He NBA transfer market of the 2023-24 season ended this Thursday without any movement on the part of the two franchises that were seen as the possible great agitators of the market to correct their poor start to the campaign. Neither the Golden State Warriors, eleventh in the West with a balance of 23 wins and 25 losses, nor the Los Angeles Lakers (ninth with a 27-25) have made any last-minute move to try to better accompany Stephen Curry and LeBron James in which could be one of the last playoff forays of the league's two biggest stars in the last decade.
Those that did go to the market were two teams that, judging by their position in the standings, are the ones that need the least touch-ups. Both the Boston Celtics, leaders in the East (39-12) and big favorites for the title, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, first in the Western conference (35-16) after confirming themselves as the great revelation of the season, made additions to make some adjustments. The Thunder have added experience with forward Gordon Hayward, far from the level he exhibited years ago in the Utah Jazz due to injuries, but with the ability to help the team's young players and contribute points from the bench. In exchange, they send Tre Mann and Davis Bertans to Charlotte. On the other hand, the Celtics have expanded their interior rotation with power forward Xavier Tillman, transferred from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Lamar Stevens and two second rounds.
Another of the great unknowns of the market closing were the Dallas Mavericks, in their umpteenth attempt to provide the squad with elements that support Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The chosen one has been the 25-year-old power forward PJ Washington, who arrives from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for a high price: in addition to a first round, Dallas dispenses with Seth Curry and Grant Williams after a disappointing journey with the Mavs.
In the East, two teams called to improve their performance, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks, have also moved into the market. The injury to Joel Embiid, who could miss the season after his meniscus operation, has forced the Sixers to look for more alternatives in attack, and despite the fact that they are already the team with the best three-point percentage in the NBA, they have managed to sign Buddy Hield, one of the best triple jumpers in the competition. In exchange, they have sent Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz and three second rounders to the Indiana Pacers.
Philadelphia, however, has gotten rid of Patrick Beverley, who heads to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Cameron Payne. With this signing, the Bucks correct their great deficiency, the outside defense, and face the final stretch of the season with maximum demands after having paired Damian Lillard with Giannis Antetokounmpo last summer. In addition, the New York Knicks (fourth in the East with 33-18), one of the most in-form teams in the championship, have been further reinforced with Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks, sending Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Quentin Grimes , Ryan Arcidiacono and two second round draft picks to the Detroit Pistons.
Spencer Dinwiddie is free after being cut
The Brooklyn Nets managed to get rid of point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who headed to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for German Dennis Schröder, champion of the last Basketball World Cup. Although it is a simple trading card change in sports, the Raptors have confirmed that they will cut Dinwiddie's contract, so he will be able to join the ranks of any team even now that the transfer market has ended. The 30-year-old point guard has a $20.5 million contract that expires this summer and is averaging 12.6 points per game this season. Some teams like the Dallas Mavericks or the Los Angeles Lakers are already moving to try to incorporate a complementary signing for the final stretch of the season.
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