Report card time: Grading the trades
John Hollinger hands out trade-by-trade, team-by-team marks
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By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
ArchiveNBA Trade Machine
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Trade Machine
All talk, no action. That's been the NBA season in a nutshell so far. Despite more trade chatter than in any season I can remember, it's been a pretty quiet 2009-10 for trades in the NBA … at least leading up to the All-Star break.
Although we've seen a few minor money deals meant to clean up balance sheets, we saw only two trades of significance before All-Star Weekend: Stephen Jackson's trade to Charlotte in November, and the swap of Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring to Oklahoma City in December.
But in the wake of the big trade between Dallas and Washington, things apparently are starting to happen.
Here's ESPN.com's report card of the action so far:
Feb. 18: Knicks nab T-Mac, Rockets get K-Mart
New York trades Larry Hughes to Sacramento, and Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, a top-5 protected 2012 first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2011 to Houston (top-1 protected);
Houston sends Tracy McGrady to New York, and Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey to Sacramento; Sacramento sends Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong to Houston, and Sergio Rodriguez to New York.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Rockets: I see this as two trades, both of which benefit Houston. First, the Rockets basically extracted two first-rounders (Hill and the 2012 pick) from New York for taking on Jeffries, plus a potential lottery ticket in 2011.
The trade costs Houston its salary cap space this summer, which now will be spent paying Jeffries to sit at the end of the bench. But since the Rockets didn't have enough room for a max deal and every other team will be flush with cash, I don't think this costs them much. Additionally, Houston should still be able to re-sign Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola without going over the luxury tax.
The deal comes with the bonus of getting the Rockets under the luxury tax for the current season. Unlike every other team scrambling to get under the tax line, Houston managed to do it while adding assets instead of subtracting them. Well played.
With Sacramento, Houston swapped two of the league's most underrated players. Landry is about as good as Martin, but the deal makes so much sense for the Rockets because it gives them a more productive roster. Houston was desperate for a wing who could get his own shot and space the floor. Martin answers both challenges.
The stat-savvy Rockets undoubtedly have noticed Martin's astronomic true shooting percentages (better than 60 in four of the past five seasons). He gets his points without dominating the ball and should thrive from open looks when Yao Ming returns to health next season. He's also familiar with Rick Adelman's system, having played for him in Sacramento.
Losing Landry hurts, but the Rockets managed to rebuild their front line in one shot by acquiring Hill to back up Scola at power forward. The Rockets also can play small with Shane Battier at the 4 and Martin and Trevor Ariza at the wings, something they've rarely done this season because of a shortage of wing talent.
All told, it reshapes their roster to be far more potent next season when Yao returns. In the meantime, the Rockets haven't hurt themselves at all for this season. They got under the luxury tax and grabbed a couple of assets from New York on the exchange. Martin has been injury-prone, and his contract (three years for $36 million after this season) is potentially toxic if he underperforms. But this is about as good a trade as a team can make now that Isiah Thomas and Kevin McHale are out of the league. Grade: A-
Kings: We had been hearing for a while that the Kings weren't looking to trade Martin, but that belied the on-court reality that he and Tyreke Evans go together like peanut butter and onions. And once they pulled the trigger, the Kings got exactly what they were looking for: cap relief and a young, productive, inexpensive power forward in Landry.
Landry makes only $3 million next year, but his low-post scoring ability should provide a nice staple for Sacramento, especially since the Kings' other young bigs, Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes, have trouble scoring on the block.
The Kings actually took on some salary in this deal ($3.6 million) but might be able to get some savings by buying out Hughes, who likely has no interest in playing eight minutes a game for a lottery team.
More importantly, the deal positions Sacramento (stop me if you've heard this before) to be a major player in the free-agent market. As a result of deals in the past 48 hours, the Kings, Clippers, Wizards and Bulls all have positioned themselves to offer a maximum free-agent contract, while the Knicks now can offer two maximum deals. In the Kings' case, they probably will take a more piecemeal approach -- LeBron ain't coming to Sacto, folks. But if they can add a young point guard to build around with Evans, Omri Casspi, Landry, Thompson and Hawes, they should be in good position to turn things around. Grade: B+
Knicks: It's all or nothing this summer for the Knicks, who set themselves up for their dream scenario -- being able to offer two maximum free-agent contracts -- but did so at considerable cost. By finally ridding themselves of their obligation to Jeffries next year, New York now projects to have about $32 million in cap space, which theoretically positions them to sign Dwyane Wade and LeBron, or one of those two and Chris Bosh.
