The Biggest Trades: How to set an NBA franchise back 5 years
- Midseason deals
o 1. Pau Gasol going from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron Mckie, draft rights to his brother Marc Gasol, and two first round draft picks in 2008 and 2010.[9]
o This trade was seen by many to be lopsided. Spurs coach Greg Popovich even came out to say that the trade should be looked into for unfairness. This is a bunch of ridiculousness. Obviously, Pau Gasol is more valuable right now than the players the Lakers Gave up. Kwame isn’t even on the team any more, McKie won’t be playing much, and Crittenton doesn’t seem to have what it takes to be a serious NBA point.
o However, there are three other pieces. A first rounder that turned into Dorrell Arthur (who just got kicked out of the NBA’s rookie camp). Another first rounder next year (that likewise doesn’t figure to be too good). And Pau’s younger brother who is an inch taller, 30 pounds heavier, and five years younger than his brother.
o Given those dimensions and without having actually seen him play much, I don’t figure that his defense could possibly be worse than his older brother’s. His offense is reportedly not nearly as refined, but that could well change given another five years to catch up. Given the random collection of guys on the Grizz last year, combined with other teams reluctance to pull the trigger on a deal for an aging all star with dubious defensive credentials and I think this trade makes sense for both teams. A rare win-win in my opinion.
o Shaquille O'Neal going from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns in return for Shawn Marionand Marcus Banks.[10]
o This is probably among the worst trades of the last year. Marcus Banks is pretty clearly a throw in, despite his amazing ball pressure. Shaq for Shawn Marion? A couple more years with Shaqat one of the highest salaries in the game for a young, athletic, do everything kind of player who is relatively underpaid? I would have resigned from my GM position before making this trade.
o For some reason, Miami does not seem inclined to sign Marion after this year. Perhaps this is a smokescreen from Pat Riley and he is secretly telling Marion that he intends to sign him, but it now looks like Riley is trying to go in an even more youthful direction. Perhaps that makes sense, but to devalue such an excellent player such as Marion by suggesting that an extension is not in his future doesn’t seem to make much.
o Even so, they are much more flexible with Shaq’s salary off their books. In Arizona, meanwhile, the Sun is setting on the Suns. They never stood a chance. About this time next year, Amare Stoudamire will be plotting his exit.
o Mike Bibby going from the Sacramento Kings to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright, anda second-round 2008 draft pick.[11]
This trade more or less signals the end of the Kings attempts to win with the guys who took them to the Western Conference finals. Lorenzen Wright, Anthony Johnson, anda second round pick are all expected to not be part of the team this coming year. Sheldon Williams was simply too slow and too silly-looking to really intimidate any of the league’s legitimate big men. He could be used as a rotation guy on a good team though. All in all, a good trade for both sides. Atlanta got to pretend they were serious about making a deep playoff run (and they did a darn good job against the Cs) and the Kings management can continue pretending that they rule the basketbally world with their brilliant trades. Too bad none of those brilliant trades ever result in a championship.
o Jason Kidd, along with Malik Allenand Antoine Wright going from the New Jersey Nets to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Maurice Ager, Trenton Hassell, retired Keith Van Horn, two first round draft picks and three-million dollars.[12]
What was Mark Cuban thinking? We like our team as currently consituted was his party line in the days leading up to this trade. So, he was trying to get a better deal? Diop they got back in the offseason, Van Horn is done, so you can pretty much throw those parts of the deal away. Malik Allen is quite old and Antoine Wright has about as much chance of making it in the league as Maurice Ager. So, if you assume those things (approximately) then the deal was Jason Kidd for Devin Harris. Keep on mortgaging that future, Mark. You didn’t want to pay Steve Nash presumably because he can’t play a lick of D and then you go out and spend Devin Harris, a guy with a bunch of potential for an aging future hall of famer. Chris Paul reminded everyone in a big way that this is a young man’s game, and Cuban went into his panic room to cry and think about what other sports franchises he might be able to buy so he could have double the chances of winning a championship.
