In this installment of deadline deal making analysis, Jared and Rob take the perspective of at least one team in every trade, giving that team a grade based on variables such as value, fit, financials and nostalgia(?).
Clippers Get: Tobias Harris F, Avery Bradley G, Boban Marjanovic C, 2018 1st* (DET), 2019 2nd* (CLE, HOU, ORL or POR)
Pistons Get: Blake Griffin F, Brice Johnson F, Willie Reed C
*2018 protected 1-4, 2019 protected 1-4, 2020 protected 1-4, 2021 unprotected
**2019 least favorable of POR 2nd and result of most favorable from CLE, HOU, ORL
Clippers [Rob]
In the 2017 offseason, the Clippers signed Blake Griffin to a max contract and even went as far as doing a mock jersey retirement ceremony by raising his jersey into the rafters as music played, according to Zach Lowe. While it may be seen as a bit cold-hearted for the Clippers to do this, on a purely fiscal level, this move may have been exactly what they needed. Jerry West joined the Clippers organization in the 2017 offseason and has not been shy in his remodeling of the team – first by relieving Doc of his powers as president of basketball operations and appointing Lawrence Frank, now by realigning the path of mediocrity the Clippers seemed destined towards with a big man duo of Blake and DeAndre Jordan tying up over $70M of the cap.
The Clippers elected not to move Jordan or Lou Williams at the deadline (instead, signing the latter to an extremely team-friendly extension) and may be content with letting Jordan walk at the deadline. If so, this would be a dramatic shift from where the team stood less than a year ago when they had Chris Paul, Blake, and DJ. If this is the route they go, it may be exactly where West wants the team to be – good enough to avoid embarrassment, but not good enough to make the playoffs in 2019 or 2020. If they are in the lottery those two years, their 1st round pick won’t convey to Boston (who else?).
The players the Clippers received in the deal aren’t as important as the first round pick they got from Detroit for this year’s loaded NBA draft. Tobias Harris is the only significant contributor that could probably be there long-term. Bradley is likely gone in the offseason and Boban is Boban. Overall, a great trade for the Clippers who have now avoided paying Blake Griffin $39 million (!) in 2022.
Grade: A-
Pistons [Jared]
Four years ago, the Pistons signed Stan Van Gundy to a five year contract to become both the team’s president and coach. The deal gave Van Gundy full autonomy over the organization, and with it, full responsibility. What has he done with this organizational control? The Pistons have missed the playoffs 2 of the past 3 seasons, their lone playoff appearance ended in a sweep at the broom handle of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With just one year remaining on his contract, it’s prove it time for Van Gundy. In a recent interview with The Detroit News, the 59-year old Van Gundy admitted that his coaching career may conclude by his mid-60s.
“I have been really, really lucky. I’m not gonna be a guy coaching into my 70s, probably not even into my mid-60s. I told my wife when we came here, this was gonna be the last job, however long it ran.”
The above statement suggests Van Gundy’s next contract may be his last. Going all-in now is what makes sense for his trajectory. Star acquisition in the NBA is difficult, with the team receiving the star in a trade usually winning the deal.
Despite Drummond’s emergence as a better passer and less than atrocious free throw shooter (62% FT), Griffin immediately becomes the best player on the Pistons. Five years ago, Blake would have been a terrible fit with Drummond. His development in that time as a reliable shooter and passer makes Griffin a solid fit next to Drummond, who is actually more versatile than Blake’s previous frontcourt mate, DeAndre Jordan.
This move makes the Pistons better this year and for the near future, but to what end? They’ll surely be a playoff team as long as Griffin is healthy, but they are somewhat hamstrung in acquiring any additional significant talent. Unless the Pistons are able to add another star at guard or forward, they will likely be stuck in the middle of the pack in the East for the duration of Griffin’s contract.
Grade: B-
Bulls Get: Omer Asik C, Tony Allen G, Jameer Nelson G, 2018 1st* (NOP), 2021 2nd pick swap (NOP)
Pelicans Get: Nikola Mirotic F
*2018 protected 1-5, 2019 protected 1-8, 2020 protected 1-10, 2021 protected 1-9, 2022 protected 1-6, otherwise convey 2022 2nd and 2023 2nd
Bulls [Jared]
The Bulls management started their rebuilding process with the trade of Jimmy Butler in last year’s draft, landing them land Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine and Lauri Markannen. They have not been shy about their direction ever since.
From the beginning of the year, Mirotic was one of the veterans the Bulls were open to moving. The feud with Bobby Portis certainly didn’t help. Signed to a two year deal in September, the second year is a team option for $12.5 million. In reality, the Bulls may very well have moved on from Mirotic’s second year regardless. Getting a first round pick in this market is about as good as you can do.
