Twitter Reacts to Nick Young, Nene and JaVale McGee 3-Team Blockbuster Trade
The biggest deal on deadline day was also the strangest.
As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets put together a three-team deal that sent Nick Young to Los Angeles, JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf to Denver, and Nene to Washington.
The Wizards also got Brian Cook and a future second-round pick from the Clippers.
When the trade happened, the reaction on Twitter was swift. Much fun was had at the three teams' expense.
Here's a look at how Twitter reacted to the trade, and you can find my grades for each team at the bottom.
Twitter Reacts!
Arash Markazi of ESPN liked the Young acquisition for the Clippers:
"Nick Young doesn't change the landscape of the West but the Clippers didn't give up any valuable assets to get him.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 15, 2012"
Same goes for IamaGM.com:
"Clippers are big winners today in my book. Got Nick Young without losing Bledsoe. Solidified their SG role for this season.
— IamaGM.com (@IamaGM) March 15, 2012"
Bruce Arthur of the National Post poked some fun at McGee's departure from the Wizards:
"Wait, JaVale McGee got traded from the Wizards? This is like The Office losing Michael Scott.
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) March 15, 2012"
The fake Bill Walton didn't think the Nuggets made a very smart move switching out Nene for McGee:
"Nene to the Wizards for JaVale McGee? This is the worst trade in the HISTORY of the Denver franchise I am APPALLED!
— The Bill Walton Trip (@NotBillWalton) March 15, 2012"
Zach Lowe of Sports Illustrated apparently wasn't too crazy about the idea either:
"Oh my god, Nuggets.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_SI) March 15, 2012"
Lowe then gathered himself and tried to rationalize the trade for the Nuggets:
"Denver has to be worried about Nene's health as he approaches 30. No other explanation.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_SI) March 15, 2012"
Grade for Clippers
The general thinking about the Clippers making out pretty well in this deal is absolutely true. They got a player they needed, and they didn't have to surrender anything crucial to get him.
But Young is far from a perfect player. He's a pretty good scorer, but he's not used to playing team basketball—and most will tell you that he is entirely incapable of playing team basketball.
Young will have to accept the fact that he'll be a mere cog on a team like the Clippers, which has established stars in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and solid players in DeAndre Jordan and Caron Butler.
Adjustments will be required, but that doesn't mean the Clippers made a dumb move. They're stronger after this deal than they were before it.
Grade: B+
Grade for Nuggets
The Nuggets are making a risky play with this trade.
Nene is a good center. He's big, he's strong and he plays very well around the basket at both ends of the floor. He was better last year than he is this year, but Nene is still having a very solid 2011-12 season.
JaVale McGee has the tools to be a great player—namely size and well-above-average athleticism—but he has virtually no basketball IQ. He has a lot of learning to do before he can become a great player, meaning going from Nene to him is a downgrade in the short term for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets must be banking on the notion that George Karl will straighten McGee out. If he can't, this is going to go in the books as an awful deal for them.
Grade: C
Grade for Wizards
The Wizards walk away from this deal with a proven center in Nene, and they rid themselves of two problem players in Young and McGee.
Because of that, I'd say they're better after this trade than they were before it. They saw some talent walk out the door, but also a few headaches. In return, they got a top-shelf big man.
Hats off to the Wizards. What they had wasn't working, so they broke it up.
Grade: A-
