With a multitude of trades occurring in rapid succession this offseason, here is a look at five trades that slipped under-the-radar and may have a major impact on at the least one of the teams invovled.
Portland Trail Blazers acquire Mason Plumlee and Pat Connaughton from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Steve Blake and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
In what has been a rough offseason for the Trail Blazers, General Manager Neil Olshey was able to pull off a number of moves that will help the team move in the right direction. Arguably their biggest acquisition was Mason Plumlee, who will facilitate the departures of LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez, each of whom signed multi-year contracts with other teams as free agents. Plumlee has career averages of 8.1 points-per-game and 5.4 rebounds-per-game and showed signs of developing into a strong power forward in his two seasons with the Nets. The 25 year-old is almost guaranteed to start at center for the Blazers in the 2015-2016 season. In addition to Plumlee, the Blazers also acquired the 2015 41st overall draft pick, Pat Connaughton, who was two-sport star at Notre Dame. The 21 year-old averaged 7.2 points in five games with the Blazers in the Las Vegas Summer League. Three-point shooting is his strong suit and Connaughton could see noticeable time on the court as a rookie off the bench for the Blazers.
Houston Rockets acquire Ty Lawson and a 2017 second-round pick from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a protected 2016 first-round pick, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolau, Pablo Prigioni, and Joey Dorsey
It took a while for the Denver Nuggets to rid themselves of Ty Lawson, but they were finally able to work out a deal in late July to send the point guard to Houston. The Nuggets received four players who may not stick out on the roster, but will certainly add depth as the team searches for an identity. As for the Rockets, they were not forced to give up any major pieces of their roster which went to the 2015 Western Conference Finals. Lawson, a six-year veteran, averaged 15.2 points in 75 games for the Nuggets last season. His 9.6 assists-per-game ranked third in the NBA behind Chris Paul and John Wall. Lawson is an undoubted upgrade from Patrick Beverley, who was injured during the postseason and will now have to work hard to regain his starting job. The Rockets are deep at the guard position and have the flexibility to make a trade during the season if another position on their roster is lacking.
Golden State Warriors trade David Lee to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Gerald Wallace and Chris Babb
Although this trade was hardly unforeseen, the Celtics were able to add a crucial player from the 2015 NBA Champion Warriors in David Lee. Acquired for virtually nothing, Lee brings much-needed veteran leadership and experience to a weak Celtics frontcourt. At 32 years-old, the power forward can still score and defend, as he demonstrated in the NBA Finals after being thrown into the starting lineup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Bringing a career 14.2 points-per-game and 9.5 rebounds-per-game, the 10-year veteran will facilitate the development of a Celtics frontcourt that includes Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, and Tyler Zeller. Meanwhile, the Warriors dumped his $15.5 million salary which allowed them to re-sign key pieces in Draymond Green and Leandro Barbosa.
Portland Trail Blazers acquire Mike Miller and Brendan Haywood from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for two second-round draft picks
One of the more under-the-radar trades of the offseason again involved the Portland Trail Blazers. This time, they acquired two-time NBA Champion Mike Miller, who has played in three of the last four NBA Finals with the Cavaliers and Miami Heat. The 15-year veteran played in just nine of the Cavs' 20 playoff games in 2015 as his minutes progressively decrease in his role as a reserve on the bench. Miller is now one of just three players on the Blazers roster over the age of 30. Haywood, like Miller, is a 35 year-old veteran who also won an NBA Finals, dating back to 2011 when he was with the Dallas Mavericks. While age is certainly a concern for both of these players, their experience on the NBA's biggest stage is of more use to the Blazers than two second-round draft picks. Both Haywood and Miller have successfully played a long time in the league and will be influential in developing the many young talents that litter the Blazers' roster.
Detroit Pistons acquire Ersan Ilyasova from the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams
Another team that was fairly busy this offseason was the Detroit Pistons. The clear winner of this trade, the Pistons gave up virtually nothing for a veteran power forward in Ersan Ilyasova, who has been with the Bucks for the past seven seasons. Ilyasova averaged 11.5 points-per-game last season, his fourth consecutive season averaging double figures. While his rebounding was down, he is a viable replacement for Greg Monroe, who signed with the Bucks in free agency prior to the trade. Ilyasova is all but guaranteed to start at power forward for a Pistons team that could make some noise in the Eastern Conference in 2015-2016.