When it comes to major-league sports, there have always been crazy trades. Hockey GOAT Wayne Gretzky to the Kings was a big one, theorized only done to bring a larger crowd of hockey viewers to the United States, but there are trades going on now that are just as big and perhaps even more controversial.
The NFL has recently hit the start of free agency, and with that comes a lot of trades and signings. Former 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was traded to the Commanders for a fifth round pick, a trade some say is not worth his skill as a player. Hopefully, he will become an asset in Washington and the draft pick will help the 49ers in their rebuild. In addition, the Steelers received DK Metcalf in a trade with the Seahawks, but they did receive a coveted second-round pick for the WR.
Just a few days ago, on March 7, the NHL also hit their trade deadline. As what often happens during this time, there were some crazy trades made, notably surrounding the Boston Bruins. Our local team traded captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers, where he is now playing with stars Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Former Bruin Brandon Carlo was also traded to the Maple Leaves; overall, this trade deadline has been massively disappointing for Boston hockey fans. Mikko Rantanen also ended the year in Dallas, after starting in Colorado and having a brief stint with the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s safe to say that Bruins fans everywhere are mourning the loss of Marchand, a shocking move by the now-controversial Bruins administration.
Finally, there’s the league with the most controversial trades of all: the NBA. This season, the controversy has been fairly contained to one team. Fans of the Dallas Mavericks started off having an excellent year, but the same cannot be said for now. They started off the season breaking up famous Warriors duo the Splash Brothers, as Klay Thompson joined their squad in Texas. Klay joined the already-established talent of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, setting up a potential super team in the west to combat the east’s Celtics. Then, it all came crashing down.
During the hours between Feb. 1 and 2 of this year, Mavericks G.M. Nico Harrison made a trade that will potentially impact NBA history. He worked with the Lakers to send Luka Doncic to L.A. in exchange for Anthony Davis. While both players are stars, Luka is on the rise, while Davis is slowly falling out of his prime. Harrison chose to not only trade away someone who is arguably one of the top players in the NBA, but to a team where he can be mentored by LeBron James, who is undoubtedly one of the best players in NBA history. This trade was an overall win for the Lakers and established them as the west’s super team instead of the Mavs. It is still hard to put into words how insane this trade was when it happened, and how crazy it still is today. No other trade has inspired me to call my basketball-obsessed brother at 12:30 in the morning, questioning if the decision was real. Luka to the Lakers still feels fake.
The craziness of the NBA and NHL trading season has stopped as deadlines have passed, but the NFL is still in peak season for trades and signings. All I can hope for is continued great decisions by the Commanders, and for the Eagles and Cowboys to decrease in player talent. Only the future knows what’s coming for sports in the next few years.
