While the Knicks had a relatively quiet trade deadline, some of their Eastern Conference rivals were actively looking to improve. Now that pencils are down and trade calls have been made, let’s take stock of what each East team did and how it affects their place in the playoff race.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers 42-10
The top seed of the conference wasn’t satisfied with their historic start, so they traded Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps for Atlanta’s De’Andre Hunter. In one swing, they addressed their biggest weakness – the small forward and fifth spot in their lineup that’s been manned by committee this point.
Now Cleveland adds a 6’8”, 225-pound 3-and-D multi-positional wing in the midst of a career year — averaging 19 points per game on 53.1 percent shooting from two and 39.3 percent from three. If they weren’t already a major threat to New York and the conference at large, they’ve now cemented their contender status.
2. Boston Celtics 36-16
The reigning NBA champions made little noise at the deadline, with their one trade losing them an extra second-round pick to dump Jaden Springer’s salary. This was unsurprising given their strong season and limited flexibility, and doesn’t change their status as the most dangerous team in the postseason.
3. New York Knicks 34-17
New York kept it quiet this deadline, with only a Jericho Sims for Delon Wright swap to show for it. They believe the return of Mitchell Robinson to this already strong rotation should be enough to carry them to playoff success.
4. Indiana Pacers 29-21
Despite an up-and-down season, the Pacers found themselves in the fourth seed and passed on any major moves at the deadline. Their lone trade moved James Wiseman and cash for a second-round pick.
The Knicks weren’t whole and have undergone a serious roster makeover since the Pacers eliminated them last season, and the rivals are 1-1 so far this season. They’re safely not yet in the contender tier, but New York cannot underestimate them in a potential playoff matchup.
5. Milwaukee Bucks 27-23
We’ve yet to see the vaunted pairing of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo materialize as a real threat in the East, clearly the organization felt similarly, shaking things up at the deadline. They moved another piece from their 2021 championship team, Khris Middleton, along with rookie AJ Johnson and a first round pick swap for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and a second-round pick.
They also did the Sims deal, and traded MarJon Beauchamp for Kevin Porter Jr. to bolster their bench. While big names changed hands, many are skeptical these moves bring them closer to challenging the top order of the conference, and we’ll have to wait and see if they’re right.
6. Detroit Pistons 26-26
Vying for their first playoff appearance since 2019, the Pistons added a couple of bench pieces at the deadline in Dennis Schroder and Lindy Waters III. Neither will move the needle, but Detroit’s already topped New York twice this year, and they won’t be an easy out if they sneak into the postseason.
7. Miami Heat 25-25
Miami finally rid itself of the Jimmy Butler situation, sending him to Golden State for Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Davion Mitchell. While moving on from that distraction, adding some young talent and playing Kel’el Ware more should net them more positive results, it’s hard to see them being the same kind of upset threat without Butler in the playoffs.
8. Orlando Magic 25-28
After a hot start to the season, the Magic got hit with injuries to each of their core pieces, and now find themselves trying to claw their way back into a top-six seed as their guys return. Given their positioning and assets, one would expect them to make some kind of upgrade at the deadline, but they opted to stand pat, betting a fully healthy roster can progress through the Playoffs from any seed.
Others:
– The Atlanta Hawks are once again in the Play-In race, but losing Jalen Johnson for the season likely compelled them to move two key rotation guys out for younger players and draft capital
– It was a confounding deadline, but not compared to Chicago’s, after a meager return for Zach LaVine and no other selling moves left them with an eight-guard rotation and no clear direction
– Philadelphia was thought to be a top team in the East prior to the season, but injuries and underperformance have them ten games under .500 and collecting picks and younger players at the deadline instead of beefing up for a real run
– A team that did improve was Toronto, who traded for Brandon Ingram, which will be a fun experiment to watch unfold down the stretch of the season
– Charlotte and Washington won’t be anywhere near a playoff spot, but they both made some savvy moves to continue their rebuilds and build their asset piles
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