Grade: A
Pelicans [Rob]
The Pelicans pulled the trigger on the trade, primarily for 2 reasons:
1) Demarcus Cousins’ injury left them incredibly thin upfront and threatened their playoff aspirations this year.
2) To get Omer Asik’s contract off their books.
If the Pelicans were to make the playoffs this season (they’re currently clinging onto the 8 seed), giving up a non-lottery 1st round pick and some ancillary players for a proven contributor would be a good deal for them. Not great, but good. Considering how reluctant every other team was at the trade deadline in giving up their first round pick, it could be argued the Pelicans overpaid for Mirotic.
That could be a bit harsh. Mirotic is a solid player who made the Bulls significantly better. The Bulls were 3-20 at the time of Mirotic’s return and proceeded to go 14-11 in the games he played. And those aren’t just empty stats either, the on/off numbers support this with a +12.7 net rating. He’s also locked in through next season, and can be seen as Cousins insurance, if the team decides Cousins isn’t worth the money due to his brutal achilles injury.
Grade: B
Bucks Get: Tyler Zeller C
Nets Get: Rashad Vaughn G, 2018 2nd* (MIL)
*2018 protected 48-60, 2020 unprotected
Bucks [Jared]
The Bucks are relatively strong on the wing with the Greek Freak, Middleton, and Malcolm Brogdon. It’s clear Rashad Vaughn is not part of their future, so this trade basically comes down to dealing a protected 2nd (#31-47) for a solid backup center in Zeller. His contract value for next year is a non-guaranteed $1.9 million, giving the Bucks a backup center for their current playoff push and flexibility for next year.
Grade: B+
Nets [Rob]
As evidenced by the subsequent trade of Rashad Vaughn, the Nets clearly did this deal for the 2nd round pick. Before the trade, the Nets didn’t have a guaranteed 2nd round pick in the 2018 draft (if the Pacers were to end up in the lottery, their 2nd round pick would convey to the Nets). Now the Nets have guaranteed draft picks, in both the first and second rounds, in all years going forward for the first time since 2010… which is not-so-coincidentally the year their owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, bought the team and started chasing star players.
Considering Tyler Zeller was signed as a 15th man in September, averaged under 17 minutes a game, and lost his spot in the rotation in January, this was as good of a haul as the Nets could have hoped to get.
Grade: A-
Hornets Get: Willy Hernangomez C
Knicks Get: Johnny O’Bryant C, 2020 2nd (CHA), 2021 2nd (CHA)
Hornets [Rob]
The Hornets gave up 2 future second round picks for a player most teams would be happy to select with a mid-second round pick. The logjam at frontcourt with the New York Knicks wasn’t doing Hernangomez any favors, but pull back the curtains a bit and you can see the makings of a solid NBA big man.
If you look at his shot chart from last season, you see a big man that knows his role and his limits. His shot chart from this season is almost too small to glean much from, but for what it’s worth, he has shown improvement in the restricted area – a must for any center that doesn’t shoot threes. He has talked about expanding his range, and that may come in the future, but for now, he provides the Hornets some depth at the center position, where he can learn from Dwight Howard – who, for all his faults, was a dominant big man once upon a time.
Grade: B+
Knicks [Jared]
This is one of the more perplexing trades of the deadline. The Knicks supposedly in rebuild mode, decided to move one of their younger, more promising players. Just a year ago, the 23-year old Hernangomez averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds per game in just 17 minutes. That was good enough to land him on the All-Rookie first team. While that is not a guarantor for future success, it speaks to the promising year Hernangomez had.
This year after the Carmelo Anthony trade, Willy found himself buried on the depth chart behind Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn. The most confusing part of this, both centers playing above him are older – Kanter at 25 and O’Quinn at 27 – and have player options this off-season. While Kanter will likely opt-in to his $18.6 million, O’Quinn will almost assuredly opt out of his $4.2 million. With Hernangomez signed for a total of $3 million over the next two years, it would have made more financial sense to trade O’Quinn for whatever they could get and play Hernangomez for the rest of the year.
Instead they sold at Hernangomez’s lowest possible value, reportedly because they got a better offer for him than O’Quinn – naturally, given their respective situations. While acquiring future picks is always good, hitting on second round picks is difficult. The Knicks can only hope that one of them will be close to Hernangomez in terms of talent. This trade is the antithesis of what the Knicks should be at this point in their trajectory.
