Window closed: Karnishov’s solid maneuvers, the Nuggets escalated and the Celtics did not drill holes / News

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The deadline for a possible trade closed at the National Basketball Association (NBA) on Thursday night.

On the final day, there were 15 exchanges with up to 44 players, with the Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics being the most active. It is the movements of these teams that we will review.

Beneficiary of Artūras Karnišovas

It is possible for a Lithuanian to write a high score for the work done. Without a doubt, the most prominent newcomer to the Bulls was Nikola Vučevičius, who will become the primary weapon in the search for returnees.

Karnishov himself was satisfied with his goals.

“We improved our team today,” the Bulls vice president of basketball operations told reporter KC Johnson. “We have two All-Star players, Zach (LaVine) and Nicholas.”

“We want Chicago to be an attractive place for free agents. We had a sample of 40 games, we evaluated everything and made decisions about some of the guys. We are serious about winning,” Karnishov added.

The price paid for the Montenegrin is also extremely rational: Otto Porter, who is injured and has a huge contract, Wendell Carter, who is playing in the NBA for a third year but has yet to show a breakthrough season, and two rookies. shouts from the first round.

Vučevičius will perfectly fill the missing midfielder position on the Bulls team and add the threat of long shots. At least 40 percent of the Chicago team this season. the three-point hit was recorded only by Zach LaVine and the already traded Porter. Lauri Markkanen is also close to this limit (39%).

“It will not be difficult to include Nikola in the team,” Karnishov said. – He can accumulate points and is the leading player. His arrival will not eliminate our shortcomings on the defensive circuit, but Nikola can make life easier for each player ”.

At that point, the backup midfielder will be Boston’s Daniel Theis, who has also advanced on the three-point line in recent years and is already missing just three long shots to achieve his career best result.

The German sells 35 percent this season. triples: not an ideal indicator, but a respectable one.

Once again, the price paid for such reinforcement is low. They are Luke Kornet, who has played 13 games this season and averaged 6 minutes, Daniel Gafford, a sophomore, and Chandler Hutchison, who has played 79 games in three seasons.

With the exception of Carter, the Bulls didn’t lose a single key basketball player when they managed to reload Vučevičius, who played in the All-Star game, and a solid backup midfielder. Karnishov’s decisions really made the Bulls stronger.

“Nuggets” ėjimai

The Denver team participated in the Orlando Magic sale and killed Aaron Gordon. Gordon will replace Paul Millsap from the top five, who will be able to productively fill his minutes as he rises from the bench.

Athletic and solid-bodied, Gordon throws three career points this season (37.5 percent average), but the Nuggets will focus on the forward’s ability to defend at several different positions.

And while Gordon has his own downsides in attack, the sight of Nikola Jokičius’s squad and the threat to opponents can free the basketball player coming from Orlando. The other teams are also constantly on duty at Yamal Murray, so Gordon will definitely have his chances.

It should be noted, however, that the Nuggets charged a hefty price for Gordon’s arrival. Gary Harris, who played in Denver in 2020. RJ Hampton, selected for the 24th call-up in the rookie exchange, and the first-round call-up from the future.

There’s no question that in the ideal world, the Nuggets wanted to stay at Harris and fire Will Barton.

The Denver team was also joined by JaVale McGee. It may not seem like a special move at first glance, but McGee’s arrival could eventually become vital.

In addition to Jokičius, the Nuggets midfielder consisted of Hartenstein, Zeke Nnaji and Bol Bol. This is a big gap in the difference in level.

Ideally, McGee will play the role of reserve midfielder, and in Cleveland he showed a good game and accumulated 8 points and 5.2 rebounds during the game.

In recent seasons, McGee has also built up solid playoff experience, reaching three of the last four NBA Finals, winning two titles.

Pepitas 2018-2019 reached the semifinals of the Western Conference this season, and last year – the final. Perhaps the arrival of Gordon and McGee to the Denver team will give the final step towards the NBA Super Final?

The Celtics lagoon is not closed

Let’s start on a positive note and say the Celtics made excellent use of their $ 28.5 million. An exception to the change in the US dollar that emerged after the Gordon Hayward change in November.

This exception made it possible to invite Evan Fournier, who is playing in his career season, for a very optimal price: Jeff Teague, who has been in the shadows, and two rookie calls in the second round.

However, the Celtics, who haven’t had a solid midfielder in recent seasons, have taken a step back from this position, trading Theis for Mo Wagner and Luke Cornet. In addition to these centers, Boston also has Tacko Fallas, Tristan Thompson and Robert Williams, who could play number five without problems.

Hopefully, it will be the latter who stretches even further and tries to alleviate the weaknesses, but in any case, the fans of the Boston team are probably not satisfied with the end of the exchange period.

The situation could be changed by players who have become free agents or will be in the near future. Probably the brightest stars are Andre Drummond and LaMarcus Aldridge, but whether the Celtics can fight for these basketball players is another question.

The American press says that Meyes Leonard and Vincent Poirier may lose their jobs in the near future.

Looking for excuses why it was decided to say goodbye to Theis, one can take a look at a German contract that expires after this season. The forward is likely to raise his 5 million. And since there is no more cap room for the Celtics, the decision was probably not to lose Theiso for nothing.

However, no matter how you look at it, Wagner and Cornet are little comfort in this situation.