NBA Trades: Analyzing Top Offseason Deals Made
The 2012 NBA offseason has been one of the most tumultuous in recent memory.
Whether it be because the increased incorporation of social media sites has led to cockamamie rumors and fabricated information, or just because Dwight Howard still doesn't know what his plan is, this summer has been wild thus far.
We haven't seen an inordinate amount of trades, but the ones that have gone through are going to improve the involved teams considerably. Of course, you never know who got the best end of the deal until years down the road, but it's always fun to play the guessing game.
Here we will analyze the best trades made this offseason.
6. Hornets Trade Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor to Wizards for Rashard Lewis
1 of 6It's no secret that the New Orleans Hornets traded away Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor to the Washington Wizards for Rashard Lewis and a 2012 second-round draft pick for financial flexibility.
After being sent to New Orleans, Lewis was bought out by the Hornets and later signed with the Miami Heat. By doing so, the Hornets shaved almost $9 million off their salary cap figure for the 2012-2013 season.
The Hornets are a small-market team, meaning they are obviously at a financial disadvantage to the big-market teams. This move provides them with the monetary wherewithal to comfortably match Eric Gordon's offer from the Phoenix Suns.
New Orleans picked up Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers in this year's draft and now have more wiggle room under the salary cap to add quality players in the coming offseasons.
As for Washington, this was an interesting move because Okafor and Ariza cannot be sent on their way after being traded.
Looks like it's John Wall and Bradley Beal for the future.
5. NY Knicks Get Marcus Camby from Houston Rockets for Spare Parts and Picks
2 of 6The New York Knicks found their second-team big man by trading Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Jerome Jordan and a pair of second-round picks in the 2014 and 2015 drafts for Marcus Camby in a sign-and-trade.
It's good to see that the Knicks are straying from the method of trading first-round picks for washed-up talent and gravitating towards shipping out second-round picks.
Camby certainly isn't what he used to be, but he's not washed up yet. Last season, the 38-year-old former No. 2 overall pick averaged 7.1 points and 9.3 rebounds for the Houston Rockets after arriving from the Portland Trail Blazers.
According to the AP via Yahoo! Sports, Camby was inked to a three-year deal worth $13.2 million.
Not exactly a bargain, but it's far from drastically overpaying.
4. New Orleans Hornets Trade Gustavo Ayon to Orlando Magic for Ryan Anderson
3 of 6The New Orleans Hornets seem to be building their team according to the model that the Orlando Magic employed these last few seasons.
They have their big man in the middle in Anthony Davis and their dead-eye perimeter shooters on the outside in Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon (team is expected to match Phoenix Suns' offer) and now Ryan Anderson.
Anderson was acquired via a sign-and-trade after the Magic declined to match New Orleans' offer sheet of four years, $46 million. Anderson posted career-high averages of 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game while shooting just under 40 percent from three.
Ayon was nothing more than a spare part for the Hornets after drafting Davis. The Mexican power forward/center averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season.
3. Raptors Get Kyle Lowry from the Rockets for a Lottery Pick and Gary Forbes
4 of 6The Houston Rockets continued their busy offseason by trading Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors for a future first-round lottery pick and Gary Forbes.
Lowry was unhappy with the situation in Houston, and it seemed as though it was just a matter of time until a deal such as this one went through.
It's pretty unclear to the basketball world what the Rockets are doing this offseason other than piling up assets in hopes of acquiring Dwight Howard from the Orlando Magic.
Now that they have a future lottery pick to entice the Magic with, who knows what could happen, especially after talks between the Magic and Brooklyn Nets are all but dead (per ESPN's Ric Bucher).
As for the Raptors, Jose Calderon will be sent to the bench, giving way to the younger Lowry (according to TSN).
If the New York Knicks don't match the Raptors' offer to Landry Fields, Toronto would have a promising young backcourt heading into next season. Unfortunately for Canada's favorite basketball team, New York Daily News' writer Frank Isola tweeted that the Knicks might match the offer.
2. LA Lakers Get Steve Nash from Phoenix Suns for Draft Picks in Sign-and-Trade
5 of 6The Los Angeles Lakers finally got the point guard that they need to run their offense by swinging a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns received first-round draft picks in 2013 and 2015, as well as a pair of second-round pick in 2013 and 2014.
Nash received a three-year contract worth around $27 million. The two-time NBA MVP became a free agent following the season, but a sign-and-trade had to be done for the Lakers to afford his services.
There really isn't much to say about what this deal does for the Lakers other than it makes them a serious contender for the NBA title. Not that they weren't a contender already, but Nash in the lineup gives them a better chance against the Oklahoma City Thunder and other top-tier teams.
1. Brooklyn Nets Get Joe Johnson from Atlanta Hawks for Slew of Players
6 of 6In the first huge trade of the 2012 offseason, the Brooklyn Nets acquired Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks for Jordan Farmer, Johan Petro, Anthony Morrow and Jordan Williams, as well as DeShawn Stevenson and a first-round pick sometime in the future.
This trade has to be No. 1 on this list simply because the Nets needed to make a big splash in the summer prior to their inaugural season in Brooklyn. Johnson is no Dwight Howard, but he's better than nothing for Nets fans.
The Nets also got to keep MarShon Brooks and their first-round pick in 2013, which is crucial, seeing as they didn't have their first-round pick in this year's draft.
Johnson's arrival to play alongside Deron Williams gives the Nets one of the best backcourts in the NBA and should provide them with the necessary means to contend for a high playoff seed in the increasingly formidable Eastern Conference.
