Gilbert Arenas to Orlando Magic: Blockbuster NBA Trade Makes Everyone a Winner
The smoke that signaled Gilbert Arenas would be headed to the Orlando Magic yielded the blustering flame of a blockbuster deal today involving three teams and seven players.
In one deal, the Magic will send forward Rashard Lewis to Washington in exchange for Arenas. Simultaneously, Orlando will ship guards Vince Carter and Mickael Pietrus, backup center Marcin Gortat, its 2011 first-round draft pick and $3 million in cash to the Phoenix Suns and receive guard Jason Richardson and forward Hedo Turkoglu.
Quite a pre-Christmas gift exchange, to say the least.
What makes this trade so unique, beyond its sheer magnitude and the quality of the players involved, is the fact that just about everyone comes out as winners in this deal.
Winner No. 1: Orlando Magic
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Let's start with the Orlando Magic.
After a season and a half of the Vince Carter experiment, the Magic finally get, in the form of Gilbert Arenas, a guy who can get to the cup and create his own shot whenever he wants.
Vinsanity was supposed to be that guy but rather than using the opportunity to remind the world of his slashing ability, Carter simply fell into lockstep with the rest of Orlando's roster, passing the ball around the perimeter and settling for jumpers.
Instead, Orlando will fill his spot with Jason Richardson, who is essentially a younger version of Carter with a more accurate jump shot.
Swapping out Rashard Lewis for Hedo Turkoglu should also work out as a positive for the Magic, assuming Turkoglu can resume a level of play closer to his 2008-2009 form.
Additionally, the loss of Marcin Gortat is softened by the recent emergence of Brandon Bass as a viable backup to Dwight Howard.
Winner No. 2: Washington Wizards
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The Wizards are winners in this one for a number of obvious reasons, not all of which pertain to the team's play on the court.
After months of dodging bullets in the media, Washington has finally rid itself of Gilbert Arenas, who had become something of a burden, to say the least.
Off the court, the Wiz have essentially washed their hands clean of the stench left behind by Arenas, who was suspended for 50 games last season and was placed on probation following an incident in which he brandished a fire arm at teammate Javaris Crittenton in the team's locker room.
The fiasco that followed left a serious blemish on a franchise that the late Abe Polin had worked so hard to change the image of following its days as the Bullets in the crime-ridden D.C. metropolitan area.
With the mercurial Arenas gone, the Wizards and everyone associated with them can finally move on without the fear of him popping off again.
On the court, Wizards coach Flip Saunders can finally hand the reigns of the team over to star rookie John Wall full time.
That is, whenever Wall returns to health following a rash of injuries.
The addition of Rashard Lewis will give Washington a scorer who can pour in 20 points a night and who is, essentially, a much better version of the oft-injured Yi Jianlian, who is once again out for an extended period of time for the Wizards.
Winner No. 3: Gilbert Arenas
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Just as the Wizards will benefit from Gilbert Arenas being gone, so too will Arenas be better off with a new team.
From a purely basketball perspective, Arenas goes to a team that wants and needs his talents after spending the early portion of the season on a team that had little use for him after adding John Wall, thereby rendering Arenas to be a roster redundancy.
On a personal level, Arenas now has the opportunity to redeem himself, to start over in a new city with a new team.
But with the help of an old friend.
Magic GM Otis Smith was something of a mentor to a young Arenas when the two were with the Golden State Warriors. The reunion of the two should prove to be a positive influence on Arenas, who has seemingly lost himself amidst the controversies and injuries that plagued him in the Beltway.
Winner No. 4: Otis Smith
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Arenas' move to Orlando is as much a do-over for him as it is for Otis Smith.
After losing to the Lakers in five games in the 2009 NBA Finals, Smith went out in search of a slashing scorer and came up with Vince Carter.
Unfortunately for him, Carter was more or less a bust as far as what the Magic wanted him to do, as he tended to drift behind the three-point line and wait his turn to jack up a shot just like the rest of Orlando's role players.
Thus, by essentially replacing Carter with Arenas, Smith gets another chance to prove that he is capable of making the Magic, a team in the midst of losing five out of its last six games, a title contender again.
