Three Players With Big Opportunities Following the NBA Trade Deadline ...Middle East

A blockbuster NBA trade has two sides. Here are three players who could rise to the occasion and fill the void left by departing players.

Every season after the NBA trade deadline, there are plenty of eyeballs watching the potential playoff teams that acquired new players.

There’s so much intrigue around which players can add enough value to push their new team over the edge. NBA fans will tune in to a bunch of Los Angeles Lakers games to watch Luka Doncic and Golden State Warriors games to watch Jimmy Butler.

Everyone seems to forget about the teams that traded those players away, but they keep playing as well, and they have to find a way to fill the void left by the dealing.

There are some players who are going to get real opportunities coming out of the All-Star break to prove they can be a part of their team’s future.

Here are a few players with new opportunities who could break through:

Tristan Vukcevic, Washington Wizards

When teenagers first get their driver’s license, they want to drive everywhere, just because they finally can.

Tristan Vukcevic seems to have a similar feeling with his jump shot. He shot 43% on 3s in the Adriatic League but has clearly worked very hard to extend his range to the longer 3-point line in the NBA. Now, the man wants to pick-and-pop every time down the floor.

He hasn’t gotten many opportunities yet but watch him set a screen and you’ll notice how badly he wants the ball when he has even the slightest opening. And he is always looking for the ball when he’s the trailer in transition.

Vukcevic was the 42nd overall pick in 2023 by the Washington Wizards and signed with the team this season. He’s missed time with a left knee contusion and right ankle sprain, but he connected on 12 of his 24 3-point attempts in the G-League.

It’s too soon to tell if he’ll be a good enough shooter to be effective, but when he’s hitting his shots, it looks good. He has a smooth-looking jumper for a 6-foot-10 forward and is just athletic enough to beat an aggressive closeout. He’s not tight with his dribble and it isn’t the prettiest when he drives, but he’s gaining more confidence with every minute. He’ll also utilize a nifty up-and-under when he can.

With Kyle Kuzma traded and Alex Sarr injured, Vukcevic got a career-high 20 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 10 and did not disappoint, scoring 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He showed his potential as a floor stretcher and had some nice finishes as well.

Defensively, he’s very much a work-in-progress. He doesn’t profile as a stopper even if he improves, but he’s shown solid instances of verticality near the rim. His biggest issues are ones of discipline; he’s often out of place on defense and reaches way too often, both on and off the ball. He’ll reach for a ball that he has no chance of getting, leaving him out of position for the duration of the possession. This is probably youthful exuberance and will improve with time.

He’ll need to do his best to improve his lateral quickness, but he has a chance of not being a dramatic liability on the defensive end. That may not seem like much, but if his offensive game reaches his ceiling, he can be a really nice rotation player.

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Vukcevic may have to wait a little longer for a true chance, however. Even after his great game against the Spurs, Vukcevic played 2 minutes in Washington’s next game because of Alex Sarr’s return.

Also, Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart are likely to be added to the rotation coming out of the All-Star break. But you have to wonder if Vukcevic will eventually split time with Richaun Holmes at backup center. Holmes is 31 and won’t be part of the next good Wizards team. It would make sense for the Wizards to find out if Vukcevic can be part of that future.

Even if Holmes holds down the backup center spot for now, Vukcevic could find his way into the lineup with a Sarr or Holmes injury. The team won’t push Middleton, so he could be shut down at some point if he has a nagging injury. An opportunity will come for Vukcevic; he’ll just have to be ready when it does.   

Mouhamed Gueye, Atlanta Hawks

Things happen quickly in the NBA, and Mouhamed Gueye is a perfect example of that.

Gueye played only 11 minutes for the Atlanta Hawks this season prior to Jan. 27. But now, he’s a starter for a team that is fighting to stay in the top half of the play-in bracket in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks traded Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter and lost standout forward Jalen Johnson to a torn labrum. That’s left a lot of minutes to be filled.

Gueye, drafted 39th overall in 2023, missed most of last season due to a stress fracture in his back. It set him back developmentally, but he’s looked much better in his G-League stints this season. He’s hit 18 of his 35 3-point attempts and is averaging 15.0 points in his 10 games.

The Hawks decided to give Gueye some run in the NBA, and, although the offensive success hasn’t translated enough, he’s flashed some serious potential on defense.

His best game on both sides of the ball came against the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 7. He had 15 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. His scoring came mostly on finishing out of the dunkers spot and in transition, but he did a good job making himself available with body placement when his defender left to help.

And each of his four blocks made you want to leap out of your chair.

Gueye has struggled mightily with his shot, hitting just 4 of 27 on 3s. And there’s a chance Georges Niang, who came over in the Hunter trade, is a better fit with a starting lineup that doesn’t currently have a single player shooting 34% or better on 3-point attempts.

But Gueye has flashed the kind of defensive potential the Hawks need to make up for Trae Young’s limitations. He’s already ranked in the top 50 in defensive DRIP. If he can even get his outside shooting close to average – and his small sample in the G-League suggests it’s possible – Gueye could be a huge find for the Hawks.

Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls

Matas Buzelis is a much bigger name than the first two on this list, and he’s received a lot more playing time than either of them. And the trade of Zach LaVine doesn’t remove a player from his position, as LaVine was one of the incalculable number of guards on the Chicago Bulls and Buzelis is a forward.

But Buzelis has a chance at more on-ball reps with LaVine gone and those reps are a huge part of determining his long-term ceiling.

He’ll need to bulk up in the offseason to avoid being worn down physically, and to stop having the mental lapses on defense that seem to incur the wrath of coach Billy Donovan. Buzelis will also need to continue to improve his jumper; it’s encouraging his 3-point percentage has increased every month this season.

Even with all of that, the dreams of Buzelis as a star- or near-star-level player start with his on-ball creation. He’s flashed the ability to bend a defense with no advantage and be a matchup nightmare when he gets going.

Buzelis showed his upside in a game against the Miami Heat on Feb. 4. He shot 10 of 10 from the field and scored 24 points – the most points by a player this season while shooting 100% from the field.

The four 3-pointers were nice, but Buzelis’s self-created possessions were the most important for his future. He plays with an edge and licks his chops when a smaller defender gets switched on him.

Buzelis has good handle for his size and great footwork on drives that leverages his size. He can also finish with both hands. As he gains strength, he has the skill and mindset to be a bully anytime there’s a mismatch.

The Bulls have been stuck in mediocre for a long time and, of the players currently on the roster, Buzelis has the highest ceiling. They need to give him every on-ball rep he needs to reach it.

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Three Players With Big Opportunities Following the NBA Trade Deadline Opta Analyst.

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