‘The league is stunned’: Blockbuster trade frenzy shakes up the NBA

Some blockbuster player movement shocked the NBA as teams get their houses in order before the trade deadline arrives this week.

The NBA is witnessing a trade frenzy. Photo: Getty Images.

The Trail Blazers are blazing a trail out of NBA middle-ground.

The New York Post reports Portland puts its cards on the table by engaging in a six-player trade with the New Orleans Pelicans as the league’s trade deadline fast approaches.

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The Blazers are breaking up their backcourt duo of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard by sending star guard McCollum to New Orleans while ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports Larry Nance Jr and Tony Snell have also been shipped off to the Pelicans.

In return, Portland is receiving New Orleans stars Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky and Didi Louzada as well as draft compensation. The Trail Blazers are reportedly acquiring a 2022 protected first-round pick and two second-round picks.

Wojnarowski wrote on Twitter Portland’s plan is to rebuild around superstar Damian Lillard, who at one point was being mentioned in potential trade deals with Ben Simmons in Philadelphia.

“Portland’s plan is to fully reshape roster around Damian Lillard now. Portland created a $21m trade exception today, potentially $60m in salary cap space this summer, multiple draft picks and assets via Pels and Clippers trades,” the NBA insider said. “Plan is to pursue high-end talent now, not retreat.”

Until now, McCollum has spent all nine of his NBA seasons with the Blazers. The 30-year-old has averaged over 20 points in every season since his second year and Portland has made the playoffs in all eight full seasons without winning a championship.

The trades with New Orleans come after the Trail Blazers sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Keon Johnson, Eric Bledsoe and Justise Winslow. Powell and Covington were two of Portland’s best shooters and are both gun defenders.

The Blazers sit at 21-33 and are the 11th seed in the Western Conference. If the season ended today, they would miss the play-in tournament, and that record seems likely to suffer even more with many of their best players heading to different cities.

Tyrese Haliburton (left) won’t be bumping chest with Kings stars anymore. Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images/AFP

CJ McCollum is leaving Portland. Mark Blinch/Getty Images/AFP

Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings stunned the NBA by trading Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana in a surprise move that saw the Pacers let Domantas Sabonis go.

The Pacers have sent Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb and Jeremy Lamb to Sacramento in exchange for Haliburton, Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson.

Haliburton, 21, has been one of the Kings’ best this season, averaging 17.3 points and 9.4 assists a game in his past 24 outings. Few could understand why they pushed the 2020 first-round draft pick out the door.

“Tyrese Haliburton was stunned. The league is stunned at this trade,” Wojnarowski told ESPN. “This was a player who everyone had thought — including Tyrese Haliburton — that he’d be the cornerstone of their future.”

have the Kings seen Haliburton play?

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 8, 2022

Haliburton is the type of player you don’t trade away. Just saying.

— Grant Liffmann (@GrantLiffmann) February 8, 2022

The Kings traded away Haliburton and didn’t even get back Ben Simmons

I just can’t get over that they traded him lol

— Grant Liffmann (@GrantLiffmann) February 8, 2022

The flurry of activity has taken place before the NBA trade deadline arrives on Thursday February 10.

With Jeremy Layton, New York Post