In a zero-sum game where for every winner there must be a loser, for every battle the Heat engage in, the other side needs to leave vanquished for Miami to survive past an early exit in the playoffs. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.
Heat Summer League Full Archive. Stories Schedule Roster Stats. Dealing with the coronavirus was the priority for the NBA in , but as the end of the season nears, data suggests the league saw a dramatic increase in injuries not related to COVID Some team health officials said the effects will drive how they manage player health for next season.
The average number of players sidelined per game due to injury, non-COVID illness or rest this season was 5. That does not include games missed by players in the health and safety protocols. The next highest season was 4. The increase was even more pronounced when focusing on the league's stars.
They missed an average of Throughout the season, team health officials and executives internally feared a spate of soft-tissue injuries, such as hamstring strains. Earlier this week, Brooklyn Nets star guard James Harden exited Game 1 of the second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks because of right hamstring aggravation.
In the regular season, the same injuries caused Harden to miss more than a month and Conley to miss six games in February and nine games in April and May. These types of injuries can be tied to fatigue and stress. Fear of an increase in these injuries grew more pronounced when the schedule condensed late in the season as teams made up games postponed due to COVID issues. There were 2, games lost to soft-tissue injuries this regular season, according to certified athletic trainer Jeff Stotts, who maintains the most authoritative public injury-tracking database that covers the NBA.
It's the second-highest figure Stotts has recorded since he began tracking in The most was 3, in the season, which was played in 82 games vs. One Western Conference athletic training official said it was difficult leaguewide to properly train players during the season, both because of the rigorous daily COVID protocols and because players were increasingly deprived of sleep, leading to more player rest and canceled shootarounds and practices. Kris Dunn's eventual return from an ankle injury should replace whatever defensive value the team lost when it matters most.
And then some. Lou Williams will take care of the playmaking while adding a hefty dose of shot-making. His foul-baiting historically hasn't worked as well in the playoffs, but from-scratch creation is super pivotal beyond the first round. But Williams—who will stick in Atlanta, per The Athletic's Shams Charania —gives the reserve minutes even more of a punch and is yet another safety net in the event Bogdanovic or Gallinari misses more time.
That the Hawks are getting two second-rounders is mind-melting. That's a not-insignificant amount for any backup point guard, but especially one who is averaging under 15 minutes per game and remains the ultimate wild card.
Let's start here: Justifying this deal for the Clippers is not impossible. They have the league's best offense and plenty of flame-throwing shooters who can generate their own looks.
Williams is relatively expendable when he doesn't much boost the pressure Los Angeles puts on the rim, and when he doesn't draw nearly as many fouls in the postseason. Rondo brings more game-managing value. The Clippers need that extra dose of captaincy.
Their offense can stall despite its supernova efficiency. Engaged Rondo will also give them a better defender to roll out against opposing guards.
He was instrumental to the Los Angeles Lakers' success during last year's playoffs and could have that same effect on the Clippers. Still: This is a weird move. His three-point shooting has improved dramatically, but he's not a huge threat to actually score. He will pass up his fair share of super-uncontested triples and potential looks in the lane. Perhaps the Clippers are making this move as a show of faith in Terance Mann and the suddenly much perkier Luke Kennard. That is completely understandable.
They still shouldn't have been the team to give up draft equity here. Luke Kornet and Moe Wagner are probably temporary gets with free agency on the horizon. That's fine. Daniel Theis is hitting free agency himself and mostly expendable with both Robert Williams and Tristan Thompson player option on the books for next season. Boston is cutting a little bit of money from this season's bottom line after absorbing Evan Fournier into the Gordon Hayward trade exception.
Avoiding the tax doesn't warrant a parade, particularly when you're giving up the best or second-best player in a deal. But it is a team concern with Jayson Tatum's max extension set to kick in next year. Resident trampoline Daniel Gafford is an intriguing prospect who no longer had a clear path to minutes in Chicago. Gafford would be sitting on the roster as the third or fourth big.
Daniel Theis can now take on that role. He has some stretch to his offensive game and will be able to hold up defensively alongside Young and Patrick Williams. Troy Brown Jr.
His playing time dissipated in Washington, but he showed inside last season's Disney World restart that he can run pick-and-rolls and inject a dab of off-the-dribble oomph. Anyone who wanted the Wizards to build out their frontline depth should love this trade. This is to say: Everyone should love this trade.
Gafford is what happens when moon boots run on jet fuel, and he has shown he can be more of a rim-running threat than he's been this season. His rim protection is an immediate upgrade over Wagner's defensive minutes, and the Wizards have another two cost-controlled years to explore the depth of his skill set.
Taking on money for next year was the price of adding Gafford. And the price is worth it. Miami's offense has needed another frontline option since losing Jae Crowder in free agency. Nemanja Bejlica should provide at least some of it. He doesn't have the same off-the-dribble range, but he is pure, unadulterated floor spacing.
Throw this season out the window and he's shooting But, you know, this year is happening. Bjelica has canned just The Heat are hoping that mark progresses to its mean.
It probably will. Bjelica's spot in the Kings rotation was inconsistent—and, at times, nonexistent. He'll have more room to fire away in Miami's offense. Even if he still doesn't find nylon from beyond the arc, he's sneaky physical when dribbling downhill, whereas Maurice Harkless isn't legally allowed to dribble.
The Heat are tying their hands on defense a little bit. Bjelica cannot be thrown onto bigger wings. But Harkless wasn't a prominent part of the rotation, and Miami has margin for error on the less glamorous end after landing Trevor Ariza. It is more important that the Heat are acquiring a potential lights-out shooter who bolsters their frontcourt rotation following the exit of Kelly Olynyk.
