Top 5 trades from NBA Trade Deadline Day 2020
The 2020 NBA trade deadline is finally past us. A majority of teams were in the market looking to fortify their rosters for a postseason run while the lottery franchises made moves to secure their future by giving up key players and settling for future draft picks.
We saw several notable and expected names such as Andre Iguodala and Marcus Morris being moved to contending teams while many bench pieces played the facilitator's role for the deals to go through. Some players such as Minnesota's Shabazz Napier and Jordan Bell were dealt multiple times.
With only the buyout market left for teams to realistically improve their rosters, we more or less know the mainstays for each franchise. With that being said, let us now look at the five best trades that took place yesterday before the NBA trade deadline expired.
#5 Denver Nuggets acquire Jordan McRae from Washington Wizards
Denver Nuggets receive - Jordan McRae
Washington Wizards receive - Shabazz Napier
Although the Denver Nuggets are looking more and more likely to finish in the top three seeds of the Western Conference with each passing day, their scoring struggles have been much documented over the last few weeks.
The Nuggets only rank 19th when it comes to points scored per game while their bench contribution is also only the 16th best in the NBA, both worrying signs for a team with the ambitions of a deep postseason run.
Herein, the addition of Jordan McRae brings much-needed relief to Mike Malone's side. McRae is averaging 12.8 points per game so far this season along with 3.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. The point guard is scoring at an accuracy of 37.7% from range and thus will augment Denver's perimeter offense.
For the Wizards, the addition of Shabazz Napier makes much sense as they get an ideal replacement for Isaiah Thomas whom they moved to the LA Clippers during the day. Napier is a pass-first guard and him slotting alongside Bradley Beal should help the latter in getting better looks.