Fansided

5 NBA players who were saved at the trade deadline

By Kparrish Jr

Mar 5, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward center Nerlens Noel (3) heads to the bench during a timeout against the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward center Nerlens Noel (3) heads to the bench during a timeout against the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 25, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Lou Williams (12) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Gorgui Dieng (5) in the second half at Toyota Center. Houston Rockets won 142 to 130. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Lou Williams (12) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Gorgui Dieng (5) in the second half at Toyota Center. Houston Rockets won 142 to 130. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Lou Williams

The Los Angeles Lakers started strong this season before entering a dramatic downward spiral. This was despite a career-year from Lou Williams. Averaging career-highs of 18.6 points on 44 percent shooting and 39 percent from long-distance, Williams was a strong candidate for the NBA Sixth Man Award. However, his play didn’t matter much to the present or future of the Lakers. When Magic Johnson took over the Lakers just before the trade deadline, his first move was to get the most of out Williams’ inflated value, shipping him to Houston for Corey Brewer and a first round pick.

Since arriving to Houston, Williams has made the Rockets even harder team to defend, as difficult as that is to believe. In his debut on Feb. 23 against the new-look New Orleans Pelicans, Williams wasted no time, scoring a team-high 27 points, on top of tying his career-best with 7 3-pointers in a 129-99 blowout. Adding Williams to their bench, fueled a nightmare duo with Eric Gordon, who’s made noise for the Sixth Man of the Year Award himself. Williams has provided instant offense and depth on the wing, just in time for the playoffs. Instead of breaking personal bests for one of the worst teams in the league, Williams has the chance to be a playoff hero.

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