NBA Trades 2015: Post-Deadline Roundup for All Deals
The 2015 NBA trade deadline in three words: Oh. My. God. A quiet morning and early afternoon turned to Armageddon on Thursday—or as Bleacher Report's Howard Beck put it, #pointguardmaggedon—as a flurry of deals came flooding into league offices before the 3 p.m. ET deadline.
Hall of Famers, burgeoning young stars and dudes you've absolutely never heard of (hi, Cenk Akyol) were sent packing in perhaps the most active deadline in league history. Kevin Garnett is headed for a Minnesota reunion. Goran Dragic got his way and forced a trade to Miami, which facilitated the day's biggest deal—one sending star guards Brandon Knight, Michael Carter-Williams and Isaiah Thomas all to new locations.
Speaking of the Sixers, general manager Sam Hinkie worked the phones all afternoon, seemingly creating an entire new roster in the process. Same goes for Thunder general manager Sam Presti, who rebuilt his bench on the fly and sent a jolt into the Golden State Warriors—Oklahoma City's likely first-round opponent, assuming it wins the battle for the No. 8 seed.
We're three paragraphs in and I'm yet to even work my way through half the deals. This deadline was all the fire emojis. It was NBA 2K come to life. It was the NBA version of Kanye's 2011 Coachella performance all thrown into a half-hour deluge, mostly coming from Adrian Wojnarowski's Twitter feed. It was beautiful, scary and totally confusing.
With that in mind, let's see if we can work through these deals and figure out the league landscape.
Afflalo Lands in Portland
Blazers Receive: Arron Afflalo, Alonzo Gee
Nuggets Receive: Will Barton, Victor Claver, Thomas Robinson, 2016 First-Round Pick (Lottery Protected)
The Nuggets got things underway early Thursday, sending a widely expected trade chip in Afflalo to Portland in exchange for salary flotsam and a first-round pick. Afflalo should step into the Blazers lineup right away and fill a need for a 3-and-D player. The former UCLA star, a free agent after this season, has long been one of the league's most underrated players.
Robinson, a 2012 lottery pick, is the most widely recognized name headed to Denver and received the most playing time for Portland. It's possible he winds up sticking around after this year, but the Nuggets are already his fourth NBA team.
Claver and Barton were receiving mop-up duty only; that's unlikely to change in Denver. The real prize here is the first-round selection, which is lottery-protected in 2016 and 2017. If the pick is not conveyed by 2017, it becomes two second-round picks
Blazers Grade: A
Nuggets Grade: B
Nuggets Send McGee to Philadelphia
76ers Receive: JaVale McGee, Rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum, 2015 First-Round Pick (Protected, via Oklahoma City)
Nuggets Receive: Rights to Cenk Akyol
Pretty simple mechanisms here. The Sixers are paying an exorbitant sum—a proration of McGee's 2014-15 salary ($11.25 million) and his entire 2015-16 salary ($12 million)—to acquire a protected first-round pick. Originally sent to Denver as part of the Timofey Mozgov trade, the pick will convey in 2015 if it falls outside the top 18. It's top-15 protected in 2016 and 2017.
We'll see if McGee ever plays a minute in a Sixers uniform. The 7-footer has been limited to 22 games the past two seasons due to injury. We can probably all forget Maduabum and Akyol were involved in this trade; neither is likely to ever set foot on an NBA floor.
76ers Grade: B-
Nuggets Grade: B+
George Karl Reunites With Andre Miller in Sacramento
Kings Receive: Andre Miller
Wizards Receive: Ramon Sessions
We'll call this a cost of hiring George Karl trade. The coaching legend lands one of his favorite proteges in Miller, whom he coached two different times in Denver. Miller had been an active minus on both ends for Washington this season, making the only real positive from a basketball perspective his contract expiring a year earlier than Sessions'.
Washington wins this trade by default. Sessions, while never great, is a fine backup point guard who found a miserable fit in Sacramento. When he signed with the Kings over the summer there was a school of thought that said he'd eventually take over Darren Collison's starting spot. That didn't happen, Sessions shot miserably from the field and now he's available at a steep discount.
The Wizards now run two deep with trustworthy players at nearly ever position. Few Eastern Conference contenders can say that.
Kings Grade: C-
Wizards Grade: B+
Kevin Garnett Rides Off Into Minnesota Sunset
Timberwolves Receive: Kevin Garnett
Nets Receive: Thaddeus Young
Nostalgia can make folks do some pretty crazy things. For Minnesota's Flip Saunders, it means essentially trading a top-20 first-round draft choice for 25 or so games of Kevin Garnett. This summer Saunders, the Timberwolves' coach and general manager, sent Miami's 2015 first-round choice (top-10 protected) to Philadelphia for Young.
