NBA trade deadline report cards
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com Insider
Rockets, Suns swap point guards
Houston trades Aaron Brooks to Phoenix for Goran Dragic and a first-round pick.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Houston Rockets: A-
After a very promising 2009-10 campaign, Dragic has regressed mightily. He is using a ton of possessions and using them very badly, making 27.7 percent of his 3s and shooting an abysmal 60.8 percent at the free throw line. Amazingly, he has still been better than Brooks, and I think we can safely say he'll bring a sunnier attitude as well.
Somehow, the Rockets also wrangled a mid-to-late first-round pick -- which is Phoenix's if it makes the playoffs, and Orlando's otherwise -- out of this. While the change of scenery can only help both Dragic and Brooks, Dragic, 24, is younger by two years, makes less money, and I would argue has the greater upside. It wasn't the home run Rockets GM Daryl Morey was seeking, but it was a solid shot down the line.
As an added bonus, today's trades also position Houston to get under the luxury tax if it can work a favorable buyout with Jared Jeffries or if some of its players miss the incentives in their contracts. More likely, the Rockets will end up slightly over, but they at least cut their exposure with the trades.
Phoenix Suns: C-
Brooks may be the succession strategy if the Suns trade Steve Nash this summer. But if Phoenix sees him as its point guard of the future, the future just got worse. While an early-season injury may be party to blame, Brooks' numbers this season have been even worse than Dragic's, to the point that it looks like Brooks' most improved player campaign in 2009-10 may have been a fluke season.
He's not a 34.6 percent shooter, which is his mark so far this season, but even when he's playing well he's a major defensive liability. Brooks would also be in the top 10 if I ever made a list of "guys I'd hate playing with" -- he pounds the ball for 20 seconds every trip.
As a tempo-changing scorer off the bench, Brooks has value, and if the Suns just use him that way he'll be fine. But I wouldn't have surrendered a first-round pick to get him, especially when Dragic can do the same thing more cheaply; Dragic is owed just $2.1 million next year, while Brooks is a restricted free agent who is hoping to cash in.
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Battier returns to Grizzlies
Houston trades Shane Battier and Ish Smith to Memphis for Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll and a first-round pick.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Memphis Grizzlies: B-
Battier's return to Memphis will be the headline in West Tennessee, as he was beloved in his first tour of duty there. Nonetheless, this trade was mainly about Thabeet, and the fact that he's been such a colossal bust as the second overall pick in 2009 that the Grizzlies effectively had to pay Houston to take him. Memphis included a future first-round pick in the deal, as well as another 2009 first-round bust in Carroll.
Battier helps Memphis cope with the absence of Rudy Gay (shoulder) for about three more weeks and the lack of bigger wings (Tony Allen, Sam Young and O.J. Mayo all are on the short side), plus he can slide up to the 4 when Memphis plays small. With the Griz pushing for a playoff berth, Battier will be quite helpful, and he may also help mentor rookie Xavier Henry -- a guy everyone in Memphis compares to Battier. As for Smith, he's a tiny speedster who will stake a claim for the Grizzlies' rotating backup point guard spot.
By the way, reports indicate that the Grizzlies had a deal to send O.J. Mayo to Indiana for Josh McRoberts and a first-round pick and they missed the trade deadline. While all those elements may be true, it can't be the whole story, as the deal as presented isn't legal under salary-cap rules. One suspects Indiana needed Memphis (or another team) to take on another contract and the two sides couldn't agree on the player.
Houston Rockets: B-
It's the end of an era in Houston and a roll of the dice on Thabeet, but Houston had enough wing depth to withstand the departure of Battier, who wasn't in the Rockets' plans beyond this season. Additionally, Houston gets a future first-round pick for its troubles (although it will be available in 2013 at the earliest), while also absorbing the little-used Carroll.
The Rockets absorb a $5 million contract for next year in Thabeet, but saved much of that in salary and luxury tax this season. Plus, as awful as Thabeet has been this season, he has shown some promise as a central defender in zones and I imagine the Rockets want to use him in much the same way they used Dikembe Mutombo.
But the main risk here isn't the money they're paying Thabeet ... it's that they'll carve out minutes for him and he'll still be terrible. The Rockets managed to avoid doing this with Terrence Williams (although he may get more of a role now that Battier is gone), and will also have to carefully tiptoe the development-versus-winning line with Thabeet.
