Only deals involving 2010 1st round picks
Miami Heat trade the 18th pick (PG Eric Bledsoe) and SG Daequan Cook to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 32nd pick
Deal for Miami: A pure salary dump, they dump the 3 million or so they would have had to pay the 18th pick, as well as Cook’s 2.2 million dollar cap number, and get the 32nd pick, which won’t command nearly as much money. They save about 4 million in this deal and I don’t think they get all that worse of a package. The difference between the 18th pick and the 32nd pick is not as much as you’d think and Cook is a decent contributor, but easily replaceable. This deal sets them up to do a lot more in free agency, in terms of possibly adding the trinity, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh.
Grade: A
Deal for Oklahoma City: Using some of their salary cap room to add vets, the Thunder get Cook, who can play a role for them, and they get him relatively cheap. Excluding the fact that they later moved the 18th pick for a 2011 1st rounder from the Clippers, I still think this is a solid move.
Grade: B
Chicago Bulls trade the 17th pick (PF Kevin Seraphin) and PG Kirk Hinrich to the Washington Wizards for cash
Deal for Chicago: Pure salary dump. If this move is the one that allows them to sign Bosh and LeBron (which it looks like it could), it’s genius. They may still need to move Luol Deng first before they can afford both of them if Bosh demands a max deal. Hinrich was nothing more than Rose’s backup and the 17th pick is not as valuable as it sounds. Mid first round picks are role players and projects (in Seraphin’s case, it’s project).
Grade: A
Deal for Washington: I kind of see what they were trying to do here. They figured no one would want to sign in Washington in free agency anyway, for fear or being shot, so they used their cap space to trade for a player and got a draft pick in the process. Not a horrible idea, but did they need Hinrich? They already have John Wall at Gilbert Arenas, at point guard, plus Foye who can play there. Did they need another? 9 million dollars of cap space is a lot and this may take them out of the sweepstakes for getting a player like David Lee, who I would much rather want than Hinrich. Seraphin is widely considered a big project, but he does save this deal from being a complete F.
Grade: D
New Orleans Hornets trade the 11th pick (C Cole Aldrich) and SG Morris Peterson to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 21st pick (PF Craig Brackins) and the 26th pick (SF Quincy Pondexter)
Deal for New Orleans: There wasn’t anyone the Hornets were enamored with at 11 and they didn’t really need a starting caliber player, but rather some wing depth and interior depth, so they traded down, got two picks, filled two needs with those two picks, and dumped Morris Peterson’s salary in the process.
Grade: A
Deal for Oklahoma City: They needed a center and Aldrich was better than any center they could have gotten with one of their later picks, but I don’t think Aldrich was quite worth what they gave up, two first rounders, and 6.6 million of cap space. This takes them out of the David Lee sweepstakes, a sweepstakes they looked like the favorite to win. They could have gotten a decent center project or two with their later picks.
Grade: C
Portland Trailblazers trade SF Martell Webster to the Minnesota Timberwolves for SF Ryan Gomes and the 16th pick (SF Luke Babbitt)
Deal for Portland: Last year, Webster scored 9.4 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.55 blocks, and 0.49 steals, shot 40.5% from the field, 37.3% from three, and 81.3% from the line. Gomes, who plays the same position, had 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.82 steals, 0.21 steals, shot 44.7% from the field, 37.2% from three, and 82.5% from the line. Webster is younger and may have a little bit more upside as a former upside pick, but if he hasn’t come around by now, I don’t think he will. I may have done this deal straight up, Webster for Gomes. Getting the 16th pick as a throw in only makes it sweeter.
Grade: A
Deal for Minnesota: Basically you’re trading a decent player for a decent player at the same position and throwing in a mid first round pick. Why? The only thing that keeps this from a fail is Webster’s upside, but he is 23 with 5 years experience so it may be time to give up on him as someone who’s going to be a good player in this league.
Grade: D
Oklahoma City Thunder trade the 18th pick (PG Eric Bledsoe) to the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2011 1st round pick
Deal for Oklahoma City: They got this pick when they moved up from the early 2nd to the 18th pick in the first, in the Miami Daequan Cook salary dump, and now they may have turned it into a 2011 lottery pick, a class that figures to be more talented than this one, because the Clippers don’t look like a playoff team in 2011.
Grade: A
Deal for Los Angeles Clippers: I get the need for a backup point guard with Baron Davis’ health issues, but I don’t see the need to take one here and give up what could be a future lottery pick. They could have gotten a solid one in free agency or the 2nd round. However, if they are able to pull off a Baron Davis salary dump deal with someone and can entice a max contract free agent to LA, this will look brilliant. I don’t see that happening though.
Grade: C
New Jersey Nets trade the 27th pick (SG Jordan Crawford) and the 31st pick (C Tibor Pleiss) to the Atlanta Hawks for the 24th pick (SF Damion James)
Deal for New Jersey: James is one of the more overlooked players in this draft class and I can see him being a starter for this team longterm, so I see why they moved up, but they may have given up a bit too much. The 31st pick is a lot to move up 3 spots from 27th to 24th. James may have been there at 27 and even if he wasn’t, bad teams that need a lot of things should not get this enamored about a guy who slipped to the mid 20s.
Grade: B
Deal for Atlanta: Atlanta doesn’t have a lot of guys under contract for next year so they turn one pick into two and win in terms of value. The NBA does not have a trade value chart like the NFL, but if they did, the Hawks would be clear winners here.
Grade: A
Memphis Grizzlies trade the 25th pick (SG Dominique Jones) to the Dallas Mavericks for cash
Deal for Memphis: I don’t like the concept of giving away a pick for nothing, just so you don’t have to pay the pick, but I can kind of see why the Grizzlies did it in this situation. They had two other firsts and not a ton of needs.
Grade: B
Deal for Dallas: I don’t see how Jones fits into the mix as a Maverick, unless there’s a trade that clears up their backcourt, but you’re getting a good player for pretty much nothing and it’s not like the Mavericks are pressed for cash.
Grade: A
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