o Kurt Thomas going from the Seattle Supersonics to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and a 2009 first round draft pick. Brent Barry was immediately waived by the Sonics. Barry was later re-signed by the Spurs.[13]
Thomas is a decent old dude. But, the Sonics/Thunder weren’t going to be good anytime soon, making him expendable. He helped the Spurs to some degree, but they lost out on their late first rounder, which Sam Presti learned as assistant GM with the Spurs can be an undervalued thing. That first rounder turned into Serge Ibaka, a 6’10” power forward from the Congo. Also, Elson is a decent player who has been on winning teams, which should provide some stability for the young sonics. This move seems a bit short-sighted by the Spurs. Perhaps Ibaka and Elson will turn out to be unable to provide anything of real value to the Thunder, but the Spurs are strapped for roster spots and they don’t seem to think they need any new guys. With Ginobili and Duncan hitting their thirties, though, a bit of new blood might be just what the doctor ordered.
o A three-team deal between Cleveland, Chicago, and Seattle that saw Ben Wallaceand Joe Smith, a 2009 2nd-round pick, Sonics forward Wally Szczerbiak and guard Delonte West all go to Cleveland, Cavs forwards Drew Gooden and Cedric Simmons, guards Larry Hughesand Shannon Brown go to Chicago, Cavs forwards Ira Newble and Donyell Marshall, and Bulls forward Adrian Griffin go to Seattle.[14]
Once again, we see a desperate playoff contender figuring they can move up into the upper-echelon by trading for aging all stars. The Cavs were seeking a short term fix by grabbing Wally world, Ben Wallace, and Delonte West. On the upside, the cavs didn’t give up much talent in Griffin, Marshall, and Newble, but their cap flexibility is virtually gone. Chicago picks up an underrated forward in Drew Gooden, projects in Cedric Simmons and Shannon Brown, and the mercurial Larry Hughes. I would have to say that Bulls won this deal. They’re patience has been criticized when it comes to not dealing their nucleus of young talent, but they were smart enough to give up their old guys who haven’t been producing as expected.
It seems as though they got the best of this deal in taking down several players who could be very good if given the right circumstances. Brown is an athletic guy whose range should only improve. Hughes seems to be nearly on the downside of a career marred by injuries and inconsistency. He should still be able to provide something, if only a little bit of trade bait.
Simmons is not projected to be a major force in the league, but he coulds still become a solid contributor. Gooden is a great low-cost option in the post. Surrounded by good players, his best could rival that of other allstar 4s. For the Thunder, ownership now can forget about paying the angering salary of Wally. They do lose out on Delonte West, though, which is a bit hurtful. That salary could be freed up for other guys, but West is a skilled combo guard capable of solid defense and team oriented offense. It is hard to imagine that they will get a guy with similar skills for as good of a price, which is why the Bulls get the nod in this one.
o Bonzi Wellsand Mike James going from the Houston Rockets to the New Orleans Hornets for point guard Bobby Jackson.[15]
Mike James and Bonzi have been known to score in bunches. This deal certainly helped NO in that category, but veteran leadership is also useful, which is where Bobby Jackson can really help. Jackson seems like one of those guys who is going to play until he’s about 40, so it’s not like Houston was only using him for last season. Wells can be absolutely nasty, but he’s usually inclined to do so in contract years. Perhaps next year will show that one team really won this trade, but for the time being I think this one is another wash of a swap of capable veterans.
- Offseason Deals
- On June 26, 2008, the Milwaukee Bucks agreed to trade Bobby Simmonsand Yi Jianlian to the New Jersey Nets for Richard Jefferson.[2]
This deal is very intriguing. At first, you might think of Jefferson as the real meat of this trade. Jianlian and Simmons could both do well for the Nets, though. Yiis kind of a risk as it’s hard to project what he’s going to turn out to be. Jefferson, though, is a bit injury prone and his outside shot is questionable compared to other small forwards around the league. Simmons is a similar player to Jefferson if a bit slower and less explosive. He is capable of high level play, though, assuming he is fully healed from a number of injuries. For this reason, I give the edge to NJ.
Yi could blossom into an all-star caliber player and I don’t see Jefferson as that much of an upgrade over an uninspired Simmons. No one really knows how old Yi is, and injuries and frailty could mean an early exit from the league. If this happens, I might say Milwaukee got the better end, but not by much. In order for Jefferson to be a real difference-maker he would need to be a more complete player. He scores virtually at will when he wants to but does little else.
- On June 26, 2008, the Indiana Pacers agreed to trade Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu to the Portland Trail Blazers for Brandon Rush, Jarrett Jack, and Josh McRoberts.[3]
Portland is apparently banking on the success of scoring point guard Jerryd Bayless. Giving up Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush means a couple of decent pieces that could have been used in trades or as rotation guys for the time being. Rush’s skills are apparently still solid as he scored 25 points in the national semifinal game for Kansas. However, Bayless is three years younger than him and truly gifted athletically. McRoberts figures to be mainly a throw in for this deal.
