One word and one word only can sum up the 2015-16 NBA Trade Deadline – weak. Maybe, very weak. We saw that one coming though, right fellas?
It’s always a game of ‘he said, she said’ after the deadline passes, so we’ll never truly know who was actually close to being on the move. There were some big names being tossed around early-on though. Big men Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin were arguably the most marquee trade candidates. But after weeks, days and hours of wondering and hoping, we were left with little to no satisfaction.
The biggest move of the day came courtesy of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trailblazers, and Orlando Magic. In the three-team deal, the Cavs picked up PF Channing Frye; the Blazers plucked PF Anderson Varajao from Cleveland and a conditional first-round draft pick; while the Magic, picked up Cleveland guard Jared Cunningham and a second from Portland. NBA betting site TopBet noted an NBA odds shift to put the Cleveland Cavaliers a little closer to the other major contenders.
The Cavs jumped from +400 odds to +350 for the NBA Championship. They are still sitting behind the San Antonio Spurs at +225, and are still a distant favorite behind Golden State at -120. However, the Cavs, of course, are still the Eastern Conference predicted champs as well. Cleveland is -400 to take the East, while the next closest club are the Toronto Raptors at +700.
Losing Varejao and adding Channing Frye is not an earth shattering move by any means. It does improve the club on paper though.
AV is having his worst season yet, averaging just 10-minutes on the floor and 2.6 points per game. Meanwhile, Frye has been playing some decent minutes off the bench with 17 mins per game. He’s also averaging three extra points and one extra board.
The Cavaliers are currently leading their Eastern Conference Central Division by double digits. The next best club in the div is Indiana, followed by Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee. So, while their division is pretty much a lock, they Cavs just slightly improved their postseason chances.
In the end though, February 18th, 2016 will always be remembered as weak…very weak. Not like these big time deadline moves in past years.
