Are/have good moves been made in the NBA trade deadline?

NBA trade deadline 45 minutes to go and really it started a few days ago and Kyrie Irving demanded a trade and got his wish, got sent to Dallas, Maverick sent a whole bunch of things back to the Nets. The Nets by the way have already traded one of those pieces. No is it Jay Crowder was the part of the Phoenix trade, I'm sorry. Jay Crowder was already traded from the Brooklyn Nets to Milwaukee.

Crowder hadn't played this year, they decided that he wasn't going to play. There's a lot of stuff to talk about including did the Lakers get better at all or did they just get, they just trade Russes. We'll do all of that with Brendan Whitted, our NBA analyst who joins us.

I appreciate your time my friend. Alright, let's start with the real big one. Let's start with the Kevin Durant one from last night. We wondered what was going to happen after the Kyrie Irving trade. Is Durant going to sit there in Brooklyn with Dorian Phinney-Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie, two good pieces that they got back and maybe see if they can make a run of it in the East but ultimately Durant wants to win a title and that team wasn't winning a title in the Eastern Conference so let's just bust the whole thing open. Your thoughts on what the Nets got really total in the Kyrie deal and then the Durant deal and what they should do next. I think given where they were, they didn't do really badly. I know some people have lamented that they didn't get like a superstar top tier sort of a player back.

You mentioned Dinwiddie or Dorian Phinney-Smith but I mean it was just this all happened and unraveled pretty quickly and on top of one another. Like all of this was taking place kind of within a week of the trade deadline and when everybody else can see your house on fire they're going to start charging more for water and so it's a lot more difficult to get maybe equal value back. I don't know if you even can get equal value back for something like Kevin Durant. Kyrie Irving.

Everyone knew that he wanted the extension. There are only a couple teams that would be willing to and able to in terms of their finances and what they had and so all of those things and to say nothing of the other stuff that goes on with Kyrie so all that really made it more difficult to make that trade and then once you make the Kyrie trade that's pretty much it for KD. The KD trade clock started then because he was there to play alongside Kyrie and once he left it was the writing was pretty much on the wall. Now I think Kyrie's package that they got back for him at Brooklyn I think part of why they did that particular deal was because they wanted to say hey to go back to KD and say look you know you're still on contract for three years we can put pieces around you. We're already putting quality pieces that are rotational guys in the playoff on a playoff team and maybe you've been contending.

What do you think? And I think KD's answer was kind of like nah bruh get me up out of here and so they took that time like okay we knew they had they had some interest from the Suns earlier they went back to that particular well they were able to get a nice piece for them. They got four first round picks some swaps and they get Cam Johnson and Bridges two 3 and D guys that fit in anywhere right so like right now the net is one big 3 and D line up like I just I kind of want them I know I'm sure some other guys are going to go before the deadline thing is done or or they'll figure some stuff out but I just kind of want to see them all play together because I think it'd be funny. Wouldn't you if you were the Nets and I'm looking at this group I'd try to trade them all and see how much more how many more draft picks I could get. Yeah I mean I would trade them all but it's interesting because we're dealing with the Nets here we saw what happened when they I think I underestimated the the new owner bravado right right Phoenix Suns got a new owner and immediately makes this deal right like this the the the pain in his office isn't even dry yet and he's and he's willing to mortgage so much of the future to get a player to win right this very second. You saw something similar happen with the Nets when they went out and got Paul and this was years ago with Prokoroff where they got Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett a lot of aging superstars in order to be relevant right at that very second. I think that they did I think the Nets did a pretty good job of of making making that deal and setting themselves up so that they're not in the same position that they were right after right right after they make that trade when those Garnett and Pierce and them get older and so now they're just trying to figure stuff out for years and years. They're not in that situation anymore so yes it didn't work out like they wanted to with Kyrie, KD, Harden but they're not going to be in the same sort of destitute sort of situation that they were when they last time they went all in and for that I think they that all front office deserves some kudos. Can we go back like four years when the year before they brought in Kyrie and KD they were like a surprise team in the east and it was all like how did they put this together if I'm not mistaken Spencer Dinwiddie was part of that group right? He was on that squad.