However, New York gave up a lot of assets in order to make this deal work. The Knicks sent out two young pieces: their 2012 first-round pick (top-5 protected) and young forward Jordan Hill. With no 2010 first-rounder, whomever they entice to take their money will be playing with Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Eddy Curry, Bill Walker and six guys making the minimum. (No, not David Lee -- he's an unrestricted free agent).
Rodriguez also could stay in the mix if the cap number comes in higher than anticipated or if New York can trade Douglas on draft day. This is a great situation for Rodriguez to thrive in since coach Mike D'Antoni's system is so dependent on creative point guards, so we'll see whether he makes good on his promise as a drive-and-kick guy.
New York should be able to trade Curry for another fat contract (no pun intended) next year, but it remains to be seen whether the lure of the Big Apple is enough to overcome what looks to be a limited supporting cast.
Meanwhile, consider the other scenario. If those A-list free agents stay with their original teams, the Knicks are pretty much hosed -- they'd be left to re-sign Lee, overpay some other second-tier free agent and go 32-50 for the next half-decade. This is a high-risk strategy forced upon them by the misery of the Isiah Thomas era, and it remains unclear how well it will pan out.
Finally, a lot of Knicks fans are asking me about McGrady. Basketball-wise, he's totally irrelevant to this deal -- New York can't make the playoffs no matter what McGrady does, and the Knicks won't be in a position to keep T-Mac if he plays well. Grade: C
Feb. 18: Bulls deal Thomas to Bobcats
Bulls trade Tyrus Thomas to Bobcats for Flip Murray, Acie Law and a future (very much so) first-round pick.
• View this deal in the Trade Machine
Bulls: Well, they get something for Thomas, but probably not as much as they hoped. Picking up Murray is nice because he fills in the hole created by John Salmons' departure a few hours earlier, and since the Bulls already grabbed Hakim Warrick for the frontcourt, they've filled Thomas' rotation spot, too. Law is strictly end-of-the-bench fodder but will serve as an emergency third point guard.
Again, to review: This trade had no effect on the Bulls' cap space whatsoever. Thomas had an expiring contract; the Bulls could have made a qualifying offer of $6.3 million to retain his rights as a restricted free agent but were under no obligation to do so.
The pick the Bulls get from the Bobcats might not arrive for a long time. The earliest they can get it is 2012, because the Bobcats already owe a 2010 pick to Minnesota. But that pick is top-12 protected, and if the Bobcats crash and burn to land in the top of the lottery, it means they will owe Minnesota a pick in 2011 ... and thus can't give Chicago a pick in 2013. (The so-called Ted Stepien rule prevents teams from trading first-rounders in successive years.) That pick in 2011 is top-10 protected, so if the Bobcats can't get out of the lottery, it could drag on another year and not land Chicago a pick until 2014 ... and so on. Grade: B-
Bobcats: I like this deal for the Bobcats because Thomas probably won't be just a rental for them. They can re-sign him after the season and probably will, even if they don't make him a fairly steep qualifying offer of $6.3 million to retain his rights as a restricted free agent.
In the short term, Thomas answers a glaring need for another frontcourt presence and gives the Bobcats a reasonable alternative to the struggling Boris Diaw at power forward. Thomas makes mental errors, and Brown may sour on him because of that, but this trade comes with considerable upside, too.
As for Murray, that's where this trade hurts a little. He's a useful third guard, and this deal leaves a hole in the backcourt that could prove glaring should Raymond Felton or Stephen Jackson suffer an injury. Somebody like Stephen Graham or Gerald Henderson will have to step up and take those minutes, and it may not be pretty. Grade: B+
Feb. 18: Spurs send Ratliff to Charlotte
San Antonio trades Theo Ratliff to Charlotte for a conditional second-round pick.
• View this deal in the Trade Machine
Spurs: A straight salary dump by the Spurs, who weren't playing Ratliff and, as a tax-paying team likely to finish out of the money, needed to cut money any way they reasonably could. As with most trades of this type, the draft pick is an accounting convention to satisfy league rules that something be traded by each side, and the conditions are severe enough that it's unlikely to ever be realized. Grade: B
Bobcats: The Bobcats are worried about the health of Nazr Mohammed and Tyson Chandler, but Larry Brown's history with Ratliff leaves one worried that Brown might actually play him even if his other bigs are healthy. That's why I gave Charlotte only a C. Otherwise, it's a solid move by a team trying like crazy to make its first playoff appearance. Grade: C
Feb. 18: Wizards send McGuire to Sacramento
Washington trades Dominic McGuire and cash to Sacramento for a conditional second-round pick.
