NBA Trade Grades

The NBA trade deadline passed just a couple of days ago, and many teams made moves to try and either bolster there line-up for the playoffs, or to try and acquire young talent and draft picks for the future. So we decided to give teams that made major moves at the deadline grades on how well we think they did.

    New York Knicks: A-
    The New York Knicks made the biggest news out of any team in the NBA with a blockbuster deal that landed them a true superstar in Carmelo Anthony. This was a great move for a Knicks team, that without Melo was going to be stuck in mediocrity possibly until 2012.(the next great class of free agents) Now they are a team with two legitimate superstars, a good veteran point guard with Billups, and a solid all-around rookie in Landry Fields. The only thing stopping New York from being a true contender for an NBA championship is more size and depth in their Frontcourt. With that being said, I still believe they are a team that can make a little noise in the playoffs and possibly give a team like the Bulls, Celtics, or Heat a scare. 

    Portland Trailblazers: B
    In a trade that seemed to be under the radar, the Blazers made a nice move acquiring Gerald Wallace just a few hours before the 3 P.M. deadline on Thursday. Now although Wallace is not a superstar like Melo or Deron Williams, he is a great athlete, good scorer, and solid defender. When you first read what Portland gave up to get Wallace it may not look like much but, Pryzbilla, Dante Cunningham, and Sean Marks are all guys over 6 foot 8 and provide great depth for Portland’s frontcourt. Now with Marcus Camby injured and these 3 bigs gone Lamarcus Aldridge is the only true big Portland has left. This would become a real problem if the Blazers are matched up in the first round with a team like the Lakers, whose size and length would simply just overwhelm them. Portland took a risk trading size and depth for scoring and athleticism. Will it pay off? Only time will tell.

    Utah Jazz: C
    In a move that shocked and surprised many, the Utah Jazz traded all-star point guard Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, a 2011 first round pick from New Jersey, 2012 first round pick from Golden State, and 3 million dollars. To me the best part of this deal for the Jazz is the 2 first round picks, as both will probably lottery picks. Devin Harris is classic example of a looter in a riot and Derrick Favors is a project, but does have a nice upside. Now I know that in the NBA you will never get equal value for a great player like Williams, but I think the Jazz could have and held on to him and waited for a better deal.

    Oklahoma City Thunder: A-
    The Thunder made two big trades on Thursday, let’s start with the more publicized, in which the Thunder acquired Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. This is a great move for Oklahoma City who needed to add size and toughness in their frontcourt and that is exactly what they got with Perkins. Now they have a big man who can guard the likes of Gasol and Bynum for the Lakers and Duncan for the Spurs. Plus Nate Robinson is a guy who can come off the Thunder bench and give them scoring and energy. The second move they made before the deadline was trading away D.J. White and Morris Peterson for Bobcats center Nazr Mohammed. Although Mohammed is not as good of an interior defender as Perkins, he is still a major upgrade over Krstic and will pay dividends if the Thunder happen to meet the Spurs or the Lakers in playoffs.