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Portland picks up Wallace from Charlotte
Charlotte trades Gerald Wallace to Portland for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks and two first-round picks.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Portland Trail Blazers: B+
Really? That's it? They get an All-Star for two firsts and an expiring contract?
Apparently so, but there are some caveats here. First, Wallace is at his best in the open court, and the Blazers haven't run a fast break in several years. Wallace also isn't a good outside shooter, so when combined with Marcus Camby and Andre Miller the Blazers are going to face a ton of sagging zones. And Wallace's play has dropped off fairly sharply this season; as a 28-year-old who depends heavily on his athleticism, that's a worrisome sign -- especially since he makes $10.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
Nonetheless, he gives the Blazers' wing rotation a major boost and allows Portland to make more heavy use of its best lineup, with LaMarcus Aldridge at center and Nic Batum at power forward. However, the biggest upgrades comes from what he replaces. For the past month, Portland has effectively relied on five quality players (Aldridge, Batum, Miller, Wesley Matthews and Rudy Fernandez) and filled in the gaps with replacement-level output from a series of situational subs.
Wallace is going to soak up most of those minutes, which, on paper, is an improvement worth several wins over the course of an 82-game season. Camby, set to return from injury, and Brandon Roy, already back from injury, will take the rest. Thus, the Blazers have quickly gone from a MacGyver rotation relying on rubber bands and duct tape to an extremely solid eight-man core.
It's not a perfect fit, but considering it cost them only two draft picks -- one of which they won't owe until at least 2013, the other a pick from the New Orleans Hornets that they acquired for little-used Jerryd Bayless earlier this season -- it's about as good as they could have possibly hoped to do.
Charlotte Bobcats: C
Charlotte could have gotten a lot more for Wallace a year ago, but they were under the Larry Brown mantra of "win today and don't worry about tomorrow."
Well, it's tomorrow. The Bobcats are capped out, not very good, and don't have many good young players. Ergo, today's trades. The two first-rounders (a 2011 pick from New Orleans and a protected 2013 pick from the Blazers) will help, eventually, but neither is likely to be a high pick.
The main motivation was simply to drop the $22 million owed to Wallace the next two years. Charlotte would need to drop another contract on draft day in order to have enough cap space to be a free-agent player, but it at least has some breathing room under the luxury tax. It's very possible the Bobcats will trade Boris Diaw or Stephen Jackson after the season and completely start over.
Charlotte also receives Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks and Dante Cunningham. All three have expiring contracts; Przybilla is basically finished and Marks never really started, but Cunningham could potentially have value and his qualifying offer for next season is a palatable $1.1 million. The second-year forward is an undersized-but-mobile 4 who can hit open 15-footers, but has no other useful offensive skill. If he improves, he's a rotation player.
As a result, the Bobcats had to cut three players (Dominic McGuire, Derrick Brown and Sherron Collins) to accommodate their two trades.
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Celtics send Perkins to Thunder for Green
Boston trades Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.
• View deal in ESPN's Trade Machine
Oklahoma City Thunder: B
The Thunder finally took some chips off their huge stack and threw them into the center of the table, dealing two starters to upgrade their interior defense and promote Serge Ibaka. I wrote about the transformation more extensively earlier, but the risk is that Perkins may fly the coop as a free agent. Even then Oklahoma City will be partially covered because it will have cap space, but if so it loses a valuable draft pick belonging to the Clippers for just half a season of Perkins. Robinson is more a minus than a plus in this deal, as he'll cost more than $4 million next season and is unlikely to see more than spot duty as a fifth guard.
Boston Celtics: B
Everyone in Beantown is puzzled by this deal, but the Celtics desperately needed a wing and had a surplus of centers. Obviously, dealing Perkins was a risk, and getting the Clippers draft pick is of questionable value for a team trying to win a title right now. I wrote more about the move here, but suffice it to say I can understand the logic as long as the Celtics think it's the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, not the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, who present the greatest threats to their title hopes this season.
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Thunder bulk up with Mohammed
Charlotte sends Nazr Mohammed to Oklahoma City for Mo Peterson and D.J. White.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Oklahoma City Thunder: B
I wrote more here about the Thunder's trades, and this deal was just a small part of their big day, but getting Mohammed was a solid move for their playoff run. They'll have Mohammed's Bird Rights and a role for him if he wants to stick around, and White was buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Ibaka and Nick Collison. In an underrated note, this deal also shaved $2 million on the Thunder's 2011 cap number, so if they can't keep Perkins it opens up some more options.