• View this deal in the Trade Machine
Wizards: Washington paid the Kings to take McGuire (the pick is "conditional" enough that it likely will never come its way) and in doing so put itself under the luxury tax.
This has huge benefits relative to any potential buyout with Zydrunas Ilgauskas; now the Wizards are the ones holding all the cards and can drive a much harder bargain. They don't need Ilgauskas to take a buyout anymore to get below the luxury-tax line; without this trade, they would've, and that would have given Big Z all the leverage. They're still likely to agree on a buyout -- the Wizards don't hate the Cavs so much that they'll set money on fire -- but now they can drive a harder bargain. Grade: A-
Kings: Sacramento just had to stand with its hand out and collect a check, but bravo to the Kings for taking advantage of getting a free look at McGuire -- a horrid offensive player but one with some potential as a defender. Grade: B
Feb. 18: Grizzlies acquire Brewer from Jazz
Jazz trade Ronnie Brewer to Memphis for a protected 2011 first-round pick.
• View this deal in the Trade Machine
Jazz: This deal is likely to upset some Jazz fans because management cut money while the team is gunning for the second seed in the West. Brewer was a reasonably productive player on a decent contract, and the Jazz were playing well, so why give him away for nothing?
The answer is to save $2.7 million in luxury-tax payments; combined with Brewer's remaining salary, the Jazz will save about $3 million. This deal doesn't get the Jazz under the tax line, but it allows them to cut costs while filling Brewer's wing minutes with Kyle Korver (back from a knee injury and playing well of late) and C.J. Miles.
Utah probably will continue chugging along provided it doesn't have any other wing injuries, but this definitely exposes the team to a potential problem down the road. I can't fault the Jazz too much here -- they're a small-market team paying luxury tax, so you can't exactly call them cheapskates -- but it still feels like a letdown.
Utah, at least, likely will get a mid-first-round pick out of this, which means the Jazz now have four picks in the next two drafts -- theirs, New York's in 2010 and Memphis' in 2011. Grade: C+
Grizzlies: Memphis had been angling for Brewer for a while. His contract is set to expire, but the Griz can make him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent and likely retain him cheaply, so he could be in Memphis for some time. As a local product who played college at nearby Arkansas, he has more incentive to stay than most Memphis free agents.
Brewer will immediately upgrade a horrid bench, where he'll presumably become the first wing to check in. He can't space the floor, but he doesn't need the ball to be effective, either -- he gets his points off cuts, transitions and second shots. He hasn't been as effective this season as in past seasons, but on a per-dollar basis, it's tough to argue with this deal. Whomever the Grizzlies would have selected with a mid-first-round pick in 2011 was unlikely to outproduce what Brewer will give them. Grade: B+
Feb. 18: Bucks, Sixers swap four
Milwaukee trades Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson to Philadelphia for Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec and a 2010 second-round pick.
• View this deal in the Trade Machine
Bucks: Another solid, pragmatic move by the Bucks, clearing out their logjam at shooting guard in return for a 2010 second-round pick from Philly that likely will be in the high 30s in the draft. Brezec might be the worst player in the league, but Ivey has some use as a third point guard and the Bucks know what they're getting from his last tour in Milwaukee. Grade: B+
Sixers: Philly liked Meeks heading into the draft, so it didn't shock me to see the 76ers pursue him now. The deal is cap neutral and gives the Sixers a shooter, something they desperately need. While Meeks has made only 28.2 percent of his 3-pointers with Milwaukee, his college shooting numbers were so good that one can easily dismiss the 82-shot sample he's provided in the NBA.
Elson has some value as a defensive center, but Philly already is knee-deep in big men, so he probably won't play and might be a buyout candidate. Grade: B-
Feb. 17: Cavs get Jamison in three-way deal
Washington trades Antawn Jamison to Cleveland and Drew Gooden to Clippers;
Cleveland trades Zydrunas Ilgauskas, rights to Emir Preldzic and 2010 first-round pick to Washington;
Clippers trade Al Thornton to Washington and Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland.
Cavaliers: I can already hear the league's other GMs scoffing: "Sure, it's easy to make a deal when you're willing to spend more than anyone else." That said, I love this deal for the Cavs. Loveitloveitloveitloveitloveit. They hit a home run here.