I think John Moll was on that country stamp as well. So go back to that that was what this group was good at and then maybe an influx of of cash you know smelling your own whatever and you go you know what we could do this we could get and they completely went away from what they're good at to what they clearly were not good at and look I'm going to risk spraining my shoulder here patting me on the back but the Ben Simmons thing like the James Harden part of the equation they shouldn't have done that but Harden would have worked had the one of the other two guys been more available. You can't do anything about Durant's injuries but I think Harden just was tired of dealing with everything that surrounds Kyrie and he wanted out he's in a better situation I don't know if Philly's great but I think he's much more at peace because he knows that you know essentially what they are and he's not the same player but I just think Brooklyn blew it by by by trying to be somebody they weren't. They took a shot they took a swing like they if you tell me tomorrow that I can get a player here's the caliber of Kyrie Harden and KD on my team at one time I'm gonna do it I'm gonna do it and if I'm wrong okay but like you're not gonna win a title without having great talent but then you don't but you don't put those two guys on the court and get Steve Nash to be your coach oh yeah now there's there's there's plenty of blame to go around for why this didn't work there's a good amount that's on Kyrie there's a good amount that's on the organization and Durant they basically both chose Nash didn't they yeah they I didn't I didn't understand like yeah that was the thing that the Nash thing I think is kind of the precursor to a lot of this other stuff I think if they have a better leader that's more capable like Nash is pretty much just Saturday 1.0 right a guy who had a real desire to be a head coach and that they were just so pressed to get they went back to him multiple times I don't know if you remember their courtship of Nash Nash originally refused to do this and then eventually they kind of talked him into it he was by no means in a position to be the head coach of a championship caliber roster that was just a bad decision overall and they wasted a lot of time trying to make that work and I think when when it didn't work and they saw some of the some of the blowback from from KD or Kyrie or both they then were wanted to be steadfast we're gonna stick to Steve Nash because we're in charge and by that time it was far too late and also you were back in the wrong course like there's plenty of there's really plenty of blame to go around for why this didn't work all right let's get to the Los Angeles Lakers who did what the Lakers like D'Angelo Russell all right Malik Beasley yeah okay did the Lakers really get is there any impact at all other than getting rid of Russell Westbrook who I didn't think was terrible for them this year I think to be completely honest with you I thought he'd do teams played really well once he found his role they are better though they are they got they they improved in the ways they need to they're more athletic they have much better shooting with Beasley and D'Lo surrounding LeBron James and they're deeper right like they just have more playable guys so yes but every conversation as long as this guy's on the roster is going to have to come with the ashlet of if Anthony Davis is healthy every single conversation that you can have about their prospects because if he's healthy yeah they could come out of the West they legitimately could like come out of the West they could come out of though if both of those guys are healthy and playing at their and what they we've seen even this year and then you add to that the shooting you add to that the deep end girls are really good defender and he can take some of those minutes away from LeBron in terms of like having to play the better the better perimeter players and stuff like that like they could they could and it says something about the Lakers but it says a lot about the West the West is a really wonky place right now the Grizzlies who everybody loved was has been on have been on a pretty terrible skid the Pelicans who I had I was huge on I thought could could represent the Western Conference they've had their troubles with illness and injury even the even the nuggets you're trying to figure out what's going on with bones Highland and what that defense is going to be and some of their plus-minus numbers without your kids aren't great like every Western Conference team has legitimate questions about them which makes the KD trade all the more interesting with the Suns because now you you've added book and KD and they've been beset with injuries like they've really had a rough go of it with injuries but if they get a healthy run maybe right I'm still not I think you're nice yes I think you're this is this is crazier than back in Brooklyn so right now I just I just dialed it up according to FanDuel Phoenix is the odds-on favorite to win the West essentially two to one Denver is next that just over three to