Grading the NBA Trade Deadline
February 9, 2018
The NBA Trade Deadline was extremely exciting and teams made moves while the Cavs had a complete roster overhaul. I am going to grade the Trade Deadline as I see it fit.
Cleveland Cavaliers – B
The Cavs did good in the sense that they are planning for a LeBron departure. They got a much younger team acquiring Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and a 1st rounder. I feel like the Cavs way overpaid for them and deciding to get rid of Isaiah Thomas before he even gets through his 16th game. The Cavs also moved Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and Iman Shumpert in a three-way deal for George Hill and Rodney Hood. They also sent Dwyane Wade to Miami for a 2nd Round pick. The team got younger but gave up some serious talent in the moves.
Los Angeles Lakers – A-
The Lakers were not only able to pick up Isaiah Thomas, but also cleared cap space in trading away both Clarkson and Nance Jr. to free up cap space for 2 max contracts this summer. This makes LA enticing for Paul George, Isaiah Thomas, Lebron James, and maybe even Kawhi Leonard.
Phoenix Suns – B+
The Suns added Elfrid Payton to solidify their guard spot next to shooting star Devin Booker. All they had to do was give a meaningless 2nd Rounder to the Magic in exchange for him. Payton has put up solid numbers in Orlando and with more opportunity to play and score with the Suns his value should become a lot higher.
Denver Nuggets – F
For some odd reason the Nuggets decided to deal 21-yr old G Emmanuel Mudiay to the Knicks in a three way deal and in exchange for 34-yr old washed up bum Devin Harris. I don’t know why they would ever make this trade seeing as they selected Mudiay with the 7th pick back in 2015 and he still has many years to develop and play.
Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets – A+
Yes, I know they didn’t make a trade at the deadline but you know who didn’t acquire Avery Bradley? That’s right, their contenders OKC and the Spurs. Since both of those teams didn’t make moves the Warriors and Rockets can relax and take a breather and keep playing on.
Detroit Pistons – A-
Detroit, while they didn’t really make a big move at the deadline, did acquire Blake Griffin close to it. They got rid of both Avery Bradley, who is a top defender in the league, and Tobias Harris, both their two top scorers in exchange for Griffin, but so far it has worked out. Since then the Pistons are 5-0 and can’t be stopped. They did add Jameer Nelson and James Ennis to help with the bench in exchange for Bryce Johnson and a 2nd Rounder. Life is good for the Pistons but they need to keep moving forward.
Utah Jazz – D
The Jazz sent away both Rodney Hood and Joe Johnson in exchange for Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder. Great Deal right? Nope. They then released D-Rose, so they basically gave up great bench scorers for Jae Crowder. Don’t get me wrong, Jae Crowder is good, but not worth what they gave up.
Written by Nick Kazandjian