Cleveland spent a ton of money, but in basketball terms the Cavs basically got Antawn Jamison for free. Ilgauskas, presumably, will go back to Cleveland in 30 days after reaching a buyout agreement with Washington. Meanwhile, the pick the Cavs surrendered was pretty much worthless to them anyway: Anybody they would have drafted this year wouldn't be likely to contribute to the Cavs anyway, like 2009 draft picks Christian Eyenga and Danny Green. And the pick certainly wasn't going to help them this postseason.
I like Jamison for Cleveland better than the primary alternative, Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, for a few reasons. First, he makes less money, and there isn't the issue with his potentially leaving after the season. Second, he's a more natural "stretch 4" than Stoudemire, and that's the one area in which the Cavs were most lacking.
I've had a couple of people tell me Jamison is a low-efficiency offensive player, but that's just not true. His shooting percentages are only average, but what these folks miss is his minuscule turnover rate -- his mark is half that of Stoudemire's, for instance.
Jamison gets most of his points without dribbling or isolating one-on-one -- most of his points come in the flow. On a team for which LeBron James, a gifted passer, is doing most of the work with the ball, Jamison's ability to make a quick cut that generates a shot should prove valuable. The last time he was in a similar situation, playing with Steve Nash in Dallas, he shot 53.5 percent from the field, posted his career high in PER and won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
Although Jamison's age is a concern at 33, he has kept himself in great shape and rarely misses games. Healthwise, he might be a better risk than Stoudemire (who has undergone surgery on both knees and for a detached retina) even though he's six years older. Throw in the little matter of Jamison's not costing the Cavs anything important, and it's clear which proposed trade was better.
Cleveland was able to cut the deal without including prized young forward J.J. Hickson because it was willing to help Washington get under the luxury tax. The Wizards dumped much more money with this trade than a straight Hickson-and-Ilgauskas-for-Jamison swap would have allowed -- some creative deal-making by the Cavs' brain trust to engineer this one, as well as heavy financial commitments by Cleveland ownership.
Now about that money: Cleveland not only took on Jamison and the $28 million he's owed for the two seasons after this one but it also took on $2.7 million owed to Telfair next season -- it's technically a player option, but he should return, given that he has no chance of matching that dough as a free agent. Adding Telfair will cost an additional $2.5 million in luxury-tax payments this season, and if and when the Cavs re-sign Ilgauskas, that will tack on additional tax. Telfair, incidentally, is currently injured and is nearly useless even when healthy, especially on a floor-spacing team such as the Cavs.
Cleveland presumably will face those payments again next season. Technically, at the moment, Cleveland is projected to be under the tax threshold next season, but this summer the Cavs will either re-sign Ilgauskas and Shaquille O'Neal or parlay them into other assets; they're likely to use their midlevel exception, too. All told, they're looking at a cost of $3.5 million this season and several million more over the next two.
So in grading this trade, why does Cleveland get an A-minus and not a full-fledged A? Because the Cavs took a risk here, however small, that could end up biting them in a big way this summer. Cleveland helped the Clippers get more cap room, and one thing the Clips potentially could do with that cap room is pursue LeBron James. Granted, it's highly unlikely -- really, LeBron is gonna play for an owner like Donald Sterling? -- but obviously, if the Cavs lose LeBron, any benefit from acquiring Jamison would seem minuscule in comparison.
Of course, this also could be the deal that locks James into staying. If he wins a title this season and sees a future with the cast of productive snipers Cleveland has built around him, there's no reason for him to consider L.A., N.Y. or any other alternative. Cleveland: A-
Wizards: The Wizards stuck with Jamison and Caron Butler a year too long, and finally had to settle mostly for salary-cap relief to get rid of them. Sure, they'll get to pick 29th or 30th in this year's draft, but that pick is not likely to make any difference to Washington's future. Neither is Preldzic, a 2007 late-second-rounder thrown in for posterity's sake.
So why do it? For a couple of reasons. The Wizards finally realized that it's time to blow things up, and the cap relief they'll get here is significant. Washington was able to lump in Drew Gooden with Jamison and took back only Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Al Thornton; that saves the Wizards about $2 million in luxury tax, even with Ilgauskas' trade kicker.
