Green, Morris traded, but no major moves on NBA deadline day

Jeff Green joined the Los Angeles Clippers and Markieff Morris moved to Washington in a largely tepid end to the NBA's trade deadline day.

 

There were no deals involving Dwight Howard, Kevin Love, Pau Gasol, Al Horford, or any other All-Star caliber player whose named was floated in recent days.

 

Major moves will wait for the summer, when a soaring salary cap and a strong free agent class could provide the fireworks that never materialized Thursday (Friday in Manila).

 

Washington and most of the other teams battling for a spot at the bottom of the Eastern Conference race may have improved, though the New York Knicks couldn't come up with anything.

 

Houston, Cleveland, Chicago and Atlanta all made trades, though mostly minor ones. Teams interested in their top players not only had to weigh giving up assets versus signing them in the summer, but also whether they wanted to acquire a player who could be a free agent and command a huge salary when the cap increases to around $90 million in July.

 

Veteran players can earn 25 percent or more of the cap as their first-year salary.

 

Green went from Memphis to the Clippers, giving them another versatile forward while Blake Griffin is sidelined. Morris, unhappy this season in Phoenix, joins a disappointing Washington team that is 10th in the East.

 

 

A look at some of the key deals:

 

CLIPPERS GO GREEN: Coach Doc Rivers brings in another of his former Boston Celtics and ships out Lance Stephenson, who disappointed in Los Angeles just as he did in Charlotte. The Grizzlies also acquired a future first-round pick.

 

MORRIS MOVES ON: The Wizards gave up a first-round draft pick and forwards Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair for Morris. Despite his outbursts in Phoenix this season after the Suns traded his twin brother, Marcus, to Detroit, Morris was the Suns' third-best scorer and should benefit from playing with the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal.

 

FRYE'S THEIR GUY: Cleveland dealt seldom-used Anderson Varejao to Portland and brought in Channing Frye from Orlando, giving them another perimeter-shooting big forward like Kevin Love to help spread the floor for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

 

HAWKS ON POINT: Instead of trading point guard Jeff Teague, who was involved in a number of potential trade talks, Atlanta brought in a new potential backup in a three-time trade. They sent Shelvin Mack to Utah and Justin Holliday to Chicago, which also got a second-round pick from the Jazz.

 

D-MO IN MOTOWN: Detroit made its second deal of the week, acquiring forward/center Donatas Motiejunas and guard Marcus Thornton from Houston for center Joel Anthony and a protected 2016 first-round draft pick. Motiejunas, a Lithuanian nicknamed D-Mo, joins Tobias Harris, acquired earlier from Orlando, in bolstering the Pistons' frontcourt.

 

THUNDER STRIKE: With DJ Augustin's playing time as backup point guard reduced following the emergence of rookie Cameron Payne, Oklahoma City sent him and Steve Novak to Denver for Foye, a veteran who can play both guard positions.