NBA Trade Deadline: How Does Each Trade Deadline Deal Impact The Washington Wizards?
By Chris Kirby
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Heat Receive: Goran Dragic and Zoran Dragic
Phoenix Suns Receive: Danny Granger, John Salmons, Justin Hamilton and two 1st Round Picks (2017, 19)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Norris Cole and Shawne Williams
Breakdown: Goran Dragic was granted the trade he requested and he was even allowed to bring his brother with him. He becomes the immediate starter for the 22-30 Heat, who have had issues at point guard all season. The Heat should have a complete lineup if they can all get healthy. On paper, Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside look great.
The Suns took the best possible package for Dragic since he would have left in the offseason regardless. They didn’t receive any impact players but they did gain a couple of first-round picks.
Norris Cole had played his entire four-year career with the Heat and now he will move onto New Orleans. He had a great opportunity to become Miami’s full-time starter but he couldn’t grab the bull by the horns. Jrue Holiday is going to miss three weeks with a hip injury so Cole will be able to step in and start in his place. Once Holiday returns, he will play with the reserves.
What this means for the Washington Wizards: There are ten games separating the Wizards and the Heat and the teams play one more time, on March 6th. Could the Heat climb the ladder over the next two months? It’s possible.
Miami’s weakest position was point guard after finding a diamond in the rough center (Whiteside). Cole, Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier have all been inconsistent over the course of the season. Miami averages 92.8 points per-game, which is only good enough for 27th in the league. They needed to find another scoring option somewhere.
Dragic has averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per-game over this campaign. He will help Miami pick the pace up while finding his way to get to the hoop. There is a chance that he could become the best Miami point guard since Tim Hardaway.
If the Heat manage to roll into the Playoffs healthy, I wouldn’t bet against them. I’m not saying they are a Championship team in the making but they have talent on their roster. Right now, I think the Wizards would beat them in a series thanks to the continuity that they’ve had over the past two years. It would be fun to watch Wall and Dragic lock horns for seven games.
The Southwest Division should be highly competitive moving forward. The Wizards, Hawks and Heat all have solid rosters and the Hornets aren’t far off. The Magic could progress into a Playoff contender within the next two years depending on who they hire as a head coach.
This has been a great trade deadline day. I am excited for the stretch run of the season and there is no looking back now. There will be more up and downs, guaranteed.
It is important to play well during the final month of the season. Momentum and health will be the two biggest factors in determining who has a legitimate shot at winning an NBA Championship. It’s time to weed out the pretenders from the contenders.