They probably will reach a buyout agreement with Ilgauskas, too, and the money they'll get back from that arrangement should be enough to put them under the luxury-tax line -- they're only $483,401 over as of now -- which will bring in an additional $4 million or so in distributions from the league. So in total, this deal is worth roughly $7 million to Washington just in 2009-10 savings, not to mention the $28 million over the next two seasons that they won't have to pay Jamison.
In terms of basketball, the important part is that Washington now has enough cap room after the season -- roughly $20 million -- to pursue any free agent it wishes. Clearly, D.C.'s denuded roster isn't a high-profile destination, but with a high lottery pick and some smart additions, the Wizards can build their way back up quickly. Given the salary-cap Armageddon they were facing before this week's trades, it's about the best one can hope for.
As for Thornton, he was a necessary component of the deal but basically gives the Wizards exactly what they don't need -- another quasi-talented, shot-happy young guy who has no idea how to play. Washington's quartet of Thornton, Nick Young, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee might be the most clueless unit any single NBA team could muster. Thornton likely will start at small forward with Butler gone, and he has one season left on his contract after this one to prove my scouting report incorrect. Washington: B-
Clippers: This was a pretty smooth move by GM Mike Dunleavy, dropping a secondary player of little value (Thornton) from next season's roster in return for generating enough cap space to make a serious run at a superstar player. The Clips dropped $5.5 million in 2010-11 salary with this deal without sacrificing anything of importance, which is something of a miracle in the current economic climate. The deal puts them $14-17 million under next season's projected salary cap, depending on whether they decide to trade their first-round draft pick and where it lands in the lottery if they keep it.
That puts L.A. in the discussion for the likes of James, Wade and Chris Bosh, and although those three still seem like long shots to join the Clippers, at least L.A. is in the game. If that doesn't work out, the Clips also have put themselves in great position to swipe Rudy Gay from Memphis or Joe Johnson from Atlanta. Those players aren't difference-makers on the epic scale of the first three names, perhaps, but when joined with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman, they could form a pretty potent quintet.
L.A. also could go for a less epic strike in free agency and surround a signee with more depth if it keeps Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake, brings back free-agent-to-be Marcus Camby, and adds a quality player in the first round. Either way, the Clippers have poised themselves to be a major player this summer and a major force in 2010-11. Clippers: A
Feb. 17: Salmons to Bucks
Bulls send John Salmons to the Bucks for Joe Alexander and Hakim Warrick.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Bulls: If the Miami Heat seem a little more nervous Wednesday, this is why. This deal could potentially be huge for the Bulls, even though they just helped their most serious competitor for the East's last playoff spot get a leg up on them. Chicago could very well miss the postseason as a result of this trade.
However, the long-term ramifications are simply too huge to ignore. By dropping the $5.8 million owed to John Salmons next season, Chicago is now in a position to offer a maximum contract to a prospective free agent. The target is obvious: The Bulls will make a serious push to get Dwyane Wade.
As for the players Chicago received, don't expect much from Alexander, but Warrick could prove very useful. Chicago needs scoring and power forward help, especially after trading Tyrus Thomas. While Warrick's D is suspect, he'll help the offense considerably. In the backcourt, Devin Brown will take Salmons' minutes and rookie James Johnson likely will play more, too, but there's no question this is a downgrade from Salmons. Grade: B+
Bucks: A solid move here by the Bucks to take on Salmons because they're one of the few teams targeting 2011 for free-agent dollars rather than 2010. Salmons could conceivably opt out of the $5.8 million he's owed next season, but in the current market and with his current production, it seems highly unlikely.
Warrick had lost his starting gig and Alexander had fallen out of their plans a long time ago, so this deal costs the Bucks little of value. Additionally, the Bucks get a little prize in being able to move up a couple spots in the 2010 draft should they pass the Bulls in the standings -- they can swap picks.
Ccombined with a favorable late-season schedule and the fact that the trade strips Chicago of a key weapon, this deal positions the Bucks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Grade: B
Feb. 17: Wolves get Darko
Knicks send Darko Milicic to the Timberwolves for Brian Cardinal.
Knicks: After all this talk, the only trade we get is dead money for dead money? Beats nothing, I guess.
