NBA: Executive reports on Doncic, Butler and Fox agreements
Three weeks after the exchanges season shook the league, NBA experts are still excited with Doncic, Butler, Fox and more agreements, and what could be the future for each star.
Three weeks ago, we were witnesses that could be considered the deadline for the most notable transfer in the history of the NBA. The main theme was the surprising exchange of Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis, but the agreement that no one saw was far from being the only transfer that changed the league.
Among them: Jimmy Butler III – Miami Heat saga ended with an agreement with the Golden State Warriors. The application for the transfer of De’aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings was accepted, creating what Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs hope that his next champion duo is. The Milwaukee Bucks exchanged former All-Star Khris Middleton and acquired Kyle Kuzma in an agreement to reinforce their career in the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers, leaders of the NBA, made a marginal movement, adding to the eave of ‘Andre Hunter to better face the Boston Celtics defenders.
In our weekly gaze to the NBA, we ask the Cazatalantos, Executives and General Managers of the League to evaluate how all the new players have seen in their respective homes and what the future of the future for the different teams involved during the advance towards the postseason.
The League cannot overcome Doncic’s exchange by Davis
Windhorst: If you think you’ve heard enough about how alarmed the entire NBA was when Doncic’s exchange was known by Davis, he is still a fragment of the reality of the reaction inside the league.
“The Lakers won the deadline? The Lakers annihilate the deadline,” said a general manager.
Bontemps: It is difficult to find someone outside the Metropolitan Area of Dallas-Fort Worth that argues that the exchange of the Lakers for the MAVs was disproportionately favorable to Los Angeles. But many people in the league give credit to the general manager of Dallas, Nico Harrison, for standing firm in their convictions. People did not escape that he was in front and in the center in Los Angeles for the first game between the two teams from the agreement.
None of that changes the fact that Doncic is a generational talent that is several years younger than Davis. And, although he is recovering his resistance and conditioning after being out for several weeks due to a calf injury, he is already demonstrating what he can do, highlighted by a combined total of 72 points, 38 rebounds and 24 assists in his last three games.
“It is not yet fit and is already making Jaxson Hayes look better,” said an executive of the West Conference. “You can see the plan progresses.”
Windhorst: It is likely that Lakers and Mavericks make monitoring movements before this transaction can really be evaluated. The Lakers have already tried one (the exchange terminated by the pivot of the Charlotte Hornets, Mark Williams) and will surely look for more movements this summer to reinforce Doncic’s adjustment. As for the MAVs, Harrison can be the target of many criticisms, but has a devout group of followers who insist that people should wait until Davis begins to play regularly and see how Harrison improves the template this summer before issuing a final judgment.
Bontemps: The question for mavericks is whether they will be healthy enough to see what this group can do in the playoffs. Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II are still out of play due to injuries, which leaves Dwight Powell (the thirteenth or fourteenth player of the team) as the only high player currently usable today.
The best Dallas has? The Phoenix Suns have lost 11 of 14 games, which gives the Mavericks a margin of maneuver to support their injuries and remain in the fight for the play-in.
Jimmy Buckets pays dividends immediately in the bay
Windhorst: The Warriors have a 7-1 record since Jimmy Butler made their debut, and there is no doubt that he has provided balance to his offensive while showing versatility in defense. Mutual praise are high in Golden State, with Draymond Green declaring and then redoubled their belief that Warriors are equipped to win the title this season.
“The funny thing is that Golden State preferred to negotiate for (Kevin) Durant, and Jimmy just wanted to go to Phoenix,” said a league executive. “And now they seem to think that they have made the perfect movement.”
Bontemps: It is not surprising that Butler has instantly fit the Warriors. A player with his intelligence level inside and outside the ball was always fitting with Stephen Curry. And, as an executive pointed out, the incorporation of Butler resembles the arrival of Andre Iguodala in 2013: a perfect adjustment with defensive mentality next to Curry during the dynastic race of the Warriors (last weekend they removed the shirt number 9 of the Iguodala Warriors).
