On February 5th, 2023, Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for mainly Spencer Dinwiddie. This trade marked the start of a time around the trade deadline, a time many fans would consider very exciting in the NBA. The Trade Deadline was implemented to keep games competitive near the end of the season. It was also implemented to make teams can’t trade players during the playoffs. There went on to be many big trades including Kevin Durant to the Suns as well as Russell Westbrook to the Clippers. These moves help these teams push away from others in the conferences as no team has run away yet. These are exciting moves, however, small moves are important too such as Bones Hyland to the Clippers, Jae Crowder to the Bucks, and Thomas Bryant to the Nuggets.

          Moves such as these obviously help the teams get better seeding for the playoffs but some smaller moves greatly affect the playoffs. With the trading of stars, what’s given up for that is often overlooked because the teams that trade the stars often get draft picks giving them a head start in the rebuilding process. If the star is not a good fit for the team you just sold your entire future for someone who hates your guts. These draft picks are more important this year with two future Hall of Fame members like Scoot Henderson and the 7 ‘5 Victor Wembanyama.