DALLAS/WASHINGTON
Dallas gets: Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, Deshawn Stevenson
Washington gets: Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, James Singleton
The Mavericks more than got the better of this move as Washington was only looking for cap relief in their effort to hit the reset button. Butler isn't a perfect fit in Dallas as he's not really a shooting guard but still he fills a need as an athletic swingman who can play at both ends and give the Mavs a legit second scorer. Haywood, meanwhile, might end up being the biggest part of the deal. Dallas has NEVER had a good center and Haywood could be the best they've ever had. A.
Washington got what they wanted as everyone they received has an expiring contract except Ross. This move got them under the luxury tax threshold and, along with the next deal, gives them cap room this summer. Howard is a wildcard who could potentially end up being a rotation player for the Wizards, though that's not likely given how he's played for the last three years. From a talent stand point this is a fleecing and the Washington brass knows it, even if GM Ernie Grunfeld is posturing otherwise. D.
WASHINGTON/CLEVELAND/LA CLIPPERS
Washington gets: Zydrunas Illguaskas, Al Thornton, draft rights to some Euro, Cleveland's 2010 first round pick
Cleveland gets: Antawn Jamison, Sebastian Telfair
LAC gets: Drew Gooden
Cleveland gets the front court scoring option they've been craving. In fact, getting Jamison instead of Amare Stoudemire is a major upgrade. Stoudemire is more talented but his game could have jammed up Cleveland's "let Lebron do whatever he wants" offense. Jamison can stretch the defense better than Jamison and gives Lebron the first real second scoring option he's had in his career. And it cost them NOTHING to pull it off. A+.
Washington sticks to the strategy they set forth with the Butler trade and further cleared cap space for the summer. In return they got a seriously talented swingman in Thornton and a future pick. They will likely buy out Illguaskas. Not great but at least they're running with their strategy. C+.
The Clippers should be ashamed of themselves for this deal. Not only did they give up an excellent up and comer in Thornton for NOTHING, they also helped a legit contender (Cleveland) get significantly better. The Clipper front office should be ashamed of themselves. F.
MINNESOTA/NEW YORK
Minnesota gets: Darko Milicic
New York gets: Brian Cardinal
The Wolves get the enigmatic Milicic who has shown flashes of decency in his time in the NBA. They gave up virtually nothing to take a flyer on a former number 2 pick in the draft. A.
New York begins the pathetic dismantling of their roster in their efforts to clear payroll for the summer by trading a something (Milicic) for a nothing (Cardinal). They will be buying Cardinal out before the weekend is up. D.
CHICAGO/MILWAUKEE
Chicago gets: Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander
Milwaukee gets: John Salmons
This is a questionable move for both teams. Chicago (I guess) is trying to clear cap space for the summer and in the process added two young players who might be able to play a little. At least Warrick has proven to be a rotation-level player in the league. They rid themselves of Salmons who has had a terrible season and who's contract is looking bad. But they certainly didn't get much in return for him. B-.
The Bucks got a potential replacement for Michael Redd and a big backcourt mate to team with Brandon Jennings. They were an undersized team before this move so Salmons helps there. They didn't give up anyone in their rotation, either. At the same time, the Bucks are going nowhere, why add payroll to a losing team? B-.
MILWAUKEE/PHILADELPHIA
Milwaukee gets: Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec
Philadelphia gets: Jodie Meeks, Francisco Elson, 2nd round pick
Milwaukee gets a backup point guard and that's about it. They lose a guy I personally think can play a little as a 10th guy (Meeks) and a pick that will likely be a high one given how bad they are. C.
Philly gives up pretty much nothing and gets back Meeks and his scoring potential as well as a pick. B.
BOSTON/NEW YORK
Boston gets: Nate Robinson, Marcus Landry
New York gets: JR Giddens, Bill Walker, Eddie House
The Celtics add a little fire power to help carry the scoring load. All of their
mainstays, with the exception of Rondo, are averaging career lows in points per game and Robinson can definitely help there. And playing with a good team and a leader like Garnett could get Robinson to get his head together. B+.
