tlongII
03-15-2012, 07:17 PM
Wallace deal:
Portland: A
The Blazers are flailing, but this was absolutely the right move for them -- a means to a quickie rebuilding project that can have them back in the West's upper crust while LaMarcus Aldridge is still in his prime. Or so they hope.
The top-3 protected draft choice from the Nets is the key. It's likely to fall in the 6-to-10 range, giving the Blazers a shot at a high lottery pick.
There are two other angles here. First, they are assured that Wallace won't opt in for $9.5 million next year and screw up their cap situation; instead they're locked into $3.1 million for Williams and roughly $2.5 million for the first-round pick. If they also deal Jamal Crawford (or if he opts out, which seems likely), they'll be $25 million under the cap next summer, which means they have the wherewithal to re-sign Nicolas Batum and plunge into the free-agent market.
Second, while Williams was useless in New Jersey as a 3, he's had some success as a 4 off the bench. That could be his role in Portland, since Wallace had effectively taken over as the backup power forward. Alternatively, the trade could open playing time for Luke Babbitt -- who has played well in recent garbage-time stints -- or the scandalously underutilized Craig Smith.
Finally, this clears up a perimeter jumble for Portland. Batum gets to start at the 3, his natural position, and if Crawford goes, it appears Wes Matthews and Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Lu ck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_ Williams can share the shooting guard spot.
Camby deal:
Portland: B-
It makes sense for Portland to start moving players it won't have after this season, and it gets a free look at Thabeet and Flynn to see if they can be a part of the solution going forward. Alas, watching Flynn for any length of time may give Blazers fans a new appreciation for Raymond Felton.
Trading Camby also may force Portland to stumble into a much better arrangement: Playing LaMarcus Aldridge at center. The Blazers can use Craig Smith, Luke Babbitt and recently acquired Shawne Williams at the 4, space the floor, and perhaps rediscover some of the vibrancy they showed earlier this season
pass1st
03-15-2012, 07:25 PM
I expected to see more "grades" posted.
It's tlong, all he gives a shit about is that somebody gave their team an A for trades that wont save them from mediocrity.
IronMaxipad
03-15-2012, 07:31 PM
Can you post it? Thanks.
L.A. Lakers: A-
The only reason I put a "minus" here is my one misgiving about Sessions' fit into the Lakers' offense. He's a slashing, pick-and-roll point guard who needs the ball in his hands; spacing the floor for Kobe isn't really his thing. He'll likely be at his best when Bryant is off the floor, as the catalyst for the second unit.
With that said, Sessions is such a huge upgrade on the Lakers' current point guard mess it's not even funny, and it will likely take much of the strain off their three stars to play 40 minutes a game and take all the shots.
Defensively, he's kind of a sieve, and so he won't cure the vulnerability to quick point guards that has bedeviled the Lakers for years. But he's a good rebounder and, again, his ability to create off the dribble gives them a dimension that was badly lacking.
Sessions is also a free agent after the season, potentially; he has an opt-out in his contract. The nice thing about being the Lakers, however, is that nobody is a flight risk. If the Lakers want to keep him, they almost certainly can.
pass1st
03-15-2012, 07:33 PM
Denver: B
McGee has become a YouTube sensation for all the wrong reasons, making a colossal mental error at least once a game. I may need to move to Denver just to watch George Karl's reaction to coaching him.
And yet I like this. I know how weird this looks, but hear me out. The Nuggets had buyer's remorse on Nene from almost the day the contract was signed, as he's been unwilling to play through minor injuries and his on-court performance has slipped. I had heard the same reports others have that the Nuggets offered him to Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins in the opening weeks of the season; in fact I was told it was the first call the Kings got after the Cousins-Westphal brouhaha.
Nene is 29 years old and relies heavily on his athleticism, and at $13 million a year for each of the four years after this one makes him a major risk, especially since the Nuggets have a lot of other young, talented players who will need to be paid over the next three years.
McGee, on the other hand, is 24 years old and hugely productive. He's Nene's equal as a finisher and scorer, and a much better rebounder and shot-blocker. He makes dramatically less than Nene right now, and while that gap will close this summer, the chill of restricted free agency should still allow the Nuggets to keep him for much less than the four years, $52 million owed Nene.
Additionally, the Nuggets will get a huge trade exception out of this. If my cap math is right, they can slot both Turiaf and McGee just inside the $7 million exception left over from the Raymond Felton deal (seriously, how giddy must the Nuggets be about that trade?), and thus can do a straight deal of Nene into a $13 million exception.
Basically, they amnestied Nene and got players back.
So while I'd rather have Nene than McGee today, I'm not sure that's true three years from now. And when you look at all the other cap management considerations, this is a nice deal for Denver.
