With the end of the All-Star Game, the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend also came to a close.

Each team had at least four days of rest after the All-Star Game.

Like last year, this period was a rare break for the players, but also the busiest time of the season for the general managers of each team.

In some of the reforms made after Xiao Hua's return, the trade deadline would be moved to before the All-Star Game starting next season.

But this season, it was still after the All-Star Game, specifically the third day after the game this year, which was February 22nd.

In fact, as in previous years, rumors flew during the All-Star Game, with players recruiting each other.

There were even some absurd rumors that James and Durant were interested in playing together.

However, most fans remained calm and didn't believe anything that wasn't reported by Woj or Shams.

But one rumor was being reported by various reporters, and the possibility of it happening was constantly increasing.

The Knicks had a really unlucky season. First, Howard announced he was out for the season before it even started, and then Wall tore his Achilles tendon before the All-Star Game.

Fans on social media were hotly discussing that Dolan had done so many bad things, that wrongdoing would surely lead to self-destruction, and that the Knicks were finally getting their comeuppance.

Although such unfounded rumors were limited to after-dinner chatter, the Knicks' current situation was truly a bit miserable.

Both of their All-Stars were out for the season, leaving them to rely on Anthony alone to struggle.

And the result was that Anthony's playing time soared, and his already injured knee was affecting him more and more.

His shooting percentage before the All-Star Game had already fallen to 42%, and it was foreseeable that this number would continue to fall after the All-Star Game.

And in this situation, Dolan was preparing to rebuild again, and he planned to sell Anthony directly.

And as more news followed, the possibility of this happening was constantly increasing.

Although Anthony's performance this season was only average, he was still a player ranked tenth on the MVP list last season.

Before that, he even had a chance to enter the top five.

To put it bluntly, according to media rankings, he was the fifth-best small forward in the league, behind only James, Durant, Butler, and George.

Such a player entering the trade market would naturally attract many teams.

A current star plus a future potential player plus draft picks would be the main components of an Anthony trade.

The Thunder, Rockets, Mavericks, and Bucks were all popular potential destinations.

Rumors had been flying, and as the trade deadline approached, possible trade targets were increasingly emerging.

The Thunder were the frontrunners to acquire Anthony.

According to sources, the Thunder were offering Oladipo + Sabonis + a future first-round pick + a second-round pick.

This trade framework met all of the Knicks' requirements.

But Houston media also reported that the Rockets' offer was very aggressive.

Of course, until the trade deadline passed, no one knew what would happen in the end.

Time flew by, and February 22nd arrived, the official trade deadline for the 2018 NBA season.

The smaller trades of each team began to take place first.

The Magic traded Payton to the Suns for a second-round pick;

The Pistons sent Willie Reed and a 2022 second-round pick to the Bulls for Niels and a 2022 second-round pick;

The Cavaliers sent Shumpert to the Jazz for Hood;

……

These small trades didn't attract much attention from fans, who were all waiting to see where Anthony would end up.

But in the process of waiting, a big trade came quietly and sparked a wave of heated discussions among fans on social media.

The Bucks sent Monroe, a future first-round pick, and a future second-round pick to the Hawks for Horford!

The Hawks had entered a rebuilding phase at the beginning of the season, and the core players of the team were gradually traded away.

Horford had remained until now purely because of the contract he had just signed, plus the team needed a face.

But now that the Hawks' record was neither good nor bad, the management was making this trade to carry out the tanking to the end.

The Bucks' motivation for the trade was even simpler.

Monroe's chemistry with the Big Three was average, and coupled with his defensive weaknesses, the team had long wanted to trade him.

They had been dragging their feet completely because no one wanted him.

But the good news was that he had an expiring contract, which was exactly the type the Hawks liked.

And Horford was not only an All-Star player, but also the former favorite disciple of coach Budenholzer.

Getting him with an expiring contract plus two not-so-valuable draft picks, the Bucks made a pretty good deal.

It was a win-win trade, but it was clear that the Bucks were the bigger beneficiaries.

After getting Horford, they also had a four-star lineup.

Irving, Hayward, Antetokounmpo, Horford, plus a bunch of role players, they now really had the strength to challenge the Cavaliers!

The weakness of the Eastern Conference made fans' expectations for the Eastern Conference playoffs generally low.

But at least, if the Bucks and Cavaliers met in the Eastern Conference Finals, it would definitely be an evenly matched and exciting showdown.

Just as fans were still discussing Horford's trade, the Anthony trade they had been waiting for finally had a result.

But the result was beyond everyone's expectations.

In the end, Anthony went neither to the Thunder, who had the greatest possibility before, nor to the Rockets, who were the most aggressive, nor to the Mavericks or Bucks, who had been rumored before.

He was finally traded to the Trail Blazers!

The Trail Blazers sent Meyers Leonard, Harkless, Noah Vonleh, and a future first-round pick to get Anthony, Luke Kornet, and Ron Baker from the Knicks.

After this trade, the Trail Blazers also had a core lineup of Lillard, McCollum, and Anthony, plus Turner and Nurkic.

They also had the strength to fight with several super teams in the West.

This was really quietly making a fortune!

Tang Tian was also surprised when he saw this.

He knew that this was very different from what had happened in history.

But the most miserable were the Thunder and Rockets fans, who had been shouting about staying up all night to line up at the hospital before the All-Star Game.

As a result, in the end, no one waited for anything.

But the consecutive trades of Horford and Anthony also illustrated a phenomenon.

Most of the rumors that spread a lot before the deadline were basically going to fail, and the ones that could be completed in the end were all quiet ones, which meant that the team's confidentiality work was done well.

After these two big trades, this season's trade market was also settled.

The Pelicans didn't make any trades this year.

This was also expected. With a record of 57 wins and 1 loss so far this season, making a trade would only happen if Demps's head was caught in a door.

But many things were unpredictable. The day after the trade deadline, Brogdon suffered a wrist sprain in training.

The subsequent MRI results were positive, which meant that Brogdon would be out for at least 1-2 months.

Brogdon was the core rotation player in the Pelicans' backcourt. His injury just after the trade deadline caught the Pelicans off guard.