The NBA trade deadline is not until Feb. 6, but we’ve already seen activity as teams look to bolster their postseason chances.
On Friday, the Indiana Pacers reached a deal to acquire center Thomas Bryant from the Miami Heat. And on Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets agreed to send guard Dennis Schroder to the Bay in a deal the Golden State Warriors hope can shore up their guard depth behind Stephen Curry. (Both deals cannot be finalized until Sunday.)
Which other players and picks will be on the move from now until the trade deadline? We’ll grade every side of the league’s major deals and break down their ramifications here, starting with the Warriors adding a point guard.
Warriors add help at guard, acquire Schroder from Nets
Golden State Warriors get:
G Dennis Schroder
Future second-round pick
Brooklyn Nets get:
G De’Anthony Melton
Three future second-round picks
Golden State Warriors grade: A-
For all the deserved credit to the Warriors’ depth, it has done more to give Steve Kerr options to put around Stephen Curry than to succeed without him. Golden State has been outscored by 1.9 points per 100 possessions with Curry on the bench, per NBA Advanced Stats, despite playing elite defense in those situations.
Without Curry, the Warriors simply can’t score. Their offensive rating when Curry rests ranks in the 4th percentile leaguewide, according to Cleaning the Glass, a big difference from last season when Golden State had future Hall of Famer Chris Paul as a backup. Last season, the Warriors scored at a league-average rate without Curry and outscored opponents with him on the bench.