NBA 2020-21: 5 Offseason trades that have not worked out so far
The blockbuster deal that sent James Harden from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 NBA season was one of the best pieces of business this year. However, not every trade move worked out for the involved teams and there have already been a few glaring disappointments.
In this piece, we review five trades that have not yielded the expected results in the 2020-21 NBA season.
5 Offseason trades that have not been productive so far in the NBA 2020-21 season
A lot of factors decide whether a trade ends up being a success. Sometimes, personal chemistry or basketball fit could disrupt deals that looked like a good idea on paper.
In the NBA, trades are made fairly often and teams can unload a big contract off their salary sheets, or when a contending team's front office is convinced that a new piece is exactly what could push them to an NBA Championship.
However, even the most thoroughly planned moves can fail to pan out. Here are the five most disappointing trades of the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
#5 Kelly Oubre to the Golden State Warriors
Kelly Oubre was initially traded, on November 16th, 2020, from the Phoenix Suns to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the deal that sent NBA All-Star Chris Paul to Phoenix. Subsequently, on November 22nd, OKC sent Oubre to the Golden State Warriors for a first-round pick and a second-round pick.
Oubre is a high-energy player who has great intangibles on the basketball court. However, Golden State's offense needs him to be a solid three-point shooter or match what he has done previously in his career (he made 35% of his threes last year).
Oubre has not been effective from the field and has made 39% of his field goals and 28% from the three-point line.
Nonetheless, he is averaging 13 points despite his struggles and could yet turn things around on offense, as he showed by scoring a career-high 40 points recently against the Dallas Mavericks.
#4 Ricky Rubio to the Minnesota Timberwolves
Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio was also a part of the trade that sent Chris Paul from the OKC Thunder to Phoenix. On November 20th (NBA Draft night), Rubio was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves for James Johnson, draft rights to Aleksej Pokusevski, and a 2024 second-round draft pick.
The Timberwolves have the worst record in the NBA's stacked Western Conference, and while it has not been Rubio's fault that the team have been hindered by injuries, the Spaniard has not performed well.
The veteran is averaging six points and six assists per game in 23 minutes and has made 35% of his field goals and just 16% of his three-pointers.
Rubio has never been an efficient shooter (he has made 39% of his field goals in his NBA career), but he shot 36% from beyond the arc last year, and his current 3-point percentage of 16% (with 31 attempts in 21 games) is holding his team back.