The first domino before the NBA's annual circus of a trade deadline fell--and it wasn't Dwight Howard. Golden State and Milwaukee executed a trade Tuesday, with the Warriors shipping scorer Monta Ellis and big men Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the Bucks, in exchange for sidelined center Andrew Bogut and veteran swingman Stephen Jackson.
Ellis was a perennial deadline-deal suspect, but with the likes of Pau Gasol, Josh Smith and of course, Howard--in fact, Ellis was rumored as a potential addition to the Magic as a sidekick to Howard, while the Warriors were supposedly putting in a big to acquire the All-Star center themselves--reportedly on the trading block, the All-Star snub had been flying under the radar a bit. Now in Milwaukee, Ellis joins a Bucks team in desperate need of offensive firepower, as well as a legitimate playoff contender.
Milwaukee is currently in the East's eighth spot, ahead of the free-falling Knicks. All-Star Carmelo Anthony, after expressing his frustration with New York's current state, reportedly told sources close to him that he's open to being traded, just one year after a drawn-out saga that brought him to the Big Apple--and with the high-powered backcourt of Ellis and point guard Brandon Jennings, along with the recent strong play of emerging force Ersan Ilyasova and fellow big man Drew Gooden in the frontcourt, it's not a stretch to say the Scott Skiles-coached Bucks are a potentially dangerous team and makes the Central Division that much more competitive. It doesn't hurt that the two players they traded away, Bogut and Jackson, were sidelined, due to either injuries, personality clashes with Skiles or a combination of both.
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For Golden State, the size-challenged Warriors finally have a defensive anchor in the middle, assuming Bogut can get healthy again, and the backcourt logjam is cleared up, as point guard Stephen Curry is the clear-cut primary ballhandler and scorer, with rookie Klay Thompson next to him on the wing. Jackson, ironically, teamed up with Ellis the last time the Warriors were in the postseason, on the "We Believe" Warriors team that historically upset the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round back in 2007.
While many observers believed this year's trade deadline would be a quiet one, league scuttlebutt has several more impactful deals on the table. Following his team's win over Miami in overtime Tuesday, Howard gave the Magic a tentative vote of confidence, but with him never indicating that he intends to stay in Orlando for the long term, it is thought that he could still be on the move.
One place he's unlikely to end up is Chicago, though multiple reports have the Bulls interested in Gasol, although the Lakers are reportedly unwilling to take back more salary and for the two teams to complete a deal, Carlos Boozer would probably have to be included. As a result, a third team would need to be willing to help facilitate a trade, as the Lakers reportedly desire a star-quality player, in addition to a starting-caliber point guard, if they were to lose Gasol.
It would seem far-fetched that the Bulls, sporting the league's best record, would be willing to break up their chemistry in the middle of the season, but with a chance to potentially upgrade at a position where they would hold an advantage over the Heat--their opponent Wednesday night and whether head coach Tom Thibodeau wants to admit it or not, their measuring stick--it can't be ruled out. It's the trade deadline, after all, so until 3 P.M. Eastern time Thursday, expect the unexpected.