NBA 2015 Trade News: Complete List & Analysis of Every Team’s Trade Activity

Central Division:

Chicago Bulls: 34-20

Like the Hawks, Raptors, Grizzlies and Warriors the Bulls made no moves at the deadline electing to stick with the squad they started the season with. They are deep and remain the likely team to advance to the finals should they stay healthy and spend more time on court gelling. There is still concerns regarding their declining defense however. Part of this can be attributed to Joakim Noah‘s health and recovery and the loss of defensive players with their restructuring.

The other key factor is Derrick Rose needs to embrace his role as a leader and secondary option and give in to the fact Jimmy Butler has surpassed him as the primary go to player. It’s odd that Rose has never had a team of this quality surrounding him and yet he still tries to take over games as if he’s playing with the mid level squad he had when he won his MVP. His acceptance of this role will be what determines their success in my opinion.

Bulls' trade deadline acquisition is health. Friday is just 17th game regular lineup of Rose, Butler, Dunleavy, Noah, Gasol intact. 13-3.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) February 19, 2015

Cleveland Cavaliers: 33-22

The Cavaliers made all their moves prior to the deadline. They seem to be trying to craft an updated version of the Miami Heat however this team is NOT as good defensively as James has been extolling about lately. They’ve got time to correct this though and appear to have the pundits back on their side to make it to the Eastern Conference final at a minimum.

I wonder though, is anyone besides me hoping for a Cavalier vs Miami round one match up. I mean it drips with irony, right?

The other question I have is: if LeBron James and and Kyrie Irving don’t find a way to integrate Kevin Love what is the guarantee he won’t bolt come summer. I mean Phil Jackson if you’re reading me you know Kevin Love is the perfect power forward to play the triangle right?

Plus there’s the fact Irving and Love have never made it through an entire NBA season without a serious injury or played in the post season. Will this  be a factor in the final games of the season or the playoffs. Their final 28 games of the season will surely prove their durability one way or another and in the interim I’ll continue to hope for the Heat vs Cavs round one match!

Trade deadline inaction by #Cavs? LeBron says "Oh, we can win a championship" right now http://t.co/rQcxD3mk98

— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) February 19, 2015

Milwaukee Bucks: 30-23

The Bucks made a pretty strong statement they weren’t happy with the player most considered the likeliest All-Star to be on the team. Rather, Jason Kidd likely wasn’t happy with Brandon Knight which led to the Bucks shipping him to Phoenix. In return Kidd gets two point guards of vastly different talents. Michael Carter-Williams makes their starting five potentially the tallest in the league and is the type of guard Kidd would likely prefer to adapt his team around. He’ll need to improve his shooting but who better than Kidd (who suffered from the same issues in his early years) to instruct him.

On the other end of the spectrum he gets a pass first, strategic thinking point guard in Tyler Ennis who was stuck behind the glut of guards in Phoenix. The Syracuse product showcased his intelligence last season and I have a feeling over the long term will actually be the guard who ends up resembling Kidd more than his counterpart.

They also receive Miles Plumlee in the trade for Brandon Knight with the Suns. Plumlee will fill the void of Larry Sanders who was bought out by the Bucks. Considering how high the Bucks were on Sanders it’s a sad story that he has seemingly lost his way and was uncertain whether he would ever play in the NBA again.

So far their season has been magical and this is a dramatic shift for a young team to make with just 29 games remaining in the season. To date they’ve proven they can overcome adversity (the loss of Jabari Parker to the torn ACL and Larry Sanders losing touch with his professional desire) so it’s possible they’ll continue to be the Cinderella team of the season. If nothing else we’ll all be watching with vested interest how Kidd and his young squad handle this challenge.

Report: Bucks acquire Carter-Williams, Ennis and Plumlee in a three-team deal. For more go to: http://t.co/qDHnZO1PoW pic.twitter.com/qRYeob0PpB

— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 19, 2015

Detroit Pistons: 21-33

In one of the bigger moves of the day Stan Van Gundy gets Reggie Jackson as his point guard for D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler. Does make me wonder what the long term plans are for Brandon Jennings when he returns from his torn Achilles tendon.

In another sentimental move Tayshaun Prince returns to Detroit from Boston for Jonas Jerebko and Gigi Datome

Thunder Trade Reggie Jackson To Detroit Pistons | NBA TRADE DEADLINE MOVES #nba http://t.co/Vw57VK9fpC pic.twitter.com/VVd2XiVgQh

— WordLink #NBA (@NBAbyWordLink) February 20, 2015

Jackson has yet to prove he can handle the stress and extra responsibility of being the starting point guard. Saying you’re capable isn’t enough, now he’ll need to prove it. In my opinion he has a similar game to Westbrook but is no where near as talented. He’ll learn quickly however that if he doesn’t share the ball with his two big men (Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond) he might not be making a smooth transition.

On a funny note I tweeted out this past weekend during the All-Star game I wondered if the fact Jackson was wearing a Bad Boys Detroit Basketball hat was an omen, turns out it was!

Reggie Jackson was wearing this hat during All-Star weekend. pic.twitter.com/EWfv8NRZf4

— NBA Legion (@MySportsLegion) February 19, 2015

Indiana Pacers: 21-33

The Pacers seemingly fell victim to the unavailable prospects on the team as they attempted to enter the Dragic Sweepstakes as well as the Reggie Jackson discussions, but ended up standing pat at the deadline. The big news will be if Paul George returns this season and whether the Pacers can make a run for a lower playoff seed.

Pacers Stand Pat at the Trade Deadline: http://t.co/mrX9rTUlBC pic.twitter.com/I0rB3Ys6Kc

— Jared Wade (@8pts9secs) February 19, 2015

Next: Heating up?