The NBA’s moratorium ended on Saturday, allowing all previously reported deals to be officially announced, and while most of the major moves are already known, there are still plenty of salary cap adjustments being made behind the scenes to make these deals work, especially with the new CBA now in effect.
As teams try to avoid various luxury taxes, salary caps, or create roster room for additional players, every dollar counts. Many teams seem to realize that the best way to get around the salary cap is to string together multiple deals by cobbling together various deals. This is especially true when it comes to sign-and-trade agreements.
Well, on Saturday, the biggest trade in league history officially happened, as enough deals came together to complete the first six-team trade in NBA history, which ultimately included the Mavericks, Warriors, 76ers, Timberwolves, Hornets and Nuggets.
This was essentially three separate trades tied together into one big one: the Mavericks received Klay Thompson and a 2025 second-round pick, the Warriors received Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson, the 76ers received a 2031 second-round pick, the Timberwolves received a 2025 second-round pick, a 2031 second-round pick swap and cash, the Hornets received Reggie Jackson, Josh Green, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2030 second-round pick, and the Nuggets received cash.
All of these moves are based on deals that were already agreed in principle, but putting them together proved to be favorable and easy for the teams involved. As for the Nuggets, there’s nothing new to report here. We already knew they agreed to send three second-round picks and Reggie Jackson to the Hornets to get out of their contract. The official terms are just a formality for the bookkeepers, since the Hornets rerouted one of their picks.
The only thing that has changed is that this trade has become the new standard for most teams involved in a single transaction and the Nuggets are now a part of NBA history. When this trade was first reported, the general sentiment was negative as the Nuggets were clearly shedding payroll and paying a lot of money.
All of that is still true, but the recent signings of Dario Saric and Vlatko Cancal, along with the rumors of Russell Westbrook joining the roster, have calmed the anger among Nuggets fans a bit. This team is far from perfect, and the front office still has work to do, but the offseason has been going in a good direction and the Nuggets have made history.
