People make strange decisions when they (think they) are under time-related pressure. It’s a truism, yet nowhere is it more true that at the NBA’s annual trade deadline. There only ever are 2 motivations for implementing a change to your team via trade; to make yourself better now, or to make yourself better later. Yet as we shall see in this recap of all 11 deals made at last week’s deadline, in actuality, achieving one or both of these simple outcomes is not so easy for the league’s GMs when their usual consideration and logic are affected by the word ‘deadline’ inked in red on their desk calendar…

Trade #1
get: Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson
get: Chris Webber, Matt Barnes and Michael Bradley
This blockbuster was actually made the day before the trade deadline expired, but either way it represents a substantial risk by both teams. It’s a big gamble by the Kings, as they give up one of the best power forwards in the game for what is frankly very little in terms of actual star quality, and it’s also somewhat of a punt by Philly because if (or when) Webber misses games through his dicey knees and ankles, their already tepid depth will take yet another hit. On paper, though, the Sixers make out like bandits. Webber’s massive contract notwithstanding, Philly overnight move into the cream of the East, and this was a team that just last week possessed nothing but Allen Iverson, a stand-still 3-point shooter, a center with a voodoo hex and about 7 backup forwards. Now, they have an elite all-round big man, and 3 of their forwards are in Sacramento, where the Kings, interestingly, have just won their second straight game sans CWebb. This in itself suggests motivation for the deal, as once you realise that a short-term salary cap windfall (Williamson comes off contract in 2007, and Skinner and Thomas a year later) wasn’t the reason, you are left to dwell upon other factors influencing this decision. For the Kings to believe they’re better off without Webber’s 21 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per night, they need to be certain they can play as a smart, efficient team. With Brad Miller capable at either the high or the low post, and now with Skinner, Thomas and Williamson added to Pedja Stojakovic and Darius Songaila up front, Sacto GM Geoff Petrie has been quietly (and youthfully) making over his team throughout the course of this season. Will it work? Well, if Sacramento last longer in the postseason than Philadelphia do, then you might just have to give him more credit than this swap suggests at first glance.

Trade #2
get: Speedy Claxton, Dale Davis and cash
get: Baron Davis
Quite simply, this is a magnificent move by Chris Mullin, whose much-loved team was embarrassingly stalled, bloated and simply not very good. Now, one of the game’s most talented point guards is added to a starting unit with playoff calibre talent at every position except center, and it effectively didn’t cost the Warriors anything. Dale Davis is a nice guy with a massive lower jaw, but he wasn’t going to teach Adonal Foyle how to make a layup or shoot free throws, and since he’s off contract this summer, he’s a perfect fit for the now-starting-all-over-again Hornets. And with Baron Davis coming over in the swap, the luxury of Claxton, the game’s best backup PG, was equally easy to relinquish. This move won’t help Golden State make the playoffs this year, but if they become a playoff fixture down the track, this move will be looked back upon as the turning point. Oh, and anyone who remembers the last time two men with the same last names where traded for each other, let me know.

Trade #3
get: Nzar Mohammed and Jamison Brewer
get: Malik Rose, 2 1st Round Draft Picks and cash
The only surprise about Isiah Thomas’ stewardship of the Knicks is that he keeps on surprising. How else do you explain him giving up his starting C, who may also have been the Knicks’ most consistent player, for yet another under-sized big man and 2 late first rounders? This deal is instructive for those wondering why San Antonio are a successful franchise and New York aren’t. The Spurs don’t need to make a deal in order to improve their lineup, but they carefully evaluate the options and do so anyway, coming away with a quality big man who’ll help them go deep (hopefully deeper) into the playoffs. The Knicks, on the other hand, stringently do need to make some improvements, but end up giving up an important piece of their team for next to nothing in return. Rose is a solid and popular player, but he’d be a better fit on a contender such as Miami or Cleveland, somewhere that actually has a need, and a roster spot, for his blue collar game. Brewer, included in this deal for salary cap reasons, has nice hair but has already been waived.

Trade #4
get: Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart and a 1st Round Draft Pick
get: Antoine Walker and cash
At a time where Chris Webber and Baron Davis have both been willingly exchanged for a bunch of bit parts, it’s amazing that Danny Ainge can give up his starting point guard, a first round pick and some of the best trade fodder in the game and only come away with Antoine Walker. About the best you can say is that at least he knows what he’s getting. In unexpectedly bringing ‘Toine back to Beantown, Ainge puts at risk the young, hungry tone to his squad that he’s been studiously working on for the past 18 months. Boston have a veteran core, 3 rookies, and a raft of future draft picks. And, unless they get run over by the now-upgraded Sixers, they’re also on track for some all important playoff experience this season. Now, Walker’s 3-point heaves, his turnovers and his locker-room presence (all criticised by Ainge upon his banishment from the club in November ’03) are back, at the cost of Payton, who’d been impressive all season, and a suddenly-no-longer-important future #1. Except for the positive impact his expiring contract will have on Boston’s salary cap, this move doesn’t make any sense. Of course, Walker is a skilful basketball player, which is why people are prone to accept his deficiencies, and he’s top-scored for the Celts in their 2 wins since the deal was made. For their part, in order to keep up with New Orleans in the race for the worst record in the league, Atlanta had to make this move – not only have they lost 20 points and 10 rebounds a night from Walker, there’s a rumour that GP will not actually report for duty. Which is probably fine by them.

