NBA Trades: Power Ranking the Impact of Each Player Dealt at the Trade Deadline
NBA Trades: The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. Instead of most years where the deadline goes past like a whisper on the wind, this year has hit the NBA hard like a sledgehammer.
There are a great many NBA players on the move today. Each one is sure to change the NBA playoff picture in some way. Who are the winners and loser of the NBA trade season? That is not as cut and dry as you might think.
There are some rather interesting things to consider in each team's scenario. Here we will run down each team that chose to be active at the deadline and pick out the parts we like, and those that we hate.
Here is the 2011 NBA trade deadline, sorted out in an easy to read power ranking, just how you like it.
17. Chicago Bulls/Toronto Raptors
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The Bulls get the philanthropy award in this deal.
Bulls get:
• 2011 first-round pick (from Raptors, originally owned by Heat)
Raptors get:
• F James Johnson
They allow a budding young talent to take to the hardwood with a new team. A team he wil actually get some minutes with.
This does not change the landscape of the NBA, just one man.
16. Golden State Warriors
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This is a money grab folks.
Warriors get:
• F Troy Murphy
• 2012 second-round pick (Nets)
Nets get:
• F Brandan Wright
• C Dan Gadzuric
Both teams get cap space. The Warriors just get it more immediately. Troy Murphy is sure to be bought out of his contract as soon as he touches down in Oakland. From there, look for a contender to snatch him up.
15. Cleveland Cavaliers
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The Cavaliers were active participants on Thursday, just like we expected. There are two moves to talk about. One involves the big green Celtics machine, the other is the big move with the Clippers.
Cavaliers get:
• G Baron Davis
• 2011 first-round pick (Clippers)
Clippers get:
• F Jamario Moon
• G Mo Williams
As well as:
Cavaliers get:
• C Semih Erden
• F Luke Harangody
Celtics get:
• 2013 second-round pick
I see the Cavs working. I rather like what they accomplished. You can't possibly get worse, can you? Well, in some ways they did. I like Mo Williams and his hustle. But this is not remotely about salvaging this season.
That went out the window the second LeBron James took his talents elsewhere. This gives the Cavs a huge trade piece in Baron Davis. If not, they will have a ton of cash for the 2012 free agency period.
They also got a much needed center in Semih Erden. The Cavs may not be winning more games this season, but that is not what these moves were all about.
14. Charlotte Bobcats
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The Bobcats are going nowhere this year. It is a comforting fact for general managers at this time of year. You can see the motivation from the recent deal they made with Portland.
Charlotte pulled the trigger on two deals that were meant to shed salary. Neither will improve their immediate NBA station.
Blazers get:
• F Gerald Wallace
Bobcats get:
• F Dante Cunningham
• C Joel Przybilla
• Two future first-round picks
Thunder get:
• C Nazr Mohammed
Bobcats get:
• F D.J. White
• G Morris Peterson
Charlotte gets rid of a huge salary in Wallace and gets a shot in the arm with two future picks. The only thing now is to convince big name free agents to actually play in front of a half dozen paying customers in Charlotte.
Granted the lose a big defensive presence in Wallace, but it wasn't like they were stopping teams from scoring anyway.
The Bobcats also get a much needed defender down low in their other venture.
13. New Orleans Hornets
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This is a deal that had to happen for both parties involved. The Hornets need depth up front and Landry need to get out of dodge.
Hornets get:
• F Carl Landry
Kings get:
• Marcus Thornton
• Cash considerations
Carl Landry is a great player. He just hasn't shown it all this season. He could easily be a pivotal role player. Perhaps all he needed was a different locale and new system to work under.
Similarly, Thornton was starting to waste his talent on the bench. He is a fine shooting guard that will get a whole lot more exposure on a team that is in need of talent.
12. Sacramento Kings
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Look at these guys getting better.
Hornets get:
• F Carl Landry
Kings get:
• Marcus Thornton
• Cash considerations
Sacramento really hopes the keep their team in the state's capital. They will need a lot more butts in the seats for that to happen.
Getting Marcus Thornton may not exactly do that, but he will deliver a lot more points than Carl Landry. He has the potential to score 20 points a night. Whether he does that in a Kings uniform is a whole other matter.
11. Washington Wizards
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The Wizards have turned the page on the past this season and look to make some noise in the next couple of seasons. Here is what they have done.
