Much like our own solar system, the NBA’s biggest move was heliocentric, with Kevin Durant reportedly joining forces with Devin Booker and Chris Paul on the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers and Clippers pulled off significant trades as they attempt to put themselves in playoff position.
The Lakers traded point guard and L.A. native Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team deal in which L.A. will get Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt from the Jazz and welcome back D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Along with Westbrook, the Lakers will send a protected 2027 first-round draft pick to the Jazz and a 2024 second-round pick to Minnesota, sources familiar with the deal told the Los Angeles Times.
The move came one day after LeBron James passed Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and less than 24 hours before the NBA’s Thursday noon PST trade deadline.
Additionally, the Lakers traded Patrick Beverley to the Orlando Magic for center Mo Bamba, The Times confirmed.
The Clippers also made moves of their own, acquiring Eric Gordon from the Rockets in exchange for John Wall, sending Reggie Jackson and a second-round pick to the Hornets for Mason Plumlee and adding Bones Hyland to their roster from Denver.
Elsewhere in the league, former Lakers first round draft pick Josh Hart was reportedly moved from the Trail Blazers to the Knicks for three active Knicks, including Cam Reddish, and a first-round pick.
As the many trades were reported, NBA fans across the internet weighed in on all the chaos.
“I’m praying for his happiness and praying for his well being,” Kyrie Irving told reporters about Durant. “I’m glad that he got out of there.”
The Cavaliers’ center Robin Lopez offered an eccentric analogy for how the Brooklyn Nets’ Big Three dissolved.
“This is just like that time in ‘Muppets Take Manhattan’ when the Muppets, after unsuccessfully attempting to take Manhattan, split up and leave Manhattan,” he tweeted.
“Lakers got shooting, scoring and athletic wing. Wolves got a culture guy and a leader,” tweeted NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett. “[Utah CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge] free’d up bread and got a pick. And Russ getting free! Hell of a move for everybody.”
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor shared his thoughts on Twitter on Wednesday, writing, “Acquiring Russell Westbrook is one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the Lakers. Dumping him with a protected first for this haul of three players might just save their season.”
“It’s a great day to be a Laker fan — you got out of a contract and Westbrook you got more shooters,” said sports commentator and radio host Colin Cowherd in a Twitter video.
“You got more athletic, you got a real rebounder. The reality is the Lakers got what they wanted, but they got out of, more importantly, what they wanted to get out of.”
Co-host of the “Lakers Film Room” podcast Darius Soriano expressed optimism about the trade. “The Lakers as a team combine to attempt 31.1 three-pointers a game,” he tweeted. “D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley combine to shoot almost exactly half that many (15.6) a game on their own. The potential to reshape the geometry of the Lakers offense is very real.”
A 2015 video of then-Laker Russell naming future teammates Anthony Davis and James as two members of his “dream top 5” in an interview circulated on Twitter following the trade announcement.
Here are more samplings of the internet’s initial reactions to the trades: