The Miami Heat are still the toast of the East and that’s no more indicated by the fact that their head coach, one of the 15 best NBA coaches of all time in Erik Spoelstra, is the head coach of the Eastern All-Star team.
Speaking of the Eastern Conference though, at the NBA Trade Deadline, the rest of the East seemed to be pretty active, at least most of those teams competing to come out in the end.
However and from the outside looking in, it appears that they are all trying to catch up with the amazing season that the Miami Heat have had thus far.
It’s also worth noting that the Miami Heat didn’t even make a deal on Deadline Day, sending KZ Okpala away the day prior as their only move. Enough romanticizing though, let’s go over it a little bit.
The Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers are the stars of this show. They finally got the deal done.
They swapped James Harden and Ben Simmons in a package that also saw James Harden and Paul Millsap go to Philly, while Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, a 2022 unprotected first-round pick, and a 2027 protected first-round pick went to Brooklyn.
Miami Heat: Rest Of The East Still Looking Up At Them After NBA Trade Deadline
The Milwaukee Bucks also made a move, although you can’t be sure how much better it makes them.
They essentially traded Semi Ojeleye, Rodney Hood, and Donte DiVincenzo for what amounted to Serge Ibaka, two future second-round picks, and cash, as a part of a four-team deal with the Clippers, the Kings, and the Pistons.
Outside of those three major contenders, the Bulls, another contender, did nothing. The other teams in the East were pretty active though.
The Raptors did move the beloved Miami Heat Lifer, Goran Dragic, to the Spurs.
They received Thaddeus Young, Drew Eubanks, and a 2022 second-round pick, while the Spurs received Dragic and a protected first-rounder, which if not conveyed in either of the following two drafts, turns into two seconds.
The Celtics brought back Daniel Theis from the Rockets for Dennis Schröder, Enes Freedom, and Bruno Fernando. They also landed Derrick White from San Antonio for former Miami Heat wing, Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a protected 2022 first-round pick, and swap rights on their 2028 first-round picks.
They also moved Bol Bol and P.J. Dozier for a future second-rounder to Orlando.
The Hornets got a big, sort of, adding Montrezl Harrell for Ish Smith and Vernon Carey Jr., while the Wiz seem to be tearing it all down. Washington also sent Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans to Dallas for Kristaps Porzingis and a future second-round pick.
Miami Heat: In Reality, They’re The Eastern Team That Everyone Is Looking Up At
Here is the most appropriate takeaway from the day though. Of course, it emanates from the friendly confines of Miami Heat Land.
If you are the type of person that likes transactions and a frantic set of causes and effects, then this was the day for you. If narratives are your thing, this was a thrilling experience.
Even with all of these moves though, there is one thing that remains the same.
Former Miami Heat player, legendary NBA tough guy, and current Miami Heat assistant coach, Caron Butler (or Tuff Juice as preferred here) tweeted out thoughts that perfectly sum up the entire situation.
Again.#Narratives vs #Reality
— Caron Butler (@realtuffjuice) February 10, 2022
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To his thoughts, is it about the narrative, or is it about the reality of it all? If it’s about reality, then the reality is that the Miami Heat are still the best team in the East and every other team played catch-up in the moves they made.
However and among that, the facts still remain the same. The Miami Heat sit on top and everybody else is looking up at them.
That’s the “#Reality”. Happy hunting To all the NBA General Managers out there, hope you got a good haul, because Pat Riley and his Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat—said Hi!