Grade: C-
Blazers Get: Rights to Milocan Rakovic
Bulls Get: Noah Vonleh F, Cash
Blazers [Jared]
By dumping Noah Vonleh and his $3.5 million contract, the Blazers were able to sneak underneath the luxury tax. Avoiding the extra payment, and penalties associated with being a taxpayer, this move is worth whatever cash they gave to entice the Bulls.
Grade: B+
Bulls [Rob]
The Bulls essentially get a “free” look at a 22 year old power forward that will become a free agent in the offseason in a market that probably won’t be clamoring to pay him big dollars. In the meantime, the Bulls will be able to play Vonleh more than the 14 minutes per game he was averaging in Portland, and can help shore up their big man rotation after trading Mirotic.
The player that the Bulls gave up, Milocan Rakovic, was Mr. Irrelevant in a draft that took place over a decade ago. He has continued to play overseas since. The Bulls won’t miss his contributions.
Grade: B
Bulls Get: Willie Reed C, 2022 2nd* (CHI or MEM)
Pistons Get: Jameer Nelson G
*2022 more favorable of CHI or MEM
Bulls [Rob]
Given that the Bulls intend to waive Willie Reed, Chicago did this trade for the 2nd round pick. In exchange, they only had to give up a player that was acquired a week beforehand. That is good GM’ing by Gar Forman (not a typo).
Grade: B+
Pistons [Jared]
This trade is in direct correlation to the motives of the Blake Griffin deal. The Pistons are all-in on making the playoffs this year. With Reggie Jackson currently injured, the Pistons were trotting out Dwight Buycks as their backup point guard. Jameer Nelson is an immediate upgrade to Buycks and has a previous relationship with Stan Van Gundy from Orlando. He should fit in right away. The Pistons traded from their deepest position to strengthen their weakest.
Grade: B
Cavs Get: 2024 2nd* (MIA)
Heat Get: Dwyane Wade G
*2024 protected 31-55
Cavs [Jared]
This is one of those rare trades that is done almost entirely out of good will. The Cavaliers receive a 2024 2nd rounder from Miami that is top-55 protected so it will likely never convey. They do get off the hook from the $2.3 million owed to Wade this year, shaving money off their luxury tax bill.
Grade: B
Heat [Rob]
Nostalgia. Loyalty. Correcting past wrongs. Any of the above, really.
Grade: A
Cavs Get: George Hill G [SAC], Rodney Hood G [UTA], Rights to Arturas Gudaitis [SAC]
Jazz Get: Derrick Rose G [CLE], Jae Crowder F [CLE]
Kings Get: Joe Johnson F [UTA], Iman Shumpert G [CLE], 2020 2nd (CLE), Rights to Dimitrios Agravanis [CLE], $2.1M Cash [CLE], $1.1M Cash [UTA]
Cavs [Rob]
The Cavs acquired a solid playmaking point guard (who actually plays defense!) and a 3-and-D wing that the Cavs probably thought they were getting in Jae Crowder. The recipe for success for the type of players to surround LeBron with should be obvious by now – playmakers, 3 point shooters, and perimeter defenders. George Hill has been all those things this season, shooting 45% from 3 which is tops in the NBA, averaging over 5 drives per game in limited minutes, and providing solid defense (prior to this season anyway, where it was apparent he cared very little about the Kings organization).
Rodney Hood is 39% 3 point shooter, most of which are in the catch & shoot variety, which he will rely on even more playing next to LeBron. He is only 25 years old and entering free agency in the offseason. Fortunately for the Cavs, this may be the single worst offseason to be an NBA free agent and Hood may not get the big contract he is hoping for from another team. Bringing him back, especially on a cheap-o contract, would provide the Cavs with some depth in case of LeBron’s departure.
Grade: A
Jazz [Rob]
The Jazz showed that they were not comfortable ponying up the money Hood will presumably be seeking in free agency. So instead, they trade for a seasoned wing player locked in to a very team-friendly contract. Prior to Crowder’s play this season, a very good argument could be made that he had the best value contract in the NBA at approx. $7 million a year through 2020.
Crowder should thrive in Quin Snyder’s motion offense. It has many similarities to the offense Brad Stevens runs in Boston, which made Crowder so successful in the first place. He never fit into the “LeBron scheme” and was probably playing out of position most games he was starting at power forward. A change of scenery should prove beneficial for Crowder.
Still, it is worth wondering if the Jazz could have gotten more for Hood. Given Crowder’s play this season, if his slump were to continue, the Jazz gave up on a promising young player for effectively nothing. Time will tell, but for now, the lack of any incoming picks for Utah in this deal is concerning.
