What’s already happened

Denver trades C Jusuf Nurkic and a 2017 first-round draft pick to Portland for C Mason Plumlee, a 2018 second-round draft pick, and cash.

Denver Grade: C+

While the Derek Jokic/Jusuf Nurkic frontcourt experiment didn’t work, this doesn’t do much to fix the issue. The only reason the Nuggets are given a C+ is that Plumlee’s passing ability will allow them to play very similarly with him or Jokic on the floor, and could make for some fun offensive sets if they can figure out how to play defense together.

Portland Grade: A-

Nurkic is finally given a role where he can reach his potential, and Portland gets a 2017 first-round draft pick as well. Nurkic has one more year on his rookie contract than Plumlee, making this a great value trade for a team that may not make the playoffs.

Orlando trade PF Serge Ibaka to Toronto for SG/SF Terrence Ross and a 2017 first-round draft pick (lower pick from Toronto or Los Angeles Clippers)  

Orlando Grade: B-

Aaron Gordon can finally move to starting power forward, Terrence Ross is having his best NBA season and fits in nicely in Orlando, and the Magic gets a first-round pick for a player who would leave this off-season. In the moment, this trade makes sense. Rewind back to this off-season, when Orlando traded Victor Oladipo, Ersan İlyasova, and Domantas Sabonis for Ibaka, and signed Jeff Green and Bismack Biyombo in free agency, and you have to question the Magic’s front office.

Toronto Grade: B+

Toronto’s search for a power forward is finally over, and Ibaka looks like he will fit in perfectly. Norman Powell will finally get the minutes he deserves, and should flourish as the first wing off the bench. While they lose a first-round pick, they will still have one come June and have plenty of prospects. Acquiring Ibaka probably reclaims the title of second-best team in the east for the Raptors, but they will still be a tier below the Cavaliers when Kevin Love returns. This trade also falls short of an “A” for the Raptors, as they may have been favourites to sign Ibaka this free agency without giving up assets, and there is still the possibility of him just being a rental.

Predicting what else will happen

The “call back in the off-season” guys:

As much as yours sports news source will try to encourage otherwise; Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, and Paul George will not be changing jerseys this month. A team like the Boston Celtics will make some calls and maybe even submit an offer, but big trades like these tend to happen in the off-season. Carmelo Anthony was the last superstar to get traded in February, and he was an impending free agent.

The all-stars that may move:

Carmelo Anthony:

Speaking of Melo, Knicks’ president Phil Jackson is insistent on getting rid of the nine-time all-star before the deadline on February 23, but Anthony’s no trade clause has gotten in the way. The three teams he has accepted to go to (Cleveland, Boston, and Los Angeles Clippers) have been unconvincing in trying to acquire him, with the Clippers being the only team that seems at all interested. A trade packaged around Austin Rivers, JJ Redick, or even Jamal Crawford should not be enough to acquire Anthony, however, no matter how much Phil Jackson would like to move him.

Prediction: Anthony stays in New York

Paul Millsap:

After the Kyle Korver trade looked to be the beginning of a fire sale for the Hawks, they are now insistent that Millsap is off the market. While this is likely a way to increase his value, Millsap’s most likely suitor just traded for Serge Ibaka. Millsap doesn’t make sense for any contenders, and any other team should be careful about trading for an aging all-star who could leave this off-season: that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will.

Prediction: Millsap stays in Atlanta, or pit stops in Denver or Miami before testing free agency.

Expiring deals:

Rudy Gay and Danilo Gallinari:

Two more forwards who are likely to test free agency after this season, the Kings and Nuggets will be smart to trade them before they lose them for nothing (like the Pelicans with Ryan Anderson last year).

Potential deals:

Sacramento trades SF Rudy Gay and PG Ty Lawson to Oklahoma City for PG Cameron Payne, SF Kyle Singler, PF Nick Collison and a second-round pick.

Denver trades SF Danilo Gallinari to Los Angeles Clippers in three-way trade.

Next tier trade candidates:

Ricky Rubio:

While Kris Dunn looks like the future PG for Minnesota, he is not ready to take over yet. A Rubio trade seems inevitable, but it probably won’t be this season.

The Centres:

Greg Monroe, Jahlil Okafor, and Brook Lopez have all been involved in trade rumours throughout the season, and may finally be moving this month. While it is unlikely that all three will be traded come the trade deadline, a team like New Orleans is likely to pull the trigger on one of them.

Potential deals:

Milwaukee trade C Greg Monroe and SG Tony Snell to New Orleans for SG Tyreke Evans, PG Tim Frazier, and C Alexis Ajinça.

Philadelphia trade C Jahlil Okafor to New Orleans for PG Tim Frazier, C Alexis Ajinça, and a first-round pick in 2018.

Brookland trade C Brook Lopez to New Orleans for SG Tyreke Evans, PG Tim Frazier, C Alexis Ajinça, and a top three protected first-round pick in 2017.

Other guys to look for

Tim Hardaway Jr. – Atlanta

Taj Gibson – Chicago

Wesley Matthews – Dallas

Wilson Chandler – Denver

Lou Williams – Los Angeles Lakers

Brandon Knight – Phoenix

PJ Tucker – Phoenix

Kosta Koufos – Sacramento

It was another successful year for SFU women’s wrestling. The team had two national champions in Mallory Velte and Payten Smith, and three other top three finishes in Dominique Parrish, Nicole Depa, and Abby Lloyd, with Francesca Giorgio finishing fourth. As a whole, the team finished second in the standings.

