NBA Trade Deadline Recap: Central Division

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons roster has continued to shift, plenty of deals having been made by the team in the past several months. Before the deadline, they sent Svi Mykhailiuk to the Thunder in exchange for Hamidou Diallo, further crowding their complicated backcourt. But, he has a lot of potential to be a good fit for the team.

On deadline day, they brought in Cory Joseph, who played for Dwane Casey in Toronto, sending Delon Wright to the Kings. That was it for the team. Blake Griffin was recently bought out, and the same could happen to Wayne Ellington.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks sent out a pair of DJ’s, Augustin and Wilson, to acquire PJ Tucker from the Bucks a week before the deadline. It left them a little thin at the point guard position but allowed them a tremendously talented 3-and-D player with all kinds of experience. The move will pay off come playoff time.

Indiana Pacers

23 of 30 teams in the NBA made at least one deadline move. Indiana was one of the teams that did nothing. They stood pat. Carry on.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Even though several players were rumored to be on the market, just one guy was dealt by the Cavs at last Thursday’s deadline. They parted with center JaVale McGee, sending him to the Nuggets. He had played four years with the Nuggets last decade, from 2012-2015. It’s similar to when they sent Kyle Korver back to Utah two years ago.

The team brought back Isaiah Hartenstein and a pair of second-round picks in the process. Hartenstein is just 23 years of age, making him the oldest center on the roster, funnily enough. He will fit in well behind Jarrett Allen and will give the team some good minutes. Nice pickup for a guy that was never long for CLE in McGee.

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls know they have a budding superstar in Zach LaVine. It was also clear that he had no help around him, the role players failing to consistently produce. They made a huge trade with the Orlando Magic, acquiring 2X All-Star center Nikola Vucevic and bringing Al-Farouq Aminu over with him. They traded Otto Porter’s expensive contract, along with third-year center Wendell Carter Jr.

In another deal with the Wizards, they sent Chandler Hutchison and Daniel Gafford packing, bringing in Troy Brown and Mo Wagner in the process. They flipped Wagner to Boston in a separate deal and acquired Daniel Theis and Javante Green. These players will provide nice depth and toughness for the team, along with a whole lot of defensive prowess.

With Theis, they can address the size issue when Vucevic isn’t in. They had Thaddeus Young playing center prior to the deadline, as Carter just wasn’t cutting it anymore. It shocked everybody to see Vooch available, but kudos to the front office for going for it to give Zach some help.