SR – NBA Trade Deadline: Up-To-The-Hour Updates On Who’s Going Where

Trade Deadline day is officially here, and up to the hour, we’ll be updating you, the reader on who is getting sent where, as well as the full trade ramifications for all sides of all agreements up until the official deadline today, March 25, 2021, at 3 P.M. ET. As it stands, there has been a couple of significant names that have been dealt, but while there aren’t a bevy of huge names circling around this deadline period, (since, y’know, the offseason did that for us – James Harden joining forces with the Brooklyn Nets and Blake Griffin doing the same with deals made with Houston and Detroit) there are still some negotiations yet to be done leading up to this afternoon.

A few minor trades have trickled into the last week and into today’s dealings, such as the Bucks snagging P.J. Tucker from the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat getting Trevor Ariza. Teams selling high will likely be Orlando, Atlanta, and/or Sacramento, and as it goes for buyers, expect the Nuggets, Lakers, Sixers, Raptors, Bulls, Celtics, Pelicans, and Clippers to be big movers and acquirers of some substantial players as we move into the final stretch of the regular season.

With that said, here’s what transpired leading up to Thursday’s deadline.

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1. Sacramento Kings: Detroit Pistons trade Delon Wright to Sacramento Kings, Kings get Cory Joseph, two Second-Round picks

For the first deal of this hectic period, the Pistons traded guard Delon Wright (10.4 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 5 apg.) to the Sacramento Kings, and in exchange, get swingman Cory Joseph (6.6 ppg., 2.3 rpg., 2.5 apg.) in return. Also, as a part of the deal, the Kings are sending a 2021 second-round pick from the Lakers and their own 2024 second-rounder in the deal, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

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2. Denver Nuggets: Acquiring Center JaVale McGee from the Cleveland Cavaliers, trading Isiah Hartenstein, two future protected second-round picks

Talk about help in the big man department. And so starts the second stint in a Nuggets uniform for JaVale McGee (8.0 ppg., 5.2 rpg., 1 apg.) who last played for the organization in 2014 as he’ll be dealt from the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the Nuggets, and Denver will give the Cavs depth at center in Isiah Hartenstein (3.3 ppg., 2.7 rpg., 0.6 apg.) as well as two protected future second-round picks for the 2021 Draft.

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3. Chicago Bulls: Acquiring Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic, Al-Farouq Aminu, trading away Wendell Carter Jr., two first-round picks to Orlando in Blockbuster deal

In arguably the most impactful deal prior to the deadline, Chicago hits the jackpot in acquiring All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic and reliable bench big Al-Farouq Aminu from the Orlando Magic during Orlando’s fire sale of a trading period. Vucevic, the Serbian two-time All-Star who is averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game off 48 percent shooting, compliments the likes of now fellow All-Star Zach LaVine, and the Bulls only had to sell Wendell Carter Jr. (10.9 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 2.2 apg.) as well as two first-round picks to get Zach LaVine some additional scoring help.

Chicago is sending the Magic’s 2021 and 2023 first-round picks, as well as Otto Porter Jr. to Orlando in the deal. The Bulls’ leadership council of Executive Vice President Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan were insistent on bringing in several veteran talents to accompany LaVine, who is having the best season of his career not only averaging 28.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game off 52 percent shooting, but is one of the only Bulls in franchise history alongside Michael Jordan to have averaged nearly 35 points in an entire month.

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4. Washington Wizards: Acquiring Chicago’s Daniel Gafford and Chandler Hutchinson, trading away Troy Brown, Mo Wagner

The Bulls continue to bolster their depth, trading for Washington’s forwards in Mo Wagner ( 7.1 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 1.3 apg.) and Troy Brown (4.3 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 0.9 apg.) while giving away their guys in Daniel Gafford (4.7 ppg., 3.3 rpg., 0.5 apg.) and Chandler Hutchinson, (1.9 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 0.6 apg.) of whom were drafted in 2017 and 2018.