On Thursday, he sent Young to Brooklyn for the 38-year-old Garnett, as first reported by David Aldridge of NBA.com. The move had been in the works over the last 24 hours, with the real key being convincing Garnett to waive his no-trade clause. Garnett, initially resistant, eventually gave his OK less than a half-hour before the deadline.
Garnett played his first dozen seasons in Minnesota. From a marketing standpoint, this is a goldmine. Garnett can ride out his final days and serve as a mentor to Andrew Wiggins, whom Timberwolves fans are hoping will be the next franchise face. From a basketball standpoint, this is a disaster.
Timberwolves Grade: D
Nets Grade: B+
Samesies for Tayshaun Prince in Detroit
Pistons Receive: Tayshaun Prince
Celtics Receive: Jonas Jerebko, Luigi Datome
Stan Van Gundy apparently doesn't want to miss the playoffs for the first time in his career. The Pistons head coach/czar of basketball operations was active all day Thursday, including a minor move to bring Prince back to his old stomping grounds. ESPN's Marc Stein reported Detroit sent Jerebko and Datome to Boston in exchange for the veteran swingman.
Prince, who will be playing for his third team of 2014-15, should fit the Pistons' need for a rotational wing. He showed some signs of life during his brief stop in Boston and wouldn't be so derided if it were not for his unwieldy contract.
Jerebko and Datome is nonetheless a solid haul. Both players can stretch the floor beyond the three-point arc and have potential to stick in Boston's rotation. Jerebko especially is an underrated stretch 4, undone in Detroit by overzealous expectations following a strong rookie season. Datome hasn't gotten off the bench in either of his two NBA seasons but was a widely respected player in Europe before coming stateside.
Pistons Grade: B-
Celtics Grade: B
Dragic Takes Talents to South Beach
Heat Receive: Goran Dragic, Zoran Dragic
Suns Receive: Danny Granger, John Salmons, Two First-Round Picks
Pelicans Receive: Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton
This was one of the day's biggest and more confusing deals, as new details continued to emerge after everyone had settled on the component parts. Wojnarowski landed the initial details, with the Dragic brothers going to Miami for the salary-loaded package listed above and two first-round picks. In a subsequent move, Stein reported New Orleans shipped John Salmons to Phoenix for Norris Cole.
The biggest portion of the deal is obviously Goran Dragic, an All-NBA selection a year ago whose feel-good story in Phoenix quickly turned into a nightmare. Dragic demanded a trade heading into Thursday's deadline and, as an impending free agent, tied the Suns' hands by offering them a list of "acceptable" teams.
There is no word on the exact details (year, protections, etc.) of the selections, but given the untenable situation, Phoenix did a nice job landing two first-rounders for Dragic. The Salmons-for-Cole portion makes sense for both sides, even if seeing Salmons garner that much return is a little strange.
Heat Grade: B
Suns Grade: B
Pelicans Grade: B+
Reggie Jackson Moves to Motor City, Kanter to OKC
Thunder Receive: Enes Kanter, DJ Augustin, Kyle Singler, Steve Novak
Pistons Receive: Reggie Jackson
Jazz Receive: Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett, Rights to Tibor Pleiss, Future First-Round Pick (Protected, from OKC), Second-Round Pick (From Detroit)
Initial reaction: The Thunder won. Big time. Adding Kanter, Augustin and Singler, three rotation players who instantly improve their shaky bench, for Jackson is a massive boon. Jackson has made it quite clear he had no intention in staying in Oklahoma City long-term, and his dipping production over the last couple months made that an amenable outcome.
Reaction for the other two teams is similarly positive—especially as formal details came via ESPN.com's Royce Young. Wojnarowski, who initially reported the details, did not have any picks exchanging hands—ones presumably headed to Utah for taking on Perkins for the rest of the season. Young later clarified the final offer, with two picks going to the Jazz along with the former second-round pick Jerrett and rights to Pleiss, a second-round pick in 2010.
Buying out Perkins is an inevitability, which means the Jazz flipped a player who had no interest in being there (Kanter) for a solid haul of young talent.
