The NBA offseason has been significantly more exciting than what many expected, and even in the Pandemic where some teams may struggle financially — plenty of moves have been made to shake up the league.
In this article we will review the biggest trades to be made, keep in mind there is still a possibility for these to be altered or voided as many trades have been “agreed to in principal”, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Chris Paul to Phoenix
Almost everyone knew Paul would be on the move this offseason, and with him drastically increasing his trade value last season, both sides got a great return.
The highlight of what the Thunder acquired was Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre and picks, whom will likely be on the move fairly soon.
Expect plenty more off-ball sets for Devin Booker increasing his efficiency, but more importantly the play of DeAndre Ayton to blow you away.
Chris Paul is known for getting his centers into All-Star games as he did with David West and DeAndre Jordan, and the heavily talented Ayton should benefit in the same way.
Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee + Steven Adams to New Orleans
With Al Horford being brought into Oklahoma City, it was obvious Adams would be on the move. Other teams are in fact involved in this, as OKC will receive a first round pick.
Holiday makes the Bucks scary on the defensive side of the ball. Now they have three All-Defensive level players in the lineup.
More importantly, he provides the ability to run the pick and roll with Giannis, becoming the primary perimeter shot creator, something this team desperately needed.
Adams brings some great defense to New Orleans, with the ability to post up, catch lobs, and even make plays out of the post. I expect Adams to be able to get to spots where it doesn’t destroy the spacing with his high IQ.
Plenty of other moves have been made to strengthen depth or start the rebuild. Sam Presti has been the champion of the offseason, acquiring too many picks to count.
Both of these trades make each of these teams a conference finals competitor in their respective conference, and it will be exciting to watch a league with such parody play out next year.
Image: Essentially Sports