Grade: B-
Kings [Jared]
This trade is all about saving money and opening up more opportunities for rookie De’Aaron Fox. By trading in Hill’s contract for Shumpert’s the Kings will save about $8 million in cap space next year, in addition to picking up more than $3 million in cash. They can also start Fox and play him starters minutes, without having to worry about a disgruntled George Hill.
Grade: B+
Cavs Get: Jordan Clarkson G, Larry Nance Jr. F
Lakers Get: Isaiah Thomas G, Channing Frye F, 2018 1st* (CLE)
*2018 protected 1-3, 2023 protected 1-10 otherwise convey 2023 2nd
Cavs [Jared]
Life comes at you fast. In less than year, Isaiah Thomas went from being a fringe MVP candidate to an expiring contract. A key component to the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston, Thomas was out the beginning of the year with a hip injury. When he finally did suit up for the Cavaliers, Thomas experienced a historic drop in production. In 15 games with the Cavs, Thomas averaged 14.7 points (down from 28.9) on a paltry 36.1% from the field (down from 46.3%). Thomas’ offensive frustrations were a combination of rust and fit – it’s not easy for a ball dominant player to share the floor with LeBron James. Without his elite level offensive contributions, Thomas is a net negative on any team as his defense is a liability.
While the Cavliers might have sold low on Thomas, the alternative of seeing out this horrendous season, and letting him walk, was worse. The way this season was going, it may have meant a surefire exit for LeBron James.
Instead the Cavaliers got two young players – Clarkson and Nance Jr. are both 25 – who are a much better fit with LeBron. Clarkson is a proven scorer with some playmaking ability. He’s a good fit starting alongside Hill, but can also come off the bench. Nance Jr. brings athelticism and rebounding to the Cavs front line, qualities that will help offset the loss of Kevin Love for the next several weeks. Once Love comes back, it’s possible Nance can see time at center as well.
This move, combined with the three way deal bringing in Hood and Hill, surrounds LeBron with hungry, non-ball dominant players who will acquiesce to James filling the alpha role. Not only are the newcomers a better fit than Thomas, they stand to reinvigorate LeBron – increasing Cleveland’s chances of re-signing him.
Grade: A-
Lakers [Rob]
Because LeBron told them to. Nah, but the Lakers definitely did this move with LeBron in mind, as this deal allowed them to free up cap space for both the 2018 and 2019 offseasons. While the Lakers would have preferred to keep Nance Jr, the benefit of getting Jordan Clarkson’s approx. $12 million a year through 2020 off the books, and getting back a first round pick for the 2018 draft, was too promising to pass up in Magic’s eyes. The Lakers can now offer two max contracts either this offseason or next offseason, which has been Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka’s goal pretty much since the inception of their hiring.
The players they received back are viewed primarily as expiring contracts. As Woj mentions, the deal provides the Lakers with some added shooting, but it’s hard to even judge the trade on a basketball level as it is so clearly steered toward cap flexibility in the offseasons. The ultimate grade of this trade can’t be decided until we see what the Lakers do with the cap space, but there’s no doubt this trade allowed Magic and his team to move towards the goal they set for themselves.
Grade: B
Grizzlies Get: Brice Johnson F, 2022 2nd* (CHI or DET)
Pistons Get: James Ennis F
*2022 less favorable of CHI or DET
Grizzlies [Rob]
Second round picks are the new currency of the NBA, the go-to throw in for any teams that are hesitant to pull the trigger on a trade. These picks are now worth enough to get promising young players who have fallen out of favor with their organization (Hernangomez, Mudiay, Payton, etc.) or packaged as part of a larger deal. I doubt whether the Grizzlies are as enthusiastic about getting a guy averaging 1.7 points in his (young) career.
Grade: B+
Pistons [Jared]
This is another trade by Detroit to trade from a position of strength to bolster a weaker position. Lacking wing depth from the Blake Griffin trade, the Pistons get a serviceable backup forward in James Ennis who is a career 37% 3PT shooter.
Grade: B-
Hawks Get: Okaro White C
Heat Get: Luke Babbitt F
Hawks [Jared]
This one is simple, the Hawks save about $600k from trading in Babbitt for White.
Grade: B+
Heat [Rob]
Hear it from Pat Riley himself: “We wanted to sign Luke again last summer but really ran out of roster spots,” Riley said of his consultations with coach Erik Spoelstra. “Spo loves Luke and loved the fact that he spaces the floor. He’s a no-nonsense player. When you take a look at his numbers from his 3-point range this year, even though it’s a small sample size or a smaller sample size, from all areas of the court he’s above average and I think way above average. Of a lot of the guys that were traded today, he was the very best 3-point shooter out there. So we’ve been talking about Luke and others for a while.”