Another executive highlighted the confidence recently acquired by young players such as Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody (now full -time holders) from the exchange and gave Butler credit for helping that to manifest.
Klutch Sports obtains a couple of victories on the deadline with Fox and Ingram agreements
Windhorst: When the League was proude to obtain opinions on the consequences of the exchanges deadline, he declared an expected winner. “The winner is Klutch,” said a league executive, referring to the firm of agent Rich Paul. “They almost achieved a Grand Slam.” Paul designed Fox’s departure from Sacramento to his preferred destiny in San Antonio, where he is in a position to obtain a large contract extension this summer. And, as part of the same agreement, Paul was finally able to get Zach Lavine in Chicago, more than a year after he made his own demand for exchange, Sacramento. Klutch could also get Brandon Ingram a three -year contract extension for $ 120 million (with an unexpected player option in the last year) in Toronto after he received his request to be exchanged from the New Orleans Pelicans. Bontemps: The three, however, are in uncertain situations from the point of view of the team’s success. Of course, San Antonio made an exchange per Fox hoping to have a clue to see him and Victor Wembanyama play together during the next months. However, that went out the window when Wembanyama lost the rest of the season due to a deep vein thrombosis on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Lavine has adapted well to the Kings. But the combination of Lavine, Malik Monk and Demar Derozan playing all at the same time has left the rivals cazatalent asking if they will keep the trio in the titular alignment or potentially change one of them (probably Monk) for Keon Ellis to give Sacrament a more balanced title group instead of one with only Keegan Murray as average or better defender. Then there is Ingram, who remains out of play for an ankle injury for the Raptors, who are in the last place of the table, and it is not clear when, if he does, he will debut with them this season. Windhorst: However, the “almost Grand Slam” is a reference to the Lakers changed to Davis, Klutch’s client, for Doncic, effectively displacing LeBron James as the power corridor of the franchise. Regardless of how you want to process that position on the Lakers, Davis is apparently happy in Dallas and is one year after having the opportunity to extend his contract, something that the MAVs are very motivated to do after having changed his player franchise for him. Bontemps: All players that we have marked so far have been part of All-Star teams and could continue to do so in the future. But there were key players who changed teams in the east and could play an important role in how the rest of the season will take place, specifically Kuzma in Milwaukee and Hunter in Cleveland. The importance of Kuzma with the Bucks was amplified by the suspension of 25 Bobby Portis games for violating the league drug policy. “You simply replaced Portis with him,” said a cazatalentos, “so there is a real utility in having it.” There is also the belief that Kuzma could benefit from playing with the stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, as he did at the beginning of his career in Los Angeles with James and Davis, instead of his role as a frontline player with the Washington Wizards in reconstruction. “It is a very, very different situation,” said an executive. Windhorst: The league executives highlighted the adaptation that De’Andre Hunter contributes to Cleveland. The CAVs risked their excellent team chemistry by moving Caris Levert, which was in the middle of their best season in Cleveland, in the agreement to gain more size in the perimeter. “I don’t think Hunter has failed a shot since that uniform was put on,” said a cazater. Well, some failed. Hunter is launching with 57% in triples and has adapted to the Cleveland scheme without problems. The cavs have a 6-0 record with an average victory margin of 23 points since Hunter joined them. Cleveland already has a plus-46 when he has been on the court. Bontemps: In a possible series with Boston, in particular, the staff of the Cavaliers lacked someone equipped to defend the eaves All-Nba Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Hunter will stop them alone? No. But the combination of him and Dean Wade gives Cleveland 48 minutes of size and shooting in the forward position in a way that Levert and Georges Niang did not have. “He is a perfect guy to compete with Boston,” said a cazatotents on the impact of Hunter. “He is not a strong defender, but at least he can cause them problems.”
The smallest agreements could still have a great impact