“The girls wrestled really, really well,” said head coach Mike Jones, talking to The Peak. “Obviously there’s matches when you’re coaching, especially in an individual sport, where you’re never completely happy. You have some kids that really pull things out and win and some that slip a little bit. [. . .] The good thing is that the girls realise they could have won [the national championship] and are already jacked and excited for next year.”

Mallory Velte was, perhaps, the standout performer on this year’s team. She was to repeat in the 143-pound weight class, and as a junior, has a chance to go for the three-peat next season.

“I think she will,” said Jones when asked what her chances are at a third-straight national championship. “Mallory is at a point in her academic career where because she had an injury year that she could finish her degree. But I think she’s excited to come back and go for a third title. But more importantly, I think she wants to see the team win a title.”

Payten Smith was the other national champion, picking it up in the 191-pound weight class. She defeated the number one-ranked opponent, Paige Baynes, in a tight contest.

“It was kind of [a] last-minute effort that paid off,” said Jones on the match. “She got a nice throw and the girl hadn’t been in that situation all year. [. . .] [Payten] has been third, second, [and] first all year, so she’s in that mix. It just wasn’t a good match for her until the last 17 seconds. She’ll be back next year and she’s excited to improve.”

Dominique Parrish finished second in the 123-pound weight class in a tight match, and has the ability to become “one of the best we’ve ever had,” according to Jones. Nicole Depa also finished second in her weight class, and although she “didn’t fare too well in the final,” she was a runner-up for the second-straight year. Francesca Giorgio put in a inspirational performance, finishing third while battling with a hamstring injury.

Although this year was highly successful, Jones foresees an even better year next season with the wealth of returning talent the team will have at its disposal.

“If we can get three or four outstanding recruits, I seriously think it will be the best team SFU has fielded,” explained Jones. “The 2013 team was pretty special. We had an olympic champion and a world champion and two Canadian champions [. . .] It was a pretty solid team, but I actually think next year’s team will be that good.”

For the first two or three minutes of the second quarter, it looked like Western Washington was going to run away with the game. In two minutes, they took a two-point lead and made it a 13-point lead.

While there are always ebbs and flows in games — leads can expand and contract momentarily — it seemed like the makings of a blowout.

It was quite impressive to see SFU come back and make a competitive game out of it, even if it didn’t end up a win.

“We got some energy,” said head coach Bruce Langford. “We contested some of their shots and made it tough for them. And more importantly, we got rolling offensively.”

Rachel Fradgley and Sophie Swant put up much of the team’s points in this period. After the Vikings burst out to a 13-point lead, they only managed two more points — both off separate free throws — the entire quarter.

SFU went into halftime down only four, making the score 29–25.

While Western Washington got back to an eight-point lead in the third quarter, SFU’s comeback continued from there. Tayla Jackson led the charge, looking particularly dominant, putting up 11 of her season-high 13 points in the quarter. She has only hit double-digit points three previous times this year.

“She competed hard,” said Langford of the 6’3 centre, who transferred from NCAA Division I UC Irvine in the off-season. “It was her best game of the year, I thought, by far.”

“We didn’t shoot the ball very well, and if you don’t shoot the ball very well, you have little to no chance.”

Samantha Beauchamp put in a layup to tie the game and give SFU its first lead of the game since the opening two points by Fradgley. Fradgley put in another two to put SFU up by three. In the quarter, SFU dominated, putting up 24 points to the Vikings’ 17 while in the game, SFU led 49–46.

However, problems that had plagued the Clan all game came to a head in the fourth quarter.

SFU wasn’t good shooting the ball, going 25-for-67 (37.3%) from the field, and only had two three-pointers. Ellen Kett, who is normally one of SFU’s best shooters, struggled from the field, scoring only one field goal in 10 attempts, as did Elisa Homer, whose only points on the night came from a lone three-pointer.

“We got in foul trouble early,” explained Langford. “We just lost our composure there for a couple of seconds. We had two terrible floor shots, one from one of our best players, and when you have a four-point swing, and then you go down and have two terrible offensive possessions, that becomes seven points — that’s a challenge.”

Prior to the fourth, the calls were pretty even (SFU had 11 to Western Washington’s 12). SFU was handed nine fouls to Western Washington’s four. While SFU struggled in the fourth, Western Washington put up their most offensively potent quarter of the game, putting up 25 points (their other highest quarter was 17).

After being held off the scoresheet in the third quarter, Vikings star guard Taylor Peacocke — who in the last game against SFU put up 41 points — put up 11 points in the fourth quarter alone. She finished with 26 points.

“They’ve got three kids that can really score [Peacock, Kiana Gandy, and Tia Briggs], and the three kids scored,” said Langford. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well, and if you don’t shoot the ball very well, you have little to no chance.”

Jackson and Swant led SFU with 13 points, while Fradgley had 12 and Meg Wilson had 11. Despite struggling from the field, Kett was still productive, putting up 11 assists — her 13th game with double-digit assists is a Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) record — and six defensive rebounds.

“Despite our loss today, I think we maybe grew a bit and found out a little bit more about ourselves,” said Langford.

Having already clinched a playoff spot, the loss to Western Washington, who sits in second place, guarantees a third-place spot in the GNAC to SFU.

Next Game: Before returning home, the women’s basketball team has one last regular season road game. They face the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets this Saturday.

Statistically, the Yellowjackets are the worst team in the GNAC, with the worst scoring offence (59.5 points per game) and the second-worst scoring defence (they allow 71.2 points per game). That said, they still have five conference wins, including two in the last four games.

The last time these two teams met, SFU won 86–72 at home.

Tip-off is at 4:15 p.m.