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5. Denver Nuggets: Acquiring Orlando’s Aaron Gordon, trading away Gary Harris, RJ Hampton, and first-round pick

Another blockbuster deal has transpired: Denver gets their much sought-after big and wing defender in two-way scorer Aaron Gordon (14.6 ppg., 6.6 rpg., 4.2 apg.) in a deal with the Orlando Magic. Orlando gets a mix of viable veterans like Gary Harris, (9.7 ppg., 2.5 rpg., 1.7 apg.) and prospects like 2020 first-round pick RJ Hampton (2.6 ppg., 2 rpg., 0.6 apg.) as a result of exchanging the last part of their starting frontcourt in Gordon. The Arizona product had spent his first six years with the Orlando Magic, and in the process of sending out their former first-round pick back in 2014, get bargaining chips and pieces to build around for the impending future.

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6. Miami Heat: Acquiring Sacramento’s Nemanja Bjelica, trading away Moe Harkless, Chris Silva

Miami gets additional perimeter shooting depth by negotiating an even deal with the Sacramento Kings by giving away some veteran bench parts that consist of Moe Harkless (1.4 ppg., 1.2 rpg., 0.6 apg.) and Chris Silva (2.7 ppg., 2.3 rpg., 0.5 apg.) to help build Sacramento’s frontcourt depth, getting sharpshooter Nemanja Bjelica (7.2 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 1.9 apg. off 46 percent shooting) in return.

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7. Philadelphia 76ers: Acquire OKC’s George Hill, trade away Tony Bradley, Terance Ferguson, two second-round picks

In the biggest deal of the day so far, (per the number of players and picks involved) the Philadelphia 76ers give away some more picks to Oklahoma City’s Sam Presti as well as a reliable rebounder in Tony Bradley (5.5 ppg., 5.2 rpg., 0.8 apg.). In the deal, the Thunder give away Terrance Ferguson (0.2 ppg., 0.1 rpg., 0.2 apg.) to the Knicks, and veteran point guard George Hill (11.8 ppg., 2.1 apg., 3.1 apg.) to the Sixers, who could immediately bolster the strength of their depth and backcourt as a whole. New York’s Austin Rivers, (7.3 ppg., 2.2 rpg., 2.0 apg.) as part of the trade with Terrance Ferguson, will head to the Thunder.

The Knicks will also send Ignas Brazdeikis (0.5 ppg., 0.5 rpg., 0.2 apg.) to the 76ers as part of the three-way deal, and the Sixers will send a couple of second-round picks in 2025 and 2026 to OKC.

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8. Portland Trail Blazers: Acquiring Toronto’s Norman Powell, trading away Gary Trent, Rodney Hood to the Raptors

In the first of trades that may not be the last for Toronto today, the Raptors struck a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers to get some slashing and perimeter scoring threats in both Norman Powell and Gary Trent, swapping both players. Portland gets Norman Powell, a two-guard in his fifth year averaging 19.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per contest off 49.8 percent shooting, while Gary Trent Jr. will head to Tampa, Florida to play with the Raptors and add some outside scoring, as he currently averages 15 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists off 41.4 percent shooting and 39.7 shooting from deep.

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9. Utah Jazz: Acquiring Toronto’s Matt Thomas, trading away a future second-round pick

As if the league’s best shooting team from deep needed additional depth in that department, they went out and traded away a second-round pick for 26-year-old Matt Thomas (2.7 ppg., 0.8 rpg., 0.3 apg.) as another shooter in their already-fiery offense. Thomas’s shooting averages are a little over 41 percent from deep, which only furthers the sense made from this trade. Additionally, it further adds fuel to the Kyle Lowry trade fire as it allocates an additional roster spot in Toronto’s roster makeup. As it stands, the Raps are taking calls and negotiating potential deals to send Lowry elsewhere within the last 45 minutes of the deadline.

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10. Atlanta Hawks: Acquiring Los Angeles Clippers’ Lou Williams, two second-round picks, cash, trading away Rajon Rondo

Lou Williams makes his return to his home town of Atlanta, Georgia to play for his home team Atlanta Hawks, presumably, in a sixth-man role, as the Hawks nab one of the most talented scoring guards in all of the NBA in a headline-grabbing trade with a little under a half-hour to go until the deadline.