If Diogu wasn’t involved, I think this deal would be more even. Diogu, despite having struggled to adjust to the NBA game thus far, still has potential for improvement and tossing him in the pantry among a bunch of other talented young guys is a good move for Kevin Pritchard and the blazers. Only Rush really outplaying Bayless will make this move look bad on the Blazers part.
- On June 26, 2008, the Indiana Pacers agreed to trade Jermaine O'Nealand Nathan Jawai to the Toronto Raptors for T. J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovič, Roy Hibbert, and Maceo Baston.[4]
This move signifies that Indiana is truly in rebuilding mode. Ford is a big question mark with a history of back injuries. If he can stay healthy, he can be among the top points in the league. That is a huge if as back injuries are especially problematic in a sport that requires a lot of jumping and landing. Nesterovic is on the downside of his career and isn’t meant to be a long term fix at the center spot. Baston is a 33 year old Euroleague guy who shouldn’t be expected to contribute much if anything.
Hibbert is an intriguing project. His size (7’2”) is excellent and his athleticism given that monstrous size is certainly noteworthy. Many experts don’t expect him to be as effective as Greg Oden or Andrew Bynum due to his relative lack of athleticism. Despite this, he’s still just 21, so he has time to learn how to use his body to block shots and box out. A year older and two inches taller than the aforementioned big men, Hibbert could be battling with the biggest of the bigs for years to come. In exchange for a fading and attitudinal Jermaine O’Neal who noone seemed to want? I think Bird pulled off a heist.
- On June 26, 2008, the Memphis Grizzlies agreed to trade Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinaland Jason Collins to the Minnesota Timberwolves for O. J. Mayo, Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner.[5]
This trade makes some sense for both teams. It makes more sense for the Wolves to me, though. An old adage in basketball is to take the tallest guy possible. Skill, of course, is another key consideration. OJ Mayo has been hyped as a guy who can handle the rock and still bang with the bigs as well as distribute the ball. He’s not projected to be a point guard, though. That’s not a problem as all of those skills are needed by elite shooting guards as well. However, tall guys who can shoot and are still strong enough to mix it up in the box are incredibly rare. After Kevin Garnett, the talent level in that pool faces a steep dropoff. So, the man who drafted Kevin Garnett goes after another player in his mold, Kevin Love.
I like the idea to stockpile skilled big men, then find the little guys who can be found at cheaper prices (in terms of money or personnel) at a later date. Considering both of these franchises are in the rebuilding mode, Love is my pick. Throw in Mike Miller and ditch Toines attitude problems at the same time=good offseason for ex-Celtic players who are now GMs. The same can’t quite be said of ex-Celtics GMs (Chris Wallace).
- On July 29, 2008, the Sacramento Kings agreed to trade Ron Artest to the Houston Rockets for Bobby Jackson, Donté Greene, and a 2009 first-round pick. The deal was completed on August 14, 2008.[8]
This was a steal for the Rockets, plain and simple. Artest is not the guy you want to have providing the leadership for your team because he is such a nutjob. Or as he describes himself, so “gangsta.” Yao’s original comments about the trade were taken way out of context, making it look like he doesn’t want to play with Artest. He was just being thoughtful about the whole thing and how Artest might affect the chemistry of the team. I think he will do so in a very positive way. He made it through all of last season without any major scandals, and I anticipate he will do the same this year with the stabilizing influence of a couple of stars.
The first round pick next year shouldn’t be very good next year if the Rockets are. Jackson is good, but not that good and I consider him mostly a throw in. Donte Green has little chance of ever matching the defensive prowess that Artest has managed to display nightly. This is not a steal in the sense that every other team in the league wants Artest. They should, though. His gangsta behavior has led to him being signed to a relative bargain of a contract.
Though Artest is getting older, I think the Kings could have waited to trade him at the deadline this season, giving him more time to proove to risk averse GM’s that he can sustain non gangsta behavior on the court for a decent amount of time. Even if they held on to him, he could still help a developing team without putting a strain on their salary cap. It might seem crazy to build around this guy, but if they could have brought in a few more big name kind of guys, their fortunes would change hugely. Or, supposing ownership was pressing hard for a trade now, trade him to the Bobcats or another bad team for their pick this year and next, so that those picks are actually valuable. I don’t really get this one.