Riley wasn’t too wrong. Technically, George Hill has a higher 3-point shooting percentage than Babbitt (45% vs 44% on the same number of attempts), but his overall point still stands. Babbitt knows how to shoot the rock and is familiar with the Heat organization having previously played for them.
Riley got the guy he wanted and gave up next to nothing to do it.
Grade: A-
Knicks Get: Emmanuel Mudiay G [DEN]
Mavericks Get: Doug McDermott F [NYK], 2018 2nd* (POR or SAC) [DEN]
Nuggets Get: Devin Harris G [DAL], 2018 2nd** (LAC or NYK) [NYK]
*2018 less favorable of POR and SAC
**2018 less favorable of LAC and NYK
Knicks [Jared]
For the Knicks, this is exactly the type of low-risk move they should be making. Doug McDermott, while a solid rotational player, is a restricted free agent in the offseason. Instead of having to make a decision on, and potentially overpay, McDermott the Knicks cashed in and got a future asset.
This takes us to Emmanuel Mudiay. Many believed, myself included, leading up to the 2015 NBA draft that Mudiay was a better prospect than Kristaps Porzingis. While I’ve never been more pleased at being wrong in my life, there was some credence to Mudiay’s projection. He still has the abilities that got scouts excited in 2015 – namely his athleticism and passing ability. However, his deficiencies have also been determinately exposed. In Denver, Mudiay has been incredibly inefficient from the field just breaching 40% from the field this year, for the first time in his career, at 40.1%. Most of this is due to his poor finishing on drives to the rim (40.5%), and in spite of his vastly improved 3PT shooting (from 31.9% his rookie year to 37.3% this year).
Mudiay is still just 21-years old, three years removed from being the #7 overall selection in the 2015 draft with one more year left on his rookie deal ($4.2 milion). For the Knicks, a restricted free agent and 2nd round pick are well worth the gamble on player of Mudiay’s talent and age.
Grade: A
Mavericks [Jared]
The Mavericks will now be tasked with making a decision on McDermott, which may be made easier by the projected constriction on spending this off-season.
Outside of the potential financials, this is a great move by Dallas. While they surely value Devin Harris’ leadership, he will be 35 by the end of the month and the Mavericks have the point guard solidified with rookie Dennis Smith Jr. and second year player Yogi Ferrell. The addition of McDermott helps balance the roster, giving the Mavericks much needed wing depth.
Still just 26 years old, McDermott is a proven shooter (career 39.1% 3PT) and provides a solid security blanket if the Mavericks decide to part ways with Mathews after next season.
Grade: A-
Nuggets [Rob]
The Nuggets get the backup point guard they desperately needed at the deadline, the keys to the offense officially go to Jamal Murray, and they may get a slightly better second round pick for their troubles. It’s probably a bit premature to call Mudiay a bust considering he could only legally buy alcohol for the past few months, but he certainly didn’t live up to his hype with the 7th pick of the 2015 draft. The emergence of Murray also made Mudiay a bit redundant this year, despite his improved play.
Devin Harris was a favorite of Rick Carlisle for quite a few years, and his veteran presence will be exactly what the second unit needs. Still, a 34 year old guard and swap of second round picks is not a good return for a top-10 draft pick that is less than 3 years into the league.
Grade: C+
Magic Get: 2018 2nd* (CHA, MEM or MIA)
Suns Get: Elfrid Payton G
*2018 second most favorable of CHA, MEM or MIA
Magic [Jared]
This trade is shocking, despite the fact that Elfrid Payton is a restricted free agent and the Magic clearly had no intention of re-signing him. At 23-years old, Payton is averaging 13 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds per game on an eFG% of 54.7. Surely there was a team in the NBA willing to give up more for Payton than one second round pick at some point in the season. Usually a proponent of getting what you can for a player on the way out, I find it hard to believe the Magic couldn’t have played this hand better.
Grade: D
Suns [Rob]
The Suns will have a tough decision to make when Elfrid Payton enters restricted free agency in a few months, but given their hoard of second round picks in the 2018 draft, they gave up next to nothing for a young, promising player on a team desperate for a point guard that was once loaded at the position. Payton’s jack of all trades skillset (minus shooting, of course) should pair well with Devin Booker, who will finally have some ball-handling duties relieved. Given the scarcity of teams with cap space in the offseason, the Suns would be wise to let the market dictate Payton’s value and bring him back on a reasonable contract.
Grade: A