The annual offseason player trade is like an "arms race" for NBA teams, filling the shortcomings of the roster and increasing the depth of the roster is the ultimate goal, and the selection vision determines the results of the new season. This summer offseason, with most of the star's contracts not expiring, the most exciting trade news focused on Durant and the Jazz duo, and the former was eventually put on hold because the team did not release the trade, and the Jazz sent Mitchell and Gobert to tear down and rebuild.
Take stock of the seven players who have been reborn in the new season:
7. John Wall (Rockets→ Clippers)
- Season's stats: 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, shooting 50 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three-point range
- Last season's stats: None
In last year's draft, the Rockets, who held the top pick, selected Jaylen Green, who was physically fit, and because the team was in a period of rebuilding, management decided to focus on developing the backcourt combination of Green + Porter Jr., which allowed Wall to claim $44.31 million in annual salary without appearing.
This summer, the Rockets picked up Jabari Smith with a scouting show, a group of talented young players to make the Rockets' road to rebuilding bright, and Wall, who announced the execution of a new season of 47 million contract, was called to the negotiating table by the team's top management.
After friendly negotiations between the two sides, an agreement was finally reached: Wall gave up his original contract of more than $7 million in annual salary to return to free agency, and the Rockets paid Wall $40 million in salary for the new season. A five-time All-Star point guard, Wall was signed by the Clippers for a two-year, $13.28 million debut in free agency, teammates with George and Leonard. Perhaps the torment of not being available for a season made Wall see the reality, and he put down his so-called star rack and began to integrate into the team as a role player.
As the so-called "skinny camel is bigger than a horse", in the first game of the new season against the Lakers, Wall played 24 minutes off the bench, cutting down 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, scoring and George tied for the first place on the team, and his signature breakthrough score, waist around the ball for a layup and mid-range jumper were not less powerful that year. Asked after the game when the reporter asked if he couldn't play with the Rockets in good health last season, Wall said: I'm angry, I'm really angry, I want to play basketball, I still have gas in my tank.
From a rebuilding team but a championship team, Wall proved his strength in one game, because the Clippers are still in the sensitive period of Leonard's return from injury, playing time is strictly controlled by Tyronn Lue, Wall as the team's sixth man offensive pressure will increase, and it is urgent to find mid-range and long-range shooting as soon as possible.
From the perspective of Tyronn Lue's employment, Reggie Jackson is the team's starting point guard, and the offensive and playable Wall is placed on the bench, and if Wall maintains 16+5+5 data this season, then there is a good chance to compete for the Sixth Man of the Season award.
6, Daniel Smith (Trail Blazers→ Hornets)
- Season's stats: 13.5 points, 6.3 assists and 2.5 steals, shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range
- Last season's stats: 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from three-point range
As a representative player who debuted at the peak, Smith Jr. was selected by the Mavericks with the ninth pick in the first round in 2017, and was entrusted with the impact of his excellent physical fitness (running and bouncing more than 110 cm), averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in his rookie season, and was successfully selected as the Rookie Team of the Season.
In the 2018 draft, the Mavericks first used the No. 4 pick to get Trae Young, and then traded with the Hawks for Slovenian talent Doncic. One is a young player who has just entered the professional arena, the other is a star who dominates Europe, and the Mavericks management immediately traded Smith Jr. to the Knicks after seeing Doncic average 21+7+6 per game, a deal that fully explains the cruel law of survival of the fittest.
After coming to the Big Apple, because the team's winning system had not yet been established, Smith Jr.'s poor shooting was infinitely magnified, coupled with the sudden onset of injuries, the ball and playing time were occupied by Barrett, slowly falling out of the rotation, and then traded to the Pistons and Trail Blazers as dispensable bench players. This summer, Smith Jr., whose contract expired, was left unattended until the preseason game when the Hornets signed him on a one-year non-guaranteed contract, giving him a chance to stay in the NBA.