one it's plus 33 plus the plus 300 plus 330 Clippers who are operating more under the radar than any team in the NBA I don't love them but nobody is talking about the Clippers and that's just I guess history plus 550 then the Warriors at plus 700 the Mavericks at plus 750 that's it then Memphis at eight to one and then you've got real long shots the Pelicans at 27 to one the Lakers are 46 to one it sounds like a good time to buy in but all right well tell me okay I think Sacramento a thousand times in a row over the Lakers in a series you would you would take Sacramento Sacramento and with the Lakers at their healthiest you're gonna take second right but I don't know who's gonna be at the top of that Western Conference though you you mentioned the eyes of the more favorite teams who of those teams are you just absolutely in love with for the West none of them right definitely not in love with the Lakers of course not nobody but I'm saying if you're not in love with anybody it's the best I can't I almost said something terrible I can't I can't play the field I can't I'm not gonna date Phoenix and then Denver by the way I have a man crush on Nikola Jokic anyway oh I mean look he's playing phenomenal I mean there's there's there's absolutely no question about it because it's third straight MVP I would be at least interested to see he's gonna average a triple double hey whoa whoa whoa I was told by AppleCare when Russell Westbrook did that that it wasn't a big deal that those inflated numbers I'm just I'm just saying I was I remember I remember when Russ did it for like three straight years and people were like ah he's he's stack hunting there was an element to to that for Russell they also weren't really winning but a lot of it is also like tripled up it's an incredible thing doesn't make you the MVP but when a center is averaging the assists that he is averaging I mean it is sort of goofy oh no it's super goofy like that he's oftentimes the one bringing the ball to court are there offensive sets in the half court run through him he's the hub for that like there's no point you can make the argument he's the best passer in the in the league and I there's not going to be too much protesting about that he's phenomenal for that team and really stirs their the the drink for them on offensively all right I'm I'm just hoping the Lakers can get into the play-in tournament I don't think that's a I don't think that's a guarantee at this point I know the Knicks swung a minor deal I don't even know if it's final yet Josh Hart five it's good deal Josh Hart's good player it reunites him with a former Villanova I think they were teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson in the Knicks I don't think it really moves the needle for them that to me they're the same team are the any of the other Eastern teams gonna make a deal or no are they just sitting this one out I don't know man I kept waiting honestly I've been looking at Miami I thought that they would maybe try to get into this somewhere I know they've been a bit disappointed they've had a lot of injuries Lowry hasn't played well but I don't know what on that team you know the the guys that you wouldn't move and in terms of Butler and BAM outside of that how how valuable are any of the other piece Tyler hero I guess will be the only other one but you know like even the three-pointer has gone out like Miami fell into this weird has fallen is weird thing where they find diamonds in the rough but then I overpaid them later and feels like they felt that in back into that with Duncan Robinson a little bit you know he's just not contributing like that for them despite the big money that they gave them so I thought that they were gonna try to make some move and I guess we still got a handful of minutes here left but I was surprised they didn't do anything Milwaukee I mean look Milwaukee is really really good I think them getting Milton Beck was you know kind of the biggest thing I think they just traded George Hill is that he's going to the patient or she'll got traded again yeah George Hill I mean look man I'm just assuming he just has time shares everywhere like at this point it's probably cheaper than putting down roots but yeah I think the top of the East feels very comfortable with with where they are particularly with the Nets kind of exiting themselves out of it you know I mean like I'm a little maybe surprised to see that that the Celtics haven't decided to do anything rent wins I know he's been wanting a bigger deal and I doubt that he's going to get that money but they might just be one to watch him watch him leave after he contributes to this season the net they the Nets X themselves out of it when they thought that Ben Simmons was going to be something all right final thing I'm just sorry I'm never gonna let that go you're never gonna let man I'm rooting for him so hard I'm not even gonna lie I'm all in on Ben Simmons probably because I like him but probably just despite Ben Simmons might be the most wonderful human being on planet earth I hope he is and I hope I mean he's getting paid a ton of