Kambui Bomani
Sports Writer
The NBA Trade Deadline has a special place in the hearts of all 30 NBA teams as it makes its annual rounds two weeks prior to NBA All-Star Break.
It gives certain teams the opportunity to shape their franchise’s future for the next two or three years by obtaining young prospects and upcoming draft picks from present playoff contenders.
In an opposite light, it can give championship contenders an opportunity to bolster their present playoff positioning for a future title run in May and June through the accumulation of quality NBA talent.
During last week’s trade deadline, the basketball viewers were able to see both trade deadline realities revealed by the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers respectively.
These two franchises were the epitome of what two organizations going very different ways resemble in the world of sports.
The Sixers put together a blockbuster deal mortgaging first round draft pick Landry Shamet, forward Wilson Chandler, stretch big man, Mike Muscala, its 2020 first-round pick, Miami’s 2021 first round pick its 2021 and 2023 second-round picks to the Los Angeles Clippers for Tobias Harris, center Boban Marjanovic, and stretch forward Mike Scott.
The top prize of the transaction was Harris who provides Philly with another 20 point per game scorer for their starting five. He’s expected to play power forward alongside center Joel Embiid in the frontcourt.
What Harris truly brings to the table is his ability to shoot the three pointer at 43 percent for the season, play off the ball as a cutter, and a catch and shoot power forward.
In an offensive system that consist of a point guard in Ben Simmons who has the requisite passing ability and basketball IQ to get his teammates the ball in scoring positions, a spot-up shooter with other versatile offensive movements is prominent for their starting five to help relieve the post-up duties of Joel Embid.
On the other side of the coin is the trajectory of the Los Angeles Clippers who through this move feel they have moveable parts to not only throw in the towel for this year but align themselves for a brighter future down the line through a midst of first round draft picks and free agency cap space.
Prior to the trade, the Clippers were coming off a late game victory over a playoff-contending Charlotte Hornets team that have the current fate of the Clippers in terms of being a bottom dwelling playoff team with no playoff upside in 2018-2019.
So, they decided to cut bait with their losses and send their best player to a championship contending team with hopes of collecting a large stash of young players and draft assets to help jumpstart their rebuild.
They do so by getting a young shooting guard in Shamet who scored 17 points on 5/9 shooting last weekend in a win versus the Celtics during his first meaningful minutes as a Clipper.
The meaning behind the draft picks for the Clippers is that it gives them ammunition to construct a potential sign-and-trade for a future free agent superstar like Kawhi Leonard or Kevin Durant if possible.
If such a situation does not materialize, they can always retain the picks and utilize them to fill out the rest of their roster for the next three to four years.
Either scenario will help fully orchestrate the complete remodeling of a Los Angeles Clippers team that has been the stepchild to the Los Angeles Lakers in the LA market since its move from San Diego to LA in 1984.
This specific transaction provides a life of two worlds for NBA franchises as they trudge towards the second-half of the NBA season.
One franchise is poised to exceed their playoff finish from a year ago and represent the eastern conference in the NBA Finals.
Another franchise is beginning their transition from being unheralded in the western conference to a potential contender during the back half of this decade. Only time will tell if both parties reap their desired benefits.
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