Week 12 - The Trades have started

Week 12 was an exciting one because Seoul decided to turn the JBL on its head. And I for one, love it. Let's review.

Seoul kicked things off by acquiring one of the best rookie keepers in Scottie Barnes. He also received the one-trick pony RJ Barrett and the soon to be free agent fodder Hamidou Diallo. Seoul parted ways with Ayton, Scary Terry and ultimate glue guy Josh Hart. This is a clear win for Bangkok here as it strengthens his squad as he attempts to chase down Maui. But, this is also a clear win for Seoul. Getting Barnes is a big win for the 22/23 Brothers squad.

Then we saw Seoul flip the always injured Zion to Idaho for Rudy Gobert. Did you know Zion's early career trajectory (games played wise) is comparable to Greg Oden? Not saying he's going to be out of the league soon but...Zion is a big man and he has foot and knee injuries. Hmmm. I get why Idaho did this deal. He got the big man and it was the right thing to do. Take the risk that Zion returns. Why not? Load up on keepers because relying on 'he'll be back soon' Victor Oladipo as a keeper was never a good idea. The last time Oladipo was good he had Darren Collison, Al Jefferson and Lance Stephenson as teammates. 

Seoul acquired Gobert for one reason. To flip him to Chilliwack immediately as part of an 8 player deal. The key prize for Seoul was Ja Morant. Another clear win for a trading partner with Seoul as the Wack becomes a real threat now adding Gobert, Brogdon, and the underrated Will Barton and Finney-Smith. The Wack solidify's himself as a title contender and almost assures himself of a top 4 finish (and 4 keepers). While pairing Morant and Luka together as keepers for next season would have been nice - when you are close - you have to go for it.

The top 4 teams are very clearly Maui, French, Chilliwack and Bangkok. What order will they finish - to be determined. That said, the Brussels squad could challenge the top 4 if they get Bam back soon and IF Ben Simmons finally gets traded. So, I'm not counting out Brussels just yet. The rest of us...we won't be top 4 without MAJOR roster adjustments. 

Seoul just might be the biggest winner here. Why? Because he gets Morant and Barnes for next season. Done deal. Godfather projections still have Seoul as a strong contender for 8th place. Which would mean 3 keepers. That's a bonus. But worst case, even if Seoul finishes 9th to 12th - he still gets Ja and Scottie. WINNER. 

While it's clear Bangkok and Chilliwack were the winners of the trades - it guarantees them nothing. These trades did not assure them of a JBL title. So, while they did the right thing going all in, it could be all for naught. But again, when you are in the hunt, you have to go for it. 

Idaho did the right thing too. Despite the bravado and eternal optimism, this Idaho squad is not a title contender. They could be a top 8 contender which would mean 3 keepers. And despite his faith in Oladipo, Idaho's best keepers currently are Zion, Jamal Murray, and Trae Young. I was going to say Darius Bazley but that's just cruel. 

So, just for fun, and because it creates some discussion points...here's how I would rank the moves made this week.

1. Seoul - clear winner getting Morant and Barnes for next season

2. Bangkok - currently in 2nd, closing the gap, and acquired 3 strong pieces

3. Chilliwack - Big acquisitions to bolster the squad. KD, Luka, Gobert. The Wack has his big 3 model back in place. But this time his role players are MUCH stronger. 

4. Idaho - the great risk taker lands the biggest fish, literally, in hopes he can be a healthy monster for next season. 

But really, Seoul and Idaho did what they should have done - acquire strong keepers for next season. I've preached it here many times - if you are not winning the JBL title or finishing top 4 (and getting 4 keepers) - you should be loading up on cheap rookies and strong keepers to build for the next season. And if you have a shot at the elusive JBL title you go all in for it. Remember, it's year 31 and there have only been 8 different JBL champs. Furthermore, 24 of the 30 JBL titles (80%) have been won by Golden, Seoul, Chilliwack and French. We've seen over 30 JBL owners over the years - so it is an elusive and prestigious title. 

These 4 teams, 2 contending and 2 rebuilding, did exactly what they were supposed to do this week. Well done to all. 

For the rest of us, the keeper trade deadline is Sunday, February 20th. So if you want to protect a player for next season he must be on your roster by midnight PST on that date. What's exciting about this year's All-Star break is the NBA trade deadline actually falls BEFORE the JBL keeper trade deadline. Usually, it's the other way around. So, we should see a number of NBA trades before our deadline which should mean a number of NBA players find new homes and maybe bigger roles. I'm looking forward to see what shakes down.

OK, that's it for this week. Well done to our 4 trading teams. Love to see it.