James Harden has taken over the primary offensive initiator role since being acquired by the Cavs.
In a microwave society, everyone wants results now. Well, that doesn’t always happen when players are exchanged in the NBA. As with most trade deadlines, the final scorecard determining the winners and losers could be years away from being complete.
There are future draft picks to be exercised, new young players to develop and more scenarios to see through. One of the media’s most common and confusing tendencies is assigning a grade to each team immediately after the deadline. Can you imagine what grades were handed out when Oklahoma City sent Paul George, who just finished third in the Kia MVP voting, to the LA Clippers in exchange for picks projected to be in the late first round and a player coming off his rookie season named … Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
It has been a month since the most recent trade deadline, and once again, it’s tricky to jump to conclusions so quickly. That’s mainly because the three biggest names haven’t even broken a sweat.
Anthony Davis isn’t expected to see action for the Washington Wizards until next season. Trae Young should make his Wizards debut Thursday, and Ivica Zubac, who is currently dealing with injuries like Davis, seems like a scratch for the season in Indiana.
Still, others have suited up and could be difference-makers this season and in the playoffs, based on the early returns and hints dropped over the last month.
Instant impacts
Jonathan Kuminga from the Warriors to the Hawks
There was a moment in the Hawks’ blowout win Sunday over the Trail Blazers when Dominique Wilkins, Hawks legend and TV broadcaster, gushed: “Thank you, Golden State Warriors. How do you give up on a guy that young, with that ability? It’s beyond me.”
Kuminga had just executed a ‘Nique-like dunk’, switching hands in mid-air, to garnish another revealing night. In three games with the Hawks, all victories, he’s averaging 21 points on 66% shooting and nearly eight rebounds in just 27 minutes per night. Wilkins merely echoed what everyone in Atlanta is saying — and perhaps some folks back in the Bay Area as well.
Kuminga’s drama-filled final few months with the Warriors, where he fell out of favor with coach Steve Kerr, ended as expected. Still, the relatively cheap price he fetched—an aging and often-injured Kristaps Porzingis—was somewhat surprising. However, there’s a catch: Kuminga has only a team option for next season, and the Hawks must negotiate an extension at some point, but as of right now, he’s a steal. The Hawks have visions of Kuminga (23) and Jalen Johnson (24) as a flexible forward tandem for the future — two players who can create off the dribble and cause problems.
Jared McCain from the 76ers to the Thunder
This became a classic buy-low trade when OKC acquired a player who dipped after a promising rookie start, then suffered an injury and a slow recovery. This defined McCain, the early front-runner for 2025 Kia Rookie of the Year, before suffering a meniscus injury, sitting out the rest of the year and then dropping in the rotation this season. Philly, understandably, embraced the new rookie sensation, VJ Edgecombe, and entertained offers for McCain.
Well, besides the rich getting richer, the deep got deeper after OKC added McCain to an already stocked bench and watched him quickly force his way into playing time. That’s not easy on a team with Isaiah Joe, Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace. In his first 10 games in OKC, he averaged nearly 12 points on 43% shooting from deep, giving OKC another perimeter presence.
The Sixers got tax relief in return, along with OKC’s first-round pick in June, which should fall around 28-30. OKC got another asset, and suddenly, the Thunder’s second unit is good enough to be a starting lineup for other teams.
James Harden from the Clippers to the Cavaliers
Harden has great honeymoons. The one in Houston, which made him a superstar, lasted the longest. The others were blissful too: Brooklyn, Philadelphia, LA. Harden left a positive mark on each team and then, for various reasons, bounced within three years or less.
Which means his time in Cleveland so far is following the blueprint. The Cavs are more concerned with what Harden can offer right now than with his possible exit, and so far, his playmaking and passing have been just what the Cavs needed. He’s releasing Donovan Mitchell from that responsibility and elevating the offensive play of other players, including Jarrett Allen, who’s meshing on the pick-and-roll.
Harden can still drop 25+ when necessary, though he is respectfully and wisely letting Donovan be Donovan in that regard.
