What a wild and unexpected finish we came to at this year’s trade deadline! Owners and management took the NBA universe for a crazy ride on Thursday. While some fans are shaking their heads about their dealings, some are jumping for joy. For this piece, I want to talk about the trades that I think will result in the biggest improvement.

Nikola Vučević to Chicago

One of the first trades of the day involved Nikola Vučević being shipped off to Chicago. Along with Vučević will be Al-Farouq Aminu in return for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter and two first-round picks. In terms of right now, this is a huge acquisition by the Bulls. “Vuc” is easily one of the most underrated players in the league who was losing recognition due to a small market. In Chicago, I think he will really be appreciated for his overflowing amount of talent. I dont even know if the Bulls ever had a big ever put up 25, 12 and 4… and now they do.

Pairing Vučević with Zach Lavine will be must see basketball for the remainder of the season. First, a big who can run the offense and score with a pure scoring wing on the outside will give defenses nightmares. Second and more importantly, the Bulls are going all in for a playoff push. Currently ranked 10th in the East, the Bulls do not have much room to make up to be in the playoffs. I think Vučević can easily take the Bulls over this hump.

Rajon Rondo to Los Angeles

A few hours later, the Hawks and Clippers finished a deal sending Rondo to L.A. and Lou Williams to Atlanta. For Los Angeles, I thought that they were going to sign Rondo pre-season. Now, the Clippers get him and send off Williams, who’s production was declining this season. I would expect Rondo to replace a good portion of those minutes in the remainder of the regular season.

Last season, “Playoff Rondo” held true to his name and balled out in the playoffs. The Clippers, who are currently 3rd in the West, really need a true point guard to operate their offense. Somebody who does not look to create shots, but to create open lanes for PG and Kawhi. Rajon Rondo is that guy who will only take shots when he needs to and facilitate to the stars. When the playoffs roll around this year, Kawhi won’t have to bring the ball up as much because of Rondo. That and Rondo’s on-ball skills will only make their defense better. I think this move could be what possibly takes the Clippers to the WCF later this spring.

Victor Oladipo to Miami

The last trade I want to talk about is one that sent Victor Oladipo to Miami. In return, the Rockets received Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a 2022 first round swap from the Brooklyn trade. Oladipo is an explosive player who at one point was seen as a top 5 shooting guard in the league. After some injuries and destination changes, I think Oladipo will flourish in Miami.

Last season and into this season, Miami showed some struggles in perimeter isolation defense. Besides Jimmy Butler, there is no serious lockdown defender in the backcourt. Adding Oladipo gives you that lockdown defender and also gives you 21, 5 and 5 on 33% from 3. A lot of people had their doubts about Miami being able to make it back to the Finals. I think the addition can bring them to the ECF, but I need to see more before I can say that they can beat Brooklyn or Philly.

Who Won the Deadline?

The obvious winner of this deadline is the Miami Heat. They were able to get Victor Oladipo without even giving up Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson. To add, they are also reported by Woj to be favorites to sign LaMarcus Aldridge. That means Miami could potentially enter the playoffs with a starting 5 of Dragic, Oladipo, Butler, Aldridge and Adebayo with Herro coming off the bench depending on how they are playing. With the East improving, the Heat made sure they did that and then some.