In the highly competitive NBA league, opportunities and surprises abound, and Smith Jr., a point guard, was given 28.4 minutes of playing time as Hornets core LaMelo Ball suffered a second-degree sprained left ankle in the preseason and will miss the opening stages of the new season. In the face of a fleeting opportunity, the injury-defying teenager began to fight back, scoring 18 points against the Hawks and 14 points and 11 assists against the Knicks, returning Smith Jr. to the rotation with an increasingly consistent play.
5, Grant (pistons → pioneers)
- Season's stats: 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists, shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three-point range
- Last season's stats: 19.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists, shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range
This offseason, the Trail Blazers, who did not make the playoffs, determined to strengthen, in order to get rid of the current situation of weak offensive and defensive rosters, management targeted reinforcement to offensive and defensive forwards, so Pistons former core Grant was recruited by the Blazers with three draft picks, plus Winslow and Peyton Jr. (who has not yet played due to injury), Portland fans finally have the dream defense.
, Grant relied on defense to survive as early as the Thunder period, until the offensive technology became more mature and he was favored by the Pistons. So far in the new season, the Trail Blazers have ranked first in the West, successive victories over the Suns, Lakers and Nuggets have proved their good strength, new recruit Grant is good in attack and defense, second only to Lillard in the team's victory contribution, and has contributed wonderful shots of the quasi-killer Lakers.
In two seasons with the Pistons, Grant proved that he was not suitable to be a team leader, both in temperament and ability, although he can contribute 20+4+3 data per game, but the Pistons' consecutive years of record in the East is a denial of his ability. Coming to the Trail Blazers, because the team positioned him as a three-man (Lillard, Simmons), Grant did not have the pressure of scoring and organization, and could focus more on the defensive end, which just filled the Blazers' shortcomings, and the mutual achievement made the team's record soar.
4, Pop (Wizards→ Nuggets)
- Season's stats: 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3 assists, shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point range
- Last season's stats: 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists, shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range
In last year's playoffs, the defending Lakers were easily eliminated by the Suns 4-1 in the first round, Pop contributed only 6.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in the five-game series, and Kuzma averaged only 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. In the offseason, in order to get Wei Shao, the Lakers management chose these two championship-winning main players to send to the Wizards, and judging from the final results of the transaction, the Lakers can be called "losing the lady and breaking the army".
After joining the Washington Wizards, Pope's form on the offensive end has warmed up, coupled with a solid defense, which has earned him a two-year, $30 million mid-range contract from the Nuggets. Coming to the Denver plateau, Pope did not have any "lack of oxygen" during his integration into the team, and the jack-of-all-trades style of play with Jokic's ball businessman quickly had chemistry.
In the second game of the season against the defending champion Warriors, Pope played all 32 minutes, scoring 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals on 7-of-14 shooting to help his team win; Against the Thunder, he made six three-pointers to cement his "quality 3D" reputation with strength.
It is worth mentioning that the Denver Nuggets are currently in the stage of Murray's recovery from a major injury, Pope does not have a specific tactical inclination, scoring basically relies on flexible movements, even then there is still efficient performance. If late in the season, head coach Malone develops a few three-point tactics for Pope, with Jokic's passing ability on the court, Pope will be more threatening on the offensive end.
Compared with the three points on the offensive end, Pop, who focuses on defense, is the reason for the Nuggets to sign him with a high salary, can attack, defend, organized and does not occupy the ball, which is the all-round player that any team in the league dreams of, I don't know if the Lakers, who are now hard to win, regret their choice at that time.
3, Brunson (Maverick→ Knicks)
- This season's stats: 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists, shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point range
- Last season's stats: 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists, shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range
With a bare foot height of 1.85 meters, an arm span of 1.93 meters, and a running assist that is difficult to complete a dunk, this static talent is also rare in the NBA, this is Brunson, a nobody, who took the third pick in the second round in 2018. Brunson had a solid 20 minutes of playing time for the first three seasons of his career, but thanks to Doncic's presence, he was never reused by the Carlisle coach until Kidd, who excels at developing young players, took over last summer.
In order to reduce Doncic's offensive pressure, Kidd gave Brunson more shots, and the team had a second consistent scoring point after the playoffs successively defeated the Jazz and Suns to break into the Western Conference finals, although unfortunately lost to the Warriors, Brunson averaged 21.6 points per game in the playoffs to double his value.
