{"id":458338,"date":"2026-02-06T20:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T20:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/458338\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T20:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T20:54:08","slug":"nba-trade-deadline-5-underrated-moves-that-could-have-an-impact-down-the-stretch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/458338\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA trade deadline: 5 underrated moves that could have an impact down the stretch"},"content":{"rendered":"

An adventurous and historic<\/a> Week of Trades\u2122\ufe0f saw plenty of big names change places. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Anthony Davis are in win-later homes; James Harden and Darius Garland were swapped for each other. Ivica Zubac, a season removed from playing at a fringe-All-NBA level, will eventually get to catch passes from Tyrese Haliburton.<\/p>\n

There will be, and already has been, plenty of audio<\/a> and virtual ink<\/a> spilled on those moves, and rightfully so. With that in mind, and in the spirit of the week, I decided to do what many other teams did: pivot to something else.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

We\u2019re here to take a look at some of the non-stars (or close) that saw their situations improve, and could prove to be important factors as we trek ahead to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dig in, shall we?<\/p>\n

Ayo Dosunmu, Minnesota Timberwolves<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Timberwolves were largely discussed through the lens of the Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit. They should now be discussed for their acquisition of former Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu.<\/p>\n

The fifth-year guard is enjoying the best scoring season of his career, logging a career high in points off the strength of insane 3-point shooting (45.1% on 4.3 attempts). It serves as a necessary complement to his driving chops, a skill that has improved in half-court settings and really pops in transition.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

He should vibe nicely playing off the attention that Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle command. His ability to get downhill, particularly in early offense situations, should make life easier for those stars, allowing them to attack tilted defenses instead of always being tasked with the tilting.<\/p>\n

[Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Dosunmu\u2019s quickness and plus-wingspan (listed at 6-foot-10)<\/a> allows him to hold his own defensively \u2014 and he\u2019s shown flashes of being a real disruptive piece during his Chicago stint. It wouldn\u2019t surprise me to see the Wolves dabble in three-guard lineups with him, Donte DiVincenzo and Edwards. A closing group with those three, Jaden McDaniels (having one heck of a year<\/a>) and Rudy Gobert could be incredibly tough to deal with.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019m eyeing, it\u2019s how teams will treat Dosunmu on the perimeter in games that matter. He\u2019s enjoying a strong shooting season, but historically, his catch-and-shoot efficiency has been a roller coaster. Tied to that is the fact he\u2019s largely been dared to knock down the triples he\u2019s taken.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Dosunmu\u2019s catch-and-shoot history from beyond the arc, as well as average closest defender distance when taking those shots:<\/p>\n

2021-22: 37.6% on 2.3 attempts, 8.5 feet away<\/p>\n

2022-23: 30.8% on 2.3 attempts, 8.6 feet away<\/p>\n

2023-24: 40.4% on 3.3 attempts, 8.8 feet away<\/p>\n

2024-25: 34% on 3.5 attempts, 8.3 feet away<\/p>\n

2025-26: 42.3% on 3.7 attempts, 8.0 feet away<\/p>\n

If the efficiency goes backwards, I\u2019ll be curious to see how often the Wolves feel like they can close with him. That\u2019s also a first world problem; him helping to solidify the second unit \u2014 along with the likely return of Mike Conley<\/a> \u2014 makes this enough of a win.<\/p>\n

Kevin Huerter, Detroit Pistons<\/p>\n

The Detroit Pistons have been the best team in the East; quiet as kept, they\u2019re only two games behind the Thunder for the league\u2019s best record. A conversational point around the Pistons, aside from their goodness, has been their willingness to make a major swing ahead of the deadline. They had the salaries, pick control, and, despite their record, a pretty obvious flaw in their design (shooting) to justify a swing.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

They ultimately decided against pushing all of their chips to the center of the table, instead bringing Huerter into the mix.<\/p>\n

I like it quite a bit.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s fair to raise a brow at Huerter\u2019s shooting \u2014 he\u2019s converting a career-worst 31% of his 3s this year \u2014 he is a career 37% shooter from deep. I think he\u2019ll enjoy playing off the gravity of Cade Cunningham whenever they share minutes together; that miiiight be a friendly context for him compared to playing alongside Josh Giddey.<\/p>\n

Beyond the pure shooting ability, Huerter\u2019s ability to move away from the ball should immediately make this group better. He\u2019s a smart relocator off the ball, often finding pockets of space to make life easier for drivers or post kickouts. On top of that, pay attention to his work as a cutter. He\u2019s converting a career-best 63% of his shots inside the arc for a reason; I think Jalen Duren in particular will enjoy the Huerter back-cuts when teams try to deny him on handoffs.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Huerter should also add value as a second-side option for handoffs or ball screens; he\u2019s an underrated playmaker, especially when defenses are already tilted. And on a basic level, Huerter gives the Pistons more optionality, taking some pressure off of Duncan Robinson to be the movement\/off-ball threat.<\/p>\n

