Small Moves From the NBA Trade Deadline Could Make a Big Difference By Season's End

By - Lauren Dundee

The NBA trade deadline passed Thursday with the majority of big name players staying put. In fact, there were no real blockbuster moves. There were some great names rumored to be headed elsewhere, but nothing ever materialized from it.

Dwight Howard, who has had a controversial season with the Lakers to this point, was one of the biggest names floating around. However, those rumors were shot down by the Lakers organization. Kevin Garnett was also rumored to be on the move, reportedly to the Clippers, but ended up staying with the Celtics. The Atlanta Hawks were looking to trade Josh Smith, but they were unable to reach an agreement with anyone before the deadline.

Photo from: nba.com

One of the biggest trades of the season came in the weeks leading up to Thursday. Back in January, the Memphis Grizzlies traded their top scorer, Rudy Gay, to the Toronto Raptors in a three-team, five-player deal. There were, however, some smaller trades made in the days just before the deadline.

The Milwaukee Bucks made some of the biggest moves, landing Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick, along with Gustavo Ayon and Ish Smith. Doron Lamb, Beno Udrih and Tobias Harris were sent to Orlando. The Bucks are currently sitting in the eighth spot in the East, and the addition of Redick could help in their pursuit of a higher seed.

Probably the biggest trade made just before the deadline involved the Houston Rockets. They traded Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas to the Sacramento Kings. What they got in return almost seems too good to be true. They acquired Thomas Robinson, the No. 5 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft -- who happens to be highly underrated in my book.

After a slight struggle in the transition to NBA-style games, the Kings sat Robinson on the bench. His potential as a key player is an avenue that was overlooked by Sacramento, and is something Houston can potentially utilize as they attempt to secure a playoff spot. The Rockets also got Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt in the trade.

Houston also traded forward Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns, reuniting him with his twin brother, Markieff, in return for a 2013 second-round pick. The only other time twins have played on the same team was back in 1977 when the Van Arsdale brothers (Tom and Dick) played for the Suns.

It is also worth mentioning that with these moves, Chandler Parsons and Greg Smith are now the only two players remaining from last season's roster for the Rockets.

So while this year's NBA trade deadline may not have been the most exciting, small moves made by teams like Milwaukee and Houston could be the keys to securing a postseason berth. Sometimes, the smallest moves make the biggest difference.