An adventurous and historic Week of Trades™️ saw plenty of big names change places. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Anthony Davis are in win-later homes; James Harden and Darius Garland were swapped for each other. Ivica Zubac, a season removed from playing at a fringe-All-NBA level, will eventually get to catch passes from Tyrese Haliburton.
There will be, and already has been, plenty of audio and virtual ink spilled on those moves, and rightfully so. With that in mind, and in the spirit of the week, I decided to do what many other teams did: pivot to something else.
We’re here to take a look at some of the non-stars (or close) that saw their situations improve, and could prove to be important factors as we trek ahead to the playoffs.
Let’s dig in, shall we?
Ayo Dosunmu, Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves were largely discussed through the lens of the Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit. They should now be discussed for their acquisition of former Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu.
The fifth-year guard is enjoying the best scoring season of his career, logging a career high in points off the strength of insane 3-point shooting (45.1% on 4.3 attempts). It serves as a necessary complement to his driving chops, a skill that has improved in half-court settings and really pops in transition.
He should vibe nicely playing off the attention that Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle command. His ability to get downhill, particularly in early offense situations, should make life easier for those stars, allowing them to attack tilted defenses instead of always being tasked with the tilting.
[Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube]
Dosunmu’s quickness and plus-wingspan (listed at 6-foot-10) allows him to hold his own defensively — and he’s shown flashes of being a real disruptive piece during his Chicago stint. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Wolves dabble in three-guard lineups with him, Donte DiVincenzo and Edwards. A closing group with those three, Jaden McDaniels (having one heck of a year) and Rudy Gobert could be incredibly tough to deal with.
If there’s one thing I’m eyeing, it’s how teams will treat Dosunmu on the perimeter in games that matter. He’s enjoying a strong shooting season, but historically, his catch-and-shoot efficiency has been a roller coaster. Tied to that is the fact he’s largely been dared to knock down the triples he’s taken.
Here’s Dosunmu’s catch-and-shoot history from beyond the arc, as well as average closest defender distance when taking those shots:
-
2021-22: 37.6% on 2.3 attempts, 8.5 feet away
-
2022-23: 30.8% on 2.3 attempts, 8.6 feet away
-
2023-24: 40.4% on 3.3 attempts, 8.8 feet away
-
2024-25: 34% on 3.5 attempts, 8.3 feet away
-
2025-26: 42.3% on 3.7 attempts, 8.0 feet away
If the efficiency goes backwards, I’ll be curious to see how often the Wolves feel like they can close with him. That’s also a first world problem; him helping to solidify the second unit — along with the likely return of Mike Conley — makes this enough of a win.
Kevin Huerter, Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have been the best team in the East; quiet as kept, they’re only two games behind the Thunder for the league’s best record. A conversational point around the Pistons, aside from their goodness, has been their willingness to make a major swing ahead of the deadline. They had the salaries, pick control, and, despite their record, a pretty obvious flaw in their design (shooting) to justify a swing.
They ultimately decided against pushing all of their chips to the center of the table, instead bringing Huerter into the mix.
I like it quite a bit.
While it’s fair to raise a brow at Huerter’s shooting — he’s converting a career-worst 31% of his 3s this year — he is a career 37% shooter from deep. I think he’ll enjoy playing off the gravity of Cade Cunningham whenever they share minutes together; that miiiight be a friendly context for him compared to playing alongside Josh Giddey.
Beyond the pure shooting ability, Huerter’s ability to move away from the ball should immediately make this group better. He’s a smart relocator off the ball, often finding pockets of space to make life easier for drivers or post kickouts. On top of that, pay attention to his work as a cutter. He’s converting a career-best 63% of his shots inside the arc for a reason; I think Jalen Duren in particular will enjoy the Huerter back-cuts when teams try to deny him on handoffs.
Huerter should also add value as a second-side option for handoffs or ball screens; he’s an underrated playmaker, especially when defenses are already tilted. And on a basic level, Huerter gives the Pistons more optionality, taking some pressure off of Duncan Robinson to be the movement/off-ball threat.
Coby White, Charlotte Hornets
Welcome home, Coby White!
The Goldsboro, North Carolina, native and former Tar Heel joins a Hornets group currently riding an eight-game winning streak. Not only is that tied with the Knicks (more on them shortly) for the longest active streak in the league, it’s the first time this century that the Hornets have won eight (or more) games in a row.
While it’s been a “down” year for White as he’s worked back from — and through — injuries, it’s worth noting that he was looking more like last year’s version of himself before this trade.
-
2024-25 season: 20.4 points (54/37/90), 4.5 assists in 33.1 minutes
-
Last nine games: 20.3 points (44/40/86), 4.9 assists in 30.9 minutes
[NBA trade deadline winners and losers]
White brings a fun mix of pull-up shooting, drives (quietly logging the highest rim rate of his career), and off-ball prowess and secondary playmaking that the Hornets could use. He should slot in nicely in lineups next to LaMelo Ball. With the way the Hornets like to flow in the half-court, it’s easy to envision possessions where White initiates things, only for the ball to find its way into LaMelo’s hands against a shifting defense.
More pressing could be what happens when Ball isn’t on the floor. Of note, the Hornets’ offense falls off a cliff — from a would-be-league-best 124.3 offensive rating to a paltry 112.2 offensive rating — when Ball goes to the bench. White should help quite a bit with that issue.
Jose Alvarado, New York Knicks
Speaking of homecomings, Alvarado making his way back to New York couldn’t have come at a better time. Deuce McBride, enjoying the best season of his career (12.9 points on 59.2 true shooting, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists in 28.0 minutes), is expected to miss significant time with a core injury. I was already a fan of adding Alvarado to this mix; in light of McBride’s strategy, it’s clear the Knicks needed this acquisition.
To call Alvarado a spark plug or energy shifter would be an understatement. His ability to flip games on its head — more importantly, the way he flips those games — should be greatly appreciated in New York. He’s so annoying (complimentary) at the point of attack defensively. Famously, you may need eyes at the back of your head to locate him after receiving an inbound pass, lest you get your pocket picked for a quick bucket.
Quietly, Alvarado has turned himself into a serviceable shooter (36.5% on 4.6 attempts from 3 over the past three seasons) who’s willing to take them off the bounce if defenders disrespect him. His speed allows him to bob-and-weave into tight spaces, forcing defenses into tough decisions and opening up passing windows. The injection of pace, energy, and aggression should vibe nicely with the Knicks’ second unit.
I’ll leave you with this: among the many variations of Pelicans teams we’ve seen across Alvarado’s tenure, it’s noteworthy that they won his minutes and were outscored without him.
Spencer Jones, Denver Nuggets
Jones wasn’t traded, but a money (and roster) move involving Hunter Tyson helped create a pathway for the Nuggets to convert Jones’ two-way deal into a standard contract.
Jones has been tasked with defending multiple positions, knocking down shots, filling space as a cutter, connecting possessions as a passer or hand-off hub, and generating extra possessions on the offensive glass. Those responsibilities have felt more important in light of Aaron Gordon’s absence; they likely feel even more necessary considering Peyton Watson is expected to miss at least a month.
Luckily for the Nuggets, Jones has been up for the challenge to this point. Across 34 starts, Jones is averaging 7.5 points (64/41/61 splits), 3.9 rebounds (1.3 OREB), and 1.0 steals. He deserves a salute for his impact, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy the added layer of security.
Read the full article here