General Manager Joe Cronin used last February’s trade deadline to shift course for the Portland Trail Blazers. The then-interim executive made three moves in the lead up to the February 10 buzzer, two of which jettisoned four key rotation pieces, earning in the realm of $70 million annually, to the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans.
In return, the Blazers shed a truckload of salary, generating a $20 million trade exception. The deals also yielded a couple of interesting pre-prime players, an unwanted veteran guard, a rookie with potential, an extra first round pick and a bunch of names unlikely to be NBA players beyond their existing contracts.