The Knicks continue to clear cap space by dealing fan favorite Robinson and bringing back next to nothing. I imagine House will be a candidate for a buyout, though he is a D'antoni disciple. Walker and Giddens are unknown commodities who might get a chance to showcase their talents on this terrible team. C.
UTAH/MEMPHIS
Utah gets: 2010 1st round pick
Memphis gets: Ronnie Brewer
The Jazz front office is spitting in the face of their fans with this move. Utah is sitting in 3rd place in the West coming off of a long winning streak and playing better than they have all year. And their reward is the trading of their starting shooting guard for nothing that helps them this year. My prediction is that this hurts the Jazz tremendously both on the court and in the locker room. D.
Memphis gets a very athletic, talented wing to add to their collection and didn't give up much to get him. I'm not sure how he fits in with Mayo, Conley, and Gay, but it's never a bad thing to have too many assets. B+.
CHARLOTTE/CHICAGO
Charlotte gets: Tyrus Thomas
Chicago gets: Ronald Murray, Acie Law, future 1st round pick
I love this move for the Bobcats. Thomas has crazy potential and if anyone is going to get it out of him it might just be Larry Brown. Thomas needed a change of scenery. If he can ever get his head on straight he can be a real player in this league. Now, if it doesn't work out, Charlotte will have wasted yet another draft pick, continuing their trend of getting next to nothing out of the draft. B+.
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Chicago gets nothing in return for the number four pick in the draft a few years ago. It's a shame that they couldn't ever get Thomas to reach his potential. Perhaps he just needed a new team, perhaps he's never going to put it together. If he does, though, and that Charlotte pick turns into a late rounder, this is a loss all around. C+.
NEW YORK/HOUSTON/SACRAMENTO
Houston gets: Kevin Martin, Hilton Armstrong, Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, right to swap picks with NY in 2011, New York's 1st round pick 2012
Sacramento gets: Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey, Larry Hughes
New York gets: Tracy McGrady, Sergio Rodriguez
Houston took the Kings and the Knicks out to the curb and busted 'em up with this trade. Carl Landry is a tough loss, no question, but the move not only allows them to rid themselves of the corpse of Tracy McGrady, it also brought in a legitimate scorer in Martin that they badly needed. I'm not completely sure how Martin will fit in on a defense first team like Houston and it's always questionable whether or not he can stay healthy. But that scoring punch makes the Rockets a formidable opponent. Hill, meanwhile, was a top 10 pick last year and could be a great compliment to Yao in the future. AND they get two GREAT draft picks in the upcoming years if New York can't get a big name player in free agency this summer. A+.
Sacramento, like the Clippers, should be ashamed of themselves. Not only did this trade not improve the team, it also helped a contending team get better. The Kevin Martin-Tyreke Evans backcourt was not going to work but in return for a potential All Star all they got was a 6th man of the year candidate. I like Carl Landry A LOT. He is a great complimentary piece for a good team. But he's not going to help a bad team like the Kings get any better. They should have at least gotten a draft pick out of this. C.
New York finishes off the day by further clearing cap space for the summer while clearing out their entire roster of any viable talent. McGrady is done, at least for this year, and in return for him they gave up a LOT of young talent. Look, if this works out and they can pair David Lee with a high draft pick in this year's draft with two of the big name free agents this summer (Lebron, Wade, Bosh, etc.) then this will have all been worth it. But the fact of the matter is, you have to question whether any of those guys is going to want to come to New York. Sure it's a great market but that team is completely devoid of talent now and they won't have draft picks in the next two years to replenish themselves. At this point even signing one of the big names that isn't Lebron will still leave them in the gutter. And if Lebron can't get Wade or Bosh to go with him to New York, tell me why he'd want to go and play there. If the Knicks don't get their free agents, this will be the worst team in the NBA for the next 5 years, easily. C.
Kuddos to Dallas, Cleveland, Boston, Charlotte, and Houston for making themselves better at the deadline. And shame on the Knicks, Clippers, and Kings for losing talent and getting nothing in return. A special shoutout to owners Mark Cuban (Dallas) and Daniel Gilbert (Cleveland) who, in a year when everyone is trying to shed payroll, took on more money in an effort to improve their teams. That's the mark of a good owner in my book.
-BG
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