Charlotte Bobcats: B-
I'm just as shocked as you are, but yes, it appears Mo Peterson is still in the NBA. His expiring deal was the salary ballast, but White-for-Mohammed is really the trade. Basically, the Bobcats need White's mildly promising future more than Mohammed's mildly useful present.
White is a good spot-up shooter and a decent system defender who needs to improve the other phases of his game. Since his game is so similar to that of newly acquired Dante Cunningham, it will be interesting to see which of the two wins consistent minutes as Boris Diaw's backup. Also, while you can freely accuse the Bobcats of being cheap you-know-whats for the Wallace trade, they actually took on a bit of money on in this deal.
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Cavs acquire two C's rookies
Boston trades Semih Erden and Luke Harangody to Cleveland for a second-round pick.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Cleveland Cavaliers: B
I don't think Erden is much of a player, but I can at least understand the Cavs' mentality here: They would use a second-round pick this summer to get a true center to back up Anderson Varejao anyway. Paying Harangody next season is likely just the price of it -- although, he may be competent enough to pass as a fourth or fifth big man. Cleveland also had to waive Leon Powe to clear a roster spot for the trade.
Boston Celtics: C+
Trading Erden is an odd response for a team with a rash of frontcourt injuries that hopes to contend right away. Obviously, Boston hopes to use the roster spots on waived or bought-out veterans, such as Golden State's Troy Murphy, but they already created one by shipping Marquis Daniels to Sacramento. A second-round pick from Cleveland has some value -- actually more value than Erden, I would argue -- but the time horizon here is the problem. Boston's window is right now.
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Kings take on injured Daniels
Boston trades Marquis Daniels to Sacramento for a protected 2017 second-round pick and cash considerations.
Sacramento Kings: B+
This was a no-brainer. As ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported, the Kings were under the league's salary floor, which means having Boston pay them to take Daniels cost them less than nothing -- they were going to pay out extra money to players otherwise; instead, Boston is doing it. It's possible they can also parlay a small asset from a sign-and-trade with Daniels this summer, but this was mainly a money deal.
Boston Celtics: B+
A nice way to wriggle out of some luxury-tax money, as the Celtics essentially pay Sacramento to take Daniels, who was unlikely to play the rest of this season because of a spinal injury. That's the NBA for you -- Boston paid Sacramento to take Daniels, but both teams profited from it thanks to the cap and luxury tax rules.
By John Hollinger
ESPN.com Insider
Rockets, Suns swap point guards
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Houston Rockets: A-
After a very promising 2009-10 campaign, Dragic has regressed mightily. He is using a ton of possessions and using them very badly, making 27.7 percent of his 3s and shooting an abysmal 60.8 percent at the free throw line. Amazingly, he has still been better than Brooks, and I think we can safely say he'll bring a sunnier attitude as well.
Somehow, the Rockets also wrangled a mid-to-late first-round pick -- which is Phoenix's if it makes the playoffs, and Orlando's otherwise -- out of this. While the change of scenery can only help both Dragic and Brooks, Dragic, 24, is younger by two years, makes less money, and I would argue has the greater upside. It wasn't the home run Rockets GM Daryl Morey was seeking, but it was a solid shot down the line.
As an added bonus, today's trades also position Houston to get under the luxury tax if it can work a favorable buyout with Jared Jeffries or if some of its players miss the incentives in their contracts. More likely, the Rockets will end up slightly over, but they at least cut their exposure with the trades.
Phoenix Suns: C-
Brooks may be the succession strategy if the Suns trade Steve Nash this summer. But if Phoenix sees him as its point guard of the future, the future just got worse. While an early-season injury may be party to blame, Brooks' numbers this season have been even worse than Dragic's, to the point that it looks like Brooks' most improved player campaign in 2009-10 may have been a fluke season.
He's not a 34.6 percent shooter, which is his mark so far this season, but even when he's playing well he's a major defensive liability. Brooks would also be in the top 10 if I ever made a list of "guys I'd hate playing with" -- he pounds the ball for 20 seconds every trip.
As a tempo-changing scorer off the bench, Brooks has value, and if the Suns just use him that way he'll be fine. But I wouldn't have surrendered a first-round pick to get him, especially when Dragic can do the same thing more cheaply; Dragic is owed just $2.1 million next year, while Brooks is a restricted free agent who is hoping to cash in.
