NBA Weekly Recap: Feb. 7

Story posted February 7, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Justin Ciavolella

The NBA trade deadline is set to take place this Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST and the rumors are flying.

It has been a slow start to the trade season, but on Friday afternoon the Portland Trailblazers and Los Angeles Clippers completed a five-player deal. Los Angeles acquired Norman Powell and Robert Covington in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a future second-round pick.

Portland, who is still without Damian Lillard, is still working to put pieces around him. This deal clears cap space for Portland to work with as they are expected to continue to pursue deals leading up to the deadline.

The Clippers, who are sitting at eighth in the Western Conference, have needed role players to step up in the absence of their duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. This deal provides them with better scoring and defending, which could propel them into the playoffs.

Another team struggling in the absence of a few of their key players in the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are currently in a flunk, losing seven games in a row heading into a matchup on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets.

Kevin Durant is still out with a sprained MCL that he suffered back in January and the Kyrie Irving situation lives on.

This leaves all of the pressure on their third superstar, James Harden. Harden is reportedly becoming frustrated with the team and his tenure with the organization could be coming to an end.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been active in their pursuit of Harden dating back to when he was still a Houston Rocket. The 76ers are looking to package disgruntled star Ben Simmons in a deal that could land them Harden to pair with a top MVP candidate in Joel Embiid.

A former Net, Caris LeVert, has become the frontrunner to be moved out of Indiana in the coming days. The Pacers are driving a hard bargain for LeVert as they look to acquire two first-round picks in exchange for the guard.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who sit as the third seed in the East behind the strong play of Darius Garland, have been rumored to be interesting. LeVert is considered a perfect candidate to complement Garland’s style with Ricky Rubio and Collin Sexton out for the remainder of the year.

With all of the focus on the trade deadline, there has still been a lot of action happening on the court.

Steph Curry is starting to return to form for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, who have won eight straight games, were not getting the level of production that they have become used to from Curry.

Curry posted a 40-point performance against the Rockets early in the week. In both of the games he played this week, he shot over 55% from the field and 50% or better from beyond the arc. His return to normalcy could be dangerous for the rest of the league.

Despite the Warriors' recent hot streak and Curry’s resurgence, the Suns have gone 9-1 in their last ten games and remain two games up on the Warriors for first place.

The team right behind the Warriors and Suns has been getting their own great scoring from Ja Morant. Morant is currently fifth in the league in scoring and has helped the Memphis Grizzlies into the third spot in the West. Morant has scored 30 or more points in eight of his last nine games.

Another young star that has come on strong is Luka Doncic. The 22-year-old superstar entered the top-10 in career triple-doubles on Friday night. It took just 237 games for him to reach this milestone. The Mavericks currently sit at fifth in the West and could be a team to make some moves to surround their franchise centerpiece at the deadline.

Justin Ciavolella is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.