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jovic also stand to take on larger roles.
Notable Performers
Tyrese Maxey put together an incredible week, averaging 37.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.0 steals across four games, including two with more than 40 points, while he helped lead his shorthanded squad to wins over the Lakers and Kings. Despite an injury-ridden and unimpressive start to the season for the 76ers, Maxey refuses to roll over and is working on a career year, averaging career highs of 27.7 points and 1.9 steals per game. He can be expected to continue to make the most of the opportunity to carry the bulk of the load offensively, while his production would likely take a slight step back if Paul George and Joel Embiid can get back in the lineup.
Cade Cunningham averaged 29.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists through four games last week, including a 22-point, 15-assist performance in the most recent outing and a high of 40 points in a win over the Mavs on Friday. Cunningham is also working on a career season, averaging career highs of 25.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game. He is doing a fantastic job leading the way for the Pistons as they look to regain status as a legitimate playoff contender. Cunningham should keep up the production as he remains the primary offensive force for the squad, with the next-highest scorer, Malik Beasley, averaging 16.3 points per game.