The Heat probably wanted a second-round pick for Bjelica, but the Heat don't have any of those to unload. Just as well, too: Chris Silva might be the better flier. He has flashed some rim protection and aggressive rebounding in limited run over the past two years, and he'll have a spot within an NBA offense if he starts finishing stronger at the basket off his rolls and increases his willingness to uncork uncontested threes.
Sacramento can use a big-man flier with Richaun Holmes speeding toward free agency. What a time to be alive. This is sound value on George Hill for the Thunder. He would've ideally brought back more than two seconds from what might be a top-shelf contender, but he hasn't played since Jan. Austin Rivers' arrival is going to be temporary. He may even have already texted general manager Sam Presti "Buyout?
Tony Bradley is slightly more interesting. He is covering more ground at both ends this season and has cobbled together a few nice appearances for the Sixers. Oklahoma City has always loved length, and he's still only 23, so he should factor into the big-man rotation before entering free agency this summer. Others will be more inclined to give the Knicks a better grade. Rivers had fallen out of the rotation, and they now have another wing-sized player to trot out on defense if they're so inclined.
For now, they've traded two players they weren't using for two players they might not use but also could use while netting another second-rounder.
Wrenching Lowry from the Toronto Raptors, insofar as it was even possible, was always going to cost a haul. That's on top of whatever the Sixers would've needed to pay him in an extension. Compared to Lowry, Hill's offense is more basic. He doesn't provide the same off-the-dribble juice or pressure. But he can chaperone an offense. He is hitting His Whether the Sixers are going the alternate route by choice is irrelevant.
They've upgraded their roster and preserved their main assets for larger trades down the line while opening up a roster spot for the buyout market. Someone else might need to explain the Blazers' logic. This move feels unnecessarily lateral in a vacuum. Gary Trent Jr. Maybe the Blazers are nervous about his free agency restricted , but they can't feel much better about Norman Powell's next price point player option.
Both players will get paid. This isn't to say choosing Powell over Trent is ridiculous. He is slightly shorter but has more length to weaponize on the defensive end and will score from more levels. Trent has shown off-the-dribble pizzazz but doesn't get to the rim nearly enough to weaponize. Powell is also having himself a year. He's averaging Zach LaVine is the only other player who matches his scoring average and those shooting splits. Portland can feel better about Powell impacting a playoff series as both a complementary floor-spacer and from-scratch creator.
Much about this trade for the Raptors will play out in free agency. It will be fascinating to see how the market values both Powell and Trent. Initially, though, the latter seems like a better fit for a franchise very clearly in transition. Outside suitors are less inclined to tie up their cap in restricted free agents, and Trent is just 22 while Powell turns 28 in May. There's a chance the Raptors of next season just got younger and cheaper. Toronto shouldn't be starkly worse in the immediate term, either.
Trent's three-point clip will rebound, and Rodney Hood gives head coach Nick Nurse an additional wing to trot out across two, if not three, positions. The Raptors lose some volume at the rim and the foul line, but that's readily manageable if they finish the deadline with Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet all on the roster.
This is the quintessential midseason get for the Nuggets—exactly the type of player they need to fortify their defense against two certain Western Conference superpowers that pose two impossible frontcourt covers. He's even better suited to handle those responsibilities than Jerami Grant, a player Denver has missed to this point. Lineups featuring Michael Porter Jr. Opponents aren't shooting well from deep during those minutes. Gordon gives those combinations a real chance of staying that way.
He can handle the assignments Porter doesn't match up well against, and Porter allows him to operate like the 4 on offense. The Nuggets are getting some offensive upside, too. Gordon has too often been miscast as a pure wing and primary creator, but he's not without ball skills.
He has improved his feel and vision in the half court over the past two seasons. Surrendering RJ Hampton and a first-round pick is fairly steep. The Nuggets traded another future first to get the former. But developing youngsters is hard when you're a contender, and Denver has Will Barton for now , Facundo Campazzo and Monte Morris to supplement backcourt minutes alongside Jamal Murray.
This is likewise the cost of offloading Gary Harris. He still has intense defensive value but doesn't possess the size or length to rumble with the biggest wings.
Any lingering unease on the Nuggets' behalf should assuage knowing Gordon is cheaper in and younger. Harris' arrival does a better job explaining why the Magic flipped Evan Fournier for two seconds and cap relief. Talk about damning praise. Orlando's return on Gordon is muuuch better. The extra year remaining on his contract helped. Harris doesn't figure into the next relevant iteration of the Magic, but he can capably pester either backcourt slot when healthy and used to shoot a pretty good clip from three.
His expiring contract will be useful next season if the front office wants to make larger trades. Hampton is still very much an unknown at the NBA level, but he arms the Magic with a lead ball-handling prospect who should operate well next to a healthy Markelle Fultz and still has three years left on his rookie-scale deal. Orlando is smart to go the cost-controlled mystery-box route. Protections on the Nuggets' first-rounder diminish its appeal somewhat, but acquiring distant first-rounders from contenders is a shrewd edge.
Though Denver's core remains on the younger side, a lot can happen over the next four years. Pretty much everyone's initial reaction should be along the same lines: This was all it took to get Evan Fournier? Boston is hitting a triple and maybe even a home run. But he expertly fills some of their biggest voids: ball-handling, reliable outside shooting and general wing depth.
Fournier is averaging Head coach Brad Stevens should not be above fielding lineups in which he's the pseudo point guard when Tatum and Walker both sit. The Celtics are assuming virtually no risk. Burning a huge chunk of their Gordon Hayward trade exception on a could-be rental isn't ideal, but it's a no-brainer decision when that could-be rental is an ideal fit and the opportunity cost doesn't include a first-rounder.
Expiring contracts of non-stars have fuzzy value around this time of year. Teams will usually only give up so much when acquiring someone they'll either rent or have to pay in a few months.
This is a lackluster return even by those standards.
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