Hawks get:
• G Kirk Hinrich
• F Hilton Armstrong
Wizards get:
• G Mike Bibby
• G Jordan Crawford
• G Maurice Evans
• 2011 first-round pick (Hawks)
Granted the Wizards get older, and albeit worse at the point guard position. The swap did net them a budding talent in Jordan Crawford.
It is a conundrum to be why they felt compelled to ditch Hinrich in favor of Bibby and Crawford. Hinrich is a much better shooter and defender. This tells me the deal was all about the added enticement of Crawford.
Jordan can be a great two guard. He has the hops and slashing ability to make a dent in the league. He just needs an consistent shot. The one head-scratcher is that they already have a future All-Star in Nick Young.
There is no way anyone is taking his spot. The more the merrier I guess.
10. Houston Rockets
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The Rockets would just as soon forget all about 2010-2011. They have been beset by injuries and dismal play. The name of the game is to rebuild an identity.
Suns get:
• G Aaron Brooks
Rockets get:
• G Goran Dragic
• Future first-round pick
The Rockets send off Brooks in favor of a prototypical guard in Dragic. This tells me that the Rockets are looking to get away from the uptempo speed someone like Brooks gives you.
I like Brooks' upside a bit more but Dragic and his ability to see the floor can not be quantified. This is a tumultuous time for Houston. It doesn't hurt shaking things up, especially when your franchise is in the doldrums.
9. Phoenix Suns
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The writing is on the wall. Steve Nash is nearly done in this league and the Suns know it. They flirted with trading the star guard, but instead opted to get him some help.
Suns get:
• G Aaron Brooks
Rockets get:
• G Goran Dragic
• Future first-round pick
Aaron Brooks is a perfect player for the Suns system. It has me a little mad that I did not think of it sooner. He is a quick up-tempo guard that will be a pain to the opposition.
8. Boston Celtics
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Many Boston fans are left shaking their head today. I would be too. The Celtics have established an identity that took decades to attain. They are the best defenders in the league. That may change following their recent coup.
Thunder get:
• C Kendrick Perkins
• G Nate Robinson
Celtics get:
• F Jeff Green
• C Nenad Krstic
Let me say that Jeff Green is a great get. He is a fine talent that Boston fans will enjoy having on their team. The one glaring problem here is the loss of Kendrick Perkins.
The recent injury to Perkins may have been the last straw for Danny Ainge. Yet, the Celtics need Perkins under center if they hope to get past the other elite eastern teams.
There was no other center in the conference that could consistently contend with his size and defensive measures. He would happily lock up Chris Bosh from having his way down low. Boston may have just given up the east for good.
7. Los Angeles Clippers
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The Clippers have just shouted from the hill tops, Blake Griffin this is your team. It very well should be. The Clips send off the only other big name that they had on the roster.
Cavaliers get:
• G Baron Davis
• 2011 first-round pick (Clippers)
Clippers get:
• F Jamario Moon
• G Mo Williams
This trade does not make the Clippers contenders now or even next year. Only a high-priced signing, and the grace of god can do that.
This move is solid for the Clippers in that they continue to get more youthful and clear cap space. Mo Williams is a formidable guard that can net you 15 points and 5 assists on the night. Look for his assists to increase with a behemoth like Griffin to catch his lob passes.
Most of all, I like Williams' work ethic. He was one of a few Cavaliers players that put forth top effort each and every night. Doing that this season went a long way to tell me about his character.
It also takes off the huge contract that Baron Davis had off the books. It could be a down year for the draft so I see no issues parting with that either.
6. Atlanta Hawks
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The Hawks are making some people very nervous this season. They are playing great ball and could surprise some teams in the post season. The one thing they needed was a bit more outside shooting. I think they fared very well.
Hawks get:
• G Kirk Hinrich
• F Hilton Armstrong
Wizards get:
• G Mike Bibby
• G Jordan Crawford
• G Maurice Evans
• 2011 first-round pick (Hawks)
Mike Bibby is on the tail end of his career. Essentially, this trade was a guard for guard swap. The Hawks got the better end of this deal.
Hinrich can defend a bit better and has the ability to shoot lights out. This will spread the floor more for Al Horford to do his thing.
5. New Jersey Nets
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At face value, many people fell in love with this trade. Then after they marinated on it, they started to shake their heads. At least I know I did.
Nets get:
• G Deron Williams
• Official Release
Jazz get:
• F Derrick Favors
• G Devin Harris
• 2011 first-round pick (Nets)
• 2012 first-round pick (from Nets, originally owned by Warriors)
• Cash considerations
The Nets get their star player, finally. After courting Carmelo Anthony for what seemed like decades, they resorted to the player that became available as the deadline neared.
