AccuScore
| Tyson Chandler Fallout |
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One of the blockbuster deadline deals was undone when the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City was undone due to injury concerns. This directly affects the principles involved, but more importantly it could impact who wins the NBA title down the road by setting a veteran big man loose on the free agent market.
 The Thunder looked like the big winners of the deadline with their complete theft of Tyson Chandler for the expiring contracts of Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith. The trade was rescinded however because of concerns over Chandler’s injured turf toe. It is rumored that GM Sam Presti still pushed for the deal to go through, but other management sided with the team doctor’s and refused the deal.  Joe Smith could soon be waived and headed to a contender. Either way, losing Chandler hurt. The Thunder no longer get their de facto free agent signing and playing in Oklahoma City will make it tough to attract top-shelf talent during the summer. Chandler would have fit in very well as a defensive center adding to the young core of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook. If Chandler’s injuries hamper him over the next two years the Thunder will look good. If instead Chandler is healthy and plays well the next two seasons, this decision will look very bad. The big winners here are Boston and Cleveland. Wilcox was moved to the Knicks in exchange for Malik Rose in a straight cost-cutting move, but Smith stays put for now and will be a buyout target. As a veteran post player that can shoot from mid-range he could definitely help a contender and will be a hot commodity if he indeed becomes free in the coming weeks. Smith is said to favor joining Boston due to his past relationship with Kevin Garnett (the pair played together for four seasons in Minnesota). The Chandler trade thus has a much wider reaching effect then at first-glance. It would have kept Smith off the market; instead he is likely headed to another team and the playoffs, and could play a huge role down the line. We all saw the impact PJ Brown had last season in the Finals against the Lakers. He does not even have to contribute much at all, just hit a few 15-17 foot jump shots when the opportunity presents itself. Boston couldn’t beat the Lakers earlier this season because Big Baby Davis couldn’t hit a jumper to save his life. With Garnett having fouled out, the Celtics lacked an offensive threat at either post position. Smith would solve that issue perfectly, and could fill the same role with other teams like the Cavs or Spurs. The Hornets must now deal with the reality that they traded away their star center saying “we don’t want you, we’d rather have the cap space.” The resulting chemistry will be interesting to watch, but the early signs seem encouraging. In a post on his personal blog on NBA.com, Chandler seemed to be good-natured about the trade even going so far as to joke immediately upon returning to the team. The bigger issue for New Orleans is probably the injury concerns. Other deals in the past that were rescinded because of injury concerns usually involved players whose careers ended shortly after being traded. The first trade that comes to mind was Alvin Williams for Danny Fortson back in 2000. Williams career ended soon thereafter. There must have been a reason for the Thunder to send a young All-Star back to the Hornets.
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