Even though the trade deadline has come and gone there is still a way for each NBA team to pick up new additions for the rest of the season. Many teams will buyout players to save roster space and money, which will result in new free agents that are free to sign with contending teams.
Two players that have already been bought our are Mike Bibby and Troy Murphy. Bibby, who was recently acquired by the Washington Wizards, was bought out and is reportedly headed south to Miami. The Heat recently let go of their back-up guard Carlos Arroyo, and will bring in Bibby to man the reserve guard position.
This has the potential to be a strong addition for the Heat, who struggle with outside shooting in clutch situations. Bibby has had a reputation for making big shots ever since his days in Sacramento, and can provide the Heat with solid point guard play off the bench.
The other big name headed east is Troy Murphy. Murphy was traded to the Golden State Warriors from the New Jersey Nets before the deadline, and was recently bought out. Murphy had been reportedly weighing his options and trying to decide whether to sign in Miami or head north to join the Boston Celtics, who lost a lot of their front court size when they traded Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While Bibby and Murphy aren’t exactly superstar caliber players, they are still very serviceable veterans that can help their new teams. Bibby is an immediate upgrade over Arroyo, and Murphy will be able to help repair Boston’s suddenly depleted front line.
The only way this will end up impacting the Los Angeles Lakers will be if they meet one of the two teams in the NBA Finals. From a Laker perspective, the addition of Murphy to Boston is more troublesome than that of Bibby to Miami. The Lakers advantage over either of those teams will be their size, so if Boston is able to shorten that gap in any way it will be better for them.
Whether or not these players will indeed have a strong impact on their new teams is yet to be determined, but there is no question they should be positive additions for each squad.
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