The Knicks save $1 million in luxury tax payments by having Cardinal sit behind their bench instead of Milicic, so the motivation was obvious from their end. Grade: B
Timberwolves: I don't get this at all. Milicic is a free agent next season and will almost certainly play in Europe. Also, he's not any good. Nonetheless, Minnesota paid nearly $1 million for a front-row seat to the Darko Experience. About the best that can be said is he'd be hard-pressed to be any worse than current Wolves center Ryan Hollins, and Milicic may actually help Minnesota's interior D. Hey, it's Glen Taylor's money, not mine, but this doesn't seem like a particularly shrewd use of it. Grade: D
Feb. 16: Blazers land Camby
Blazers send Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and cash to Clippers for Marcus Camby.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Blazers: Well, no surprise here. Portland has been looking for a big man ever since Joel Przybilla went down, and it was clear the Blazers were using the expiring contracts of Blake and Outlaw as the bait. This deal gets the Blazers about 90 percent of what they wanted: Camby's contract expires this summer so he won't get in the way when Przybilla and Greg Oden come back next season, and he can help get Portland to the playoffs in the meantime.
He'll start at center next to LaMarcus Aldridge, play the high post and stay out of Aldridge's way offensively, and block shots from the weak side to help out the defense. The Blazers would prefer to have a beefier sidekick to Aldridge, a la Brendan Haywood -- and that's the missing 10 percent here -- but realistically this was about as well as they could have hoped to do with only expiring contracts and Paul Allen's checkbook to use as assets.
Outlaw has been hurt all year, but losing Blake will leave a dent in the Blazers' guard rotation. Second-year pro Jerryd Bayless has to step up as the backup point guard, even though he's better at playing off the ball; once Brandon Roy returns he could also see extended duty at the point when Andre Miller is resting. Nonetheless, upgrading from Juwan Howard to Camby at the center spot -- where the Blazers now sport a combined age of 72 -- far outweighs any differential between Blake and Bayless at the point. Grade: B
Clippers: I know everyone thinks the Clippers are just being cheapskates since they're basically selling Marcus Camby for $1.5 million, but consider two factors. First, Camby was going to be an unrestricted free agent after the season anyway; regardless of whether the Clips traded him or kept him their odds of re-signing him are the same.
Second, they don't come away from this without assets. Steve Blake is a free agent and presumably won't be back, but having Travis Outlaw's Bird rights is a worthwhile asset. There is going to be demand for him on the free-agent market and the Clips, at the very least, can include him in a sign-and-trade deal and get something back in return. He might stick around too. Outlaw wants to go somewhere he can get minutes and shots -- i.e., not Portland -- and L.A. seems as good a place as any right now.
Speaking of which, this isn't a bad short-term deal either. The Clippers have several power forward candidates, including the uncelebrated but hugely productive Craig Smith, so Camby's loss might not be a huge blow. Meanwhile, Blake is a major upgrade on Sebastian Telfair at backup point guard and Outlaw, who should be back in a few weeks, offers similar improvement over Al Thornton and Rasual Butler at the small forward spot. Grade: B+
Feb. 13: Mavs and Wizards do seven-player swap
Dallas gets Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson and cash from Washington for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton.
• View this deal in the ESPN Trade Machine
Dallas: Hey, it's Mark Cuban's money. If he wants to spend $30 million to make what amounts to a marginal upgrade, that's his issue. The Mavs improved their team somewhat on the court, especially up front: Haywood is a 7-foot defensive force who provides a significant improvement over Gooden. That should help Dallas, especially against the likes of the Lakers or San Antonio, but I'm not sure it changes their overall outlook much -- on paper, the Lakers, Nuggets and Jazz all look better.
One hope is that Butler will play better outside the poisonous environment in Washington. Nonetheless, the bang for the buck here isn't great. Butler and Howard have had virtually identical numbers over the past four seasons, including this one, so that part of the trade is a push. And while Howard's defensive play had wavered the past two seasons, he was still light years ahead of Butler -- especially at shooting guard, where either Butler or Shawn Marion will have to play for long stretches. Grade: B
Washington: The Wizards were masters of self-delusion for half a decade, absolutely convinced that the one fleeting moment when they had the best record in the East was their "real" team and all that mediocrity before and after was just bad luck. But their stinking up the joint for a second straight season despite a payroll several million dollars over the luxury tax was enough reality to slap some sense into them.
Washington could have had much more for Butler a year ago, but his play slipped this season; getting rid of him now and unloading next season's $4 million obligation to the nearly worthless Stevenson made good financial sense. It cost the Wizards Haywood, and his loss hurts since he could have brought value in another deal, but on balance Butler had slipped enough this season that getting salary relief was probably about as much as they could do. Grade C+
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2/18/2010 7:16 PM
