NBA Trade Deadline 2017: 5 trades that should have happened
The 2017 NBA Trade Deadline came and went with a whimper, but these five trades should’ve gone down to make more of a roar
For whatever reason, NBA fans always torture themselves around the end of February. We follow every rumor that comes along with hopes that we’re about to see the monstrous NBA Trade Deadline where all hell breaks loose. Unfortunately, it never happens and everyone is left wanting.
Leading up to the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline at 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, there were plenty of big names in the mix as it pertains to rumors. Ricky Rubio, Derrick Rose, Paul George, Jimmy Butler and countless others had been thrown around in trade discussions throughout the league. Once the clock read 3:01 p.m., however, they were all on the same respective teams that they started the day with.
Obviously it’s a shame for fans to have such a dud at the NBA Trade Deadline when it should be so wildly exciting. However, there are also a handful of teams that it’s a shame for. In its simplest form, the deadline affords teams the chance to either improve their future, re-work and re-tool their roster, or to make a push at a title this year. Instead, many teams were unable to put themselves in that position, even though they should have.
With that in mind, these five deals should have definitely happened at the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline, even if they only exist in dreams now.
5. Ricky Rubio for Derrick Rose
Given the reports that were coming from the team, it’s understandable why the Minnesota Timberwolves wouldn’t have wanted a trade for Derrick Rose to go through. The belief was that head coach Tom Thibodeau wanted another go-round with his former point guard from his time with the Chicago Bulls. What’s more, there was a fear among fans that he would then be re-signed in Minnesota. The fear in the Timberwolves front office was the opposite, however, which ultimately led to them backing away from the trade, per Marc Berman of the NY Post.
However, the fact that it seems he wouldn’t have re-signed makes this trade all the better for both parties. The Timberwolves, despite high preseason expectations, aren’t going to win anything this season with or without Rose. But if they were to swap Rubio for Rose with the latter leaving after this season, they would then have more financial flexibility this offseason to try and really vault themselves into becoming contenders.
For the Knicks, the reasons why they’d want this deal remain the same. Watching Rose as the point guard for New York is infinitely frustrating, largely because he forces Kristaps Porzingis to watch him dribble around and try to get his shot. Porzingis is the future of this franchise and Rubio would be much better suited as a pass-first floor general, while also improving the perimeter defense in New York. But alas, Porzingis and Knicks fans will have to suffer through another month and a half of Rose and the Timberwolves must wait until the summer to try and flip their point guard again.