Trade #5
get: Keith Van Horn
get: Alan Henderson, Calvin Booth and cash
It’s part of the current NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement that Dallas much be involved in a deal before the trade deadline each season, so this year the Mavs gave up a pair of chumps for the best available white guy. Apparently Van Horn is just that, due to his fat contract ($14½ million and a player-option over the summer) and the way Desmond Mason and Joe Smith thrived in the increased minutes whilst he was on the injured list earlier in the season. Milwaukee aren’t going to do anything this year, and they need as much cap space as they can to re-up Michael Redd over the offseason, so writing the rest of 2004/05 off won’t hurt them. Van Horn can score in a variety of ways, yet with starting center Erick Dampier currently on ice with a foot problem, the average league observer would have felt Dallas’ GM would have to be stark raving mad to give up both Henderson and Booth at this time. Well quite.

Trade #6
get: Vin Baker, Moochie Norris, and a 2nd Round Draft Pick
get: Maurice Taylor
You know the deals are suddenly becoming less important when a Vin Baker/Mo Taylor swap is being featured and there’s 5 more trades to go. New York send Norris back to Houston, where he’ll instantly re-emerge as a fan favourite, along with Baker, who won’t, on the condition they have a go at inspiring Taylor, who actually does have game. Or at least used to. In the Knicks’ locker room, he will fit in nicely as a talented forward devoid of enough time or recognition to make a real difference. New York, despite their disjointed season so far, are just 5½ games out of 1st place in the Atlantic (or 3rd place in the East, whichever way you choose to look at it), but it’s unlikely that either of their trades here will do enough to put them over the top. Houston, on the other hand, are marshalling themselves for a playoff run, and released Rod Strickland to make room on their roster for Norris.

Trade #7
get: Reece Gaines and 2 2nd Round Draft Picks
get: Mike James and Zendon Hamilton
Obviously not content with adding Norris and Baker, Houston GM Carroll Dawson has stockpiled another PG, plus has gained an additional low post banger in the process. James might be the Rockets’ 5th point guard on paper, but with Charlie Ward and Bobby Sura banged up, and David Wesley essentially a shooter, he may well start the rest of the season. This deal doesn’t work so logically for the Bucks, though, who were being quarterbacked very effectively by James in TJ Ford’s continuing, and possible perpetual, absence. And while Reece Gaines can play, Bucks GM Larry Harris probably needs to verify that those draft picks are second round picks, not first-rounders as he apparently thought.

Trade #8
get: Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Rodney White
get: Eduardo Najera, Luis Flores and a 1st Round Draft Pick
Another impressive swap for the Warriors, who add a pair of talented youngsters and continue the mid-season re-make of their roster. As good as Najera is at providing a much-needed spark off the bench, and the fans in Denver will love him, White has shown in his short career that he can play the game at this level. And while Skita hasn’t, Mullin may have pocketed a rough diamond in the 21 year old 7-footer from Georgia (the republic, not the state), and as a result is feeling very happy with this pair of deals. The Nuggets’ future is more immediate, and Najera adds to their physical presence up front, while Golden State’s (actually Dallas’) first rounder in 2007 represents a $20 in the back pocket for later. I have never actually heard of this Luis Flores chap, so I can’t tell you anything about him.

Trade #9
get: Glenn Robinson
get: Rodney Rogers, Jamaal Mashburn
In this exchange of injury-list residents, it’s difficult to say who actually got better of the deal. Mashburn, unlike the Big Dog, might actually play again, which in some senses represents a positive, but, unlike the Big Dog, has a contract with an option which will, if enforced, keep his salary on the cap for another season. That’s a negative. Robinson has been on the trading block for the past 6 months, so for the Sixers to be able to get anything even remotely productive for him is a good move, and Rogers fits that description perfectly. Jim O’Brien loves him from the time they spent in Boston a few years back, and will allow Rogers to stand around on the perimeter nailing threes and/or parking his big butt on the wing as a screen for Iverson. Of course, swingman Kedrick Brown was thought to be a Jim O’Brien guy when he was acquired over the summer, and he was waived to make room for Rogers, so you never know. Mashburn, if he can re-learn to walk, will be a bonus, but in the immediate term the shadow cast by Robinson’s expiring contract is worth more to the Hornets than the chance he’d possibly play again.

Trade #10
get: Jiri Welsch
get: a 1st Round Draft Pick
Cleveland already have a G/F who can pass, shoot and handle the ball, plus they have LeBron James, so this is a trade that doesn’t really make sense either. Sasha Pavlovic is currently LeBron’s backup, a role Welsch is, at minimum, expected to take, and both players are solid contributors who can shoot the basketball. Welsch didn’t have a full time role in Boston either, where Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis and even rookie Tony Allen were ahead of him, but will be hoping to earn the starting shooting guard role in Cleveland over the less-offensive-minded Ira Newble. Boston won’t miss him; or at least they shouldn’t.

Trade #11
get: Steve Smith
get: Malik Allen and cash
This swap has all the hallmarks of being one of those little, oft overlooked trades that a good team makes which ends up forming a significant part of their successdown the track. Steve Smith has shown, to his credit, than he can still play in the league during his time in Charlotte this season, and as a result has been rewarded with a veteran’s spot on a contender. Although he went straight to the injured list on arriving in Miami, Smith has hopes of being the John Paxson/Steve Kerr/Eddie Johnson type of bench-bound shooter who can come off the pine and nail a game winner come playoff time. Malik Allen is a free agent this summer. Sometimes, in the NBA, that’s enough to make you valuable on the trade deadline.