Washington: C-
I get why they did it -- Washington didn't want to pay for McGee and had no interest at all in keeping Nick Young. That said, I can't help thinking this is the classic Ernie Grunfeld maneuver, making a deal as if his team is one player away from contending for the title regardless of where they actually stand. While this might not be quite as bad as going "all in" for Randy Foye and Mike Miller two years ago, the Wizards gained five years and considerable dollars at the center position, and it's not clear if they gained at all in the talent department.
Washington is still far enough below the cap that the dollars may not matter much, particularly if they amnesty Rashard Lewis this summer. Nonetheless, I think they overreacted to McGee's agent's contract demands heading into this summer -- again, NBA teams have been amazingly slow to realize how much leverage they have in restricted free agency. They do at least get a high second-round pick belonging to the Hornets in return for Young, who was gone after the season otherwise.
L.A. Clippers: B+
There are a lot of things I don't like about Nick Young as a player -- he doesn't pass, he takes too many long 2s, and he doesn't try that hard on defense. But it's tough to argue with "free" as a price point, or in this case, virtually free. The Clippers only gave up Brian Cook's dead weight and a second-round draft pick, slotting Young just inside the trade exception they had from the Eric Gordon deal earlier this year.
Young waived his Bird Rights to agree to this deal, most likely because he's from L.A., and likely can take over as the starting shooting guard. His ability to space the floor and post up small 2s for mid-range jumpers gives the Clippers a weapon they've been missing since Chauncey Billups was lost for the year. They probably won't be able to bring him back, but this was probably the best rental move any team made on Thursday.
March 15: Wallace coming to New Jersey
Nets trade Shawne Williams, Mehmet Okur and a first-round pick to Portland for Gerald Wallace.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Portland: A
The Blazers are flailing, but this was absolutely the right move for them -- a means to a quickie rebuilding project that can have them back in the West's upper crust while LaMarcus Aldridge is still in his prime. Or so they hope.
The top-3 protected draft choice from the Nets is the key. It's likely to fall in the 6-to-10 range, giving the Blazers a shot at a high lottery pick.
There are two other angles here. First, they are assured that Wallace won't opt in for $9.5 million next year and screw up their cap situation; instead they're locked into $3.1 million for Williams and roughly $2.5 million for the first-round pick. If they also deal Jamal Crawford (or if he opts out, which seems likely), they'll be $25 million under the cap next summer, which means they have the wherewithal to re-sign Nicolas Batum and plunge into the free-agent market.
Second, while Williams was useless in New Jersey as a 3, he's had some success as a 4 off the bench. That could be his role in Portland, since Wallace had effectively taken over as the backup power forward. Alternatively, the trade could open playing time for Luke Babbitt -- who has played well in recent garbage-time stints -- or the scandalously underutilized Craig Smith.
Finally, this clears up a perimeter jumble for Portland. Batum gets to start at the 3, his natural position, and if Crawford goes, it appears Wes Matthews and Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Lu ck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_Luck_The_Fakers_ Williams can share the shooting guard spot.
New Jersey: D+
The Nets made a reckless gamble at the trade deadline for the second year in a row; last year it was Williams, this year it's trading a lottery pick for Wallace.
I put a "plus" on their D for one reason: Wallace was one of the players Orlando coveted in earlier Dwight Howard trade scenarios, which means the Nets maintain a stockpile of players that could be converted into Howard on draft day or early this summer.
If Wallace stays, that is, which is by no means certain. He can opt out after the season and become an unrestricted free agent, although New Jersey may wiggle an extension in front of him and see if he bites. I'm not sure that's a great outcome either, though, since Wallace turns 30 in July and is visibly less athletic than in his Charlotte days.
So basically, the Nets gave up a lottery pick for a midtier starter who can leave as a free agent. If he stays, New Jersey is still in pretty good shape cap-wise; the Nets would have enough cap room to re-sign Kris Humphries and Brook Lopez and could go after a big-time free agent even if Deron Williams leaves.
And one can see what they're trying to do, at least: sell Williams on a starting five with MarShon Brooks, Wallace, Humpries and Lopez, with Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar and Gerald Green off the bench. That's a pretty good team, right? But I'm not sure "pretty good" is enough of a lure when the siren song of a Dallas homecoming is calling.
March 15: Camby on the way to Houston
Blazers send Marcus Camby to Houston for Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn and Minnesota's second-round pick.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Portland: B-
It makes sense for Portland to start moving players it won't have after this season, and it gets a free look at Thabeet and Flynn to see if they can be a part of the solution going forward. Alas, watching Flynn for any length of time may give Blazers fans a new appreciation for Raymond Felton.