<HR>
Battier returns to Grizzlies
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Memphis Grizzlies: B-
Battier's return to Memphis will be the headline in West Tennessee, as he was beloved in his first tour of duty there. Nonetheless, this trade was mainly about Thabeet, and the fact that he's been such a colossal bust as the second overall pick in 2009 that the Grizzlies effectively had to pay Houston to take him. Memphis included a future first-round pick in the deal, as well as another 2009 first-round bust in Carroll.
Battier helps Memphis cope with the absence of Rudy Gay (shoulder) for about three more weeks and the lack of bigger wings (Tony Allen, Sam Young and O.J. Mayo all are on the short side), plus he can slide up to the 4 when Memphis plays small. With the Griz pushing for a playoff berth, Battier will be quite helpful, and he may also help mentor rookie Xavier Henry -- a guy everyone in Memphis compares to Battier. As for Smith, he's a tiny speedster who will stake a claim for the Grizzlies' rotating backup point guard spot.
By the way, reports indicate that the Grizzlies had a deal to send O.J. Mayo to Indiana for Josh McRoberts and a first-round pick and they missed the trade deadline. While all those elements may be true, it can't be the whole story, as the deal as presented isn't legal under salary-cap rules. One suspects Indiana needed Memphis (or another team) to take on another contract and the two sides couldn't agree on the player.
Houston Rockets: B-
It's the end of an era in Houston and a roll of the dice on Thabeet, but Houston had enough wing depth to withstand the departure of Battier, who wasn't in the Rockets' plans beyond this season. Additionally, Houston gets a future first-round pick for its troubles (although it will be available in 2013 at the earliest), while also absorbing the little-used Carroll.
The Rockets absorb a $5 million contract for next year in Thabeet, but saved much of that in salary and luxury tax this season. Plus, as awful as Thabeet has been this season, he has shown some promise as a central defender in zones and I imagine the Rockets want to use him in much the same way they used Dikembe Mutombo.
But the main risk here isn't the money they're paying Thabeet ... it's that they'll carve out minutes for him and he'll still be terrible. The Rockets managed to avoid doing this with Terrence Williams (although he may get more of a role now that Battier is gone), and will also have to carefully tiptoe the development-versus-winning line with Thabeet.
<HR>
Portland picks up Wallace from Charlotte
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Portland Trail Blazers: B+
Really? That's it? They get an All-Star for two firsts and an expiring contract?
Apparently so, but there are some caveats here. First, Wallace is at his best in the open court, and the Blazers haven't run a fast break in several years. Wallace also isn't a good outside shooter, so when combined with Marcus Camby and Andre Miller the Blazers are going to face a ton of sagging zones. And Wallace's play has dropped off fairly sharply this season; as a 28-year-old who depends heavily on his athleticism, that's a worrisome sign -- especially since he makes $10.5 million in each of the next two seasons.
Nonetheless, he gives the Blazers' wing rotation a major boost and allows Portland to make more heavy use of its best lineup, with LaMarcus Aldridge at center and Nic Batum at power forward. However, the biggest upgrades comes from what he replaces. For the past month, Portland has effectively relied on five quality players (Aldridge, Batum, Miller, Wesley Matthews and Rudy Fernandez) and filled in the gaps with replacement-level output from a series of situational subs.
Wallace is going to soak up most of those minutes, which, on paper, is an improvement worth several wins over the course of an 82-game season. Camby, set to return from injury, and Brandon Roy, already back from injury, will take the rest. Thus, the Blazers have quickly gone from a MacGyver rotation relying on rubber bands and duct tape to an extremely solid eight-man core.
It's not a perfect fit, but considering it cost them only two draft picks -- one of which they won't owe until at least 2013, the other a pick from the New Orleans Hornets that they acquired for little-used Jerryd Bayless earlier this season -- it's about as good as they could have possibly hoped to do.
Charlotte Bobcats: C
Charlotte could have gotten a lot more for Wallace a year ago, but they were under the Larry Brown mantra of "win today and don't worry about tomorrow."
Well, it's tomorrow. The Bobcats are capped out, not very good, and don't have many good young players. Ergo, today's trades. The two first-rounders (a 2011 pick from New Orleans and a protected 2013 pick from the Blazers) will help, eventually, but neither is likely to be a high pick.
The main motivation was simply to drop the $22 million owed to Wallace the next two years. Charlotte would need to drop another contract on draft day in order to have enough cap space to be a free-agent player, but it at least has some breathing room under the luxury tax. It's very possible the Bobcats will trade Boris Diaw or Stephen Jackson after the season and completely start over.