Along the same lines, Smith, in 2009, opted to let go of Hedo Turkoglu, who was arguably the team's best player in the Finals against LA, in favor of Rashard Lewis.
Lewis has been so-so at best since Turkoglu's departure, leaving many to wonder if Hedo wasn't better suited than Lewis for Stan Van Gundy's offensive scheme.
Now, Smith has Turkoglu back in the fold for what should be a successful return.
Winner No. 5: Hedo Turkoglu
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Hedo Turkoglu stands to be a huge beneficiary of this whole swath of player swaps.
Turkoglu left Orlando after the 2009 NBA Finals to chase the dollar signs and agreed to a five-year, $53 million deal with Toronto after reportedly agreeing to a similar deal with Portland.
However, Turkoglu spent only one largely forgettable season with the Raptors before being traded to Phoenix, where his once-brightly shining star has continued to set with the Suns.
At 6'10" and 31-years-of-age, Turkoglu still has plenty of value as a big man who can handle the ball and shoot from the perimeter.
Those skills were best on display when he was with the Magic, and he should slide back in beautifully with the team that made him a big-money star to begin with.
Winner No. 6: Phoenix Suns
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The Phoenix Suns also made out quite well in this deal, though perhaps not with the same immediacy as the other two teams.
The Suns rid themselves of the hefty contract of Hedo Turkoglu, who never managed to fit into Phoenix's fast-breaking style as well as some had thought.
The loss of Jason Richardson may sting for a bit, but the combination of Vince Carter and Mickael Pietrus should more than make up for the outside shooting and athleticism that made J-Rich so successful in the desert.
Furthermore, Marcin Gortat gives Phoenix a center who can gallop up and down the court with Steve Nash and who can protect the interior for the Suns.
And for the future, the $3 million in cash and the draft pick in 2011 give Suns GM Lance Blanks the flexibility to quickly build the team back into a playoff contender.
Winner No. 7: Marcin Gortat
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Assuming he gets the starting nod over Robin Lopez in Phoenix, Marcin Gortat stands to benefit tremendously from this deal.
The seven-footer from Poland has long been viewed by front office types as a starting-quality center, with the kind of size and athleticism that is today so rare among NBA pivotmen.
Gortat should get plenty of playing time for the Suns just a year and a half after the Magic kept him from going to Dallas, where he likely would have been the Mavericks' starting center.
With Steve Nash dishing him the rock, Gortat will finally have the chance to show the basketball world that he's the real deal.
Winner No. 8: Vince Carter
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Vince Carter also stands to gain much from a move to Arizona.
On the court, Vinsanity will be back to fast-breaking, this time with one of the league's premier point guards, and will have plenty of opportunity to throw down thunderous dunks once again after wasting away in Orlando's stand-and-shoot offense.
Off the court, Carter will have as a role model the always-classy Grant Hill who, like Carter, arrived in Phoenix looking to revive his career.
Hence, the move should prove to be a win-win for Vinsanity.
Winner No. 9: Steve Nash
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For one of the NBA's great point guards, this blockbuster deal could turn out to be a big boost in more ways than one.
If the deal works out as it should—and Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat all thrive in Phoenix's up-tempo system—Steve Nash will have three new toys to play around with on the break while leading the Suns back into the playoffs.
If the trade turns out to be a bust for the Suns, Nash will still likely come out a winner, as he'll be back on the market and on the way to a team with legitimate playoff aspirations while Phoenix begins the rebuilding process in earnest.
Either way, Nash's desire to win should be satisfied as a result of this deal.
Winner No. 10: John Wall
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Today's big trade should also be a big boost to the career of one of the league's next great point guards.
With Gilbert Arenas out of town, John Wall will have the starting point guard duties in Washington all to himself, which will allow him to showcase his strengths and shore up his weaknesses through extensive playing time.
Without controversy and without distraction.
Assuming Wall returns to full strength after a bout of tendinitis in his right knee, he will continue to build on his already-impressive averages of 16.7 points, 8.9 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
And, as new owner Ted Leonsis hopes, grow into a superstar who will turn the Wizards back into winners.