The one big problem I have is that the Nets had a great core of young talent that only needed time to mature. Derrick Favors could still be a star in the making. Devin Harris has seen better days. Yet, he was still serviceable.
With a better roster, or a free agent that could score, he may have attained his All-Star numbers. This trade reeks of owner Mikhail Prokhorov making a deal for a star name, just to make a deal. Deron Williams does not make this team any better in the short run.
They still need to surround him with talent. This is a fact that will become abundantly clear as the season unfolds.
4. Denver Nuggets
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The Denver Nuggets did not get the better end of the deal in the Carmelo trade, but they got more than they would have if they carried on this charade.
We will never know if Melo would have signed an extension if the Knicks had not upped the ante. But it is clear that going to New York was at least a little more important than the money.
Knicks get:
• F Carmelo Anthony
• G Chauncey Billups
• F Renaldo Blackman
• G Anthony Carter
• C Sheldon Williams
Nuggets get:
• F Wilson Chandler
• G Raymond Felton
• F Danilo Gallinari
• C Kosta Koufous
• C Timofey Mozgov
• $3 million in cash
• 2014 first-round pick (from NYK)
• 2012 & 13 second-round picks
(from Knicks, originally owned by Warriors)
You never want to trade a top 10 talent in the NBA. You just never get back an even level of skill in the end. The Nuggets did get as much as they were going to, and a bit more.
The prize here is Danilo Gallinari. There have been rumblings that they could deal him, but that would be a mistake. I think given time he could turn into a sharp shooting forward that is so highly coveted in the NBA.
They also get a bevy of young talent. The hope is that one of them can stick. The real plus is that the whole ordeal is over in Denver.
3. Utah Jazz
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It was just time. Things were not working in Utah, so they had to just blow the whole thing up.
Nets get:
• G Deron Williams
Jazz get:
• F Derrick Favors
• G Devin Harris
• 2011 first-round pick (Nets)
• 2012 first-round pick (from Nets, originally owned by Warriors)
• Cash considerations
Despite popular opinion, I like this trade a whole lot more for Utah than I do for New Jersey. Utah would have easily found themselves in a similar situation that Denver was with Carmelo next year. This was a preemptive strike that makes them better in the long run.
Devin Harris is a former All-Star that may not be Deron Williams, but he is close enough. The real prize is Derrick Favors. If he turns into what he should, the Jazz will be the big winners of the 2011 deadline.
The only sad note is I will always wonder how good this young team could be with Jerry Sloan at the helm.
2. New York Knicks
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New York City completely shut down earlier this week when Carmelo Anthony returned home. Fans were besides themselves with the possibilities. If they took a step back, they would not be so amazed.
Knicks get:
• F Carmelo Anthony
• G Chauncey Billups
• F Renaldo Blackman
• G Anthony Carter
• C Sheldon Williams
• Official Release
Nuggets get:
• F Wilson Chandler
• G Raymond Felton
• F Danilo Gallinari
• C Kosta Koufous
• C Timofey Mozgov
• $3 million in cash
• 2014 first-round pick (from NYK)
• 2012 & 13 second-round picks
(from Knicks, originally owned by Warriors)
The Knicks gave up most of their supporting cast in nabbing Anthony. It is a move that makes them worse off in the short run. But that is not the point. The Knicks needed to net Anthony.
They could not gamble that Anthony would have taken less money and gone into free agency. A gamble, I believe they would have won.
This is a move that makes them a contender in the next couple of years. They just need another star player, or perhaps a bevy of solid role players. They will make due for now, and be happy to contend as early as next season.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
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This may just be the trade that has the most immediate impact on the Association. We may all fall over ourselves with the Carmelo deal, but the Thunder are now a force to be reckoned with.
Oklahoma City pulled off two deals to shore up their inside presence. One of which makes them instant contenders.
Thunder get:
• C Nazr Mohammed
Bobcats get:
• F D.J. White
• G Morris Peterson
Thunder get:
• C Kendrick Perkins
• G Nate Robinson
Celtics get:
• F Jeff Green
• C Nenad Krstic
The Thunder pushed the Lakers to the limit last season. They eventually fell when they could not contend with the length of the Lakers' dynamic duo down low.
Sitting at fourth in the West, the Thunder can easily get past the Hornets or any other five seed. The question is, can they get past the Spurs in the next round. If Perkins is healthy, you bet. He is a defensive beast inside and the one component the Thunder desperately needed to take the next step.