Coby White, Charlotte Hornets<\/p>\n

Welcome home, Coby White!<\/p>\n

The Goldsboro, North Carolina, native and former Tar Heel joins a Hornets group currently riding an eight-game winning streak<\/a>. Not only is that tied with the Knicks (more on them shortly) for the longest active streak in the league, it\u2019s the first time this century that the Hornets have won eight (or more) games in a row.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s been a \u201cdown\u201d year for White as he\u2019s worked back from \u2014 and through \u2014 injuries, it\u2019s worth noting that he was looking more like last year\u2019s version of himself before this trade.<\/p>\n

2024-25 season: 20.4 points (54\/37\/90), 4.5 assists in 33.1 minutes<\/p>\n

Last nine games: 20.3 points (44\/40\/86), 4.9 assists in 30.9 minutes<\/p>\n

[NBA trade deadline winners and losers<\/a>]<\/p>\n

White brings a fun mix of pull-up shooting, drives (quietly logging the highest rim rate of his career), and off-ball prowess and secondary playmaking that the Hornets could use. He should slot in nicely in lineups next to LaMelo Ball. With the way the Hornets like to flow in the half-court, it\u2019s easy to envision possessions where White initiates things, only for the ball to find its way into LaMelo\u2019s hands against a shifting defense.<\/p>\n

More pressing could be what happens when Ball isn\u2019t on the floor. Of note, the Hornets\u2019 offense falls off a cliff \u2014 from a would-be-league-best 124.3 offensive rating to a paltry 112.2 offensive rating \u2014 when Ball goes to the bench<\/a>. White should help quite a bit with that issue.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Jose Alvarado, New York Knicks<\/p>\n

Speaking of homecomings, Alvarado making his way back to New York couldn\u2019t have come at a better time. Deuce McBride, enjoying the best season of his career (12.9 points on 59.2 true shooting, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists in 28.0 minutes), is expected to miss significant time<\/a> with a core injury. I was already a fan of adding Alvarado to this mix; in light of McBride\u2019s strategy, it\u2019s clear the Knicks needed this acquisition.<\/p>\n

To call Alvarado a spark plug or energy shifter would be an understatement. His ability to flip games on its head \u2014 more importantly, the way he flips those games \u2014 should be greatly appreciated in New York. He\u2019s so annoying (complimentary) at the point of attack defensively. Famously, you may need eyes at the back of your head to locate him after receiving an inbound pass, lest you get your pocket picked for a quick bucket.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Quietly, Alvarado has turned himself into a serviceable shooter (36.5% on 4.6 attempts from 3 over the past three seasons) who\u2019s willing to take them off the bounce if defenders disrespect him. His speed allows him to bob-and-weave into tight spaces, forcing defenses into tough decisions and opening up passing windows. The injection of pace, energy, and aggression should vibe nicely with the Knicks\u2019 second unit.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll leave you with this: among the many variations of Pelicans teams we\u2019ve seen across Alvarado\u2019s tenure, it\u2019s noteworthy that they won his minutes<\/a> and were outscored without him.<\/p>\n

Spencer Jones, Denver Nuggets<\/p>\n

Jones wasn\u2019t traded, but a money (and roster) move involving Hunter Tyson helped create a pathway for the Nuggets to convert Jones\u2019 two-way deal into a standard contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Jones has been tasked with defending multiple positions, knocking down shots, filling space as a cutter, connecting possessions as a passer or hand-off hub, and generating extra possessions on the offensive glass. Those responsibilities have felt more important in light of Aaron Gordon\u2019s absence; they likely feel even more necessary considering Peyton Watson is expected to miss at least a month<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Luckily for the Nuggets, Jones has been up for the challenge to this point. Across 34 starts, Jones is averaging 7.5 points (64\/41\/61 splits), 3.9 rebounds (1.3 OREB), and 1.0 steals. He deserves a salute for his impact, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll enjoy the added layer of security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An adventurous and historic Week of Trades\u2122\ufe0f saw plenty of big names change places. Jaren Jackson Jr. and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458339,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[5712,14727,36999,18736,16511,49,24617,48,11002,6681,18734,2360,2898,8028,17592,14732,8228,94778,14418,22890,18735,1525,6704,77259,14723,6701,59917,14735,11001,98826,14102,459,25583,5728,57350,30891,82,16306],"class_list":["post-458338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-aaron-gordon","tag-anthony-davis","tag-anthony-edwards","tag-ayo-dosunmu","tag-bulls","tag-ca","tag-cade-cunningham","tag-canada","tag-charlotte-hornets","tag-chicago","tag-coby-white","tag-darius-garland","tag-denver-nuggets","tag-detroit-pistons","tag-donte-divincenzo","tag-duncan-robinson","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-hunter-tyson","tag-ivica-zubac","tag-jaden-mcdaniels","tag-jalen-duren","tag-james-harden","tag-jaren-jackson-jr","tag-jose-alvarado","tag-josh-giddey","tag-julius-randle","tag-kevin-huerter","tag-knicks","tag-lamelo-ball","tag-mike-conley","tag-minnesota-timberwolves","tag-nba","tag-nba-trade-deadline","tag-peyton-watson","tag-rudy-gobert","tag-spencer-jones","tag-sports","tag-tyrese-haliburton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}