Someplace on the planet, there’s a present excessive schooler who the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder would possibly have the ability to choose with the 2028 first-round choose swap they received from the Mavericks on the NBA commerce deadline, and possibly they have been even watching the series-deciding Recreation 6 between the 2 groups on Saturday evening.
Sadly for the Thunder’s present roster, nevertheless, that participant was unable to assist them on Saturday whereas midseason Mavs acquisitions Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington helped Dallas eradicate Oklahoma Metropolis from the NBA playoffs with a 4-2 sequence win.
In a considerably becoming ending to the sequence, Washington scored 6 of his 9 factors within the fourth quarter, together with the 2 game-deciding free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining after a pivotal offensive rebound to generate a 3 for himself just a few possessions earlier. His intentional miss of the third free throw was even proper on the cash, leaving the Thunder brief on time to generate a possible game-winning basket (Jalen Williams missed a 64-foot desperation heave) within the 117-116 loss.
Gafford was a lot much less important than Washington within the sequence — he completed with a damaging plus-minus in each sport — however his addition allowed the Mavericks to maneuver precocious rookie Dereck Full of life II to the bench, the place he ravaged the Thunder’s undersized second items for offensive rebounds to assist swing the sequence.
And past the plus-minus, Gafford’s presence additionally gave the Mavericks 48 minutes of succesful middle play reasonably than what they have been coping with earlier than.
Now, why is that related to the Thunder past the consequence? Nicely, there’s a world the place the Mavericks needed to probably select between Gafford and Washington, or have been on the very least unable to amass the previous. Let me clarify.
How the Mavericks received Washington and Full of life
Again in February, on the day of the NBA commerce deadline, the Mavericks pulled off two separate trades: One for Washington, and one for Gafford. It was the latter transfer that the Thunder helped straight facilitate, accepting a 2028 first-round choose swap alternative from the Mavericks in change for their very own first-round choose within the 2024 NBA Draft, which was rerouted to the Washington Wizards for Gafford.
The Thunder, dealing with a surplus of draft picks that features almost too many to depend over the following a number of years, determined to commerce out of a 2024 draft broadly seen as weak in an effort to get the chance to swap picks with Dallas in 2028, when it’s attainable Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are not enjoying for them. It was a transaction wherein one staff selected to get nearly as good because it might now, and one selected so as to add a theoretical excessive schooler 4 years from now. That form of enterprise occurs on a regular basis within the NBA, however normally it’s not a No. 1 seed taking over the long-term potential asset to assist a play-in staff go on a run that will in the end go away them in vary to upset them within the playoffs.
Now, possibly that call works out for OKC in the long term. However in a sequence throughout which the Mavericks gained 4-2 regardless of each groups scoring precisely 636 factors whole over the six video games… it’s truthful to marvel if the Thunder serving to the Mavericks get higher by actually any margin was the distinction.
Washington was the hero, sure, and once more, the Thunder didn’t straight facilitate his acquisition. But when they’d not given Dallas the choose wanted to get Gafford — in a deal that was reported as full a number of hours earlier than the Washington one on deadline day — it’s a minimum of attainable the Mavericks would have been compelled to decide on between the 2 gamers. It’s inconceivable to foretell how issues go from right here, and possibly Luka leaves and Dallas implodes to make that 2024 swap juicy… nevertheless it’s onerous to not really feel just like the Thunder might have shot themselves within the foot right here, with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight.
Whereas this sequence was clearly inconceivable to particularly predict on the level these trades have been performed, possibly the bigger lesson remains to be hey, possibly it’s a foul thought to assist a staff within the decrease half of the bracket in your convention get higher on the commerce deadline!
Or, on the very least, don’t do it for those who’re not prepared to have it come again to chew you in semi-hilarious vogue in the identical 12 months.