This summer offseason, Brunson's rookie contract expired, and in the face of the Mavericks' four-year, $80 million contract and the Knicks' four-year $104 million contract, the rational Brunson chose the latter and achieved a second-round pick's comeback.
Coming to the New York Knicks, Brunson's overly short stature and low-key personality disdained arrogant home fans, but after a few games, Brunson silenced fans who questioned him with efficiency and leading the team to win. Scoring 27 points and 13 assists in overtime against the Hornets, a tough scoring in the fourth quarter and overtime saved Barrett and Randle, who played hard, and his addition injected a winning temperament into the team, which played like a superstar with an annual salary of less than $30 million.
It is worth mentioning that during the Mavericks period, due to Doncic's big bag on the offensive and organizational ends, Brunson was positioned as a scorer, but when it came to the Knicks, who did not have an organizational point guard, fans gradually found that Brunson's assisting ability was also underestimated, and he currently averaged 8.5 assists per game ranked sixth in the league, second only to the successful signing of Brunson to make the Knicks playoff goals easier to achieve.
2, Wood (Rocket→ Lone Ranger)
- Season's stats: 24.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists, shooting 62.2 percent from the field and 61.6 percent from three-point range
- Last season's stats: 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range
In this year's Western Conference Finals, the Warriors' Looney dominance of rebounds made the Mavericks understand the importance of the interior line, and it was difficult to go further in the nine games with only three points, so they made a deal with the Rockets just after entering the offseason: the Mavericks sent Big Boban, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Chris and the No. 26 pick in the first round of the year to get center Wood for the Rockets.
Looking back at the center's career, he was unfortunately selected for the 2015 draft, and for four seasons from 15-19, Wood struggled with elimination from the league and signing an insecure contract until joining the Pistons in the summer of 2019. In 21 minutes, he averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and his excellent offense earned him a three-year, $41 million contract with the Rockets, and he became a million-dollar man in the league.
Coming to the Lone Ranger, Kidd took into account Wood's strong offensive and weak defensive characteristics, and set his position as the sixth man on the team, attacking the other with his own strengths, such a lineup combination makes the Lone Ranger's offense no longer have a fault, greatly avoiding Doncic's dilemma that the team cannot score in the next game.
An interesting statistic, Wood and Doncic are trying to attack at the same time as high as 144.8, the tacit understanding of the two is very similar to teammates for many years, Wood's non-possession of the ball and extremely efficient play match Doncic's ball holding system, if you can continue to be in good form until the end of the season, Wood will have a good chance to hit the best sixth man award.
1, Mar-Kanen (knight→ Sir)
- Season's stats: 22 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3 assists, shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from three-point range
- Last season's stats: 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 44.5 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range
This summer, the Jazz announced a rebuild after being eliminated by the Mavericks in the first round, Gobert was traded to the Timberwolves, Mitchell was sent to the Cavaliers in exchange for Sexton, Karl Manin, Abaki and three first-round picks, and the Jazz traded the Gemini for eight draft picks and multiple quality youngsters, paving the way for a rebuild. At the start of the new season, the Jazz, who should have lost to compete for a high draft pick, led by Markkanen to shine with a joint first place in the West.
As for Markkanen's rise this season, in fact, there was a foreshadowing at this year's European Championships, as Finland's leading star, Markkanen led the team to the quarterfinals, including 43 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals in the 1/8 final against Croatia, almost single-handedly helping the team to advance.
At the beginning of the new season, although the Jazz Gemini left, the team also has players such as Mar Canning, Conley, Clarkson, Olynyk, Sexton, Beasley and Tucker Jr., and the overall level of the team is not inferior to the giant teams. The main reason the Jazz are currently No. 1 in the West is that everyone is a soldier, everyone can attack with the ball and their confidence is bursting, and with an 11-man rotation, that's the trick to winning.
As the scoring core of this dark horse team, Markkanen reversed last season's performance with the Cavaliers, came to the Jazz after the offensive end is resolute and decisive, inside and outside defense, change of defense is also in place, the 25-year-old still has a lot of room to rise.