Three-time Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams (12.1 ppg., 2.1 rpg., 3.4 apg. off 42.1 percent shooting and 35 percent shooting from downtown) is swapped for veteran guard and two-time champ and four-time All-Star Rajon Rondo (3.9 ppg., 2 rpg., 3.5 apg.) as Rondo will be assumed to either fulfill the same role that got him his second ring with the Lakers last season. The Clippers hope that, in the pursuit of their franchise’s first-ever title, Rondo can help do the same as a guard that spaces the floor and controls the tempo of the game for whatever lineup he will be placed in.

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11. Sacramento Kings: Acquiring Toronto’s Terence Davis II, trading away future second-round pick to Raptors

Toronto is stocking several picks to supply for their future, and in return is beginning to give away some pieces of their bench. Second-year guard Terence Davis (6.9 ppg., 1.9 rpg., 1.1 apg.) is one of those pieces given away to help build that future for Toronto, and the Kings get a player with his own share of veteran experience, which is only constructive at the current state the Kings are in at the moment as a team that is young and in the process of intermingling their developing parts, veterans and borderline All-Stars.

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12. Dallas Mavericks: Acquiring New Orleans’ JJ Redick

The details are not yet ironed out, but as of the moment, JJ Redick (8.7 ppg., 1.7 rpg., 1.3 apg.) is headed to Dallas, Texas to help bolster the second and third units for the Dallas Mavericks. He’ll join the likes of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis and space the floor as an off-ball scorer and spot-up shooter and will work to get to his spots and knock down shots at an efficient rate as a veteran scorer in a spacious system ran by Rick Carlisle.

Trade details include: New Orleans sending Niccolo Melli (2 ppg., 2.6 apg., 1.1 apg. off 25 percent shooting) and Redick to Dallas, and in exchange, the Pelicans get James Johnson (5.7 ppg., 3 rpg., 1.7 apg.), Wesley Iwundu (2.1 ppg., 1.9 rpg., 0.4 apg.) and a second-round pick.

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13. Charlotte Hornets: Acquiring Golden State’s Brad Wanamaker

Per Shams, the Warriors are trading away 10-year veteran Brad Wanamaker (4.7 ppg., 1.7 rpg., 2.5 apg.) to the Charlotte Hornets in the wake of Charlotte’s losing of LaMelo Ball for the rest of the regular season. The details of this trade also have yet to be ironed out but as of now, the Hornets have stocked up on depth at the guard position.

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14. Miami Heat: Acquiring Houston’s Victor Oladipo, trading away Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a draft swap to Houston

Mark this as the biggest trade of the day. The Houston Rockets have traded away superstar guard Victor Oladipo to the Miami Heat and have given the prospect-collecting Houston Rockets the rights to sign Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and the ability to swap a draft pick in 2022 for future occasions. Oladipo (20 ppg., 5.7 apg., 4.2 apg.) headlines this deal, and could be the adept scorer fans know him to be in this situation with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo to offer a spaced-out floor and room for the shifty guard out of Indiana to create in.

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15. Chicago Bulls: Acquiring Boston’s Daniel Theis, trading away Mo Wagner to Boston

The Mo Wagner era in Chicago has come to an end, and what two hours it’s been. The Bulls are busy getting and giving players prior to today’s deadline and have swapped one of the players acquired from the Wizards trade in Mo Wagner for Boston’s floor-stretching dynamic roll-man in Daniel Theis (9.5 ppg., 5.2 rpg., 1.6 apg.). In return, Boston gets Wagner in the deal, but it’s unknown if they keep him or trade him off for a better player.

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16. Boston Celtics: Acquiring Orlando’s Evan Fournier, trading away Jeff Teague

Though the deal was finalized two hours ago, the Celtics recently added in struggling veteran guard Jeff Teague as a part of the deal, as well as two second-round picks. Fournier (19.7 ppg., 2.9 rpg., 3.7 apg.) is a nice addition to a Celtics team that daftly needed additional perimeter scorers and could greatly assist a Celtics bench that is near the bottom of the team rankings when it comes to scoring.

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17. San Antonio Spurs: Acquiring Golden State’s Marquese Chriss, trading away cash, Cady Lalanne

The Spurs proceeded to trade for developing forward Marquese Chriss from the Warriors, and give away cash, which saves the Warriors on luxury tax for the injured Chriss, who tore his ACL back in December. He was dealt for the Spurs’ 6’10, 253-lb prospect Cady Lalanne.

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