Charlotte also receives Joel Przybilla, Sean Marks and Dante Cunningham. All three have expiring contracts; Przybilla is basically finished and Marks never really started, but Cunningham could potentially have value and his qualifying offer for next season is a palatable $1.1 million. The second-year forward is an undersized-but-mobile 4 who can hit open 15-footers, but has no other useful offensive skill. If he improves, he's a rotation player.
As a result, the Bobcats had to cut three players (Dominic McGuire, Derrick Brown and Sherron Collins) to accommodate their two trades.
<HR>
Celtics send Perkins to Thunder for Green
• View deal in ESPN's Trade Machine
Oklahoma City Thunder: B
The Thunder finally took some chips off their huge stack and threw them into the center of the table, dealing two starters to upgrade their interior defense and promote Serge Ibaka. I wrote about the transformation more extensively earlier, but the risk is that Perkins may fly the coop as a free agent. Even then Oklahoma City will be partially covered because it will have cap space, but if so it loses a valuable draft pick belonging to the Clippers for just half a season of Perkins. Robinson is more a minus than a plus in this deal, as he'll cost more than $4 million next season and is unlikely to see more than spot duty as a fifth guard.
Boston Celtics: B
Everyone in Beantown is puzzled by this deal, but the Celtics desperately needed a wing and had a surplus of centers. Obviously, dealing Perkins was a risk, and getting the Clippers draft pick is of questionable value for a team trying to win a title right now. I wrote more about the move here, but suffice it to say I can understand the logic as long as the Celtics think it's the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, not the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, who present the greatest threats to their title hopes this season.
<HR>
Thunder bulk up with Mohammed
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Oklahoma City Thunder: B
I wrote more here about the Thunder's trades, and this deal was just a small part of their big day, but getting Mohammed was a solid move for their playoff run. They'll have Mohammed's Bird Rights and a role for him if he wants to stick around, and White was buried on the depth chart behind the likes of Ibaka and Nick Collison. In an underrated note, this deal also shaved $2 million on the Thunder's 2011 cap number, so if they can't keep Perkins it opens up some more options.
Charlotte Bobcats: B-
I'm just as shocked as you are, but yes, it appears Mo Peterson is still in the NBA. His expiring deal was the salary ballast, but White-for-Mohammed is really the trade. Basically, the Bobcats need White's mildly promising future more than Mohammed's mildly useful present.
White is a good spot-up shooter and a decent system defender who needs to improve the other phases of his game. Since his game is so similar to that of newly acquired Dante Cunningham, it will be interesting to see which of the two wins consistent minutes as Boris Diaw's backup. Also, while you can freely accuse the Bobcats of being cheap you-know-whats for the Wallace trade, they actually took on a bit of money on in this deal.
<HR>
Cavs acquire two C's rookies
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Cleveland Cavaliers: B
I don't think Erden is much of a player, but I can at least understand the Cavs' mentality here: They would use a second-round pick this summer to get a true center to back up Anderson Varejao anyway. Paying Harangody next season is likely just the price of it -- although, he may be competent enough to pass as a fourth or fifth big man. Cleveland also had to waive Leon Powe to clear a roster spot for the trade.
Boston Celtics: C+
Trading Erden is an odd response for a team with a rash of frontcourt injuries that hopes to contend right away. Obviously, Boston hopes to use the roster spots on waived or bought-out veterans, such as Golden State's Troy Murphy, but they already created one by shipping Marquis Daniels to Sacramento. A second-round pick from Cleveland has some value -- actually more value than Erden, I would argue -- but the time horizon here is the problem. Boston's window is right now.
<HR>
Kings take on injured Daniels
Sacramento Kings: B+
This was a no-brainer. As ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported, the Kings were under the league's salary floor, which means having Boston pay them to take Daniels cost them less than nothing -- they were going to pay out extra money to players otherwise; instead, Boston is doing it. It's possible they can also parlay a small asset from a sign-and-trade with Daniels this summer, but this was mainly a money deal.
Boston Celtics: B+
A nice way to wriggle out of some luxury-tax money, as the Celtics essentially pay Sacramento to take Daniels, who was unlikely to play the rest of this season because of a spinal injury. That's the NBA for you -- Boston paid Sacramento to take Daniels, but both teams profited from it thanks to the cap and luxury tax rules.