This season’s trade deadline passed with nothing more than a whisper. None of the NBA’s elite were shipped to other destinations and some teams still left holes in their rosters to deny a late playoff push.
The Detroit Pistons only did minor work in sending Darko Milicic to the Orlando Magic. San Antonio, Dallas and Miami sat back and watched the action unfold.
The only trade that really deserves noticing is the New York Knicks acquiring Steve Francis from the Magic.
The Knicks sent Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza to the Magic for the player dubbed as “the franchise.” The question is whether Francis survive in the same backcourt as Stephon Marbury.
The trade was a good move for the Knicks but puts them further in salary cap trouble, spending $125 million for the second-worst team in the NBA.
The Magic now has a constantly injured Hardaway and an unproven second-round draft pick in Ariza.
Orlando has now given away two all-stars in two consecutive seasons. In the 2004 off-season, the Magic sent Tracy McGrady to the Rockets for Francis, Kelvin Cato and Cuttino Mobley.
Now all three of those players have been dealt and with nothing to show for it except Milicic, Carlos Arroyo and Ariza.
In one of the more shocking trades of the season, Milicic leaves Detroit for an opportunity to play. Milicic and Arroyo were sent to Orlando in exchange for Cato and a 2007 first-round draft pick.
In two and a half seasons in Detroit, Milicic managed only to average 1.5 points and 5.7 minutes per game.
Now in Orlando he has set season-highs in points, eight; rebounds, five; and minutes, 22 ,against the Seattle Sonics.
The Pistons admit in making a mistake when drafting Milicic with the No. 2 pick in the 2003 Draft.
Now with Cato in the last year of his contract, more cap space is freed to re-sign Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups this summer. The Magic really didn’t need Arroyo, but it is worth taking a chance on Milicic.
There could be another resurgence of the twin towers with Milicic and Dwight Howard. With these two together and the Magic only eight games out of the playoffs a run for the eighth and final playoff spot could be a possibility.
In another trade, the Denver Nuggets received Reggie Evans from Seattle and Ruben Patterson and Charles Smith from the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Blazers received Voshon Leonard from the Nuggets and Brian Skinner from the Sacramento Kings. The Kings got Vitaly Potapenko from the Sonics and Sergei Monia from Portland.
The Sonics got Earl Watson, Byron Russell, a 2008 second-round draft pick and cash from the Nuggets. All the above players are backups and the teams involved are not going to be contending for a title anytime soon.
The Cleveland Cavaliers found another complement to LeBron James in Ronald “Flip” Murray. Murray, acquired from the Sonics for Mike Wilks and cash, will try to replace Larry Hughes who is out for the season due to injury.
This trade took place a month before the trade deadline but was one of the most talked about trades.
The Indiana Pacers sent Ron Artest to The Kings for sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic. Neither the Pacers nor the Kings made any significant strides since the trade.
The Pacers are 7-6 with Stojakovic, and that is with Jermaine O’Neal on the injured list. The Kings are 7-6 also after the trade.