Trading Camby also may force Portland to stumble into a much better arrangement: Playing LaMarcus Aldridge at center. The Blazers can use Craig Smith, Luke Babbitt and recently acquired Shawne Williams at the 4, space the floor, and perhaps rediscover some of the vibrancy they showed earlier this season.
Houston: B+
It's not deadline day until Daryl Morey makes a deal involving a second-round pick. In this one, the Rockets used their expiring contracts to get a better player who is also on an expiring contract; this barely affects their long-term strategy at all but it does give them a leg up in their playoff push. Expect Camby to take minutes as the backup center, and in the big picture he provides more quality size for a team that could really use some.
March 15: Jackson for Jefferson swap
Warriors send Stephen Jackson to San Antonio for Richard Jefferson, TJ Ford and a first-round pick.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Golden State: D+
Golden State gets the better player in Jefferson, and he may help them with their playoff run. But wait, aren't they trying to tank? Wasn't that half the reason for the Monta Ellis trade? My brain hurts.
At any rate, this is a bad trade for completely different reasons -- Jefferson has one more year left than Jackson, one in which he makes $11 million. Having already taken themselves out of the free-agent race in 2012 with the original trade for Jackson two days ago, the Warriors now have punted on 2013 by taking on Jefferson; add an extension in the $10 million range for Stephen Curry and they're capped out with Curry, Jefferson, David Lee, Andris Biedrins and Andrew Bogut, and they've already used their amnesty.
By 2013-14 the Warriors are likely to be swashbuckling with the luxury tax, and that will be a much more punitive monster that season than it is now. All this might make sense if they were locking in a championship contender, but they've basically committed long-term to a fairly uninspiring nucleus. The absolute best-case scenario is that they're the West Coast Atlanta Hawks.
They also got a first-rounder from San Antonio, but it will be a very late one in all likelihood. Plus, nobody pays $11 million for first-round picks. Well, except Cleveland, I guess.
San Antonio: B
It's an odd trade for a team in the championship race to make, since Jefferson-for-Jacko is a slight downgrade at this point in their respective careers. But the long-term savings were simply too good to pass up; San Antonio now has massive cap flexibility in the summer of 2013.
Additionally, one can argue it made a potentially difficult move much easier. The Spurs were likely going to have to bench Jefferson, who has started all 41 games but has by far the worst PER of San Antonio's 10 rotation players. With Kawhi Leonard playing well and Manu Ginobili likely to return soon, they sidestep a potentially sticky problem and can bring Jackson off the bench in a more limited role.
March 15: Sessions headed to the Lakers
Lakers trade Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and 2012 first-rounder to Cleveland for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Cleveland: D+
If Dan Gilbert is paying attention, he should ask David Stern to void this trade for "basketball reasons."
First, let's follow the dead money. Walton makes $6.1 million next year with his trade kicker; Eyenga makes $1.1 million; neither of them are likely to play much or do anything of consequence if they do. So Cleveland swallows $5 million in dead 2012-13 salary.
For the privilege, they get a first-round pick from L.A. that will likely be in the 20s. The interesting part here is that when teams have done cash-for-late-first-rounder deals, they've typically valued the pick in the $3-4 million range. At best, the Cavs slightly overpaid on this part of the equation. And from L.A.'s side the savings double since they're in the luxury tax; effectively being paid $10 million for a late first-rounder is great business on their part.
But wait ... Cleveland also gave up a really good point guard! The Lakers essentially got Sessions for free; it was a fair deal just to give them a first-rounder to take Walton off their hands.
The Cavs do effectively move up a few spots in the 2013 draft with this deal. The Cavs get the right to swap Miami's first-round pick, which they own, with L.A.'s; most likely, that pushes them from 29th or 30th into more like the low-mid 20s.
L.A. Lakers: A-
The only reason I put a "minus" here is my one misgiving about Sessions' fit into the Lakers' offense. He's a slashing, pick-and-roll point guard who needs the ball in his hands; spacing the floor for Kobe isn't really his thing. He'll likely be at his best when Bryant is off the floor, as the catalyst for the second unit.
With that said, Sessions is such a huge upgrade on the Lakers' current point guard mess it's not even funny, and it will likely take much of the strain off their three stars to play 40 minutes a game and take all the shots.
Defensively, he's kind of a sieve, and so he won't cure the vulnerability to quick point guards that has bedeviled the Lakers for years. But he's a good rebounder and, again, his ability to create off the dribble gives them a dimension that was badly lacking.
Sessions is also a free agent after the season, potentially; he has an opt-out in his contract. The nice thing about being the Lakers, however, is that nobody is a flight risk. If the Lakers want to keep him, they almost certainly can.