So, what’s the end game here? The Cavs hope to make a legitimate championship run this season with Harden. As for next season and beyond, they’ll need to discuss dollars with a player who turns 37 in August. The cost of doing business with the Clippers was surrendering 26-year-old Darius Garland, but the Cavs believed the Garland-Mitchell backcourt had run its course anyway. However, how long before the Harden-Mitchell experience expires?
A work in progress
Cam Thomas from the Nets to the Bucks
In his first full game with the Bucks after being waived by Brooklyn, Thomas dropped 34 points. The response in Brooklyn wasn’t exactly incredulous or regretful, which would normally be the case when a team surrenders a 24-year-old bucket-getter for nothing. Actually, teams normally don’t surrender 24-year-old bucket-getters for nothing.
But Thomas’ appeal league-wide was that low. He had no trade value. The market is the market, and it doesn’t lie. Thomas can score on bad teams, but what else can he do, and at what price is a team willing to pay for his one dimension?
Over the last five games, with reduced minutes, Thomas is averaging 7.4 points on 25% shooting and fewer than two assists, and fans in Brooklyn are nodding their heads.
His time in Milwaukee between now and season’s end must be spent getting those buckets and also erasing a stigma. Both are processing in Milwaukee’s favor right now because the Bucks have nothing to lose. Look at this from their perspective: A series of poor drafts during the good times left the roster with no young assets to replace Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton.
When the inevitable decline arrived, the Bucks had no one to replace those championship pieces. Now the Bucks have Thomas and Ousmane Dieng as potential young assets. It’s a start, at least.
Nikola Vučević from the Bulls to the Celtics
Vučević is being asked to fill the Al Horford Role — a big man who can stretch the floor — and the results are mixed so far. Vučević started slowly, which is understandable, and his positive production has come only in spurts.
He’s doing this while coming off the bench, something he hasn’t done since his rookie season (2012-13), while the Celtics stick with the fast-developing Neemias Queta.
Horford helped the Celtics win a title, while Vučević has never played for a contender during his NBA career. When a player suddenly joins a team with steep goals, it can be jarring. The Celtics surrendered Anfernee Simons in the trade, which means they didn’t have plans to keep him either way, so this was low-risk.
Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans to the Knicks
This seems like a match made in hoop heaven — a feisty overachiever from Brooklyn coming home to spice up the Knicks. He’s already a fan favorite fueled by a strong second game with the Knicks, in which he posted 26 points in a win over Philly.
Since then, Alvarado has settled into a reserve role, which is where he best fits. As long as Alvarado brings the same energy as he had with the Pelicans, the Knicks will survive without Miles McBride, who’s out with a core muscle injury.
Luke Kennard from the Hawks to the Lakers
The Lakers have long suffered from two issues — deep shooting and poor defense — and Kennard should address the first. He’s hitting 49% on 3s and has made at least four in a game six times this season.
Here’s the issue: He’s not a volume shooter from that distance. Despite his touch, Kennard can get too bashful and pass up shots. If the Lakers can make him more aggressive, his impact can be greater.
Coby White from the Bulls to the Hornets
The hot Hornets are suddenly doing everything right, and getting White essentially for Collin Sexton is falling in line with their recent stretch of good moves. White was a solid player in Chicago and remains so, as evident by his 20 points in 21 minutes last Saturday against Portland.
That said, he’s in a different spot, going from big minutes (31 per game this season) in Chicago to a reduced role in Charlotte. How he adjusts will be telling on a team with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller holding down the backcourt spots.
Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis from the Kings to the Cavaliers
Ellis had five blocks and three steals Sunday against the Nets, and the Cavs are hoping for that level of defensive tenacity as they prep for the Playoffs.
He and Schroder will see fewer minutes than they had in Sacramento, which is understandable because the Cavs are deep. Cleveland sacrificed De’Andre Hunter, a decent rotational player, although his worth began to decline.
Ayo Dosunmu from the Bulls to the Timberwolves
Do the Wolves finally have a solution to their persistent point guard problem? Dosunmu seems adequate and an upgrade over Mike Conley, but again, he also seems to defer to Anthony Edwards on point guard responsibilities, mainly ball handling and offensive initiation. Ant has enough on his plate, so the search for a true point guard will likely continue beyond this season.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