Detroit adding a second-round pick to the two rotation players it already gave up is less than ideal, but the need for a point guard apparently trumped all. Jackson's production skyrocketed when given the chance to start in Oklahoma City. Van Gundy better hope it does the same with the Pistons. If it doesn't and Jackson looks like the player he has of late, Augustin and Singler could be an overpay.
Thunder Grade: A
Pistons Grade: B-
Jazz Grade: B+
Knight, MCW Find New Homes In Multi-Team Blockbuster
Bucks Receive: Michael-Carter Williams, Miles Plumlee, Tyler Ennis
Suns Receive: Brandon Knight
76ers Receive: First-Round Pick (Protected, via Lakers)
Sam Hinkie better hope the Lakers are awful again next season. Otherwise, he gave up one of the few bastions of hope in the Sixers locker room for what could be a mid-first-round pick. As reported by Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Philly traded reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee, acquiring a protected first-round pick from the Suns in the process.
That selection comes via the Lakers and is top-five protected for this season, a bit of a problem with L.A. holding the league's fourth-worst record. The pick will convey in 2016 if it falls outside the top three.
The Bucks and Suns, meanwhile, are each very likely satisfied with their hauls. Phoenix lands a replacement for Dragic who fits perfectly within Jeff Hornacek's slashing system. Knight excels in many of the same areas as Dragic and can move between the two guard positions when needed. He's also five years younger than Dragic.
Milwaukee finds a player in Carter-Williams who completes Jason Kidd's dream of building around freakishly long players. Carter-Williams will fit beautifully into Kidd's preferred attacking defensive style, though his offensive skill set remains wildly overrated. Plumlee is a decent high-energy bench big who is also quick enough to recover on hard hedges. Ennis has barely played at all this season, but he's 20 years old and was the No. 18 pick less than a year ago.
Any hand-wringing here should be done by Philly.
Bucks Grade: A-
Suns Grade: B+
76ers Grade: Incomplete
K.J. McDaniels to Houston, Canaan to Philadelphia
Rockets Receive: K.J. McDaniels
76ers Receive: Isaiah Canaan, Second-Round Pick
Canaan in all likelihood serves as Philadelphia's starting point guard the rest of the season, but my goodness this is a tough pill to swallow. McDaniels has been a bright spot throughout his rookie campaign, emerging as a nightly highlight film with two-way potential. As noted by Basketball-Reference, McDaniels' block rate is currently the highest of any qualifying player listed 6'6" or shorter in league history.
Canaan has shown flashes of promise but has been limited to 47 appearances in two seasons. He's played 37 minutes since Jan. 1. Adding a second-round pick (via Wojnarowski) likely put it over the edge for Philly—if there is anything we know about the very private Hinkie, it's that he has a deep affinity to the oft-forgotten round. But this doesn't look good on the surface.
Rockets Grade: A-
76ers: C
Rockets Acquire Prigioni
Knicks Receive: Alexey Shved, Two Second-Round Picks
Rockets Receive: Pablo Prigioni
Kudos to Phil Jackson. This is the exact type of trade the Knicks never would have made in the past. Prigioni is a fine (and beloved) player. He's also a 37-year-old who is essentially useless to the rebuilding Knicks. Landing two second-round picks, per Wojnarowski, is a pretty solid haul.
The Rockets replace the spot vacated by Canaan with Prigioni, someone Kevin McHale can trust a lot more in high-pressure situations. It's the rare NBA trade where there is not a lot negative to say on either side.
Knicks Grade: A-
Rockets Grade: B
Suns, Celtics Agree on Isaiah Thomas Swap
Celtics Receive: Isaiah Thomas
Suns Receive: Marcus Thornton, 2016 First-Round Pick (via Cleveland)
The Suns' point guard depth chart will be almost unrecognizable when they return to the floor Friday in Minnesota. In their third deal involving a player at the position Thursday, Phoenix sent Thomas to Boston for a shaky return, per Wojnarowski.
Thornton, who will be playing for his fourth team in two years, is largely irrelevant for these purposes. The first-round pick given up by Boston belongs to Cleveland, which inherently makes it less valuable. For all their early-season problems, the Cavaliers are an excellent basketball team. Given additional resources next summer to fill their holes, they will probably be even better in 2015-16.
Speaking conservatively, the Suns traded Thomas for a pick that will land 25th or worse barring a major injury. When Phoenix signed Thomas over the summer, the media fell over itself to foist praise on general manager Ryan McDonough. It's only right, then, that the same cultural subsect scratches its head when McDonough sells low on Thomas a half-year later.
Celtics Grade: B+
Suns Grade: C+
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