March 15: Grizzlies trade Sam Young to Philadelphia
Grizzlies trade Sam Young to Philadelphia for rights to Ricky Sanchez.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Memphis: C-
While championship fortunes do not hinge on the likes of Sam Young, the Grizzlies wouldn't have had to give him away if they had just planned their cap a bit better. Instead, they were $612,101 over the line and had to dump Young on the Sixers to get under it. Young wasn't playing and wasn't really happy about it, so I don't want to oversell the impact, but he still had some value for depth purposes. The rights to Sanchez are worthless and included only because the league mandates both sides must give up something in a trade; this was a straight salary dump.
Philadelphia: B+
A free player! You can't argue with that. Philly used its trade exception from its earlier deal for Marreese Speights to get Young and cement its wing depth. He's not a great fit because he's a poor long-range shooter, plus his physical, one-on-one style doesn't mesh well with Philly's pass-cut-jumper, don't-ever-turn-it-over approach. Still, it's tough to beat free, and he's a restricted free agent who could have some sign-and-trade value this summer.
March 15: Raptors trade Leandro Barbosa to Indiana
Raptors trade Leandro Barbosa to Indiana for a second-round pick.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Indiana: B
I'm not crazy about Barbosa in Indy, because he's another blind gunner on a team that already has too many of them. But I can see the logic here, too. It's another beggars-can't-be-choosers deal, as the Pacers basically use their cap space to get a free player. In fact, Indiana was below the league minimum and was either going to be paying Barbosa or giving the money to all the other players on the roster to make up the difference.
He'll upgrade their backup shooting guard spot too, as Lance Stephenson has been a failure and Dahntay Jones up and down. He's an expiring deal and I'll be shocked if Indy keeps him beyond this season, but as a rental shooting guard, this was about as good as they could hope for.
Toronto: B
You knew Barbosa wasn't long for Toronto when it used Gary Forbes as the backup point guard against Cleveland two nights ago. The Raps unload their financial obligation for the rest of this season, open more minutes for the likes of Forbes and Jerryd Bayless in the backcourt, and can start seeing how everyone meshes with the recently returned Andrea Bargnani heading into this summer. We don't know the details on the pick but at best it will be in the 50 range, so that part has limited value at best.
That's everything I think
Giuseppe
03-15-2012, 07:59 PM
L.A. Lakers: A-
The only reason I put a "minus" here is my one misgiving about Sessions' fit into the Lakers' offense. He's a slashing, pick-and-roll point guard who needs the ball in his hands; spacing the floor for Kobe isn't really his thing. He'll likely be at his best when Bryant is off the floor, as the catalyst for the second unit.
With that said, Sessions is such a huge upgrade on the Lakers' current point guard mess it's not even funny, and it will likely take much of the strain off their three stars to play 40 minutes a game and take all the shots.
Defensively, he's kind of a sieve, and so he won't cure the vulnerability to quick point guards that has bedeviled the Lakers for years. But he's a good rebounder and, again, his ability to create off the dribble gives them a dimension that was badly lacking.
Sessions is also a free agent after the season, potentially; he has an opt-out in his contract. The nice thing about being the Lakers, however, is that nobody is a flight risk. If the Lakers want to keep him, they almost certainly can.]]]
The spittin' image of that asshole who almost signed in Los Angeles but ended up coming here. WTF was his name? An idiot guard.
It's an odd trade for a team in the championship race to make, since Jefferson-for-Jacko is a slight downgrade at this point in their respective careers.
:rollin This dude hasn't been watching RJ this year
Killakobe81
03-15-2012, 09:49 PM
RJ is not a better player than SJ, fuck that noise.
Only PER nerds would argue some dumb shit like that.
JamStone
03-16-2012, 10:25 AM
Well based on what they've done this year and age, there is an argument Jefferson is better than Jackson. Jackson was pretty bad at Milwaukee this year. But there's always that possibility that the team situation affected his play or motivation.
But Richard Jefferson might be the biggest trade deadline winner in all of this. I mean going from San Antonio to the San Francisco area. He might have even done backflips.
cheguevara
03-16-2012, 12:50 PM
both lakers/spurs trades were good trades. no brainers. I don't see how one could be judged better than the other right off the bat.
Dick was a complete disaster and I hear Fish was the same.
stephen jackson
03-16-2012, 12:56 PM
Well based on what they've done this year and age, there is an argument Jefferson is better than Jackson. Jackson was pretty bad at Milwaukee this year. But there's always that possibility that the team situation affected his play or motivation.
But Richard Jefferson might be the biggest trade deadline winner in all of this. I mean going from San Antonio to the San Francisco area. He might have even done backflips.
as far as him being a closet gay right?
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