money he just can't help a good team because he refuses to shoot I mean you can't refuse to shoot in the NBA I mean it's otherwise you become useless the the Hornets move Jalen McDowell is there like to me this was nothing but they did get two second-round picks for whatever that's worth and they brought in a 60% three-point shooter from from the Knicks he's six for ten I don't believe they really brought in anybody who's just whatever he's a body where where are they okay so one I'll say that I'll be running a Twitter spaces from swarm and sting on the site editor over there right now okay so I that's a that's a recent position so I'll be running all the stuff over there writing and editing and stuff like that and swarm and sting all right warmest thing under the fan-sided umbrella come come come check us out but the I think it's less about Jalen McDaniels like yes he was going to be an unrestricted free agent after this year he's making two million dollars this year's a fantastic value and they weren't going to they weren't going to pay like it was pretty the right had been on the wall that they just weren't going to say they had a good they had a good player and a good play that they got in the second round like he was a 50 he was the 52nd overall pick in that draft I'm trying to unpack the fact that they had a good player that they weren't going to pay because they have so many other good young players and that's the thing I think if you're a if you're a Hornets fan I think the thing is that it's frustrating because it feels like you're a G League team where we found this player we cultivate him we refuse to pay him he's going to go contribute somewhere else he's a 3d guy athletic can play multiple positions on defense he's had he had a little bit of a shooting slump this year but overall he's a he's a plus three point shooter 69 yeah like he's just something he's he's a rare find for a team and he's a he's a beautiful complimentary piece even if he isn't a starter for any contributing team he's somebody that you would want and the fact that the horn is not only can't hold on to that person but can't get it anything of real value back you mentioned the two they're going to get to the draft picks off of this they're choosing between the best of like one or two different teams here are the here are the second round picks since Mitch Kupchak was selected as the GM here are the second round picks that weren't immediately traded on draft night Scotty Lewis, Vernon Carey, Rant Riller, Cody Martin, Jim McDaniel's and Arnoldis Kobalka like and with McDaniel's gone Cody Martin is the only one that's even still on the roster and he's hurt right now but but was a contributor so when you look at that you're like hey we had a good player and we're going to get him back for what has his most recently historically been nothing and that I think is what bothers Hornets fans like it's just very very difficult to be excited about something when you're not making the move the other part is unless something has changed in the past 15 or 20 minutes which it easily could have Plumlee still going to be on the roster and he's going to be leaving because he's going to be a free agent Terry Rozier still got three years on his contract and that's not going anywhere Gordon Hayward still is on the on there and that's not going anywhere like you're not getting you're not moving in a way where one you can let some of these younger players play and the wins will will probably show and dwindle and so you have a chance that maybe your school in the in the draft is all about the first two draft picks in this upcoming draft yes so you're not moving in a way that you're going to be worse and you're also not building capital it just doesn't seem like there's a very obvious plan for how they're going to get better they're not going to get free agents like that because you're just not a destination city you have to make trades and you have to draft well so far it's been underwhelming in terms of what the Hornets organization seemed to have committed to doing it just seems like there's a lot of shrugging of shoulders and hoping things get better and that's not really something that you can sell to a fan base that's been on the outside looking in for playoffs for the past handful of years I wish Michael Jordan was as into the competitiveness as an owner as he was as a player I just wish some of that translated it doesn't appear that it does well I think it hurts I think it hurts like he remember he famously came back from an injury when the Bulls wanted to sit him so they could get a better draft they fought through it and got them to the playoffs he's essentially doing the same thing as an owner like that's the that's the funny part like he's competitive but it feels like it's a little bit more short-sighted than long-term and that has to change as you transition from player to executive ownership brennan wooded not only at what at huco sale on twitter from howard university but swarm and sting love it good for you man I'll talk to you soon I appreciate your time absolutely appreciate you