Big Names Stay Put As Trade Deadline Passes
MIAMI — Paul George stayed put. So did Jimmy Butler, Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.
And as the trade deadline passed Thursday, the NBA landscape seemed remarkably unchanged. In all, seven deadline-day trades were put together by the 3 p.m. Eastern deadline — but no last-minute blockbusters. All-Star DeMarcus Cousins was traded to New Orleans by Sacramento a few days earlier, yet every trade that followed paled in comparison.
“You know where all those big dominoes are? They’re still home, with the exception of one,” Miami President Pat Riley said. “I’m sure there were people that probably made some pretty significant offers. … When you have that kind of player … it takes a lot to say, ‘OK, we’re going to let this guy go.’ You stay with the sure thing there.”
George remained with the Indiana Pacers, even though the four-time All-Star knew other teams sought his services. Jimmy Butler stayed with the Chicago Bulls, and the New York Knicks held onto Rose and Anthony — the latter of whom would have had to waive his no-trade clause to make any deal occur anyway.
“I wasn’t concerned,” George said. “At the end of the day, I’m in a good situation. … I heard the rumors, different rumors, but I can’t control what was going to happen one way or another.”
The biggest moves of this trade season came long before deadline day.
Toronto getting forward Serge Ibaka from Orlando last week for Terrence Ross figures to improve the Raptors’ chances in the Eastern Conference, and Thursday’s move to land P.J. Tucker from Phoenix gives them another outstanding on-the-ball defender. And the deal for Cousins that went down on All-Star Sunday — in New Orleans, no less — gives the Pelicans a frontline like no other in the NBA with him now alongside Anthony Davis. Plus, Cleveland snagged Kyle Korver last month.
But contenders mostly stayed quiet Thursday. An earlier agreed-upon trade of note was officially completed, the one that sent Lou Williams to Houston from the Los Angeles Lakers and adds more serious scoring to the Rockets’ bench.
Boston, currently No. 2 in the East, has the right to swap picks with Brooklyn in this year’s draft, and the Nets right now would be favored to win the lottery and the No. 1 pick — something the Celtics would grab. Any big addition made Thursday almost certainly would have cost the Celtics that chance.
“It is a delicate balance of short-term goals and long-term goals,” Boston general manager Danny Ainge said.
Perhaps the most interesting moves Thursday were not trades at all. Dallas put five-time All-Star point guard Deron Williams on waivers, and a person briefed on the situation told The Associated Press that when Williams clears he plans to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which would give LeBron James the extra playmaker he covets for the looming title defense.
“Obviously we have a great deal of interest, and we’ve said it for a long time, in a playmaker,” Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said. “I won’t speak to specific names just because nobody’s free currently that’s out there for us to talk about. But, obviously the need for a playmaker still exists … and we feel that we’ll be competitive in that market for sure.”
ROCKETS 129, PELICANS 99
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Reserve Lou Williams hit seven 3-pointers and scored 27 points in his Rockets debut after a trade from the Lakers, and Houston crushed New Orleans 129-99 on Thursday night in DeMarcus Cousins’ first game with Anthony Davis.
Davis had 29 points, and Cousins finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds after he was acquired from Sacramento during the break. But New Orleans turned the ball over 20 times couldn’t keep pace with the firepower of the Rockets, who hit 20 3-pointers.
CAVALIERS 119, KNICKS 104
CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James recorded his 48th career triple-double and Kyrie Irving scored 23 points, leading Cleveland over New York after the hung on to superstar Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose at the trade deadline.
James scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds with 15 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season.
Anthony, the subject of trade rumors because of a strained relationship with Knicks President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson, scored 20 points, going 9 of 25 from the field.
PISTONS 114, HORNETS 108, OT
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 33 points, including three 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter during a pulsating Detroit rally, and the Pistons outlasted Charlotte.
Caldwell-Pope scored Detroit’s last 11 points of regulation, and his 3-pointer with 18.2 seconds to play tied the game at 100. Kemba Walker scored Charlotte’s final nine points of the fourth, but the Pistons forced him to give up the ball on the last possession, and Marco Belinelli missed a 3-pointer that could have won it.
TRAIL BLAZERS 112, MAGIC 103
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Damian Lillard scored 33 points, C.J. McCollum added 22 and Portland beat Orlando to snap a three-game losing streak.
After trailing for much of the game, the Trail Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter behind Lillard’s 17 points. Recently acquired center Jusuf Nurkic also had 12 points and 12 rebounds during the much-needed win for the Portland.
The Trail Blazers spoiled Terrence Ross’ debut with the Magic after being traded last week for Serge Ibaka. Ross, who is supposed to added athleticism and a scoring punch, managed just 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting with his new team.
Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points and Evan Fournier added 20 as the Magic lost for the sixth time in seven games.
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